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So here we are, twenty years on... The UK indie guitar scene was a brief, bright moment where exciting new bands emerged from all corners of the UK, and made themselves available to fans. It was a time when young people controlled the culture and left the major record labels in the dust. It was an intoxicating era of community, messiness and hedonism. And actually, there is a hunger for all of that now. Many of the bands from that time are still going, and are playing to more people than they ev...
Just six action-packed years after the start of the UK indie sleaze music scene, The Word magazine coins the derisory term “Landfill Indie” to describe the oversaturation of guitar music, turning the entire genre into a joke. Major labels are falling over themselves to sign the next big indie thing, but many of these hopefuls aren’t ready for the limelight. And audiences seem ready for a new, entirely different, sound ... one that's less male-dominated, for starters. Cue Kate Nash, Adele, Laura ...
The UK indie guitar music scene hits the tabloids. Johnny Borrell, Pete Doherty and Luke Pritchard partner up with A-List celebrity girlfriends. Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse become unhealthy media obsessions. And most shockingly of all, Preston from the Ordinary Boys goes on Celebrity Big Brother and actually has a great time. This red top frenzy builds to a messy crescendo that includes phone hacking, divorce, band break-ups, and a devastating fatality. Featured interviewees include Alexandra H...
This episode explores the tumultuous Noughties indie music scene, highlighting the fierce rivalries between bands like Razorlight and The Kooks, often fueled by the press. It delves into the internal self-destruction of The Libertines due to Pete Doherty's drug addiction and examines the widespread hedonism, glamorization of hard drugs, and a near-fatal NME Awards incident. Artists reflect on the era's wildness and lasting impact.
2005 to '06 is the pinnacle of UK Indie Sleaze, as Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Kooks well and truly take over the mainstream. Scrappy guitar bands are now dominating the BRIT Awards and playing to an audience of 2 billion at Live 8. But with success comes the inevitable backlash... Featured interviewees include Johnny Borrell and Luke Pritchard Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Wa...
A new tribe is born: The Indie. You can spot an Indie a mile off. They are in skinny jeans, scarves, and trilbies, in a random configuration designed to look as dirty and debauched as possible. The early internet - MySpace and band forums - solidifies this fun new scene, and breaks down barriers between artist and fan. 'Guerilla Gigs' become a thing, with spontaneous shows sprouting up in funeral parlours, tube trains, pub roofs ... and drug dens. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, ...
Now that being in a band is cool again, and now that grotty indie guitar music seems a viable career choice, every corner of the UK sprouts an exciting new group ... or two, or three. Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand seize the moment, winning the Mercury Music Prize. They are the undisputed early leaders of this new scene-without-a-name, setting a tone that is unashamedly artistic and literate. And also quite boozy. Featured interviewees include Alex Kapranos, The Cribs and Paul Smith Presented by Kate...
Noughties UK indie music was iconic, fashionable and thrilling. These days the kids call it 'Indie Sleaze', although at the time there was no cohesive name for the collection of bands - from Franz Ferdinand to The Libertines, The Long Blondes to The Cribs, Bloc Party to Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys to The Kooks - that erupted from all corners of Britain. These young artists exploded with attitude, tunes, vitality, and misconduct, creating an army of costumed disciples. This is the story of the UK’...
It's the moment so many people had been hoping for - Oasis are back. Steve and Jo reunite to tackle the biggest musical story of the year, the return of Noel and Liam. But what do we know about the reunion so far? Presented by Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley Written and produced by Paul Sheehan and Phil Smith for BBC Audio
With both Liam and Noel having successful solo careers, and a new generation of fans discovering Oasis, there is endless talk of the band getting back together. And whilst they seem to have been staying out of each other’s way, the constant jibing has moved to social media. We look at what the band means to a new generation of fans, and if they ever will just give each other a call? The Rise and Fall of Oasis was presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq. It was written by Paul Sheehan and Philip ...
Oasis during the 2000s dutifully continue to play the hits to a committed and enthusiastic audience. However, when the final show does eventually come, it’s a largely unsatisfying end for a band that always seemed stronger than the rest. Oasis. Killed, by a plum. In a portacabin. In Paris.
As the millennium approaches, Oasis are no longer sound tracking a generation. They are flat and limping along; trying, in vain, to find their place in a shifting musical environment. Noel chooses this period to get clean but he, and Liam, have divorces pending. Bonehead and Guigsy leave the group, and the band release ‘Standing on the Shoulder of Giants’ - their comedown album. Add to this, their “worst gig ever” live at Wembley stadium and a fight in Barcelona that will fundamentally alter the...
