The Rise and Fall of ...

There are bands who split and reunite so often it stops meaning anything. And then there's The Smiths. Five years. Four albums. A string of hits that still sound like nothing else. And a break-up, in 1987, that's still raw forty years on. Presented by Steve Lamacq and Elizabeth Alker and built entirely from the BBC archive, this eight-part series goes back to the very beginning: a restless teenager from Stretford, a guitarist from Wythenshawe with a cassette under his arm, and the five extraordinary years that followed. How did it all go so right? And how did it go so wrong? The full series is available exclusively on BBC Sounds.

Manchester in the late 1970s is a city in retreat. Industry is collapsing and jobs are disappearing. Whole neighbourhoods feel abandoned. Out of that stillness comes a stark, unsettling new sound. Joy Division capture the mood of a city that has lost its rhythm. Their music is tense, mechanical and unflinching. When Ian Curtis dies in May 1980, just as the band stand on the brink of America, it feels like the end of something fragile and important. A month later, Love Will Tear Us Apart is released. But this story does not end there. Tony Wilson, television presenter and cultural instigator, has already opened a club night called The Factory. Within two years, the surviving members of Joy Division return as New Order and take a huge gamble to open a cavernous nightclub by the canal. On opening night at The Haçienda, a white grand piano sits in the middle of a vast, echoing room. Almost nobody dances. Episode 1 of The Rise and Fall of Madchester tells the story of how a broken industrial city began to rebuild…

March 1983. New Order take to the stage on Top of the Pops to perform their new single, Blue Monday. The machines misfire, the sequencer slips and Bernard Sumner glances upwards as if waiting for help that never comes. On national television, it looks like chaos. Within weeks, Blue Monday becomes the biggest selling 12 inch single in British history. Inside the Haçienda, the early nights are sparse and uncertain. The building is vast, expensive and half empty. Almost nobody dances. But beyond Manchester, in the clubs of Chicago and New York, a new sound is transforming dance floors into places of collective release. That pulse begins travelling across the Atlantic, carried by DJs, white labels and restless curiosity. As house music seeps into Hulme community centres and Moss Side blues parties before reaching the city centre, the rules begin to change. Door policies loosen. Guitars make room for groove. Episode 2 of The Rise and Fall of Madchester charts the moment Manchester finds its rhythm. From the…

In 1985 two Manchester bands release their first records on the very same day. The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays barely register beyond the city. They are promising, scruffy… and largely ignored. But elsewhere in Manchester, something far more seismic is taking shape. In community halls, tower blocks and semi-legal parties, imported house records from Chicago and Detroit begin changing the temperature in the room. A new chemical arrives and with it a new way of feeling. Strangers embrace. Dance floors dissolve old boundaries. The Haçienda, once awkward and half empty, starts to pulse. Episode 3 of The Rise and Fall of Madchester tells the story of the moment when guitars collided with house, when ecstasy rewired a generation and when Manchester stopped documenting its decline and started losing itself in the dark. Featuring archive interviews from Noel Gallager, Liam Gallagher, Shaun Ryder, Bez, Peter Hook, Mani, Chris Jam, and Tony Wilson alongside new interviews with Angela Matthews, Mike Pickering and…

By 1989, Manchester is no longer underground, it is now unavoidable. Baggy jeans, bucket hats and loose jumpers become a uniform. Market stalls and record shops replace boutiques and fashion houses. The look travels as fast as the music and the city has found its silhouette. The Happy Mondays record Bummed in a blur of ecstasy and mischief, then quietly redraw the indie rulebook by handing a track to a club DJ for remixing. The Stone Roses release their debut album to modest chart impact, but something else is happening beneath the numbers. Coaches roll out of Manchester bound for Blackpool. Inside the Empress Ballroom, chandeliers shake as a crowd bounce before the band even appear. Within weeks, Madchester is on prime time television. The Late Show. Top of the Pops. Living rooms across Britain are introduced to a city no longer asking for permission. Episode 4 of The Rise and Fall of Madchester captures the moment the movement breaks through. When fashion becomes identity, when dance becomes pilgrimage and…

