It’s highly unlikely that anybody will remember 2014 as the year we all stopped thinking of rock music as being specifically for middle-aged game developers who still live at home and wear the same Cannibal Corpse hoodie every day, but nevertheless, it was a thing that happened. As Hannah Ewens pointed out, rock music and it's many sub-genres have always had a turbulent relationship with the mainstream. But this year saw Metallica headline Glastonbury, Bring Me The Horizon sell out Wembley Arena, New Found Glory prove that pop punk is still alive (read: not just for people who still come from hand jobs) and Paramore’s Hayley Williams bag a Trailblazer Award for being a total boss. If that isn't enough to constitute commercial success, I don't know what is.Alternative rock has even integrated into popular culture enough to warrant its own thriving sexist club scene, which is both bogus and sad, but at the same time the scene is also enjoying a refresher course in female visibility thanks to bands like Marmozets. Fingers crossed it will continue to do well in 2015 and maybe some of its musicians can actually quit their day jobs and do this shit full time.
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