BBC - Seven Ages of Rock - Programmes - What The World Is Waiting For

Blur - 1991

(L-R): Dave Rowntree, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James

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What The World Is Waiting For - Indie 1980-2007

The story of British indie, beginning with The Smiths, the archetypal indie group. The film follows The Stone Roses as the heirs to the indie crown, Suede's dark sexuality and the media saturation of Brit-pop's Blur v Oasis. What The World Is Waiting For explores how indie ultimately lost its once cherished intimacy and integrity in front of 250,000 fans at Oasis's Knebworth spectacle in 1996 and how, by returning to its roots in clubs and bars (and even front rooms) with bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines and The Arctic Monkeys, indie became respectable again.

Director's notes: Sebastian Barfield; Director/Producer

"Back in April 2006, I found myself in the plush basement of a Chelsea boutique hotel, with a film crew, waiting to interview Noel Gallagher. He was due to be turn up at 11am, but we were ready half an hour early. While I used the time to redraft my questions for the nineteenth time, I overheard my colleagues chatting about the mid-90s moment when the man we were waiting for 'owned' British rock.

Tony, the film's researcher, had worked next door to Oasis' old record company, Creation, in Primrose Hill and recalled seeing the legendary indie label balloon in size as the millions started rolling in. Desperate for extra staff, the label employed his girlfriend.

Louis Caulfield, our camera-man, had done his first ever day of paid work as runner on the band's first video: a task that apparently involved keeping them constantly supplied with alcohol and their favoured flavour of herbal refreshment.

Less glamorously, I had spent the heady years of Brit-pop working at a Birmingham call centre, and it was there in 1996 that I had spent a frantic day manning the phones, taking credit card details from anxious fans desperate to secure tickets to Oasis' statement shows at Knebworth. It was a short day for me - within hours, tickets for what was already being dubbed the biggest concert in British history had all gone.

It struck me that in the mid-90s Oasis had presided over their own mini-economy. Of the four thirty-somethings waiting for Noel that morning, two of us had indirectly worked for him, another's girlfriend had worked for him. The only person untainted by the Gallagher shilling was our Russian sound-recordist who had been in the former Soviet Union.

I was interviewing Noel about the "over-grounding" of British indie - something for which his band was largely responsible. In approaching the film, I hadn't dared attempt a dutiful chronicle of British indie scene from the late 70s to the present day - we would need an entire series to do justice to that story. Rather, I narrowed my focus to show the trajectory of the music through a few key bands from the mid-80s onward - The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Suede, Blur, Oasis, The Libertines - and in the process show that what happened to the "indie" scene in the 90s was similar to how Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd took "underground" music into stadiums in the 1970s.

When Noel turned up, he was on time, funny, and only started swearing when the camera was switched on. He held court for two hours. My main memory is of biting my tongue hard during some of his stories, so that my guffaws wouldn't appear. As he shook my hand to say goodbye, he told me he could have kept talking all day.

When I look back at Noel's interview and the 12 year-old old archive of Blur and Oasis, there's a clear sense that Britpop coincided with the end of the rock industry's glory days.

Top of The Pops was still the important shop window for a band as it had been in the 60s; the internet was yet to happen, and the record industry was awash with cash. Now, with personal play-lists, digital radio, and iTunes, everything has fragmented. In the last ten years something has definitely changed, and we are in a new era of rock that is still taking shape.

Noel is clearly aware of this. In his interview he said: "Back in the 90s there was so much money floating about it was unbelievable. I remember us being invited to bashes in proper stately homes. We were getting f***ing DVDs given to us... These days you're lucky if you get a f***ing Christmas card."

A band becomes a phenomenon when people who couldn't care less about music start talking about them; when their success somehow defines a cultural moment in the life of the nation. What's interesting about Oasis isn't that they were a British rock phenomenon - that can't be disputed - but the fact that they were possibly the last."

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Ellen, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Supergrass!! Don't know if this is mentioned before but they should have been included. Awesome band, so much better than Oasis or Blur.

rik, manchester
where were the verve in this programme? surely the verve and oasis are the best bands around at the moment.

Mark, Cheshire
Yes it's true that what some of you are saying regarding too much winging but I must stress despite this there are definately some bands that should have been featured over some of the others. There is no doubt by the endless comments on the Punk section that The Stranglers should have been featured and AC/DC and Led Zepplin were vastly important for the Heavy Metal section. Joy Division maybe not as pivotal for this section though.

Dan, Tamworth
Excellent series.... but just 1 major, and i mean MAJOR THING, missing....AC/DC!!!!!

eva, amsterdam
wow, great programme!

Damien Newry
i was in Manchester from 86-94 the Smiths are rightly treated as gods Stone Roses Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets created for a few years something exciting pure and [maybe not the Mondays] a scene built on brilliant music not image then along comes Gallagher quality first album but his ego and the bands image superceeds everything he sacks the drummer and after whats the story whats the point ?oasis are nothing like the beatles and im sure lennon would turn in his grave having a shallow arrogant fools like the Gallaghers worship him he would rather have a decent muician/man like damon albarn p.s kaiser chiefs what the hell ?

Mike, Leeds
The inference that the Libertines were somehow revolutionary for playing live in a house and for interacting with the crowd on the same level is ridiculous, especially for a series exploring the history of rock.

Geoffrey Baldwin, Lyminge, Kent
Where was Joy Division and Gang Of Four?? Why were Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys even considered for it?

Derek, London
"What the World Is Waiting For", if Britain is indeed the whole world then that would be true. Unfortunately alot of this music just doesn't translate well outside of these shores so we are stuck with it all. The last few years have been the most dull and unispiring period of music that I have ever known with the emergence of all these 'indie' bands into the mainstream. What the world is waiting for is something to blow alot of this drivel out. If great music is measured by arrogance then yes they would be great. I just wish the British music press would just stop hyping all this rubbish and discover some of the other great music out there. Why this show got 90 minutes just goes to highlight the terrible state of rock 'using rock to describe alot of this is an insult' jounalism in this country. Somehow all these art school indie bands have diluted the spirit of rock in this country, and all we have is a 21st century equivalent of AOR music, that your Gran would find listenable.

Philip, Newcastle upon Tyne
I have just watched the Indie episode, and my impression is one of a jaw-dropping, overwhelming, gargantuan arrogance on the part of the Indie band members and critics alike. The very title of the programme evinces this ( What the world is waiting for), even if it is a song lyric/title, but come on, why a 90 minute programme on this when other genres have had to make do with an hour? Clearly the producers/directors of the series have also bought into the myth that this genre of music is all that matters, and they daily thank God Indie came along and The Smiths saved the world. Didn't we hear that about punk, a here-today, gone-yesterday music if ever there was one! Once again, I am dumbfounded by the arrogance, pretentiousness and sheer delusional state of this whole sorry shower.

Johnny Boy, Vegas
Blimey, indie kids still moaning eh? does nothing change. I thought the doc was really good. Ok, missed out bits but so what? Judge it for the story it told not what it didn't. It's like saying the Oxford English Dictionary is not worth paper it's written on because it does not have pictures in it. all you bleating on about 'where's XXXXX' and 'typical BBC' don't know you're born. Can yo see ITV making anything akin to this?? No. As for C4, well, they gave up the ghost years ago. All their music is on at 2.30am anyway unles it's some dross on T4.How many people would tune in for a doc about Postcard Records? (OK I would... but) Or alien Sex Fiend? How obscure do you want to get? As for Factory being the sin qua non of indie, nonsense. They were not the first nor the last word in indie. The programme was good, well made and had an interesting line in argument. None of the negative tripe on here has commented onhow the film looked, the sue of archive, the actual story it told - it's all bleating about where's my fav band or where's Radiohead. For goodnesss sake, Radiohead are on a major label, they're NOT INDIE. Read the label will you before you start threatening to scribble over your Francoise Kervorkian Smiths remix in protest

Andrew M, Bath
For all the haters sticking needles into an effigy of BBC TV centre, decrying the lack of Joy Division/New Order/ Factory/Tony 'ego' Wilson there isa BBC doc all about Factory coming very soon as well as the Ian Curtis feature film from Anton Corbijn and a Jon Savage scripted TV doc about Joy Division. However, I'm sure even then, there'll still be those who want more and demand a series on 4AD or Mute or a feature film on the indie scene of Hull or a major analysis of the cultural earthquake that was Swervedriver. Oh hang on, what about a landmark series on the Thames Valley scene eh? Yes, come on you must recall that huge moment in rock? Ride, Chapterhouse, Slowdive - bands that changed the face of, er... the face of... oh hang on a minute.... anyway, surely someone has to make a doc on the semiotics of floppy fringes and loose baggy jumpers. Come on BBC, it's discgrace that you don't cover this profoundly important aspect of human endeavour. And where were Loop? I for one will kill my first born in protest.

Morrissey, Mancheater
Well I thought it was really good. Loads of Smiths footage never seen before - not in the UK anyway. Marr and Moz dancing? Great. How many docs have you seen such quality time with major figures, nicely shot too.

Mick, Reading
It's clear that an entore generatrion of viewers have been fed a diet of list shows and cannot quite digest a carefully structured and considerd film. 'Oh, where are Birdland, Gang of Four, Bogshed...' come on!! Do you really think that would get commissioned for BBC2?? Get into the real world will you? As for Joy Division etc, yes, it would have been good to bridge the punk / post punk era with a look at that scene but it did not happen - so get over it. If the producers had followed the Joy Divison/New Order stroy where exactly would that have taken them? By following the strand they did, it carved a clear and intelligble path about the move of indie into the mainstream. This was made for a mainstream audience, not someone who files away their collection of NME's and Selects mags in vacuum packed folders. It beggars belief that people carp on about this film or seies being 'a travesty' or 'sacrilege' becasue it missed out a couple of bands. Are you saying the thesis of the film does not hold up becasue Radiohead (on major label by he way) or Pulp or New Fast Automatic Daffodils are not in it? Nonsense. If you want to see 15 secs on every band of the last 30 years, tune into C4 or The hits for their indie top 1000, maybe you'll then see what quality TV this was. You're like children at a party who have eaten all the cakes and sweets and moan that there was no jammy dodgers or sherbert dips.As for the dominance of Oasis, well this series did sell itself on having 'wrap around figures' who are central to the stroy. Er, so I guess that was Oasis wasn't it? Hence their apparent ubiquity in the film. Actually, if you tot up the time they feature, it's not that much within a 90 min film. They are there to serve a purpose in the film- ok? Everyone is there for a reason. It's not produced by throwing runes.

Darren, London
For a start Radiohead are on EMI/Parlaphone - so, are not indie. And yes, I know that Creation was later bought out by Sony and that Food were connected to EMI, but the fact remains that Radiohead were sigend directly to a major and so did not fit the remit of the film - OK!? I find it crazy that people on here are moaning on in such histrionic terms about 'why oh why' MBV, Cure, Fall, (insert anyband here...) where not included. The producers clearly had an editorial line and had to find the bands that fitted it - that's what TV does: Identify the story and work to that brief. Nothing wrong with that. So many comments on here are from people who just did not follow the narrative arc of the film- it was about the overgrounding of Indie - from the inkie press of the NME and small venues to the tabloids & huge staia and the drab everyday durge of Coldplay, Keane et al and the band that best exemplifies that is Oasis - whether you like them or not. Please watch the TV more closely and actually listen to what is being said will you????

John, Glasgow
Dan, I understand your frustration over the lack of post-punk and shoegaze in this series. "The Scene That Celebrates Itself" never achieved the mainstream success to warrent huge coverage on a programme like this ("Ages" does indeed mean the defining acts - of which are often not the most critically acclaimed or the most influential), but surely it deserved a mention - especially with influential bands such as MBV and JAMC that many modern acts (of all "indie" styles) cite as influences. A fantastic show nevertheless. Maybe in the future we can see a similar programme exploring the more underground/less mainstream strand of musical history (such as shoegaze, post-punk, ambient etc...) Anyways, keep up the great work BBC, cultural programmes like this are always welcomed in a time with so much reality TV/soaps dominate TV :) :) :)

Ben, Korea
Perhaps shoegaze never happened...

K
In response to Kaz in York. Thim Yorke has more talent in his little finger than Noel Gallagher ever had. Oasis are alright but nothing special - if you want to hear a truly great rock album just listen to "The Bends". Indie episode was one of the better programs in this series but gave too much focus to Oasis. Blur are WAY BETTER. Also leaving out Radiohead was shocking. They deserve a whole program to themselves.

K.J Barnsley
Agree with G. Radiohead Rule!!!!!

Kat, Yorkshire
Have watched every episode of seven ages ( except metal for obvious reasons) and really enjoyed it and learned a lot. However, after waiting seven weeks to see radiohead (aren't they the most influential indie band ever?) I was bitterly disappointed and instead got an hour and a half of Noel Gallagher's ego trip!( No Noel, you are not the greatest songwriter in the world) Also, program on British indie seemed to be biased towards Oasis - I much prefer Blur.

Ben, Barlick
Wasn't indie and punk about about POPular doesn't always mean 'good' or even 'influential' for that matter. Especially Blur. They aren't even rock if you ask me, but I don't want to open that can of worms. Also Oasis got more time in this series than the Beatles. How does that figure out then?

Mary, Hampshire
Gordon Bennett.... What a load of wingers, why weren't they in, oh you missed out that group. This was a series about groups and bands that changed musical direction, and what a brilliant job was done by everyone on this series. I have loved it, back to nothing on the T.V. on a Saturday night. Guess it's back down to the boozer a bit earlier. Please do another series and, include all the groups missed out. Well done BBC.....I feel an award coming on!!!!!

Dan, Plymouth
This programme, of course, was always about new genres/styles forcing their way into the mainstream, and naturally, the most popular bands will always get a bigger mention as they are the ones that "define an age" after all. Still, it would have been nice to see some of the more underappreciated acts that were just as influential get a mention. For example, how can the libertines get 20mins of screentime (!) yet a band as influential as The Jesus and Mary chain barely get 10 seconds? And American Alt. Rock...Sonic Youth? I also agree that the omission f Radiohead was criminal, especially when compared to th amount of screentime Oasis got. An exploration of sub-genres such as Shoegaze, and bands such as MBV and Ride would also have been appreciated. Indeed, comparing the proliferation of american grunge with the completely contrasting style of british shoegaze (1991's Nevermind and Loveless, for example -both hugely groundbreaking yet completely different) would have been more illuminating and balanced rather then just focusing solely on REM and Nirvana. Overall, a great series, but maybe geared slightly TOO much to a few specific bands such as Blur&Oasis.

Hal Samuel, Bristol
ROOOOOAAAAAARRRGGG!All you people complaining that the series was "patchy" because of the "omissions" regarding the bands you YOU thought deserved to be mentioned are morons, frankly. One of the main reasons why this series of rock documentaries sits head and shoulders above the rest is because it focuses on a couple of seminal bands that are most representative of the feeling and mentality of that era. The type of program all of you people seem to want has been made, many times in fact, and none of them were nearly as interesting or education or frankly as rock n' roll as this fantastic series has been. Dull, methodical, academic programs that manage to cram in every band that you could ever argue made an impact on an era so that people like you don't complain about "omissions" go against everything that rock and roll stands for, and don't manage to capture any of the atmosphere that Seven Ages of Rock has in each of the era's it covered. I for one hope that they release this series on DVD, so i can buy it and re-watch it. Stop complaining, because it seems clear to me that there has never been a better rock documentary series made.

Huw, Newport
It's great to see that so many influentual bands have been picked up on throughout the series and especially this episode featuring underestimated bands such as The Stone Roses and Suede. But, I see that Gang Of Four was missed out, even though for me, they kick started the indie scene of the late 70's/80's along with Joy Division. Maybe more time could have been spent covering these artists and not the more modern Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys!!! Why were Kaiser Chiefs ever involved in the show in the first place - hardly influentual!!!

damo yorkshire
madchester was the biggest youth movement since punk so it was good to hear inspiral carpets getting a mention those who were there know that the roses mondays and inspirals were the madchester holy trinity the roses were kings oasis definitely maybe class what the story the start of noel desperately trying too hard everything after that pointless

Trevor, Coventry
MARK, MANCHESTER .... "Serious omissions ... massive oversights" . Oh, come on .... it's only a television programme. You sound like a school teacher. It's Rock 'n' Roll for goodness sake. There was some fantastic music in this series and, anyway, as someone else said here, Joy Divison were overrated so I didn't care they weren't in the series. Last time I saw Lemmy, he was bloating on about not being allowed to smoke. I say light another one ....

James, Sheffield
All you guys that say they missed this, they missed that, are probably missing the point of what it says right at the end of the series.In the last 50 years there has been so many influential bands that it would obviously not be possible to put them all iton an hour slot, yes I agree that may be factory records should of been mentioned and a bit more of the post punk sceine that influenced indie bands should be there too.May be they could come in a brand new series of this fantastic program- never though I would ever say this, but, WELL DONE BBC YOU DONE A GREAT JOB!

elsie, Hull
One word.... Chumbawumba

Mark, Manchester
It seemed as though you were trying to pack too much into the last show. I agree with the posts about Joy Division and also feel that The La's, P.J Harvey, The Beta Band and Portishead deserved mentions (although admitedly Portishead might not be considered rock). For me though Radiohead is definitely the worst omission. Music Polls consistantly place two of their albums in the Top Ten Greatest Ever Albums and they're not even worthy of a sentence on the program - while The Libertines get half the show! It's not that the Libertines were terrible, more that they were/are wildly over-rated and have spawned some of the most dull bands in history. Also nothing was said of the fact that since 1995, despite greater sales, Oasis haven't recorded anything decent or progressive at all, while Blur (and their various individual members) have continually strived to reinvent themselves by incorporating new, interesting sounds/concepts (Gorrilaz, Mali Music, GBQ, Monkey, ...eh Fat Les).

satmos
The show was good, my view on the show, if im right, is that its meant to show the periods when shifts happened in music, and to an extent this episode did this but got the wrong people, joy div/factory records/sex pist. in manchester was a better start of indie,not the smiths,not even an interview with mr wilson,whats that about?While not a shift i do think radiohead deserved a mention for the alt. direction while oasis/blur and the rest were of doing there things. Radiohead led to placebo/muse and a number of others who got acceptance in the charts (no im not saying muse are a radiohead tribute band)Im a big manics fan but understand why they were missed out, they didnt really shift music or do anything new, just what the did was popular.And to end the show they missed the fact the like of 'the strokes' and white stripes made the last shift leading back to franze/artics/libertines, becoming mainstream.

jess, scotland
I never expected to see myself, the clip of the libertines house in march 2003 I was there that night !!! good programme but the whole thing kinda made me sad as everything is so commercial......but british music always manages to produce something special now and again, so it's got to be worth it !!!

Mark, Manchester
Yes is seems that there have been some serious omissions in each of the 7 stages, Led Zepplin was in the wrong section, The Stranglers a glaring mistake so too for Motorhead and the stadium section was a fuzzy analysis and no Joy division the original Indie - massive oversight.

Jane, Cardiff
Joy Division have to be THE most over-rated act of all time. So I for one didn't care that they weren't not included This was a superb documentary - a fitting end to a patchy but overall superb series (despite some omissions).

Ian, Stevenage
FANTASTIC end to a largely brilliant series. Ignore the endless miserabilsm of these carping posts. So, Radiohead weren't in it. So, Pulp weren't it it. So, Joy Division weren't it is. So what. That doesn't make it a bad documentary. I never understood The Libertines but this programme helped place them in some of context. Maybe they are not (yet) as influential as Joy Divison but perhaps in 20 years time we'll look back and understand how they helped put some sort of 'real' rock music back on track. I thought there was too much of Oasis in this film though I loved the way the programme makers gave Noel a noose with which he gladly hung himself. Best moment was when he insulted the people who made him a millionaire 4 times in one week. I'm glad to say I wasn't one who contributed to that wealth. He might be millionaire but he's never really left that Manchester council estate.

Duncan, beds
I was so disappointed with this last show. Last week's underground in the U.S was superb and one which suprised me because I wasn't really into that kind of stuff. There was too much of nothing in the Indie show, and as for Franz Ferdinand, ARE YOU SURE ? The whole Oasis/Blur thing was tiresome, we lived through it ten years ago, I didn't care then and I certainly don't care now. I am a big Oasis fan, but lately, I find myself listening to Blur. The whole Rival thing was to sell records and newspapers, they done their job. Both Bands have made some great music to always remember the 90's by.

Milky, Leeds
Great series. They focused a little too much on Oasis and not nearly enough on the Libertines in my opinion,Oasis afterall did nothing major in terms of defining a generation... The Stone Roses did that for that generation and The Libertines did it for this one.Why on earth were Franz Ferdinand in it btw?

tom, watford
to call the arctic monkeys a british rock 'phenomenon' is sure a bit far fetched. i mean, fair enough, they can play the guitar and the singer can stand infront of crowd singing while playing it. if you can even call what he does as singing. i mean, all there musc sounds the same and its just the same old catchy, cheesy music that you hear these days. even the guitar riffs are the same. if you look at oasis and you compare the hindu times, champagne supernova and live forever, they are all completely differant but are all world class tunes. to be a rock phenomenom isn't about copying your own music. its about producing anthems upon anthems like the beatles and oasis did and do. people say that be here now by oasis was rubbish. well to call stand by me and all around the world rubbish is stupid. the arctic monkeys are a one hit wonder. their first album was ok, but their second was appalling. the b side compilation; 'the masterplan' by oasis sold more than that album. that is what being a phenonmenon is all about, not about making mediocre songs as and when you feel like.

dan stoke
wot? no shed seven?