1990 does not begin quietly. London burns during the Poll Tax riots. Strangeways prison erupts in Manchester. Margaret Thatcher stands outside Downing Street for the last time. Britain is shifting politically, socially and culturally. At the very same moment, Madchester explodes into the mainstream. The Happy Mondays release Step On as smoke rises over the city. Ecstasy fuels a new chemical confidence. Indie and rave collide. What began in dark rooms is now national news. Then comes an unlikely coronation. The Football Association asks New Order to write England’s 1990 World Cup anthem. World in Motion goes to number one and Manchester owns the summer. At Glastonbury, The Happy Mondays arrive with a thousand mates and a bootleg pass printer. In the charts, The Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans surge forward. And in Widnes, on a former chemical works surrounded by factories and wind, tens of thousands gather for Spike Island. The Stone Roses take the stage as fireworks burst overhead. The sound system…

Barbados was supposed to save them. In early 1992, The Happy Mondays are flown to the Caribbean to record their next album. Fresh from the success of Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches, this should be consolidation. Instead, Shaun Ryder drops his methadone at Manchester airport, the studio fills with smoke rather than songs and the budget disappears pound by pound. A sun lounger is sold for drugs. Back home, the gold rush continues. James score a number two single with Sit Down and a wave of new bands flood the charts. A&Rs circle the city nightly, desperate for the next Madchester success. But at The Hacienda, the mood has changed. Security tightens as gangs move in. Tony Wilson announces the club’s temporary closure. When it reopens, it does so under suspicion and noise complaints from new city centre flats rising around it. Meanwhile, the Stone Roses vanish into courtrooms and contracts. By 1992, Factory Records is running on fumes. The Hacienda is bleeding money. And in a final, almost absurd twist, Shaun…

In 1995, after five years of court cases, silence and mounting expectation, The Stone Roses are finally back. The Second Coming has been released, and a Glastonbury headline slot awaits. Then on a rare day off in America, guitarist John Squire falls from his bike and breaks his collarbone. The momentum snaps. Meanwhile, Britpop storms the charts. Blur and Suede set the tone and Oasis inherit Manchester’s swagger and carry it into a different decade. Then, on 15 June 1996, a bomb detonates in Manchester city centre. The physical damage is vast. The city rebuilds quickly, shinier and safer, the rough edges that once nurtured experimentation begin to disappear. By the time The Stone Roses limp onto the stage at Reading Festival in August 1996, expectation outweighs belief and the performance falters. Within months, the band are finished. The Happy Mondays have already collapsed under the weight of addiction and excess. Factory Records is gone. The Hacienda is fading. The party is over. Episode 7 of The Rise and…

As Tony Wilson once told Newsweek Magazine in 1990 - "If there is any idea at all, it is about community and collective strength. There is power in people being lovely to each other." It might be more than 30 years ago but today, Madchester both made its mark and left its mark. Madchester did more than just transform the music of its own city – it rewrote the rule book on how a movement could emerge, free of music industry controls, and produce the sort of bands, DJs and records that labels could never create. It brought dance culture to the masses and laid the foundation for Britpop. In this final episode of the The Rise and Fall of Madchester, presenters Steve Lamacq and Alison Bell share their take on what it stood for, who it influenced, the changes it brought about and the legacy that still lives on, featuring archive interviews with Tony Wilson, Mani, Shaun Ryder and Noel Gallagher. “The Rise & Fall of Madchester’ is a BBC Audio Production for BBC Sounds. It was presented by Steve Lamacq and Alison…

“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” spat a deflated Johnny Rotten before walking off stage in San Francisco. The Sex Pistols were finished. One album, a handful of singles, and a trail of chaos that changed British music. But where did it all begin? How did a green-haired kid from Finsbury Park, nearly killed by meningitis and raised in poverty, end up fronting the most incendiary band in British history? In Episode 1 of The Rise and Fall of Sex Pistols, Gina Birch, a founding member of The Raincoats, and Steve Lamacq drag you back to the murky mid-70s and dive into the turbulent origins of punk’s most iconic band. From stolen Bowie gear to backroom pub auditions, this is a story of disillusioned youth, of a fetish shop on the King’s Road, of a snarling, short-sighted teenager, and of a chaotic Britain. The perfect breeding ground for a cultural revolution that the Sex Pistols were being primed to lead. Featuring archive interviews with: John Lydon, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Paul Cook, Malcolm…

