Y
1990

1990 in British Music

Madchester fades, shoegaze gazes, and club culture tightens its grip.

Key Events

  • Shoegaze emerges: My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Slowdive define a scene
  • Massive Attack release Blue Lines — the Bristol sound and trip-hop are born
  • The Happy Mondays' Spike Island gig draws 27,000 — the peak and end of baggy

Dominant Genres

ShoegazeMadchesterTrip HopHouse

Notable Trends

  • Rave culture goes superclub: venues like The Hacienda become legendary
  • The 'difficult second album' from Stone Roses looms (won't arrive till 1994)
  • Bristol sound (trip-hop, drum and bass) emerges as UK's most innovative scene

Key Artists of 1990

198919901991