Denim has served as a second skin to pretty much all walks of life for almost 200 years, with similar fabrics like Calico even dating back to 11th century India. It protected 19th century miners, shaped icons like James Dean, became a trophy for collectors, and is undoubtedly one of the most culturally influential pieces ever. It’s one of the most iconic forms of workwear ever created, and like most good workwear it originated in France. In 1872, tailor Jacob Davis evolved the French fabric into what we now call “blue jeans”, by adding copper rivets to help prevent workers splitting their trousers at the seams. This was later patented by Davis along with Levi Strauss, transforming the jean world forever.

Jeans were born out of a desire to create a resilient product with longevity. It wasn’t feasible in the 1800s to mass-manufacture jeans, and it certainly wasn’t affordable for workers to have to repeatedly buy new workwear. I think this mindset has almost been erased by the fashion industry. The focus is now very much on how to manufacture as much, as quickly, and as cheaply as possible. With pieces rarely lasting more than a few months, people’s pockets are stretched thin by repeat buying items, and landfill sites are stacked high with ruined clothing that’s been discarded. The introduction of fabrics like elastane doesn’t help either. It’s petroleum based, doesn’t biodegrade, breaks down into microplastics, and lingers in soil and water for decades. With every wash, the lifespan of each garment decreases and strips microfibres that end up in our rivers and oceans – harming wildlife. It just goes against what denim was fundamentally made for. It survived the mines, railways, factory floors, farms… but could you imagine that now? Your jeans would be ripped long before lunch.

There’s quite an exciting resurgence at the moment though, with independent denim-makers emerging with a focus on producing really good quality garments that are designed to last a lifetime. Philosophies based on taking pride in the way we design and make things, and how we care for things – not because it’s the easiest or cheapest way to do something, but because it’s better for us and the environment. Companies like Hebden Bridge’s HebTroCo for example, who craft jeans with longevity in mind. They’re designed to be worn, loved, battered, repaired, and at the end of it all hopefully passed on!

British-made jeans come at a cost though, and that cost is the exact reason fast fashion still thrives. It’s not really sustainable to flash half a month’s wage at a few items for 99.9% of the country. As British manufacturing is largely a thing of the past, the few remaining craftsmen are forced to pay huge sums for machinery, fabric, and importantly the hands with the skills to craft. Joe&Co is another brilliant jean maker, and as owner Joe says: “we’ve hardly got any manufacturers in the UK, it’s mainly sweatshops, but that needs to change. It’s coming back, very slowly. The government needs to build a proper manufacturing infrastructure again, and get people back on the machines. It’s going to be expensive to do, but the beauty about it is you can control it more”. And he’s not half wrong. That’s exactly why it’s so expensive here. The skillset to make such items is fleeting, and a reliance on cheap labour abroad prohibits us from really breaking that cycle.

I think it’s also worth discussing how cheap isn’t really cheap. Of course, at the point of purchase it is… but like we’ve said, in 3 months time the fabrics will deteriorate and you’ll be left having to rebuy. Over time, you get stuck in that cycle, and you’ll more than likely have overspent what you could’ve invested into one quality piece. I think we also have a sort of ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality to it too. We tend to neglect the conditions workers are put through to manufacture in fast fashion, and how underpaid and mistreated they are. All the while, the bosses of bloated multinationals bathe in profits.

Let’s think about the phrase “Sunday best”. An ideology born out of scarcity and social ritual. Working class people would save and save and save and save and save before investing in carefully chosen, hard-wearing clothing that is designed to be worn, shaped by you, repaired, and eventually passed on. Back in the day, clothes were labour intensive and expensive, so the culture of “take, make, dispose” just wasn’t possible. Clothes needed to be tough, washable and designed to last. Fashion trends changed maybe once in a generation back then; information travelled slowly; people owned fewer clothes; clothes took longer to make. A certain silhouette would dominate for 30 odd years, evolving slightly through tailoring and repairs; but now trends change almost monthly. A “fashionable” piece bought in January is probably past it by June – adding to why clothing-waste is sky high. People also used to wear the hell out of their clothes, and that in itself made them look better and better. They would gradually mould to the person wearing them, and become a completely unique product. Most clothes don’t last long enough to achieve that now.

