But, thankfully, a fair proportion of the class of C86 had gone to ground, requiring an old-fashioned means of detection: trawling through phone directories. There were many tales of “could haves” and “should haves”, of wrong turns taken in the flush of floppy-fringed youth. It is a good read/view, particularly if you were alive then and that way inclined, but does suffer a bit from being heavily focussed on half a dozen acts, not so much on The Kids.

C86 - The Deluxe Edition 3CD, Various Artists - Cherry Red C86 - The Deluxe Edition 3CD, Various Artists - Cherry Red

People now see C86 as all jangly indie pop, but Bogshed and Big Flame were nothing like that – they were much harder.

Where possible, I aimed to interview each person in the context of their life now, ideally before the backdrop of some aspect of their everyday existence. Primal Scream then proceeded to reduce the pop song to its subatomic essence: quick, breezy, quirky, and above all, exquisitely small.

Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids?: An Indie Odyssey

The similarity between the titles of 14 Iced Bears’ and JAMC’s tracks isn’t likely intentional, but it’s eerily telling: again, the specter of introversion—of masking one’s mumbling sweetness behind sheets of lacerating, pseudo-psychedelic treble—is raised, and loudly.

Fast forward to 2014, the triple-CD edition celebrated the cult status of C86, which had come to embody a whole style of indie guitar music with 50 extra tracks. Two words pop up most often in discussions about C86—“jangle” and “twee”—and although those who make those associations aren’t inaccurate, the descriptors don't tell the whole story. The Buzzcocks don’t get mentioned often as an influence on the C86 school, but on this reissue, the evidence is everywhere—from Pop Will Eat Itself’s buzzing “Mesmerized” (made before they became sample-heavy provocateurs, and before frontman Clint Mansell scored Darren Aronofsky films) to Talulah Gosh’s lo-fi, pop-punk romp “I Told You So” (made before sugar-spiked singer Amelia Fletcher formed the more refined Heavenly).

C86 Kids? - Monorail Music Nige Tassell Whatever Happened To The C86 Kids? - Monorail Music

I am DJing a room at an "indie" night and am going to do a truly "independent" playlist which may end up having bigger acts and singles than the "indie" room which will include a lot of major acts in the "indie" vein. Yet, while the pursuit of long-lost musicians can often manifest as earnest hagiography, Tassell's unique, light-hearted approach makes this a very human story of ambition, hope, varying degrees of talent and what happens after you give up on pop - or, more precisely, after pop gives up on you.While some stereotypes affiliated with C86 have been overstated over the years, there is an aching, shimmering delicacy at the heart of the compilation's more elfin contributors—but the ghost of punk past still lingers. So this is a thoroughly enjoyable little odyssey and this book makes a great pairing with Simon Reynolds’ “Rip It Up”. They may have used guitars, but their sound was openly more indebted towards vintage pop in the style of the Byrds, the Ramones and the jangly surf pop of the Beach Boys. C86 has been much-maligned over the year, a short-hand insult for fey white boys with floppy fringes and over-strenuous strumming playing shambling indie numbers.

book on the truth behind C86 and mid eighties indie Great new book on the truth behind C86 and mid eighties indie

The line between C86’s jangly, dreamy representatives and its more distortion-smothered counterparts is blurred by bands like 14 Iced Bears. The tape may have caught flack since its release for being too twee and effeminate, but those critics either fail to see the progress it represented or haven’t listened to the complete 22 tracks. Half Man Half Biscuit and Wedding Present are still going strong, sustained by passionate and devoted fanbases.

The chapter on the Paisley Underground seemed out of place – the subject merits its own book perhaps. The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice.