Indie music scenes

Indie music scenes are localized, independent, music-oriented communities that exist in many countries, especially in the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. These have existed for decades now, in one way or another, but it is now commonplace for a city or town to have a punk scene, a metal scene, or many other scenes based on other forms of art. Indie music scenes became important in the early 1980s, when the rest of the country caught up with punk rock music from New York and London. Scenes are important in keeping indie and punk rock fresh and inventive, because it allows people from a wide audience to hear new independent music and contribute their own talents to it. Obviously, depending on what town one is in, the feel of the scene (and therefore the music that comes out of it) may change significantly.

Arguably, the 1980s indie scene in Washington D.C. was pivotal in changing the outcome of punk and indie rock for decades to come. Bands like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, and Rites of Spring helped to shape the sound of underground music for years. Los Angeles was important around this time as well, producing bands like the Descendents, Bad Religion, X, The Circle Jerks, The Germs, and Black Flag.

Around the mid-1980s, as punk and New-Wave's mainstream influence died down considerably, there rose a couple of other important movements. Minneapolis was very important around this time. Bands like Hüsker Dü, and The Replacements would influence many alternative bands after them by broadening the scope of punk and hardcore. People involved in these bands, such as Bob Mould and Paul Westerberg still contribute to the music scene today. During the late 1980s in the Bay Area of California, bands like Operation Ivy, Green Day, The Offspring, and later, Rancid would take form to give a new sound to punk rock. On the opposite end of the country, Frank Black, Kim Deal, and Kristin Hersh were forming bands like the Pixies, Throwing Muses, and eventually The Breeders. These bands would influence the next wave of alternative rock, which due to the massive mainstream success of grunge became divided into mainstream artists and a new wave of indie rock bands who rejected the mainstream in favor of the indie scene.

Indie scenes in North America

Canadian indie scenes

*Montreal, Quebec: Montreal is home to a very well developed indie scene, merging influences from Canada, France, the UK, and the US in one city. In 2004, Pitchfork Media and Spin Magazine dubbed Montreal as North America's "Next Big Scene", due to bands such as Arcade Fire, The Unicorns, Land of Talk, Islands, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Stills, The Dears, The Besnard Lakes, Kiss Me Deadly, Wolf Parade, and [In 2007, Shapes and Sizes relocated from British Columbia to Montreal. The city has produced notable acts such as Malajube, Les Breastfeeders, We Are Wolves, and Sunset Rubdown. Both the Osheaga Festival and Pop Montreal music festivals are hosted in the city.

*Toronto, Ontario: Toronto is home to the Canadian Music Week (CMW) and NXNE (North by Northeast) music festivals. North by Northeast is based on the more popular SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. The city is also home to indie record label Arts & Crafts and the now defunct Three Gut Records. Notable bands from the Toronto region include Death from Above 1979, Do Make Say Think, Gentleman Reg, Royal City, Final Fantasy, Jim Guthrie, Black Cat 13, Sick Lipstick, Born Ruffians, Stars, Crystal Castles, Cansecos, Metric, Constantines, as well as supergroup Broken Social Scene. The awareness of the Toronto indie scene is being publicized by websites such as [http://www.torontomusicscene.ca Toronto Music Scene] . Toronto is also the hometown of veteran rock legend, Neil Young. Dan Snaith of Caribou/Manitoba is also from nearby Dundas, Ontario.

*Vancouver/Victoria, British Columbia: British Columbia is home of the much revered Frog Eyes, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Destroyer, Swan Lake, Zumpano, The New Pornographers, A.C. Newman, Mother Mother,D.O.A., Nomeansno, The Hanson Brothers, Skinny Puppy, Hot Hot Heat, Black Mountain, Tegan and Sara, and Pink Mountaintops. Mint Records is based in Vancouver.

*Halifax, Nova Scotia: Back in the limelight more than a decade after Sloan and Eric's Trip first drew attention to it, Halifax is home to critics' favourites Joel Plaskett, Matt Mays, Joseph Cull and Jill Barber, Two Hours Traffic,Dog Day, as well as several renowned roots performers. With a new batch of artist-collective labels such as Dependent records emerging, the scene is thriving once again. The Halifax Pop Explosion is a notable music festival that takes place for two weeks every October after Canadian Thanksgiving.

