Britpop

tribal girl

tribal girl

Bluelight Crew
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Britpop kinda came around when I was looking to start a band of my own, and therefore inspired me pick up an instrument and play (t'was bass guitar). In fact, my first ever gig was to see a Britpop band when I was just 14, a band called Sleeper. The same band I snuck out of work experience to go and meet at a record signing a year later. I was so shy I didn't know what the hell to say or do. But I still have the signed CD and poster stored away. :)

wiki said:
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. The movement developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the grunge phenomenon from the United States. In the wake of the musical invasion into the United Kingdom of American grunge bands, new British groups such as Suede and Blur launched the movement by positioning themselves as opposing musical forces, referencing British guitar music of the past and writing about uniquely British topics and concerns. These bands were soon joined by others including Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass, Sleeper and Elastica.

Britpop groups brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British cultural movement called Cool Britannia. Although its more popular bands were able to spread their commercial success overseas, especially to the United States, the movement largely fell apart by the end of the decade.
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List of Britpop bands

For me, my main favourites were always (as previously mentioned) Sleeper, Elastica, and Echobelly. Essentially, female fronted bands who had something to say about a thing or two. But I think of all those bands, Elastica still sound pretty current and not in the slightest bit dated. Which is why I continue to listen to them more than any other band of that era. But nevertheless, I shall indulge you with a lil' of each. :)

ELASTICA
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Elastica - Car Song (live on Jools Holland '94)

ECHOBELLY
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Echobelly - Natural Animal (live on The White Room)

SLEEPER
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Sleeper - What Do I Do Now?

Who were your favourites?. Or did you just not give a fuck one way or the other?. :D
 
I remember being a massive Blur fan.....of course being an American it came on the heels of the single Song 2 :) Went back and fell in love with Parklife and Modern Life is Rubbish.

I also hate to admit it but I am still a huge Oasis fan. I was one of ten people who thought that Be Here Now was a great album! Everyone I admit this to seems to laugh at me so I usually keep this a secret.

Pulp was another great britpop band 90's...great style of music IMO.
 
holy shit I love me some Brit pop!

ever since I fell in love with Blur in the 90s (Damien might be my fave artist ever, thanks to Blur and the Gorillaz)

Arctic Monkeys? only one of my favorite bands/favorite drummers ever

the band I'm in pretty much plays this style of music

I <3 teh Brit pop!!

as a musician, you can write really good pop-rock melodies, but not look lame in return. you can be catchy and rock n roll at the same time! bi-winning
 
I sort of overdid it myself so I don't listen to a lot of that stuff now, but it was my era so I still look upon it fondly.

If Elastica count then surely Suede do? They were my favourites and I'm still very fond of them. Elastica were up there too, and not just because of my Justine crush (which endures to this day) but it's a shame they were erm... 'otherwise occupied' most of the time.

I hate Pulp these days but I used to love them. I had one relationship which was based on the fact I knew obscure Pulp songs. Always hated Blur.

Denim were the true genius band of the era, although their first (and best) album predates the 'Britpop' tag. A lot of bands ripped them off wholesale. The innovators rarely profit though. Shame.

Fuck it: Denim - Fish & Chips

I'll make you rich one day, Lawrence. <3
 
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tribal girl said:
No, but her dad was. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSuHrTfcikU
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He he ;) But what makes her NOT britpop? I mean she is british, and her music cant be labeled more than 'pop'... (I dont really like her kind of music, it's only that ONE song...The Fear that I love. I mean ironic really, she is such a... Britney Spears, but those particular lyrics are so refreshing and satire-ristic...)
 
Britpop was of a certain era (the 90s), and was generally inspired by British bands from the 60s etc. Lily Allen just so happens to be British and make pop, albeit crappy pop music.
 
wiki said:
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom.

Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. The movement developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the grunge phenomenon from the United States.

