FEATURE:
I Should Say So
IN THIS PHOTO: Louise (Louise Redknapp)
The Revival and New Resurgence of Artists Who Were Huge in the 1990s
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IT is not a new…
IN THIS PHOTO: Supergrass
thing at all, but we are seeing a case of artists who were at their peak or started out in the 1990s coming back today. I guess Supergrass have not officially broken up. They definitely had a hiatus but are very much back together. Perhaps not making another album, they are touring their debut album, 1995’s I Should Coco. They are not the only band from the time that are very much back in business. Suede are back with new music and are creating some of their best work ever. Oasis are the biggest example of a 1990s band who have reformed and got this new lease of life. Not sure if they will make it into the studio – I hope not, as another album will not be great -, they are going to be touring soon. There is this wave of bands and artists who were huge in the 1990s back now. What could be behind that? I shall come to Skunk Anansie in a minute. Even if they formed long before the '90s, Pulp very much had their regency during that decade. Their new album, More, is out on 6th June. It is going to be among this year’s very best. It seems like they are going to make more albums together. In a new interview with the Observer, “Jarvis Cocker and fellow members Candida Doyle, Nick Banks and Mark Webber talk about their accidental new album, growing up while refusing to grow old … and the sex pond at the back of Banks’s garden”:
“But now they’ve had to put other projects aside, even the sex pond, because Pulp are back, back, BACK – and people are excited. Is it fun?
“I’m enjoying it a lot,” says Doyle. “This is my favourite time ever to be in the band – but I don’t like to think about being in Pulp. If I think about it too much, it does my head in.”
“I don’t really understand it,” says Webber. “I can’t explain it.”
“There’s no manual,” says Banks. “I think that kids these days think there is.”
Cocker ponders.
“In recent years, there’s been a lot of mentoring of pop stars, like in X Factor. Which gives an idea that you can be taught how to do something, and there’s a right way to do it, a wrong way to do it. But a band is just people who have started off together. You learn your own way of doing it. Like we tried to do a song that sounded like Barry White – what a crazy thing to do, you know, for some people in South Yorkshire to try to sound like Barry White – but you end up inventing your own ways, and that’s good. It’s a self-sufficient thing, rather than this template that you have to adhere to.”
“We all have our own ways of playing our instrument,” says Banks. “Like Candida has got a wonderful, unique way of playing the keyboard which no one else has got, and that just brings, I think, a massive spin of differentness and how all of us interact.”
Pulp is the whole band, that unique combination of ideas and talent; and also a world that you enter into, that takes certain things seriously, and others not. A few years ago, Cocker wrote a book, Good Pop, Bad Pop, that used objects – personal ephemera such as matchboxes, notebooks and toys that he’d kept in an attic – as a way of telling his autobiography. Webber, too, brought out a book last year – I’m With Pulp, Are You? – that’s similarly filled with physical objects, real life detritus of being in Pulp. The band is a celebration of the ordinary, the amateur, the physical; a rejection of dull professional virtual slickness.
“I probably should just chuck all my stuff away,” says Cocker, who recently moved to Derbyshire and will be selling his London home in the next few months. “People don’t have so many physical objects any more, do they? Their life and memories are on their phone. But I worry about that. And the objects really bring back very, very vivid memories, so I don’t know whether I can get rid of them. I’ll have to be buried with all my objects. Like Tutankhamun. It’ll be an enormous coffin.”
It can be hard to get older when you’re weighed down by the past.
“It’s not weighing down though, is it? It’s not physical, because physical work doesn’t really exist any more,” says Cocker. “And that used to really wear people out, so then they really would be old, because they were physically worn out. Whereas, although we can say, ‘Oh, it was hard work playing yesterday,’ it wasn’t really that hard. I was in a taxi a few months ago and went past lots of young kids queuing up to go into somewhere like a roller disco. And they were, like, mid-teens, and you could sense all that unsureness, because they were wondering how you act when you’re on the threshold of being an adult. I would not want to go back to that. That’s one of the things about getting older that’s good, at least you don’t have to do that any more.