American indie scenes

East

*Athens, Georgia: Known for being the birthplace of R.E.M., The B-52's, and Pylon, with much of the scene focused around the famed 40 Watt Club. In later years, the area spawned many member bands of the Elephant 6 Recording Company, including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Of Montreal, and The Apples in Stereo. While perhaps indie only in the "status" sense, Athens was also the home to the jam band Widespread Panic and producer/remixer Danger Mouse.

*Baltimore, Maryland: Although having to live in the shadow of Washington, D.C., Baltimore has forged its own distinct identity in the independent music scene. The city has spawned some of the following acts: Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, Lungfish, OXES, Spank Rock, OTR, and Cex. Cousin Vinnie Vineyard of [http://www.flipsiderunner.com Flipside Runner] was born here. The city has played host to the Whartscape Music Festival and also the 2007 V Festival.

*Brooklyn, New York: It's important to distinguish the Brooklyn's scene from its larger neighbour, Manhattan, to acknowledge the contribution made by this particular community. As high rents pushed artists out of Manhattan, many of them found a burgeoning scene just beyond the East River in Williamsburg. By 2002, artists such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Girls Against Boys, Liars, and Les Savy Fav, had gained national attention. Since then, numerous musical acts have emerged from or emigrated to Brooklyn. Some of these acts include: TV on the Radio, Bishop Allen, Say Hi To Your Mom, Enon, USAISAMONSTER, Oneida, Parts & Labor, Animal Collective, Japanther, Prurient, Ex Models, and Deadbeat Darling.

*Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Has had a strong indie rock scene since the 1980s. With three major colleges (UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University and Duke University) in its vicinity, the area has been fertile ground for music. In the 1980s, the region saw the debut of bands like The Connells. Bands such as Superchunk, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Archers of Loaf, Polvo, and Southern Culture on the Skids formed the core of the indie scene in the area in the 1990s. (The Ben Folds Five got their start in the area, as well, albeit slightly removed from the main indie scene.) Much of the activity in the scene focused on longtime indie club the Cat's Cradle (which relocated to adjacent Carrboro in 1993). Labels also emerged in the area, including Merge Records, founded by members of Superchunk, and the now-defunct Mammoth Records.

*Long Island, New York: The Long Island area has spawned a number of hardcore and emo bands. It is known for the hardcore band Glassjaw and emo band Taking Back Sunday and the indie band Brand New, each of whom signed major label contracts at around the same time. Other new age bands from Long Island include Crime in Stereo, Bayside, The Sleeping, Patent Pending, From Autumn to Ashes, and Gabriel the Marine.

*Newark, Delaware: The home of Jade Tree Records, formed in 1990 by Tim Owen and Darren Walters. Jade Tree started with bands such as Railhed, Walleye, Lifetime, and the short-lived DC band, Swiz. The label sat in obscurity for about 5 years until signing The Promise Ring in 1996. Since, Jade Tree has released countless albums from many staples of the indie rock scene. In the early to mid 90's there were countless shows at church halls and Girls Inc. Bands such as the Bouncing Souls, Plow United, boysetsfire, Network 34, Zen Guerrilla, The Crash, Wally and Ann Beretta frequented these spaces. Newark, Delaware and surrounding areas had become a hotbed (at least by Delaware standards) for traveling independent bands who are typically booking their own tours. Remarkably, for as small as the state of Delaware is, there exists a wide diversity of indie groups and sub-groups. Unfortunately the destruction that frequently attended punk and hardcore shows in the late Eighties and early Nineties has limited the number of willing venues in the area. Many venues have chosen to restrict their musical offerings to cover bands. The handful of indie-friendly venues that do offer live and original music typically admit only those attendees who are over 18 years old. Some of the venues who have historically offered opportunities for indie bands are the East End Cafe, the Pale Dog Tavern, Bank Shots (multiple locations), Rox's Bar and Grill in Wilmington, and Mojo 13 in Claymont. 28 Prospect, in Newark also hosts many local unsigned bands that are unable to land gigs at traditional venues. Many of the people who book shows at the clubs will give a new band a chance on their bill, but booking in general tends to be restricted to acquaintances.

