Are Oasis Britpop?
Short Answer:
Yes. And they thought everyone else was wasting their time.
Long Answer:
Yes, Oasis are Britpop. Not just the loudest voice in the room, but the reason the room existed in the first place. While Blur, Suede, and Pulp brought nuance, Oasis brought certainty. The kind of thunderous self-belief that doesn’t ask for your approval because it already knows it’s right.
Definitely Maybe was the spark. Brutal, melodic, full of borrowed dreams and stolen chords, it sounded like a band trying to punch the sky and actually landing a few hits. Morning Glory made them household names. Cigarettes, dreams, and stadium choruses. Every track a shout, every lyric a dare. The guitars were big, the snare was bigger, and Liam sang like someone who knew the truth and didn’t care if you could handle it.
Musically, they didn’t complicate things. The Beatles, Slade, a pinch of T. Rex, all funnelled through a Marshall stack and sprayed across the '90s like a declaration. Noel wrote with the clarity of someone who’d decided subtlety was for people who weren’t quite sure. Liam sang like the world owed him something and he’d come to collect. They weren’t interested in commentary. They were interested in being the best band in the world, and for a few blurry years, they were.
So yes. Oasis were Britpop. Not the clever end. Not the ironic end. Just the bit that hit you hardest.