Windy, Burnley.
Joy Division where were they? What went wrong. Even just a little mention of the true beginings of true indie would have sufficed. The series has been great, but in part has missed too many bands who were true pioneers. This is the biggest mistake this series has made. Missing out on the true pioneers of indie music - Factory Records. Sacrilege thats all I can say.

Adam, Burnley
Not including anything about Joy Division is an absolute disgrace to the makers of this program. As everyone knows this the true inspiration behind alot of indie around now. They are just as important as the Sex pistols in most peoples eyes. Except the BBC eh?

Adam Winder, Burnley
Where the hell were Joy Division? They were the missing timeline between punk and the Smiths. Its sacrilege to not include a piece about the Sex Pistols gig at the free trade hall in Manchester where all the future manchester indie pioneers attended. Including the late great Ian Curtis. Factory Records were the true start of indie in everyone who knows eyes, and Joy divsion were pivotal in indies beginnings.

Joe M, London
can anyone suggest some good reading material on rock history?

Greg, Brighton.
Hilarious - that Noel Gallagher chap always makes me laugh. It's like he's gone out and bought the 'Bluffer's Guide to being a Rock Star'. The question is... is he really quite an intelligent chap pretending to be a moron... or is he really just poor white trash who still can't get his head round the fact that so many people keep buying his regurgitated 70s rock mush? A bit like Mr Ozzy Osbourne, who appeared earlier in this series, he really does turn up for the opening of an envelope (I was somewhat surprised he didn't make an appearance at that Diana Memorial Concert!). Hang on a sec, could it be he's actually turning in to Mr Osbourne? They both wear black and they both constantly tell us how many drugs they used to take. The difference there being that when Ozzy was drugged up in the 70s his music still rocked, whereas after taking too many drugs Mr Gallagher put out the albums Be He Now, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and Heathen Chemistry. Of course the main similarity is their constant use of the 'f' word (I better not spell it out otherwise my highly intellectual comments might get censored). Ozzy says it as it should be said, whereas Mr Gallagher on the other hand, having read his 'Bluffer's Guide to being a Northerner' (even though he now lives in some posh house in London) insists on saying 'fook'. Wonderful.And just one more thing. The Libertines. I'm afraid the producers of the show are getting a bit confused here. Pete Doherty is the boyfriend of a model who occasionally appears in The Sun when there isn't a Paris Hilton story that day. He's not the new messiah of rock.

Darren, Lancaster
Don't understand why the libertines were included in this, massively overrated and didn't have anywhere near the impact that the Smiths, Stone Roses and Oasis did on the public. Also, when all the major bands were from Manchester, wht does Camden get to claim it was the centre of Britpop?

Brian, Belfast
Noel Gallagher is so foul mouthed and so opinionated and offensive. So, it is only when the 'squares' discover you that you make loadsamoney? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! But, it was compelling viewing and I really enjoyed this last programme. Really well made with some good people. I would have liked to see Ian Brown but I know he's really shy so Mani was a good substitue. I'm very sorry it's all over.

Anthony, Milton Keynes
Yes, this series has left out a good number of people (Radiohead, for one ...) but I guess they had to make decisions about which bands to include based on the stories they were telling. I have enjoyed watching a series of stories. I don't think, despite what this web site says, that this was intended to be the definitive story of Rock. It is called Seven Ages of Rock, not THE Seven Ages of Rock. So, I am happy by the choices they've made. This last programme was the best of the bunch. Great contributors. Even the loathsome Noel Gallagher was watchable - not least because of his honesty. So, ignore the gripes about missing bands. I think it has been great and thank you for that.

Dickie, Harrow
Well done the bbc for this. The 'why no mention for Slowdive/Kinky Machine/Half Man Half Biscuit' argument holds no water cos ultimately no one gave a damn! Smiths/Roses/Oasis have a legacy because they built a media profile... if Kevin Shields had actually promoted his records maybe My Bloody Valentine would be featured in programmes like this, rather than as an interesting leftfield footnote. On a personal note though I was disappointed by the lack of Pale Saints coverage ;->

Craig T, E Yorkshire
This episode couldn't have gone better, got all the best BLUR, STONE ROSES, OASIS etc. I do not however think that the one hit wonders ARTIC MONKEYS with 'I bet you look good on the dancefloor' should even be classed as Indie personally.

G
For those saying radiohead don't do interviews, well they do but not many. But in this episode coldplay didn't get interviewed but at least got a mention. And for those who slag off radiohead well at least give radiohead a good listen, don't just listen to noel's arrogance and listen to radiohead once and decide its crap. Radiohead constantly move forward with each album experimenting and in my own opinion make a success of it each time. Ok there music takes time to get used to, but there raising the bar, which is why oasis can't make any good albums anymore because its not about making an album that sounds like 'whats the story, morning glory' again and again. There is a reason why The Bends, OK Computer and Kid A are around the top of most great ablum lists, same goes for 'Whats the Story Morning Glory'. Listen to the music properly then make your own judgements.

Enda, Galway Ireland
Loved the show but then I was a student in Manchester in the late 80s early 90s so it really brought me back.The Stone Roses at Spike Island, i was there and yes it was crap, couldn't get a beer the support acts where abysmal the acoustics were terrible. Glad to see no "rose coloured lens" here

Peter, Liverpool
BRILLIANT! I was at Knebworth for the Oasis concert and I totally felt sold out. This was a superb series but this one was definitely the best. Fantastic!! Make it available on DVD now!!!

Eamonn, Stevenage
Nice work from the producer. Film the shop / restaurant Americanisation of Britain sequence in Stevenage on the same day you do the Knebworth shots. Patronising and thrifty, a rare combination.

Peter, Manchester
You have missed out far too maany great bands, Radiohead, Blondie, Joy Division, Guns and Roses, the Jam and many more. The last show was 3 ages in one and should have been 3 different shows.

MC, London
Director Sebastian Barfield didn't have to tell us he worked in a call centre in Birmingham while Britpop washed over him, it was woefully apparent from the second programme from him in this disappointing series. He was also clearly in primary school when most of the stadium rock acts had their heyday. In this respect he does not stand alone amongst the creative forces behind this poor series. All the programme makers appear to have been driven by whichever artists could be persuaded to give an interview and by whatever archive the BBC already owned or could use without paying for by simply crediting the director under some dodgy best practices arrangement. The laughable content of the narration, in which most of rock history has been re-written and the overuse of hyperbole rules the day, only serves to underline a complete lack of intelligent journalism. What a shabby end to a misguided and ill researched series.

Jean, United States of America
To the Franz haters: Bitter much?

Darren Halifax
Haven't seen the the programme yet but Sebastian Barfield said this above. "A band becomes a phenomenon when people who couldn't care less about music start talking about them; when their success somehow defines a cultural moment in the life of the nation. What's interesting about Oasis isn't that they were a British rock phenomenon - that can't be disputed - but the fact that they were possibly the last."possibly the last phenomenon? Your in the middle of a British rock phenomenon mate, the arctic monkeys, love em or hate (the purists hate em) they've got it. I much like oasis before them, it isn't just the indie kids that like them, they've got a wider audience than that. The Libertines never really got to play to anybody but a bunch of indie student types.

Zoe, Glasgow
As an indie kid, i've accepted that this series is about rock hitting the mainstream rather than a true history of rock, and bands like MBV and Neutral Milk Hotel won't get a mention. However, I did have a problem with this last episode as I couldn't believe the coverage given to the Libertines - who really are a complete waste of space and will be forgotten with a couple of years time - and completely ignoring Radiohead, who really are the most influencial band of our generation and the only British band achieving mainstream success who are worth talking about.

Rory, Wimbledon
How can you leave out Pulp and especially The Strokes, they completely changed everyone's preception of rock after the "lull" of the new melenium, and got Alex Turner into guitar music anyway, and countless other new bands coming out now, they were also very important image-wise and changed everyone's looks within 6 months, but as Iain says, that moment wasnt even mentioned with pulp, and Radiohead, who i dont really like much were huge and we definately part of british rock and again were hugely influential on a lot of people, so i think going on about Bonead's first memories, and mentioning Franz Ferdinand, while you dont mention at all The Strokes, Pulp and Radiohead while countless other band werent mentioned either, i was glad on your mention on the influence on the smiths, but next time organise it a little better please

Rolf, Amsterdam
It surprises me that almost everyone here stresses the fact that many artists and bands who would have fitted in the series were left out. The Seven Ages was clearly meant to be a series of subjective stories about some of the directions Rock has taken, and not an encyclopedia. As with any story every 'age' needed a focus, and that automatically excludes some equally relevant sidelines. So what? We got some really interesting stories with great interviews and fantastic footage. Thumbs up for the makers. By the way, why did you leave out Supergrass?

Corrina Lancashire
What? No Joy Division or New Order? The Smiths were great but Indie didn't start with them

Valerie, an American in the Netherlands
I haven't yet read through all the other comments about this installment, but there was one glaring omission that I still can't over, and it is:NO PULP!??Not even one mention if I'm not mistaken.

Charlotte, UK
It was a superb program, but did anyone else feel that it focused a bit too much on Oasis?! In my opinion it was a bit biased towards Oasis on the Blur V Oasis chart battle, etc and the way Blur where presented wasnt very positive at all. They clearly had a big importance of the music in that time and they've inspired so many people, and have evolved their sound, etc.& where was the Happy Mondays?!

Jem, Notts
The only band capable of competing with The Smiths in the eighties were Echo and the Bunnymen, alas signed to WEA so ignored probably because of their major labal status but truly indepedent in ethos.

Mark
The Libertines were meaningful to a very small clique in London. They meant absolutely nowt in the country at large, yet another construct of a London-centric rock press and media.

BM, Manchester
Well, this was the one I HAD been waiting for and all things considered, it just about did a reasonable job. I won't pretend to understand why the Joy Division/New Order story wasn't deemed fit for inclusion, especially given that much of the programme was so firmly rooted in Manchester. Like others, I was also surprised that Radiohead weren't mentioned, since they are one of the few UK "indie" bands to achieve massive commercial success while maintaining a degree of healthy contempt for the mainstream and continuing to produce consistently challenging and influential music. Maybe the grumpy b*****ds wouldn't give the BBC an interview. Anyway - a fitting end to a worthwhile series that was never going to please everyone (but had a bloody good go).

