SCENE WITHIN A SCENE

SCOTLAND 1992 the music industry is experiencing a comedown from the mid eighties Scottish indie explosion Key labels have collapsed dance music and rave culture have stormed the charts Guitar led indie faced a reckoning adapt or die But from this wreckage came reinvention Around the country new bands distanced themselves from the jangling guitars typified by the NME C86 cassette Drawing inspiration from eclectic transatlantic influences like anarcho punk hardcore and no wave these new groups were closer to Captain Beefheart than the Byrds However inspiration also arose from closer inspection of the other sound of the C86 cassette specifically the roster of Big Flame A Witness and The Mackenzies These bands angular and abrasive sounds emulated earlier post punk heroes such as Josef K and Fire Engines SCENE WITHIN A SCENE is the story of how Scotland rebuilt its musical landscape From the development of new labels such as Chemikal Underground to defiant new musical directions this book traces the formation of Scottish indie music s best loved acts