The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect

The first, cohesive account of a seminal period in UK music history affectionately referred to as Indie Sleaze. This is the UKs answer to Meet Me in the Bathroom—Lizzy Goodmans seminal oral history of the New York indie scene.

At the turn of the millennium, Britain was suffering from a post-britpop hangover. The whirlwind successes of Oasis and Blur had fizzled out and the British music industry, stagnant and directionless, was churning out bland singer-songwriters, identikit girl-groups and boybands — music culture was a vacuum, waiting to be filled. However, across the Atlantic, something was brewing. In New York City, The Strokes were exploding across the music scene, igniting a new wave of rocknroll that catalysed and inspired a new genre: indie rock. Suddenly, kids from both sides of the Atlantic wanted to pick up an instrument, cause a ruckus and join a band. Spawned out of regional D.I.Y scenes and the success of genuinely independent labels and venues, this is the story of "the last indie scene" in the UK.

Based on thrilling, informative and often hilarious interviews, The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect chronicles the legendary gigs, records, parties, drugs and cheap decadence that coalesced to form a messy, dissolute movement and subculture. An impactful and entertaining social history, author Janine Warren conducts personal interviews with core movers and shakers from the era: from members of the Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Cribs, as well as pivotal figures such as controversial NME editor Conor McNicholas and superstar producer Paul Epworth.

The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect is the definitive account of this seminal period in UK music history between 2000-2010, affectionately referred to as Indie Sleaze. An essential read for all indie-rock fans, this is the first, cohesive documentation of one of the UK’s most fruitful musical movements.