Ultimately, good craftsmanship, maintenance and mindfulness is something that we should all perhaps be a little more knowledgeable on. It’s better for us, the planet, the workers who make the clothes, and in the long run your wallet will more than likely thank you too!

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Now don’t get me wrong, the ever-rising cost of getting into vinyl (a good quality turntable that won’t chew through your records, a decent set of speakers so it doesn’t sound flimsy etc) isn’t ignorable. It’s a fact that for many it’s just inaccessible. The cost of the records themselves, and accomplishing that, finding somewhere to store the great big discs of plastic. If you’re a non-vinyl head reading this, you’re probably sitting there wondering what the hype is, but let me try and flip the coin (or the record) for you a bit…

Let’s talk eras. If, like me, you’re a fan of Led Zep, Fleetwood Mac & suchthelike, vinyl was the only real port of call when it came releasing music. So their tunes were originally mixed & mastered to be played on turntables. It’s like listening the way it was intended to be listened to – so it’s no surprise that vinyl just sounds better for them bands. It wasn’t until the late 1970’s / early 1980’s that cassettes became all the rage – and then later on with CDs, which both required the music to be remastered and tailored to each format – therefore altering it from its original state.

Speaking from a more modern standpoint, vinyls offer a more personal connection between fan and artist. Particularly among independent musicians, that is. As streaming platforms pay a shockingly small fee per stream ($0.004 per stream on Spotify at the time of writing), having a fan shell out on a physical copy of your work is a proper sign of support, and can be the difference between artists calling it quits or making it big.

As for your local community, as with any local business, it helps the ecosystem thrive; it brings the community together; it creates local jobs; it’s wayyy more sustainable than big multinational corporations. Like I’ve said above, it helps support the music industry too, which at a grassroots level is struggling more than ever. Independent venues and artists alike are struggling to manage the costs endured to keep going, and your local record store is just one cog that helps keep that wheel turning.

Record Store Day began back in 2007 in the US, when a group of record store owners wanted to spread the word about the unique culture of record stores. Almost 20 years on, there’s over 270 stores here in the UK that celebrate. We’ve got artists & labels who curate exclusive releases for Record Store Day, and overall, it’s a day to celebrate these special stores and the role they play in communities everywhere. Pop down to your local record store, have a look for something you love (or find something you’ve never heard of), go home & whack it on the turntable in praise of these crucial musical strongholds. We’d miss them if they weren’t there.

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After meeting at Brighton Uni in 2011, Jamie Hall (vocals, guitar) & James Allix (drums, percussion) formed what is possibly the UK’s finest export of what’s being dubbed the ‘new heavy’. Bold claim, I know. But after a few formative EPs, Tigercub hit home with their debut album, ‘Abstract Figures in the Dark’. This properly paved a path for them to hit widespread appeal, offering up heavy, grungey rock that still remained very accessible. Comparisons to the likes of QOTSA, as complimentary as they are, don’t quite hit the nail on the head. TC are simply their own entity.

Now, let’s go back to 2021, to my first gig since before all the Covid-19 lockdowns. Royal Blood in Newcastle at the O2 Academy. I distinctly remember TC opening with the title track to their second album ‘As Blue as Indigo’, which begins with an emotive, tension-laden guitar sequence before you get utterly sucker punched by the pummelling low end of Jimi Wheelwright (bass) and Bonham-esque drums of Allix. Their compelling songwriting had me hooked, which is a testament to the band in what is becoming an increasingly saturated, cookie cutter industry. ABAI goes into my list of the greatest albums ever made, with it’s painfully honest storytelling & their very own updated take on what 21st century rock music should sound like. Crafted in the midst of the quarantine hell, you can feel that struggle bleed through the album, something that is incredibly difficult to fabricate. Yet, it’s something that TC seems to excel at.

