Post by pieter on Oct 10, 2019 17:29:19 GMT -7
Britpop
Britpop was a UK-based music and culture movement in the mid-1990s which emphasised "Britishness", and produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music, an alternative rock genre, and to the UK's own shoegazing music scene. The most successful bands linked with the movement are Blur, Oasis, Suede and Pulp; those groups would come to be known as its "big four", though Suede and Pulp would distance themselves from the term. The timespan of Britpop is generally considered to be 1993–1997, with 1994–1995, and a chart battle between Blur and Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop", being the epicentre of activity. While music was the main focus, fashion, art, and politics also got involved, with artists such as Damien Hirst being involved in creating videos for Blur, and being labelled as Britart or Britpop artists, and Tony Blair and New Labour aligning themselves with the movement.
Though Britpop is viewed as a marketing tool, and more of a cultural moment than a musical style or genre, there are musical conventions and influences the bands grouped under the Britpop term have in common, such as showing elements from the British pop music of the 1960s, glam rock and punk rock of the 1970s, and indie pop of the 1980s in their music. Described by NME as being "a major cultural phenomenon", Britpop was a media-driven focus on bands which emerged from the independent music scene of the early 1990s. These Britpop groups brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British popular cultural movement called Cool Britannia which evoked the Swinging Sixties and the British guitar pop music of that decade.
Positioning themselves as opposing musical forces to American grunge bands, Britpop groups referenced British guitar music of the past and wrote about uniquely British topics and concerns. The earliest groups – Blur, Pulp and Suede – were soon joined by others including Oasis, The Verve, Supergrass, Cast, Sleeper and Elastica. "The Battle of Britpop" brought Britpop to the forefront of the British press in 1995. By 1997, however, the movement began to slow down; many acts began to falter and break up. The popularity of the pop group the Spice Girls "snatched the spirit of the age from those responsible for Britpop". Although its more popular bands were able to spread their commercial success overseas, the movement largely fell apart by the end of the decade.
Britpop was a UK-based music and culture movement in the mid-1990s which emphasised "Britishness", and produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music, an alternative rock genre, and to the UK's own shoegazing music scene. The most successful bands linked with the movement are Blur, Oasis, Suede and Pulp; those groups would come to be known as its "big four", though Suede and Pulp would distance themselves from the term. The timespan of Britpop is generally considered to be 1993–1997, with 1994–1995, and a chart battle between Blur and Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop", being the epicentre of activity. While music was the main focus, fashion, art, and politics also got involved, with artists such as Damien Hirst being involved in creating videos for Blur, and being labelled as Britart or Britpop artists, and Tony Blair and New Labour aligning themselves with the movement.
Though Britpop is viewed as a marketing tool, and more of a cultural moment than a musical style or genre, there are musical conventions and influences the bands grouped under the Britpop term have in common, such as showing elements from the British pop music of the 1960s, glam rock and punk rock of the 1970s, and indie pop of the 1980s in their music. Described by NME as being "a major cultural phenomenon", Britpop was a media-driven focus on bands which emerged from the independent music scene of the early 1990s. These Britpop groups brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British popular cultural movement called Cool Britannia which evoked the Swinging Sixties and the British guitar pop music of that decade.
Positioning themselves as opposing musical forces to American grunge bands, Britpop groups referenced British guitar music of the past and wrote about uniquely British topics and concerns. The earliest groups – Blur, Pulp and Suede – were soon joined by others including Oasis, The Verve, Supergrass, Cast, Sleeper and Elastica. "The Battle of Britpop" brought Britpop to the forefront of the British press in 1995. By 1997, however, the movement began to slow down; many acts began to falter and break up. The popularity of the pop group the Spice Girls "snatched the spirit of the age from those responsible for Britpop". Although its more popular bands were able to spread their commercial success overseas, the movement largely fell apart by the end of the decade.