How Brit Pop shaped English football

Following the announcement of an Oasis reunion and the inevitable cross-generational mass-hysteria that has subsequently bled into seemingly all corners of popular (and unpopular) discourse over the last fortnight. Coupled with the release of the latest Manchester City fourth kit, co-designed by Manchester City board member and one half of the turbulent Oasis brotherhood Noel Gallagher, it felt as though now was the right time to explore the relationship between Britpop, football, and fashion.

To avoid falling into the trap of simply discussing Oasis and Blur when discussing Britpop, it is worth mentioning that, quite obviously, there has been a litany of Britpop bands that have had a significant influence on the genre, capturing an essence of anti-establishment national pride. The most overt and perhaps significant example is that of the infamous "Football’s Coming Home" song, sung by comedians David Badiel and Frank Skinner. The song itself was written by the Lightning Seeds, and whilst riling fans from rival nations, has become part of the national footballing tapestry that gets rolled out every time England play in an international competition - oftentimes stumbling at the final few hurdles, much to the delight of everyone else it seems. 

Britpop history's in UK stadiums

That essence of imperial arrogance combined with a slightly ironic self-deprecation blended together to usher into the mid-1990’s a musical and cultural revolution, spearheaded by Manchester’s Oasis, London’s Blur and Sheffield’s Pulp. In keeping with the spirit of rock stardom, these bands were brash, mouthy, unintimidated, and musically exceptional. Globally, in what could be considered typical Britannica fashion, Britpop ruled the airwaves inspiring multiple generations with their style and substance. 

English football (apologies to our fitba fans) too was beginning to reach the hallowed heights of the Liverpool and Everton squads of the moustachioed 80’s as Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson were the tour de force on the European continent. The England men's national team were also looking to complete their sisyphean journey back to the top of international football ahead of Italia 98 with a squad so good on paper that simply looking at it now encourages a pang of love followed by the crushing realisation that, like so many England squads, they couldn’t quite make it. 

That said, spirits, both in the emotional and alcoholic terms, had not been higher. Gazzamania was in full swing, a new Labour Government under Tony Blair had kicked out a stale and depleted Tory party under the dower John Major, and a sense of rejuvenated national pride had spread throughout the UK. Yet, despite the ostensible togetherness, there was more than enough rivalry and dispute to provoke a sustained interest in the ever-increasing gossip that flooded every bar and cafe throughout the nation.

Oasis vs Blur

The rivalry referenced above was, of course, between Oasis and Blur. To this day this is a rivalry that you couldn’t have missed even if you had chosen to inhabit a space under a rock. Undoubtedly beneficial to both bands, the north vs south divide stoked a sensation of songs and television interviews with both bands consistently trying to one-up the other. Damon Albarn’s love of Chelsea football club placed him and his band in the heart of London whilst the well-known love of Manchester City from the Oasis duo is arguably the most documented of all the celebrity sports enthusiasts in the United Kingdom. 

The two bands faced-off in Britpop Derby in the charts, with Blur’s ‘Country House’ toppling the Oasis track ‘Roll With It’ and also on the pitch. The two bands, alongside a host of others including Pulp, Reef, Dodgy, and Bluetones, were invited to participate in the Soccer Six charity match in benefit of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre. As I am sure you dear reader can imagine, and those who spectated can attest, the footballing prowess on display was fairly dismal, perhaps to be expected. Yet the iconic image of Liam Gallagher and Damon Albarn clashing has acquired for itself a seat in the front row of the Britpop gallery, its nature providing music and football fans with nourishment to last a lifetime. Now, terrace culture, whilst not born from Britpop, has been influenced to such an extent by the genre and its patrons that it might as well have been. 

The Stone Roses can perhaps be considered the bridge between Britpop and the terraces. The Madchester influence reverberates to this day, with songs such as ‘I wanna be adored’ still played at every Manchester United home game, whilst the side also walk out to another Stone Roses song, namely ‘This is the one’. Across the Irish Sea, Bohemian FC fan group, the ‘Notorious Boo Boys’ continue to unfurl a banner which includes a line from The Stone Roses song ‘Beautiful Thing’. Additionally, Blur’s anthemic Song 2 is played at stadiums around the country, most notably at Stamford Bridge every home game, whilst an array of Pulp songs are regularly played at Sheffield Wednesday matches. I could continue to list songs played and at what stadiums, but for the sake of brevity I shall refrain.

The Britpop style

The combination of Mod and Casual style, the adidas trainers, Fred Perry shirts, harrington jackets, Stone Island and CP Company coats and Burberry scarfs are still very much the uniform of the British football fan, specifically in the Championship an below as Premier League clubs often entice a far greater number of tourists to each game. These constituent parts of the match-going outfit were regularly adorned by Britpop bands throughout the 90’s, alongside most importantly, regular wearing of the football shirt. 

Football shirts finally emerged as a fashion item, to be worn as a badge of regional pride, to demonstrate your belonging to a place and group. Locale was arguably the defining element of leading Britpop bands, and what apparel item can better display where you’re from than your local team shirt? The answer of course, is nothing. The fashion from the terraces provided a stylistic departure from the craziness of the 80’s for those in music, and the prominence of the leading figures of the Britpop movement and their sartorial choices only enhanced terrace style more. 

Returning back to where I started, the Britpop influence on football fashion remains ever present. The latest Manchester City fourth kit is simply the latest iteration. When looking at that kit I am reminded of how Albarn’s Gorillaz partook in the 2017 Chelsea Home kit release. Although far from a Britpop band, the Albarn feel and connection inevitably brings with it a dusting of Britpop that cannot be removed regardless of his post Blur musical endeavours. In a roundabout way, what I hope to have elucidated somewhat is the way in which Britpop had and has an influence on the British footballing psyche, fashion and contemporary culture. The resurgence of the genre following the latest Oasis announcement highlights the significance of the genre and its leading figures have had upon the game we call beautiful.