In the lead up to the release of Be Here Now, Oasis tabloid mania is at fever pitch, but what should be the crowning glory of their career is slowly unravelling. The band faced a series of challenges, many of their own causing, and the album is released to massive fanfare... and industry paranoia. We learn about the chaos that followed the group at the time, the backlash that came after the release of Be Here Now, the Australian tour affair that almost resulted in a major diplomatic incident and...
Oasis are Massive. Earls Court, Knebworth and actual success in America. But with that comes arrogance, defiance and a fight so ferocious that the band appear to have finally split up. We cover the chaotic month that sees the band play Knebworth, have a meltdown live on MTV, and a US tour that starts without one brother, and ends without the other. Utter chaos, and pure drama at the very peak of their powers. Post Knebworth, Oasis really didn’t know what to do next, and as they lurch from one dr...
With a number 1 single under their belts, the band headline Glastonbury on Boneheads’ 30th Birthday, welcome a new drummer and release the era defining album - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? But this episode is not without drama - a studio fight almost derails the Oasis express and the Blur Vs Oasis rivalry reaches a nadir.
It's 1994 and Oasis’ constant touring is underscoring their reputation as rock n roll hell-raisers, a reputation which comes to the fore at a gig in Newcastle just days before the release of their debut album. Then, just a few weeks later, the hottest new band in the UK are in a mess in America. Their first US tour is a shambles. Frustrated at blowing their big chance, Noel Gallagher walks out of the band, flying off to Las Vegas. He returns after a week, with a new vision for Oasis, and with a ...
Oasis is Liam Gallagher’s band, and after their first gig at the Manchester Boardwalk he asks his brother, Noel, to be their manager. Noel instead suggests joining as songwriter. Episode 1 focuses on the exciting and breathless start of the band - new experiences and new dynamics. Yet turbulence, chaos and confusion is never far away with Oasis... as a disastrous trip to Amsterdam proves.
Join Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq as they delve into the complex relationship between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, a fascinating sibling rivalry that both made, and ultimately destroyed, Oasis. Featuring archive material, music, outrageous anecdotes, and first-hand accounts from bandmates, producers, and industry insiders.
As the 90s hurtled towards a new millennium, Britpop wasn't just making big headlines, it had also become very big business. As money flowed through the UK music industry, everyone was desperate to be part of Cool Britannia. However, with the arrival of money came the arrival of excess. In Episode 7 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, legendary Evening Session hosts Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq re-unite to look back at what life was like for those in the eye of the storm. The Rise and Fall of Britpop...
In August 1995, battle lines were drawn and the North vs South rivalry was reignited as Blur and Oasis battled it out for the top spot in the UK charts. What started off as banter soon became a full Britpop war, with offices, classrooms and friendship groups divided. In episode six of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley tell the real stories behind the ‘Battle of Britpop’. Listen only on BBC Sounds. Presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Written by Steve Lamacq and Paul She...
Despite Blur and Oasis dominating the headlines, one band more than any other came to represent the soaring highs and crushing lows of Britpop - Pulp. From recording in a semi-detached house in Sheffield to writing songs in a tent the night before headlining Glastonbury, the Pulp story has it all. Thirty years on from the legendary Radio 1 Evening Session, Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq look back at the history of Pulp, discuss the band’s impact and reveal how the intervention of Bob Mortimer and Da...
As Britpop and lad culture became intertwined, did this heady relationship do a disservice to the women behind the music? 30 years on from Britpop, Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq take a trip back to the 90s to reassess the scene’s relationship with sex and gender. From the front covers of lads mags, to music videos, they delve into the day to day experiences of many band members. Featuring new and archive interviews with Louise Wener, Shirley Manson, Miki Berenyi and Justine Frischmann, Episode 4 of...
Thirty years ago a youthquake of creativity took hold of the UK, as Britpop sucked everything into its cultural orbit. From supermodels at Fashion week, to Edinburgh’s underbelly and from Match of the Day montages, to puppets interviewing rock stars on Breakfast TV, the attitude and aspirations of Britpop reverberated across the country. In episode 3 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley dust off old note books, photo albums, CDs and tapes and look at the effect Britpop had ...
Britpop, as a term landed in the spring of 1993 but it was a full year later, that everything changed over the course of just twenty days. In Episode 2 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley revisit the key moments on the road to Britpop’s explosion. Including on air resignations at Radio 1, a band of rowdy Mancunians and a tragic death, which caused shockwaves around the world. 30 years later Steve and Jo are taking advantage of their contacts, going through old note books,...
What was life like before Britpop? Join Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley as they rewind the tape to hear how the UK sounded at the start of the 90’s. Britpop emerged at a very specific time in British History, recession and war had dominated the headlines, the Iron Lady left Downing Street for the final time and the UK’s music scene was fractured. Rave was still in relatively rude health, terrifying the tabloids and the parents of teenagers, Morrissey had felt the wrath of music fans after appearing o...
Jul 30, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 2
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