Britain in the summer of 1976 was hot, angry, on strike and broke; a country on the brink. In the shadows, four raw, unpolished young punks were limbering up on the sidelines, unaware of the impact they would make. From half-empty art school shows to now-legendary gigs at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall and London’s 100 Club Punk Festival, Episode 2 takes you inside the band’s earliest and most shambolic shows. At the heart of it all: a band more interested in provocation than perfection. As guitarist Steve Jones told the NME during this period: “We’re not into music, we’re into chaos.” Fights broke out, glasses were thrown, and punk ripped itself from the underground onto the front pages. The Pistols were forming a following, and they were soundtracking a country crying out for change. The Sex Pistols were ready to deliver it, whether Britain wanted it or not. Episode 2 features archive interviews from: Johnny Rotten, Glen Matlock, London club promoter Jack Barrie, Paul Cook, Peter Hook from Joy…

In just three months, the Sex Pistols went from unknowns to the most feared band in Britain. After headlining the infamous 100 Club Punk Festival, they landed a major-label deal with EMI and released their debut single, Anarchy in the UK. Radio wouldn’t touch it, and record shops banned it. No matter, as within weeks the Pistols were on everyone’s lips… for an entirely different reason. Episode 3 of The Rise and Fall of Sex Pistols focuses on one of the most notorious moments in British television history. A half-cut band. A smirking presenter. A live broadcast that shattered the illusion of polite British youth. Within 24 hours, the headlines screamed “The Filth and the Fury!” and the nation erupted. Gigs were cancelled. Politicians raged. Record label shareholders revolted. EMI, who had only just signed the band, were already trying to distance themselves. This was the moment Britain met punk at teatime… and it never recovered. Episode 3 features archive interviews from: Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones,…

In the aftermath of the Bill Grundy interview, the Sex Pistols became Britain’s most notorious band, not for their music, but for the chaos that followed. To some, they were a threat to society itself, and instead of ignoring them, middle England lost its collective mind. Episode 4 of the Rise and Fall of Sex Pistols plunges into the wreckage of that moment: a UK tour collapsing date by date, sackings from two major labels in just six months, and how manager Malcolm McLaren spun outrage into art. From smashed toilets to moral panic, from Caerphilly to Buckingham Palace, this is the story of how doing nothing made the Pistols more famous than ever. Episode 4 features archive interviews from: Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Malcolm McLaren and Sid Vicious alongside a brand-new interview with punk author and historian Chris Sullivan. Presented by Gina Birch and Steve Lamacq A BBC Audio Production

1977, and as Britain prepared to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, the Sex Pistols were plotting something else entirely. Fresh from being dropped by two major labels, they signed with Virgin Records and unleashed God Save the Queen… a blistering punk anthem that tore into the monarchy and shattered British tradition. It was banned by the BBC, blacklisted from shops, and allegedly kept from reaching Number 1. And then, on Jubilee Day, the Pistols took to the Thames in a now-legendary riverboat stunt that ended with police raids and arrests. Episode 5 is the story of how the Pistols hijacked Britain’s biggest party, declared war on the establishment, and created the most controversial single in UK history. Featuring archive interviews from: Richard Branson, Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Malcolm McLaren and Sid Vicious alongside new interviews with the legendary Sex Pistols official photographer Dennis Morris and groundbreaking bass player Jah Wobble. Presented by Gina Birch and Steve Lamacq A BBC…

After the chaos of their Jubilee riverboat stunt and the media storm around God Save the Queen, the Pistols were marked men. Attacked in the streets, vilified in the press, and hated by half the country, Britain’s most notorious band were now public enemy number one. But manager Malcolm McLaren had no intention of retreating. Amid rising paranoia, infighting, and Sid Vicious’s self-destruction, the Pistols did what no one expected: they released one of the most incendiary debut albums of all time - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. It wasn’t just the music that caused outrage. One word on its cover dragged the band into a landmark obscenity trial that would test the limits of free Episode 6 of The Rise and Fall of Sex Pistols is the story of the album that changed British music forever, and how the Sex Pistols took on the law, the tabloids, and the establishment… and won. Featuring archive interviews from: Richard Branson, Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Malcolm McLaren and Sid Vicious…

