Rocking the private school bathrooms: nepotism in the music industry and Gene Gallagher’s band

Assuming you are a regular social media user, you have probably heard the term “nepo baby.” This title is being used to describe the children of celebrities who use their relatives’ connections to get into similar business fields. Although nepotism has always been recognised in fields such as acting, it has recently been pointed out that this generation's wave of musical artists seems to have all shared those same connections. 

But what really is so bad about nepotism?

Nepotism has always been a controversial subject in the music industry, with Oasis star Liam Gallagher’s 24-year-old son, Gene, facing copious amounts of distasteful comments online after his band Villanelle opened for his father’s Definitely Maybe 30 Years tour last year. Many of these disappointed criticisms involved comparisons to his father’s work, claiming he “didn’t get the talent from Liam,” and there are “many better bands that could have opened for him”.

The main argument against nepotism is the “unfairness” of it. Not many people in their early twenties can say they've played to 20,000 people at the London O2 without having any releases, or having spent their teenage years travelling the world to play drums for rock and roll legend Liam Gallagher, all by convenience. The truth of the situation is that artists of nepotism take from the very few spots in the exclusive industry that is music-making. Each year, the music industry becomes more tight-knit with the introduction of “nepo babies” and “industry plants”. This makes it nearly impossible for small and underground acts to manage getting record deals, and ultimately leads to the breakups of thousands of bands each year. To open for a worldwide appreciated artist such as Liam Gallagher is any small band’s dream, and will remain just a dream as long as nepotistic acts keep using their connections.

The quality of the music being produced by nepotistic bands such as Villanelle has also been a heavily debated topic. Their debut single, “Hinge”, has heightened a lot of controversy surrounding Gene’s vocals. The heavy, grunge-esque tune is held together by its decently strong instrumental; however, when the second young Gallagher steps in with his vocals, it turns less into a solid rock track, but more of a failed attempt at a private school Nirvana tribute band. Just shy of three minutes, the song feels lazy and soulless, which might act as a surprise to many, as they nearly have everything a good rock band has: the baggy clothes, loudness and distorted guitar sound. The truth is that they still lack one of the most important things in a band: passion. 

When watching over a Villanelle set, you can easily sense the lack of emotion and connection Gallagher has to the music. It’s something that sets bands such as Oasis and Nirvana apart from others. To them, music wasn’t just a side gig, and they had the determination to keep going until they reached the top, because they had no marble pool to lie in if it didn’t work out. This is something that is undoubtedly missing in bands such as Villanelle, as they have already started from the top, and therefore lack that dependence on the music they make. You can't get much bigger if your career begins with you playing stadiums.

It goes without saying that Villanelle are by far not the worst band to ever surface, but it raises the question of just how far a last name can take you in the music industry, and how much talent can a lifetime supply of backstage passes and unlimited opportunities give you? While people weave their way into the music industry with the use of their own connections, music is being stripped of its true purpose and each day becoming more and more impossible for any regular, working-class artist to “make it”.