He pauses. “I used to think that one day I was going to wake up and think, ‘Oh, yes, I’m an adult now, I know how it all works. Let’s go have some sushi.’ That day never happened. But you do get to know yourself. For better or for worse”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis
With Oasis and Supergrass storming stages this year, I think other bands from the 1990s will reform. I want to get to a few more interviews before finishing off. Before coming to a new album from Robbie Williams, I am moving to Skunk Anansie. Led by the fabulous Skin, this band released their debut album, Paranoid & Sunburnt, in 1995. One thing that links a lot of these artists is 1995. Supergrass’ I Should Coco was released then. Oasis’ (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was released then. Robbie Williams left Take That in 1995. Pulp’s Different Class came out in 1995. Not all tied to a thirtieth anniversary, it does seem like these artists are consciously entering a new stage and reacting to that thirtieth. Williams wanting to create an album he wanted to in 1995. Bands like Supergrass and Oasis inspired by past glories. I will expand on this more. What is pleasing is that they are back together. Rather than it being a nostalgia hit, it shows that artists one might associate with a specific decade have endurance and are back. In the case of Skunk Anansie, their most recent album was 2016’s Anarchytecture. Their new album, The Painful Truth, is out and has won some huge reviews. I am going to move on to a brilliant interview from Metal Hammer that was published last month. Skin spoke about Skunk Anansie’s new album and her experiences during the 1990s. I have selected some parts of the interview that caught my eye:
“People look back on that time and think of it as such a blokey thing, but there were loads of women in bands. Your friendship with Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson is one of the loveliest things on Instagram.
“I interviewed her for my show on Absolute Radio. She started off saying, ‘In the 90s, I had a bit of a beef with you, because I was always getting compared to you.’ I had no idea. They were always trying to tear her down by saying I was better than her. And she’s like, ‘Now, I realise it was so much harder for you.’
I mean, Garbage are massive in America. They did a fucking Bond theme [1999’s The World Is Not Enough], we were nowhere near the size that they were, and the way that people would try and knock her down is by comparing her to me. But yeah, me and Shirley love each other.”
What kind of person were you back then?
“I was very ambitious. The aim was to be in a rock band forever, like The Rolling Stones. It was all about climbing mountains. It was very stressful having that mentality, because you have your goals, but you’re not enjoying the process. It’s only when we stopped and then we reformed that I just enjoyed the climbing more than the goals, and that comes with maturity and age.”
You were good friends with Lemmy. What was he like?
“He was very gentle. He was the most authentic person I’ve met. He was who he was, and he wasn’t going to hide it. Also, he had absolutely the most perfect skin you’d ever imagine on a man, good baby skin. He was such a gentleman.
We were writing music together whenever I was in LA, and I had the sweetest messages from him. I remember one time I was supposed to write with him, and I couldn’t, because I’d had a break-up, and he just left me the loveliest, kindest thing: ‘I’m here for you. Come over to LA and we’ll hang out.’ He was a sweetheart.”
You coined the genre ‘clitrock’. What was that about?
“Clitrock was an accident. In the very beginning of our career, people were like, ‘What do you think about being a Britpop band?’ And I said, ‘Britpop? We’re Clitpop?’ It was a joke, but it became a whole thing. There’s a Clit Rock festival, which, of course, I give my blessing to. But it was just a sideways comment, I was just being cheeky.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Rob O'Connor
Who were your allies in the rock and metal scene?
“We played a lot with David Bowie. He was the ultimate inspiration. I loved him. I was nervous meeting him, because there are certain people who’re elevated beyond everybody else. But he was just a down-to-earth dude. And his wife Iman is as hugely iconic as he is, and she was a delight as well. The only people that I didn’t like were boybands. Five were fucking horrible. I think it’s because they didn’t have control, they didn’t write their songs, they were just puppets.”
What was the Rammstein tour like?
“Those guys are unbelievable live. They’d have the pyrotechnics and the fire was just beyond anything, and then they’d have these backstage parties where they played this really fast, Russian, cheesy pop. It was so funny that they love that kind of music.”
You released the song Yes It’s Fucking Political in 1996. Was it the big statement that it seemed?
“That song came out of people slagging us off because we’re political. My point was, everything’s political. It’s in everything we do, whether it’s clothes or the food that we eat. If you want to live in a world where you don’t talk about politics, that in itself is a political statement.”
Why did the split happen in 2001, and how did that affect you?
“We were just worn out. We had really overworked ourselves and hadn’t really taken care of ourselves. We didn’t even have an argument – we just stopped and went off and did a bit of solo musicianship.”
You’re based in the UK and in Brooklyn now. How’s life in the US post-election?
