The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock

Beginning in 1994 and closing in the first months of 1998, the UK passed through a cultural moment as distinct and as celebrated as any since the war. Founded on rock music, celebrity, boom-time economics and fleeting political optimism - this was "Cool Britannia". Records sold in their millions, a new celebrity elite emerged and Tony Blair's Labour Party found itself, at long last, returned to government. Drawing on interviews from all the major bands - including Oasis, Blur, Elastica and Suede - from music journalists, record executives and those close to government, this title charts the rise and fall of the Britpop movement. John Harris was there; and in his book he argues that the high point of British music's cultural impact also signalled its effective demise - if rock stars were now friends of the government, then how could they continue to matter?