The Battle (touring) ★★★★

Britpop – a movement that defined a generation in the mid-90s, and the era of Trainspotting, alcopops, Shine compilation albums, and Vic & Bob. Amidst the hazy splendour of those days drenched in optimism and creativity was an event that would make music headlines on an epic scale (even announced by a rather nonplussed John Humphrys on News at Ten, lest we forget) – the 1995 fight for number one between arty southerners Blur and swaggering northerners Oasis. The Battle presents the characters and situations involved in a retelling that is (mostly!) based on actual events.

The story begins at the ’95 Brit Awards, where Blur won four trophies, including Best Album and Best Group – on accepting the latter, lead singer Damon Albarn (Oscar Lloyd) suggests that the award “should be shared with Oasis”, a move that enrages the Gallagher brothers Liam (George Usher) and Noel (Paddy Stafford). Thus, the touchpaper is lit on a rivalry that, although exaggerated by the media, is nonetheless real. Things hot up when the decision is taken by Blur’s record label executive Andy Ross (Matthew Horne) to move the release date of their single “Country House” to the same week that Oasis are bringing out “Roll With It”, forcing a head-on competition for chart glory. As tempers flare and drink and drugs flow, who will be victorious, and can they both survive the fallout?

Much of the comedy stems from the hot-headed outbursts from Liam and the more balanced dry humour of Noel – George Usher and Paddy Stafford’s portrayals capture their attitude brilliantly. There is also much to laugh at in the tense relationship between childhood friends Damon and Graham Coxon (Will Taylor). There are many standout lines – the writing is sharp and fast-paced, with caustic wit ruling the day.

Some of the cast play many roles in addition to their main part – in particular Louisa Lytton (Meg Matthews), Harriet Cains (Justine Frischmann), and Iona Champain (Jo Johnson). This involves many costume/wig changes and is handled with great flair, although the sheer quantity of characters means that at times it is difficult to know who everybody is supposed to be. This aside, the performances are strong, and it is fascinating to see the influence that these women had in an otherwise male-dominated environment.

One of the striking elements of the staging of the play is the decision to have cast members moving platforms, tables, windows, etc. in between scenes – although this does allow for a wide variety of locations to be depicted and is generally choreographed well, at times the process seems too complex and comes across as cumbersome and awkward. Attention is distracted from this using a video screen which, as well as displaying archive footage of the era, also features amusing animations of 90s DJs created by John O’Connor. The show is soundtracked effectively by a range of Britpop classics (and other genres from that time).

The Battle is a plucky and ambitious play – at times messy, and trying to do too much, but always loud and proud. Fiercely funny, it heads in unexpected directions and invites you on the ride. Are there better indie music comedies out there? Maybe I don’t really wanna know …