Great stuff. I was more into the periphery bands for the term Brit Pop, Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers and loathed Grunge and Nirvana. Blur were better song writers than Oasis, but Oasis had the anthems. I could never get over Liam's vocals or Blur's fake Cockney posturing, I think their talent shone once they dropped that.
Still, I think these were the last interesting times for music. The 90's weren't the most original decade, but it was the last one with consistently high quality music.
Thanks so much Dean! I've actually just discovered the Manics properly this year after seeing them headline with Suede. I think at the time there was just too much else to listen to!
I agree with your point about the cockney stuff, and I cringe about that now, but I think at the time, so much of Britpop was actually just so new and refreshing. It's hard to see it that way since, as it's all a become a bit of a cliche.
I think the sheer amount of one type of music around at that time made it special, but it's really hard to tell if that's really true or if it's because I was young then and in the thick of it. 🤔
I saw that tour was going on, but I've seen the Manics enough times now and am not too keen on the last few albums.
You were taken in by the fake Cockney stuff, I was taken in by the Manics' sloganeering and pseudo intellectualism. I cringe at it but still love it! Somehow it was all still so much fun.
In the thick of it certainly, only I was probably the thickest :D
Like you, I rarely buy music these days because there's so little that appeals to me. I listen to music all the time, but it's hardly ever recent and when I go to gigs, it's to bands and artists that have been around forever... One of the few "current" artists I actually liked enough to buy albums and see live was Sam Fender...
I guess this means I'm officially old 🙈🤷🏻♀️
Oh and my 71 year old mum is usually more up to date with music than I am as well 😂
This was so great to read, and it's such a treat to stumble upon another Britpop fan. Not sure what I'm doing wrong in my life (haha) but it's been way too long since I was able to connect with a fellow fan. Really enjoy reading the earlier commenters' comments as well.
I too love(d) Blur (sometimes I'm not sure whether to use the present or past tense?), but Suede have always been #1 for me. Pulp are up there too, and though they're a bit before full-on Britpop, the Roses. There were so many good bands that showed promise as well but were just unable to crack the scene. I was really into Longpigs who I thought had a brilliant first album (they supported Suede on their US tour in 1998) but were let down by their second. Geneva and Rialto also had potential. Such nostalgic times. (I have some old music-related posts on my previous platform that you've now inspired me to polish off and republish here - thanks!)
Thank you Daniel! I agree - now I look at Suede as my No.1 whereas I can't revisit Blur in the same way - they feel too 'of their time' to me, and perhaps I don't want to crush the memories.
Yes I was taken with the Longpigs for a while too! None of the bands that came after the big Britpop ones seemed to have the same lasting power.
You should definitely polish off those posts - I look forward to reading them and wallowing for a bit too!
I'm not sure if I ever will polish those old posts off tbh. If I can shoehorn them into my Substack, then perhaps. For a tiny bit of my musical insight (not just Britpop), you can have a look here, but be sure to skip the first few paragraphs and scroll down to Part 4 'Music therapy' - trust me, you don't want to read all of my nonsense before that point!
Thanks so much for sending this Daniel - ok you HAVE to write a piece about mixed tapes! I'm so glad you still have yours. I'd forgotten how significant they were. And you did a mixed CD?! I love this too. This has also made me think more seriously about an idea for a mini blog series I have that will give me the excuse to write more about 80s and 90s music...:)
Great piece! I’ve loved Blur since I was about 7. I was living in Hong Kong when the Magic Whip came out and they came over on their tour - one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to! Have you listened to The Ballad of Darren? I think it’s a brilliant album.
I did grunge/Britpop the opposite way to you: I was massively into the Seattle scene until 1994 came around, when I chopped my hair, smartened up my shirts and basically lived in Camden for three years. A fantastic time to be a teenager.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this Lewis! You were really in the thick of it living in Camden - you must have bumped into some of the key players?!
Haha, I wish. I was too young and too gawky to get anywhere near the cool kids, just being in the Good Mixer was enough to get me giddy. I might have once squawked awkwardly at Louise Wener from Sleeper once - I was absolutely infatuated with her.
Full disclosure: I didn't actually *live* in Camden, but me and my mates had disposable income and no responsibilities. We were doing gigs three or four nights a week and it really did feel like home being part of such a scene. We'd see bands like Supergrass or The Bluetones in the toilet circuit venue in Windsor, then a couple of weeks later we'd see them in the big smoke. Tickets were something like a tenner, which is staggering when I think about it now.
