Editing Pub rock (United Kingdom) (section)

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Islington hope and anchor.jpg|thumb|The [[Hope and Anchor, Islington|Hope and Anchor]] in [[Islington]], a notable pub rock venue]]
Pub rock was deliberately nasty, dirty and post-glam.<ref name=SAVAGE587/> Dress style was based around denim and checked shirts, tatty jeans and droopy hair.<ref name=LYDON106/> The figureheads of the movement, [[Dr. Feelgood (band)|Dr. Feelgood]], were noted for their frontman's filthy white suit.<ref name=GUARDIAN>Atkinson, Mike. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jan/21/pub-rock-dr-feelgood "Give pub rock another chance"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. 21 January 2010. Retrieved on 19 January 2011.</ref> Bands looked menacing and threatening, "like villains on ''[[The Sweeney]]''".<ref name=SAVAGE81>Savage (1991), p. 81.</ref> According to [[David Hepworth]], Dr. Feelgood looked as if they had "come together in some unsavoury section of the army".

Pub rock groups disdained any form of flashy presentation. Scene leaders like [[Dr. Feelgood (band)|Dr. Feelgood]], [[Kilburn and the High Roads]] and [[Ducks Deluxe]] played simple, "back to mono" [[rhythm and blues]] in the tradition of white British groups like [[the Rolling Stones]] and the [[The Yardbirds|Yardbirds]], with fuzzy [[distortion (music)|overdriven]] guitars and whiny vocals.<ref name=SAVAGE81/> Lesser known acts played [[funk]]y soul ([[Kokomo (band)|Kokomo]], [[Clancy (band)|Clancy]], [[Cado Belle]]) or [[country rock]] ([[the Kursaal Flyers]], [[Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers]]).<ref name=NME>Carr, Roy. [http://www.punk77.co.uk/punkhistory/pub_rock.htm "Pub Rock"]. ''[[NME]]''. 29 October 1977.</ref> While pub rockers did not have expensive stage shows, they took inspiration from early [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and increased the dynamism and intensity of their live shows.<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 18">Laing, Dave. ''One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock''. PM Press, 2015. p. 18</ref>
Pub rock allowed a variety of singers and musicians to perform, even if they did not adhere to a clearly defined musical genre.<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 18"/> Major labels scouted pub rock acts, thinking they might find the next Beatles at a local pub; however [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] representatives decided that pub rock did not have potential for mass market hits.<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 18"/> With no interest from major labels, pub rockers put out their records through small [[independent record label]]s such as [[Stiff Records]] and [[Chiswick Records]].<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 18"/>

By 1975, the standard for mainstream rock album recordings was expensive, lengthy studio recording processes overseen by highly-paid [[record producer]]s, with the goal of creating highly polished end products, with overdubs, double-tracking and [[studio effect]]s. Some mainstream bands spent months in the studio perfecting their recording, to achieve a meticulously crafted and perfect product.<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 18"/> Pub rockers rejected this type of costly, complex recording process; instead, with pub rockers, the goal was simply to capture the band's "live" sound and feel in the studio. The difference between mainstream rock and pub rock recording approaches not only produced different sounds (polished vs. raw), it also had a significant impact on the economics of each rock genre. With mainstream rock, the costly sound recording process meant that the [[break-even point]] for the record label was around 20,000 records; with pub rock, the less expensive recording process meant that pub rock labels could break even with as few as 2,000 records.<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 19">Laing, Dave. ''One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock''. PM Press, 2015. p. 19</ref>
This means that pub rock labels could afford to put out records with a tenth of the sales of mainstream bands.

The pub rock scene was primarily a live phenomenon. During the peak years of 1972 to 1975, there was just one solitary Top 20 single ([[Ace (band)|Ace]]'s "[[How Long (Ace song)|How Long]]"), and all the bands combined sold less than an estimated 150,000 albums.<ref name="Nostalgia Central article">{{cite web|url=http://nostalgiacentral.com/music/music-genres/pub-rock/ |title=Pub Rock |website=Nostalgiacentral.com |date=20 June 2014 |access-date=15 March 2016}}</ref> Many acts suffered in the transition from pub to studio recording and were unable to recapture their live sound.<ref name=NME/> The genre's primary characteristic is, as the name suggests, the pub. By championing smaller venues, the bands reinvigorated a local club scene that had dwindled since the 1960s as bands priced themselves into big theatres and stadia.<ref name=NME/> New aspiring bands could now find venues to play without needing to have a record company behind them.

Pub rock was generally restricted to [[Greater London]] over spilling slightly into the [[home counties]],<ref name=NME/> although the [[central belt]] in Scotland also produced local bands such as The Cheetahs and The Plastic Flies. Pub rockers believed that mainstream stars who played at arenas had lost touch with their audiences. Instead, pub rock groups preferred intimate venues, which were essential to creating meaningful music and connecting with the audience.<ref>Laing, Dave. ''One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock''. PM Press, 2015. p. 17</ref> Pub rock's small venue approach increased the importance of good songwriting and well-written lyrics, in contrast to mainstream pop which had marginalised both elements.<ref>Laing, Dave. ''One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock''. PM Press, 2015. p. 16</ref> The UK pub rock scene wound down by 1976.<ref name="Laing, Dave 2015. p. 19"/> The record industry was already looking into early punk, thinking it might be the next "big thing". In 1976, some pub rock labels were putting out both the harder-edged pub rock acts and early punk bands such as [[The Damned (band)|The Damned]].