Bucko, Manchester
I was originally going to post a message about not covering Factory Records / Joy Division / New Order and many other post-punk and real indie artists but realised that so many other people have done so. It's probably a good thing I suppose not to be associated with these Saturday night nostalgia type programmes which always feature the likes of Stuart Maconie and Dave Haslam bigging themselves up as so called experts.

mel, kent
where does goth fit in? sisters of mercy, the mission, bauhaus,all about eve...etc

Joanna -London
Where was the female voice/ presence in this last programme?- I am NOT speaking as someone who was or is in the music business , but if you give an account - please give a balanced account - UK-wide OK , but what about regional - and INCLUDE female musicians-? All we got was a distant image of the lead singer of Elastica on stage - Where was her voice/opinion? Ask Damon Albarn- who was his girlfriend again?- ( I am being sarcastic...) Anyway- I felt that this had TOO much testosterone- please dont make us invisible because you programme makers worship Oasis-Give some credit to musical women, those who contribute to the whole scene- at whatever level of acceptance in the charts they are- in a BBC programme- Or- will anything ever change?Thank you

Eddie, Waterford,Ireland
The omissions were shocking. It's as if The Cure never existed. Or Factory Records. Where were Muse? Primal Scream? The Fall started out independent and he has remained fiercely so for 30 years. The whole project is a good idea very poorly realised. Must try harder

Martyn, Hampshire
Radiohead?! The Verve!?

Mark
What a brilliant show showing the story of so many great bands!,and showing what it really was like in the "britpop" years,and of course the story of the greatest band in the world OASIS!!!!

larry, london
how on earth were the jam totally ignored when oasis and blur etc have openly stated that the jam were a major influence and since paul weller has won awards for his work with the jam it is as though they never existed was noel oasis told not to mention the jam or what

Adam, Dublin
What do people want from this series? Do they want them to namecheck every conceivable band they can without discussing any in detail just to make everyone happy? There are obviously going to be time restrictions so they focused on a number of bands. People were bound to complain in this foolish way, whatever bands were chosen or not as the case may be.

jimmy, london
Very disappointing. Having watched all in the series this was the one that intrigued me the most, being the one that I was around for. When I noted it was 90 minutes I sat down expecting alot.But to say it was skewed is an understatement. Starting with the Smiths was a fair point but then to ignore/ gloss over some of the most important acts is ridiculous. How can you mention the Smiths on TOTP but not The Stone Roses / Happy Mondays on it. That was the moment that britpop started really.The brit pop years were ok if like the Grunge episode missing too much of the story. But then it got silly, the Libertines / Artic Monkeys bit was interesting but then to go back in the timeline to Franz Ferdinand and The Kaisers ( clear britpop revivalists) and suggest they are the next age of rock is laughable. A dissapointing end to the series.

andy, Wakefield
Just watched the last of the series and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hats off to the Beeb who got it spot on! Particularly loved the accuracy of confining Travis, Stereophonics, and Coldplay to the 'arseend' of britpop. The whole programme was great and gave all the bands featured the kudos they deserve. It also confimed, I feel, that the Smiths have yet to be and probably never will be surpassed as the definitive and most brilliant band of this genre, although some other Manchester bands came close!

Jemma, London
This has to come out on dvd! Brilliant series. Loved the Libertines bit. Was at those gigs myself and it brought back such sweet memories. Thanks.

Kay, Surrey
Surely Muse have to be included, they are one of the biggest modern bands... they just played wembley stadium?! And there's no mentioning of Radiohead or Placebo either. Well i guess you can't include every band, but personally i would have done most of this series differently. Judging by other comments, most people would have done too, but then we all like different bands, so it would have been practically impossible to make these documentaries with every rock fan happy. The alternative one was probably the best.

Hugh, Shrewsbury
The BBC have completed this series with a spectacular own goal, not only providing us with an extra 50% but going along with the concept of 'Indie' being taken by the squares and making it mainstream. Oh dear, just like the BBC then. As so many people have stated over and over again on this forum, what about this group or that group (myself included), we then find ourselves at the last programme and find that we have an extra half hour, SO WHY THE HELL DIDN'T THEY DO THIS FOR THE OTHER PROGRAMMES!!! Are the previous programmes content not relevant, topical, modern, up to date? Quite simply BBC without those other groups we wouldn't have Indie - Such a shame, such a wasted opportunity...

Andy, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Just watched the documentary. I should have performed some work but the telly just offered too much quality. Really great to see all the music that shaped my life in historical context. You should know that in the Netherlands there is hardly any attention for indie or alternative music. For instance, I've never seen anything from the Smiths on Dutch tv, and they were my heroes of youth. Imagine the void. So you British, be grateful to your BBC! Tonight has made my weekend.

preacherfreak, brighton
2 seconds of jarvis! oasis or blur? the answer was pulp!

Nick, Welwyn Garden City
How could The Libertines be deserving of 15 minutes when Radiohead did not even get a mention. OK Computer was one of the biggest inspirations for Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Travis, Muse and others, ommitting it is crazy. Most likely the reason is Thom Yorke declined the interview.

Andy, Kent
Take it or leave it people! If you know so much about the genre and have made your conclusions why do you bother to watch?! Sure I was surprised about some omissions but how can you realistically fit everything about whatever genre into a single hour slot? Take the programme for what it is, a dumbed down history of rock music. It was a great series in my opinion and nice to see that some thing interesting has been done with my license fee.

Paul Wright Surrey
This series started with a poor Hendrix documentary that mistakenly stated his influences as being largely british and also mistakenly stated that his post woodstock band of gypsys gigs were substandard. BUT the series has finished with the best indie documentary I have seen that accurately documented both northern and southern indie scene in diligent way that showed the program maker understood what was behind the music. Great!! Shame about the initial Hendrix documentary though...

Tom, Sussex
How can you possibly make a show about the rise and fall of British Indie and not mention the single most important band of the 90s and 00s - Radiohead? Not even a single mention did they receive, and neither did the real winners of the Blur vs Oasis battle - Pulp, even in passing. This is extraordinarily lazy film-making, particularly the moment where the Libertines are credited with the new wave (pun intended) of guitar bands (Arctic Ferdinand Monkey Chiefs), when everyone with a musical brain knows that the Strokes and, arguably, Interpol's first album were primarily responsible for the revival in punk/post-punk trends.To call this 'What the World is Waiting For', while completely ignoring Ok Computer in particular (10 years old this year), is a travesty.

John, Shipley
This programme promises much but in the end is very, very disappointing. No Cure, no New Order in a discussion of UK indie? And as for the awful, unctuous, voice overs - can anyone ever have written so much nonsense. They are either totally over the top or woefully simplistic and all delivered in glutinous self-satisfied tones.

Dave, London
Muse arent ever included in this type of thing as they have very strong views on the goverment and how the country is run. The BBC would not support them becuase of this - I think it is very sad as some of thier tunes arent political. Just because some of them are contraversial and anti-government (Take a bow, Supermassive Black Hole, Exo Politics) doesnt mean that Blackout, Starlight, Plug in Baby or bloody Sunburn are! These are some fab indie songs that cannot be missed when discussing the genre.Though as I said, I can understand why the BBC do not support them as they are Government runInteresting to see if this comment is removed!

melissa - lancs
What about James??

Catherine, Newcastle
I agree with Iain, Glasgow: Where is Pulp's monumental Glasto set amongst all this?Clearly, you could not mention anywhere near all the bands in just one program, but Pulp easily surpass Oasis at knebworth, and Common people was THE Britpop anthem.

Matt, London
I think the NME have totally contradicted "indie" by trying to sell to a mass audience. This takes a lot away from people who genuinely care about music (the magazine is now poisonous).27 yrs of music in 1 programme! ridiculous! I definitely agree that the bbc should have split this one up to cover the first wave of post-punk (Joy division, PIL,Orange Juice, Jesus + Mary Chain) then shoegaze/grunge, britpop and then the indie revival of strokes/libs. Strokes should certainly be mentioned as they were the band that kickstarted the indie "revival"!!! Coldplay! what are they doing on there!

Brendan,Belfast
Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys once said that Oasis gave us the sing along songs of the 90s just like Stock,Aiken and Waterman in the 80s,I think thats spot on.also I saw Oasis in Dublin in the 90s and it was probably the worst concert I have ever attended,they sounded terrible,Leam Gallagher a singer,please.

Brendan,Belfast
Have to agree with Harry in Manchester,why are Radio Head not mentioned who are surely the best British band in the last 20 years.

Dinger - Norn Iron
Live foreverlethal...

phil ,doncaster
while i realise it is impossible to mention everyone and whilst my slant has always been indie how saxon were not even mentioned in the nwobhm was astounding.the series has been priceless however for the old footage it has shown from all genres.i have to agree with other contributors that the series has left me far from happy for lots of reasons.

suedehead
bands of the 80's & 90's (indie)RideSlowdiveMyBloody ValentinePale SaintsThe Stone RosesNew orderJoy DivisionThe SmithsThe Jesus & Mary ChainCocteau TwinsHappy MondaysJamesCharlatansParis AngelsNeds Atomic DustbinCarter USMSugarThe DelgadosBelle & SebastianPrimal ScreamThe CureThe Pixiesto name a few...x

Louise, Bournemouth
Really not sure why Coldplay are in an indie programme. Also, not sure why people are calling for Radiohead to be included. Both should be included in a 'drab music for dads' programme. Definite indie inclusions should be: James, The Wedding Present and The Wonder Stuff, but I doubt it. It will be 50% of the prog on Blur vs Oasis (neither of whom are anywhere near as good as they like to think they are). p.s despite this last comment, it should be obvious to all that the Blur of the mid 90's were a truly, trult dreadful band! They got better with age (Tender, Song 2) but Country House, Parklife etc were, to mis-quote Liam Gallagher "nursery-rhymes for kids."

Hewy, Sunderland
....oooops hit submit by accident....anyway where was I .... oh yes. Charles Shaar Murray has been consistently innacurate with his littel anecdotes and quips. And as some enlightened being has already mentioned on this page the lack of any mention of Radiohead is staggering beyond belief, especially considering they worte the only seminal album of the entire decade. They pushed creativity and experimentation and more than anyone encapsulated the zeitgiest of modern life in OK Computer. Although I am a fan of all of the britpop era tunes for it was the soundtrack to my journey into adulthood, Radiohead stood out at an angle to all that was going on at the time, which in the past is what made the difference between a good band and a great band. Sadly we had reached a point in the music industry where that was no longer important. It was replaced by image over content.

