Grunge Included 2026

Grunge Included 2026 is coming to York St John University on Monday 7 September, the UK's first academic conference dedicated to grunge. It's a full day of talks running from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm at the Creative Centre on the Lord Mayor's Walk campus, and it's free to attend.

The main draw is Gordon Raphael, the record producer and musician known for his work with The Strokes and Green River, who'll be joined by a full day of academic talks. The conference treats grunge as more than just a musical genre, looking at its influence on politics, culture, society, identity, design, fashion, art and alternative music, and how it grew from its Seattle and Pacific Northwest roots into an international movement. It's not just about the songs, then, but the wider culture that grew around them.

Behind it are Kristīne and Sintija Brence, twin sisters and PhD researchers in Humanities at York St John, who've also self-published on the social and political impact of alternative rock. They run the Grunge Included blog and set up the conference to give young researchers a platform outside established academic networks. The day brings together music writers, scholars, students, researchers, musicians, critics and cultural commentators, with academics joining in from Poland, Latvia, the United States and across the UK.

If you've spent any time with the music, it's a good chance to hear it talked about in a way that goes beyond the usual headlines. It runs from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm at the Creative Centre, Lord Mayor's Walk campus, York YO31 7EX, and entry is free.