Absolute Radio launches Britpop Summer
We're celebrating the music, movement and moment that changed everything
This summer, Absolute Radio is launching an epic three-month celebration of the musical phenomenon that changed the landscape of popular culture, Britpop.
Britpop wasn’t just a genre; it was a cultural shift that defined a generation and shaped the very spirit of UK music. From anthems that filled stadiums and vast fields to lyrics that spoke to everyday life with swagger, soul and unmistakable attitude. An attitude that remains today.
This August, it’s 30 years since Oasis and Blur dominated media headlines as ‘Roll with It’ and ‘Country House’ fought for chart supremacy in ‘The Battle of Britpop’, a seismic moment in musical history that’s widely regarded as a defining moment of Britpop.
While Blur and Oasis undoubtedly helped to capture the zeitgeist of the mid-90s, Britpop was always about more than just these two legendary bands – it was a movement that also gave us Suede, Pulp, Elastica, Sleeper, Manic Street Preachers, Mansun, Garbage, Ocean Colour Scene, Supergrass, Shed Seven, Catatonia and The Charlatans to name but a few.
With Pulp unleashing their first new music in decades, Oasis embarking on a stadium tour to more than 1 million fans, and the likes of Cast, Stereophonics, the Manics, Garbage, Supergrass and Sleeper touring and/or releasing new music, there's never been a better time to honour the golden age of Britpop.
Absolute Radio’s special Britpop Summer shows:
Starting on Monday 9th June, Absolute Radio listeners will hear new daily shows with 30 minutes of Britpop Summer Anthems.
Every night from Monday 9th to Friday 13th June, you can exclusively listen to live music from Neighbourhood Weekender 2025 with James, Stereophonics, The Wombats, The Lathums, Inhaler, Ocean Colour Scene, Amy MacDonald, The Snuts, CMAT, and The Lottery Winners.
Our Britpop Summer celebrations will also boast classic Live Music Thursdays from the likes of the Manic Street Preachers and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.
Elsewhere, Tim Burgess is hosting brand new listening parties with Cast and Garbage, and we’ll be bringing you an original documentary shining the spotlight on the summer Britpop exploded.
We’re also welcoming a new presenter to the Absolute Radio family, iconic Sleeper founder, songwriter and lead singer Louise Wener will host a four-part series starting on Sunday 6th July. Louise will play her favourite Britpop songs, and she’ll regale listeners with her own stories from the time.
Oasis live broadcast from Cardiff:
To mark Oasis' live return after 16 long years away, Bush and Richie will be in Cardiff on Friday 4th July for the tour opener at Cardiff Principality Stadium.
Bush and Richie will host their show from a pub in the Welsh capital as excitement builds for Oasis' concert later that evening.