It’s puzzling?though oddly pleasing?fact that Supergrass amble towards their 10th anniversary as one of Britpop’s few survivors, in spite of being among that benighted scene’s least charismatic bands. Amid all the self-aggrandising and hyperbole of the mid-’90s, Supergrass were praised chiefly for the singer’s prodigious sideburns and, quaintly, the craftsmanlike handiness of their tunes. Supergrass Is 10 highlights the enduring quality of these songs: simple, lyrically trite, often comically derivative, but sturdy and likeable enough to survive after Britpop had run its course.
At their best?”Alright”, “Mansize Rooster”, “Grace”?they combine mischievous punk and glam energy with a craggy, sepia-tone Englishness more redolent of real ale than sulphates. Fizzy and disposable indie-pop, in other words, which has proved to be far more nourishing than ever seemed likely.