Post-Britpop
Encyclopedia
Post-Britpop is a sub-genre of British alternative rock
, made up of bands that emerged from the late 1990s and early 2000s in the aftermath of Britpop
, influenced by acts like Pulp
, Oasis
and Blur
, but with less overtly British concerns in their lyrics and making more use of American rock influences, including post-grunge
, as well as experimental music. Post-Britpop bands like Radiohead
, The Verve
, Travis
, Stereophonics
, Feeder
and particularly Coldplay
, achieved much wider international success than most of the Britpop groups that had preceded them, and were some of the most commercially successful acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
and Britpop
as a movement began to dissolve, emerging bands began to avoid the Britpop label while still producing music derived from it. Many of these bands mixed elements of British traditional rock (or British trad rock), particularly the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Small Faces with American influences, including post-grunge. Drawn from across the United Kingdom, the themes of their music tended to be less parochially centred on British, English and London life, and more introspective than had been the case with Britpop at its height. This, beside a greater willingness to woo the American press and fans, may have helped a number of them in achieving international success. They have been seen as presenting the image of the rock star as an ordinary person and their increasingly melodic music was criticised for being bland or derivative.
Bands that had been enjoyed some success during the mid-1990s, but were not really part of the Britpop scene, included The Verve
and Radiohead
. After the decline of Britpop they began to gain more critical and popular attention. The Verve's album Urban Hymns
(1997) was a worldwide hit and their commercial peak before they broke up in 1999, while Radiohead achieved critical acclaim with their experimental third album OK Computer
(1997), and its follow-ups Kid A
(2000) and Amnesiac
(2001).
The cultural and musical scene in Scotland, dubbed "Cool Caledonia" by some elements of the press, produced a number of successful alternative acts, including The Supernaturals
from Glasgow, whose re-released single "Smile" (1997) reached number 25 in the UK charts, and whose album It Doesn't Matter Anymore
(1997) entered the top ten, but who failed to sustain their success or achieve the anticipated international breakthrough. Travis
, also from Glasgow, were one of the first major rock bands to emerge in the post-Britpop era. Utilising the hooks and guitar rock favoured by Oasis in a song-based format, they moved from the personal on Good Feeling
(1997), through the general on their breakthrough The Man Who
(1999), to the socially conscious and political on 12 Memories
(2003) and have been credited with creating the sub-genre of post-Britpop. From Edinburgh Idlewild
, more influenced by post-grunge, just failed to break into the British top 50 with their second album Hope Is Important
(1998), but subsequently produced three top twenty albums, peaking with The Remote Part
(2002), and the single "You Held the World in Your Arms
", which both reached number 9 in the respective UK charts. Although garnering some international attention, they have not yet broken through in the US.
The first major band to breakthrough from the post-Britpop Welsh rock scene, dubbed "Cool Cymru", were Catatonia
, whose single "Mulder and Scully" (1998) reached the top 10 in the UK, and whose album International Velvet (1998) reached number 1, but they were unable to make much impact in the US and, after personal problems, broke up at the end of the century. Stereophonics
, also from Wales, utilised elements of a post-grunge and hardcore on their breakthrough album Performance and Cocktails
(1999), before moving into more melodic territory with Just Enough Education to Perform
(2001) and subsequent albums. Also from Wales were Feeder
, who were initially more influenced by American post-grunge, producing a hard rock sound that led to their breakthrough single "Buck Rogers
" and the album Echo Park
(2001). After the death of their drummer Jon Lee, they moved to a more reflective and introspective mode on Comfort in Sound
(2002), their most commercially successful album to that point, which spawned a series of hit singles.
These acts were followed by a number of bands who shared aspects of their music, including Snow Patrol
, from Northern Ireland and Elbow
, Embrace, Starsailor
, Doves and Keane from England. The most commercially successful band in the milieu were Coldplay
, whose début album Parachutes
(2000) went multi-platinum
and helped make them one of the most popular acts in the world by the time of their second album A Rush of Blood to the Head
(2002).
Bands like Coldplay, Starsailor and Elbow, with introspective lyrics and even tempos, began to be criticised at the beginning of the new millennium as bland and sterile and the wave of garage rock
or post punk revival bands, like The Hives
, The Vines
, The Strokes
, and The White Stripes
, that sprang up in that period were welcomed by the musical press as "the saviours of rock and roll". However, a number of the bands of this era, particularly Travis, Stereophonics and Coldplay, continued to record and enjoy commercial success into the new millennium. The idea of post-Britpop has been extended to include bands originating in the new millennium, including Razorlight
, The Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys
and Bloc Party
, seen as a "second wave" of Britpop". These bands have been seen as looking less to music of the 1960s and more to 1970s punk and post-punk, while still being influenced by Britpop.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, made up of bands that emerged from the late 1990s and early 2000s in the aftermath of Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
, influenced by acts like Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
and Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, but with less overtly British concerns in their lyrics and making more use of American rock influences, including post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
, as well as experimental music. Post-Britpop bands like Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
, Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
, Stereophonics
Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
, Feeder
Feeder
-Technology:* Feeder , any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources* Feeder , another name for a riser, a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities due to shrinkage...