By the end of 1977, the Sex Pistols sat at the top of the UK charts… while simultaneously hitting rock bottom. Sid Vicious was imploding, his partner Nancy Spungen was fuelling the chaos and Johnny Rotten was growing disillusioned with Malcolm McLaren’s toxic games. Still, the band pushed ahead with a final run of gigs, including an unexpectedly wholesome Christmas Day show for children of striking firefighters. No one knew it then, but it would be their final UK performance for two decades. Then came their first American tour. The Pistols were dropped into the heart of the conservative South. Sid carved into his own chest on stage and Rotten was nearly broken by paranoia. The tour descended into violence, vomit, and blood. And to the end, in San Francisco, with the band on its knees, Johnny Rotten stared down the crowd and asked: “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” With a literal mic drop, he walked off stage, signalling the end of the Sex Pistols. Featuring archive interviews from: Nancy Spungen,…

In the wake of their final show, the Sex Pistols split, torn apart by addiction, betrayal, and manipulation. John Lydon returned to London, disgusted. Steve Jones and Paul Cook escaped to Rio to record with fugitive Ronnie Biggs. And Sid Vicious, already spiraling, began his final descent in New York. This is the tragic coda to punk’s most dangerous band. From the Chelsea Hotel to Rikers Island, from a heroin-induced coma to an infamous murder charge. The Rise and Fall of Sex Pistols ends here, in blood and handcuffs, and headlines. In this final episode, Gina Birch and Steve Lamacq reflect on the cultural earthquake the Pistols triggered, the lives they changed, and the price they paid. Featuring archive interviews from: Nancy Spungen, Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Malcolm McLaren and Sid Vicious alongside a new interview with Jah Wobble, childhood friend of Vicious and Lydon. Presented by Gina Birch and Steve Lamacq Written by Philip Smith, with additional writing by Steve Lamacq Produced by…

Noughties UK indie music was iconic, fashionable and thrilling. These days the kids call it 'Indie Sleaze', although at the time there was no cohesive name for the collection of bands - from Franz Ferdinand to The Libertines, The Long Blondes to The Cribs, Bloc Party to Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys to The Kooks - that erupted from all corners of Britain. These young artists exploded with attitude, tunes, vitality, and misconduct, creating an army of costumed disciples. This is the story of the UK’s most influential musicians of this millennia, and the wild culture that surrounded them - including a collapsing music industry in the face of new media, a fatal tabloid frenzy, and the lows to be found amidst the highlife. Come and ride the UK Indie Wave, as recalled by the people who were there, sweating into their skinny jeans. Episode 1 takes us back to Year Zero (aka 2001), when a foreign band invasion led by the Strokes ignites and inspires this nation's youth. Featured interviewees include Johnny Borrell,…

Now that being in a band is cool again, and now that grotty indie guitar music seems a viable career choice, every corner of the UK sprouts an exciting new group ... or two, or three. Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand seize the moment, winning the Mercury Music Prize. They are the undisputed early leaders of this new scene-without-a-name, setting a tone that is unashamedly artistic and literate. And also quite boozy. Featured interviewees include Alex Kapranos, The Cribs and Paul Smith Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language and adult themes.

