in what ways do the audience of snobs identify themselves as fans of indie music?

MED6114 POPULAR MUSIC CULTURE• ASSIGNMENT 1•

Contents

MED6114 POPULAR MUSIC CULTURE ASSIGNMENT 1

Introduction...................................................................3Methodology.................................................................4Analysis of Emblematic text..........................................8

The song......................................................................8The riff.........................................................................9Vocal Melody.............................................................10Instrumentation and Timbre qualities.......................10Rhythm and Arrangement.........................................11Words and Image......................................................11

Conclusion...................................................................13References...................................................................14

Appendices................................................................15

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In what ways do the audience of Snobs identify themselves as fans

of indie music?

Introduction Snobs is perhaps one of the best known venues in the Birmingham clubbing area. It is known

as the base of Birmingham’s Indie and Alternative scene, with an audience consisting of

students and genuine music fans.

Before Snobs began its change into a more competitive and mainstream front by undergoing

a venue change and revamp, it consisted of two medium sized rooms underground an

apartment of blocks being renovated – the look of Snobs fit the indie and alternative scene

quite well which perhaps did aid the venue well. The club did look quite laid back and

alternative which was the target audience they were going for.

Snobs originally opened over 30 years ago in 1972 on Paradise Circus at the end of Broad

Street – Birmingham’s most popular nightclub street. Initially starting out as punk orientated

playback and live music venue, the reputation came later on in the history of Snobs due to the

club nights that followed, known for their different styles of music on the clubbing scene and

cheap affordable prices weekly.

The new Snobs club is located at the top of Hurst Street, one of Birmingham’s most popular

clubbing streets, with a massive sign and windows showing inside the club. The new venue

hosts a capacity of 1,400 people and consists of two main dance rooms and a bar like area at

the front of the venue which is used for a daytime pub but can be also opened into the main

dancefloor. Their new rebrand and venue aesthetic couldn’t be further away from their

previous efforts of a simple paper banner sign outside their old venue. Perhaps this shows that

the owners of Snobs are trying to distance themselves from their old renowned indie and

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alternative look and are looking to compete against all the ‘big name’ clubs on Broad Street

for example, which are all about a massive aesthetic of bright colours, large promo and

massive venues.

Methodology“Since indie is not merely ideology, it needs to be examined in habitus: participation in the

indie music scene is a process” (Fonarow, 2006)

For my methodology I decided to undertake an ethnography as I felt this was the best way to

find out real information from the main subject of this research report which would be the

audience in the environment I wish to research within – an ‘indie’ audience within a

nightclub. I will also conduct a few interviews to get a bit more contextualisation around the

research and do an analysis of an emblematic text found within the nightclub.

I attended two regular nights at Snobs Wednesdays on the 25th of November and 2nd

December. Snobs Wednesdays is one of the most iconic club nights in Birmingham due to

reputation and history that is associated with Snobs. Before the club opened in its new

building in 2014, each Wednesday night at Snobs would be sold out and always consistently

busy.

It’s interesting to look behind the theory of dancing that is associated within nightclubs.

Types of dancing can drastically change from one room in a club to another depending on the

music, setting, culture and situation of the surroundings.

I noticed through both nights at the club that there was a mixed ratio of males to females,

unlike a lot of other clubs in Birmingham which are widely known to have a uneven ratio –

especially with a lot of popular clubs on Broad street such as Gatecrasher and Players, which

often either have one or the other, which I have heard from various different people is quite

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off putting and intimidating. Perhaps this is why Snobs is such a popular club as the audience

are more concerned about the music and the genre and subculture that associate around it.