In the wake of the musical invasion into the United Kingdom of American grunge bands, new British groups such as Suede and Blur launched the movement by positioning themselves as opposing musical forces, referencing British guitar music of the past and writing about uniquely British topics and concerns. These bands were soon joined by others including Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass, Sleeper and Elastica.
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so yeah, it was of a certain time. it was one of those pigeonholing exercises so common of the NME etc. but i did happen to like a lot of those bands at the time regardless.

i still love Suede the most out of that lot. Sleeper and Elastica and Blur's stuff are also still very enjoyable even today.
 
TG - how could you not like to listen to Blur anymore?! they are timeless

I would say that Britpop extends from the 90s. Britpop is a genre nowadays, and it started it 90s but has seen a recent revival with great bands like the Babyshambles, Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things (albeit they are more punk, but Britpop + punk is wonderful). I respect your opinion obviously, TG, I just think that it still extends to this day
 
I see where you're coming from, Axl. Just like anything, it's a progression of what's gone before. But I don't think any of those bands you mentioned could be labeled Britpop. But labels are somewhat restricting anyway, so I generally try to avoid them (even though I mention them a lot =D).

I think the 00's saw a rise of Punk inspired bands such as The Strokes etc (even though they're not British). Or perhaps they were more Post-Punk inspired?. Which reminds me, there was a short lived British band who toured with The Strokes around 2000 or 2001 called Life Without Buildings. Though most definitely not Britpop, they were definitely a part of that progression. And continue to inspire with their one and only album to this day. T'is a shame they disbanded. :(

Life Without Buildings - Young Offenders

As for Blur. I dunno, we were kinda bombarded with it here in the UK. But I still think it sounds kinda dated, even though, yeah, some of their songs were classics. It's just overall, it doesn't really capture my heart these days.
 
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Love Blur.

The last three albums are pretty fucking rad. Though they probably weren't all that "Britpop" by that stage.
 
axl blaze said:
I would say that Britpop extends from the 90s. Britpop is a genre nowadays, and it started it 90s but has seen a recent revival with great bands like the Babyshambles, Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things (albeit they are more punk, but Britpop + punk is wonderful). I respect your opinion obviously, TG, I just think that it still extends to this day
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dear axl, you could say many things - for example that you dislike the Spice Girls - but that doesn't necessarily make them true. ;)

don't confuse 'Britpop' (see description from wiki, above) with... British Pop Music. or a random selection of indie bands from the UK. or popular British beat combos that your strange uncle used to play bongos with in the 1960s. ;)

i'm sure the music press have concocted a wanky label for the bands you mentioned above, but they came LONG after Britpop.

how about 'the new wave of the new wave of the 15th british invasion'? :D

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Blur were massive during Britpop. i loved them then and still do now, but would agree that some of their stuff isn't quite so appealing any more.

what came first? Britpop? Or Blur turning into annoying Mockneys and becoming a parody of the whole thing with the Parklife single/video? i don't recall, but i hated that particular episode of Blur's career, with the manufactured Oasis rivalry etc.

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which other bands came out at the time? Menswear?
 
I went 2 loadsa festivals beetween 92 and 99 hence i 've seen loads off Britpop bands.
I was at Glastonbury in 94 and 5 when Pulp & Oais payed yeah i'm sure it was 94 cos Whats the STory wasn't out. I wasn't gonna bother watchin em but these 2 lovely lasses that were camped next 2 us said we wouild really regret missing it, damn they were right !
I've also seen Suede , Blur, Ash , Mock turtles , Lightning seeds , Shed Seven and a fair few other Britpop bands.
It was a pretty cool scene ,at the time cos music was stagnating after the introduction of The Criminal Justice Bill which effectivley changed Outdoor Partys 4eva. Although trhings are a bit more lax nowadays.
Another thing i think was cool is that Britpop Re mixes tended sometimes 2 be crossovers with Big Beat style music.
I'd class The Prodigy a Tecno/Rave band but even they are Britpop to an extent.
 
The only one that I recall that I listened to is Oasis. I definitely can't say that I'm a fan now though.
 
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