A new tribe is born: The Indie. You can spot an Indie a mile off. They are in skinny jeans, scarves, and trilbies, in a random configuration designed to look as dirty and debauched as possible. The early internet - MySpace and band forums - solidifies this fun new scene, and breaks down barriers between artist and fan. 'Guerilla Gigs' become a thing, with spontaneous shows sprouting up in funeral parlours, tube trains, pub roofs ... and drug dens. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, Gary Jarman and Pete Doherty Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

2005 to '06 is the pinnacle of UK Indie Sleaze, as Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Kooks well and truly take over the mainstream. Scrappy guitar bands are now dominating the BRIT Awards and playing to an audience of 2 billion at Live 8. But with success comes the inevitable backlash... Featured interviewees include Johnny Borrell and Luke Pritchard Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

What’s a music scene without fighting and feuding? Brace yourself for Art Brut versus Bloc Party, Razorlight versus The Kooks, and The Libertines versus themselves. With all the booze, drugs, and partying, things are bound to get messy. Especially at the notorious NME Awards, where Ryan Jarman of the Cribs has a near death experience. Featured interviewees include Luke Pritchard, Johnny Borrell, Eddie Argos, Pete Doherty and Ryan Jarman. Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

The UK indie guitar music scene hits the tabloids. Johnny Borrell, Pete Doherty and Luke Pritchard partner up with A-List celebrity girlfriends. Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse become unhealthy media obsessions. And most shockingly of all, Preston from the Ordinary Boys goes on Celebrity Big Brother and actually has a great time. This red top frenzy builds to a messy crescendo that includes phone hacking, divorce, band break-ups, and a devastating fatality. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, Pete Doherty, Samuel Preston, Tara Joshi, Johnny Borrell and Luke Pritchard Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

Just six action-packed years after the start of the UK indie sleaze music scene, The Word magazine coins the derisory term “Landfill Indie” to describe the oversaturation of guitar music, turning the entire genre into a joke. Major labels are falling over themselves to sign the next big indie thing, but many of these hopefuls aren’t ready for the limelight. And audiences seem ready for a new, entirely different, sound ... one that's less male-dominated, for starters. Cue Kate Nash, Adele, Laura Marling, Florence Welch and co. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, Johnny Borrell, Tara Joshi, Alex Kapranos, Paul Smith and Gary Jarman Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language and adult themes.

So here we are, twenty years on... The UK indie guitar scene was a brief, bright moment where exciting new bands emerged from all corners of the UK, and made themselves available to fans. It was a time when young people controlled the culture and left the major record labels in the dust. It was an intoxicating era of community, messiness and hedonism. And actually, there is a hunger for all of that now. Many of the bands from that time are still going, and are playing to more people than they ever have before. The UK Indie Explosion holds a fascination for those audiences too young to have experienced it firsthand, and those Gen Z-ers have popularised the term ‘indie sleaze’. Meanwhile, guitar music is cool again, with the likes of English Teacher, Wet Leg, and Wolf Alice leading a rock revival. Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Commissioners for the BBC were Will Wilkin and Hannah Clapham The producers would like to extend deep…

It's the moment so many people had been hoping for - Oasis are back. Steve and Jo reunite to tackle the biggest musical story of the year, the return of Noel and Liam. But what do we know about the reunion so far? Presented by Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley Written and produced by Paul Sheehan and Phil Smith for BBC Audio

What was life like before Britpop? Join Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley as they rewind the tape to hear how the UK sounded at the start of the 90’s. Britpop emerged at a very specific time in British History, recession and war had dominated the headlines, the Iron Lady left Downing Street for the final time and the UK’s music scene was fractured. Rave was still in relatively rude health, terrifying the tabloids and the parents of teenagers, Morrissey had felt the wrath of music fans after appearing on stage in a Union Jack and the Manic Street Preachers were bringing their own unique blend of rock n roll to the world. But there was one genre that dominated the airwaves and co-opted the ears of the UKs Youth... Grunge. In Episode 1 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, Steve and Jo have new interviews, never before heard archive and more giving us a warts and all look back at the genesis of the scene. Discovering how these different elements collided to create the perfect conditions for a big bang which saw a new wave…

Britpop, as a term landed in the spring of 1993 but it was a full year later, that everything changed over the course of just twenty days. In Episode 2 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley revisit the key moments on the road to Britpop’s explosion. Including on air resignations at Radio 1, a band of rowdy Mancunians and a tragic death, which caused shockwaves around the world. 30 years later Steve and Jo are taking advantage of their contacts, going through old note books, photo albums, DATs, Mini Discs and the BBC archives, to chart the Rise and Fall of one of the biggest musical movements ever to hit the UK… Britpop. Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of self-harm and suicide, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline Listen only on BBC Sounds. Presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Written by Steve Lamacq and Paul Sheehan Produced by Paul Sheehan with additional production…

