Lizzy Goodman’s Meet Me In The Bathroom, released in 2017 was a massive hit. Chronicling the 00s Indie scene in New York it orally covered bands from , , , and (among others) and how the music of the era shifted across the decade and the personal stories behind the bands. now brings us The World Was a Mess, But His Hair Was Perfect. It covers 2000-2010 in the UK “Indie Sleaze” scene, from the Libertines and to , , and . The most obvious point of difference between the two books is the breadth of Warren’s book, covering the whole UK rather than just London, with plenty especially dedicated to Sheffield and Leeds.

There is a fascinating blend of bands who blew up and still have a huge following today, like The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand vs The Rakes and Long Blondes who and others who had their moment in the spotlight and focus from the likes of NME, struggling to escape the confines of the era and the string of bands trying to muscle in on the doorway The Strokes opened. 

While there are plenty of bands featured, there are some surprising omissions, or bands that are featured more as side notes. These include Courteeners, elbow, Doves and Kasabian. Of course not every band can feature, but the lack of a meaningful presence feels jarring given those groups’ impact on the scene. The flipside of this is that some smaller bands or bands who had more peripheral mainstream presence feature more prominently. 

This is as much a history of UK society as it is a music book, charting shifting attitudes towards UK politics in the aftermath of the Iraq War and 7/7 attacks as well as the rise of social media, particularly MySpace and how that affected band and fan interactions. Even though many of the events are within the last 25 years, they will feel alien to younger readers. It is a surprise to see how quickly attitudes towards the bands shifted, many having short lifespans. For every Arctic Monkeys there was a band who never lived up to their potential. It also charts how scenes developed and how culture and fashion fed into the movement. 

There are also looks at how the media landscape and attitudes towards female-fronted acts shifted with this still a time for male-dominated bands. The decade of course saw the emergence of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Florence & The Machine. Speaking of Adele, the influence of Paul Epworth is especially notable, having produced many of the bands who featured, including The Futureheads, Bloc Party and Maxïmo Park. His role in shaping Bloc Party’s distinct drum-driven sound is a particularly enjoyable anecdote. 

As with Meet Me In The Bathroom, it is a reminder of how quickly culture shifts, and many of the stories feel prehistoric in the smartphone, social media and streaming age and how fans and consumers interact with music. It showcases the importance of record sales and live gigs for emerging bands and the communal element of this particular scene, and how bands engaged with each other. The book ultimately proves that this is the last era of its kind and is an important record of the era from both a musical and societal standpoint. 

Far from being simply a British version of Meet Me In The Bathroom, this book showcases bands big and small, giving a range of voices a showcase, proving the era was more than simply a handful of bands. With the rise in nostalgia for the era, the book comes at the right moment and may reignite interest in some of the groups featured. It is a fun, engaging look at a lost era through the eyes of those who experienced it. 

9/10