SIMON SPENCE – FEELING SUPERSONIC: FROM MADCHESTER TO BRITPOP
BACKSTAGE BOOKS
BOOK REVIEW BY AARON BADGLEY
Who would have thought that 2024 was the year of Oasis, and it looks like that will be repeated in 2025. The Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam, have put away their squabbles and reformed for shows that will be THE shows to attend. Until then, fans can enjoy Simon Spence’s book, feeling supersonic: From Madchester To Britpop is a different look at the band. In many ways it is a love letter to Manchester and the scene that helped create Oasis. But at the same time, the book is by and for fans, it just so happens a lot of fans writing in the book are somewhat famous.
The book is divided into two halves, the first half sets the scene and looks at Manchester from the 1990s and the impact the city, culture, and music had on Oasis. The second half is directly looking at the band, by other artists, critics and fans. Taken together, the book becomes a document of the band and goes a great distance to set the context of the times in which the band found themselves.
ROGER SARGENT COVER
By using articles from the 1990s, Spence sets the stage well and Oasis becomes part of that ongoing history of music. Manchester has always been part of the scene, and in some cases far ahead of the curve. The 1960s gave the world Herman’s Hermits and Freddie & The Dreamers, but in the 1970s, 10cc quietly changed rock ‘n’ roll. By the end of the 1970s, Manchester gave the world Joy Division, Magazine, and The Buzzcocks to name just a few. In the 1980s all eyes were on Manchester with New Order, Happy Mondays and The Smiths (again, to name just a few).
Spence spends a great deal of time with Happy Mondays but one can see how they played their part in setting the stage for Oasis. In reading the book, one sees how The Stone Roses reunion was received much the same way as Oasis is today, only Oasis seems much bigger. But Spence lays it out for the reader. Even the timeline of The Stone Roses comeback album could be a mirror of what may happen should Oasis decide to write and record new material.
feeling supersonic: From Madchester To Britpop takes a fascinating look at a time period where music and the way in which music was heard was changing at an alarming rate. Yet, nothing occurs in a vacuum, and Spence very carefully documents the era and the band extremely well. Fans will no doubt enjoy the book, but others will be just as interested in the story Spence tells.
ISBN: 9-781739-477936
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(Extremely Ltd Edition Jill Furmanovsky Cover Shown At Top)
