Luke Haines' britpop memoir

"Bad Vibes: Britpop and my part in its downfall", by Luke Haines is definitely worth a peruse if you take your nostalgia un-rose-tinted and served with a good measure of misanthropy. It's mainly pretty funny and certainly gets off to a hilarious start with a recollection of how a stage-invading dwarf somewhat spoilt his band the Auteurs' swansong live show in France. It's pretty dark, very immodest (he has an appealingly over-inflated sense of his own place in musical history) and mentions plenty of actual names and places as it reveals to the reader how a sizable chunk of Britain's indie music scene in the 1990s evolved into (or came to be known as) britpop. Anyone with a fondness or interest in the era will enjoy the numerous anecdotes featuring characters from the scene (from household name Damon Albarn to the eternally cult Lawrence from Felt and Denim). But Mr Haines has few complimentary things to say about many of the great, the good (and the hardly-remembered also-rans) of that musical decade. In particular, I doubt Matt Johnson (The The) will likely be sharing a pint with Mr Haines any time soon. Oasis feature often as the object of the author's scorn and such is the cutting eloquence of these numerous put downs that I almost began to feel sorry for Noel Gallagher and co (I did say almost). He depicts himself as some kind of britpop fifth columnist - in there at the heart of the scene, agitating; quietly detesting and disdainful of the competition (more successful and otherwise). The odd grudging acknowledgment of rare good moments by peers (like Pulp's "Common People" for example) only serves to heighten the sense the reader gets of being on a journey with Mr Haines through a musical decade, kicking against the pricks, and cocking irreverent snoops to all and sundry along the way. But despite the spikiness you do empathise and the overall impression is that beneath the entertaining veil of superiority, a more humble present day Haines exists. In fact, as the author himself says in the intro, the impressions and views he describes were as he felt them at the time and do not necessarily reflect his current thinking (though it has to be said that the verve with which he regularly diminishes Oasis and its members seems rather too gleeful to be yesterday's feast). And as Mr Haines' band were indeed right in there at the start, this makes for a very insightful and witty dissection of the whole britpop phenomenon. Those familiar with his music will already know him as lyricist skilled at evoking and deconstructing past cultural eras. It's a strength he has managed to carry through to this enjoyable trek through a particular epoch in British music. Highly recommended especially if you have ever led a band yourself and fancied yourself as the greatest. And perhaps especially if you always thought Oasis were shit.