Thirty years ago a youthquake of creativity took hold of the UK, as Britpop sucked everything into its cultural orbit. From supermodels at Fashion week, to Edinburgh’s underbelly and from Match of the Day montages, to puppets interviewing rock stars on Breakfast TV, the attitude and aspirations of Britpop reverberated across the country. In episode 3 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley dust off old note books, photo albums, CDs and tapes and look at the effect Britpop had on every aspect of British culture. Listen only on BBC Sounds. Presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Written by Steve Lamacq and Paul Sheehan Produced by Paul Sheehan with additional production by Phil Smith Technical Production by Tim Heffer Editor for BBC Audio Helen Hobday Commissioning Producer Jonathan O’Sullivan Commissioner for BBC Music Will Wilkin A BBC Audio Production

As Britpop and lad culture became intertwined, did this heady relationship do a disservice to the women behind the music? 30 years on from Britpop, Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq take a trip back to the 90s to reassess the scene’s relationship with sex and gender. From the front covers of lads mags, to music videos, they delve into the day to day experiences of many band members. Featuring new and archive interviews with Louise Wener, Shirley Manson, Miki Berenyi and Justine Frischmann, Episode 4 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop highlights the barriers women faced and celebrates the trails they blazed across the decade. Presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Written by Steve Lamacq and Paul Sheehan Produced by Paul Sheehan with additional production by Phil Smith Technical Production by Tim Heffer Editor for BBC Audio Helen Hobday Commissioning Producer Jonathan O’Sullivan Commissioner for BBC Music Will Wilkin A BBC Audio Production

Despite Blur and Oasis dominating the headlines, one band more than any other came to represent the soaring highs and crushing lows of Britpop - Pulp. From recording in a semi-detached house in Sheffield to writing songs in a tent the night before headlining Glastonbury, the Pulp story has it all. Thirty years on from the legendary Radio 1 Evening Session, Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq look back at the history of Pulp, discuss the band’s impact and reveal how the intervention of Bob Mortimer and David Bowie might just have saved the 90s. Listen only on BBC Sounds. Presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Written by Steve Lamacq and Paul Sheehan Produced by Paul Sheehan with additional production by Phil Smith Technical Production by Tim Heffer Editor for BBC Audio Helen Hobday Commissioning Producer Jonathan O’Sullivan Commissioner for BBC Music Will Wilkin A BBC Audio Production

In August 1995, battle lines were drawn and the North vs South rivalry was reignited as Blur and Oasis battled it out for the top spot in the UK charts. What started off as banter soon became a full Britpop war, with offices, classrooms and friendship groups divided. In episode six of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley tell the real stories behind the ‘Battle of Britpop’. Listen only on BBC Sounds. Presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq Written by Steve Lamacq and Paul Sheehan Produced by Paul Sheehan with additional production by Phil Smith Technical Production by Tim Heffer Editor for BBC Audio Helen Hobday Commissioning Producer Jonathan O’Sullivan Commissioner for BBC Music Will Wilkin A BBC Audio Production

As the 90s hurtled towards a new millennium, Britpop wasn't just making big headlines, it had also become very big business. As money flowed through the UK music industry, everyone was desperate to be part of Cool Britannia. However, with the arrival of money came the arrival of excess. In Episode 7 of The Rise and Fall of Britpop, legendary Evening Session hosts Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq re-unite to look back at what life was like for those in the eye of the storm. The Rise and Fall of Britpop was presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq. It was written by Steve Lamacq and Paul Sheehan. Technical Production by Tim Heffer. With additional production by Phil Smith. The Editor for BBC Audio was Helen Hobday. The Commissioning Producer was Jonathan O’Sullivan. The Commissioner for Sounds was Will Wilkin. Archive comes from The Word, Fierce Panda, Channel 4, Hattrick, Steve Lamacq, Peel Acres, Creation Call, Ginger Media and the BBC Archive. The producers would like to thank all contributors and archive…

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Britpop!

