Britpop wasn’t just about the vanguard of brand new bands spunking forth from Camden’s Good Mixer pub. It was also about older acts tweaking their sound to hop on the gravy train – hence Teenage Fanclub, James, The Charlatans and many more enjoyed a career-topping second wind.
Shaun Ryder – whose Happy Mondays had collapsed in a drug-fuelled stupor at the fag end of Madchester madness – returned as the frontman of Black Grape.
He came bouncing back to form, baiting organised religion and spouting brilliantly mad lines like “You do nothing but socialise/And become a menace/Put on your Reeboks man/And go play funky tennis”.
Black Grape’s formula was essentially the same as Happy Mondays: Ryder’s Mancunian spaceman poetry over funk-influenced grooves, but here with the addition of rappers Kermit and Psycho.
Their career burned out quickly, but the cheekily titled It’s Great When You’re Straight . . . Yeah album remains one of Britpop‘s best.
And in Ryder’s two expletive-filled TFI Friday appearances, he gave us two of the best bits of Britpop-era TV too.
Shaun Ryder
Vocals
Bez
Dancer
Paul ‘Kermit’ Leveredge
Rapper
Wags
Guitar
Craig Gannon
Guitar
Jed Lynch
Drums
