Do you think NMA's music "speaks" to young Rock/Folk fans?

[Guillaume]

Rest assured, this isn't a poll or an attempt to stir up controversy on the forum, lol! I was simply wondering if you knew any young fans (let's say between 15 and 25 years old!) of Rock/Folk music who are lucky enough to know NMA and who really appreciate their music, their recent albums and/or their older ones. I should clarify that I am talking about the music essentially...the melodies, the rhythms, the voice, the instruments...not the lyrics and the production of the albums. I'm writing this because while I sometimes see young people in the audience at NMA concerts (in France -I'm clarifying because I've never been to an NMA concert abroad-) , a good portion of the crowd seems to be in their forties and fifties (as for me, I'm 47 and I first listened to the band in high school, in the mid-90s). In the small Rock concert venue in my smalltown (population under 50,000), it's the same when I go to see indie Rock (and Folk) concerts; both local and foreign alternative bands, the audience is mostly in their forties and fifties. So it's not unique to NMA, but Rock/Folk music seems to "speak" primarily to "old" people 

[Master Ray]

As much as I hate the way that streaming services like Spotify pay so little to the artists (unless they are in the Taylor Swift level) I have to say that young people these days are far more clued up to the history of music than I was at their age.  My job brings me into contact with people in their late teens / early 20's, some of whom are hugely into their music.  And seeing as they don't have to save up for an album (like us old buggers had to!) but can access anything they want to INSTANTLY then they've got the whole History Of Music at their disposal.  This can be a good or bad thing.  They might have the attention span of a gnat and dismiss classic songs because it didn't grab them in the first 30 seconds.  But also they might be interested in the stuff from before 'their time' and see how it relates to the tunes that are fashionable these days and thus investigate acts that the likes of us are into.

Does NMA's music speak to 'young folks'?  Absolutely if they're interested. Likewise, 'young persons music' might appeal to us oldies... the very fashionable Olivia Rodrigo headlined Glastonbury last year, I saw her set on the BBC and I thought she was excellent, pop / rock with great lyrics and she was a terrific performer, I consider myself a fan!   

Age has nothing to do with it.  Good music is good music and people will find it regardless of age, especially in these days when it's so easy to find.

[Guillaume]

Does NMA's music speak to 'young folks'?  Absolutely if they're interested. Likewise, 'young persons music' might appeal to us oldies... the very fashionable Olivia Rodrigo headlined Glastonbury last year, I saw her set on the BBC and I thought she was excellent, pop / rock with great lyrics and she was a terrific performer, I consider myself a fan!   

Yes, but at Olivia Rodrigo's concerts, I imagine the majority of the audience/fan base won't be people in their forties and fifties like at NMA concerts  (at least the ones I've been to in France!). It's not a qualitative judgment, but I just sometimes think that (Alterntive/Indie?) Rock music mainly appeals to middle aged/older people. I remember that in the early 90s, for example, Rock music was "big", attracted young people through the "grunge" Seattle era. Besides, I don't know many young people between 15 and 25 in my circle... my 25-year-old nephew goes to concerts and music festivals occasionally, but almost never to Rock concerts, often to Rap and Electro music concerts.

[Master Ray]

Okay.  But surely it depends on what you classify as rock / indie / alternative?  Would you classify bands like Wolf Alice, The Last Dinner Party, Geese, Sleaford Mods, Wet Leg, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Lambrini Girls as mainstream?  Because they're pretty big amongst the kids these days and they are pretty far from being bland corporate music like Taylor Bloody Swift and Ron Weasley Ed Sheeran.   

There's an absolute wealth of creative music out there that is far beyond the dull stuff that dominates the airwaves in 2026 and 'da kidz' are loving it every bit as much as we loved the more rebellious stuff that we adored all those decades ago.  And it's never been easier to  access it, you don't have to get a streaming service, you can check out these tunes on YouTube.

And, yes, if you say 'it's all a bit shite'... well that what the old folks were saying when we were young 'uns, welcome to getting old and out of touch!