But of course, even if you are a heavy- drinking, shaggy-haired, cagoule-wearing indie five-piece from Bury and your drummer has a slight cocaine problem, your chances of being declared ‘Best New Band In Britain’ are significantly slimmer these days. And it’s all because of band reunions. If one of the Best Old Bands In Britain gets back together, they can guarantee a New Musical Express cover shot, even if they haven’t recorded any new music. This is because they are very likely


to have shaggy hair and wear coats and, you get the picture.


And behind all of these bands – both the Best New Bands and the Best Old Bands in Britain – stands the Most Revered Band In Britain (Apart From The Beatles Perhaps Who Most People Are Too Young To Remember Anyway). This is a band whose name is synonymous with a reunion even though they are never going to reform. A band far more popular now than they were when they stood hand in hand on the cover of the NME at the end of 1989, their annus mirabilis, shaggy hair, big coats and Northern attitude.


all


The Stone Roses set the template for just about every Best New Band In Britain ever since. They were a great band. So, for a time were Oasis, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys. But the very nature of these bands makes it so that the second album is never is as good as the first, and if they get to a third, it’s rarely worth the bother. The great


thing is


that there are always new bands out there to take up the mantle; only now we don’t get to hear about


them because the Best New Bands In Britain are apparently all old.


The Stone Roses will not be reforming, and good on them. It’s time we stopped clamouring for


their Dln Moor ya E’ ds v w e ie : Maybe Dylan is right, they won’t


reform, but I think if they did, everyone who says they won’t would then change their minds and see it as a good thing, and another positive – for once, I don’t think it would be just for money. My view is, The Stone Roses created such a buzz and were so great the music mags HAD to put them on the cover, rather than the other way around, ie. being put on the cover to artificially try to create a buzz as with other “best new bands”. For Dylan’s point


this that


reason, I would also debate the Stone Roses are more


popular now than they were in 1989. For one thing, I’m not sure what it means for a band that is no longer around to now be “more popular”, but the other point is of course – anyone who was around in 1989 can vouch for the fact that they were MASSIVE then!


21 return and laid the


whole idea of the Best New Band In Britain to rest.


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