Bandsplain

By 1994, grunge had waned and Madchester had set the table for the next massive wave of British music—the UK was ready for its next big rock band to refocus the global lens back on ol’ Blighty. That’s when Oasis popped onto the scene fully formed and captured the mantle with their iconic haircuts, perfect clothes, explosive feuds, and of course, their absolute bangers. Join along as Yasi Salek and her Wonderwall, The Ringer’s Rob Harvilla, ask each other: where were you while Oasis was getting high? In this part one of two, we cover everything between the band’s formation and what led up to the legendary Britpop chart battle.  SKIP AHEAD: 6:48 – Formation: Liam and Noel Gallagher 29:57 – Formation: Other band members 45:15 – Oasis pre-Noel 1:03:06 – Oasis gets signed 1:36:41 – First single “Supersonic”  2:12:49 – “Definitely Maybe”  3:06:48 – Early Britpop Battle EPISODE PLAYLIST: Listen to songs we detail in the episode ⁠HERE⁠ CREDITS: Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek Guest: Rob Harvilla @robharvilla Producer: Liz Sánchez  Audio Editor: Adrian Bridges Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino Buy tickets for the live show HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re unpacking the battle of Britpop as well as the war of words between Blur and Oasis. Did the art school icons or the working class heroes ultimately prevail? Who won over the critics? Who laughed all the way to the bank? Which band’s legacy is stronger today? In this episode, we’re going to answer those questions and more as we rehash the great feud between two Britpop giants: Oasis and Blur. Join us as Yasi and Miranda Sawyer, journalist and author of Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs (2024), declare a winner through a five-category contest: public insults, commercial success, critical acclaim, American or British audiences, and legacy. Plus, Miranda dishes exclusive goss about her infamous interview with Noel Gallagher, and she shares her boots-on-the-ground POV about the musical and political scenes surrounding the bands’ respective reigns.  CREDITS: Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek Guest: Miranda Sawyer @msmirandasawyer  Producer: Liz Sánchez  Audio Editor: Adrian Bridges Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In honor of the holidays, we have a very special bonus episode for our fanatics. Yasi talks all things British slang with Arctic Monkeys drummer and former Kappa tracksuit-wearing lad, Matt Helders. Do you know the difference between a lad, a chav, a bloke, a bird and a geezer? Listen along as Matt quizzes Yasi on all the ways you can say “proper bladdered.” We think you’ll be dead chuffed with this one, mate.  CREDITS: Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek Guest: Matt Helders @matthelders Producer: Liz Sánchez  Audio Editor: Adrian Bridges Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As one of the first Britpop bands, these college blokes from Colchester started out making shoegaze and baggy jams in the Scene that Celebrates Itself before writing a genre-defining album that romanticized British life and paved the way for an indie explosion. They were the UK’s favorite band, that is, until they weren’t. They may have lost the Britpop war, but their third act was brilliant nonetheless. The Ringer’s Chris Ryan joins us to talk about the band who turned toward Britain and solidified a scene, and the ways they ultimately broke out of their own (Brit) box. Follow along as we trace the band’s breakups and makeups, while exploring their sonic evolution from shoegaze to Britpop to alt-rock.  SKIP AHEAD: 7:22 – Band formation 45:51 – Sign to Food Records; ‘She’s So High’ single 1:03:59 – Leisure 1:31:04 – Modern Life is Rubbish 1:45:19 – ‘Girls & Boys’ single 1:54:27 – Parklife 2:25:40  – Chart Battle 2:36:25 – The Great Escape 2:51:14 – Blur (self-titled album) 3:04:01 – Britpop dies 3:05:40 – 13  3:15:49 – Think Tank 3:24:19 – The Magic Whip 3:28:03 – The Ballad of Darren  EPISODE PLAYLIST: Listen to songs we detail in the episode ⁠HERE⁠ CREDITS: Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek Guests: Chris Ryan @crashactivated  Producer: Liz Sánchez @lizbetsanch  Audio Editor: Adrian Bridges Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices