30 years of ‘Elastica’: The unsung masterpiece of the Britpop era
By 1995, Britpop was arguably reaching its peak. The ongoing Blur vs Oasis feud seemed to be coming to a head, with the two bands constantly entering battle to reach the top of the charts ahead of everyone else, while other acts such as Pulp and Supergrass were seemingly in the ascendency despite the former having existed long before the Britpop movement even had a name.
However, one band who released their debut album in this year were Elastica, a group formed by former Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch and accompanied by Donna Matthews and Annie Holland. Departing from their former outfit after Frischmann and frontman Brett Anderson separated from their romantic relationship, Elastica were unable to compete directly with Suede for some time as they released two studio albums in quick succession before Elastica emerged with a response.
Elastica was a tremendous success in the UK, reaching number one in the album charts and becoming the fastest-selling debut album of all time, surpassing the record previously set by Oasis with Definitely Maybe the year before. The album also happened to be released on the same day as another major indie rock record from the UK in Radiohead’s The Bends, managing to see off competition from the Oxford group, while singles ‘Connection’ and ‘Line Up’ both reached the top 20. So, why is it not discussed in the same breath as all the other albums of the Britpop period today?
Unfortunately for Elastica, many issues would plague the band in the years following their debut album, and they wouldn’t manage to follow it up for another five years when the Britpop phenomenon had lost traction and petered out. The rampant sexism and machismo of the scene meant that as a band with three female members, no matter how many records they were able to sell, they’d be fighting against an industry that didn’t want them, but that wasn’t the only issue that they were faced with.
Frischmann, who was also in a relationship with Blur frontman Damon Albarn during the latter half of the 1990s, would also enter a world of personal turmoil, having to battle a heroin addiction throughout the period. At the same time, several band members left and rejoined the band’s lineup, causing instability within the ranks, and they chose to move to a new label following a takeover at Geffen.
The most galling thing about the band having not managed to capitalise on the success of the debut is that it’s a bonafide masterpiece, and the 15 songs fly by in an instant as they traverse influences from far beyond the simple Britpop pool. Incorporating elements of new wave, post-punk, art rock and the grunge and riot grrrl movements happening in the US at the same time, Elastica was a far more detailed vision of what Britpop could be than Oasis and others were managing at the time.
Not only that, but Frischmann’s songwriting can be said to have influenced both of her former partners, with them ultimately borrowing from her ideas and sound on some of their best-known work. Anderson has been on record to say that Frischmann was integral to the sound of Suede, and the guitar work that was employed by her replacement, Bernard Butler, arguably owed a lot to the foundations that Frischmann had already put in place. In addition to this, Blur’s self-titled fifth album that came two years after Elastica dials down on the whimsy of Parklife and The Great Escape to favour a grittier guitar sound, something that Elastica had already done on their debut.
They may have borrowed some ideas themselves and not been a totally original group with their mixture of other past trends, but given the competition that Elastica were up against in the Britpop era, their debut album certainly stands tall against the likes (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and Different Class as being a towering achievement for the shortlived genre. The fact that it has been relegated to cult status one part of the disappointment, and the fact that they couldn’t manage to live up to it on the second attempt is just as much of a crying shame.
