c. Getty Images
(N.B I haven’t really mentioned specific favourite bands here – this is more of a brain dump with some youtube links to incredible music).
Undoubtedly music has always been a huge part of my life. I have been lucky enough to spend a few years working within the business end of the industry, which only spurred on my love further.
I had a fairly ordinary introduction to music, growing up in the UK in the 80s and 90s (with no internet till 1998) meant that pop, brit pop, indie and electronica were all my first ports of call, genre wise. All we had was TV, in the magazines and what your friends talked about.
Whilst I genuinely can’t remember the first record I ever bought (instead, each Sunday I used to record the top 40 off the radio onto cassette tape – I became a master at making sure that the DJ’s voice over was never included – oh the 90’s). The tape rescued me from the dull 40 min bus ride to school.
I lived in a pretty crap northern town, that had no gigs, and when there were gigs, they were all 18+ – there was really no hope to discover new bands beyond NME and MTV2.
Still, I caught up with the rest of the world at university. I was lucky to go to a college that had a music industry course, and nearly all my friends either studied that course or were in bands. I was properly introduced to emo in 2001 – in the laundry room, when my soon to be 2nd year flatmate introduced me to American Football and 90s emo/punk.
From there it became an obsession (outside of my first love, and major; film studies).
Live music is still one of my most favourite hobbies. There’s no greater feeling than seeing a band you love doing what they love, 5 yards from your face.
Working in music publishing meant that I was able to devour the tracks of modern composers on a daily basis. A requirement of the job, and one I was thoroughly grateful for, it really broadened my horizons.
The recent 90s emo revival means that I’m even more spoiled for choice with heaps of bands from all over the world giving their two cents. It’s brilliant. It’s also crazy seeing so many youngsters getting into the bands I fell in love 14 years ago in that laundry room.
I’ve been through some pretty bad stuff, (I think we all have). There has been times of extreme loneliness, and whilst I don’t suffer from depression, I genuinely believe that music has a huge hand in that. It helped me through some of the toughest things I have ever had to go through.
There’s not many things that last, but I think music, and the memories that it creates will last forever.
TL:DR – I love 90s punk and classical and folk and everything in between.
What genres of music did you grow up with? Do you think something as powerful as music can shape who you are as a person or do you just prefer to listen and then switch off?
