Great post and I’ve just discovered your Substack so hello! I was/am a big fan of all the female fronted bands of that era. Especially Sleeper and Elastica. I’m pretty sure Echobelly are touring soon too. My first post-lockdown gig was Sleeper, which was so good. Louise Wener has a great autobiography that covers her experience of the music industry around that time. The misogyny and the lad culture. I love britpop and most of the bands that are labelled as being part of the genre. It’s interesting that most/all the bands of that era hate the Britpop label. Hard to define it as anything else though!
Thank you and hello! And thank you for the recommendations - I'll keep an eye out for Echobelly tickets and would be very interested in Louise Wener's autobiography! I think the connotations have warped so much around the label 'Britpop' that I suppose artists want to pull away from it which is interesting.
I was in a band in London in the 90s called The Julie Dolphin. We did a whole bunch of good stuff, shows, well reviewed releases - an album called Lit and a single that made single of the week in NME called Birthday. For awhile there we were doing pretty well. We toured with Radiohead - I sang on The Bends sessions and ended up on a song singing with Thom - the song is called How Can You Be Sure
We were doing pretty well as I say, but because we were a band from New Zealand, we could never be a part of the Brit Pop scene. At one stage we played a show at the Garage with Sleeper and Catatonia in support, we were often on the same bill as Salad. I have just started a substack and plan to write about a few of these things. Sadly I don't have any videos to post but our music is out there on the other platforms.. its all a big beautiful sad story! Due to boring record company hassles we changed our name to Boom Boom Mancini and signed to Almo Sounds... you called this Beyond Cigarettes and Alcohol I thought I would share this one I wrote - . Arguments and Alcohol... https://youtu.be/Fh6CHfrP5Eg?si=DgyQzK1S49zK8-sa
Hi Dianne, thank you so much for commenting and sharing your story! I would love to hear/read more about it - I bet you have some stories to tell! I've just listened to Arguments and Alcohol and Birthday as well - brilliant!! I should have added you to this list! Do you still make and release music?
Thank you Lucy! Yes I am still making music - I released a solo album In 2021 called The War on Peace of Mind, but lockdowns etc prevented me from touring it etc - great reviews locally etc, but not huge listenership.. I have also released music under the name The Bads... the last album we put out was 2018 called Losing Heroes.. so yes.. still doing it. Planning another solo album soon.
I enjoy your writing. Thank you. Really nice to make contact.
Do the Cranberries qualify here? Not British obviously, but were huge at the time in the UK and definitely still an indie rock band thing. Their debut is still a favourite of mine.
Wait! How could I forget? The Sundays! They managed to get one album out during the Britpop era. I miss that band terribly.
Great list! The only ones I'd add, and they're slightly after Britpop's 1994-5 high watermark are TheAudience, whose signer Sophie Ellie-Bextor is rather better known these days, and Drugstore - and not just for their Thom Yorke duet El President.
Great recs - thank you! Have to admit, I didn't realise Sophie Ellis-Bextor was in a band before her solo career, but have just listened to The Audience and they're fab!
What a way to start my Monday! Thanks for putting some of these acts in my radar. I haven’t listened to a lot of Britpop lately (Im an old school Yaz fan), and it’s time to revisit. I’m really digging Skunk Anansie!
They are an Australian band from the 90s — "Marvin the Album" is the one I had. I kind of associate them with the same bands you mention here (Sleeper is definitely an old fave of mine).
Some great names here. Big fan of Louise Wener. She’s a fantastic front woman and Sleeper’s live performances are as good as they ever were. I think they are a seriously underrated band. Great shout on Catatonia too. International Velvet is a great album. Would you also include Garbage in this list?
Absolutely agree—Sleeper are very underrated! I love Catatonia too - I saw Cerys Matthews play solo many years ago, her voice is one of a kind. I was thinking of adding Garbage to the list—Stupid Girl is always in my rotation! Maybe I should do a Part 2? Anyone else I could add?
Some excellent bands here! Agree - not entirely sure they are all Britpop but who knows? Similarly, I wasn't sure about Dubstar but it raises a bit of an interesting point about how we define Britpop.
Great post and I’ve just discovered your Substack so hello! I was/am a big fan of all the female fronted bands of that era. Especially Sleeper and Elastica. I’m pretty sure Echobelly are touring soon too. My first post-lockdown gig was Sleeper, which was so good. Louise Wener has a great autobiography that covers her experience of the music industry around that time. The misogyny and the lad culture. I love britpop and most of the bands that are labelled as being part of the genre. It’s interesting that most/all the bands of that era hate the Britpop label. Hard to define it as anything else though!
Thank you and hello! And thank you for the recommendations - I'll keep an eye out for Echobelly tickets and would be very interested in Louise Wener's autobiography! I think the connotations have warped so much around the label 'Britpop' that I suppose artists want to pull away from it which is interesting.
Can’t wait to read this! and on a random note, I need that shirt!
Right?! I really need one of those t-shirts!
I was in a band in London in the 90s called The Julie Dolphin. We did a whole bunch of good stuff, shows, well reviewed releases - an album called Lit and a single that made single of the week in NME called Birthday. For awhile there we were doing pretty well. We toured with Radiohead - I sang on The Bends sessions and ended up on a song singing with Thom - the song is called How Can You Be Sure
We were doing pretty well as I say, but because we were a band from New Zealand, we could never be a part of the Brit Pop scene. At one stage we played a show at the Garage with Sleeper and Catatonia in support, we were often on the same bill as Salad. I have just started a substack and plan to write about a few of these things. Sadly I don't have any videos to post but our music is out there on the other platforms.. its all a big beautiful sad story! Due to boring record company hassles we changed our name to Boom Boom Mancini and signed to Almo Sounds... you called this Beyond Cigarettes and Alcohol I thought I would share this one I wrote - . Arguments and Alcohol... https://youtu.be/Fh6CHfrP5Eg?si=DgyQzK1S49zK8-sa
Hi Dianne, thank you so much for commenting and sharing your story! I would love to hear/read more about it - I bet you have some stories to tell! I've just listened to Arguments and Alcohol and Birthday as well - brilliant!! I should have added you to this list! Do you still make and release music?
Thank you Lucy! Yes I am still making music - I released a solo album In 2021 called The War on Peace of Mind, but lockdowns etc prevented me from touring it etc - great reviews locally etc, but not huge listenership.. I have also released music under the name The Bads... the last album we put out was 2018 called Losing Heroes.. so yes.. still doing it. Planning another solo album soon.
I enjoy your writing. Thank you. Really nice to make contact.
Fantastic - I’ll be sure to check out your stuff! Looking forward to reading more as well!
I’m not sure I’d classify these bands Britpop but probably part of the wider Cool Britannia conversation were Saint Etienne and Dubstar.
Do the Cranberries qualify here? Not British obviously, but were huge at the time in the UK and definitely still an indie rock band thing. Their debut is still a favourite of mine.
Wait! How could I forget? The Sundays! They managed to get one album out during the Britpop era. I miss that band terribly.
Great list! The only ones I'd add, and they're slightly after Britpop's 1994-5 high watermark are TheAudience, whose signer Sophie Ellie-Bextor is rather better known these days, and Drugstore - and not just for their Thom Yorke duet El President.
Great recs - thank you! Have to admit, I didn't realise Sophie Ellis-Bextor was in a band before her solo career, but have just listened to The Audience and they're fab!
Yay this! Submitting Republica for consideration. Everyone loves their biggest hit, but I never hear anyone mention them.
Totally agree—they should have made the list! Republica are pure 90s nostalgia for me.
Thank you for this write up! Going to check out these bands!
What a way to start my Monday! Thanks for putting some of these acts in my radar. I haven’t listened to a lot of Britpop lately (Im an old school Yaz fan), and it’s time to revisit. I’m really digging Skunk Anansie!
Thanks so much Thea! I really wanted to include Skunk Anansie on the list even though they've rejected the Britpop label. They're just so good!
So many of my favorites here. Thanks for this.
Not British, but Frente!
I've not heard of Frente! but will most certainly check them out - thanks for the recommendation!
They are an Australian band from the 90s — "Marvin the Album" is the one I had. I kind of associate them with the same bands you mention here (Sleeper is definitely an old fave of mine).
I was so obsessed with Elastica (still am tbh). Thank you for this! Also topical merch
https://www.dasbootleg13.com/collections/vendors?q=CLUMSY
Those long sleeves are very cool!
Lush was infinitely better than Oasis, it's just that the lamestream was more interested in fake Beatles pap than Shoegaze.
Until writing this, I never realised that Lush's first album was produced by Robin Guthrie from Cocteau Twins - it explains a lot! So good!
Some great names here. Big fan of Louise Wener. She’s a fantastic front woman and Sleeper’s live performances are as good as they ever were. I think they are a seriously underrated band. Great shout on Catatonia too. International Velvet is a great album. Would you also include Garbage in this list?
Absolutely agree—Sleeper are very underrated! I love Catatonia too - I saw Cerys Matthews play solo many years ago, her voice is one of a kind. I was thinking of adding Garbage to the list—Stupid Girl is always in my rotation! Maybe I should do a Part 2? Anyone else I could add?
Sadly, nothing is springing to mind. The 90s was so male-dominated. I’ll have a think.
There are a few names here but I don’t think I’d consider all of this Britpop
https://helencoxbooks.com/2019/06/09/ladette/
Also, if we are being tangential, what about Dubstar?
Some excellent bands here! Agree - not entirely sure they are all Britpop but who knows? Similarly, I wasn't sure about Dubstar but it raises a bit of an interesting point about how we define Britpop.
Thanks for this! There aren't enough people writing about women in music.
Thank you, Gabbie - loads of fantastic music made by women out there!
Good stuff here, thx. You hooked me in at Blur over Oasis 😜 and sealed the deal with Lush.
Edit: also love the name for the newsletter.
Thank you so much! Same to you about the newsletter name - see what you did there!