Style Archive: The Shoegazers - by Patrick Klacza
The United Kingdom’s greatest musical export of the 20th century was a genre called shoegaze. The first wave of shoegaze didn’t last long–maybe five years–but what a fertile and influential time it was.
I’ve been a fan of shoegaze ever since I first heard Slowdive’s “Alison” in 2005. It’s just so good. That sound! It scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. It’s exactly what I want to hear basically all the time.
The sonic qualities of shoegaze have been explored in great depth, and I won’t spend much time doing that here. What I’m interested in, as usual, is how the musicians looked. After unpacking that, we might be able to discern what influence they’ve had on fashion in the decades since. Please join me in the New Experimental Hours style archive, won’t you?
We can start in any number of places, but let’s begin with The Jesus and Mary Chain. Their 1985 debut Psychocandy is often hailed as the first shoegaze release. It’s an outstanding album–one that I’ve grown to love more over the years.
Take a look at JAMC. The first thing you notice is the hair, and that makes sense because it’s truly excellent hair. Like Robert Smith’s but slightly less teased. The guy on the right, JAMC’s lead guitarist and songwriter William Reid, wears an outstanding polka-dotted shirt over a graphic tee. Timeless shades, too. I think he’s trying to evoke some bygone era–probably the ‘60s–and that makes sense because JAMC did that in their music, too, though they buried those Ronettes melodies in fuzz. Personally, I can’t help but notice the similarity between his style and Bob Dylan’s circa Blonde on Blonde.
JAMC turned into a 4-piece. Good for them, they added Bradford Cox. William is looking even more dangerous in his all-black fit, while his brother Jim rocks a loose oxford and what appear to be beat-to-hell jeans. By the way, the greatest accessory of all is a semi-hollow body guitar. Moving on!
This is My Bloody Valentine. If you don’t know them, I’m not sure what to tell you. Their debut record–a foundational document called Isn’t Anything–hit stores in 1988. In 1991, they put out the genre’s undisputed god-tier masterpiece, Loveless. But you already know that.
MBV’s leader is the guy in front, Kevin Shields. To his left/our right is Bilinda Butcher, MBV’s second guitarist and chief style icon. That sweater is just too good. Drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig looks pretty damn good, too, in a corduroy overshirt and Spacemen 3 tee. In the back, we’ve got bassist Debbie Googe in a striped top. She’s MBV’s secret weapon, at least in my opinion.
Bilinda, once again, wins the day with this look. Just phenomenal, everything about it. Colm is back in his Spacemen 3 shirt and rocking an asymmetrical belt buckle. For whatever reason, Kevin wore that enormous parka in press photos and music videos. Now I love an oversized parka as much as the next guy, but come on man!
MBV remained dormant until 2013, when they put out their long-awaited follow-up to Loveless, an underrated record titled m b v.
Shoegaze’s other juggernaut act was a band from Reading called Slowdive. Look at Slowdive, look at those baby faces. Look at them, damnit! I celebrate Slowdive’s entire catalog, but for my money, 1993’s Souvlaki is not only their best album, but the best shoegaze album, period. It’s just so warm and dreamy and stacked with classic songs.
Slowdive’s style is quintessentially ‘90s: striped tees, faded jeans, mop tops, and tiny glasses that would go on to great fame as stars in Oasis’s 1995 music video, “Wonderwall.”
Taking a page from the Kevin Shields playbook, the members of Slowdive sport oversized parkas. Now we know they’re shoegaze royalty. Unfortunately, Slowdive imploded in 1995 after releasing a terrific and very different album, Pygmalion. They reunited in 2014.
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At this, the halfway point, I feel I must pay my respects to the Cocteau Twins, a band that can just as easily claim to have invented shoegaze. They don’t sound a ton like MBV or JAMC, but their gauzy influence cannot be overstated. Check out 1990’s Heaven or Las Vegas if you don’t believe me.
In my opinion, the “best shoegaze band” competition is really just a 2-horse race between MBV and Slowdive, but plenty of people ride for Ride. So here we are. Ride.
The first thing we notice about Ride is how downright handsome they are. So young, so handsome–and already with “Vapour Trail” under their belt. (“Vapour Trail” is shoegaze’s third most important track behind “Only Shallow” and “Alison.”) I love that white denim jacket. And you better believe I love that Harry Styles-looking dreamboat with his oversized crewneck.
For whatever reason, Ride and Catherine Wheel and Chapterhouse all kind of blend together for me, even though–gun to my head–I’m going to say Chapterhouse was the superior group.
That being said, here’s Catherine Wheel. Their lauded debut Ferment never really clicked with me, but I love their sophomore album Chrome. It’s muscular, catchy, and judging by the looks of the band, more inspired by grunge than most shoegaze. That’s a good thing. If Rob Dickinson’s flannel were to magically appear in my closet one morning, I’d wear it for life.
And here’s a fuzzy pic of Chapterhouse wearing fuzzy sweaters. Chapterhouse is at the bottom of shoegaze’s second tier/at the top of its third tier. These tiers are important, and I do expect you to remember them for the quiz at the end of this.
In the United States, bands are usually comprised of awkward young men with bad complexion, unwashed hair, and no female companions. In England, evidently, you can be handsome, clear-skinned, and recently showered…and still be in a popular band. Chapterhouse is proof of this. Also: Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Damon Albarn, and Bryan Ferry. The list goes on!
So anyway, fuzzy sweaters. The standard fuzzy sweater is J. Press’s Shaggy Dog sweater. At $245, they’re a tough sell for most of us, but I do like looking at them (on the internet). Rowing Blazers collaborated with J. Press on a line of Shaggy Dogs, and it was a rare miss for an otherwise bulletproof company.
For some reason, Lush never clicked with me, either. They did, however, dress real cool. Lush’s lead singer Miki Berenyi (red hair) is killing it in the cutoffs and braided belt, and obviously, I’m high on that Yves Klein blue oxford. My wife yells at me when I tuck my shirts in. Kathy, I must ask: why you gotta be so rude?
Shoegaze crossed the Atlantic and was absorbed, regurgitated, and absorbed again. Bands like Drop Nineteens, Airiel, Swirlies, and Medicine put their own spin on the genre. I like those bands. I won’t remark on their style here, save that the pics I have seen are strong.
So what’s the lesson, what is the takeaway? With notable exceptions (JAMC), the shoegazers dressed in that ‘90s slacker style that refuses to go away. Big shirts, bold prints, parkas, and faded jeans. I’ve noticed my fair share of 2020 youths looking pretty similar to MBV circa 1991. I don’t hate it. At that age, I wore a spiked white belt.
I know what you’re probably thinking. Did the ‘gazers actually gaze at their shoes? You know what? A lot of them did! In concert, anyway. Gotta concentrate on your pedal board. Unfortunately, most press photos show bands from the waist up, so it’s not easy to learn much about their choice in footwear.
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