Forwarding to present day… After supporting bands like Chevelle & Porno For Pyros, as well as their own US headline tour, TC closed 2024 by gifting us some of their finest work to date… The Perfume Of Decay (Redux), gives us a new arrangement & re-imagined version of their 2023 album, but in a direction most unexpected. TC have become synonymous with darkness, with influences ranging from Led Zep, to Slipknot, to post-punk royalty in The Cure & Joy Division. However, almost oxymoronically, Decay’s cut-tooth guitar riffs are said to be inspired by Chopin’s Etudes. Perhaps that becomes fitting when you take a dive into Redux…

‘Swoon’ and ‘You’re My Dopamine’ were released toward the end of 2024, giving us a glimpse into the band’s latest project. New instrumentations create totally contrasting versions of what started as hard hitting, aggressive rock songs. But it has to be said, they sound effortlessly elegant & entirely at home. As Hall put, “sweet & salty popcorn tends to taste nicer than regular popcorn”, which I think sums that up really quite nicely.

Throwing the rulebook out & flipping everything on its head is much easier said than done, & not something that any band could achieve. Particularly when it comes to reimagining your own work in such a different light. But with TC, it sounds to have just naturally flowed. Allix brings a diligent proficiency to the table that just seems to glue everything together. Taking inspiration from rock n roll pioneer John Bonham, & his baton-carrier Dave Grohl, Allix’s usual style takes on a more laid back approach. A plethora of percussion adds to some gorgeous melodic passages, creating textures that haven’t featured before in TC’s work – but that I hope we hear again. That’s without mentioning the dexterity of Hall, whose unique softly-sung vocals shine in this format. Swapping his fuzz pedal for an acoustic 12 string shows that this trio aren’t some one trick pony – there’s something really special happening. It feels depreciative describing Wheelwright’s basslines as “complimentary”, but in all honesty, that’s exactly what these songs need. Wheelwright has this unteachable knack of getting context superbly, & we hear that all over this record.

I’m a big fan of a string section, as it seems to build this cinematic film score vibe, & the string arrangement on Redux does just that. The band have once again worked with the highly skilled Andrew Stuart Buttle, composing strings that are almost written like guitar parts, which creates this harmonious blend – bridging this new sound to it’s original.

With the full record set for release on the 28th of March 2025, the band now set their sights on London’s ‘Oslo’, where they’ll perform Redux live for the first, & I assume last, time. Taking away their wall of amps, it’ll be fascinating to see how they set up for a live setting, & to see who they add to their roster for the night.

Photography: @jackflynnphot

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Located on Tariff Street on the cusp of Manchester’s famous Northern Quarter, The Whiskey Jar draws you in with its warm amber glow and the sound of the city’s finest live music. Their Tuesday and Wednesday open mic nights in particular are what really sparked my fondness for the establishment. Hosted by the legendary Joe Mcadam, each night features a bill of 6 to 8 musicians playing up to 3 songs ranging from all genres, performing both originals and covers. It is an experience like no other! I sat down with Joe to discuss his story, and just how he created an event known across the world as the greatest open mic night in the universe.

How did we get here? How did Joe McAdam come to be the host of the greatest open mic night in the universe?

In a nutshell. I was born in Scotland but I lived in London previous to Manchester and I had a record deal. I was signed to Island Records with my band Cherryfalls. I was there during the same era as Amy Winehouse, we were actually good friends. You don’t have to put that in. It’s a full CLANG name drop innit? It was a lovely time, it was a weird time. Our career on Island didn’t go quite as well as Amy’s, obviously, and my life transitioned. I met a girl. She was from Manchester and I thought “Well I could do with a change” so I moved to Manchester with her, and when I got here I realised that all I really knew how to do was music. So I started busking, and doing covers gigs, and joined a band (The New York Fund), and did a gig in here. That gig went so well that afterwards the owner said “Would you like to take over our open mic night?”. I said yes and that was twelve and a half years ago. I had been in Manchester for a couple of years and knew quite a lot of good musicians. The first week we put the show on I invited all my mates to come down and play, and they were all fucking amazing musicians so the first show just exploded. People knew about it within like a month and we were packed.

