To think 90s Britpop/Indie music was just so cool

[HiGunny]

Just rediscovered one of my old Shine albums and have been bopping around the kitchen to the sounds of Blur, Oasis, Suede, Ash, Pulp, Elastica, Sleeper etc. Had kinda forgotten just how great all that music was...feeling nostalgic for the long hot summer of 1995 now.... Any other fans out there?

This is why I listen to Absolute Radio. They play so much britpop and often tracks I'd completely forgotten about but I still remember the words

It was the best time for music, I saw so many live bands. Pre-children obviously. Some of them have had new music recently too, Shed Seven for example had a new album last year (and its actually worth a listen).

Jojo, yep. Many a happy hour spent there! In Brum we had tower records and swordfish too. I remember buying my very first cds , the Longpigs and Alanis, and I've still got them even though I don't even have a CD player anymore.

When I'm drunk I like to give my speech about how there's no game changing music anymore. But it's true. Some songs released in the 90's literally changed the shape of music forever.

Me!! I Britpopped my way through my late teens / early 20s. My fave student club played indie music rather than the ravey dance music that a lot of my peers were going to. Saw Suede live twice, the Wonderstuff, the Levellers and James.

Me me. My kids complain but tough

Ohh that hot summer of 1995! All my Shine albums are packed away somewhere, really need to make a YouTube playlist now..

When threads like this pop up I always think of Rock Profiles with Blur - 'Justine, Justine Frischmann.....' 😂

It was the happiest time of my life. I started university in 1995 and have brilliant memories. The thing is, I remember feeling grateful at the time. I knew how lucky I was. The funny thing is, even though I was 18 then and 41 now, it only seems like five mins ago!

Glad to see I've brought back so many happy memories for you all! Hard to believe it was over 20 years ago 😲

Looking over my cds, there's a lot of bands and songs I would have forgotten about and it's nice to hear them again. It makes me wonder if a some of the current music will be 'lost' as it's only streamed and not owned ie. It'll fall off Spotify playlists etc

Yesssss, my era! I was always a bit too young, but I desperately wanted to be Justine and Louise and Shirley and Lauren Laverne, and to hang out at the Good Mixer where Alex James would obviously fall in love with me.

The music was so much more interesting than now. Radiohead (before the bleepy stuff), Pulp, Blur, Placebo, Ash, the Bluetones, Garbage, Sleeper, and the rest. Then the tiny bands, the ones who only got played on John Peel and the Evening Session and you had to hunt down in record shops - Arabstrap, Sparklehorse, Dweeb, Silver Sun. Proper songs, guitars, bands who were mates first, singers who could actually sing and looked like relatively normal people rather than being Botoxed and Photoshopped into aliens. Jarvis speaking for millions by waggling his bum at Jacko. The feeling of hope from the Labour election win. It truly felt like things were getting better - racism and homophobia were beginning to be unthinkable, the country felt prosperous and it felt like there were opportunities. I'm so grateful I experienced those last few years without internet and social media as a teenager. (And before underage drinking laws were tightened up!)

I was also a 90s teenager, such amazing music. Makes me nostalgic.

It will never compare to the 80’s though.

Yes! This is my era too. Love Absolute 90s radio, was so happy to discover it’s existence.

Best 90s bands for me (not in order and not exhaustive!):

Blur
Radiohead (The Bends is still one of the best albums of all time)
Manic Street Preachers (I was obsessed!)
Mansun
Garbage
Strangelove
Bluetones
Chemical Brothers (not exactly indie but had the same listeners thanks to nme etc)
Supergrass
Suede
Pulp
Kenickie (where Lauren Laverne started out)
Catatonia (ditto Cerys Matthews)
Super Furry Animals
Levellers

I was marginally too young for the grunge bands so never really got into nirvana etc in the same way. Britpop hit when I was 14/15 so exactly the right time. Plus being British they felt like 'our' bands - normal lads and lasses that you might conceivably (in your dreams) get to hang out with in the pub.

So many happy memories listening to Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiles on Radio 2 while doing my homework, then phoning my friend who I had just spent much of the school day with to chat for ages about nothing and everything - having to sit on the stairs so the phone cord would stretch as far away from my listening parents as possible.

Absolute Radio do an Indie Disco early Sat evenings. I always put it on if i'm getting ready to go out. I'm 46 by the way!

Oh I'm getting so emotional now. Best days ever.

Did anyone else listen to the Auteurs? Their album New Wave sounds like nothing before or since, I still listen to it.

Well tbh I basically still only listen to 90s music now

I used to dream I was in Garbage. I loved that band.

How strange. I've been singing this all day.

Love 90s music. So many good memories. DH and I spend a lot of time listening to Absolute Radio 90s.

Yup, they were really good times. I saw Suede in concert a couple of months ago - still good!

I couldn't agree more, OP.

You’re not wrong! Definitely the best era for music IMO...in fact they played Parklife on the radio today and I sang very loudly all the way home 😄 We went to loads of gigs back then and I’m trying to get DH to go to more now but he moans about standing up for too long. Fortunately DS likes the same sort of music so I go with him instead!

I went to a 90s night not so long back, got (fake) Doc Martens on and drank pints of cider, danced all night. Realised that it was a simpler time clubbing wise, no high heels, cocktails and the shoe gazing plus occasional mosh is about as hectic as tai-chi, no wonder we could go out 3 nights a week. Made me a bit sad that times changed.

I loved the 90s. I have fond memories of being in some dingy club, dancing to Nirvana or Pearl Jam. Everyone dressed in grungy clothes.. tea dresses and ripped tights, DMs, combats...not a high heel in sight! Pint of cider and black,a Marlboro light and a snog with some guy with dreadlocks. Those were the days!

Ah so it’s not just my rose tinted spectacles!

I was a teenager then and sooo into music. Lucky enough to live in London (and have trusting parents!) so got to see loads of them live . Between age 14 and 17 I saw

Blur
Pulp
suede
Radiohead
Levellers
Supergrass
The Bluetones
Mansun (supporting someone else, I forget who)
Dodgy (supporting Blur at Mile End, what an amazing gig)
Placebo
Portishead

I bet there’s more I’ve forgotten....

I was just listening to a Kenickie song earlier and reminiscing about how cool they were. Totally forgotten about Strangelove though. I'm going to have a happy evening listening to them now!

I'm not nostalgic for the 1990s but have loved some of the music from then until now.