and particularly Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, achieved much wider international success than most of the Britpop groups that had preceded them, and were some of the most commercially successful acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Origins
From about 1997, as dissatisfaction grew with the concept of Cool BritanniaCool Britannia
Cool Britannia is a media term that was used during the late 20th century to describe the contemporary culture of the United Kingdom. The term was prevalent during the 1990s and later became closely associated with the early years of "New Labour" under Tony Blair...
and Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
as a movement began to dissolve, emerging bands began to avoid the Britpop label while still producing music derived from it. Many of these bands mixed elements of British traditional rock (or British trad rock), particularly the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Small Faces with American influences, including post-grunge. Drawn from across the United Kingdom, the themes of their music tended to be less parochially centred on British, English and London life, and more introspective than had been the case with Britpop at its height. This, beside a greater willingness to woo the American press and fans, may have helped a number of them in achieving international success. They have been seen as presenting the image of the rock star as an ordinary person and their increasingly melodic music was criticised for being bland or derivative.
History
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. After the decline of Britpop they began to gain more critical and popular attention. The Verve's album Urban Hymns
Urban Hymns
Urban Hymns is the third album by English rock band The Verve, released on 29 September 1997 on Hut Recordings. It earned nearly unanimous critical praise upon its release, and went on to become the band's best-selling release and one of the biggest selling albums of the year...
(1997) was a worldwide hit and their commercial peak before they broke up in 1999, while Radiohead achieved critical acclaim with their experimental third album OK Computer
OK Computer
OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and 1 July 1997 by Capitol Records in the US. It marks a deliberate attempt by the band to move away from the introspective guitar-oriented sound of their previous...
(1997), and its follow-ups Kid A
Kid A
Kid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000 by the Parlophone label. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the United Kingdom. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A...
(2000) and Amnesiac
Amnesiac
Amnesiac was generally well-received by critics. It was also ranked as one of the best albums of the year by several publications. The Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll ranked it number 6 on their top 10 albums of the year. Alternative Press declared it the #1 album of the year...
(2001).
The cultural and musical scene in Scotland, dubbed "Cool Caledonia" by some elements of the press, produced a number of successful alternative acts, including The Supernaturals
The Supernaturals
The Supernaturals were a five-piece guitar based pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. Fronted by singer-songwriter James McColl, they signed to Parlophone in 1996, and had a string of singles which were taken from their three albums and four EPs. Other members included Mark Guthrie, Derek McManus and...
from Glasgow, whose re-released single "Smile" (1997) reached number 25 in the UK charts, and whose album It Doesn't Matter Anymore
It Doesn't Matter Anymore
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a pop ballad written by Paul Anka and recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958. The song reached #13 as a posthumous hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in early 1959 shortly after Holly was killed in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. The single was a two-sided hit, backed...
(1997) entered the top ten, but who failed to sustain their success or achieve the anticipated international breakthrough. Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
, also from Glasgow, were one of the first major rock bands to emerge in the post-Britpop era. Utilising the hooks and guitar rock favoured by Oasis in a song-based format, they moved from the personal on Good Feeling
Good Feeling
Good Feeling is the debut album from Scottish alternative rock band Travis. The album was originally released on September 26, 1997, on Independiente Records. In April 1998, the album was re-released, with the only differences being new album artwork and a slightly-tweaked version of "More Than Us"...
(1997), through the general on their breakthrough The Man Who
The Man Who
The Man Who is the second studio album from the Scottish indie pop band Travis. The album was released on 24 May 1999, becoming the album that gave the band international recognition. The album peaked at #1 in the UK and #8 in Australia. It was later released in the United States in Early 2000...
(1999), to the socially conscious and political on 12 Memories
12 Memories
12 Memories is the fourth studio album from Scottish indie rock band Travis. The album was released on October 11, 2003. In comparison, the album is a much more mature and lyrically darker album, focusing on issues such as the 2003 Iraq invasion, politicians, psychological crisis and domestic abuse...
(2003) and have been credited with creating the sub-genre of post-Britpop. From Edinburgh Idlewild
Idlewild (band)
Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
, more influenced by post-grunge, just failed to break into the British top 50 with their second album Hope Is Important
Hope Is Important
Hope Is Important is the first full-length studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released October 19, 1998. The record follows on from their earlier six-track release, Captain....