And in those early days was the structure and formula as tight and refined as it is now?

Yeah, it’s been like this right from the very beginning. I kind of think I stole that. The keyboard player in Iron Maiden, Tony Moore ran an open mic night when I first moved to London. He’s just a phenomenal guy, he’s a huge supporter of music and the arts, and he ran this open mic night. And, when I first moved to London I would go out on the tube every night of the week and meet people and play as much as possible, trying to get signed and get famous. Then when I found his night I just gravitated towards it, I used to go every week. It was very similar, you weren’t allowed to talk, it wasn’t as blatant as “Shut The Fuck Up” like here, but it was unwritten. He was hugely supportive of me and I didn’t realize it at the time that I was kind of soaking up all this future knowledge but it meant all this was dead natural. I didn’t feel like I was copying anything from him at the time, it was just how an open mic should be run to me, but years on I realised that I had emulated that. One thing I’ve always done that’s different is I’ve always invited at least half of the artists in advance. It’s not all prebooked, but I try to program about four acts so that I know they’re gunna be of a high standard then the other spaces go to new people. So it still has that open mic feel, but people coming know they’re always gunna see some fucking magic that blows their mind like, “What am I doing here? How is this free?”.

I know you touched on it there but, how do you manage to keep such an amazing standard of talent, twice a week, every week?

I don’t vet anything, I think the secret is what I mentioned about making sure I get some really high quality artists for each show. I have a pool essentially of world class artists and I just always make sure to get a few of them in every time. I’d love to put a bill full of those people on every night, the people that I think are amazing, but it’s not about me. I’m not the arbiter of what is good and what is not, and that doesn’t create an environment to support new musicians. It gives people the opportunity to cut their teeth here, flex their muscles a bit, or stretch old limbs that haven’t been stretched. It tends to elevate what the artists think they’re capable of. Having those backbone artists pulls everyone up, and rather than being scary it seems to be uplifting. Performance under pressure or whatever it is.

What do you think it is that makes The Whiskey Jar so special? Because, to us this place stands head and shoulders about anywhere else.

It’s a bit of a perfect storm. I host slightly differently to other people. There’s the idea you’re not supposed to talk which isn’t always the case at other open mics. There’s the standard of music that we have here. The sound works amazingly. It shouldn’t, because half the PA is behind the stage, and that’s just like, no, you just don’t do that. It should be feeding back all night long, but it doesn’t, for some weird reason. The room looks amazing, the lights, the brickwork soaks up the sound, the way the bar is laid out, the staff, the fact that the management let me swear at people. There’s a million and one things. I used to run five shows a week in different venues, and the other shows were fantastic but this one just always had something special about it. So even if you take me, and you take the same kind of artists, and you take that equation, and you put it in another room, it just doesn’t work the same. There’s something about this room. It’s just got a magic to it.

When you took on the open mic did you know that you had something special on your hands or that you’d be doing it for twelve and a half years?

I did not, that’s the honest truth. I kind of took it for granted, and didn’t take it as seriously as I should have at the beginning. We could have built this into something world-beating. We could have been streaming it, and built a brand, and fucking monetized it, and all that shit. But I’m glad none of that happened, because I love it for its honesty, its truthfulness, its authenticity. I love it for the fact that it’s basically still word of mouth. We do a bit on social media, but almost all of the people who come here, and all the artists who play here, come because someone told them about it. People from other continents come and say, “I met someone in a bar, and he said, if you’re ever in the UK, go to the Whisky Jar”. In the UK, not just Manchester. I had no idea it was going to become this thing. And we’re not some massive Goliath, but I love that I get to do this week in, week out, and I love that I get to see entirely new waves of artists coming through, other artists moving on and doing bigger and better things. And I hope that that continues. I hope we keep getting new artists that come through, and we nurture them to the point where they can’t come and play here in the nicest possible way.

What do you think makes open mics such a vital part of a local music scene?

