Live Forever - Region 2 DVD

It was a time of political change, when, after long Conservative rule, people were looking forward to the future, and Cool Britannia filled a cultural hole. There was bizarre art from the likes of Emin and Hurst, and a vibrant music scene filled with "jolly" Blur tunes and Pulp's off-kilter takes on the working class. But it was Oasis's meteoric rise and the simultaneous "Lad" cultural stereotype they embodied that really gripped the nation's youth (both male and female). Live Forever offers interviews with the Gallagher brothers (who actually come across as sound geezers), Damon Albarn (who fares less well, and it becomes clear where director John Dower's commitment lay in the big Britpop battle) and the sublime Jarvis Cocker (who really should have become more of a cultural icon). Although Britpop ended after a blitz of cigarettes and alcohol, its place is sealed in music history. Just as The Filth and the Fury has become the must-see documentary on punk, Live Forever may well become the defining film of the 90s generation. --Nikki Disney