An example playlist of some songs that came on during a Wednesday night at Snobs

1. This Charming Man - The Smiths

2. Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

3. Dog Days are Over - Florence and The Machine

4. Someone I Used to Know – Gotye ft Kimbra

5. Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah’s

6. What You Know – Two Door Cinema Club

7. Sugar Were Going Down – Fall Out Boy

8. Friday, I’m In Love – The Cure

9. Cassius – Foals

10. I Write Sins – Panic at the Disco

Most of the songs played are by predominately indie bands, with a large section of the songs

by mainstream British and Irish indie bands. I also noticed that Snobs doesn’t play any local

music in their playlists. This could be to do with the simple fact that they don’t feel that

although there are a lot of upcoming indie and alternative bands (Peace, Swim Deep and

Jaws) perhaps their songs just aren’t suitable for a club environment where they want the

audience to constantly be having fun, and not interrupted with perhaps an unknown song that

would kill the atmosphere and vibe of the crowd.

“The Social elements of clubbing are hugely important in terms of how you experience the

music itself. Sharing music intensifies the way in which it affects you and the presence of

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music alters the way in which crowds relate to each other” (Phil Jackson, 2004) I find this

quote interesting as it suggests that crowds can relate to each other through the presence of

something so simple as music – it suggests that strangers can have a mutual bond and become

one through the addition of music they both have a passion for. It’s interesting to look at

‘Sugar, We’re going down’ in this context as it’s a classic fan favourite during Snobs, and

personally I hear this song every time I attend Snobs and it always gets a massive reaction

from the crowd, with people regularly running to the dancefloor to sing along.

“Am I more than you bargained for yet. I've been dying to tell you anything you want to

hear, cause that’s just who I am this week” – Sugar, Were Going Down (Fall Out Boy, 2004)

I think it’s important to note that within the first verse alone it contains 11 pronouns (You,

Your, I, I’m) meaning that as crowds in club generally dance by interacting with one another,

the fact that within the first verse alone it can allow two different people to use their fingers

for example to point to one another with the next line resulting in a comeback of the same

reaction – ultimately creating that bond through dancing, lyrics and music.

In any nightclub worldwide, dancing is the main component that necessarily makes it

different from any other dark room with loud music, ‘dance expands your affinity to music by

allowing you to build a deeper and deeper physical relationships to it’ (Jackson, 2004) –

looking at how some cultures and musical genres have stronger connections with dancing

within that scene, it shows how dancing is another way that the listener can interact with the

rhythm and feel of the music but also with the audience and the surroundings that the music

would be played in.

Phil Jackson states in his book, ‘Inside Clubbing’ that ‘Sharing music intensifies the way in

which it affects you and the presence of music alters the way in which crowds relate to each

other’ suggesting that the impact of a large crowd of people enjoying music at the same time

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is a completely different experience from listening to music in smaller numbers or by

yourself. This is perhaps the reason why clubs are so popular in music culture, the fact that

bonding over music creates a unity and overall positive and welcoming atmosphere for music

fans.

Thornton states that “Clubs allow their patrons to indulge in the adult activities of flirtation,

sex, drink and drugs and explore cultural forms (like music and clothes) which confer

autonomous and distinct identities.” (Thornton, 1995) which shows how important it is that a

club such as Snobs caters for a niche audience within Birmingham’s local popular music

culture scene as it allows distinct identities to be recognised within a seemingly normal

atmosphere and not somewhere that would be considered a novelty from being different to

the norm.

I decided to conduct a few interviews to gain different perspectives and opinions behind the

audience that attended Snobs. This allowed me to get a more varied source of research from

the actual fan, as opposed to just observing. I decided to ask a few quick and short questions

so that I wouldn’t bore people and not gain any valuable feedback.

Regular Snobs attendee Claire stated that ‘although Snobs does have a reputation for people

who have lived in Birmingham before it got relocated, to new students and people in the area

since the relocation, I feel they are now making their own assumption of the venue, as

opposed to everyone previously knowing it as only a indie club’ – after speaking with Claire I

decided to ask someone who was new to the Birmingham scene and perhaps didn’t have any

preconceived opinion on Snobs. I spoke with a first year at Birmingham City University,

Lewis, who told me that he ‘attended Snobs around 5 times since fresher’s week. Although

I’m usually more into the grime and house music scene and prefer clubs like Rainbow, I do

love Snobs because the atmosphere is more relaxed and friendly. The music does vary in the

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different rooms but I do think there is a preference for a more alternative and indie genre and

scene.’