Join Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq as they delve into the complex relationship between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, a fascinating sibling rivalry that both made, and ultimately destroyed, Oasis. Featuring archive material, music, outrageous anecdotes, and first-hand accounts from bandmates, producers, and industry insiders.

Oasis is Liam Gallagher’s band, and after their first gig at the Manchester Boardwalk he asks his brother, Noel, to be their manager. Noel instead suggests joining as songwriter. Episode 1 focuses on the exciting and breathless start of the band - new experiences and new dynamics. Yet turbulence, chaos and confusion is never far away with Oasis... as a disastrous trip to Amsterdam proves.

It's 1994 and Oasis’s constant touring is underscoring their reputation as rock 'n' roll hellraisers, a reputation which comes to the fore at a gig in Newcastle just days before the release of their debut album. Then, just a few weeks later, the hottest new band in the UK are in a mess in America. Their first US tour is a shambles. Frustrated at blowing their big chance, Noel Gallagher walks out of the band, flying off to Las Vegas. He returns after a week, with a new vision for Oasis, and with a set of clear objectives. Episode 2 looks at the live reputation that the band was starting to form, where an Oasis gig would either be biblical or diabolical, and how that debut American tour helped bring a new focus to Noel’s leadership.

With a number 1 single under their belts, the band headline Glastonbury on Boneheads’ 30th Birthday, welcome a new drummer and release the era defining album - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? But this episode is not without drama - a studio fight almost derails the Oasis express and the Blur Vs Oasis rivalry reaches a nadir.

Oasis are Massive. Earls Court, Knebworth and actual success in America. But with that comes arrogance, defiance and a fight so ferocious that the band appear to have finally split up. We cover the chaotic month that sees the band play Knebworth, have a meltdown live on MTV, and a US tour that starts without one brother, and ends without the other. Utter chaos, and pure drama at the very peak of their powers. Post Knebworth, Oasis really didn’t know what to do next, and as they lurch from one drama to another, the British tabloids have made them a front page priority.

In the lead up to the release of Be Here Now, Oasis tabloid mania is at fever pitch, but what should be the crowning glory of their career is slowly unravelling. The band faced a series of challenges, many of their own causing, and the album is released to massive fanfare... and industry paranoia. We learn about the chaos that followed the group at the time, the backlash that came after the release of Be Here Now, the Australian tour affair that almost resulted in a major diplomatic incident and how Noel’s visit to number 10 changed everything.

As the millennium approaches, Oasis are no longer sound tracking a generation. They are flat and limping along; trying, in vain, to find their place in a shifting musical environment. Noel chooses this period to get clean but he, and Liam, have divorces pending. Bonehead and Guigsy leave the group, and the band release ‘Standing on the Shoulder of Giants’ - their comedown album. Add to this, their “worst gig ever” live at Wembley stadium and a fight in Barcelona that will fundamentally alter the brother’s relationship. And we look at how the tabloid demand for the band lead to cases of phone hacking and leaks within the camp.

Oasis during the 2000s dutifully continue to play the hits to a committed and enthusiastic audience. However, when the final show does eventually come, it’s a largely unsatisfying end for a band that always seemed stronger than the rest. Oasis. Killed, by a plum. In a portacabin. In Paris.

With both Liam and Noel having successful solo careers, and a new generation of fans discovering Oasis, there is endless talk of the band getting back together. And whilst they seem to have been staying out of each other’s way, the constant jibing has moved to social media. We look at what the band means to a new generation of fans, and if they ever will just give each other a call? The Rise and Fall of Oasis was presented by Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq. It was written by Paul Sheehan and Philip Smith. Technical production by Tim Heffer and Sarah Hockley with additional production by Berni Botto, Anna Richards and Merrily Grout. The Editor for BBC Audio was Helen Hobday, the commissioning producer was Hannah Clapham and the Commissioner for BBC Sounds was Will Wilkin. It was produced for BBC Audio by Philip Smith and Paul Sheehan. Archive comes from - The Brits, Channel 4, ITV, MTV, CBC Radio, 9News, Sky One Productions, OasisMediaArchive and the BBC Archive. The producers wish to thank all the contributors…