The Great Band Tee Debate

I bought this t-shirt when I won tickets to see Wakey!Wakey! open for James Blunt at the Wolverhampton Civic. We accidentally ended up in the worst spot in the whole venue, not realising we'd won front row seats, haha (they were amazing, btw). We couldn't see a damn thing! I got Mike Grubbs to sign it, but my mom washed it so now I just wear it.

I love to wear clothes that reveal something about me, and for this reason, I love band shirts. I especially enjoy tour merch, because it goes beyond what you might find at Topshop or Primark. It means you were there. Which brings me nicely to an oft-sparked debate (no, not the necessity of the oxford comma): should people wear band shirts if they don't like or listen to the music?

It's an issue which, strangely, can reduce some people to pure rage in seconds. As for me, I'm on the fence: why shouldn't people wear whatever the hell they like? No matter my personal opinion, I wouldn't tell someone they're not allowed to wear harem pants or ugg boots, so what's the difference? Not only that, but there's more to a band tee than just the name. There's the aesthetic value, too. Why wouldn't you want to wear a t-shirt bearing a design you were attracted to? I think I'd like my Wakey!Wakey! tee regardless of my love for their music because, dammit, it's a pretty cool t-shirt.

On the other hand, I feel it sort of cheapens it for those of us who are actually into the music. How often do you see people wearing a band shirt? Surely, the odds say they can't all be fans. I wear band shirts to show off my musical identity. I actually like the bands I'm wearing, and I like that it can be a conversation starter. I admit it, I absolutely hate the thought that fellow fans probably question whether or not I am one of them because so many people wear the shirts.

The most common ones seem to be Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, The Ramones and The Beatles. What's one thing these artists have in common? They were non-conformists, rebels; they dared to make the music they wanted to make and not give in to the bullshit. They used to be symbolic of freedom and individualism, and now they're available for £6.00 at Primark*. It's not about the music. There's something very wrong about that, to me.

I know I sound angry and very anti-band tees, but honestly, for the most part I feel it's none of my business what other people wear. There's just this little part of me that gets irritated by the insincerity of it. To me, a band shirt is a statement. It says 'this is me, this is what I'm into', so wearing a Beatles or Nirvana shirt when the only songs you can name are 'Hey Jude' and 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' just seems that little bit dishonest to me. But that's just my two cents (I accidentally wrote 'fifty cents' haha - definitely not gonna be buying a Fiddy shirt anytime soon).

I'm going to end this here, and leave you with one of my favourite Wakey!Wakey! songs. 

Where do you weigh in on the debate? Is it okay for people to wear t-shirts if they don't believe in what they represent? Let me know in the comments.

*Just to clarify, I don't have a problem with people who shop at stores like Primark (I occasionally wear stuff from there) nor do I mean to sound like some sort of music snob - I also enjoy listening to modern pop acts such as Katy Perry, One Direction etc.

top: Wakey!Wakey! 2011 tour

jeans: Forever 21

boots: Forever 21