Glyn B , Doncaster .
True that not all the bands will get a mention . Some respectable bands featured though Oasis aren't fit to wipe the boots of Idlewild clean !!!!!

paul, torquay
if the strokes arent in the episode tonight then the director, producer,writer etc. need to be sacked. them and the libertines revived the whole indie scene at the beginning of this century!

josh bartram, middlesbrough
all you can say is what a line up !!!

David, Carlisle
Oasis had 2 good albums, their 1st 2, and are extremely overrated and will get half the programme dedicated to them...which is disgraceful. Blur on the other hand were much more musically diverse, but still not all that great. No mention of Radiohead? Disgraceful. Best band on the planet not even recognized. Says it all for this series.

bill drummond
if Blur get the regular, Oasis won the war, treatment, i shall be mad as hell. Yes Oasis probably did sell more records, but so did the Spice Girls, Westlife, Boyzone etc... The fact is that Blur although not perfect, always tried to do something a little different each time they made a new record, and created some great music. Oasis sounded the same from day one as they do today. The new Beatles? Never in a million years. The Beatles never stayed the same, never played it safe. Oasis are without question the most over rated over hyped very average band England has ever produced.

Sean Aberdeen
Oasis played brilliant intuitve music, definately maybe is undoubtedly a classic album, no matte what student lamos and posh nme journos say.They are ignorant trendies hyping bands the are really really poor-the klaxons for instance, a poor mans new order-utter tosh.

Den, Wigan
The death for me was when I watched Oasis at Lancashire Cricket Club. I paid £25 for a ticket and could have stayed at home and listened to the CDs. I spent most of the concert chatting to one of my mates. They are still good but not important. New bands like Kasabian, Editors, Kaiser Chiefs etc have taken over the mantle.

colin leeds
were nt the spice girls counted as brit pop?hate the word and idea of 'brit pop' but Oasis were amazing

Hewy
This series had so much promise but in the end has been hideous, unlike the fantastic Soul Deep (still yet to be released on DVD you little tinkers!).The focus has not been on the music whatsoever but just tabloid knowledge that everyone and anyone can muster. Charles Shaar Murray has been

Andi, Lancs
No mention of Manic Street Preachers - surely they were one of the most important British bands of the 90s??

Duncan, London
In agreement with Joe. You don't need a degree in music to recognise the importance of Radiohead, SO WHY AREN'T THEY EVEN MENTIONED?

Joel, Kendal
I'm looking forward to seeing the last installment of whats so far been an enjoyable series but reading the above text it would appear that Radiohead have been missed out completely. Radiohead are an extremely talented group an the influence of their music will echo down the ages. I hate to album drop but "The Bends" and "OK Computer" are globally recognised as brilliant albums and in polls frequently reach the top 10, even number 1. This series has been great to look at the way music has changed and is still being changed today but to miss out such an accomplished group is, as Joe M put it (see below), a gross injustice.

sean ,newcastle
I think some people are getting confused between a band being big culturally and musically. Oasis 1st two albums were very big musically and then the band became massice culturally, everyone knew who they were and they influenced fashion, social trends etc (Similar to nirvana in the U.S) whereas other bands mentioned like radiohead while they are much overated, were influentual musically mainly. Anyway why no dexys midnight runners !!??

Tom, Durham
For me, the watershed was when Reading Festival stopped being a metal festival and started being an indie festival. Logically this was as a result of Indie developing a huge following across the country.Think back to some of the headliners or at least bands near the top of the bill who have now faded from view: The Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, PWEI, Carter USM, Senseless Things, James, The Wedding Present etc.. These guys pioneered music's evolution back then, utilising merchandising to cement their fanbases.Of all those I think it's only really the Manics and Radiohead that boast still being big time.Oasis grew out of the success of those bands - as a generation had been switched on to guitars again and going to gigs.

John, Manchester
Agree entirely with andy from Wakefield. The Smiths should be, but probably won't be, the primary focus of this episode. Oh, and l wish people would lay off the Artic Monkeys! They are probably the best out of the current crop and Steven from Sheffield if you think Noel Gallagher's lyric on ' live forever' is anything but downright cheesy/naff then I pity you. Alex Turner is rightly regarded as one of the best lyricists around today.

andy, wakefield
Looking forward to the show. However, the travesty is that The Smiths (the most gifted and influential British band of the last 30 years) have not been given a slot devoted to them alone! A lot of people seem to have a very blinkered view of rock history. I love Oasis, but the best band ever? Get real! Even Noel Gallagher would admit that they've probably only written two (and a half) decent albums! Morrissey & Marr wrote 4 classics in a 5 year period and their influence continues to shape british rock today...Oasis, Stone Roses, Suede, Kaiser Chiefs etc etc etc all owe The Smiths a debt! Indeed, in a recent edition of Uncut Magazine 'The Smiths - their greatest hits' Ian Brown, Noel Gallagher, Mani, Nicky Wire, Bernard Butler, Bret Anderson, Alex Kapranos, Ricky Wilson and many others confirm as much!

JACKO, MANCHESTER
I LOVE OASIS !!!!BEST BAND EVER !!!

tom jones, the valleys
why bother discussing suede the least interesting of all brit pop bands. i'm not a great fan of Pulp but their story would have been far greater considering they were around during the period shown and are one of brit pops stand out bands.The Strokes kick started indie again, heavily influencing the arctic monkeys and the libertines

Whittle, Bolton
Glad to see Pete getting a good a word in for once for his amazing guitar talent, instead of the all the media speculation about his drug adiction and being Kate Moss's boyfriend. Oh and I think you should mention the Hascenda club in Mancheser as that was the indie capital of the world for example The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis (better than the Yorkshire music of today, Arctic Monkeys, Kasier Cheifs and The Cribs to mention a few)

human,global village
luv that bit wher noel says'I can't believe no-one filmed it!' BBC Researchers eh!!

Ban, Dumfries
1. To all those bemoaning the fact that it's called 'seven ages' rather than any other number: this title appears to come from Shakespeare's 'The Seven Ages Of Man'2. To the people who keep repeating the gist of their comments under different names and locations: if you won't stop doing it, could you please at least try to be less obvious?Ian/Rich, Manchester/Cheshire, I'm looking at you.Personally, I'm not appreciating the fact that so many people are chuntering on in these comments about Oasis and Radiohead, but, hey, that's your musical taste. The series so far has been enjoyable, if not as full as I'd have hoped.

Adam, Northern Ireland
That Charles Shaar Murray has a very skewed view of rock music history. I'm not happy with this series.

Iain, Glasgow
Surely Pulp taking over the headline slot from Stone Roses at Glasto was the point where the torch was handed over to 'Britpop' and a much bigger moment than Knebworth...How can you celebrate this moment when someone as dulge as Robbie Williams can surpass it? Looking forward to the libertines bit, hopefully they'll same some nice things about each other...

Joe M, London
Not even mentioning Radiohead in either this episode or the previous one is surely a gross injustice.

Harry, Manchester
It's nice to see a programme that gives the Britpop movement the recognition it deserves. It is, along with the 60's, the most affluent period British music has witnessed. There were so many bands and artists that were involved in it though, it would be impossible to mention them all. The Stereophonics, Feeder, Dodgy and the Boo Radleys were all Britpop bands that made the time special as well as the big bands like The Verve, Oasis, Blur, Suede etc. The Stone Roses started the Britpop movement with their debut and Spike Island, and Oasis finished it with Bere Here Now and Knebworth. All deserve a credit for their contribution. Oasis were and still are much more than a Beatles rip-off band and anyone who argues otherwise is simply being swept along by the easy "common opinion" formed by snobby music journos and students who couldn't bare to see working class lads making their mark....

Ian, Hull
For a genre spanning three decades indie would probably need its own special series. In the 80s with as early as Scottish outfits such as Orange Juice to The Smiths, New Order, Stone Roses, Cure, Happy Mondays, C86 and Jesus Mary Chain. To start of the 90s with shoegaze with MBV and Ride. Beeb highlighted Britpop as it was the peak of Indie in the mainstream and commercially with Oasis, Blur, Suede, Pulp. post-Britpop bands like Radiohead and Coldplay didn't fit into Indie although British and in my opinion are Alternative and found success in the States. In the new millenium Libertines and Strokes revived guitar music and was to be named "Indie" with the current pack of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and Arctic Monkeys. Is it just British Indie? American bands that were associated with Indie instead of Alternative in the 90s such as Pavement, Guided by Voices and Mercury Rev should also be credited. The Smiths would go down as the greatest overall as they defined Indie, Oasis in terms of fame and popularity.

Meo, South Florida
I like the juxtapostion between Stone Roses and the Happy Monday thing going on while the Pixies and Nirvana were all happening in the US. The music to come out in the next 10 years is going to be goood, better then Nirvana for sure, no disrespect.

Duncan, Beds
Knebworth 1996. From that moment on a wet sunday evening Oasis lost everything that they were about. It felt Oasis didn't care about what they were doing and musically it was awful. They made a lot of money from those two shows, and what did they give us in return, Be Here Now, I'll Say no more. Oasis (1994-1996) R.I.P

Trevor , Lincoln
Help ! I am a music ( 1967ish to 74/5/6ish ) fanI want somebody to tell me why music hasn't actually been abolished by now ?( to quote Noel GALLAGHER ) " Without the Never mind the Bollocks LP, BRITAIN WOULD BE A VERY SCARY PLACE Musically today "Perhaps without THE BIG BROTHER CORPARATIONMusic is dead........................just like the flowers that Morrissey carries in his trousers

Jack, Sefton
Well done on doing a programme about some of the best bands to have walked the earth (especially The Smiths), but I must say that there is no place in any music for the NME/vomit love-children such as Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay or the Arctic Monkeys. "Indie" nowadays has come to mean "I like it because it has guitar in it....and NME told me to".

Colin, Cornwall
I am frankly astonished that a programme that claims to be on British Indie fails to even mention the three great groups (‘The Holy Trinity’) who spawned this musical genre namely; Mike and the Mechanics, T’Pau and Right Said Fred. One can only assume that the ratings conscious BBC don’t want to screen such left-field, cutting edge acts in a prime time slot such as this. What a shame.However, kudos to the inclusion of the vastly underrated and unfairly maligned Oasis – at least you can recognize some original talent. I look forward, as ever, to watching their humble, self effacing frontman explaining his art to the British viewing public.

