The Britpop phenomenon took over the music scene in the 90s, defining an era that would last for at least a decade. With a style of its own, Britpop quickly became the icon of a generation that experienced strong social changes, which affected both political life and the arts.
Thirty years later, the greatest proponents of the genre have announced their returns to the stage. One by one, they publish tour dates and tease new material to old and new fans. But what does this comeback mean to today’s society? Is it possible that the Britpop movement is chanting its triumphant return? And, first of all, does this comeback have any place within today’s audiences?
In August, news about the Oasis reunion flooded the internet. Looking back at the past two years, this reunion feels like the most logical and expected next move in a much bigger process: the slow and monumental return of Britpop.
In November 2022, Blur announced that the band would reunite to release a new album: The Ballad of Darren. After their Wembley show in July 2023, the British group launched its latest work: a 12-track ninth studio album. Being very well-received by the public and critically acclaimed, the album became a statement of where the band finds itself today. Although it moves a little away from the Britpop sound present in their previous works, The Ballad of Darren maintains its Blur essence, with a modern twist. With instrumentation and melodies that turn towards a more classically pop sound, the album fits in very well with today’s musical aesthetics. Still, its lyrics and some melodic lines resemble 70s rock music. In short, The Ballad of Darren is proof that Blur renovates itself and that its comeback is just as strong as what once moved them in the 90s.
Months before Blur announced its return, another Britpop giant was awakening: the Sheffield-based Pulp. In July 2022, the group posted a cryptic video on social media containing the lines “What exactly do you do for an encore?” from their 1998 song This is Hardcore.
That same year, frontman Jarvis Cocker was giving a series of gigs with his project JARV IS, and was presenting his book Good Pop, Bad Pop. And it was during a Q&A organised by The Guardian for the promotion of his book, and the day after the publication of the video on Pulp’s social media, that the singer revealed the meaning behind its hidden message: “It’s a line from This Is Hardcore… next year Pulp are going to play some concerts!”. Nick Banks, Pulp’s drummer, also confirmed the news through his X account, where he wrote: “Hey folks, unsurprisingly it’s has all gone a bit mental on here. Gig details will be revealed as and when. Stay calm, hug your #pulp records and dream of going mental sometime in 2023”. By May 26th, Pulp began its This Is What We Do For an Encore tour, which was the first time the group got together to perform in nearly a decade and the first time since the death of bassist Steve Mackey earlier that year.
With a setlist that went over their 1994 and 1995 albums His n’ Hers and Different Class, Pulp offered a series of performances that brought a certain feeling of nostalgia to their old fans, and the possibility to experience their music live for the first time to their newer audience. To the old fans’ eyes, the group didn’t bring anything new, but maintained current in the sense of the message of their lyrics: “Beyond the ritual that constitutes seeing a band get together again and again, Pulp sounds current. What Jarvis says belongs to the present. It’s what’s happening to our lives and the world,” says journalist Marcelo Simonetti. The thing is that, at its prime, Pulp’s music often reflected the struggles and dilemmas of the British working class, which was also where its members came from. And this was consolidated on the mythical Common People, which quickly became a Britpop anthem and a sign of the times of its own time, and ironically, of our time as well.
Fast forward to 2024. On 27th August, an Oasis press release announced: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.” The great wait was indeed over. Oasis announced its return after 15 years, marking the highest point of Britpop’s gradual return. With tour dates announced all around the world set to take place next year, Oasis promises a monumental return of their music, and there even has been speculation about a possible new album release. The reconciliation of the Gallagher brothers brings with it the return of an era by the hand of one of its greatest icons.
So, in one way or another, Britpop is coming back. It might be interesting to explore how exactly this phenomenon is manifesting after nearly 30 years. On one hand, Britpop is coming back because its greatest exponents are returning to the stages. Meaning different aesthetic experiences for old and new fans, these encores bring about a certain nostalgic atmosphere. Oasis know how iconic they are. They are aware of the role they take in the social context of their time, becoming the maximum exponent of something we could call 90s homesickness.
Blur, on the other hand, place a bet on a future (or present) to which they access and adapt organically. They attract new audiences and leave the old ones satisfied. Pulp find themselves somewhere else. The temporal barrier becomes blurry. Thinking of a Britpop comeback by the hand of Pulp is only possible by taking into account the context in which the group first released their music, and putting it in perspective to our present times. Pulp certainly understood the meaning of their tour name: “An encore happens when the crowd makes enough noise to bring the band back to the stage”, as the group explained when they announced their return.
And in a general sense, this “encore” concept can be translated to the Britpop phenomenon as such. With the return to the stages of Blur and Oasis in particular, Britpop awakes like a sleeping giant. It may remain in the hands of younger audiences if it takes on the social role it once had, or if it's only about the possibility of living the aesthetic experience of what is now retro, it’s just a taste of what once was the 90s “Cool Britannia”.
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