Indie Music is Back: Why 2025 is the Year of the Guitar
If you've been to any nightclub in the past six months, you've felt it. Indie music - real, guitar-driven, singalong indie rock - is back in a big way.
The Numbers Don't Lie
- Arctic Monkeys' AM is trending on TikTok (an album from 2013!)
- The Last Dinner Party sold out their tour in minutes
- The Strokes and Interpol are headlining festivals again
- Every club night is packed when indie anthems are on the playlist
What Happened?
Gen Z Discovered 2000s Indie
Thanks to TikTok and Spotify algorithms, a whole new generation has discovered the golden era of indie rock. Songs like "Do I Wanna Know?" and "Last Nite" are connecting with 18-year-olds who weren't even born when these tracks dropped.
The Authenticity Factor
In an era of AI-generated music and algorithmic playlists, there's something refreshingly real about guitar music. Three chords and the truth still hits different.
The Club Experience
While bedroom producers dominated the 2010s, people have remembered how good it feels to sing guitar anthems with hundreds of strangers in a sweaty basement.
The New Wave
Wet Leg
The breakout stars bringing deadpan humor and killer riffs back to indie rock.
The Last Dinner Party
Theatrical, ambitious, and unapologetically dramatic.
Yard Act
Post-punk revival with social commentary and Yorkshire wit.
Sports Team
Chaotic live shows and proper indie attitude.
The Classic Revival
It's not just new bands. The classics are bigger than ever:
- Arctic Monkeys - Still selling out stadiums
- The Strokes - Proving they've still got it
- Interpol - The "other" NY band gets their flowers
- Franz Ferdinand - Dance-punk never died
- Bloc Party - Silent Alarm is a masterpiece (always was)
Why Clubs Matter
This indie renaissance isn't happening on streaming services alone. It's happening in clubs like Firewater where:
- Everyone knows the words
- The energy is electric
- New fans discover classics
- The community thrives
The Firewater Effect
At Firewater Glasgow and Dundee, we've seen this firsthand. Our weekly nights (Camden Rocks, Fluorescent Adolescent, Let It Happen) are packed with people discovering or rediscovering indie music.
What's Next?
More Live Music
Expect venue capacities to grow and more indie club nights to open.
The Guitar Hero Returns
Guitar sales are up 20% year-on-year. A new generation is picking up instruments.
Festival Dominance
2026's festival lineups will be stacked with guitar bands.
For New Fans
If you're discovering indie rock for the first time, here's your starter pack:
Essential Albums:
- Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
- The Strokes - Is This It
- Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
- Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
- Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Club Anthems:
- Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
- The Killers - Mr. Brightside
- Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
- The Strokes - Last Nite
- Kasabian - Fire
The Verdict
Indie music never really went away - it just took a backseat while other genres had their moment. But guitar-driven, singalong rock is back where it belongs: in sweaty clubs, on festival stages, and in the hearts of music fans.
Come experience the indie revival at Firewater Glasgow & Dundee. Check our events page for what's on this week.
The guitar is back. Long live indie rock.