A primark of the times

A Primark of the times

The nauseous meandering around a cheap shop floor , the same solemn glum looks greeting you as you try to pick up the hottest item that you just saw on someone else for a fraction of the price. The drab and morbid reality that it will make you a carbon copy of the next person you walk past on the street. Ah yes this is the fashion age of similarity. Gone have the exciting punk era, the uncomfortable flairs era, the Britpop age we find a decade defined by nothing more than carbon-a-lites be it from fashion to music. A nation losing an identity due to an identikit environment and you can not help but take a jealous glance into mainland Europe which is so prepared to fight for what they believe in. A quick glance to our French brothers showing how they are prepared to make themselves known through riot whether the right path or not their dedication is admirable. A reminder of an age gone by when the average Britain was not scared to be rebellious, would we see a Johnny Rotten today?

However with two years to go it is far too early to write off this much maligned decade. A decade which has seemingly frightened off the ghost of a nervy overhanging pop music culture, one that has started to write off the hour to hour snoozeathon which is known as Big Brother, which has started to stand up and try and regain their rights whether you believe in their protest or not and one that is seemingly standing in good stead on the music front. While there are numerous so called “indie” bands which are now filling the nations every moment the fact is there is still the odd gem of glory. Bands such as Lightspeed Champion and Glasvegas now light the way for a new era of music. Venues such as Night & Day café offer an underground feel and offering the intimate feeling that music so craves and needs.

So while we might all be sat there pawing at our new fashion look wondering where and when I happened to become the latest stereotype the slight glint of hope still peers out for us all via a nation adapting to a truly globalised environment. Maybe this dip in individuality is just a case of humanity taking a breather, taking it all in, seeing where the bolts are on those shackles and waiting for the moment to break free again.