The end-of-the-century party: Youth, pop and the rise of Madchester, Paperback

Madchester may have been born at the Ha ienda in the summer of 1988, but the city had been in creative ferment for almost a decade prior to the rise of acid house. The end-of-the-century party is the definitive account of a generational shift in popular music and youth culture, what it meant and what it led to. First published right after the Second Summer of Love, it tells the story of the transition from new pop to the political pop of the mid-1980s and its deviant offspring, post-political pop. Resisting contemporary proclamations about the end of youth culture and the rise of a new, right-leaning conformism, the book draws on interviews with DJs, record company bosses, musicians, producers and fans to outline a clear transition in pop thinking, a move from an obsession with style, packaging and synthetic sounds to content, socially conscious lyrics and a new authenticity.

This edition is framed by a prologue by Tara Brabazon, asking how we can reclaim the spirit, energy and authenticity of Madchester for a post-youth, post-pop generation. It is illustrated with iconic photographs by Kevin Cummins.

Framed by a prologue by Tara Brabazon, this edition asks how the spirit, energy and authenticity of Madchester can be reclaimed for a post-youth, post-pop generation. Features iconic photographs by Kevin Cummins.

Steve Redhead was Professor of Cultural Studies at Flinders University, Australia. A founding director of the Manchester Institute of Popular Culture, he was known affectionately as 'Professor Rave'. His numerous publications include Subculture to Clubcultures (1997), Repetitive Beat Generation (2000), We Have Never Been Postmodern (2011) and Theoretical Times (2017).