Tomorrow I’ll be at the 90s Fest in Jakarta, ready to immerse myself in some Suede tunes. Over the past few weeks, my playlist has been all about Suede, from "Animal Nitrate" and "Trash" to "Night Thoughts." Brett Anderson's vocals have become so familiar to my ears that it’s almost like he’s there with me, singing along as I go about my day.
I've been listening to all of it on YouTube, and you know how the YouTube algorithm works—it just keeps feeding you the most relevant content, one video after another. I couldn’t resist. I should have been sleeping, but instead, I found myself clicking on more videos. There’s just too much interesting content out there, and once you start, it’s hard to stop. I mean, it’s not every day you get into that perfect zone where the algorithm just knows you so well.
One of the videos I stumbled upon was a documentary I’d watched years ago: Live Forever - The Rise and Fall of Britpop. It felt great to revisit it. Watching it again, with all that nostalgia and a bit more life experience, was like meeting an old friend after years and finding that you still click, just like before.
So, Live Forever. First off, it’s a well-made documentary that explains the whole Britpop phenomenon of the mid-90s. It starts with that big gig on Spike Island by The Stone Roses—an event that’s pretty much legendary in the Britpop timeline. Then it dives into the genre's ups and downs, and how Britpop became this massive thing, only to be challenged by the grunge wave from the US. Nirvana was huge, right? They were everywhere, and it’s not hard to see why. But instead of trying to out-grunge grunge, many British artists just leaned harder into what made them unique. That’s how Britpop stayed alive—it was all about identity, something personal, something distinctly British.
And speaking of identity, what really caught my attention this time around was hearing from Robert "3D" Del Naja of Massive Attack. Now, Massive Attack isn’t exactly Britpop—they’re more on the trip-hop side of things—but it was cool to hear his perspective. Blue Lines, their debut album, was all about embracing identity and staying true to their unique voice. That’s something I think resonates across different genres, even if they don’t sound anything alike. Massive Attack just did their own thing, and they did it so well. Honestly, Massive Attack is just beyond cool. There’s no other way to put it. They’ve always had this aura of being ahead of the curve, and seeing them tied into a Britpop documentary made me appreciate their influence even more.
Massive Attack is just beyond cool.
The title of the documentary, Live Forever, isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s also the title of one of Oasis’s biggest songs. Live Forever was a track from their debut album Definitely Maybe, and it’s one of those anthems that really captured the spirit of Britpop. Noel Gallagher wrote it, and in typical Noel fashion, it’s all about defiance and living in the moment. It’s kind of funny to think that a song about wanting to "live forever" ended up being such a defining track of a genre that, ironically, didn’t last all that long. Britpop had its time and then kind of faded away.
The documentary also featured the usual suspects—Noel and Liam Gallagher, of course, and Damon Albarn. Because how could you talk about Britpop and not talk about Oasis and Blur? They were like the poster children of the whole thing. Their rivalry, the media circus around them, the "Battle of Britpop"—it was all part of the era. And it’s all in there, in the documentary. You get those classic Noel Gallagher quips, Liam being his usual self, and Damon Albarn with his slightly more reflective takes on the whole thing.
It’s interesting to think about how these bands weren’t just making music—they were shaping a cultural moment. Oasis with their swagger, Blur with their art school vibes, Pulp with their sharp social commentary. Each of these bands brought something different and together they made Britpop what it was.
Speaking of Pulp, I found it fascinating that their song "Common People" became an anthem of sorts for the Britpop era. It wasn’t just a catchy tune; it was a sharp, witty critique of class and culture, which was something Britpop did really well. I think Pulp and Jarvis Cocker are the best at this. How to mix celebration and critique—celebrating culture, while also poking fun at it.
So yeah, rewatching Live Forever was a nice trip down memory lane. It reminded me why I fell in love with Britpop in the first place. There’s something about that era, those songs, those bands, that still feels relevant even today.
And as I get ready for the 90s Fest tomorrow, I can’t help but feel a little more connected to it all. Suede will be taking the stage, and I’ll be there, ready to soak in every moment, knowing that this music is part of something much bigger, a movement I might say, that changed the face of music even if just for a little while.
Watch the documentary here:
