Inspired by the Britpop period of alternative rock which basically monopolised the music industry in the late 1990s/early 2000s, ‘Post-Britpop’ is a genre that modernised the style of popular artists such as Blur and Oasis, who are often hailed as the gods of the original Britpop era. Post-Britpop can be considered as simply an extension of the 90s music scene, with many bands in the current industry using this typically British vibe as an influence and a foundation to straddle the pop and rock airwaves simultaneously, gaining them much attention on mainstream radio.
British rockers, and my favourite band of all time, The Courteeners, are arguably one of the clearest but perhaps less celebrated Post-Britpop band of the late 2000s. Fronted by lead singer Liam Fray and made up of 3 talented musicians, The Courteeners have a wide tracklist from their discography of six impressive and varied studio albums. Whilst the more traditional conventions of Post-Britpop can be seen to be the use of heavy guitar riffs, lyrics that reference the lifestyle/landscape of Britain, or the harsher tones (think the vocals of the one and only Liam Gallagher), The Courteeners manage the reach new heights of more melodic and powerful Britpop tones.
Although it could be argued that there are more ‘Britpop-esque’ bands out there than The Courteeners, perhaps along the lines of Arctic Monkeys or Coldplay, it’s their debut studio album St. Jude (2008) which highlights their true Post-Britpop style which many came to love and adore. St. Jude peaked at no. 4 when it debuted in the Official UK Charts the week of its release, proving it’s widespread adoration and the grounding it has within the music world. I mean, it’s pretty difficult to attend a party these days without hearing the ever-so-famous ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ – that is a true noughties classic and we all know it.
If that isn’t proof enough that St. Jude is one of the best Post-Britpop albums out there, it also boasts some lesser-known bangers such as the upbeat ‘Bide Your Time’ (one of my personal favourites) and the fast-paced ‘Cavorting’. There are even some slower tunes on the album which feel reminiscent of the Oasis days where the Gallagher brothers would dare to experiment with slower tunes that are perhaps less pop and more akin to slow, classic rock. St Jude is truly the epitome of the post-britpop sound, and a cracking album.
St Jude is available to listen to now via Polydor Records. Check out the music video for the single ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ below.