I know every generation thinks that their zeitgeist is the best, but I truly believe that Britpop (and the wider Cool Britannia movement) was something special.
I have to agree! I love hearing about this - please write a post on it! I loved The Bluetones (and also Menswear!). And everyone seemed to be in love with Louise Wener! I remember seeing Sleeper in Windsor too - I think part of the excitement was seeing the leap those bands would make from being in front of you one minute to Top of the Pops the next. I wonder if today's youth have the same experience 🤔
Ha, Menswear burned briefly and brightly, right? Think I saw them five or six times in one summer. There's still a little nostalgic hit to be had off their debut album.
Only one venue of note in Windsor back then. If I said 'The Old Trout' would that ring some bells?!
I'm not sure the experience these days is remotely the same. I've seen a few bands recently talking about having full time day jobs even after releasing full albums. Record labels seem to want acts with massive social media followings already, rather than helping them to grow their fan base. I get the impression it's a lot harder than it used to be.
I do plan on broadening my Stack out in the future. There's definitely room for a Britpop look back at some point. It's on the idea pile.
The Old Trout - that’s the one! You’re right about this and it’s another topic for another article - how you can be performing at Glastonbury one minute and back to work at the bank the next. It’s such a shame.
Britpop was great. I'm so glad we were of an age to enjoy that era. I recently went to an indie disco at the Southbank, London, and danced like a nutter with other 50+ year olds. Wonderful stuff.
It was a bottomless brunch event which ended around 4.30pm, if my hazy memory serves me right. When I say brunch, I mean Prosecco 🥴 And Louise Wener from Sleeper (my girl crush) was dj’ing. It was SO much fun.
Great stuff. I was more into the periphery bands for the term Brit Pop, Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers and loathed Grunge and Nirvana. Blur were better song writers than Oasis, but Oasis had the anthems. I could never get over Liam's vocals or Blur's fake Cockney posturing, I think their talent shone once they dropped that.
Still, I think these were the last interesting times for music. The 90's weren't the most original decade, but it was the last one with consistently high quality music.
Thanks so much Dean! I've actually just discovered the Manics properly this year after seeing them headline with Suede. I think at the time there was just too much else to listen to!
I agree with your point about the cockney stuff, and I cringe about that now, but I think at the time, so much of Britpop was actually just so new and refreshing. It's hard to see it that way since, as it's all a become a bit of a cliche.
I think the sheer amount of one type of music around at that time made it special, but it's really hard to tell if that's really true or if it's because I was young then and in the thick of it. 🤔
Most welcome.
I saw that tour was going on, but I've seen the Manics enough times now and am not too keen on the last few albums.
You were taken in by the fake Cockney stuff, I was taken in by the Manics' sloganeering and pseudo intellectualism. I cringe at it but still love it! Somehow it was all still so much fun.
In the thick of it certainly, only I was probably the thickest :D
Like you, I rarely buy music these days because there's so little that appeals to me. I listen to music all the time, but it's hardly ever recent and when I go to gigs, it's to bands and artists that have been around forever... One of the few "current" artists I actually liked enough to buy albums and see live was Sam Fender...
I guess this means I'm officially old 🙈🤷🏻♀️
Oh and my 71 year old mum is usually more up to date with music than I am as well 😂
Ha ha that's so funny, I'm glad it's not just me who feels less in touch than their parents 😂. The 60s have a lot to answer for dammit.
This was so great to read, and it's such a treat to stumble upon another Britpop fan. Not sure what I'm doing wrong in my life (haha) but it's been way too long since I was able to connect with a fellow fan. Really enjoy reading the earlier commenters' comments as well.
I too love(d) Blur (sometimes I'm not sure whether to use the present or past tense?), but Suede have always been #1 for me. Pulp are up there too, and though they're a bit before full-on Britpop, the Roses. There were so many good bands that showed promise as well but were just unable to crack the scene. I was really into Longpigs who I thought had a brilliant first album (they supported Suede on their US tour in 1998) but were let down by their second. Geneva and Rialto also had potential. Such nostalgic times. (I have some old music-related posts on my previous platform that you've now inspired me to polish off and republish here - thanks!)
Thank you Daniel! I agree - now I look at Suede as my No.1 whereas I can't revisit Blur in the same way - they feel too 'of their time' to me, and perhaps I don't want to crush the memories.