Analysis of Emblematic textI decided to analyse Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes.

The songReleased in 2003 by an American band called The White Stripes, Seven Nation Army

became their signature song and has became a classic alternative club anthem and also a

massively used chant in sporting events throughout the world. It won a Grammy Award for

Best Rock Song and also became the third best performing song of the decade.

The song can be widely noted to be inspired by the music repertoire of Tin Pan Alley. The

song is written within the classic 32 bar form and based around the form of –

Intro ➞ verse ➞ turnaround ➞ chorus ➞ intro ➞ verse ➞

Turnaround ➞ chorus (2X) ➞ intro ➞ verse ➞ turnaround ➞ chorus ➞ end

(Owsinski, 2013)

The song was also written by a singer songwriter, something very common within the tin pan

alley tradition, with such composers as the Gershwin Brothers and Irving Berlin all having

talents within song writing for entertainment and live audience purposes. As Seven Nation

Army’s form includes a turnaround just before the chorus of the main riff, it could be

suggested that it also takes influences from the European Art music repertoire as using a

turnaround is quite a classic feature of jazz composers and jazz song form, allowing the

musicians to show off their virtuosic talents and musical genius.

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The riffArguably one of the most iconic riffs in any song in the 21 st century, Seven Nation Army is

all about the simplistic and memorable riff that centres the whole focus of the song. Chilly

Gonzales points out that the melody which is often cited as simple and easy ‘actually

involves an initial rise of a minor third before descending… My guess is that great hooks

require a mix of surprise and satisfaction. Seven Nation Army is more of a veiled chord

progression than a melody. It begins on the one, up to a brighter three, down to a tense six,

and then lowered to a five. A five begs to be resolved to its home destination, the one. So

there is a neutral establishing note, and a brief trip through bright, tense and the most

common resolution of all, five-one. There might be something to the fact that the second

iteration of the theme adds a small variation that accomplishes some kind of storytelling with

minimal means." I feel that although there isn’t a large expansive use of notes within the key,

which could be considered a lack of emotional expansiveness, the timbre and sound quality

that is created through the distortion of the vocals and various instruments and the gradual

crescendo and consistent repetition of the riff creates the primitive and medieval ‘evil’

sounding chant that the song is known for.

Looking at the riff that Jack White created on his distorted acoustic guitar, it’s interesting to

see how many people have cited its similarities to a classical piece written in the 1800’s by

Bruckner – Fifth Symphony I (Part 1), where 4 of the starting notes of the riff are heard, and

also in 1980’s punk band Conflict song Mighty and Superior where the same riff is also heard

in an inverted way but still sounding similar to Seven Nation Army. I think this is always an

interesting situation in music where although music is always being created and innovated,

the idea of nothing ever being original and authentic is so subjective when you can hear such

strong similarities between contrasting different forms of genres and musical repertoires but

yet similarities within working in the same key and basis of musical theory and notation.

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Vocal MelodyAlongside the riff that introduces the song, the vocal melody is also quite simplistic. It is

written within E Minor and the first four lines consist of two notes only (E & G) before the

next line plays a ascending scale pattern in the melody shifting from E up to B and gradually

descending down through B, A, G, F# returning to the original starting note of E (‘and I catch

it falling from my eye...’). The use of D# (used on ‘story to tell’ and ‘hounds of hell’ etc,

usually the last three words of each line in the verses) which doesn’t necessarily fit within the

key of E minor gives a slight feeling of dissonance throughout the vocal melody in the verses.

