culturebriefs
8:59in productionCh. 1 · What it was/ 8:59 · ceiling 15 min
Movements & scenes

New wave of new wave

1992

A scene invented by NME writers to sell an EP—and buried by Britpop before it could breathe.

A media-led micro-scene that mistook editorial enthusiasm for cultural traction.

Movements & scenesBritainThe ninetiesThe music businessBritain across the network →
Chapters & takeaways5
  1. 0:55
    What it was

    It was a British alternative rock scene—not a genre, not a revival, not a movement.

  2. 1:54
    How it started

    It launched at a single gig in December 1993—and its name was coined by NME writers before the first record dropped.

  3. 3:16
    Who made it real

    NME didn’t just cover it—they built it, promoted it, and declared it viable while Britpop was still assembling.

  4. 4:36
    Why it vanished

    It lasted months, not years—and collapsed the moment Britpop offered better column inches and bigger advances.

  5. 5:54
    Where its bands ended up

    These Animal Men and S*M*A*S*H split by 1998; Elastica opted out entirely and joined Britpop instead.

Worth your time?

No. The brief is enough.

2.5/ 5
What works
  • none survive as standalone cultural artefacts
What does not
  • influenced Britpop
  • defined the mid-90s
  • spawned lasting acts
  • changed guitar music
Study it if
  • NME readers in late 1993 and early 1994
Skip it if
  • anyone outside London’s indie circuit
  • anyone who bought records after spring 1994
The written brief1 min read

What the thing is

The new wave of new wave was a British alternative rock scene.

Where it came from

It began with a December 1993 concert at London’s 100 Club featuring These Animal Men, SMASH, Echobelly and Flamingoes.

What it gets right

It correctly identified a cluster of post-punk-indebted, London-and-southern-England-based bands playing fast, angular guitar rock with pop hooks.

What it gets wrong

It misdiagnosed momentum. The scene had no infrastructure, no shared aesthetic beyond tempo and attitude, and no audience beyond NME readers.

Why it matters now

It matters now because it reveals how quickly a label—coined by NME writers John Harris, Simon Williams and Paul Moody—can outpace the reality it names.

Is it worth your time

It is not worth your time as a movement—but it is worth your attention as a case study in media-driven scene-making.

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