Yes I was taken with the Longpigs for a while too! None of the bands that came after the big Britpop ones seemed to have the same lasting power.
You should definitely polish off those posts - I look forward to reading them and wallowing for a bit too!
I'm not sure if I ever will polish those old posts off tbh. If I can shoehorn them into my Substack, then perhaps. For a tiny bit of my musical insight (not just Britpop), you can have a look here, but be sure to skip the first few paragraphs and scroll down to Part 4 'Music therapy' - trust me, you don't want to read all of my nonsense before that point!
https://pedzoisback.blogspot.com/2020/04/month-2-of-quarantine-and-were-all-as.html
Thanks so much for sending this Daniel - ok you HAVE to write a piece about mixed tapes! I'm so glad you still have yours. I'd forgotten how significant they were. And you did a mixed CD?! I love this too. This has also made me think more seriously about an idea for a mini blog series I have that will give me the excuse to write more about 80s and 90s music...:)
Great piece! I’ve loved Blur since I was about 7. I was living in Hong Kong when the Magic Whip came out and they came over on their tour - one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to! Have you listened to The Ballad of Darren? I think it’s a brilliant album.
Thanks Andy! I haven't actually, but I've heard good things. I'll have to take a look.
This was a great read, thanks for sharing.
I did grunge/Britpop the opposite way to you: I was massively into the Seattle scene until 1994 came around, when I chopped my hair, smartened up my shirts and basically lived in Camden for three years. A fantastic time to be a teenager.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this Lewis! You were really in the thick of it living in Camden - you must have bumped into some of the key players?!
Haha, I wish. I was too young and too gawky to get anywhere near the cool kids, just being in the Good Mixer was enough to get me giddy. I might have once squawked awkwardly at Louise Wener from Sleeper once - I was absolutely infatuated with her.
Full disclosure: I didn't actually *live* in Camden, but me and my mates had disposable income and no responsibilities. We were doing gigs three or four nights a week and it really did feel like home being part of such a scene. We'd see bands like Supergrass or The Bluetones in the toilet circuit venue in Windsor, then a couple of weeks later we'd see them in the big smoke. Tickets were something like a tenner, which is staggering when I think about it now.
I know every generation thinks that their zeitgeist is the best, but I truly believe that Britpop (and the wider Cool Britannia movement) was something special.
I have to agree! I love hearing about this - please write a post on it! I loved The Bluetones (and also Menswear!). And everyone seemed to be in love with Louise Wener! I remember seeing Sleeper in Windsor too - I think part of the excitement was seeing the leap those bands would make from being in front of you one minute to Top of the Pops the next. I wonder if today's youth have the same experience 🤔
Ha, Menswear burned briefly and brightly, right? Think I saw them five or six times in one summer. There's still a little nostalgic hit to be had off their debut album.
Only one venue of note in Windsor back then. If I said 'The Old Trout' would that ring some bells?!
I'm not sure the experience these days is remotely the same. I've seen a few bands recently talking about having full time day jobs even after releasing full albums. Record labels seem to want acts with massive social media followings already, rather than helping them to grow their fan base. I get the impression it's a lot harder than it used to be.
I do plan on broadening my Stack out in the future. There's definitely room for a Britpop look back at some point. It's on the idea pile.
The Old Trout - that’s the one! You’re right about this and it’s another topic for another article - how you can be performing at Glastonbury one minute and back to work at the bank the next. It’s such a shame.
Britpop was great. I'm so glad we were of an age to enjoy that era. I recently went to an indie disco at the Southbank, London, and danced like a nutter with other 50+ year olds. Wonderful stuff.
Omg Louise Wener?! This sounds epic!
That sounds great!! Was it one of those 4pm ones? I’m really interested in trying one out. Such an efficient use of time!
It was a bottomless brunch event which ended around 4.30pm, if my hazy memory serves me right. When I say brunch, I mean Prosecco 🥴 And Louise Wener from Sleeper (my girl crush) was dj’ing. It was SO much fun.
I was 30 in 1994 and having the best times of my life. ( late starter!😂) The music was sooo good, the combo of indie and rave. Happy days!
Ah yes, the rave part! That passed me by slightly so I'm envious!!
I (from Germany) was friend with a British au pair. She brought back two cassettes from Britain, Blur and Oasis. Have been a fan ever since.
That’s so cool!