The end-of-the-century party: Youth, pop and the rise of Madchester

by Steve Redhead

Madchester may have been born at the Haçienda in the summer of 1988, but the city had been in creative ferment for almost a decade prior to the rise of acid house. The end-of-the-century party is the definitive account of a generational shift in popular music and youth culture, what it meant and what it led to. First published right after the Second Summer of Love, it tells the story of the transition from new pop to the political pop of the mid-1980s and its deviant offspring, post-political pop. Resisting contemporary proclamations about the end of youth culture and the rise of a new, right-leaning conformism, the book draws on interviews with DJs, record company bosses, musicians, producers and fans to outline a clear transition in pop thinking, a move from an obsession with style, packaging and synthetic sounds to content, socially conscious lyrics and a new authenticity.

This edition is framed by a prologue by Tara Brabazon, asking how we can reclaim the spirit, energy and authenticity of Madchester for a post-youth, post-pop generation. It is illustrated with iconic photographs by Kevin Cummins.

Genres: Music

248 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2019

About the author

Steve Redhead is Professor of Cultural Studies in the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law at Flinders University,Adelaide, South Australia.

Reviews

[griff ifan · Rating 4 out of 5]

obviously a massive contribution to (sub)cultural studies and changed the game re the accepted CCCS theory, but i didn’t really feel like it actually hit on madchester that much? nevertheless a perfect little in between for both units i studied in my last term of uni!