The Battle for Britpop chart topper to play out at Newcastle Theatre Royal
A stage production revisits the mid-nineties summer when Blur and Oasis went head-to-head and a generation had to pick a side
Swagger, nostalgia, and a whole lot of indie chaos is booked in at Newcastle Theatre Royal next year as a new show remembers one of the most headline-grabbing chart battles of all time.
Thirty years ago, two of Britpop’s biggest hitters, Blur and Oasis went head to head - or perhaps more aptly, Caesar Crop to Mod Cut - in a race for the top 40 top spot.
Country House and Roll With It were the respective tracks bidding for hit parade glory in the summer of 1995, while sparking UK-wide tribal division among the millions who pledged their loyalty to one or the other.1
Now, three decades later, the iconic indie showdown is being reimagined for the stage in The Battle, a new comedy which will come to the Tyneside venue from July 7-11, 2026.
Penned by Kill Your Friends author John Niven in his first venture into theatre, The Battle dives headlong into a moment that was about far more than record sales. It was North vs South. Working class grit vs art-school cool. A culture clash that spilled out of the NME and Top of the Pops and into every pub, living room and playground in the country.
“1995: a time long before music splintered into a billion different TikTok feeds,” says the writer. “When music was so central to the culture that two pop groups could dominate the entire summer, the evening news and the front page of every newspaper in the country. We're going to take you back there.”
While undoubtedly underpinned by the kind of enduring passion which saw ticket sales for the upcoming Oasis reunion hit the headlines once more and found Blur playing a sold out Wembley Stadium in 2023, The Battle promises much more than just relying on name-drops and nostalgia.
Full-throttle storytelling, filthy one-liners, sharp suits, and even sharper dialogue is all trailed in the press release. From Brit Awards punch-ups to press-fuelled feuds, it promises to chart the drama with a knowing wink and a soundtrack soaked in lager and attitude.
The show is directed by Matthew Dunster, whose recent hits include 2:22 – A Ghost Story and Hangmen, and produced by Simon Friend (Life of Pi, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel).
For Matthew - like millions of others - the project strikes a personal chord. “I remember the Battle of the Bands. I remember the charts that week. Music mattered. I remember being in my twenties in 1995. What a wild time. Full of energy, naughtiness and hilarity. Just like John Niven’s play.”
Simon added: “Throughout my sister’s teenage years, she had an enormous poster of Damon Albarn on her wall, and I remember her falling out with friends over which band they loved more. This story has been in the back of my mind ever since.”
The creative team promises a show that's not only hilarious but heartfelt — a time capsule from a pre-digital era when fandom meant something tactile.
For those who lived through the era, The Battle sounds like it will be a must-have ticket for a tune-filled trip down (recent) memory lane. For newer audiences, it will be a chance to see what all the fuss was about - and maybe understand why grown men still argue over Parklife vs Definitely Maybe.
Tickets are now on sale via www.theatreroyal.co.uk or by calling the box office on 0191 232 7010.
*Plot spoiler* Blur came out on top, clocking up more than 50,000 more single sales