How does music affect subcultures in terms of: identity, resistance,
class, race, gender, sexuality, politics, creativity and commodification?
Music of all types
has hugely evolved through many generations of our existence. Apart from it
being a wide interest in large unions of individuals, it has influenced their
behaviour and clothing styles as well as personalities and other external
factors which make up the basis of all music fans.
A “subculture” refers to a
particular group of people (also a youth culture or a culture of music),
usually a youth group, who differentiate themselves from the wider culture
through shared taste in music and style.
The various subcultures which
exist today have developed as a result of progression through various points in
time. From record players to vinyls as well as mixtapes and physical album
copies to digital downloads, how fans listened to music and delved deep into
its history showed what type of music they were into, even by the clothing
style they wore. For example, fans of rock music would wear prominent black
leather jackets, informal attire, T-shirts with the logo of their favourite
band(s), and rave hairstyles. This establishes one’s identity in the clearest
way possible through their unique and often extravagant use of clothing (punk
rockers sport styled mohawks and piercings anywhere on their face and/or body).
The behavioural influences music
can have on a person are often stereotyped in terms of what subculture
individuals belong to; the “bedroom culture” of teenage girls is stereotyped as
being enclosed in private “bedroom” spaces where their relationship with music
is centred towards male pop stars printed in teenage music magazines such as 5
Seconds of Summer. According to Frith, “a girl’s identity is built on her
idol”. However, his analysis on gender in rock music consumption is rendered
inapplicable towards modern music subculture research due to his overarching
viewpoint that a girl’s typical role is to attract a “sensible” spouse by listening to their favoured genre of music
(primarily pop). This affects their work and leisure time, and also their music
consumption. This is why music establishes them in either a positive or
negative light.
Many music subcultures, such as goths
and punks, dress differently in order to carve and mould different identities
which differ from normal society. For example, heavy (metal) rockers would
often listen to songs with violent messages, connotations and expletives which
would oppose their parents’ traditional values. Additionally, parents of these
rockers would not appreciate the idea of their children blasting out songs with
explicit content at home. Sometimes, certain lifestyles of music subcultures
may not be agreed on and as a consequence, would be looked down upon by some
non-appreciative individuals.
In August 2012, Russian
anarcho-feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot rebelled against the Orthodox
Church’s support for the presidential election campaign of Vladimir Putin (who
eventually became Prime Minister) by performing an incendiary gig of “Punk
Prayer”. Three members of the music group were charged with “hooliganism motivated
by religious hatred”, and received three years of imprisonment.
In terms of class, music can
affect subcultures in different ways, with the exception of members of indie
rock. They aren’t affected by class as they strive to be different, each
establishing ambitions of their own. However, they also tend to wear vintage
rugged clothes which could associate them with a lower working class. In the
early 20th century when jazz music was the primary focus of most
music audiences, many posh, wealthy people of the higher class would afford to
buy records and attend music concerts in expensive venues such as lively
American bars and outside the central city. This applies to older people who
like opera and classical music as this is stereotypical of their behaviour.
Normally teenagers who listen to
hip-hop, urban and rap music are typically working class because of the
restricted code of language sometimes used in rap lyrics and often suburban
slang is used. Not being able to use the elaborated code limits their
intelligence to minimum expectations; it can often become a negative stereotype
for them.
Sexuality is one such factor
that affects subcultures in terms of music and vivacity. Black metal music, for
example, has influenced the skinhead subculture since their shaven heads reinforce
their cultural resistance to everyday society. Even some homosexual members
identify themselves with this subculture due to their affiliation with
masculinity and the extremity of heavy metal.
It also applies to modern punk
rock bands such as Paramore and The Pretty Reckless, in which such bands have
female lead singers whose roles question certain individuals expecting a
stereotypical male singer in these musical groups. Their hair colours,
appearance and facial features (flamboyant clothing and piercings included)
does not matter to others since these features are part of the way female lead
singers express their identities in public.
The “seapunk” subculture
originated from the site Tumblr and was described as a “web-joke with music”.
Gaining popularity for its viral sharing and trending on the Internet, it was
seen as an association with artists dealing with fashion trends and music. Its
clothing style was described as “all things oceanic and of the sea”, that is,
to say, mostly blue-coloured hairstyles and flamboyant clothing. Music styles
consisted of chopped-up hip-hop mix tapes and southern trip-hop. This micro
subculture influenced those associated with the music scene such as Azealia
Banks, Grimes and Kreayshawn.
Punk rock introduced the Riot
Grrrl movement, where female artists associated with the genre allowed
themselves to address issues such as sexuality and female empowerment. Like
third wave feminists, Riot grrrl members created their own private spaces to
produce music and make political statements about the issues they were facing
in society. They had a very close relationship with feminism, in which they attempted
to maintain a diversity of acceptance within feminist expression. In a
patriarchal society, their usage of lyrics, magazines and publications, and
returning the meanings of derogatory words (none to be said here in fear of
offence) empowered women in this movement.
In terms of creativity, the
emergence of unique subcultures such as punk and emo have heavily influenced
the lifestyles and behaviours of individuals. Punk rockers were typically depicted
as bearing styled mohawks, in some cases dyed a collection of colours which
stand out to people. Piercings on their face and body were essentially a form
of commodification within the punk subculture.
The seapunk subculture,
discussed earlier, were particularly creative and productive. By dying their
hair turquoise and listening to ocean-interlaced music, seapunk members would
identify themselves in that culture – “a new club scene intent on riding
sub-bass sound waves into the future”, meaning that said subculture will still
exist even after its reduction of popularity. Fire for Effect, a
seapunk-related band, have produced tracks complete with narwhal mating calls
and David Attenborough archival footage soundbites, in order to identify
themselves with the seapunk subculture.
Goths, on the other hand,
associated everything coloured black with their subculture. So do emos, but
they approach this subculture with feelings of negativity, depression, and
self-harm.
Commodification was also a big
factor of music affecting subcultures. The British rocker subculture greatly
evolved from the psychedelic lifestyle of hippies, where they promoted peace in
many ways and explored altered consciousness states, such as in an LSD trip. They
wore brightly coloured fabrics and displayed acid phantasmagoria in their
soft-rock inspired outfits. American hard rock band KISS wore extreme rocker
make-up to simulate comic book characters. Their wacky hairstyles and weird
facial expressions, as well as punk-styled costumes, influenced creativity from
other punk rockers and related mods. Lastly, hardcore punk rockers sported dark
coloured leather jackets and coats with embedded spike studs, as a connotation
of danger and violence. Their coloured mohawks and stand-out piercings were a
result of the aggressive extremities of hardcore rock. It was their nature to
associate themselves in that subculture; their overall commitment.
In conclusion, all youth
subcultural areas have been greatly affected by the emergence of music since
the early 20th century, the latter applying to what people wore and
their day-to-day lifestyles in their lifetimes. As modern technology evolved
throughout the later years and newer subcultures stemmed out of these
individual styles of living, various styles of music shaped their identities
and how to commit themselves to these subcultures. Today, the presence of
websites such as Tumblr and the range of acquiring music, from digital
downloads to gigs and music videos, have all moulded the unique motives of
people in their own subcultures. Perhaps it is best that they dealt with their
commitments and favoured lifestyles individually.
