Grebo (or grebo rock) was a short-lived subgenre of alternative rock that incorporated influences from punk rock, electronic dance music, hip hop and psychedelia. The scene occupied the period in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the United Kingdom before the popularisation of Britpop and

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

. The genre and its attributes were largely absorbed into industrial rock, which would emerge after the sub-genre's demise in the late

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...

, which then led to the development of

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

in the

1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War ...

History and etymology

The word ''grebo'' was originally used as a slang term for bikers and rock music fans with long hair. The word was re-fashioned by the group Pop Will Eat Itself that represented a brand of United Kingdom

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

of the late 1980s and early 1990s, largely based in the English Midlands.Vladimir Bogdanov (editor), ''All Music Guide to Electronica: The Definitive Guide To Electronic Music'', page 404 (Backbeat Books, 2001). . Quote: "Honing a fusion of rock, pop, and rap which they dubbed 'grebo', the Poppies kickstarted a small revolution." The scene particularly centred in Birmingham. Influential bands in the scene were Pop Will Eat Itself (who had songs titled, "Oh Grebo I Think I Love You" and "Grebo Guru"), the Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, along with London band

Carter USM Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style o ...

and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

bands

Crazyhead Crazyhead are an English garage punk band from Leicester, England. Though lumped in with the largely media-created grebo scene, they were more influenced by the garage rock of the late 1960s, as well as bands like The Ramones, The Stooges and ...

the Bomb Party The Bomb Party were an English rock band from Leicester. They have been described as "The Godfathers of Grebo". History The band formed in the early 1980s, initially as Farmlife by Andy "Jesus" Mosquera (guitar), Peter Swaine (vocals), Steve G ...

the Hunters Club The Hunters Club were a United Kingdom, British Grebo (music), grebo gothic rock band that formed in Leicester, England. History The band were named after a short-lived Judge Dredd sub-plot in the sci-fi comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', and ...

Scum Pups ''Scum Pups'' was a grunge,Steven Wells "NME" 22 February 1992, IPC Media. punk rock,Mark Sutherland "NME" 15 May 1993, IPC Media. three piece band, that formed in Leicester, England in November 1989. The band formed while at sixth form colleg ...

and

Gaye Bykers on Acid Gaye Bykers on Acid (GBOA) are an English psychedelic rock band from Leicester, and one of the founder members of the grebo music scene. They later released both thrash punk and dance music albums under various aliases. Personnel * Mary By ...

. The term has also been used to describe Jesus Jones, who enjoyed success in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Although short-lived, the movement was a success and influenced several later bands. To a certain extent it was a music press invention, much like

positive punk Christian punk is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of punk rock which contain Christian lyrical content. Much disagreement persists about the boundaries of the subgenre, and the extent that their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies a ...

, a scene and style named by British indie magazines '' NME'' and the ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

''.

Characteristics

Grebo bands drew influences from a diverse array of genres, including dance-rock, psychedelia,

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

, hip hop, punk rock and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

. Pop Will Eat Itself adopted an industrial alternative rock style that combined " heavy metal and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

guitar riffs, electro-dance rhythms, samples and rap vocals." While Gaye Bykers on Acid's use of hip-hop and dance beats was considered as "a major innovation in mid-'80s alternative rock," Ned's Atomic Dustbin focused on "the hyper punk aspect" of the movement, relying on "catchy hooks and a dual-bass sound." Grebo artists and fans sported long hair, dreadlocks and baggy shorts.

History and etymology

Characteristics

References

Further reading