They serve such an important purpose and play such an important part in developing new art and new artists. And even if it’s not developing new artists, it can be people who have been playing for years and who want to try out new material and see how that lands with an audience. That’s why they’ve always been a part of the grassroots level of the music scene and they always will be.

What they represent to the industry is very individual to each show, each venue and each host. Some of them are just designed to get bums on seats and drinks and mouths. And those can be just as valid for the artists because it teaches you, if you’re going to be a performer, that you’re not always going to be in the perfect room. You’re not always going to be surrounded by people who give a fuck. Shows like ours give people a space where they can be heard. Which has huge importance because that can be the first time that people actually come up and speak to them afterwards and give them that validation where, saying “your work means this to me” rather than just you’re a good singer or I love that cover you did.

As a musician, and someone that was signed. What is it that makes you focus on this and spotlighting other artists rather than performing yourself?

The reason I support these acts and don’t make it about me, the reason I’ve sort of gone from, let’s say the fucking heady heights of being signed to Island Records and that life and living in London and being on a major label to doing this is I never really felt like I belonged in that role as an artist really. There’s a lot of self-doubt in me and in the creative process and art and the validity and the worth of my own work. But I guess subjectivity, objectivity, internal and external is very different. I can see when someone else is amazing. And I know I can also see when somebody else doesn’t think they’re very good. From a subjective point of view, I can see if they’re maybe doubting it and what encouragement they might need or how I would have felt in that position. And that’s one of the joys I get from this. It’s helping to lift people up and maybe help point them in the right direction or give them a bit of advice. I take what I do and what this night is and what it means to the community and what it means to the artists a lot more fucking seriously now than I did 12 years ago because I know how many people’s lives it’s touched and how many people’s lives it’s changed as well. I see that now and I’m very thankful for it.

The post The Whiskey Jar appeared first on CHROMA Productions.

2024 was certainly a year. But whether we spent the year living our best lives or just trying to get through, we had one hell of a soundtrack to do it to. We originally thought creating a top 10 of the year would be a quick and easy article we could just slot in. Instead it became one of the most time consuming, difficult parts of this whole magazine. Good lord there was a lot of good music last year. There was everything from cultural bombshells to diamonds in the rough, from loud grungy rock to elegant lounge jazz. This article represents what we believe were the best of the best from 2024, we factored in things like songwriting, production, vocal performances, cultural gravity plus of course our own personal thoughts. Please enjoy and hopefully we’ll give you some great albums to go away and listen to.

10. All Black Everything

Amy Gadiaga

We knew we wanted to include some lazz on this list, so for that we came to Amy Gadiaga. The UK-based, Parisian bassist/ vocalist/composer released her debut EP All Black Everything’ in April, and has since become an exciting & powerful voice amongst the UK Jazz scene. She talks about her struggles with feeling like a black sheep & learning to embrace her individuality throughout the Mexican-folk inspired 5 track, and takes us on a journey through her wealth of influences – from old school classic jazz (think Betty Carter), to more modern artists like Stevie Wonder. Whether you’re a jazz fan or not give this a listen

9. Short n’ Sweet

Sabrina Carpenter

Now I can’t say I’m an avid listener of modern pop music. “It’s not real music, it’s just bloody noise”, as some might say. That said, Carpenter’s 2024 release showcases everything good about modern pop. Working with production and songwriting royalty. like Jack Antonoff and Amy Allen, as well as a master class in rebranding and mar-keting, has skyrocketed Sabrina into one of the industry’s biggest powerhouses for sure. Featuring proper catchy hooks; raunchy lyricism: influence from country to RnB; we firmly believe that this is one of the year’s finest pop releases.

8. Brat

Charlie XCX

It would be impossible to make a top 10 of 2024 without including “Brat”. From pure cultural impact alone it has earned its place here, it’s not often an album gets a whole season named after it. In the biggest case of genre whiplash I have ever seen, Charlie XCX has dumped her classic pop roots and produced the best electronic album of 2024. Filled with club anthems, electropop hits and rave bangers, the level of production on this album is perfection.