Iain, Rochdale
As has already been pointed out, indie means independent. That is groups who started on independent labels rather than the major corporate labels.The attitude was about do it yourself non corporate musicTherefore indie grew out of punk, as many punk groups started on these small labels in the late 70`sIn Manchester there was factory records the home to Joy Division a A Certain Ratio amongst many others.In Scotland there was Postcard home to Josef K and Orange Juice.So for a programme to claim that Indie started with the Smiths ( great as they were ) is just nonsense.

tom, lincoln
no radiohead?!... why is this? i dunno if they really fit into the indie catergory but why werent they in the alternative section either? surely they are worth a mention on this programme? n why waste televsion time by talking about oasis

Mark Belfast
Anyone on this who has posted a comment saying oasis are better, do not sound like, or are not trying to recreate the beatles are complete idiots. Oasis are a cheap rip off...yes a few good songs but in essence they are a rubbish version of the beatles! In regards to the rest of the show, far too many bands have been left out of this thing which has made it crap! If anyone is trying to research about a genre or band do it yourself because this is just not good enough!

james, sheffield
no mention of the manics, who were probably one of the best indie bands of the early 90's....the holy bible HAS to get a mention surely???

Sophie, Portsmouth
Oh dear. We'll get one tiny bit on the band who started indie, the Smiths, and then we'll focus on the Britpop war (which let's face it, Oasis never even deserved to be in they are so bad) then 'modern' indie which has all been done before. No Joy Division/New Order or The Cure? Much better than any current indie band... and I'm in the generation full of teenagers helping to hype Arctic Monkeys.

Danny, Hornsea
less arctic monkeys and more libertines i feel. they made rock extreamly cool and represent the rebirth of indie/rock in the 00's. tbh they are often forgotton as just a indie band like kaiser chiefs and the people who forget them are generally not indie fans or jumping on the medias 'anti-pete doherty' ideas.

tom, leeds
I think the bbc have left out two of the biggest and influential modern bands possible in muse and radiohead ........

Bobby Dazzler, Newcastle
The 'Indie' chapter alone could have been 7 programmes long and you still wouldn't have pleased everyone! You'd still have had someone asking why The Chesterfields or Talulah Gosh or whoever weren't included. Me? I'm surprised and disappointed there wasn't a Post Punk/New Wave episode (Joy Division/Fall/Bunnymen/Cure etc) which would have helped bridge the gap between the Punk & Indie episodes. On the whole though this has been a pretty great series and as a big Smiths fan I'm particularly looking to the final instalment.

Paul, Derby
The Smiths are one of the finest bands ever. Why are James always ignore?

will, london
gotta say hats off to the beeb for this series - yes of course there are some big omissions in terms of bands, but to those people who keep screaming for the likes of radiohead, joy division, the kinks, etc - look to the people who are whinging about how the bbc has dumbed down the program for a mainstream audience. this series IS for a mainstream audience, one that doesn't know about rock's history perhaps as well as some of the people on this board. personally this series hasn't taught me anything i didn't already know, and rather than sit and bitch about what the bbc hasn't done here or whether oasis were as influential as they are made out to be, i just sit back for an hour, enjoy some of the greatest music ever made, and hear about it from people who are in my eyes undisputed legends of rock music.

Marcello, Brazil
I think you may do another chapter, for cool underground alternative bands, like Spacemen 3, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, Sonic Youth, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, etc...

Dave, Westminster
Where is Muse???? They play Wembley stadium and they get no mention?! This is unbelievable!

paul elkins, london
carl from liverpool; oasis should let the music do the talking? then why don't they? every few weeks liam or noel try to attract headlines by slagging someone off. that's how they're still in the game - not through the strength of their music, but by running their mouths to keep the media interested.best band of your generation? for what - being good for one year before going down the dadrock route and not offering anything new?are you a. under 14 or b. in posession of no more than twenty cd's?

Tom, Southampton
I can't see why the Beeb has wasted an episode on indie. Which is, always has been and always will be, music for bedwetters and pseuds. It certainly isn't rock. (And BTW, the latest NME hypes almost certainly mean stuff all to anyone outside the UK.)

Carl, Liverpool
I find it very strange how much flack Oasis get off the media. I don't just mean the crappy tabloids, I mean by the music press. NME etc I don't know how many times they have them on the cover with Oasis exclusive written next to it and when you read it, it's just full of cliche b*** s*** running over the same old s*** they were writing in the 90's. Most of the time they don't even write about the music, they go off on one of the rants about how Liam and Noel are arguing again... and all that bollox. The thing is, Oasis may not be the biggest band in the world, leave that to the likes of U2 or Coldplay. But I think they are the most important when it comes to Rock n Roll, I think they have done some great albums lately but I still think Noel can produce another real classic before they call it a day, if they do of course. Oasis, what can ya say. Let the songs do the talking, leave all the bitching to the jealous as f** music press that can't stand the fact that a working class lad has shown em how it's done for the last decade. By far the best band of my generation.

rhys,west wales
BLUR! oasis! good,an episode with nostalgia to my liking p.s im only ten

Simon, Leeds
Did you say Indie? As in bands on an 'Independent Label'. After all, that's where the genre gets its name. Where are The Wedding Present, The Fall, Stereolab, The Delgados etc etc. At least you got The Smiths in there. The greatest Indie band, whose incredible legacy may one day be recognised.

paul elkins, london
oasis were NEVER the biggest band in the world. they were only ever the biggest band in england. why do people in this country fall for hype so easily? the old mantra i guess : if liam and noel say they're the biggest and best enough times, a few idiots will listen.and the stereophonics?! the most repugnant band alive : horrible tunes and horrible guys. i'm pretty sure having any stereophonics praise on tv is legislated against on the grounds of decency and taste.

Ra, York
where are new order, joy division, happy mondays and the cure. If you want to make a respectable Rock tv series you cant leave this age out.

nas, coventry
i cant believe you missed out the band that made this possible, joy division/new order

Beth, Lockington
I love the series great for rock to be bcak in public eye again instead of RnB, dance n garage. thank for saving us!!

John, Bristol
Too much Britpop and not enough My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Joy Division, Wedding Present, etc...

Andy, Durham
Shame we had to wait until the last show to see The Smiths, but glad to see them at last. Perhaps they deserve their own episode? Better than the mindless drivel that Noel Gallagher's and co. write. I say less Oasis and Arctic Monkeys and more Blur and The Smiths...thousands would disagree, but I have the advantage of being right ;-)

Norfolk
Good to see Franz Ferdinand on the list of featured artists, they rarely get the credit they deserve One band which is missing that should maybe have a place is Primal scream. The Arctic monkeys are not shaping Rock history, there music is poor in comparison to other modern artists such as Maximo Park etc..

Dan, Somerset
what - no REEF?Blew Oasis out of the water.They do have the balance completely off. There were loads of bands around in the mid nineties that get no mention - for instance the Seahorses, Placebo, Elastica - the list goes on. What messes it all up is when people over analyse ten years later and when Glastonbury is just a desperate corporate cow. Television will never capture the true spirit of being a music fan, so in true Rock‘n’roll style why not just chuck the telly out of the window, turn the dial one louder to 11 and find out about the music properly?

sue, london
i love indie!

Jac. Swansea
Why have they left out the Stereophonics? Now One Of The Biggest Bands In The World?? Let alone one of the biggest Indie Bands?? I mean 4 number one albums, Their tickets can sell out in less then an hour and they've just added extra shows at wenbley and cardiff? it makes no sense?!?!?!?!

pete savage, hell
i really, really only like the smiths. im in my teen years and it makes me wish i was my parents :O

Mat Fairclough YORK
1994-97 was a magic time, and i don't think we will see anything like that again. Oasis won't be matched and i doubt there will be another band from Britain who believed in themselves as much as they did. In 1996 they were the biggest band on the planet and they deserved to be.

Richard, Scotland
Alison, one doesn't need to be equal/more productive than what/who they are criticising, if you follow this logic than journalists could not criticise prime ministers, librarians could not criticise authors, and so forth...Personally, the idea of 1/7 of rock music being dedicated to brit pop and its revivalists makes me slightly sick to the stomach, but I guess you have to cater for what the masses want, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of gurning idiots clapping along to the sound of the Libertines on their TV.

chris, horley
More needs to be said about location and in particular the north-south divide. Oasis's mancunian arrogance vs Blur's cocky eseex boy charm, as important as it was, was a fairly late distinction in terms of defining indie and any divide. In the early 90s, an indie kid in Surrey or Oxfordshire was very different to an indie kid in Manchester. While almost all had a great respect for the likes of the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, northerners viewed the happy valley 'Ride' T-shirt wearing indie kid as southern poofters. Where is the mention of the southern shoe gazing bands like Ride, Chapter House and Slowdive. Also, what about Scotland and Teenage Fan Club. Curve, Fieldmice, Lush, you are all important too. As talented as they are indie is not just about arrogant ****holes from Manchester. And by the way Liam and Noel, most of them DO sound the same, well the whining does at least.

Karam, Wolverhampton
Oasis are one of the most influential bands of all time. For those who believe Oasis havent sold any records in USA, they have outsold Radiohead in USA and everywhere else in the world. Morning Glory sold 4 million in USA, Be here now and DM both 1 Million each. So at least 7 million album sales in USA for a 'failed' band is not to bad.

Kaz, York
Radiohead are a good band, but nothing special. OK Computer is a good album but people just hype it up into something that it is not, a classic. Oasis were the band of the 1990's. They gave people hope and made kids pick up guitars. I dont care if they havent evolved, they are still the best band the world has seen since 1990. After OK Computer Radiohead lost it and Thom Yorke cant sing to save his life! Noel is up there with McCartney and Lennon, Yorke is down there with Albarn, Kapranos and Rik Waller

paul elkins, london
alison from stoke has just said the one thing you don't say in any art theory/criticism if you want to be taken seriously.go listen to the artic monkeys.

Peter Branigan, Dublin, Ireland
Have been watching the shows. They're excellent. Can't wait for the Britpop one. My favourite era of music. Oasis being the greatest band of all time. Oasis the last great phenominon in British music. Let's see what the Arctic Monkeys can do, are they all hype or have the some tunes to back it up. I wonder will Noel change any of his stories as he is famed for doing.

Alison, stoke
To be fair you are all judging these bands, saying they are over-rated. ( which i might add the Arctic monkeys are not). At least they made some thing of themselves. Which is a lot more than most of you that are sitting writing have done.

Philip Barrow, Newcastle upon Tyne
Regarding the short movie clip at the head of this page, is there ever going to be a day when John Harris actually realises that what he THINKS and what is FACT are two entirely different things. Sorry, but we did not all support the miners' strike, wear CND badges and buy records on independent labels. You and a dismally small number of others may have followed this particular narrow avenue, but please don't dare to speak for the overwhelming majority in such arrogant, assuming tones! By the way, your knowledge of music isn't....

Michael, Leicestershire
In response to the person questioning the absence of Muse, they're hardly indie are they, especially as all they've done is copy Radiohead's style, who should most definitely appeared on this series somewhere, as almost every current rock band has obvious Radiohead-esque influences.

