This week, there has been a lot of talk about the state of rock music which apparently is dead. This statement made me laugh slightly because for me I look at the rock/alternative music scene and at the moment, especially in the UK, it’s probably at the best it has been in a while and it’s set to get even better this year.
Last year, Bring Me The Horizon released their third studio album and received some amazing praise from critics and fans, entering charts all over the world and getting a number one album in Australia. Last week saw the release of the new album by Architects, and reading reviews it seems like it will be one of the best albums of this year. Not only that but magazines such as Rocksound and Kerrang! over the past few weeks have been putting together their reasons why 2011 will be such an amazing year for rock. New albums from bands such as The Blackout, You Me At Six, All Time Low, Foo Fighters, My Passion are all set for release and countless more bands will be putting out albums this year as well.
To me, it seems like there has never been a better time for the alternative scene in the UK. You only have to look at the festival line up’s that have already been put together and you can see the heavy presence of rock bands from across the world. In the past few weeks, daytime Radio One has also played songs from Bring Me The Horizon and Architects. This is music you don’t expect to hear on the station apart from on The Radio One Rockshow but to hear it in the day surely shows that rock music is making such a mark that it can’t be ignored.
The charts are full of indie, dance and R’n’B and I’m not going to deny that but there are bands making a name for themselves, and with more albums to be released this year it seems more bands could be thrown into the spotlight.
In terms of the alternative scene, it is amazingly strong and full of a hell of a lot of talent whether established like Bring Me The Horizon or up and coming like My Passion and Young Guns. But in terms of big, stadium rock bands it certainly isn’t a brilliant time for it. In terms of the UK, we have about 2 or 3 bands like Muse and Kasabian, and the US isn’t much better with only Green Day and Foo Fighters. If that is what they are referring to by saying rock music is dead then I guess they are right.
For me, the music scene as a whole [apart from the alternative scene] has become a bit tired and stale, and there is not a lot of new and ground breaking stuff coming through. I think there needs to be a band, whether established or brand new, to come out and do something that will revolutionise the music industry something like what Nirvana did with grunge. Inevitably, something will happen, and something or someone will break through, it’s just a matter of time but more time and money needs to be put into finding these new artists and giving them the opportunity on record labels instead of dropping them after one or two albums, if record sales are bad.
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