Menswear

Menswear formed in London in 1994 and were signed to Laurel Records almost immediately, before they had played more than a handful of gigs. The hype was extraordinary — they appeared on the cover of every music magazine, were photographed with celebrities, and were declared the next big thing before anyone had heard a note. It was Britpop excess at its most concentrated.

'Daydreamer' (1995) was a genuinely good single — melodic, energetic, and full of the kind of effortless cool that the band projected in photographs. 'I'll Manage Somehow' and 'Stardust' followed. The debut album 'Nuisance' (1995) was competent but unspectacular — pleasant Britpop that couldn't justify the level of attention it received.

The backlash was swift and brutal. By 1996 Menswear had become a byword for Britpop hype over substance. Their second album was shelved and the band split in 1998. They have since become a useful shorthand for the excesses of the era — unfairly, perhaps, since 'Daydreamer' remains a genuinely enjoyable piece of mid-90s pop.