I didn't really know I was into Britpop until it was all over. Despite the fact that the first album I bought was Pulp's Different Class, and I vividly remember Newsround reporting on the Blur / Oasis rivalry, I was too young to really appreciate the music. My 90s was more about crimpers and school sports days than new drugs and music. Dammit.
But I did fall in love with Britpop, both then and retrospectively, which is why I decided to buy tickets to Rosie Wilby's show How (not) to make it in Britpop
If you want to watch comedy right now, it probably helps to be in Edinburgh. Which I'm not. But it turns out there is more on in London right now than the sport. It's just unfortunate no one told Londoners that... I ended up in an audience of 6, in what should have been a sell out show.
But I did fall in love with Britpop, both then and retrospectively, which is why I decided to buy tickets to Rosie Wilby's show How (not) to make it in Britpop
If you want to watch comedy right now, it probably helps to be in Edinburgh. Which I'm not. But it turns out there is more on in London right now than the sport. It's just unfortunate no one told Londoners that... I ended up in an audience of 6, in what should have been a sell out show.
Rosie dealt with the tiny number of viewers with grace, apologising to us for being in such a small group, and admitting “if I wasn't performing, I'd probably be watching the Olympics myself”. But the tiny amount of bums on seats didn't noticeably dent her performance – a mix of stand up and songs made the hour long show fly by.
In a former life Rosie was the lead singer in Wilby, a band who were part of the 90s scene but never hit the strides that The Verve or Elastica managed. I thought I didn't know the band, but as she sang some of their songs on stage, they twanged memories at the back of my mind, as did the album cover featuring Rosie shoeless in front of 'suicide bridge' in north London. (Check out the album cover and songs for yourself on iTunes here
Her voice remains heartbreakingly beautiful. It almost doesn't seem fair that someone who can sing so well should also be so funny. Her comedy actually grew out of her music career – according to her website, it was the reaction of fans who enjoyed her between-songs banter that first prompted her to try stand up. She's previously toured with shows about the science of sex, and started a campaign to make swingball an Olympic sport. Sadly it wasn't included for London 2012, perhaps we'll see it in Rio. I suppose the career transition makes more sense than going from Britpop to making cheese.
As a standup she displays just as much talent as she did as a singer – the jokes come thick and fast, and she has the rare knack of being self-deprecating while not making the audience feel awkward. All the rarer when you're only playing to 6 people – it's often said that it's a skill to make members of a sell-out stadium gig feel like they're at something intimate, so what do you call it when a comic makes people at a small gig feel both included, and like they're part of something huge?
I became a part of the show – invited up with my other half to play the part of a couple she serenaded at their wedding, with a song about how much she fancied the bride. No less charming up close, I felt less awkward being part of her show than I have watching sell-outs (I mean that, I hope you realise, in both senses).
Oh, and the photos of her and the band made my pine for 90s fashions of jeans, t-shirts, feather boas and stripey shirts. Damn.
Just go and see her. Seriously.
Rosie Wilby – How (not) to make it in Britpop is on in Edinburgh 10 – 14 August. Find future shows and gig dates on www.rosiewilby.com
Squeamish Louise
In a former life Rosie was the lead singer in Wilby, a band who were part of the 90s scene but never hit the strides that The Verve or Elastica managed. I thought I didn't know the band, but as she sang some of their songs on stage, they twanged memories at the back of my mind, as did the album cover featuring Rosie shoeless in front of 'suicide bridge' in north London. (Check out the album cover and songs for yourself on iTunes here
Her voice remains heartbreakingly beautiful. It almost doesn't seem fair that someone who can sing so well should also be so funny. Her comedy actually grew out of her music career – according to her website, it was the reaction of fans who enjoyed her between-songs banter that first prompted her to try stand up. She's previously toured with shows about the science of sex, and started a campaign to make swingball an Olympic sport. Sadly it wasn't included for London 2012, perhaps we'll see it in Rio. I suppose the career transition makes more sense than going from Britpop to making cheese.
As a standup she displays just as much talent as she did as a singer – the jokes come thick and fast, and she has the rare knack of being self-deprecating while not making the audience feel awkward. All the rarer when you're only playing to 6 people – it's often said that it's a skill to make members of a sell-out stadium gig feel like they're at something intimate, so what do you call it when a comic makes people at a small gig feel both included, and like they're part of something huge?
I became a part of the show – invited up with my other half to play the part of a couple she serenaded at their wedding, with a song about how much she fancied the bride. No less charming up close, I felt less awkward being part of her show than I have watching sell-outs (I mean that, I hope you realise, in both senses).
Oh, and the photos of her and the band made my pine for 90s fashions of jeans, t-shirts, feather boas and stripey shirts. Damn.
Just go and see her. Seriously.
Rosie Wilby – How (not) to make it in Britpop is on in Edinburgh 10 – 14 August. Find future shows and gig dates on www.rosiewilby.com
Squeamish Louise
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