Supergrass is ten? Surely not. It seems like only yesterday that we were dandling those beaming Britpop cherubs on our collective knee. It's but a blink of an eye since those cheeky chimps took the stabilisers off their Chopper bikes and rode up the corner shop for some penny chews and Cherryade.
Kindly souls that they are, the ‘Grass shared their fizzy pop with us. Singer Gaz Coombes, bassist Micky Quinn and drummer Danny Goffey, later with Gaz’s brother Rob on keyboards, proffered a musical pick’n’mix of angular, Jam and Buzzcocks punk, Small Faces psychedelia, Madness/Blur music hall and Bowie/Bolan glam. Ooh and an occasionally unsettling reminiscence to Supertramp.
Along with Blur and Oasis, Supergrass spearheaded the Britpop uprising. The Oxford outfit released the adrenalin buzz of debut single "Caught By The Fuzz" in the same year as "Parklife" and "Definitely Maybe". Their first album "I Should Co Co" was released the following year as was the single "Alright", one of that era’s defining musical moments – who can forget the video showing the boys, all toothpaste smiles as they whizzed around Port Meiron on a bed?
It’s thanks to fine songwriting and golden pop moments such as the above that these lovable simian scamps are still with us. The 21 mostly fine (including two new) tracks here serve as a timely celebration of the band’s quintessentially English talent before they head back into the studio to record their fifth album.
Alright, with five albums in over ten years they may not be the most prolific of bands but look at what they’ve given us so far: How about the upbeat, rousing glam stomp of "Pumping On Your Stereo", the raunchy, dark and relentless rock of "Richard III", or the irresistible breezy Bolan type pop of "Seen The Light" – complete with bleeting lambs, tweeting birds and Elvis impersonations.
While there’s no escaping the lighter, knockabout, cartoon side of Supergrass - legend has it, Steven Spielberg once toyed with the idea of turning the band into the Nineties Monkees – they've also demonstrated a gentler, thoughtful, melancholy side. Take the hauntingly beautiful opening to "Moving’" with its acoustic guitar and touching vocals; the utterly gorgeous, soft, sad reggae lope of "Late In The Day" or the warm and summery "It’s Not Me" with it’s lazy synth and drowsy piano.
The two new songs here are recent single "Kiss Of Life" – part Seventies funky TV cop theme, part U2’s "The Fly" and, the album’s only disappointment, "Bullet", a sinister sounding yet totally forgettable rocky filler.
You can forgive any band the odd dud, however, when they come up with such lines as this from the fantastic "Grace" - “you ate our chips and you drank our coke and then you showed me mars through your telescope”. Priceless.
Happy birthday lads and many happy returns!
