Britpop

It was partly about reclaiming the Union Jack and waving it with pride, and partly about satirising nationalism; it was partly about glorifying the rise of the lad and partly about giving machismo a dig in the ribs; it was awash with swagger and bullish confidence on one hand, intellect and irony on the other . . . and above all, like Britain itself, it was a mass of contradictions. This was Britpop. Cue up cornerstone Britpop bands Blur and Oasis, before taking your Next Steps.

Much of the high-spirited optimism generated by Britpop came to a climax during the Euro 96 football tournament, for which the Lightning Seeds provided England's team song, "Three Lions". The beginning of the end for Britpop was symbolised, for some, by Gareth Southgate's missed penalty against Germany . . . but in the Fratellis, the Coral, and Kasabian, the movement delivered a healthy legacy. Conclude our salute to Britpop heroes, and their musical progeny, in Deep Cuts.

Sleeper ("Sale of the Century") were active during the glory days of Britpop: the three men in the four-piece existed largely in the shadow of fetching singer Louise Wener, giving rise to the term "Sleeperbloke" to describe any unremarkable band member. The Auteurs always stayed on the fringes of Britpop, largely at the insistence of front man Luke Haines, who professed his dislike of many bands associated with the scene.

The precise origin of Britpop is open to debate — Noel Gallagher from Oasis has championed the La's' self-titled 1990 debut album as the key release. Others have put forward Suede's Suede, among a variety of contenders, but we can confidently say that — sometime around 1993/4 — it became abundantly apparent that a large number of homegrown bands were making outstanding music. Before we knew it, grunge was over and a new scene had been born . . . and it was very, very British. Relive the highs here, and celebrate an afterlife that has given us bands that didn't even exist the day (aforementioned) Gallagher visited Number Ten to offer his support to Tony Blair, thereby signalling Britpop's demise.