Even after 2 deluxe re-releases people just can’t get enough of this album. In more ways than one, we think Brat is one of the hottest albums of 2024.

7. CHROMAKOPIA

Tyler, The Creator

Putting out masterpiece after masterpiece since “Flower Boy” in 2017. Tyler. The Creator has always rapped from the perspective of some alter ego. But with “CHROMAKOPIA” we finally get an album from Tyler Gregory Okonma himself. The result is his most vulnerable project to date, covering topics like his identity, fears about starting a family and struggles with mental health. The complex, masterful lyricism and flow is only matched by Tyler’s experimental production fusing everything from jazz to 80’s pop to marching band. Like always, Tyler has created a truly original album that we’d be stupid not to include here.

6. Midas

Wunderhorse

Tacob Slater & Wunderhorse return with second album Midas. After releasing their debut, ‘Cub’, which made waves in the grunge/alt scene, all eyes were focused on these four to see what they’d throw at us next. Dark, edgy. & with an homage to Cobain, this album shakes off some of that youthfulness heard in their first album, and shows us this new-found maturity. Recorded at Pachyderm Studios, Minnesota, birthplace of the aforementioned Nirvana’s

‘In Utero, the band have managed to capture the devilish charm that lies within those walls, coming away unscathed from any so-called sophomore syndrome.

5. Hit Me Hard And Soft

Billie Eilish

Usually it takes years for an artist to master their particular “sound”. Yet Eilish has this Midas touch where every genre she sings turns to gold. Her 2019 debut sees her produce this sort of moody emo pop style. Her second album is chock full of these emotional ballads and spoken word, borderline hip hop inspired, tracks. Now in 2024 “Hit Me Hard And Soft” contains a perfect mix of fun radio pop songs, powerful acoustic ballads and energetic electropop tunes and the amazing part is that all of it is top of its class. This album shows us that not only can Eilish make literally an-ything, she can do it better than anyone.

4. This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway

Lola Young

Young clearly has an eclectic taste and respect for music because defining this album’s genre is just impossible. There’s pop, hip hop, indie and even some lofi jazz, each track differs from the last, yet they all work seamlessly as an album. The level of artistry on the album is insane but it still manages to stay approachable and so so so unbelievably catchy. There is something for everyone on this album, and it has quickly become one of our favourite discoveries of 2024.

3. The New Sound

Geordie Greep

Geordie Greep (ex-Black Midi) has unleashed his inner musical ramblings on us via The New Sound. Sleazey jazz-prog-rock is the order, as Greep simply flaunts his prowess all over the record with some of the finest Samba inspired grooves released in recent years. There’s lyrical commentary on toxic Andrew Tate culture, as we’re introduced to a plethora of detestable characters; there’s mind-numbingly complex drum grooves sprinkled about & overall just a flexing of musical theory. The kind of music that gives you a headache if you listen too closely. In a good way, I mean. Even surpassing that of Black Midi’s work

2. Gary

Blossoms

Being from Stockport, Blossoms have always had a special place in my heart, but if I’m honest I thought their last album was a little underwhelming. Gary shows the boys are back on form and even have some new tricks up their sleeves. Made up of the indie standards we know and love, the album also experiments with 80’s style pop tunes and some funky dance numbers. No doubt this is a product of the band’s time with electronic indie funk band Jungle.

The result is the perfect feel-good album that’s familiar while pushing the boundaries of the increasingly stale indie genre. This could have easily been our number 1.

1. Romance

Fontaines D.C.

Doused in Y2K reminiscence, the Irish 5-piece have brandished 2024 with probably the most impactful post-punk record to be released in a long while. Their artistic evolution has been substantial to say the least, reappearing after 2 years with what looks like an identity crisis that has propelled them into icon status. Most notably via Grian Chatten’s (lead vocals) nuclear green tracksuit, which can be purchased for a mere 250 pounds!

The record begins with title track ‘Romance’, a pretty dystopian opener that plunges the listener into this circus of horrors, before being greeted by the eerie first lyrics of “into the darkness again.”.