*Manhattan, New York: This scene was hugely important in the late 1970s, when the punk rock/new wave scene exploded. Centered around the CBGBs venue, bands such as Talking Heads, Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith and Television were spawned. Always a contender, it has been cited as a major scene for recent indie rock music with such bands as Interpol, Asobi Seksu, We Are Scientists, The Essex Green, The Bravery, and The Strokes. It continues to be a haven for Noise music. One example is the record label Ecstatic Peace, started by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.

*Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Although better known as a hip hop/soul town. Philadelphia's contributions to the indie scene cannot go unnoticed. In the early 2000s, the music and art collective known as the Looking Glass Workshop gained notoriety with groups such as the Echo Orbiter alongside many other musicians, artists, photographers, actors, and directors. Philadelphia has been home to indie acts such as The Delta 72, Man Man, Need New Body, Zen Guerrilla, Matt Pond PA, and Bardo Pond. Enon and The Walkmen have also had members relocate to Philadelphia as high rents have pushed them out of New York City. Magnet magazine was created in Philly in 1993 and continues to be published in the City of Brotherly Love.

*Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: While colleges such as the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University annually bring in many new students, the region's depressed economy makes it difficult to attract and retain the young people necessary to sustain a thriving music scene. Nonetheless, significant contributions to indie rock have been made by the likes of Don Caballero, The Karl Hendricks Trio, Dirty Faces, Modey Lemon, Grand Buffet, Anti-Flag, Punchline, Girl Talk, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Midnight Snake, The Cynics, and Gil Mantera's Party Dream.

*Providence, Rhode Island: (especially the West Side/ Olneyville) Is most famously known for its local experimental noise scene including bands such as Lightning Bolt, Arab on Radar, Daughters, Six Finger Satellite, The Chinese Stars, Mindflayer, The Juan MacLean, The White Mice, Tiny Hawks, and more. Most of the scene was originally focused around the warehouse district with collectives such as Fort Thunder, The Pink Rabbit, and Redrum. One of the mainstays in the area is the alternative arts venue downtown known as AS220. Providence once was home to a notorious record shop known as In Your Ear and Armaggeddeon Shop is also known to support the local music community there. Prior to moving to Brooklyn, acts such as Prurient, USAISAMONSTER, and Les Savy Fav resided in Providence.

*Washington, DC: The DC area has also re-emerged as a hotbed of indie music. The area gained notoriety in the 1980s when it became one of the flagship cities of the American hardcore punk movement, with bands such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Government Issue, and Rites of Spring. All of these bands were on Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye's own record label, Dischord Records. Several newer bands have gained popularity since the rise of MacKaye's later band Fugazi, including Q and Not U, Black Eyes, Decahedron, Dead Meadow, The Evens, and Make Up who have inspired many local DC bands such as pg. 99, Crestfallen, Haram, Reactor No. 7, Majority Rule and many others.

Midwest

*Chicago: Chicago has become known for indie rockers following in the paths of the Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, Wilco, and The Jesus Lizard; bands like Califone, OK Go, Andrew Bird and Umphrey's McGee hail from the city. In recent years Chicago has become a pinnacle in the indie scene, attracting both premier indie bands and industry attention. Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces, who now reside in Brooklyn, New York are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Chicago is also home to many independent labels like Touch and Go Records, Thrill Jockey, Drag City, and others, and to the popular music-news website Pitchfork Media. Chicago is also notable for two popular mainstream bands that emerged from the Chicago Hardcore Scene, Rise Against and Fall Out Boy.

*Champaign-Urbana: Champaign-Urbana houses the University of Illinois and has provided a platform for many popular groups to grow into regional and national acts. Some of the more well-known bands from Champaign-Urbana include REO Speedwagon, Head East and Dan Fogelberg, HUM, Poster Children, Hardvark, The Moon Seven Times, Braid, Castor, National Skyline, Absinthe Blind, Headlights, The Living Blue, The Beauty Shop. The cities now host the Pygmalion Music Festival on an annual basis, and releases music through multiple labels, such as Polyvinyl Records and Parasol Records. The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts also hosts world-renowned performers of classical music, as well as other annual festivals.

