Writer, comic and music journalist Marc Burrows is back at the Fringe with The Britpop Hour.
The Britpop Hour is a multimedia stand-up show that dives into the Britpop era, unpacking its iconic rivalries, larger-than-life personalities, relentless hype and – of course – the unforgettable music that soundtracked the era.
To celebrate his show, Marc shared with us 5 tracks that influenced ‘The Britpop Hour’.
Pulp – Common People
‘Common People’ is my favourite song of all time. Bar none. It’s so unique and angry and witty and it’s an incredible pop tune, and under all of that Jarvis bitterness (“You’ll NEVER understand, how it FEELS to live your life with no meaning or control”) it’s still, fundamentally, a song about trying to get off with a posh Greek girl at Uni. And we can all relate to that. That, to me, defines the era more than any other song…it’s so knowing, it works on so many levels and it’s a proper banger. That’s what I wanted the show to do as well!
Blur – This Is A Low
It’s not in The Britpop Hour, because I couldn’t find a place for it, but it certainly sat at the back of my mind while I was writing it. This is Damon Albarn’s wistful, almost non-specifically heartbreaking tour around Britain. It’s very Britpop – it references the Radio 4 shipping forecast, it’s grey-skied and melancholy and it was inspired by a teatowel (true – look it up). Damon sang it with a hernia and went straight to hospital when he’d done. It probably adds to the desperation. An absolute masterpiece.
Menswear – Daydreamer
There’s different facets to what Britpop was. There was the wry, intellectually thought-through muso art pop of Blur, the blunt force trauma of Oasis, the super-arch kitchen sink wit of Pulp… Menswear were different. Menswear were the first second-wave Britpop band. A bunch of Camden hipsters who knew all the right people, hung out in the same pub as all the journalists and got signed when they only had five songs because everyone knew which way the wind was blowing. ‘Daydreamer’ has ONE CHORD in it and a bassline filched entirely off a Wire song. All of that considered, it has no right to go this hard. It is the entire spirit of 1995 distilled into post-pop perfection.
Sleeper – What Do I Do Now
Britpop had a pretty well-deserved reputation for male dominance, even if those men were, Liam Gallagher aside, hardly what you’d call alpha specimens. In 1995 there were 428 men in indie bands in London alone. How many women? I counted them. 11. Those women punched way above their weight, though. I’d argue that, pound for pound, the best songs from the Britpop era were as likely to be written by a female fronted band than a male one. Any song on Elastica’s debut album can go toe-to-toe with any Oasis song. I’d punt for Sleeper’s ‘What Do I Do Now’, from the band’s second album ‘The It Girl’, being in the top five of the whole era. Louise Wener is a brilliant storyteller (it’s not a surprise that she went on to a career as a novelist) with a knack for snappy characterisation and brilliant imagery – “make up like glue, she danced around the room to the sound of her corduroy flares” is rhymed with “he looks at it all, stifles a yawn, she tries not to look like she cares”. No-one else was writing like that. All delivered with a breathy detachment sandwiched between some spiky post-punk guitar stings. It’s a masterpiece.
Oasis – Rock N’Roll Star
It’s hard not to include Oasis in this list. They’re not, by any means, the band I’d reach for first when revisiting the era. If they were on at a festival or I got a free ticket then I’d happily watch them live, but I’ve got no interest in forking out £200 to do so. I might do for Pulp or Blur. If I had the money. They’ve got some great songs, but equally they’ve got some bloody awful ones. They’re the least musically interesting superstars Britain has ever produced. And yet. You can’t talk about Britpop and not talk about Oasis. In terms of cultural weight, they outperform everyone. No-band in the last 40 years, and I really mean this, has crossed over into cultural ubiquity in the way Oasis have. So they have to be here. And they really have to be in the show. And, undeniably, they’ve got some bangers…the best of which is ‘Rock N’ Roll Star’, a full throttle, barnstorming, face-punching statement of intent. Noel wrote it, but it’s absolutely Liam’s song, and the way he attacks the vocal would become his defining performance. It’s the Gallagher charisma machine at its most effective. Still rips faces off at thirty years remove.
Listen to Marc Burrows music influences:
The Britpop Hour will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year in Underbelly’s Bristo Square from 30th July – 25th August.
For tickets and more information on Marc Burrows Britpop Hour, check out the Underbelly website!