Britpop was a cultural and musical movement started in the early 1990s in Britain as a reaction to the American grunge scene. Even after all my research of Britpop itself, I still have no idea what the cultural part of it was, but the music was absolutely amazing. Bands in the genre mixed 90s alternative rock with elements of 60s and 70s pop and rock. While the movement only existed from 1993 to 1998, the musical style of Britpop is still alive today, mostly being kept alive by the very same bands from that era.
The most well known bands of the genre were Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede. Oasis was the one who saw the most mainstream success, as their music was very commercial and they took a lot of inspiration from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The somewhat rocky relationship the two frontmen (brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher) had also kept them in the public eye very frequently (it’s also what ended up causing the band to break up in 2009). Blur drew influence from The Kinks and The Who as well as from some of the mod revival bands in the 70s like The Jam. They weren’t as popular as Oasis, but they were definitely in the public eye just as much, because they often feuded with them. This was showcases most famously in their chart battle dubbed “the Battle of Britpop” in 1995 where they released singles on the same day and everyone in the UK was anxious to see which one would end up at number one on the charts. Blur’s single “Country House” won that battle, but Oasis ultimately won the war. Though arguably Blur’s frontman Damon Albarn is much more remembered today for his project Gorillaz.
Outside of the big two, there was Pulp, a fantastic band who were inspired by art rock and disco, incorporating elements of both into their unique style of Britpop, and Suede, who incorporated elements of glam rock and took tons of inspiration from David Bowie and T. Rex.
Other notable Britpop bands I personally enjoy who didn’t see as much success as those four would be Supergrass, whose musical style was very similar to Blur and had a smash hit with the song “Alright”. Their 1995 debut album “I Should Coco” which the song was taken from also did really well. Then there’s The Verve, who incorporated elements of psychedelic rock and shoegaze and are really only remembered for their hit single “Bittersweet Symphony” and their hit 1997 album “Urban Hymns”. Finally, there’s Strangelove. They’re a pretty much forgotten band of the genre who weren’t that different from the bigger acts but for some reason were never very popular and ended up breaking up after just 6 years and 3 albums. They were fantastic though, combining elements of hard rock and progressive rock with a classic britpop sound.
Some alternative rock bands that weren’t Britpop (like Radiohead, Super Furry Animals and Porcupine Tree) also made Britpop albums but weren’t part of the movement themselves.
Back when I was first getting into music, I was a Blur fanboy. They were the first band that I was truly obsessive over, and I collected everything I could from them. But they were my gateway into 60s and 70s rock, which consumed my musical interests over the next few years until January of this year, when I decided to relisten to all of Blur’s albums. I was so consumed with nostalgia for Britpop that I decided to check out Oasis who I had always assumed were just like a weaker ripoff of Blur, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were just as good. I then decided to check out some more Britpop bands and it soon became my latest musical obsession, as pretty much all I’ve been listening to for the past couple of months has been Britpop.
What are some of your guys’s thoughts on it? Here’s some of the most well known songs from the genre:
Oasis - Wonderwall
Blur - Parklife
Pulp - Common People
Suede - Beautiful Ones
Supergrass - Alright
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
