The tentpole hits of Britpop are well established, but in this episode we take a trip down some of the B-roads and byways of the British music scene in the mid-90s.
What exactly are the trademark hits of Britpop? Supersonic. Common People. Country House. I guess. Funnily enough, Oasis are probably not defined so much by Britpop as the Gallagher Brother saga. Neither Blur nor Pulp would want to be positioned as Britpop operatives, probably at all. So what was it then?
Well really, initially it was a reaction against blanket Americana and the dying embers of grunge. Specifically the death of Kurt Cobain. In a very different way, the death of Ian Curtis in May 1980 signalled the end of the introspective anxious angular post-punk era and greenlighted Rusty Egan and Co to start dressing up and dancing. The Nirvana frontman’s suicide was the signal that the British could reclaim the “throne” of rock music. When there was still a meaningful throne to be fought over.
I’ve always been wearily dismissive of all the Union Jacks and the beery swagger which is my mental image of Britpop. The phrase Indie Landfill seems to me rather more easy to direct at Britpop which showcased any number of second-class opportunists.
However, it turned out to be possible, by exploring the edges of the genre, to construct a perfectly listenable, in fact really rather good playlist. One must be openminded. It’s no coincidence that these tracks don’t swagger at all for the most part – maybe one or two flirt – but there is generally rather more sunny optimism, perhaps, than can be found in the typical SF episode. Which is no bad thing.
Anyway, see what you think.