*Detroit: Detroit is the internationally known home of Motown Records and the Motown Sound and has been the breeding ground of musical talent as diverse as ? and the Mysterians, Madonna and Kid Rock. Building on the classic pre-punk sounds of local favorites MC5, the Detroit garage rock scene that began in bars and music clubs across the city in the early 2000s saw rise to bands like Electric Six, The Volebeats, The White Stripes, Von Bondies, Blanche, The Go, The Muggs, The Paybacks, Detroit Cobras and The Dirtbombs. An evolving set of bands building on the garage rock sound continues to spring from Detroit include The Raconteurs, Great Lakes Myth Society, Brave Rifles, Millions of Brazilians, Thunderbirds are Now!, The Hard Lessons, Deadstring Brothers, The Witches and Saturday Looks Good to Me.

*Bloomington, Indiana: Bloomington is the home of Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. The school and the surrounding areas have produced numerous indie bands of note with DIY Punk influences, including Acoustic Folk-Punk bands Defiance, Ohio (band), This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, Ghost Mice, all of which have recorded on Plan It X Records and play at the annual Plan It X Fest. Other remarkable artists include Matty Pop Chart (Matt Tobey), and his sister Erin Tobey. Both Matt and Erin have recorded with Plan It X Records as solo artists and also as members of Abe Froman. Lo-fi musician Elephant Micah, from Richmond, Indiana, resides in Bloomington. There are a number of punk bands in Bloomington with no label affiliation who take a decidedly DIY approach to music, playing local clubs, basement parties and random shows throughout the commnity, including The Touchists, The Scraps, The Bradleys and Push-Pull. One of the long-standing institutions in The Bloomington, Indiana Punk Scene are The Walking Ruins whose satyrical style of punk has covered subjects from Reagan era politics to Guantanimo imprisonment.

*Murfreesboro, Tennessee: About forty minutes south of Nashville, Murfreesboro is a current hotbed for college music. The town is home to Middle Tennessee State University's Recording Industry program in the Mass Communications department. The most notable band to make it from this scene is the band Self. Spongebath Records, their label, was the heart of the scene and was eventually bought out by Dreamworks Nashville (music division of Dreamworks S.K.G. started by David Geffen). The scene shares much with the artists of Nashville, including Ben Folds, Jonathan Rice, and Be Your Own Pet. Several records shops, such as the Grand Palace, have sprouted up in this area supplying the local scene with obscure records and slightly pretentious charm.

*Lawrence, Kansas: Home of the University of Kansas has a long tradition as an underground music haven. It is also home to the Wakarusa Music Festival, North vs. South Music Festival, Bleeding Kansas Festival, KJHK, and a vibrant downtown scene. The "New York Times" wrote, "It may only be rock 'n' roll, but Ghosty, the Appleseed Cast, The New Amsterdams and other young bands are playing it with such virtuosity that Lawrence is now perhaps the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver." Other active bands include White Whale, Ad Astra Per Aspera, Minus Story, the Old Canes, Big Stack Daddy, Guse, and Mates of State.

*Omaha, Nebraska: As of 2000, many new scenes are appearing on the radar in Middle America; all with unique sounds. One is the Omaha-based Saddle Creek Records, home to several highly regarded indie rock acts such as Bright Eyes and Cursive. Bright Eyes singer/songwriter and Omaha native Conor Oberst, who helped start the label, has been called the "King of Indie Rock" by "Rolling Stone" magazine. Elliott Smith was born here, but raised in Texas and rose to popularity in Portland.

*Louisville, Kentucky: Slint and Rodan come from Louisville, as well as the projects that arose from the breakups of these two bands: June of 44, Shipping News, Rachel's, The For Carnation, and others. The prolific musician Will Oldham with his various musical projects (Palace Brothers, Palace Music, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, etc.) comes from Louisville, as does My Morning Jacket. Quick note, numerous indie bands are based in and around the towns of Lexington, Kentucky; Morehead, Kentucky; Ashland, Kentucky; and many others.

*Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minneapolis has been home to famous acts such as Low, Husker Du and Semisonic in the past, and is currently home to one of the larger local indie scenes in the midwest. Rising bands such as Tapes 'n Tapes and Halloween, Alaska are only the tip of the iceberg that is the Minneapolis indie scene, with the notable record label Afternoon Records at the helm of such development.

West

*Denver, Colorado: Denver has produced a scene sometimes labeled "country gothic" [http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/glimpses/2003/olden.html] , [http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/feb-12-01/slim.html] for its stark combinations of American country and gospel music with unusual or morbid lyrical themes. The approach ranges from solemn, sometimes wrenching religious contemplation by 16 Horsepower, twisted Americana murder ballads by Munly, to rollicking, drunken, apocalyptic Southern gospel by Slim Cessna's Auto Club, all of whom have released albums on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles Records. The Denver music scene has produced several now-respected musical groups, such as DeVotchKa, who were nominated for a Grammy award for their work on the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack. Additionally, the Elephant 6 Collective has ties to Denver. Singer/songwriter Robert Schneider and his band The Apples In Stereo lived in Denver until recently. Parts of Neutral Milk Hotel's opus, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea were recorded in Denver with Schneider producing.

*Boulder, Colorado: The Boulder scene originally coalesced in the late 1980s and early 1990s around the local Adult Album Alternative radio station KBCO. The presence of a strong music program and eager audience at the University of Colorado and numerous local music venues like the Fox Theatre helped propel the scene forward. Bands like The Samples and Big Head Todd & The Monsters achieved national notoriety by blending folk, reggae, rock, jazz, and pop together to appeal to a broad range of listeners. Additionally, the scene moved on to spawn a number of bluegrass-influenced bands like Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, and String Cheese Incident. Rose Hill Drive is the latest nationally recognized band to emerge from the Boulder scene.

*Las Vegas: The Las Vegas music scene consists mostly of underground indie rock, shoegaze, freak folk, hard core, grind core, screamo, and various other modernized versions of alternative rock. Bands such as The Killers and Panic! at the Disco, are the first Las Vegas indie bands to receive international attention. Fremont East is the epicenter of Indie music in an area of downtown Las Vegas with bars such as Beauty Bar, The Griffin, and The Bunkhouse regularly showcasing indie music. Indie Krush is a Las Vegas promotions group that books indie bands.

*Los Angeles: The L.A. indie scene rides the wave through neighborhoods like Koreatown, Los Feliz, Silverlake, and Echo Park, which have given rise to such bands as Moving Units, Rilo Kiley, Earlimart, No Age, Autolux, Scarling. and Giant Drag.

*San Francisco, CA: The Bay Area has always had one of the biggest indie scenes in the country since the dawning of the psychedelia counterculture, cultivated on its very own streets. Prominent 60's artists such as Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Sly & the Family Stone, and Big Brother & the Holding Company were all founded in San Francisco. Since then the city has continued it's psychedelic trend with the foundings of the modern-day legends The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, as well as being home to many punk bands like Dead Kennedys, Tiger Army, and Tsunami Bomb. The Bay Area has also been graced with artist/producer John Vanderslice and his recording studio dubbed Tiny Telephone.

*Portland, Oregon: Relatively recently has become a hot spot for indie bands, being the home of such acts as The Decemberists, The Shins, The Gossip, The Dandy Warhols, Dirty Martini, The Wipers and the late Elliott Smith. Seattle-launched Modest Mouse and Sleater-Kinney eventually relocated to Portland, as did Stephen Malkmus.

*San Diego: In the past, it has bred its fair share of influential bands such as The Locust, The Black Heart Procession, Pinback, The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, Heavy Vegetable, and The Album Leaf, as well as the partnership between John Reis and Rick Froberg that has produced Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and Reis's Rocket From The Crypt. It is home to Pacific Records and several other small labels.

