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Are music Tribes a thing of the past?

Like-minded music fans have been bonding together for half a century. But is this on its way out?

There was a time when the average person formed their opinions about pop music not just on what they heard,

but also on their reaction to the many groups of young people who followed the very different kinds of music.

These impressions were based on the clothes they wore as much their behaviour in general.

The style-conscious mods of the 1960s would roam around on their scooters all day,

getting off only for an occasional fight with passing rockers,

identified by their powerful motorbikes, greased hair and leather jackets.

And in the 70s and 80s, punks would dye their hair pink and terrorise grannies,

or at least that is how they came across in the media.

But when we was the last time a new kind of music was associated with a particular group of youths in the same way?

These days you can’t always tell what music someone likes just by looking at them.

People now seem less likely to hold on tight to their cultural identity, which means that, although tribes still exist, they are looser and broader than before.

This change is probably due to the fact that music is now accessed in very different ways, with people able to listen to it at any time.

Hardly any young people remember pop culture before the internet, when records were bought rather than streamed or downloaded.

Neither have they experienced a time when they were limited to tracks they could hear on the radio or get on a cassette from friends.

19-year-old Bianca Munyankore agrees that the excitement of listening to a song you waited to buy has probably gone.

However, the freedom of simply listening to whatever you want, whenever you want more than makes up for that feeling.

In any case, saving up to buy a CD means you wouldn’t be exploring any other music, and she believes an openness to music is now a natural part of being young.

Music writer and teacher Neil Kulkarni observes that, although sub-cultures still exist, they are no longer participated in with pride or any form of aggression.

These days, rather than making any kind of statement, it’s just a way for kids to say what kind of music they’re into.

And a lot of youngers are now finding that their taste overlaps with other groups.

The internet has made them more prepared to listen to things that they wouldn’t necessarily have expected to like and, as a result, there are more connections between sub-cultures.

So, does that mean that tribes are, in fact expanding, rather than dying?

Author Paul Hodkinson thinks so; he believes the fact that pop tribes have changed over the years means that they’ve succeeded rather than failed.

If other people find you odd, and if that makes you unpopular, it’s important to connect with other people like you, he says.

Being in a tribe’s always about being comfortable.

But surely comfort wasn’t important to tribes in the sixties, seventies and eighties?

Wasn’t there a spirit of protest that drove angry mods and rockers and rebellious punks?

Hodkinson believes that the political aspect was exaggerated.

The desire to be part of a group is often about far less exciting things

such as trying to make friends or having something to do.

Mass communication has meant that sharing music is now easy.

Another consequence of this is that all kinds of music are now found much more in the mainstream.

The most underground metal or hip-hop can be found not just on the internet,

but even on TV; many musicians make their money from TV or adverts rather than from fans buying music or concert tickets.

Perhaps the biggest change to pop tribes, though, is that they are no longer restricted to young people.

Today, audiences for punk gigs or metal nights range in age from 16 to 60 and mix well together.

Which appears to show that, if a pop tribe means anything these days, it seems to be about a set of tastes,

rather than a stage of life you go through before reaching adulthood.