Please dont tar everyone with the same bru$h. However at 43 I guess I am far from the ' target audience' anyway.
I'm not sure that there are the same ' scenes' as there was 20 or 25 years ago when everything was more factionalised ( is that a word? if not just made a new one up!). Aside from a short spell in the 1980's and easrly 90's I dont think St Helens has ever had a thriving scene particularly. These days more so the majority of young people seem to like similar things these days so anything particularly ' specialist' by nature doesnt seem to do particularly well.
Whilst Zoo bar does ok pushing its ' indie' night in my opinion its not particularly indie at all ( although its sometime since I ventured in) more just the poppier end of what passes for indie these days ( Killers/ Kooks, etc)
By the way Indiependance promoted cheap bottles at £1.50 so its a bit rich having a pop on that front. Quite ironic that I arranged to meet a few people in there one night after a match and they were knocked back for wearing Saints shirts- so desperate for custom they turned people away. ( I had mine on under a trackie top)
For whatever reason it just doesnt seem ingrained in the towns culture and the lack of any significant student poulation could be a factor.
Barley Mow/ Scruffs in Warrington used to be a fantastic night out for indie lovers. Also had good nights in the Blue Bell and Carlton really not sure what went wrong there.
I regularly attend a night totally dedicated to Morrissey and the Smiths in Manchester and it is rammed every month and you cannot get more specialist than that ! Indeed I am going one tonight in Liverpool after the gig at the Echo arena.