The new book that revisits the messy magic of the UK ’00s indie scene: “If you weren’t out, you felt like you were missing out”

The author of a new book about the ’00s UK scene has spoken to NME about the “hedonism and high ideals” of the time, and if another such wave could ever happen again. READ MORE: Erol Alkan on the magic of ‘00s electroclash: “I believe in all of this, and you can dance to all of this” Janine Warren is a former publicist for the likes of Johnny Marr, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines, Marianne Faithfull, The Clash‘s Mick Jones, and many more. Having interviewed artists, friends and familiar faces from across the era along with figures including former NME editor Conor McNicholas and producer Paul Epworth, she has just published the acclaimed The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect: The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010. It relives the “chaotic, creative, and utterly unrepeatable moment” of the birth of a new “British indie movement born at the dawn of social media, thriving on hyper-local scenes, legendary club nights, cheap decadence, and the sheer force of youth culture”. “If you were there, then it will bring back some memories,” Warren told NME. “If you weren’t, I hope it gives you an insight into what it was like in this pre-digital space and how it felt before yo...