A stand-up deep-dive celebrating a time many consider was when British music was as its best (up for debate! – ED) is coming to Leicester next month.
The BritPop Show is a story of a movement, a culture, a country, an era, and above all a story of music, 30 years on from the biggest rivalry in chart history.
It’s being brought to the city by Leicester-born comedian Marc Burrows, who describes the show as a cross between a TED talk and a comedy show.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the mega Blur vs Oasis chart battle, and The Britpop Show unpicks the rivalries, hype, absurd personalities and unforgettable music that defined the 90s Britpop era and changed the face of UK culture.
During his career, Marc has interviewed some of Britpop’s biggest stars. With wit, warmth and a knack for finding the strange beneath the surface, he charts the rise and fall of a movement that started with hope and swagger and ended in excess and identity crisis.
At its peak, Mark says Britpop was more than music – it was freedom, fun, Hooch, Union Jacks on everything, and a generation of nerdy outsiders finding themselves suddenly famous.
But what came after the Blur vs Oasis frenzy? What happened when Britpop stopped being fun? What influence did New Labour’s election victory have as the UK hurtled towards the millennium? And how did Damon Albarn sleep with so many people’s girlfriends?
Read more…
Equal parts love letter and send-up, The Britpop Show explores the legacy of the era, from middle-class pretension vs working-class grit to the way British music tried to reinvent itself in the ’90s, to what happened when cocaine, commercialisation and culture wars kicked in.
On bringing the show to Leicester, Marc says: “I’ve been waiting to bring The Britpop Show to Leicester for ages. It’s where I grew up, and where I first saw so many of favourite bands – The Bluetones at the Charlotte, Supergrass at Loughborough Uni, so many bands at DeMontford and Leicester Unions, tearing it up in sweaty rooms.
“The Charlotte might be gone, but the memories aren’t — I’ve sweated and bled on that stage myself many times. Leicester also gave us Perfume and Delicatessen, both key players on the indie circuit in the ’90s, and of course Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha became a Britpop touchstone.
“There’s a real sense here that the city punches above its weight in music history, and I can’t wait to celebrate that on stage.”
You can buy tickets HERE
WHERE: The Y Theatre, 7 East St, Leicester, LE1 6EY
WHEN: Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 7.30pm
The five songs that Marc Burrows says influenced his show…
Pulp – Common People
My favourite song of all time. Bar none. It’s so unique andangry and witty and it’s an incredible pop tune. If I had to listen to just one song for therest of my life, this would be it.It’s got a very special place in the show.
Blur – This Is A Low
An absolute masterpiece. Melancholy and yearning and weird and extremely British. It was inspired by a tea towel–it doesn’t get more British than that.
Menswear – Daydreamer
‘Daydreamer’ has ONE CHORD in it and a bassline filched entirely off a song by punk rockers Wire. It has no right to go this hard.
Sleeper – What Do I Do Now
In 1995 there were 428 men in indie bands in London alone. How many women? I counted them – 11. They punched way above their weight though, “make up like glue, she danced around the room to the sound of her corduroy flares” is rhymed with “he looks at it all, stifles a yawn, she tries not to look like she cares”. No-one else was writing like that! Louise Wener was a storytelling genius.
Oasis – Rock N’Roll Star
A full throttle, barnstorming, face-punching statement of intent, never bettered by Oasis. Possibly never bettered by anyone, in that context. They didn’t play it at Knebworth – madness!
