3 British Rock Songs From the 1990s That Sound Like American Grunge

Not everyone in England embraced America’s grunge export in the 1990s. A now-famous 1993 cover of Select magazine featuring Suede’s Brett Anderson declared its opposition in three words: Yanks go home! Soon, Britpop consumed British culture as Oasis, Blur, Suede, and Pulp transformed rock music as much as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains had done in the U.S.

Yet, some bands, including a Britpop giant, did embrace the Yanks and their indie and alternative rock. So let’s revisit those bands and three British rock songs from the 1990s that sound like American grunge.

“Anyone Can Play Guitar” by Radiohead

The quiet verses and loud choruses of “Creep” helped Radiohead get swept up in a wave of Pixies-inspired alternative rock artists in the early 1990s. “Anyone Can Play Guitar”, like the rest of Pablo Honey, borrows from American indie rock. It shares its DNA with Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and Throwing Muses—continuing a long tradition of English musicians borrowing from American music forms. As they became popular, Radiohead avoided the hysteria of Britpop and instead drew inspiration from the same bands that shaped grunge.

“Movin’ On” by Blur

Both Blur and Oasis dominated Britpop in the mid-1990s. And as the two bands duked it out over chart positions, Blur recorded defining national anthems like “Parklife”, “Country House”, and “Girls And Boys”. Though Britpop was a reaction to American grunge, Blur eventually looked west and echoed the same indie bands that inspired Radiohead (and grunge). Blur’s self-titled fifth album features their biggest hit, “Song 2”. And “Movin’ On” shares its slacker vibe with the rawness of Nirvana’s In Utero. Perhaps with irony, Blur assumed the musical style they had successfully revolted against.

“Machinehead” by Bush

Depending on your view, Bush either helped put an end to grunge or gave it additional life with its blockbuster debut, Sixteen Stone. One might accuse Gavin Rossdale of jumping on Seattle’s bandwagon, but it would have been much easier if he’d donned the Union Jack and written songs about London. Bush’s first two albums were unapologetically grunge and delivered a slew of ubiquitous singles to modern rock radio stations in the U.S. Blur’s Englishness remained audible within its homage to Stephen Malkmus. However, Bush took the opposite approach and went all in on angsty rock. Rossdale extended the shelf life of grunge while also guiding it into its post-chapter.

Photo by Gaelle Beri/Redferns