New BBC podcast explores rise and fall of Britpop

Culture
11 Jul 23

The podcast will be available on BBC 6 Music, with the first four episodes out now.

In celebration of what BBC hails as the 30th anniversary of Britpop, new podcast The Rise and Fall of Britpop has been launched on the platform.

Developed and hosted by DJs Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, the podcast examines the emergence and impact of the genre and what they describe as the music industry's "last hurrah" before the emergence of the Internet. The podcast will feature exclusive interviews with various musicians from within the genre and examine its enduring impact on both pop culture and the music industry, "warts and all".

What was it like to be a woman during the Britpop era?

Jo Whiley & Steve Lamacq tell the unfiltered story of a genre that shaped modern Britain in The Rise and Fall of Britpop, a new podcast series on @BBCSounds https://t.co/nSVCi3wavk pic.twitter.com/3jvpZNaL7G

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) July 10, 2023

“It’s easy to forget the environment Britpop landed in; The passing of power from Thatcher to Major, Britain embroiled in war and the Union Jack derided as a symbol of the far right. But in 1993 the UK started to turn Red, White, and Blue, as teenage bedrooms filled with posters of Suede, Statto and Sara Cox,” read the press release.

“[The podcast] gives presenters Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq the unique opportunity to tell some of the greatest stories in pop history,” it continues. “With the benefit of distance to re-evaluate a pivotal moment in British culture, as they look at the last hurrah for the music industry before it was changed forever by the emergence of the internet.”

In recent Britpop news, Blur have been busy promoting their upcoming album, The Ballad Of Darren. They played a sold-out Malahide Castle gig last month and feature in Hot Press's most recent issue. Pulp, another heavy-hitter within the genre, made a trip to Dublin last month while on their European tour, playing a highly anticipated gig at St. Anne's Park.

The first half of the podcast is available online here and will re-air on BBC 6 Music on July 12th. The last four episodes are due to release on July 19th.