In a way it's fitting that it's all happening at an awards ceremony. Tonight's (21 February) Brit Awards will probably go down in history as yet another chapter in Adele's 21-inspired dominance of the planet, with a side order of Ed Sheeran victories, but for those of us who were in our teens in the mid 90s, it means more: the Britpop Wars (as they've been melodramatically dubbed by more than one fan) are over.
Blur versus Oasis. Roll With It versus Country House. Adidas trainers versus Adidas trackie tops... it ends here. Not only will both Blur and Oasis' erstwhile leader Noel Gallagher be in the room tonight, but both acts are playing the ceremony at London's O2 Arena. And let's face it nothing says, I no longer have an issue with your band, then the fact that Noel is happy to play second fiddle to Damon Albarn and co as they pick-up the Outstanding Contribution To Music award and play five songs at the evening's climax.
And just to make it clear the elder Gallagher is not there to play any tricks, he's been busy telling people that given the choice he would happily make a record with "mad as a box of frogs [but in a good way, apparently - ed] Albarn" over Radiohead (of course he has actually made records with a good number of other people, so the Blur man is still pretty far down the list, Thom Yorke is back of the queue).
It's fitting it's all happening at an award ceremony because much of the dispute and the détente between Britain's two biggest indie bands has been played out at many of these shindigs. At the 1994 Q Awards Damon and Noel were happy to be snapped deep in conversation (left) - and share the room with then opposition leader Tony Blair who was also in attendance - and by the following year's Brits the love-in was such that Albarn declared "I think this should have been shared with Oasis!" as Blur picked up Best British Group.
Obviously the summer showdown between Roll With It and Country House ensured that by 1996 The Brits had become Britpop rivals' battleground as Oasis' acceptance speech for Best Album (below) summed-up in unexpectedly tuneful fashion.
However relations began to thaw when Oasis themselves were in line to pick-up a lifetime pat on the back from the British music industry in 2007. Interviewing Noel for the cover of a music weekly, talk naturally turned to the band's biggest feud (save for that of the brothers Gallagher themselves), indeed so intent was the guitarist on letting it be known that he held the Colchester band in high esteem that his response to this writer's raised eye-brown was an almost pleading: "Look, I respect him [Albarn], I really do!" He even accepted that Albarn could be considered his generation's David Bowie for his multiple projects, while nominating himself as Britpop's Noddy Holder (though naturally he went on to explain that while he respected him, Albarn was still just the singer in another band to him, noting that this outlook really wound the Blur man up).
Maybe it's going solo, maybe it's the joy inspired by Man City's current glory, but it seems Damon's no longer "just the singer in another band" to Noel, as The Chief says the pair have buried the hachet over a beer recently.
So it's peace in our time - well until Beady Eye sort their act out - start organising your Britpop street party now as Blur and Oasis fans can finally join hands in celebration... Then again almost everyone I knew at the time liked both bands anyway...
Paul Stokes @Stokesie
For updates from ceremony, follow us at Twitter.com/QMagazine. Plus check out the ultimate Blur playlist as voted for by you the public, along with news of a new song the band's Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon performed live at the weekend.
10:46 AM | 21/02/2012
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