7 July 2025, 11:37
Bring back Britpop Britain: Was the ‘90s our last great era?
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LBC
By Alan Young
After Trump’s “Make America Great Campaign” of 2016, Reason Magazine published research that revealed the period in America’s history considered by Americans to be its greatest.
The results were conclusive. The period chosen was very specific – but it was not one in the life of the Nation – it was one in the lives of those canvassed for their opinion.
Regardless of their age, the respondents all perceived America to have been its greatest when they, as individuals, were aged between 16 and 24 years old.
Life is great when we can enjoy adult freedoms without too many adult responsibilities.
So is the furious scramble for Oasis tickets just a longing to relive the carefree days of our youth?
Reason Magazine might agree, but there seems to be something else about the 90s that was uniquely optimistic in the UK’s modern times, which makes it a time and place the British yearn to revisit.
The Union Jack on Noel’s guitar and Geri’s dress was emblematic that our Nation’s flag had been reclaimed from the now neutered Racist political parties of the 1980s.
The recession at the end of the 1980s and the early 90s was over, and the country was in economic recovery – towards the end of the 1990s the UK was even showing a budget surplus.
Everything seemed possible in a way it doesn’t seem now.
Homeownership was possible at 2.5 times earnings. Money went further and nightlife and clubbing were a thing.
Blair’s commitment to “Cool Britannia” meant the young had the ear of the powerful.
The 90s ended with Dot Com Crash, which, in turn, spawned the great crash of 2008. Some would argue we hadn’t fully recovered from that before being clobbered by Brexit and Covid.
The result has been Nations – and individuals – all struggling and failing to live within their means.
Perhaps the UK’s preoccupation with the time of Brit Pop is more than longing for youth, it’s also a longing for a time of money in pockets and when all our personal prospects seemed great.
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Alan Young is Joint Chief Creative Officer, St Luke’s
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