Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label

Alan McGee's role in shaping British musical culture over the past 30 years is hard to overstate. As the founder of Creation Records, he brought us the bands that defined an era. A charismatic Glaswegian, who partied just as hard as any of the acts on his notoriously hedonistic label, he became an infamous character in the world of music. In Creation Stories he tells his story in depth for the first time, from leaving school at 16 to setting up the Living Room club in London which showcased many emerging indie bands, from managing the Jesus and Mary Chain to cofounding Creation when he was only 23. His label brought us acts like My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Ride and, of course, Primal Scream. Embracing acid house, Alan, decamped to Manchester and hung out at the Hacienda, and took Creation into the big time with Screamadelica. His drug-induced breakdown, when it came, was dramatic. But as he climbed back to sobriety, he oversaw Oasis' rise to become one of the biggest bands in the world, Alan himself becoming one of the figureheads of Britpop. Having sold the label to Sony to stave off bankruptcy, he became disenchanted with the increasingly corporate ethos and left in 1999. Since then he's continued to be an influential figure in the music industry, managing the Libertines and most recently setting up a new label, 359 Music, with Cherry Red. Read more