Ian, I agree with pretty much everything you said there. And yes, to give the kids their due, the ones who are clued-up about obscure music are incredibly clued up. Again, of course, it's the power of the net- anything you want to investigate is just a click away, no need to just rely on the NME, Peel, waiting for your cool older mate to do you a tape and the prohibitively expensive import racks of your local record shop.
The under-25s in amateur bands I see often seem to be extremely proficient and wide-ranging in their influences at a young age, too. And yet... but no, it's a bigger subject for another time.
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