This fits within the idea of the song creating tension, with the juxtaposed use of the D#

creating a sense of tension to resolution throughout the vocal melody. As the vocal riff carries

the main melody throughout the chorus of the song, the melodic restraint of the vocals within

the verses don’t span a wide range of notes within the E minor scale, which perhaps shows

how this song is so commonly known as anyone without any musical or technical singing

technique can easily sing along as the range of 6/7 notes within one octave throughout the

song make it easy to remember and easy to sing along.

Instrumentation and Timbre qualities The iconic riff that is used throughout the song is commonly mistaken for a bass, whereas

Jack White who created the riff explained how the riff was actually recorded using an electro-

acoustic guitar processed through a whammy pedal, which created the distorted noise we can

hear, on an octave below standard tuning, which creates the distinctive deep and low sound of

the riff which sounds like its being played through a bass.

After listening to the original version, the instrumental and the acapella version of the song –

its interesting to note the different techniques used in the production of the song to create a

unique sonic sound. In pastiche to the classic sound of blues that The White Stripes

constantly referenced, the song starts with a slight crackle in the background, like a faint old

radio player that you would hear an early blues song on. Jack White’s vocals are also over

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lapped to create a louder sonic sound, with the obvious crackle on the recording of the

microphone intentional to fit in with the timbre qualities that early blues also used. The

instrumental and guitar riff panning from the left slightly louder, once again creating an

unusual break in the stereo sound that we are used to in modern recordings today.

The vocals are delivered in various different manners throughout the song. I feel like

throughout the song, Jack White is trying to portray a sense of a warrior singing the song,

who could perhaps be regarded as slightly crazy and temperamental. In the first verse, Jack

White starts quite soft and gets harsher and louder on certain words. For example, in the line

“they’re gonna rip it off”, he dramatically sings the word ‘rip’ louder as this is the one

different note in the song (from E to G to E again) creating a sense of tension and shrieking.

Rhythm and ArrangementThe song consists of Drums, Bass guitar, Electro-Acoustic Guitar, Vocals and BG Vocals,

and Electric Guitar. The Lead consists of the vocals in the verse and the guitar riff in the

chorus; the drums carry the rhythm which is built upon the foundation of a syncopated drum

beat and bass guitar.

Words and Image The lyrics in the song deal about the singer’s inner rage and how he could essentially take on

a ‘seven nation army’ by himself. At the time this song was written, a lot of people and

tabloids were talking about the relationship between the two members of the band Jack White

and Meg White and their relationship. Jack decided to channel his anger into the lyrics

combined with the minor key of the song which gives an overall sonic sound of tension and

the gradual crescendo and diminuendo throughout the song until the climax at the end

portrays the emotional intensity the lyrics are also trying to convey.

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On the cover art of the single, the

colours are mainly red and white with

both members of the band shown, Jack

painting a picture of Meg, with the

outcome of the painting being an

Elephant (reference to the album that

Seven Nation Army comes from –

‘Elephant’ 2003). The strong use of a

bold colour of red, which universally

connotes aggression and passion,

contrasts against the purity symbolism behind the colour of white, creating an interesting

juxtaposition of the overall meaning of the song – the lyrics obviously convey rage but the

symbolism of the artwork conveys a more peaceful contrasting image.

The music video is also considered iconic in terms of early 2000’s videos. The innovative

look of the video could perhaps be a factor to the overall success of the song. The video is

essentially a journey through triangles, creating a kaleidoscopic void of switching images of

Jack white singing and Meg white playing the drums, along with overlapped images of

skeletons and elephants. The speed which the camera moves through the triangles changes

throughout the song and is in sync with the tempo and dynamics of the music, for example as

the chorus progresses and crescendos, the camera moves very quickly almost giving the

viewer a warped view of the images shown as the camera moves so fast it creates an eye sore.

This is stereotypical of indie music videos that usually are known to go against the norm and

be very creative and influential.

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ConclusionThroughout my research I have looked into different aspects of popular music culture to

consider how the audience of Snobs in Birmingham consider themselves types of indie fans. I

have researched into different types of primary and secondary research to gain a better

understanding and knowledge behind this area of music.