“That was the saddest day I’ve had in a very long time. Us lefties have got to stick together and not tear each other apart, because these people literally don’t want us to exist. Especially trans people. They’re trying to wipe trans people off the face of the Earth. And when they come for them, they come for all of us, they’re just first on the list. Next it’s diversity, it’s queer people, Black rights. But I’m in New York, and it’s like its own country. That counts for a lot, because otherwise I think it’d be very difficult to be there.”
You were awarded the OBE in 2021. What did that mean to you?
“It’s a weird thing, because I think that for Black people, there’s so much negativity around us accepting any award. But of course I wanted to accept it, it’s a great honour. It was a lovely thing to happen. It was a record of everything I’d done up to that point. And it made my mum really happy and proud. It’s not like Prince Charles even knew who I was. It’s a body of people that decide, and that body is extremely diverse”.
There are two artists I will finish up with. Both members of enormous bands of the 1990s who they left to follow solo careers. I will finish with Louise. She is a former member of Eternal. I sort of hope the group reforms one day. Robbie Williams rejoined Take That but he left in 1995. It was one of the biggest music news stories of the decade. Maybe Skunk Anansie are recapturing some of the essence of 1990s’ Britrock and updating that sound. Supergrass and Oasis is perhaps more to do with an anniversary or nostalgia to an extent. Pulp are doing something new, though the fact Different Class has a big anniversary later in the year no doubt compelled them to an extent to release a new album. Robbie Williams is righting a wrong. Trying to reclaim some of that chaos and hedonism from 1995. His forthcoming album, BRITPOP, is out in the autumn. It boasts one of the best album covers of the years. I like the fact that Williams didn’t phone it in with an album cover! The fact its title is called BRITPOP might be a reason many 1990s acts are entering this new stage of their career. Thirty years since they started or were at their peak, they are back together and touring. Speaking from the Ivor Novello Awards recently, Robbie Williams spoke with NME about his new album:
“And new album ‘BRITPOP’ – will that recapture all the noise, energy, colour and hedonism of the halcyon days of the ’90s?
“If hedonism is Jaffa Cake-based or Cadbury’s Fruit And Nut, then I’m in,” Williams replied. “Everything else I’ve got to park until I die. If I don’t park it, it’ll kill me.”
Elaborating on his guitar-heavy new sound, he continued: “I was playing it safe and I’ve not been driving my own car. I’ve not had my hands on the wheel through second-thinking myself and guessing what people like. I just wanted to do something that I like.”
With a tour of his own fast approaching (“You can expect the world’s Number One light entertainer – entertaining you in a light way that ranges from light to heavy depending on how many drinks you’ve had,” he joked), he downplayed the chances of him embodying the Britpop spirit and attending the reunion tour of his former rivals Oasis.
“Not only will you not be seeing me at any Oasis shows, you will not be seeing me at any shows full stop,” he admitted. “I’m a wonderful agoraphobe, and a very happy agoraphobe.”
After playing together at Hyde Park last summer, Williams was introduced to the Ivors with a speech from superfans Soft Play – who also joined us for our interview backstage.
“These lads appeal to the 14-year-old version of me that wanted to rage hard, be cool, shout, be aggressive in a kind way – which is what you are. You’re aggressive in the kindest way possible,” said Williams, turning to the punk duo. “There is a bit of a love-fest. I don’t get to hang out with them as much as I would like to. Hopefully they’ll come and join me on tour for a little bit.
“This is a shout-out to the 14-year-old me going, ‘Look at the people I like liking me’.”
“He soundtracked a big portion of our lives with bangers, and now he’s our mate and we love him,” said singer and drummer Isaac Holman, before guitarist Laurie Vincent added: “Just in the Volvo V70 as a kid, I didn’t listen to anything more than Robbie – and he’s our dad.”
Could a supergroup performance at Glastonbury be on the cards? “Maybe…” replied Williams, coyly.
Williams is set to release ‘BRITPOP’ this autumn following his upcoming UK tour kicking off this month. The tour will then continue across Europe with dates in countries including Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Sweden. Find a list of new dates below, and visit here to buy tickets”.
There is this feeling of taking back control or rewriting the narrative. Robbie Williams left Take That thirty years ago. Louise (Redknapp) left Eternal in 1995 too. Speaking with The Independent recently, Louise explored how her new album, not being a nostalgia act, and a non-negotiable that squashed a potential reunion with Eternal:
“She quit Eternal in 1995. “It felt weak to leave but actually, looking back, it was strong – I knew I was really sad,” she says. “I was in my early twenties, and you shouldn’t be sad at that stage in your life.” She still owed four albums to Eternal’s label as part of her deal, and was asked to make it up via solo records, which she reluctantly agreed to. “It wasn’t part of the plan, as I actually really enjoyed being part of the band,” she says. “We were just quite different characters.”
