NME has always been embroiled in a far wider cultural conversation than simply music, whether inspiring the sonic make-up of TV shows as far removed as The Tube, Peaky Blinders and The Inbetweeners or allowing around 86 per cent of the paper to be written in Fast Show catchphrases in 1994. Our readers, too, are guzzlers of alternative entertainments wherever they might find them. So here, in celebration of our 70th (!) birthday, are 15 televisual sister-pieces to NME through the ages.
‘Ready Steady Go!’
When was it on: 1963-6
Why it was important: “The weekend starts here!” Before Top Of The Pops, the more ‘hip’ and youth oriented Ready Steady Go! was pivotal in popularising the weekly pop show format, beaming Beatlemania, go-go girl band pop and the shifting sounds of the mid-‘60s into Britain’s excitable homes. Less enslaved to the charts, RSG! was able to champion the beat movement and Motown and became a mod must-watch.
‘Top Of The Pops’
When it was on: 1964-2006
Why it was important: TOTP was the daddy. As the only dedicated prime-time music show within a few years of its launch, this was the weekly half hour when the entire family sat down together to absorb the full breadth of contemporary pop culture and listen to nan wondering what the world was coming to. It was here that the Beatles versus Stones running chart battles played out, David Bowie seduced the youth with a waggle of a finger down the camera and Dexys Midnight Runners gamely sang their tribute to soul legend Jackie Wilson in front of a massive picture of his darts-playing namesake Jocky. As cheesy as its chart agenda was, to kick down the gates and invade the TOTP studio became a lifelong ambition and badge of subversive honour for many “in at number 23” underground acts, and when Blur and Oasis stole the charts in 1995 it felt like a generational victory.
‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’
When it was on: 1971-88
Why it was important: The proto-Later…, TOGWT was the music sophisticate’s late-night music show of choice, focusing on albums rather than hit singles and allowing acts to perform live rather than mime à la TOTP. As such, it became the televisual backbone of more in-depth musical appreciation, where prog, glam, country rock, punk and post-punk acts came to be taken seriously rather than gawped at for a couple of confusing minutes between Boney M and Pan’s People.
‘The Tube’
When it was on: 1982-7
Why it was important: The birth of mainstream ‘youth’ TV and a cornerstone of Channel 4’s alternative agenda, The Tube cut a rebellious stride across the ‘80s with its array of new band showcases in each episode, cutting-edge culture packages and comedy slots by the likes of French & Saunders and a pre-Bob Vic Reeves. With Paula Yates seducing Michael Hutchence live on air and Jools Holland getting the show cancelled with his potty mouth, The Tube was key in giving ‘80s alternative culture its edge and allure. Also, it was here, rumour has it, that Frankie Goes To Hollywood met Trevor Horn.
‘Snub TV’
When it was on: 1989-91
Why it was important: In the aftermath of The Tube, there was a brief period of famine in terms of left-field music on TV. Alt-rock and dance fans had to make do with a monthly blink-and-you-miss-it rundown of their associated chart on ITV’s Saturday morning Chart Show, while broad-minded music fans were courted by Janet Street Porter’s faux-guerrilla mid-afternoon C4 magazine show Network 7. But it was her importing of grainy underground cable show Snub TV from America for BBC2 which proved the real deal. Here the rise of Madchester was documented, alongside airtime for cult acts such as My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 and Cocteau Twins. Undoubtedly the TV equivalent of NME in the inky-fingered ‘80s.
‘Brookside’
When was it on: 1982-2003
Why it was important: Soaps were very much in vogue at NME during the ‘80s – Coronation Street even made the cover in 1981. But Brookside, with its C4 ‘outsider’ appeal and cameo from Morrissey in 1988, was the coolest of the bunch, getting a cover piece of its own in 1985.
Brookside Close-Up: The Correct Use Of Soap? NME 2 March 1985: Karen Grant, @dannykellywords and @quantick on the cover. pic.twitter.com/eqmsrtl1Nm
— Andrew Watson (@sussexsedition) March 2, 2020
‘The Word’
When was it on: 1990-5
Why it was important: A rather more outré replacement for the relatively coy Tube, The Word encapsulated the untameable nature of the grunge scene, quickly being shifted to a late-night slot where Nirvana made their notorious UK TV debut – Kurt Cobain declaring that Courtney Love was “the best fuck in the world” ahead of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ – Rage Against The Machine provoked a stage invasion with ‘Killing In The Name’ and L7’s Donita Sparks dropped her trousers and flashed the camera.
‘TFI Friday’
When was it on: 1996-2000
Why it was important: What The Word did for grunge, Chris Evans’ TFI Friday did for Britpop. With interview guests walking on to Ocean Colour Scene’s ‘The Riverboat Song’, Shaun Ryder banned for life for swearing and a veritable who’s who of ‘90s indie rock aristocracy performing live – they put PJ Harvey and Spiritualized on telly at 6pm on a Friday, for God’s sake – TFI crystalised the ‘90s for the teatime brigade.
‘South Park’
When was it on: 1997-present
Why it was important: Disguising cutting social and political commentary behind confrontational cartoon violence, South Park chimed strongly with NME’s ‘90s attitude, particularly when it featured portrayals of Kanye West, Radiohead, Missy Elliott or a gigantic robot Robert Smith.
‘Queer As Folk’
When was it on: 1999-2000
Why it was important: Aiden Gillen’s hedonistic rampages around the Manchester gay scene was soundtracked by bursts of poppy club bangers (The Weather Girls, Steps, Mousse T, Gloria Gaynor) and the more salacious end of Britpop (Pulp, Suede, Placebo). The anything-goes post-Britpop party was never better portrayed.
‘Popworld’
When was it on: 2001-2007
Why was it important: If any one figure brought NME’s probing and acerbic tone of affectionate muso-mockery to the screen it was Simon Amstell. As Popworld evolved from E4 flop to T4 hit, he and co-presenter Miquita Oliver increasingly pushed their interviewees to the edge and sometimes beyond – Britney Spears quit an interview in tears and Amstell thoroughly enjoyed making homophobic reggae star Beenie Man squirm by coming on to him on camera. Amstell would go on to make the TV pop quiz Never Mind The Buzzcocks unmissable too.
‘Skins’
When was it on: 2007-2013
Why was it important: By focusing on the range of late-teen issues its conveyor belt cast of hotter-than-Hollyoaks characters were enduring in their final school years – sex, drugs, eating disorders, mental health, identity issues and so forth – Skins helped usher in the new, caring attitudes of younger generations. All set to a soundtrack that echoed the evolving times: prime indie sleaze, electro, rap and the occasional ‘Bat Out Of Hell’.
‘Stranger Things’
When was it on: 2016-present
Why was it important: With the ‘80s revival having lasted longer than the original decade by 2016, Stranger Things arrived as a ready-made cultural cornerstone, not just a homage to the creature horrors of Stephen King and his ilk but drenched in the synthetic sounds of both the ‘80s and the 2010s too.
‘Peaky Blinders’
When was it on: 2013-present
Why was it important: Sharp, stylish, prone to ego-driven in-fighting and ‘handy’ when the shit goes down, the Peaky Blinkers were the mid-war equivalent of the gang band, and the fact that the series’ soundtracks eschewed period music in favour of attitudinal alt-rock from the past four decades – Nick Cave, Artic Monkeys, PJ Harvey, Savages, Anna Calvi, IDLES, The White Stripes – only added to that subtext. So rich was the soundtrack, in fact, that a Peaky Blinders festival was instigated in 2019 featuring Primal Scream and Liam Gallagher.
‘Euphoria’
When was it on: 2019-present
Why was it important: A meme-friendly Skins for Gen Z – essentially transposing the cruelties and issue politics of social media into a millennial’s fantasy of a current day high school – Euphoria has become a monster hit for HBO and the most tweeted-about show of the decade so far. It’s also a showcase for some pretty on-the-ball alt-pop (Lizzo, Lorde and Billie Eilish all feature) and hip-hop, and an Emmy-winning score from British rapper-producer Labrinth.
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