It’s impactful, claws you in, and transitions you nicely into whats probably the best track on the record – Starburster. It’s nostalgic mellotron ostinato, a beat that’s reminiscent of some old drum machine, and Chatten more or less rapping his way through verses create this angry, wasp in a jar soundscape.

Tracks like ‘Death Kink’ almost pay tribute to their earlier, punkier days. It’s a short track, and it very much makes its point hectically before ending pretty abruptly.

It’s frenzied, and has a vocal melody that kinda stumbles out of his mouth. Whereas songs like ‘Bug’ serve more to reel you in. It’s softer and perhaps more polite than other tracks on the record, and shows an extra layer to the band’s varied sound

Romance was one of our first thoughts for the number one spot, as it’s an album that tells a story – by starting out ominous, and eventually resolving with the more dreamy. utopian track ‘Favourite’. Hype can often oversell a band’s work, but here I think it’s fully earned

This article was more of an undertaking than our naive minds predicted but we loved every second of making it, and if you take anything away from this magazine let it be this. Go listen to new music, step out of your comfort zone, you never know what you might find. 

If this article has inspired you to listen to any of these albums get in touch and let us know what you think. Much love, Alfie and Josh. @chromaproductionsuk

The post Top 10 of 2024 appeared first on CHROMA Productions.

Indie Sleaze began in the late 2000’s as a cultural and artistic movement, spawned from a chemical reaction of multiple factors. First was the commercialisation of pop music. Which stripped any personality or emotion out of music and turned it into this mainstream, copy and pasted, over sanitised product with no room for creative freedom. Second was the birth of social media. Sites like MySpace allowed niche communities to form and underground artists to reach their audience without the need for corporate labels. Finally was this cultural shift within young people. The rise of the “party scene” led people to a more care-free, bohemian lifestyle where they resented big corporations and celebrated punk artists, aesthetics and ideals.

People abandoned everything mainstream and the rule book went out the window. Everything was dirty and imperfect, the music was grungy independent rock, the clothes were dishevelled and messy and the parties were hard, like really hard. The Sleaze scene was centred around being disorganised, chaotic and gritty. so its no wonder nightclubs and raves became vital institutions to the movement. They were the perfect place to experience it all at once, music, fashion and wild parties.

By 2012 Indie Sleaze would just sort of fizzle out. Mainstream music fell back into favour, “Normcore” became the new fashion trend and suddenly it wasn’t cool to go out clubbing 7 days a week and get black out drunk. Now it was cool to have your life in order, go to school, get a good job, have a family, all that bullshit.

The years go on and Indie Sleaze becomes relatively forgotten. Mainstream pop stays king, fashion remains pretty tame and the cultural vibe among the younger generation stays leaning towards this idea of aspi-rationalism. But this funny thing starts to happen at the dawn of the 2020’s.

First, people begin realising that these record labels and streaming services are essentially exploiting artists, forcing them to only make commercially successful projects and limiting their creative freedom. Second, the growth of Tik Tok gives people a place to create small communities and lets artists reach their audience without bending to the will of the industry. Finally the constant pressures on young people, for example skyrocketing house prices with no rise in wages making it all but impossible to own a home Fuck you Capitalism). This leaves people feeling like they need to blow off some steam, and a lot of people do that by partying hard, like really hard. Any of this sounding familiar? 

Funny how history repeats itself isn’t it? So here we are, the 2020’s Indie Sleaze revival. I’d be lying if I told you the 2 movements were identical. To compare them I’d say 2000’s Sleaze is like the original 1994 Lion King, whereas 2020’s Sleaze is like the 2019 live action remake. That’s to say the modern version is a nostalgia driven movement but I’m still very glad it exists. 

