What Is 'Indie Poo'? Why TikTok Snobbery Toward Modern UK Guitar Music Misses the Mark

Recently, TikToker Angus described our current generation of music as being “indie poo”. The grotesque term refers to a specific strand of indie music: the mobs of repackaged Gallagher brothers who rely on familiar guitar patterns and easy lyrics. Angus specifically highlighted bands like Bilk, The Reytons, The K’s, and The Royston Club.

What is 'Indie Poo?' © Benjamin Farren / Adapted by BritRock Heaven

While there is certainly a mould that new indie bands slip seamlessly into, it’s unfair to herd them all up under such a derogatory term – especially at a time when it’s already so hard to establish yourself in this well gatekept industry.

We live in an era where every piece of art is a rearticulation of something that once was. It's almost impossible to create anything new without delving into the unloved realm of complete experimentation. Oasis are a parka'd-up derivation of The Beatles. Morrissey is a gladioli-swinging derivation of 1950s kitchen sink drama. The indie genre itself is a derivation of punk, and its limitless, DIY ethos.

Most criticism surrounding the debate is directed at the indie bands that make up this ‘overpopulated’ musical landscape, but what about all the listeners rushing out to buy the latest Royston Club record? “Indie poo” is the commercial environment the consumer themselves have created. In the past, when artists have tried to produce music that’s radically original, such as Lou Reed’s double album ‘Metal Machine Music’, they’re met with poor record sales and heavy criticism, so why wouldn’t upcoming bands follow the clues of Oasis’s success?

Oasis symbolise the working class dream that music isn't just a hobby for the elite, but a platform for those with three chords and something to say. Angus said one of the tropes of “indie poo” is “lyrics that evoke getting out of some dismal town”. The reason this is a common songwriting theme is because this isn’t a unique experience, it’s a perpetually relevant segment of a person’s identity. Next, is he going to suggest that women refrain from writing about the well-worn topic of sexism?

Lead singer of The Molotovs Matt said of indie poo:

"I think it's a rubbish label that is put forward by mostly young lads with podcast equipment who've got no fucking clue what they're talking about"

Mathew Cartlidge, Molotov's Lead Singer and Guitarist © Olly Bromidge

It's hipocritical and somewhat pretentious for microphone-cocky TikTokers to degrade predictable guitar riffs and hollow lyrics when this is exactly the kind of music the listener is streaming and buying tickets for. Whether we like it or not, the listener doesn’t want poetry and performance art, they want easy-to-digest indie bands with karaoke-friendly hits.

A message to Angus and his snobbery-induced ranking systems is this: it’s no celebration of individuality to claim that the recorded noise you like to listen to is better than the recorded noise others like to listen to. All you’re trying to do is corral people into agreeing with your choices, which in itself extends the problem of restricting artistic license and individual expression.

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Charlie Jolley
Contributor, BritRock Heaven