The Roaring Twenties
“… a time of hope, prosperity, and rapid change, marked by a general feeling of novelty and modernity.”
OK, so that was the 1920s.
A century later, the pandemically challenged 2020s didn’t make such a promising start!
But remember … before those earlier ‘Roaring ‘20s’ were over, their “period of rapid growth,” had Crashed spectacularly onto Wall Street’s rocks. Perhaps this time that sequence of events can be turned on its head; with this decade’s ‘challenging’ start merely an aberration before we sweep into recovery mode. Maybe the century old spirit of, “modernity, technology, and prosperity,” can still be invoked once again?
Economically, I’ll admit, that’s looking like a bit of a longshot.
But artistically, certainly musically, I would argue there are already plenty of acts who have emerged from their self-isolating bedrooms, leapt back onto the reopened stages, and seem ready to prove themselves the new trendsetting ‘flappers’ of the 2020s.
Who then, in my opinion, are these bands that have positioned themselves to give Josephine Baker a run for her money, to herald a new ‘Jazz Age’?
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Before I reveal my selections though, there is one obvious ‘elephant in the post’ to be addressed! A question that needs answering first.
Isn’t the music featured in ‘Challenge 69’ (like me) showing its age?
This is a stick I occasionally beat myself with, perhaps a little unfairly.
There is a perfectly sound, supportable reason why, for historical authenticity, a book set between 2017 and 2019 can’t include any of the music I have enjoyed in more recent times, but nonetheless …
… it would be impossible to deny that a lot of the music featured in my story could fairly be accused of fraying a little around the edges.
Of the 21 musicians/bands I have chosen to theme the chapters; six released their first music in the 1970s, eight in the ‘80s, and five in the ‘90s, leaving just two more recent outliers, with one act each from the 2000s and the 2010s.
Unsurprising maybe, from an author in his sixties, but still a little disappointing for someone who likes to pride himself on keeping up to date with new music.
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In a blatant attempt to address this anomaly therefore (and restore a bit of credibility), the rambling ‘Re-Roaring 20s’ setup (above) has been shamelessly engineered to allow this weeks ‘inter-Challenge’ post (and playlist) to explore, and share, some of the newer music I have discovered since ‘Challenge 69’ was written and set.
My aim will be to convince you that musical mavericity is still very much (as Jim Kerr might have said), “alive and kicking” in the 2020s. (Note: I do realise I’ve immediately fluffed my whole premise by including yet another ‘80s reference!)
Instead of prattling on further though, I should just present you with my selection of eight new bands (from Newquay to Hull, from Melbourne to Brooklyn) that have already debuted some great music in the 2020s, with the promise of more to come.
So please find my ‘Re-Roaring ‘20s’ playlist below, with two songs from each act.
Having been busy with the ‘12 Days of Mavericks’ series in December, I never got around to a planned post revealing my favourite albums or songs of 2022, so this also, late in the day, gives me a chance to announce my overall winners:
Song of the Year - ‘Back to the Radio’ by Porridge Radio
Album of the Year - ‘Cub’ by Wunderhorse
In totality though (pushing alliteration and grammar beyond reasonable limits) this is a marvellous montage of modern mavericiousness. Go on, give it a try, you might just discover your new favourite band!
And, for anybody (amazingly) still reading, I’ll sign off with a quick reminder that the next instalment of ‘Challenge 69’ will be posted at 10am next Saturday 11 February.
Having reached the halfway stage, this chapter will be a little different, taking a brief break from the usual story/challenge/explanation format to throw in a midpoint teaser section, which reveals a bit more about who and what sits behind ‘Challenge 69’!
Until then …
Thanks for sharing! Really liking Porridge Radio so far. 👍