Neon is making a comeback, more than ever before. Although pop is a big genre for bright colours and neon, other music genres, including glam rock and dark wave are starting to embrace it more and more. Festivals, including the NEON Music Festival are also attracting bigger crowds, with huge visuals that electrify the stage while providing a bigger, better and brighter experience to fans.
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The Neon Revival is a Widespread Cultural Movement
When you break down the neon revival, it’s clear to see that it’s a widespread cultural movement. Although this trend is present in music, it’s also present in fashion, and gaming. Take Versace, for example. Their latest collections consist of neon green accessories, pink mini skirts and UV eyeshadow, showcasing a rebellion of colour on runways across the world. Even games are embracing neon more, with titles like Stray, which involves you following flickering neon signs as you make your way through a bleak and desolate city. Another gaming example would be the Derby Wheel online slot. This slot game involves you spinning three wheels and three rows, with classic fruit symbols that have been reimagined with a neon overlay. Not only does this help the game to align with modern trends, it also adds a pop of excitement and colour, through the clever use of electrifying neon.
Neon’s Spotlight on Glam Rock and Dark Wave
While a number of artists are riding the neon wave right now, it’s interesting to see how this is influencing different genres. Chris Harms, frontman of Lord of the Lost has chosen to take his music in an edgier direction with his release of 1980. The album cover embraces a number of neon colours, with the record being a throwback to the golden age of music. His use of neon shows how the trend is able to transcend genre, unifying goth metal and 80s synths under one glowing banner.
Even genres like dark wave are embracing neon, with Drab Majesty using a neon theme for a number of their music videos. The release of 4ÆM is another example of how dark wave is embracing neon, showing how influential it has been to the world of music, and how impactful music artists are using it as a way to break out of their genre and experiment with new looks and sounds.
Neon is also being embraced in movie production, as explained by Bomb Report, showing how far-reaching its influence is right now. As time goes on, it seems that neon isn’t just about bringing back cultural nostalgia. It’s also about standing out and embracing futuristic visions. Neon demands to be seen, and it also helps to provide that “wow” factor. What was once a stylistic choice in pop culture has now exploded into a full movement, as now it’s about more than just being a colour palette. It’s a statement, and a rebellion against things that are ordinary.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that fashion designers, game developers, and even music artists are starting to embrace it more. With more underground genres starting to use it as a way to stand out in a crowded market, it’s certainly an exciting time to be a fan of music.
