Shoegazing (also known as shoegaze) is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991. The British music press—particularly NME and Melody Maker—named this style shoegazing because the musicians in these bands stood relatively still during live performances in a detached, introspective, non-confrontational state, hence the idea that they were gazing at their shoes.[1][2] The heavy use of effects pedals also contributed to the image of performers looking down at their feet during concerts.
The shoegazing sound is typified by significant use of guitar effects, and indistinguishable vocal melodies that blended into the creative noise of the guitars.[1] A general description given to shoegazing and other affiliated bands in London in the early 1990s was The Scene That Celebrates Itself. In the early 1990s, shoegazing groups were pushed aside by the American grunge movement, and early Britpop such as Suede, forcing the relatively unknown bands to break up or reinvent their style altogether.[1] Recent times have seen a renewed interest in the genre among "nu-gaze" bands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoegazing
