Brit Pop
Refresh this page with new images
Brit Pop had its roots in England's northern city of Manchester in the 1980s. The Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses took the gloomy hangover left by Post-Punk acts like Joy Divison and the Smiths and killed it with drug-charged optimism and self-confident pop songs. The Happy Mondays mingled football hooligans with club kids by fusing the beats of rave and dance-club music with pop and rock guitars. This formula soon crept into the sound of the Stone Roses, who added '60s Jangle Pop and Psychedelia. Although neither group really grew beyond indie/import cult status in the U.S., the Charlatans (U.K.) found short-lived commercial and alternative radio success on American airwaves. Meanwhile, Dance Pop acts like Jesus Jones and EMF mined Northern England dance influences for their fifteen minutes of American fame.From there, Brit Pop split into two camps:
guitar-heavy pop vs. dance-heavy pop -- although every so often, a band like the Farm would blend the two by meshing beats with wah-wah pedals.
Dance Pop bands like the New Fast Automatic Daffodils and Candyflip were soon sprouting up like weeds and taking on names that were rooted in early rave culture. Guitar bands -- Suede, Pulp, Manic Street Preachers -- tapped the mines of '70s glitter-Glam music and early '80s New Romantic, while the newest wave of New Wave bands -- Elastica, Supergrass -- found chart success in both the U.K. and abroad.
Although British music weeklies swear that Brit Pop is dead, it's clear that Brit Pop is not only alive, but continuing to grow in each of its substyles. Lately, the most successful substyle in the U.S. is the northern guitar bands -- like Oasis, and the (now defunct) Verve -- who keep the old Manchester torch lit with their trad rock meets modern pop songwriting. Meanwhile, a legion of newcomers -- the Trip-Hoppy Beta Band heading the pack -- continue to create innovative dance sounds.