Dom, Bolton
The Stone Roses should have been the focus of this episode in my opinion, but what they hey.Arctic Monkeys are severly over-rated. Don't care what all these indie-kids say, they'll never be as good as oasis.

paul elkins, london
no, radiohead aren't stricly "indie" but the fact remains that this show should have been shaped around them. the programme makers should have just dropped the unnecessary "indie" tag and included them.but then, what about the ratings huh?

David, Notting Hill
FRANZ FERDINAND? They Are Sellouts!No Bloc Party? They took over the states with silent alarm and they are indie.But I cant wait for the libertines, should be an intersting show.

smith, birmingham
you've got franz ferdinand in here, but yet during the whole series there is no mention of the cure or joy division.come on, thats just ridiculous.

Paul, London
Lucky for me when these bands were big i was to old (30s) to give a rats rear end. Self righteous sanctamonious crap.

matt, basingstoke on the aberystwyth
Yet again dumbing down and yet again many in the general public may think that indie is brit pop. where are My Bloody Valentine, jesus and mary chain, super furry animals, joy division, the fall????? I think its right that radiohead were missed out as they were never an indie band yet in terms of sheer brilliance they are Mt Everest to Oasis' Norfolk hills! nonsensical programme for the stripey skin and bones scarecrow indie massif central!!

Max, Glasgow
Oasis are The Best. Everyone always goes on about The Beatles. But did they really ever wirte anything as great as Live Forever????

Rob, Stafford
I think the title of the series is misleading. Surely it should be "The Seven Ages Of BRITISH Rock". There is so much left out it's untrue. And who decided on "Seven". Presumably this is a convenience dictated by the programme schedulers.The first programme wasn't bad and gave prominence to Syd when so often he is seriously overlooked. But 13th Floor Elevators and all the original Psych bands left out??? And why airbrush out The Kinks?The second programme again was adequate but presumably this era is going to be revisited when Metal is given an airing.The third programme seemed a bit confused with its timeline. Patti Smith was the first act to appear at CBGBs and Television. who again were only glanced at, were the resident band. That's not taking anything away from The Ramones who were a fine band. Nice to see Glen Matlock restored to his true place in history. But what now of Post-Punk? Where is that in the series? Joy Division, Wire, Magazine, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure.... where are they?As regards the rest of the series The Smiths lumped in with Brit-pop???? THE major influencial band of the Eighties surely deserve better.And what now of the current scene? Arctic Monkeys et al making Indie respectable again?? Give me strength. Surely the power has now moved back to the states with bands like Animal Collective, The Shins, TV On The Radio et al.

Gary,Belfast
Nice to see Stuart from Glasgow mention 'Columbia' by Oasis. This is infinitely better than anything the Beatles ever did, and is a sorely under-rated Oasis track.

Harry, Wessex
Like many who have posted here, I believe that not even mentioning Radiohead is astonishing... When I think of the 90s, I think of OK Computer, the Glasto set of '97...But then I think, this is the story of British Indie right? Radiohead are not Indie. The closest they got to being "indie" was probably "The Bends", but come on, even that was too progressive to be put aside the likes of Smiths, Stone Roses, etc.Radiohead didn't define a generation - unfortunatly that was done with that fake, ego-boosting, eye-wash that was hideously called "Britpop". Britpop, where "rock-stars" drank champers while exchanging niceties with Tony Blair (remember Gallagher in Downing Street?), Blairism and Britpop went hand-in-hand.Radiohead are better than all the bands mentioned in my opinion, but if they don't fit, they don't fit.

Cavin, USA
why does it take an American to ask: "What about James?"

Amar.M London
Why no guns n roses, one of the best bands in the 80s-90s period! Awesome guitar solos and vocals!also were are aerosmith and AC/DC, artic monkeys could nt hold a candle compared to these bands

Ian, Manchester
How on earth can any serious programme on indie music ignore Joy Division/New Order and factory records, who were the ultimate indie non corporate group and record label.Also surely they could have been included in the programme on Punk or Stadium rock

Ian, Manchester
How on earth can any serious programme on indie music ignore Joy Division/New Order and factory records, who were the ultimate indie non corporate group and record label.Also surely they could have been included in the programme on Punk or Stadium rock

Rich, Cheshire
Why no Ocean Colour Scene who produced hits such as "The Day We Caught The Train", Pulp with "Common People", The Verve and The Lightning Seeds?

David, Bootle, Merseyside
The Verve anyone? That is all.

Jane, Cardiff
Chris Howles. I have to say your post is somewhat arrogant. This series is not even half way through but you feel it is appropriate to pontificate on its merits or otherwise. It is actually rather difficult to take anything seriously when you bemoan that Sweet and Slade are not included. Let me see. Should we include Nirvana or Sweet? Should we include Bruce Springsteen or Slade. Clearly, difficult decisions had to be made but I guess those were not among them.

Bob, Luton
CHRIS HOWLES ... you can't be serious about Sweet. Please tell me exactly how 'Lollipop Man' and 'Wig Wam Bam' are influential in the history of Rock. Slade, too, were nothing more than a naff pop band ('Merry Christmas Everybody' indeed). You seem to think you know all about rock but clearly nothing would please you unless, that is, you had made it. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. I don't want to be lectured to by TV programmes. As for handing it over to the fan's. Just look at these comments. Where is Sweet, where is Cat Stevens, where is Kylie Minogue. I mean.... Really!

Chris Howles - Lichfield
Just some general comments on the whole series.......Firstly to sub divide rock music into 7 eras was your first mistake..... there were far more than that. For instance in program 2 you clumsily tried to link Prog with early Glam and in the process covered neither genre properly. Both genres needed their own program. The glaring ommision of Slade and Sweet is indefensable as both bands had a huge influence on 80s hard rock and metal. Slade also inspired a lot of young musicians from the Punk era. Similarly metal cannot be covered in just one program, its influence and breadth is just too great.Secondly.... the Beeb made a series 10 years ago (Dancing in the Street) that was supposed to be a serious academic study of 20th century popular music (and a pretty poor job they made of it too!) So why do we need more bloody music journos and intellectuals giving their scewed slant again on this program. I'm sick of all this socio-political rubbish! I want to hear 2 perspectives only... the band's and the fan's!Glad the Beeb have had another go at what could be an awesome project... maybe in another 10 years they will do it properly!

Iain Halifax Yorkshire
Looks like a good attempt with some woeful omissions. I look forwards to it though I hope for a more comprehensive series someday......

Gareth, London
No Primal Scream, Joy Division/New Order, pah!

Jon Guy, Liverpool
A good stab at covering various genres of rock....only problem....to short thus missing many influencial bands through the years... Rush/ACDC/Guns N Roses/Slayer/RHCP to name a few

John, Birmingham
I think out of all of the series (which is absolutely cracking I might add) this one is a bit lacking in identity. I think you couldve created at least 3 more programmes here but it seems you have decided to cram it all, going from the hacienda days, through britpop (past and present) straight through to what I myself would call "Indie" (Libertines, Arctic Monkeys et al) I wouldve called it the10 stages of Rock and at this point had the influential Hacienda days (Stones Roses, Happy Mondays through to Kasabian etc), Britpop (Oasis, Blur, Suede, Pulp etc) and then Indie Rock (Feeder, Arctics, White Stripes, Libertines, Chilis etc) Coldplay, Smiths and Radiohead shouldve gone into Alt rock.

Stuart, Glasgow
Where exactly does this Oasis being the Beatles stuff come from? Yeah they have a few tracks that are Beatles soundalikes but Live Forever, Some Might Say, Headshrinker, Acquiesce, The Masterplan, Talk Tonight, Supersonic, Columbia and so on do NOT imitate the Beatles!!

Joolz, England
PJ Harvey?

Londoner
no mention of the strokes in the documentary, absolute travesty, they with the libertines basically got the ball rolling on all these 'indie' bands that exist nowadays. without them there would be no arctic monkeys and all the other tripe that tried but oh so miserably failed in ripping their stuff off

Mike, Somerset
Looking forward to this one inparticular!

Tom North East
I'm very upset that Joy Division have not been on the show. Joy Division are one of the best and inspirational bands of all time. However im looking forward to the show about the Roses and Oasis are you mad for it? Moreover It is shocking how Franz Ferdinand are on the show, as you can't really call them Indie as they are what i would call main stream shit. As long as there is plenty of the Roses, The Smiths and Oasis then it will be good.

Tim South Wales
Could have been a good series, but there is too much missing.No Prog rock? ELP,Yes,Hawkwind?

Patrick Gibbons, Glasgow
Most of the list is fine on this programme is fine as it is, but the two glaring omissions are 1) Jesus and Mary Chain who take up the Velvet/Sex Pistols baton and invent both the power-pop that inspired Teenage Fanclub and the shoegazing period that is completely missed out here.2) Radiohead who are what I would call the vital link that inspires all punk-rock bands that follow.My opinion for what its worth is the chain of bands would be Velvet Underground-Sex Pistols-R.E.M.-Nirvana-Radiohead. These shows will rightly give 4 of the above 5 mentioned bands great prominence and it is to their credit for doing this but they have missed out on Radiohead.

get in the reall world - Westward Ho!
For everyone OUTRAGED! that Radiohead aren't in the series take a moment to think about the fact that Radiohead never give interviews. Are guys thick or what? Slag off the beeb by all means. After all I bet you've never dealt with these precious 'artistes' or made a rock documentary for that matter. Get off your pompous, smart arse high horses. Oh. Have any of you SEEN the programme yet. Given that I'm writing this on May 31st - probably not.

Jack London
No mention of Pulp? Why the hell not!

Stanley Price - Nantwich
Oh my god, other fans of Mu-Kau, it must be a West Midlands thing! I was in the Fusilier Brigade Depot at St Georges Barracks Sutton Coldfield when I first heard of the Kau. They were playing at the station pub and me and the lads had just finished drinking vodka out of a used condom, an old army trad and we were completely crapulous. When I saw the name Mu-Kau on a poster I was incensed, you see my grandfather had been a japanese prisoner of war and I was going to make this disrespectful bunch of long haired soap dodgers eat boot. I stormed in like I was back at Goose Green but when I saw the vision who was singing I put down the broken bottle and began to sway with the rest of heaving throng. Shame on you BBC for ignoring the band who took my pain away.

Paul, Fareham
Like the Manics, Radiohead never really associated themselves with the whole britpop movement, and its probably a fundamental reason why they're still going today... a more obvious question is why aren't Pulp included, "Common People" is THE britpop anthem!

