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‘You got it or you didn’t’: the sweat, smoke and sonic excess of the indie scene pre-Britpop

A new photography book captures the ramshackle squats and grimy venues that were a playground for confrontationally uncommercial early-90s bands like My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab and Silverfish

Dilworth joined Th’ Faith Healers after witnessing an early gig at indie haunt the Camden Falcon, during which the pub’s landlord rushed in and started trying to unplug the band’s equipment, desperate to make the racket stop. Today, My Bloody Valentine are regularly hailed as one of the most innovative and influential guitar bands of their era, but Everything, All at Once Forever captures the shock of encountering them in a tiny venue around the time of their breakthrough single You Made Me Realise. It contains photos of a 1988 show at Dingwalls that degenerated into chaos when the venue’s soundman simply gave up trying to deal with band’s trademark sound – drowsy melodies submerged beneath an ear-splitting wall of churning noise – and walked out mid-set.

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