Never one to look a gift comparison in the mouth, it was with some interest that I read a review this weekend of Primal Scream at London’s Astoria. Reviewing the gig, Alexis Petridis compares the inventive and unpredictable Primal Scream in the context of “media training, studied cool and bland brand-managed bands”. In many way this is an ideal model for what I’m trying to think about with ‘Offbrand’ – how to escape the formulaic and categoric world of brand led design and instead let design lead brands.
I’m wary of trying to stretch similies too far, but we can all distinguish the onbrand bands (stand up coldplay, james blunt, oasis et al) from the offbrand ones, (I’m going to leave you to fill in the blanks on this one…) and this weekend’s trip to my local independant â??music storeâ?? confirmed the visual and aural treats available to those willing to plough the off-brand furrow. These are bands with a strong sense of ‘design’ (being musicly creative, taking risks, sometimes failing, strong on imagination, beautiful and distinctive artwork) but with no regard for ‘brand’ (creating a ‘type’ of music, trying to satisfy the biggest market need).
Of course, the thing is that onbrand music sells, in massive quantities, and as long as it does that the corporations will remain in thrall of ‘brand’. It’s worrying that people buy those god-awful mothers day compilation cd’s, but they do, and in some ways the comparison falls down at this point as the whole point of being underground or alternative is that you are just that. However a lot can be learnt from those unwilling to conform to type, or unprepared to produce benign formulaic versions of stuff that already exists, and I think, rather encouragingly, the demand for this ethos is on the rise.