David Vance SubstackRead More
“Britpop” was the soundtrack that accompanied the rise of Labour’s Tony Blair to political power in the UK and there was no band more closely associated it with it than Oasis, the Manchester band who went on to claim international fame.
How did Oasis get linked to Blair? Well…
“It was the moment that made Tony Blair’s spin doctors delirious: Noel Gallagher, the Oasis guitarist dubbed the “new John Lennon” had drinks with the Prime Minister at Downing Street in 1997 and Blair’s crusade to launch Cool Britannia was under way.”
Basically, Oasis were seen as super cool and using them to link to Tony Blair was an attempt to make Blair seem just one of the people. Not that it lasted.
In a dramatic reversal of his widely publicised decision to chat warmly with Tony and Cherie, Gallagher last week told The Observer that it had all been a terrible mistake – a misjudgment of Blair’s political credentials – possibly caused by too many drugs.
OK, what can I say about that but isn’t it fascinating that no sooner does Keir Starmer enter Downing St and a new era of Labour in Government dawns that who pops up but- Oasis!
What’s the chances of that then?
I often wonder about the entire music industry and who runs it, who decides who is made a “star” and what is the price paid for fame. What are the links between politics and the music industry?
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