1987-1989United Kingdom

Shoegaze

Also known as shoegazing

A late-1980s British indie-rock sound built from soft-focus vocals, towering guitars, and the feeling of being pulled into a glowing fog of noise.

Origins and context

Late-1980s British indie rock and music-press labeling around bands whose live manner was associated with looking down at effects pedals.

United Kingdom

History

Shoegaze took shape in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom, growing out of indie-rock scenes that prized texture as much as melody. AllMusic traces the style to late-'80s and early-'90s British indie rock, and links its early sound to My Bloody Valentine’s formative releases, especially Isn’t Anything and Loveless. The label itself came from the British music press, which noticed that some players seemed to stare down at their effects pedals during performances. That nickname stuck, even though the music mattered far more than the pose: by the early 1990s, bands such as Ride, Lush, and Slowdive had helped define a scene built from overdriven guitars, drifting melodies, and a distinctly enveloping sense of space.