A little twitter chat on Monday night with Eloise and Claire sparked loads of faded memories of bands I loved, college friends and my time at university. I never really had a live journal or blog before this but if I did all my teenage ramblings would have been about bands not dresses. I'm not as eloquent as other bloggers so I'm just going to share some photos of what the college and university years of my life (2003-8) meant to me.
Here are some of the tragic photos of me from my teenage years, try not to laugh too much.
Old myspace photo // after the student media awards // summer ball at the end of my final year // me on 6Music with the Queens of Noize // at karaoke in Soho // night out at an indie disco with friends // my 18th birthday
It was all about the big fringe, I think I thought I was a mix of Karen O an Kate Jackson.
The tweets that ended with me emptying all my crates of records and CDs on the floor and digging out all my old mix tapes.
I don't think my generation ever had its defining moment or movement. My older cousins had Brit Pop and my mum grew up with Motown and miners strikes. I clung on to all those post-punk bands in the early to mid 00s like The Strokes, The White Stripes, Maximo Park and Interpol. I thought Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out was the best song I had ever heard and went on my first trip without my parents to London to see them play three nights in a row at Brixton. I read The Master and Margarita because bands referenced it and poured over the NME every week and stuck cuttings of my idols all over my bedroom wall. I worked behind the bar in a rugby club and spent all my wages on CDs and gig tickets, I wish I had that disposable income now.
Most of my favourite bands were from up North but a few exceptions creeped in like The Maccabees and I even listened to a bit of Brand New (South Wales had a rather unfortunate scene where people loved a bit of Brand New and Taking Back Sunday)
I think Morrissey sums it up very well:
15 comments
This post sums up my teenage years so, so well. Makes me wince when I realise how much money I spent on gigs and CDs over the years. I saw Bloc Party on Tuesday night, how 2005. The difference between now and then is that this time I got straight on a bus home. In 2005 I waited around outside in the cold until I met Russell! x
ReplyDeleteI also waited around in the cold after seeing Bloc Party in 2005! They didn't appear though...
DeleteSeriously though, I have so much love for the 2005ish indie scene. Went to so many gigs in Cardiff as a student, think that's where my whole student overdraft went. So worth it though!
Gem did you used to go to Fun Facctory/Welsh Clwb/Metros? Xx
haha I met Russell at my summer ball in uni where he did a DJ set. Think I scared him, was a tad over enthusiastic... Used to swoon over him and his swooshy hair.
Deleteyes! I went to all of those. Fun Factory on a Monday, Metros on a Wed and Barfly on Sat and as many gigs as I could cram in too :) x
DeleteI completely agree with that Morrissey quote, I don't seek out or get obsessed with new bands anymore but the ones I loved when I was a teenager I STILL love! I was a bit of a retro teenager and fell in love with bands before my time, like The Cure, The Smiths, The Manics, Suede, etc. I also loved Patrick Wolf and lots of American stuff like The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, Polyphonic Spree. I'm going to go and reminisce now!
ReplyDeletesoooooooo much ♥ for The Manics ( I'm from Blackwood so I have too) and Suede.
DeleteThis is awesome, fab idea for a personal post :) I agree about franz ferdinand, saw them 2 years ago at ATP at Butlins, brought back some very happy memories. Hx Ps, it's still all about the big fringe for me..
ReplyDeletethis post makes me miss those years so much! i listened to new music constantly back then but now i just listen to the same old stuff. indie music just isn't as exciting anymore i don't think. haha i remember posting all sorts of crap on my livejournal about bands & random song lyrics that ~expressed my feelings~ xx
ReplyDeleteThink its a bit dead now, Maximo Parks new album is perfect though xx
DeleteWahh just looked at your listener takeover link. Pretty much identical to what mine would have been..
ReplyDeleteI lol'd at the part about South Wales' 'unfortunate' scene, I still love a bit of Brand New and Taking Back Sunday! Can't deny the joys of those 'emo' days haha!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I might make a similar one of my own if you don't mind? I'm sure I have loads of embarrassing photos of myself to share! xx
Please do! send me the link if you do one xx
DeleteOH GEM this is making me itch to do my version, I'll shout about it when I do. Especially love the Kate Jackson reference, she was my IDOL ♥ Claire @ Jazzpad
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, I was obsessed with Franz Ferdinand too!
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx
This reminds me of my teenage years! Oh the days of Myspace- did it really exist? It's certainly funny looking back now xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving a comment, feel free to ask me any questions here or on twitter- @Gemma_DS.