(1998), but subsequently produced three top twenty albums, peaking with The Remote Part
The Remote Part
The Remote Part is the third full-length studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released on 15 July 2002 to widespread critical acclaim. The album is Idlewild's most commercially successful to date, and is the last to feature bassist Bob Fairfoull...
(2002), and the single "You Held the World in Your Arms
You Held the World in Your Arms
"You Held the World in Your Arms " is a song by Scottish rock band Idlewild, from their 2002 album The Remote Part. It was the first single from the album in June 2002 and charted at #9 in the UK Singles Chart...
", which both reached number 9 in the respective UK charts. Although garnering some international attention, they have not yet broken through in the US.
Catatonia (band)
Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained a national following in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 1990s. The band consisted of Cerys Matthews on vocals, Mark Roberts on guitar, Paul Jones on bass , Owen Powell on...
, whose single "Mulder and Scully" (1998) reached the top 10 in the UK, and whose album International Velvet (1998) reached number 1, but they were unable to make much impact in the US and, after personal problems, broke up at the end of the century. Stereophonics
Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
, also from Wales, utilised elements of a post-grunge and hardcore on their breakthrough album Performance and Cocktails
Performance and Cocktails
Performance and Cocktails is Stereophonics' second album. It was released by V2 on 8 March 1999. The album was sponsored by Fender guitars which were used by the band on the album. All three members of the band were given equal credit for writing all the songs on this album...
(1999), before moving into more melodic territory with Just Enough Education to Perform
Just Enough Education to Perform
Just Enough Education to Perform, also known by its acronym J.E.E.P., is the third studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Released on 17 April 2001, the album topped the UK Albums Chart with 140,000 copies sold. and spawned three top-ten singles in the form of "Mr. Writer", "Have a Nice...
(2001) and subsequent albums. Also from Wales were Feeder
Feeder
-Technology:* Feeder , any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources* Feeder , another name for a riser, a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities due to shrinkage...
, who were initially more influenced by American post-grunge, producing a hard rock sound that led to their breakthrough single "Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers (song)
"Buck Rogers" is a song performed by the British rock band Feeder. It was written by frontman and lead guitarist Grant Nicholas for the band's breakthrough album Echo Park. The song was originally written by Grant for an American band called Radio Star, but the band's label and producer Gil Norton...
" and the album Echo Park
Echo Park (album)
-Personnel:*Taka Hirose – bass*Bob Ludwig – mastering*Grant Nicholas – guitar, keyboards, vocals, producer*Jon Lee – drums-Accolade:...
(2001). After the death of their drummer Jon Lee, they moved to a more reflective and introspective mode on Comfort in Sound
Comfort in Sound
Comfort in Sound is the fourth studio album by the British rock band Feeder, released on October 21, 2002 and also the first to be released by the band after the suicide of drummer Jon Lee earlier in the year...
(2002), their most commercially successful album to that point, which spawned a series of hit singles.
These acts were followed by a number of bands who shared aspects of their music, including Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
, from Northern Ireland and Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, Embrace, Starsailor
Starsailor (band)
Starsailor is an English post-britpop band, formed in Leigh, Warrington and Greater Manchester. By 2009, they had four charting albums and ten Top 40 singles in the UK since 2001.-Early history:...
, Doves and Keane from England. The most commercially successful band in the milieu were Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, whose début album Parachutes
Parachutes
Parachutes is the debut album by English alternative rock band Coldplay, released by the record label Parlophone on 10 July 2000 in the United Kingdom. The album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, excluding one track which was produced by Chris Allison...
(2000) went multi-platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and helped make them one of the most popular acts in the world by the time of their second album A Rush of Blood to the Head
A Rush of Blood to the Head
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by English rock band Coldplay. Released on 26 August 2002 in the UK through the label Parlophone, the album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson...
(2002).
Bands like Coldplay, Starsailor and Elbow, with introspective lyrics and even tempos, began to be criticised at the beginning of the new millennium as bland and sterile and the wave of garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
or post punk revival bands, like The Hives
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
, The Vines
The Vines
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Special:LandingCheck?landing_page=L11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy_DDOptimised&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_campaign=C11_1121_WMUK_DDvOneOff&utm_source=B11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy&language=en&country=GB...
, The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, and The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, that sprang up in that period were welcomed by the musical press as "the saviours of rock and roll". However, a number of the bands of this era, particularly Travis, Stereophonics and Coldplay, continued to record and enjoy commercial success into the new millennium. The idea of post-Britpop has been extended to include bands originating in the new millennium, including Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
, The Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
and Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, seen as a "second wave" of Britpop". These bands have been seen as looking less to music of the 1960s and more to 1970s punk and post-punk, while still being influenced by Britpop.