The Britpop Bandwagon

After the mid-'90s Britpop explosion which saw the likes of Blur, Oasis, Supergrass, Pulp and Suede taking the charts by storm, it seemed that everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon, and in '96 and '97 there was a multitude of smaller names getting their 15 minutes of fame.

I was a bit of a fan of The Candyskins, who had a minor hit with 'Monday Morning', but I always felt deserved more. The Bluetones did well, especially with 'Slight Return' which I must admit to liking. Then there was Shed Seven, Gene, Babybird, etc. I also liked a very short-lived band called Hillman Minx whose output totalled two singles.

Were there any Britpop understudies you liked at the time?

I should say, before anyone else does, that I realise a lot of the bands I mentioned had been going before the mid-'90s, but they never really had many hits until the Britpop scene took hold.

I remember the music press getting all excited over late period bands like Gay Dad & Rialto, even more than most of the general public.

Couple of other bands from that era - Cast and Space

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Originally Posted by Paulos

Couple of other bands from that era - Cast and Space

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By a weird coincidence, when I woke up this morning, I had 'The Ballad Of Tom Jones' by Space & Cerys Matthews playing in my head, and it's been there most of the day!

I've never thrown my knickers at you and I don't come from Wales.

I liked Mansun, even through to the early 2000s and the stuff most people weren't much interested in.
Their video for the song Legacy, featuring Action Man-like dolls acting out the rise and fall of a rock band, was one of my favourite videos of the time.

Dodgy had a couple of great singles.

The Sundays were my favourite band of the 90s, though, but never got caught in the Britpop wave - they released in 92, before it started, and 97 after it finished!

Have to say I thought Britpop was really overrated. I liked Supergrass a lot and Blur and Oasis made a couple of decent albums but that was about it for me.


To add to previous bands already mentioned, can also remember stuff like Elastica and Sleeper. Not an era I look back on with much affection though, it's telling that most faded away soon after that scene ended.

Sleeper were really good imo. Their 'Pleased To Meet You' album is great!! I still listen to it now.

Space were a great band; their two albums from the era, Spiders and Tin Planet are well worth a listen.

I saw Space live in 1998/1999 they were amazing, great band IMO.