Allmusic describes the genre this way:

Shoegaze is a genre of late ’80s and early ’90s British indie rock, named after the bands’ motionless performing style, where they stood on stage and stared at the floor while they played. But shoegaze wasn’t about visuals — it was about pure sound. The sound of the music was overwhelmingly loud, with long, droning riffs, waves of distortion, and cascades of feedback. Vocals and melodies disappeared into the walls of guitars, creating a wash of sound where no instrument was distinguishable from the other… Almost none of the shoegazers were dynamic performers or interesting interviews, which prevented them from breaking through into the crucial U.S. market…

For the full entry, visit Allmusic.com.

For me, shoegazing represents the full embodiment of what it means to be a musician: pure and unadulterated focus on the music.  Not as entertainers, but as deliverers of a pure message, not messed with by prancing around stage theatrically.

That sounds just like the gospel to me.

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