The Birth and Impact of Britpop: Mis-Shapes, Scenesters and Insatiable Ones

October 17, 2022

Grab yourself a copy of Paul Laird’s recent release, The Birth and Impact of Britpop, and prepare for a personal journey into the years of Britpop. Within this 224-page book are stories of Britain’s economic strife, politics, the mode of the era and many tales of Laird’s musical discoveries along the way.

When Britpop arrived, music lovers were all too ready to ride the groovy train of the fashion, music and atmosphere that the movement provided.

From megastars Blur, Charlatans, Oasis and Elastica to lesser-known gems Soda, Gene, Lick and Shampoo, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the movement and all that it embodied.

Part journal, part history, this read is unique, as Laird describes his emotions when describing each and every song and band portrayed in his book. You can climb inside a music-lover’s mind for a spell and if you’re like me, get right to researching some more obscure bands that you may have missed (e.g. The Flamingoes, David Devant and His Spirit Wife, My Life Story).

“It is June 1997. Six weeks earlier, Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, leader of the (New) Labour Party, had taken up residence at 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister. Soon after that, Noel Gallagher would arrive for a drinks reception in a chocolate brown Rolls-Royce. The thrill was gone. The Britpop dream was dying. The cool had been replaced by something else.”

Laird is a writer and podcaster who’s been covering Britpop since 2015, and admits that he “wasn’t a lad, a dad or a trad rocker, but a pop kid, a fop and in his mind, a dandy”, adding that he couldn’t have written something that wasn’t honest about his own experience on the frontline of a pop culture revolution.

He also mentions that some readers might be angered at the fact that several Britpop-worthy bands were left out of his book (namely Cast, Ocean Colour Scene, Shed Seven, Northern Uproar and Menswe@r), knowing all too well that it’s impossible to make everyone happy, since we each have a different version of the Britpop story.

I have no qualms about what he has included however and am happy to have placed this book on my music bookshelf.

One thing I would have loved to have seen included at the back of the book is a list of included bands and releases. On several occasions, I moved back and forth across the chapters to take notes of what I’d missed during those years, pen and paper in hand.

The Birth and Impact of Britpop is available via Pen and Sword Books (USD $39.95) in hardcover and e-book formats (Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google).