I
t’s the 26
th
of February 2008 and the
toast of the British music industry
and a lot more schmoozers and so-
called celebrities are in attendance for
the annual Brit Awards ceremony in
Earls’ Court, London. The Mighty White
of the toast, the Arctic Monkeys step
up to the stage to collect their second
award of the night, the best album
award for their second effort ‘Favourite
Worst Nightmare’. Dressed as British
country gents they stumble up to the
microphone, a little the worse for wear,
probably needing the anaesthetic to help
them through the inevitable interview
with Fearne Cotton.
What happens next is one of the great
things about a live Brits; someone with
some cojones gets to say what they
feel, rather than thanking God, Buddah,
L.Ron. Hubbard and their mums. The
sarcastic and mocking wit of songwriter
Alex Turner so prevalent in his lyrics took
shape in his dedication to the Brit school
and all of the friends from his previous
years including (brilliantly) Kenzie from
Blazin’ Squad, and mocking previous
Brit School o
_By Stephen W
r
alsh

winners of the night, Kate Nash and Adele
for their dedications. This caused Turners
microphone to be cut and the Monkeys
to be removed from the stage as quickly
as possible by Satan’s line manager,
Shit School?_
Sharon Osbourne. The question is, why
the controversy over what essentially This is no more obvious than in the
was a drunken joke by a musician? comparison between someone like Adele
and her fellow Brit School alumnus Leona
The Brit School is an academy or stage- Lewis, who although coming through the
school which is a formal attempt to create school, only gained fame and success
pop stars as opposed to the Machiavellian through winning the X Factor. Adele,
creations of Simon Cowell or even further is called a ‘soul diva’, despite having
back, Tin Pan Alley Svengalis such as released one album whereas Leona
Larry Parnes. The Brit School has recently Lewis, who also has tremendous vocal No, in an era where British bands sing
had a massive influence in popular chart talent will never escape the fact that she in their own accents and sing about
music. Alumni include The Kooks, Kate came through a show like the X Factor, dirty dishes and cups of tea in a way
Nash, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Leona and is equated with boy bands, 9 year which seems forced and false in itself,
Lewis, the latter four all winning awards old girls and teddy bears. the industry needs to create acts which
or performing. can pull this impression off. Hence, the
Maybe I’m foolishly forgetting that the Kooks found success in the last great
Despite all the talk of the internet band Kooks, Amy Winehouse et al write their explosion of popularity for guitar-driven
phenomenon since the Arctic Monkeys own songs, always a boost to an artist’s music sparked by the Arctic Monkeys The Backstreet Boys and Take That
first surfaced, the Brit School evidently reputation; but then has Gary Barlow success and Franz Ferdinand’s success were massively popular but only due
has a far bigger influence. It is puzzling not been credited for a large number of a few years before. It is only recently that to the sheer size of their niche market
though, that in an era where credibility Take That’s songs both from the past the Kooks lead singer and songwriter of young girls, and contemporary un-
and authenticity is seen as paramount in and present? Luke Pritchard’s attendance at the Brit manufactured bands such as Oasis, Blur,
terms of ‘serious music’ i.e., music which School has affected their popularity and Green Day etc. were always far more
is marketed at the kind of people that go The real reason however for the credibility amongst the music press, and popular in a universal sense and in a
to music festivals and buy albums etc. controversy behind Alex Turner’s mockery they are now seen as joke figures. long-term light as well. More importantly
rather than occasionally buying a single is that it exposes the façade surrounding for those who are currently enrolled at
they like, that artists such as the Kooks the music industry, which worried about The question remains; how long will the the Brit School, if the music industry
and Amy Winehouse are so popular falling sales and illegal downloading, can Brit School continue to produce acts does turn its back on the academy, will
and credible while singers who come no longer afford to blatantly portray acts which can enjoy widespread popularity they simply dispose of it as they have
through televised talent shows such as as manufactured on a conveyor belt in the before people suss that they are as so often done before to similar money-
the X Factor or other manufactured acts way that Stock, Aitken and Waterman’s manufactured as your average 90s boy making entities? The corpse of Top of
are not. acts once did. band and are no longer ‘cool’? the Pops is not long cold…
Music_38_
www.scotcampus.com_
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