(Credits: Far Out / Petros Studio)
Sun 8 March 2026 11:00, UK
How would you define the opposite of nostalgia? It could be a strong emotional connection to brand new experiences, or a total disconnect from the things of the past, and if your emotional energy is directed toward a thing that’s new to you but quite old to other people, naming that can be difficult.
These are the philosophical knots we’re all likely to see ourselves tied in a lot more often as music continues to gradually unhinge itself from the linear tracks of time and culture, becoming something a lot more ethereal and de-contextualised as the 2030s approach.
Musicians who once conquered the charts might find their legacies carried off in a dust storm, while other artists who toiled in frustration and never ‘made it’ will wake up one morning to find that, at nearly 60 years old, they’re suddenly the songwriter du jour for millions of teenagers. There is no way to predict or police how these tides are going to move as AI becomes more of a tastemaker, and social media enters its third decade. It is perhaps a little bit comforting, though, to know that the consequences don’t always have to be scary and depressing.
Case in point, the long-defunct UK indie band Black Box Recorder are playing a gig at the London Palladium this May, their first in 17 years, and it’s not a reunion that follows the typical nostalgia playbook. There were no strategic meetings among the band members or their old record label; no petitions from their small but devoted fan base to get back together. With no guarantees of a huge payout from some promoter, instead, we’re all getting the chance to revisit one of the great under-appreciated bands of the late ‘90s solely because of the whims of one noteworthy ‘influencer’, Ms Billie Eilish.
Nearly three years ago, Eilish posted a random Instagram selfie of herself listening to the song ‘Child Psychology’ from Black Box Recorder’s 1998 debut England Made Me, an album which peaked at number 110 on the UK charts and had no measurable impact on America. Eilish’s army of followers immediately picked up the bread crumbs, took their quest to Spotify and Youtube, and lo and behold, Black Box Recorder, 20 years after their last album, were a hot ‘new’ band again. “[Billie Eilish] fucked up our retirement,” drummer/guitarist John Moore recently jested with The Guardian.
While BBR included veterans of the indie and Britpop scenes (Moore was in the Jesus and Mary Chain, Luke Haines in The Auteurs), they were a bit out of step with the trends of the late ‘90s, not as grave and theatrical as Portishead and Radiohead, and maybe a tad too clever and niche with their very specific brand of British social commentary. The song Eilish was listening to, ‘Child Psychology’, featured singer Sarah Nixey cooly journal-speaking the lines: “My school report said I showed no interest / ‘A disruptive influence’ / I felt sorry for them in a way / And when they finally expelled me / It didn’t mean a thing / Life is unfair / Kill yourself or get over it.”
People weren’t always sure how to read the vibes back then, although Black Box Recorder did find better success with their sophomore album, 2000’s The Facts of Life, which saw its title track reach number 20 on the UK charts. While the production is telling of its time, a bit like Morcheeba with more ample use of the Omnichord, Nixey’s detached, whispery vocals are extremely effective at delivering heavy punches, and you can sense the sensibilities of Eilish and Lana Del Rey growing out of it.
“Vulnerability is performed, and sometimes that feels too much,” Nixey explained, “When you listen to somebody emotionally restrained, who’s a bit more in control, there’s a safety”, and maybe that’s what the kids of the 2020s are looking for. “The old fans think the songs are about death,” John Moore said, “the young think they’re about life”.
While Nixey’s line reads get a lot of the attention, the lyrics themselves are also consistently arresting; the kind that stick with you, often reflecting something about the people around us and the desperation always lurking under the surface if you care to scratch at it. “Met a couple on the beach,” Nixey sing-talks on the 2003 track ‘I Ran All the Way Home’, “Said they’d lost a child like me / Several years ago / Said I reminded them / Of the way she might have looked / They had a photograph / They invited me back / To look at her room / I said ‘Maybe tomorrow / But I’ve got to go soon.’”
It’s unfortunate that Billie Eilish’s help was ever needed, but nonetheless, it’s good to have Black Box Recorder back.