Comedian and writer Marc Burrows brings 'The Britpop Show' to Milton Keynes
A stand-up deep-dive celebration of a time when British music was (arguably!?) at its best. The BritPop Show is a story of a movement, a culture, a country, an era, and above all a story of music, 30 years on from the biggest rivalry in chart history.
Award-winning writer, comedian and music journalist Marc Burrows is delighted to be bringing The Britpop Show - a multimedia stand-up celebration of one of Britain’s most iconic and chaotic musical eras to Milton Keynes this March.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the mega Blur vs Oasis chart battle, and The Britpop Show unpicks the rivalries, hype, absurd personalities and unforgettable music that defined the 90s Britpop era and changed the face of UK culture.
During his career, Marc has interviewed some of Britpop’s biggest stars. With wit, warmth and a knack for finding the strange beneath the surface, he charts the rise and fall of a movement that started with hope and swagger and ended in excess and identity crisis.
At its peak, Britpop was more than music - it was freedom, fun, Hooch, Union Jacks on everything, and a generation of nerdy outsiders finding themselves suddenly famous. But what came after the Blur vs Oasis frenzy? What happened when Britpop stopped being fun? What influence did New Labour’s election victory have as the UK hurtled towards the millennium? And how did Damon Albarn sleep with so many people’s girlfriends?
Equal parts love letter and send-up, The Britpop Show is sharp, silly and surprisingly moving. It explores the legacy of the era, from middle-class pretension vs working-class grit to the way British music tried to reinvent itself in the '90s, to what happened when cocaine, commercialisation and culture wars kicked in.
On bringing the show to Milton Keynes, Marc says: "I’m really looking forward to bringing The Britpop Show to Milton Keynes. It’s a city with a strong live-music culture, from grassroots club shows to genuinely big touring nights. That arc – small rooms to big crowds – mirrors the Britpop story itself. It’s music that started scrappy and local, then suddenly found itself on massive stages. That feels like the right place to tell this story."
Directed by Dec Munro, the show blends comedy, cultural commentary and nostalgic chaos to remember what made Britpop brilliant in the first place and to create something uniquely fun and resonant - a show for diehard fans, curious newbies, and anyone who remembers the distinct sound of 1995.
Packed with jokes, classic tunes, and a heartfelt celebration of the best (and worst) of a musical moment that still shapes British identity today, this is a joyous, raucous look back at the 90s. Remembering the music, memories and the mayhem, this show captures the spirit of a cultural moment when anything seemed possible.
The Britpop Show will be at The Stables, Milton Keynes on Friday, March 20. For tickets and more information, visit: https://stables.org/event/the-britpop-show-with-marc-burrows