Last night myself and a friend made our way up to Hanley to see Richard Hawley at the Sugarmill. As we arrived Andy Gower was finishing his set, and the place began to fill up in the minutes that followed.
As Hawley played I couldn't help but be amazed by the tunes - mostly 'Bacharach-esque' romanticism in 3/4. One of Britpop's original players in his 40's. A glance around the venue revealed fans in the same mould.
"I was in a band called The Longpigs, many moons ago" said Hawley. "Yes" I thought, "and I saw you in the very same venue 11 years ago. And the singer then was from round here." How much had changed in the intervening years? Didn't bear thinking about.
Anyway, Hawley and his band mates, bespectacled and adorned in suit jackets and blazers, seemed to epitomize the state of those mid-90's acts still around today. Easier listening tunes and a more lounge-like approach. The crowd seemed to have embraced this as well. No reliving old times with zip-up stripey Adidas, Fred Perry's or Campus trainers that might have filled the venue in those days. We were all united in a sort of "let's just wear whatever, and hope the gig finishes before midnight so I can go to bed" vibe. There were quite a few 'oldies' there as well. Sadly, nobody I recognised from that bygone age. If I were to hazard a guess I'd say they're probably in their own homes somewhere, perhaps putting their young kids to bed, settled in a professional routine, maybe even living further afield.
"Britpop is Dead - get over it!" one might cry. But it isn't. It's just, like us, grown old with dignity. And the current scene is all the better for it.
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