Watch a rare documentary exploring the Detroit garage rock revival scene
For decades, Detroit, Michigan, has been one of the United States’ most prominent musical cities, recognised for aiding the progression of Motown, techno, and hardcore punk. The city’s large African-American population has assisted in developing different musical genres, with significant jazz, blues, gospel and hip-hop artists emerging from the area. It’s hard to imagine what the state of modern music would sound like if it wasn’t for the city’s rich musical influence, spanning nearly every major genre.
Detroit was an important location for developing rock and hardcore music. 1960s proto-punk acts such as MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges emerged from the city, both significant influences over the punk movement that blossomed in the 1970s. Death, one of the first all-Black punk bands, hailed from Detroit, and they are now labelled as one of the genre’s most influential outfits. By 1969, CREEM magazine was created, which was the first publication to print the terms ‘punk rock’ and ‘heavy metal’ and went on to feature contributions from writers such as Patti Smith, Lester Bangs and Cameron Crowe.
By the 1970s, many rock musicians from Detroit had achieved international success, including Ted Nugent, Bob Seger and Alice Cooper. The following decade gave rise to one of the first important hardcore scenes, spawning bands such as the Degenerates and The Holes. However, by the late 1990s and early 2000s, a garage rock revival scene was sweeping Detroit, attempting to capture the glories the genre reached in the city a few decades prior. Unfortunately, only a handful of bands from the scene, such as The White Stripes, received widespread and mainstream acclaim. Most bands from the scene have faded into obscurity, a relic of a pre-social media era where music scenes thrived much more naturally.
However, those interested in learning more about the Detroit garage rock revival scene, which flourished around the time The White Stripes were shooting to success, should check out Detroit Rawk! The rare documentary aired in 2001 as part of a Dutch music docu-series called Lola da musica. The show followed different musicians in each episode, from David Bowie to The Smashing Pumpkins to Underworld.
Detroit Rawk! predominantly focused on The White Stripes, who were yet to release their phenomenal album, Elephant, which included their hit single ‘Seven Nation Army’, for which they became best known. The documentary also features fellow Detroit rockers The Dirtbombs, The Demolition Doll Rods, and The Paybacks.
Check it out below.