*Seattle: The Seattle scene became extremely popular in the early 1990s, when bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees, inspired by local forefathers Mudhoney, found chart-topping national success with the grunge rock sound. This was unique since it signaled the first time in a long time that punk-influenece rock had become once again in vogue with the masses. During the 1990s, Seattle could be considered to have the most influential indie pop scene in the world. Seattle has since produced such artists as Death Cab For Cutie, Minus The Bear, and Modest Mouse. It is still home to indie rock staple Sub Pop Records, one of the most influential record labels on alternative rock, as well Tooth & Nail Records and Solid State Records.

outhwest

*Austin, Texas: Austin is the host of the annual SXSW (South By South West) festival that showcases a large variety of independent artists across many different venues in the city. The city itself has spawned some of the following bands: Spoon, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Jeff Klein, Ian Moore, Goudie, Canvas, Pushmonkey,Zykos, Okkervil River, Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, Big Boys, Alpha Rev, Voxtrot, The Black Angels, Ghostland Observatory, Daniel Johnston, David Garza, The Lovely Sparrows, The Sword and Shearwater. Austin is home to Misra Records.

*Denton, Texas: In the last 20 years Denton's music culture has grown beyond the rigorous and disciplined world of University of North Texas' [http://www.music.unt.edu College of Music] . In 2004 and 2005, the roster of the town's performing and touring indie music acts remained between 90 and 100, a high number considering the town's 2000 U.S. census population figure of only 80,537 people. Notable indie bands from Denton include: Satan's Fingers, and The Killers, The Hospital Bombers, Lift to Experience, Centro-Matic, Fishboy, Brutal Juice, the Baptist Generals, Midlake, Spoonfed Tribe, the Marked Men, South San Gabriel, and Bosque Brown. Although not quite "indie rock", Denton has also produced unconventional acts such as Brave Combo and Corn Mo, as well as notable producer and promoter DJ Nature, all contributing to the overall scene. Denton's music culture makes the smaller town Texas' only other city, outside of Austin, that could claim such a title as "music town", a reflection of city's own creative and progressive dominant cultural base.

*Norman, Oklahoma: Norman is Oklahoma's largest college town and boasts more than its fair share of indie talent. Bands that have emerged from Norman include The Flaming Lips, Chainsaw Kittens, Starlight Mints, and Evangelicals. Norman's premiere indie music venue, The Opolis, is run by members of the Starlight Mints.

Indie scenes in Britain

English indie scenes

*Liverpool: Famous for producing Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes during the post-punk era, and has recently fostered bands such as The Zutons, The Coral, The Rascals and The Dead 60s all under local label Deltasonic, Hot Club De Paris, Ladytron and most recently The Wombats.
*Birmingham: notably Grebo (Pop Will Eat Itself, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, The Wonder Stuff ) plus scene surrounding The Jug of Ale bands including rumblefish, Ocean Colour Scene. More recently produced Editors and The Twang.
*Coventry: With emerging bands such as The Ripps, Broken Dolls, and most notably The Enemy (English band), [http://www.myspace.com/theenemycoventry] coming from Coventry. This has led to the subsequent resserection of Stiff Records, a record label that launched Elvis Costello and many notable punk acts in the late 70's. These bands have emerged from the glorious shadow cast by Coventry's The Specials who were undoubtedly one of the major forces in the British music scene in the 70's and early eighties.
*London: Notably the The Scene That Celebrates Itself, Thamesbeat, Klaxons, M.I.A., The Libertines,Babyshambles, Dirty Pretty Things, The Holloways, The Rakes, New Young Pony Club and Razorlight. There are many solo indie acts to emerge from London, such as Jamie T, Jack Penate, Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Adele.
*Manchester: Since the advent of punk rock, Manchester's indie scene has yielded seminal groups such as Joy Division, Joy Division's successor band New Order, The Smiths and The Fall. Famous for the Madchester scene in the late 80's led by Factory Records artists James and The Happy Mondays as well as Inspiral Carpets and the hugely influential but radically different Stone Roses. The Madchester scene heavily influenced the Britpop scene in the 90's which included Oasis, The Verve and Doves. Recent bands to emerge include The Courteeners, The Whip and Nine Black Alps. Singer-songwriters Badly Drawn Boy and Jim Noir operate from the suburb of Chorlton. Manchester also had a thriving Punk scene inspired by the famous gig in the Manchester Free Trade Hall by The Sex Pistols. In the audience that night were: The Buzzcocks, Factory Records boss Tony Wilson and post-punk band Stiff Kittens, later to become Warsaw, then Joy Division and ultimately New Order.
*North East: Produced post-punk revivalists The Futureheads from Sunderland and Maxïmo Park from Newcastle upon Tyne. Pete Doherty comes from Hexham.
*Yorkshire (Notably Leeds and Sheffield): Sheffield is best known in indie circles for the band Pulp and its frontman Jarvis Cocker. Several members of Mercury Prize winners Gomez studied at Sheffield University. The rise of Arctic Monkeys has paved the way for new bands such as Milburn, Little Man Tate, The Long Blondes, The Dodgems, Reverend and the Makers and Firegarden. Not as prolific as Sheffield, Leeds has still produced notable indie acts such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Music, The Cribs, Last Gang, ¡Forward, Russia!, Hadouken! attended Leeds university although they are originally from Bushey, The Pigeon Detectives and The Wedding Present. These post-millennium bands are associated with the New Yorkshire scene by "NME".
*Brighton: "The Kooks, (See Night-life and popular music of Brighton and Hove)".

