Snub TV - The Show

The Show

The show documented the indie and underground music scene in the UK during the rise of Madchester. Often it sought out talent that had not yet had an opportunity to perform for a mass audience and put it on screen. The bands were not lined up in front of a well-behaved "live" audience. Instead the camera might be allowed to film a track being recorded: as such much of the programme had a rather rough-edged documentary style, rather than being a polished music show in the mould of Top of the Pops. If the band didn't have a promo video, then the Snub crew would go out and make one for them. In the case of the Cocteau Twins for example, the band had refused to appear in any video up until that point, but the Snub crew persuaded them to let them shoot one, resulting in a film made for the track "Cico Buff". The Fall appeared in all three series with Snub making a video for them each time, including 'Dead Beat Descendant' and 'Bill Is Dead'.

Interviews were conducted by members of other bands, in informal settings, such as in parks or pubs. The impression created was almost one of a TV fanzine created by musicians for other musicians and anyone else into music. The best performances were available on VHS. Recently there have been discussions about releasing a DVD of the best of all three series, but as yet there is no distributor.