Windmill scene
| Windmill Scene | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Speedy Scene, post-Brexit music[1] |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 2010s - early 2020s, United Kingdom |
The Windmill scene is a musical scene that originated around the Windmill pub in Brixton, London, during the late 2010s and early 2020s. The term is usually defined with a blend of experimental rock and post-punk, featuring erratic, spoken vocals as well as inspiration from genres such as progressive rock and post-rock.[2][3][4] A key figure on the scene's formation is producer Dan Carey, who signed many Windmill bands to his record label, Speedy Wunderground, which has also given it the name Speedy Scene.[5]
Among the bands described as being part of the scene are Black Midi, Black Country, New Road, Squid, Shame, Maruja, the Last Dinner Party, Fat White Family, Heartworms, Goat Girl, PVA and occasionally, Fontaines D.C.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Definition and history
[edit]Described by the Ramapo College of New Jersey's Ramapo News in 2025 as "the most significant movement in rock music in the past decade", the Windmill Scene began to be acknowledged by mainstream outlets like NPR Music and The Independent in the early 2020s as an emerging force in British guitar music. The movement's frontrunners have achieved important commercial success, with Black Country, New Road's Ants From Up There album debuting at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, and a well received performance by Black Midi of the song "bmbmbm" on the Hyundai Mercury Prize in 2019.
The scene is widely described as sharing a spoken vocal style as well as a blend of experimental rock and post-punk.[2][3][4] Nonetheless, some of the scene's biggest exponents, such as Black Midi and its frontman Geordie Greep, began to incorporate different influences to their work, such as progressive rock and world music, as well as indie rock and chamber pop in the case of Black Country, New Road.
References
[edit]- ^ "The Post-Brexit New Wave". NPR. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "The Brixton pub that became the centre of innovative music whynow". whynow. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ a b c Megathlin, Kate. "Change The Record: Squid – Cowards – The Seattle Collegian". Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Laura (2023-10-12). "How London music venue The Windmill made Brixton a mecca for the best new bands". Big Issue. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ a b "Inside the raucous new south London guitar scene". The Independent. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ Wolf, Dylan (2025-02-13). "Squid's 'Coward' is a pleasantly unique blend of sounds". The Ramapo News. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ Singh, Jay (19 November 2020). ""What Can I Do" is a no-holds-barred introduction to Heartworms' beguiling post-punk". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Next Wave #1153: Heartworms". Clash. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.