cottish indie scenes

*GlasgowBands like Primal Scream Franz Ferdinand, Biffy Clyro, Belle and Sebastian, Mogwai, The Twilight Sad, My Latest Novel, The Fratellis, The Yummy Fur, Camera Obscura, Aereogramme, The Jesus and Mary Chain, 1990s plus many more.
*DundeeBands like Snow Patrol, The View plus many more underground ones..

Welsh indie scenes

*CardiffBands such as Los Campesinos!, Mclusky, Future of the Left, Space In the 80's, Gethin Pearson & the Scenery, Halflight, The Victorian English Gentlemens Club and established acts such as Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, Feeder and The Automatic have all come from Cardiff.

Indie scenes in Australia & New Zealand

Australian Indie Scenes

*Melbourne: "(See Culture of Melbourne)."Hosts a large range of genres, one of the largest independent music scenes outside of North America, abundance of venues such as The Evelyn, The Espy, The Corner, The Tote, Pony, Bar Open, Roxanne Parlour, The Arthouse, Trades Hall, Brown Alley, The Laundry, and many others. The city hosts an abundance of independent labels, a vast street press & community radios such as PBS & 3RRR. Some artists to emerge from Melbourne's indie scene into the mainstream include Augie March, Architecture in Helsinki, Grinderman, H!rtdog, Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males, My Disco, British India, Midnight Juggernauts, Cut Copy, Something For Kate and many more. Melbourne is also known for its many alternative/indie clubs such as Click Click, Pogo, Eurotrash, Roxanne, Thirdclass & Next, amongst many others, featuring the popular format of live music before midnight and DJs after midnight. These clubs have come to be known as 'mainstream indie' and are easily accessible to younger crowds, giving them a gateway to the greater independent music scene.

Many bands, musicians and artists, particularly from Tasmania, South Australia, ACT and Western Australia, relocate themselves to Melbourne to take advantage of its thriving independent music scene and as a result has become a melting pot for Australian musicians in general for the last decade or so.

*Brisbane: "(See Popular entertainment in Brisbane)." The second largest indie scene in Australia, known for its venues in Fortitude Valley such as The Troubadour, The Zoo, Rics Cafe, The Arena, The Tivoli, The Empire Hotel and The Press Club and its abundance of punk rock bands such as Run Amok. The Gold Coast, 50km south of Brisbane, also hosts a limited independent music scene.

*Perth: Has a very healthy independent music scene, abundance of venues and street press. Acts from Perth include; Eskimo Joe, Gyroscope, and many more. It is argued that Perth's independent music scene is currently larger than Sydney's and almost as large as Brisbane's.

*Sydney: While the independent music scene in Sydney was once second only to Melbourne's, it has suffered from a lack of venues for the last decade or so, many of which surcomed to pokies. Notable recent independent act Faker hails from Sydney.

New Zealand Indie Scenes

*Auckland: Increasingly well-known [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3889768.ece] as the head quarters of orchestral pop taste-makers Lil' Chief Records. Once associated with indie-by-name-only The Mint Chicks and Cut Off Your Hands.