Band battles strike a chord with fans

Twenty years ago this week, Oasis and Blur began their Britpop chart battle. Jonathan deBurca Butler looks at other musical match-ups

THE summer of 1995 was a good one. As temperatures soared across the country, a ban on Playboy magazine was lifted and the air was thick with a debate surrounding an upcoming divorce referendum. For many, that particular silly season was defined by a spat involving Blur and Oasis dubbed ‘The Battle of Britpop’.

Their rivalry had been simmering for some time, cooked up by a music media who encouraged fans to declare their loyalties for one side or the other.