Plus it’s not in the spirit of Indie Sleaze to worry about the details. Here’s what matters. The music is bassy and electronic, with more of a focus on electropop and dance punk this time round. The fashion is haphazard, a fur coat here, an oversized suit there, maybe just a fishnet crop top for good measure. There are no rules! And the modern nightclub still remains the beating heart of the movement, this time blasting beats and bangers from the likes of The Dare, Charlie XCX and Billie Eilish. Modern Sleaze is raunchy, chaotic, but most of all fun and it doesn’t give a shit if you don’t like it.

I’m sure this generation of Indie Sleaze will wither away and be forgotten just like the last. So I’ll enjoy it while it’s here and eagerly await its third coming which will probably be around 2040. When I’ll be 38, so I guess I’ll just enjoy it now.

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Nestled away on Lawrence Street, in the middle of SK1, is RACK. The home to some of the finest butties this side of the Atlantic. They’re not here to try & reinvent the wheel, simply injecting a bit of creativity into the much-loved lunchtime staple, the sandwich. After starting up a food truck and touring markets and festivals to hone in on their sandwich skills, they opened their first shop in 2021. At heart, it’s based on the classic butty shop. But one that’s been dragged firmly into the 21st century. There’s no orange Toastie in sight here, just fresh focaccia, sourdough & white bloomer; with some top quality fillings, that are wrapped & sliced through some greaseproof paper.

A bona fide British lunch. levelled up. What more could you ask for?

Across their three locations in Stockport, Sale, & Arndale Market, you’ll find differing menus, with uniquely changing monthly specials. On this occasion, I went for Stockport’s February special: Shawarmageddon.

Slow-cooked, tender pork shawarma: chilli mayo; thin-ly-sliced, lemony sumac onions; marinated cucum-bers; fresh tomato & peppery rocket, between two slabs of springy focaccia. This one hit the spot. Fresh & flavourful, but without being too heavy.

A properly grand take on the ubiquitously mundane British lunchtime classic. They’re not shy on the fillings either. I ended up having to spoon the fallen remains out of the tray. As Rack says themselves: Life is better with sandwiches (someone get that on a cushion). Also on our order was the French Onion toastie, & the Chicken Caesar focaccia.

Starting with the latter. It’s literally everything you could want out of a butty.

Generous shavings of nutty. parmesan; crispy streaky bacon; fresh lettuce, with an indulgent level of chicken in a creamy caesar sauce. It’s a rich 10/10 & will probably convince you that focaccia will solve all of your life’s problems. Or it did with us at least. As for the French Onion toastie, a load of rich, slowly-cooked caramelised onions; gruyere; provolone; swiss cheese. A gooey. comforting & sweet mess, between two crispy & crunchy slices of toasted sourdough. Divine.

Something that has lived long in my memory since our visit are their hash browns. Little pockets of warming tater-totty goodness, available in different styles with various toppings. I’ve got it on good authority that the Salt & Pepper ones are to die for. but we opted for the Queso variety on this occasion. With its thick, creamy Mexican cheese sauce; fiery jalapenos & crispy onions, it’s a perfect accompaniment to literally any of the menu’s sandwiches. The drink selection doesn’t let the experience down either. Whether it’s a coffee from the Peak District’s wonderful Kickback Roastery, a lovely cuppa from Brew Tea Co, or one from their cold drink selection, there’s something top notch for everyone to wash down their lunch with.

If, somehow, all of the above hasn’t filled that midday hole in your stomach, then focus your eyes onto Rack’s sweet treats. The first thing that caught my eye was the box of humble Tunnock’s teacakes sitting proudly on the countertop. A grossly slept on chocolate-mallow treat, if you were to ask us.

Next, a tray of Pastel de Nata & Honey Nut Crunch flapjacks – any of which would satisfy the sweetest of tooths, and top of your lunch handsomely.

To be honest, I’m gutted I hadn’t tried Rack out earlier, just thinking of all the butties my stomach has missed out on. So if there’s one takeaway from this, the next time you’re on your lunch break – or just out & about nearby – ditch vour humdrum, beige meal deal for one of these master classes in sarnie finery.

You’ll thank yourself, we promise. And if you’re working from home, get on Uber Eats (other delivery apps are available) & treat yourself to a spot of lunch

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