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Classm novels rewsned. This issue: Fahrenhe/t 457
Published a' What's the story m.
JOHN HARRIS
The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock
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‘Where were you while we were getting high?‘ Liam Gallagher once
asked. As he broke a hundred " thousand hearts in the wilds of Knebworth, Herts, fronting ‘the biggest band on the planet', Tony -2 Blair was striding into no 10 with a " frighteningly similar swagger. We i ° know where John Harris was: there in the thick of it, scribbling for the i ' likes of NME, O and Select, detailing . ' l l the stratospheric peaks and powder— i t dusted troughs of 905 British rock music. In short. Harris was one of 3 ‘ " Britpop‘s cataloguers. ‘1 “ "~ Initially a canny term utilised by I ' 3 7' ’ music hacks to homogenise the Roxy Music-fixated gauche strides l of Suede, the taut garrotte pop of " ' 1' ' Elastica, the artful, modish stomp of ' i Blur and the garrulous pub/stadium ‘ "' ' rock of Oasis, Britpop soon became 7" a catch-all for every two-bit chancer ‘ ~ " '7 with a few Faces riffs and a suit like ' " ' ' ' ‘ Jimmy from Ouadrophenia. What the critics said " »- Where punk demanded that we ' '~ ' : V ‘- ‘destroy’, Britpop suggested we I" ‘ ' ‘celebrate’. Hedonistic Britain (well, : ' ' a' " ' » the south east of it anyway) became ' " v ‘ a centre for hipness not seen since : . 1' ,1: mm” . the 605 were swinging, and New ' ° Ir 1' i ' Labour‘s corralling of ‘Cool r « , Britannia’ and their ‘rebranding of Key moment "w- '~ .i- '1 Britain’ meant indie record label ' 'z / " w gurus and rock stars quaffed w»: ' '~ Ll ,: m; 2'“: champers and ate canapes with When Tony met Noel, Damon, Justine and Brett w; v my , ‘uw: : f : i. politicians. '~ .ur- :,. nfw It’s almost impossible not to be a little cynical about doing, Harris uncovers a universally ambitious group ‘ n'w' m; n 5.1: it." ‘4» this unprecedented symbiosis of politics and youth of young(ish) people whose vanities, impatience and, ~ " ra', ’ ‘, ' " ' culture and unsurprisingly, Harris‘ reading of events is for several, substance abuse led them off the paths : y ; ': :..::' ' r somewhat bittersweet, retold with an air of resignation they initially trailblazed so skilfully. Not hot news :1- .2 . ;' °. “.4 ,' Tn ; ' which occasionally mars his enthusiasm: Oasis’ nowadays, granted, but the similarities between the Wr- -- Emir, m”: Knebworth shows were just too big; Jarvis Cocker‘s quintet are far greater than would first be imagined. “, ‘2: 51' * ' 7:"--'2 ': on-stage dalliance with Michael Jackson at the Brits in What The Last Party also reinforces, despite its '1 °' w .' ': 1996 was an overblown shambles. rather pessimistic conclusion, is that this era gave us posteript ,-, 'm, ’1‘... ,. .. Harris is, however, an expert musical historian and Definitely Maybe. Parklife and Different Class, the kind a]... z I: r .,o_ o. .. I . roots around behind the music in the personal lives of of records that will remain in people’s hearts and 5.1., ,l ,v ; w mg, n ,. those prime movers: Suede's Brett Anderson, record collections for decades to come. Whether the .,y.,l.,,.-;/,,' a I. .- .. Elastica's Justine Frischmann, Blur‘s Damon Albarn, fruits of New Labour will be held with similar . It, , a, Oasis’ Gallaghers and of course one Tony Blair. In so affections remains to be seen. (Mark Robertson) ..,< " mu}; m ,I »~ mam " "V ‘~ V .l‘d " 1 '; ' u ;; 51’-‘f"?1' r","1""""" "" s i"' \l'”. ‘(2 (i' 0': ' ’ ” 8'35) ;"'., ’." ’l'ffi'}. {.11’4'”, ’2 First line test 1.31.1, Kingdom of Fear l1.."'_€,'5 ":,'w‘::.‘;t:r\ $5 was {i'lULS ,-’:"' »f,- 5:' “lix' :a': .f' ‘1‘“, Hi. {I ,\,..~.U,.x,..‘~.g.c, ... f".i"z:\:‘:.’.0’zi‘atv‘af (L' (l "‘w'gwm " a 3;: :~fl-"'?:: A mu“, m: ""l ""d' " ." ‘3’ "‘ “all/V". "8'. ).""‘:'I..l ' ' :.".':" I '2 ' ‘{ 3": .‘ll » "' .l.. lt‘:"’ :1 l .’.l.-T:’.,"‘:"‘:°"~,'. ,5 "2+1: ' N ., . /. lll ll-\\\l( hl \l\tlllK \l'All l l l ‘Wfllhllll‘ zi .;_.ér‘."zi'. Y'W::;( .f’. :.’;' w)". ” nut-5'". I: WK,mmmaunm[Matnxmmm F .1T'.‘../2(7f:..'.£i'<lf%Q}.."‘~{l"’}f"€:{:""‘(: "‘r‘flé: "‘:'.’,"‘r'. nr‘:;:::."‘ " F;"£:' "g; '_'VZ: l' T"~',-'-': 5t": " [2' . 014-“: ~' '° gift"!...f<:f; ’~‘ TYV‘T’M: "f- 10641:. :..a:¢.::7;5;2' ‘.' a l v: . .' «.'- F ’li‘fkldihfk,'li:f,"1if"‘i:l{lf}‘:i3"R ‘;..:,'_’.<:':'.Cf:f"f,',"‘:8-:0'0" 1.007100"! SGCKEDOI "(:"T £i"".£‘:' :i'. a r: :;..’:’1. .mm 881' C".‘¢.-’:’: 7)" '1 ' " w‘ 'I: L4,“. A““"‘°’"° “““ N :"‘<;.§;:,"¥; “must; :1‘ {128" l" ,' "- "" ~’. /~ "0" ' ’L‘ " ' '* 1" 7“ FmaL can 0‘ rap ’ ’ AMCRICAM ((an '<-<:r:"1<;-:: 550.1%: I;‘ :1 1:04:33; T421" "(2 ffr"’2‘.:"’;, “:8 ;'_’, 'ez” IN ; , ,. , h ,‘ ,.,. my,"'11"(:';:::£i"f NEW: I ’,_."a‘:‘;£:"’1{,2'7‘5,'£:'T‘~ .‘."':"‘; A! H! h! E3..'.T"tas;<:o:a"i"<;, ',::"t'.2::vf“' In»? ’xzcsr”:u":.‘:'i:g:<r' ,2: I ~:::' ."“:'.".;: '1. ‘ ' “/'-2 . I~ "QY . t dvfif,’ S .. f,'. M ’ ‘ I / I <1 :, ‘ v.07? 'm o o: r“ w » . w . ’3» w; i » i -' hi" ' ’2 ;-' 1:, . ’ ~ .:: a i . . ' ’.‘ ,. ' ' v .. . . "'I ‘ ."/ Chronicling a ‘busy' life " 'z":ti".:~ J: ;.:" ;" " a
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