C86 And All That: The Birth of Indie, 1983-86 - Tapa blanda

Following on from acclaimed histories of the British punk upheaval of the late 1970s (Jon Savage’sEngland’s Dreaming) and the post-punk ferment of the early 80s (Simon Reynolds’sRip It Up and Start Again); Neil Taylor’s new book takes the story forward to cover the next wave of groundbreaking musicians, dubbed the C86 bands” after a now-legendary cassette compilation released by music weekly NME, whose work paved the way for the commercial breakthrough of indie later in the decade.

Taylor explores the grassroots revolution that began in 1983 with a sudden explosion of new bands, independent labels, fanzines, and pop-up clubs. Bands like the Television Personalities, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Shop Assistants, the June Brides, the Wedding Present and scores of others fused punk ethics and pop art tactics with a lo-fi sensibility to create a DIY sound not seen since the heady days of punk, and would shape the sounds of the following decade.

C86 and All That is the first comprehensive look at a scene that has remained largely undocumented until now, and tells the insider story of the birth of indie’. The book features many rare photos along with flyers and zine art from the last great (pre-computer) era of DIY graphics.

Writer and critic Neil Taylor was formerly a journalist for NME and is the author ofDocument and Eyewitness, an intimate history of the legendary British independent record label Rough Trade (Orion, 2011).