This week marks the tenth anniversary of one of the most important times in music history, Britpop. 1995 was the height of Cool Britannia and the year of the Blur vs. Oasis battle. It goes without saying that the chart race to #1 between Oasis and Blur was the biggest competition like that in 20 years (Oh yeah, and Blur won). Vox, Select, and Melody Maker were on top of their game, and bands like Suede, Pulp, Blur, Elastica, Sleeper, Lush and Oasis were everywhere. Now, ten years later, these bands have sparked a new generation of groups that are popular today including Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Kaiser Cheifs, and Maximo Park. In honor of this anniversary this weekend XFM will be broadcasting Britpop from years past all weekend long. Be sure and check it out. In addition, if you need to brush up on some of your history on the subject then be sure and check out BBC as they have an expose of Britpop including timelines, key players, and where they all are now. The Tripwire also suggests checking out the summer issue of Under The Radar and Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock by John Harris.
If reading about it just insn’t enough and you are in the NYC area on August 31 then be sure and head on over to the first monthly All England Club at the Hiro Lounge (Maritime Hotel). Preffered attire is tennis whites, and the music will be the best of Britpop from 1990-1996.
Who were some of your favorite Britpop bands, films, or books? Email us at today@thetripwire.com and let us know.
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