We love music at Apache Menswear and since Russ has got involved, there have been a few more Britpop influences seeping into our playlist and blog content! This week we meet up with James from the incredible ‘Britpop Memories’ page on Twitter.
Partial to a good Fred Perry as well as a cracking taste in music, James settled down for a chat with us. Telling us why he is still stuck in the 90’s, reps good clothing and more!
Cheers, for agreeing to this, So firstly to our readers, who are you and what do you do?
Hi, my name is James and I run the Britpop Memories twitter account. Currently followed by over 22k britpop/90’s music fans. My aim is to share as much of the Britpop era music and press as possible with the focus being as much on the smaller, less well known bands as the “big four” of Oasis, Blur, Suede and Pulp.
BRITPOP INFLUENCES
What got you into the scene. Any particular influences?
I got into Britpop as a natural progression. I was into into guitar music such as Nirvana but whilst I enjoyed them I never felt the same connection to those big American bands as I did to the music my parents had played as I grew up. The Beatles, The Hollies, The Rolling Stones, etc. All that changed when Britpop took off and I felt I could relate to the sound and style of these new British guitar groups.
The fashion and music from the 90’s gelled well and we are seeing a renaissance of it right now. Do you still wear brands from then today?
My style has always been very traditional. I dress very much in a similar way now to how I did in the 90’s. Certain brands such as Adidas and Puma when it comes to trainers, Ben Sherman shirts, and Clarks Originals for smarter shoes. They have remained staples of my wardrobe for the last 25 years!
Do music and fashion still go hand in hand today?
For the new guitar bands I think they definitely have their own styles, but many of the classics such as Adidas Gazelles, Fred Perry shirts and Clark’s desert boots are still items of choice. Some fashions are timeless and will be passed on from generation to generation.
Have you ever shopped with us?
I must admit I haven’t, but having taken a look at the website I was very impressed by the range of stock so will add you to my favourites for future purchases! I was really impressed with the gear from Trojan and really like the Fred Perry polo I saw Andy Crofts wearing on your Instagram!
FAVOURITES, PAST AND PRESENT
So moving back to music, who are your fave bands from the britpop era?
That’s always a tough question to answer! As a top 3 I will go with Ocean Colour Scene, Oasis, and Paul Weller’s solo career. I often find myself listening to some of the more obscure Britpop bands as much as those three I named.
Which leads me to ask the question I ask everyone, If you could only pick 3 albums from the era what would they be?
I think as a good coverage of the era I’d go with Moseley Shoals by OCS, Modern Life is Rubbish by Blur, and Smart by Sleeper.
Quality choices!! I love all 3 of them!
Best gig you’ve been too?
Best Britpop gig would probably be Paul Weller’s Lazy Sunday Afternoon at Finsbury Park in 1996. It was an all day mini-festival where he was supported by a lot of the younger Britpop acts like Shed Seven, Reef, 60ft Dolls, and The Bluetones. That was an amazing day out!
What bands around at the moment do you think draw heavily on that era?
The young guitar bands coming through now seem to be influenced by the aura that still surrounds Oasis. Liam and Noel still hold a lot of credibility amongst a generation that weren’t even born at the band’s Britpop peak. The Verve too still inspire guitar groups. New bands like The Stanley’s, The Lathums, and Midnight Alleys certainly seem to be taking inspiration from those two. Then you’ve got bands like The Mariners and The Gabriel’s who both have a more sixties sound but one that also harks back to Britpop bands like OCS and Cast.
BRITPOP TAKING OVER THE NATION
Do you believe britpop was the last music genre that actually took hold of the Nation? If so, why do you think this is?
I think Britpop can claim to be the last cultural movement that had the luxury of being driven by pre social media fan power and a National feeling of optimism. It was also sort of a Mod movement, not to the extent of the original 60’s scene. Nor was it like the Mod revival that came about when The Jam took off. It certainly felt like it was fuelled by a Moddish youth culture of good music, dressing in timeless fashions, and most importantly just having a lot of fun! Britpop certainly appealed to a wide range of people. It captured the mood of the youth of Britain and whilst other scenes have since broken through, it’s unlikely that Grime will ever be viewed with such genuine affection in another 25 years time.
In my opinion it seemed to take over the Nation quickly. Everyone all of a sudden had a favourite band and you loyally pledged allegiance to them. Will we see anything like britpop again in terms of how it influenced so many so quickly?
I’m not sure. Culture seems almost throwaway now, you’ve got the world in your pocket via a smartphone. You can access anything you like at any given moment. I’m not sure a scene like Britpop would be given the time to develop and grow before something different became fashionable the following week.
If people want to indulge in more britpop memories or find a band they forgot about where can they find you?
Come and find me on Twitter where my account is @britpopmemories.
Cheers for your time James, hopefully see you at a gig soon!
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