Birmingham does have a rather large underground and alternative scene, aiding the overall

consumption and distribution within music culture to the niche audiences that are targeted in

the area. As genres are constructed for marketing and distribution purposes, it could be

subjective to state that this is the main factor behind the success of Snobs, as so many

different factors contribute to this. However, a particular genre and main consistent club

sound does allow to give a particular grouping of people a form of identify, and although

identities are usually fluid, Snobs has stood the test of time for a popular nightclub within

Birmingham’s local music culture scene and perhaps this shows how the audience of indie

music, however fluid and dynamic an identity may be, will too be consistent, compassionate

and the ultimate catalyst to indie music and its success.

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ReferencesAzlyrics.com, 'THE WHITE STRIPES LYRICS - Seven Nation Army'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8

Dec. 2015.

Bannister, Matthew. White Boys, White Noise. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2006. Print.

Bobbyowsinski.blogspot.co.uk,. 'Bobby Owsinski's Big Picture Music Production Blog:

White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" Song Analysis'. N.p., 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

Fonarow, Wendy. Empire Of Dirt. Print.

Genius,. 'The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

Jackson, Phil. Inside Clubbing. Oxford: Berg, 2004. Print.

Machin, David. Analysing Popular Music. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2010. Print.

The Quietus,. 'The Quietus | Opinion | The Quietus Essay | Stupid & Sophisticated: The Rise

& Rise Of The Seven Nation Army Riff'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

Thornton, Sarah. Club Cultures. Hanover: University Press of New England, 1996. Print.

Wikipedia,. 'Seven Nation Army'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

Wiseman-Trowse, Nathan. Performing Class In British Popular Music. Basingstoke

[England]: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print.

YouTube,. 'Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes [Piano Sheet Music]'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8

Dec. 2015.

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AppendicesInterview Questions

Do you think Snobs accurately fits the stereotype of an indie nightclub?

Do you think the audience that attend Snobs fit within the stereotype of being an ‘indie

crowd’

Do you think audiences that have no interest in indie music could appreciate a club night at

Snobs?

Claire


“Very much so, it’s located in the clubbing area that not many people know about, on Hurst

Street where a lot of gay and alternative clubs are, as opposed to the reputation clubs have on

Broad Street, Snobs is quite a ‘cool’ club to attend. But although Snobs does have a

reputation for people who have lived in Birmingham before it got relocated, to new students

and people in the area since the relocation, I feel they are now making their own assumption

of the venue, as opposed to everyone previously knowing it as only an indie club”


crowd’

Yeah, you always see people wearing pieces of clothing that makes them look like an indie

hipster. Like baggy shirts and ripped skinny jeans and funky haircuts – everything that you

would see in an indie video or a NME photoshoot.

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Snobs?

Yeah definitely, I love indie music but I can also appreciate other genres. I’ve brought along

friends from outside of Birmingham who are only interested in rnb music but they loved

Snobs and we had a great night, regardless of what music they played.

Lloyd


The old Snobs did more. The new Snobs has a lot more of a varied audience as opposed to

the old club, it might be that they’re just promoting it to a different audience of students now

that they have the new city centre club, but I wouldn’t say it has a main stereotyped audience.


crowd’

Not necessarily no


Snobs?

Yeah definitely. I’m not a fan of indie music at all but I’ve been plenty of times to Snobs. I

would say it’s more the company you’re with than the music that’s played.

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Lewis


Yeah I feel it does. I’ve only attended Snobs around 5 times since fresher’s week. Although

I’m usually more into the grime and house music scene and prefer clubs like Rainbow, I do

love Snobs because the atmosphere is more relaxed and friendly. The music does vary in the

different rooms but I do think there is a preference for a more alternative and indie genre and

scene


crowd’

Yeah for sure, everyone looks the same in my opinion


Snobs?

Yes, I’m a prime example!

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in what ways do the audience of snobs identify themselves as fans of indie music?

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