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Haim deposed, balance restored.
Indie | Monday 14th October 2013 | Alex
The six week rock/indie occupation of the top spot in the UK chart has come to an end. Over the last month and a half we saw Avenged Sevenfold, The 1975, Kings of Leon and Haim each spend a week at No. 1, with Arctic Monkeys hogging a whole TWO WEEKS on the top. Unfortunately, our friend Miley and her scantily clad body of work entitled “Bangerz” reclaimed the top spot in the name of pop. Is Miley Cyrus’ album so good it just had to be numero uno or does it represent the natural realignment of Britain's music taste?
It must be emphasized that guitar music is in no way dead. In the past the UK chart has been dominated by cutting edge rock and roll music. See: The Rolling Stones, Beatles, Oasis and a host of others. The underground scene remains as strong as ever. So, is indie music’s lasting power in the charts similar to Blackburn’s time as Premiership champions in 1995? Are we set to see this short lived trend continue into the near future? Sadly, the evidence indicates just that.
She's done it! @MileyCyrus has beaten @Eminem to number 1. In many ways @gregjames is at least partially responsible: http://t.co/4fia4nzaOC
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) October 13, 2013
Although not the most talented of bands and despite lacking any genre defining album, The 1975 debuted at number one on the 8th of September - no easy feat. At the time of writing, they have fallen to number 28 in just over a month and that is a long way to fall. The household names such as the Arctic Monkeys and Kings of Leon have kept their positions in the top 5 since the release of their albums, ‘AM’ and ‘Mechanical Bull’ respectively. But in KOL's case, they have been releasing albums for the last ten years, which suggests that it's harder than ever for small rock and indie acts to consolidate a lasting place in the public’s conscious.
It’s a sad state of affairs but the facts have to be laid bare: no single rock or indie band has held the top spot on the album charts for over 3 weeks in the 2010s. Adele didn’t budge for months, Amy Winehouse’s passing has brought her music an increased recognition (and rightly so), as well as Richard & Adam’s album (I don’t know, I really don’t) that lasted 4 weeks. General public, you’re the worst. Maybe someday soon the next big rock and roll act will come along and take the charts by storm in a manner akin to the Blitzkrieg. But until then, it would appear electronic and pop-y production remains firmly embedded between the country’s bosoms as first port of call.
Alex Taylor https://twitter.com/alextaylor18