There was talk in 2023 of an Eternal reunion – the group’s original line-up had more or less disbanded by 2000 – but it reportedly fell apart after the Bennetts told Louise and Bryan that they didn’t want to perform at Pride events. “There are some non-negotiables in my world,” Louise says, firmly. “The queer community has stuck by me from day one. I wouldn’t have a music career without them, and they have held me up at my darkest moments. I respect that you have your beliefs and that’s where you stand in your life – but that doesn’t mean it has to be my life. I have my path, they have their path. For me, it wasn’t a hard decision to make.”
The right-wing press had a field day with it (“Louise trying to get Christian members of Eternal cancelled” read one headline), but she’s used to criticism by this point, she says. When she and Redknapp announced their separation in 2017, shortly after Louise placed second on a series of Strictly Come Dancing and she began plotting a musical comeback, she found herself targeted by the tabloids and accused of walking out on her family. “I was the villain,” she says. She admits to concealing a lot of the sadness she felt at the time. “I’d been lucky in my career because for many years I didn’t really have a lot of scrutiny. Then bang, everybody’s got an opinion.” She wrote a book, which touched on her divorce and the creative restlessness she felt as a stay-at-home mum, but says that she “nitpicked over every word”.
“Anything someone could perceive as negative, I cut out,” she says. “If I ever wore my heart on my sleeve I’d get loads of comments, like, ‘woe is me – you left him’. Nothing I said was right. To defend myself was wrong. To not defend myself was wrong. I felt like I was walking up a one-way street with just nowhere to go on it.”
The centrepiece of Confessions is a track that tackles that time in her life. “Don’t Kill My Vibe” feels vaguely Brat-ty in its execution, with run-on sentences and diaristic lyrics against a chugging synth beat. It carries an emotional honesty that until now has never been Louise’s forte. “It wasn’t easy,” she sings in it, “but I got back on stage and felt like people liked me/ And they liked me for me/ One thing I can say with chest, I built a castle from that mess.”
She’s incredibly proud of the song. “Inside I was breaking, but I just kept going because it was the only way I knew how to handle it all,” she says. “And that song is me basically telling society: don’t kill my vibe. Don’t take away what I love to do. Don’t take away my freedom. Don’t kill off the one thing that I’ve got.”
Louise released an album in January 2020, called Heavy Love, but its promotion and tour were curtailed by Covid, leaving Confessions to feel like her proper return to music. She wants it to do well but adds that she’s a realist about it. “It’s a good time to be making music because you’ve got your Kylies and…” She pauses, as if suddenly aware that it’s tricky to think of another woman in her fifties making hit pop songs. “See, I’m of two minds about this. I think you’ve got to be the lucky one – there’s no general rule of thumb. There are certain radio stations, regardless of the song, that will not play you because you’re of a certain age. I’ve made a record produced by someone who’s just won a Grammy – there is something current there.” She shrugs. “But all I can do is try and break down those walls, and definitely 10 years ago that would have been unthinkable.”
She says she’s in a good place. “I’ve realised that all my biggest fears have kind of happened. I’ve been on my own. I’ve gone through a s*** time. And I survived. I’m all right”.
It is interesting that so many acts who were big commercial successes in the 1990s, particularly 1995, are back with new material. In the case of Pulp, there has been this gap of over twenty years. Less of a gap from Skunk Anansie. Supergrass touring I Should Coco thirty years after their debut’s release. Oasis maybe cashing in on thirty years of their second studio album and Britpop legacy. Louise is not doing that. She is very much making different music to what she produced with Eternal and her solo career afterwards. Not wanting to lean on her reputation and hits. Robbie Williams a bit in both worlds. Some looking back to the heyday of the 1990s, but also keen to put out a very personal statement. I do wonder whether other bands and acts from the 1990s will reform to tour or release another album. People have their wish list, though I don’t think it is a fad or all about recapturing the past. I find it interesting that it is thirty years since most of the artists I mention in this feature are back with new dates and material thirty years after such an important part of their career. It is wonderful, mind! Cynics might think it is about rekindling a spark or it being about nostalgia. However, for most of these artists, there are other reasons for new music. They very much do not want to define themselves as…
LEGACY artists.