Britpop re-assesed?

From my 10-12 year old vantage point it was completely invisible in the US at the time apart from Oasis. Blur seemed genuinely very strange to me until “Song 2” came about.

Sometimes I check out also-fans/stragglers like Baby Bird and I’m like “wow this is extremely British”

also-rans

There was actually a small Britpop scene in Toronto, a handful of bands that were inspired both by the contemporary UK acts and the veteran bands that they emulated. A local group named Admiral got notable press here but only seem to have released a couple of EPs in 1996 and 1997.

I heard (the London!) Suede and early Blur far more often on my college radio station than 1995-1996 Blur-Suede-Oasis.

Toronto still seemed to be living in the Britpop era when I lived there in the 2000s. TBF it was the more the Blur/Suede/Pulp/Mod end of things rather than Oasis. I remember hearing a CBC documentary about Britpop where they mentioned how Chris from Menswe@r would corner every customer ever at the Good Mixer and tell them about his "new band Menswear" and I was like, yep, that happened to me too (although I only popped in because it was next to Mega City)

It's quite funny and all

https://neilk.substack.com/p/on-oasis-the-gallaghers-d4abcb889d59?fbclid=IwAR1rZKrpZpBWLLTRRzeJ9u5U6qifVFU94D1qM3sH5PLZXG8JxJtL3ZMYq-Q

As much as I hate lads rock the counter argument would be: did Britpop stop anything from happening? Trip-hop, dance music, etc. All charted. The music weeklies were dying too and they didn't dominate the coverage.

very little if anything to disagree with there, but also I was driving the other day and Rock & Roll Star came on the radio and I found myself enjoying it a great deal.

Saw one of their videos sitting in a cafe a couple of weeks ago and it was fine. I wouldn't buy it. Think I'm more inclined to think in a "right, this ok thing came out of this abhorrent culture, what next?" than aping bog standard middle-class outrage at it.

it is high time for a re-assesment of the Britpop movement

Posted 10th May 2001.

A few months before that fateful day that two planes etc.