I’m struggling to think of most of the bands or artists mentioned as being ‘underrated’, possibly because I’m a huge music fan, and have been for most of my life; doesn’t mean there aren’t loads of artists/bands I don’t know about, mainly because there’re genres I’m just not really interested in, but I’ve always thought of the Wildhearts/Ginger Wildheart as being pretty highly rated, for example.
From my own point of view, there’s loads of artists whose music I’ve loved for years, been to concerts whenever possible, but they still only play pretty small venues, Aimee Mann being a classic example. She started off in a band called ‘Til Tuesday, who had a fairly big US hit with a single off their first album. Trouble was, the record companies wanted more of the same, Aimee didn’t, and thus the label refused to promote the next two albums, saying they ‘couldn’t hear a hit single’; well, how the hell do you know if you don’t promote them!
Aimee went solo, and the same thing happened, A&R people liked what she was doing, signed her, label gets a change of owner, new A&R people can’t ‘hear anything commercial’, and refuse to promote her album, but also refuse to release her from her contract. For five years. Then the same thing happens again.
Eventually she sets up her own label, and actually starts to earn more money than any time previously.
She even has a film director friend see a story running through an album she was writing and recording, and promptly went and made a very successful movie, starring Tom Cruise, based on that album, Batchelor #9, the film is Magnolia.
Aimee misses out on an Oscar for best song in a movie soundtrack, which, IIRC, was won by Elton John for the Lion King.
Aimee still records and tours, after over thirty years recording and touring, since 1982, in fact, and the last time I saw her she was playing the Union Chapel in London! I have seen her play Indigo 2 in London twice, the only UK date on two Eurpean tours.
That’s what underrated bloody well means in my book!
There are plenty of other, more recent bands/artists, as well as older bands who’ve sadly disappeared due to overwhelming indifference, like Thea Gilmore, Paper Aeroplanes, The Drink, The Stills, Asobi Seksu, Calexico, Curve, Dark Star (90’s alt.rock trio, not current dance/electro outfit), Tiger, Thrum, Dubstar, Gemma Hayes, Howling Bells, Inara George, Mechanical Bride…
The flip side is still being able to see artists you cherish playing small intimate venues instead of soulless enormodomes and barns like the NEC in Birmingham, so it’s not all bad.
I saw Gemma Hays three times last tour, in London at Oslo, Hackney, The Louisiana in Bristol, and Pound Arts in Corsham, about five miles from where I live! None of those venues are more than around 350-400 capacity, yet Gemma had been recording and touring for nineteen years, and released six albums, is a superb singer and songwriter, yet seems barely able to get arrested! She was approached by the Lois Walsh, from X-Factor, who thought she had huge potential; of course, she’d have to stop writing and singing her own songs, she’d have to be seen to be having a relationship with another big celebrity, and basically be something she clearly isn’t, so she told him exactly what he could do with his ideas. This is fact, she’s told this story several times.
Shows the vacuous heart of modern music promotion, where real talent is ignored in favour of short-term money grabbing.