What's Your Excuse, Baby?

Come To My World (A Brief History Of Indie Pop 1985-2023)

Everything makes me feel old these days. I recently found out that a young work colleague of mine has the surname Mattey. After going 'Mmmmm. Mattersons' at him, I not only had the indignity of explaining the old television but advert but had to inform him what meat-paste was. I'm pretty sure he thought I was making the delicacy up. Christ, it's enough to make you feel like Mmmmmum-Rah.

Perfect timing then, for the release of Come To My World-A Brief History Of Indie Pop 1985-2023 (Two-Tier records), a retrospective of the heyday of my record buying/gig going life. The track listing is like a mix between the first two hours of legendary Shrewsbury club night Just Like Honey and the first Rough Trade Indiepop (one word, an important distinction) compilation with some newer favourites tagged on to the end.

Ten years ago the release (or more crucially the track listing) would have been the hot topic of the Anorak forum (Anorak one: 'Yay! Milky Wimpshake!' Anorak 2 'Wot no Gresham Flyers??') and to give the compilers due credit, they do state that the compilation isn't perfect, though with all records of this nature the omissions stand out far more starkly than the admissions. The list of the C86-y older tracks, though almost to a man previously put together on the Bob Stanley endorsed CD86 compilation, is pretty faultless (Anorak one 'Tallulah Gosh by Tallulah Gosh on yet another compilation??' Anorak two 'But how can you have an indiepop (one word) compilation without Amelia Fletcher??') The glaring omission of the first two sides is Pristine Christine, presumably left on the bench due to an already Sarah records heavy roster. I would have loved to have seen a few more labels represented a bit more heavily (particularly Subway, 53^rd & 3^rd, and Creation) but pobodies nerfect, and it at least makes having Sarah on vinyl affordable for the younger listener.

It's the post 86 Indietracks era where things get a little thornier, however. The likes of Shrag, Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Evans the Death and Martha are conspicuous by their absence. And again, to be fair to the compilers, they do state they couldn't clear everything they wanted, but Comet Gain have seen more labels than the Heinz canning factory. Surely one of them would have given the nod? All gripes aside, it's a joy to see the likes of 'Allo Darlin', The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (not only an incredible band but the signifier that the indiepop (one word) DIY underground scene was an internationalist movement) and everyone's second favourite band The Spook School on a comp. Despite them slagging off indiepop (one word) in an infamous NME interview it's also lovely to see Veronica Falls make the cut, not lest because Waiting for Something to Happen is at least as good, if not better, as anything on this album.

I still see the future of indiepop (one word) as not having a new favourite band every week like the scenes halcyon days, but more like a Northern Soul thing where long forgotten and super rare records are discovered dusty in the vaults and re-released to an enthusiastic and loving audience. Time will tell with that one, but despite being far, far more comfortable these days with being Martha's dad than Shaun Brilldream, I still miss the camaraderie of the Anorak era and it's notion that you could be a musician, promoter, DJ, writer or label owner if you wanted to be, and that there would be a whole scene of lovely people to advise and inspire you. I miss standing in a room above a dodgy pub and having my life changed forever by a band no one had heard of. I miss a scene where people would travel the length and breadth of the county to stand on a sticky floor with twenty like minded people with great big massive grins on our faces knowing that the world was wrong and we were right. No one made any money but everyone went home with a heart full of hope and the feeling we were doing SOMETHING. The love for the music was absolutely palpable. Our secret world indeed.

They really were the best fucking days and one day we will have a great book and a great compilation (Starting with Fun to Pretend by the Deirdres and finishing with What Do We Do Now? by Just Joans) of the post 2007 indiepop (one word) era. Hell, I reckon I could compile a killer four disc compilation of Fortuna Pop! material alone. But perhaps we are still not far enough away from the era to let the dust settle on it's badged cardigan just yet. Almost but not quite. But for now this is a fine, fine, compilation, constructed with genuine love and worthy of a place next to Pillows and Prayers, Be True to Your School, Doing it For the Kids, Are You Scared to Get Happy? And the two Rough Trade indiepop (one word) compilations. Come To My World-definitely tastier than meat-paste.