Londoner
Kudos for the Genesis part....They don't get as much respect as they deserve...If I had to critisize this one, I wouldn't find a band you had forgotten. Bowie's Theater Influence, Floyd's Puppet Show and A Wall, Velvet Undergrounds' Underground Influence, and Humble Pie's Raw and Rugged thing......I know they were subliminally put in there somewhere

Terry -Surrey
Just watched the last show Art Rock which was very interesting, as a collector of rare music footage, it always amazes me how the BBC manage to use the same old footage every time a music doc is on our screens. A bit of fast and fancy editing to fool us that this is some clip of film which nobody has seen before, it would be a nice idea to buy in some footage from other European & U.S. T.V shows to mix it up a bit. It is a great move to bring Charles S. Murrey in as more than just a talking head on the programme, he's music background and comments are worth the viewing alone.Their will always be certian artits and bands left out of any music documentry. It's Only Rock n Roll .

Connie, Coventry
Brenda in Solihull and Wendy in Wolverhampton - great to hear there are other Mu Kau fans out there. I saw them gig here once in Coventry and they were superb. It was interesting because they'd really adopted the stage persona of The Smiths. The guy on keyboards, following in the footsteps of Morrisey, was wearing a huge necklace and a tiara and, strange though it sounds, it was a look that really worked. It was helped, of course, by the band all waving flowers, although they opted for tulips rather than gladioli. I guess the hay fever prone one was not affected by tulips. I do think that, in discussions of indie music, the look is so often ignored. Mu Kai had a fabulous look and it is such a pity they were never known outside of the Black Country. It is about time the Beeb made a film about Brum Rock. And Mu Kai should be at the top of the list.

Mike Drew Edinburgh Scotland
I Liked the program a lot, but to be fair how can you give Bowie claim to be the main inovater of Theatre Rock, the fact is it was Alice Cooper who led the way on that front, Alice was doing all that stuff years before Bowie, granted he hadn't had a hit record in the uk pre 72 but wasa big draw live and Mr Bowie knew all about him, having checked him out at the Rainbow in 1971, Infact it was after seeing Alice that bowie changed his whole act,In 72 Bowie was playing Hammersmith, Alice was doing Wembley .Come On how can you do a documentry about Rock Music and not even mention a major player like Alice, look around you and you can see Alice in loads of the new bands. PS your Documentry Dancing In The Streets was factually wrong as well. 3/10 Could Try A Lot Better, its just a shame that people will believe your sloppy presentation of the facts.CheersMike Drew

rick roberts, falkirk
from reading the previews of the other programmes, this looks like it's the one that is most way off the mark. no radiohead makes this a joke. unlike oasis who were happy to waste away in a blizzard of hype, drugs and no talent, rh are the only band of the era to stay relevent to constantly evolve, innovate, influence and actually sell records all over the world - including the US

UberGoober, London
Dear rik, lancashire.This is a joke right? Just exactly how daring is it to copy the Beatles? Altho' I will give you covering 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' and passing it off as your own was indeed a daring thing to do. The day I no longer have to hear their weary, bloated approximation of 'classics' can't come quick enough.This sick joke has gone on far too long now people and it must stop!

Steven Clarke, Sheffield
The Stone Roses, Oasis, Coldplay and Blur - absolutely massive bands who have massively influenced me, a musician in my late twenties. I am looking forward to watching the forthcoming programme. However, what have Arctic Monkeys done or what will they ever do? An absolute embarassment to Sheffield (and the rest of the UK). Oasis talked about Living Forever, Arctic Monkeys talk about chips and kebabs. Enough said.

David Dublin
Franz Ferdinand and Libertines included ahead of The Strokes? The Strokes pretty much redefined the Indie Genre and the rest followed. Also, i see that Oasis have managed to mouth there way in once again. When will people see they just re branded the Beatles and put a macho lad image behind every appearance. On a more positive note good to see the best british bands of recent memory The Smiths and The Stone Roses in there rightly defining the genre. All the rest since have been just poor in comparison.....BBC can't seem to find a genre for Radiohead...and rightly so! they are so original they have would stand out too much alongside these other "artists".

Gary Corfield,County Durham
I hope the final episodes all about Noel Gallagher! Genius.

Emma England
Cool, this show takes me back to my youth. One complaint how can you do a whole series on Rock without mentioning Radiohead, one of the most important British bands of the last 15 years? The Bends and OK Computer were 2 of the top record of the 90's. Also unlike Oasis they've kept making interesting records in the noughties.

Wendy, Wolverhampton
Brenda in Solihull - you are soooo right! Moo Kow were really fabulous live. I saw them here in Wolverhampton when they were doing the pub circuit (they may still be, for all we know). I did hear that at some time in the 80s, they were supposed to support the Smiths but they turned down the tour because none of the band could drive and one of them (the singer/keyboardist) was allergic to gladioli (he had really, really bad hayfever). But they were semenal and it is shocking that when we finally get an indy film, they don't get included. It is really bad that, yet again, the Brum Scene is ignored.

Bob Jones
To ignored RADIOHEAD will destroy this series' credibility. Yes Oasis had the huge events and became tabloid fodder but the most important band to emerge from the mid 90's on are Radiohead and they were the only band to constantly evolve while retaining that importance.

Christina, UK
Just watched the second part on Art Rock, and have to ask where the hell were King Crimson, Hawkwind, Can, Atomic Rooster, Pink Fairies, Gong, Yes, and Rush? Just to name a few glaring omissions. There is no programme on Progressive Rock yet we lurch from "Art Rock" to punk when punk is widely acknowledged as a backlash against the overblown excesses and musical masturbations of the Art and Prog genres.Poor, very poor.

Matt, Glasgow
OK I appreciate that the Indie scene could be a series in itself and that to make a programme like this you have to concentrate on a single strand of the story and miss a lot of the rest out yah di yah di. But really is the story of British indie complete without My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division/New Order to mention but two? Indie does NOT mean "generic retro 60s guitar pop" - not that I have anything against that hey the Stone Roses etc were great but that's not all there is to the genre.

Danny, Manchester
The Libertines should be the main subject of this one, they revived this genre with The Strokes, i'm afraid Oasis are more Rock n Roll than Indie. The Libertines have something more magical than Oasis and a legacy around them. Oasis and Blur aren't Indie, Britpop more like.

paul elkins, london
No surpirise to see one of the target audience for this show declare Oasis the best band ever. I hope you're under 16, Rik.The fact that Radiohead dwarf all of these bands in terms of innovation, artistry, influence and acclaim are obviously of no matter to the programme makers. This is the biggest omission, of many, on this series. British indie is also rather laughable outside of a few headlines in the 90s; a focus on British and North American indie would have at least made half a decent show.I wont tune into this episode, it'd be just as painful, but much quicker to flick through the latest NME.

Richard, Nottingham
Jon in FranceYeah Ok computer was a great album but Thom Yorke hardly defined a generation did he? And thank god he didn't!! Because he is just a boring posh 'student' ranting on about politics, wars, and the environment.The Gallaghers gave us Live Forever and Don't look back in anger, songs of hope and honesty.These songs were uplifting, inspiring, and they made a connection with people. If all of Radiohead's songs made a connection with people then everyone would be straight off to the samaritans!!

Andy Lindsay, Peterborough
Agree with Neols comments about stone roses. I enjoyed the long trip there to spike island, but they day was really slow. At least it was sunny. He is right all those MCs shouting Manchester in the area.I wanted to be cool and know all the house music they was playing but to be fair most of it was not that good. On the way out there was loads and i mean loads of flyers advertising the charlatans 'The only one i know' single. My lasting memory though was the really good firework display after the band. It was a shame it wasnt a perfect day, but by then the stone roses and had wiped the floor and allowed us to throw out all the 80's stadium rubbish ala simple minds. The 90's was a brill time and they for me, made listening to music that was now and not looking back at Mod/Northern Soul a good idea again. thanks andy

Dimmy, Cambs
Why no MUSE? You have the bloody cheek to have the Libertines and the Strokes who are solely responsible for creating hundreds of dull, lookalike, soundalike public school boy bands we have today along with their equally narcassictic, pouting, indie fans. Also no room for RHCP in the whol serise?

Brenda, Solihull
What I want to know is WHERE IS MU-KAU???? It is an absolute crime that the BBC have made a series about Indie Rock music and left out this seminal Birmingham band. There would be NO indie music without Mu Kau. Please put them in NOW. This programme doesn't go out for a few weeks so you've still got time to give MU KAU their proper dues.

Robert Nelson, Glastonbury
I really can't wait to see this show! I've placed a massive yellow stickie note on my fridge not to forget! The little short clip with Noel really wets the appetite!

David, London
Shoegazing was awful, why do you think most shoegazing bands aren't remembered and why blur's debut wasn't that good! Britpop is the greatest I must say and the current british music scene is as alive as ever!

Andrew Brown
As Sebastian says there could be a whole series devoted to the development of Indie. But Indie's wilful lack of success, at least for most bands that flew the indie flag in the 80s and early 90s, seems to me to be a considerable part of the scene, and not to draw on that seems a missed opportunity.

Pete Whitfield, Manchester
I've just watched the first film - fantastic. I do some teaching on a contemporary music course and the website will be a fantastic resource. How can a book compete?

Darryl Steventon, Tamworth
Yet again, the midlands get ignored!! Where are the Stuffies, The Poppies, Neds? If it was not for these three bands in particular, english 'indie' music would still be morose, angst ridden bedsitter music!

Jon, France
just looking at the future show and shocked that the indie section is ommitting ok computer and including such acts as the libertines and franz ferdinand, this seems to me an error in overlooking the definitive album of the 1990's and one of the greatest albums ever, which is more than can be said about the beatles tribute albums from oasis.

rik, lancashire
Perfectly agree with comment regarding Oasis being the last brititsh rock phenonmenon. They are the greatest band ever, one would argue, though there time is coming to an end, and in the next ten years we can guarentee they will be around no longer. The unfortunate thing is that with common indie bands such as the Arctic Monkeys now influencing the face of british rock, mind-blowing tracks such as Live Forever, Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger will all fade away without rememberance, as the britpop culture looks never to return, with bands not daring enough to go down that path.

RockBobster
This all sounds brilliant, but I hope that there are plans in the pipeline for a major series about the great lost music scene of the 90s - 'shoegazing.' It's about time bands like Ride were given the respect and critical appraisal that their hugely influential music deserves. Can't wait to see this film, though.

Evergreen Armstrong
Love the short with Oasis! Looks like the first series I'll be tuning in to this year.

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Seven ages of rock - a history of rock music over the past 50 years

Blur - 1991

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More videos

What The World Is Waiting For - Indie 1980-2007

Featured Events

Artist Videos

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Featured Artists

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Have Your Say