Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock (Da Capo Press, 2004), ISBN 0-306-81367-X, pp.

These two bands – in particular Radiohead – showed considerably more esoteric influences from the 1960s and 1970s that were uncommon among earlier Britpop acts. That same year Oasis released their debut album Definitely Maybe, which broke Suede's record for fastest-selling debut album; it went on to be certified 7× Platinum (2. Let us interrupt this reverie about T-shirts past and present with exciting news from the land of Inspiral Carpets, for the baggy ones – “stars of the Madchester boom of the late 80s and early 90s” it says here – are back after 20 years away. Drawn from across the UK, the themes of their music tended to be less parochially centred on British, English and London life, and more introspective than had been the case with Britpop at its height. The most commercially successful band in the milieu were Coldplay, whose debut album Parachutes (2000) went multi-platinum and helped make them one of the most popular acts in the world by the time of their second album A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002).These bands have been seen as looking less to music of the 1960s and more to 1970s punk and post-punk, while still being influenced by Britpop.

The current programme of activity puts a spotlight on the history of disabled people’s rights and activism.The issue included features on Suede, the Auteurs, Denim, Saint Etienne and Pulp and helped start the idea of an emerging movement. In contrast to the dourness of grunge, Britpop was defined by "youthful exuberance and desire for recognition". But as my afternoon with Rimbaud comes to a close, I wonder if their activism, especially in the latter stages ever crossed the line into publicity stunt? The idea of post-Britpop has been extended to include bands originating in the new millennium, including Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party, [92] seen as a "second wave" of Britpop".