Wait, is Cool Britannia cool again?
Britpop has been rebranded as Britcore for a new generation of talent taking pride in their nation.
Let’s face it, the past decade has meant that being British has been a continuously embarrassing experience. With the Tories and their never-ending supply of farcical prime ministers, the Brexit referendum in 2016 which led to the UK arrogantly leaving the EU in 2020, and the government’s recent inhumane attempts to offload asylum seekers to Rwanda, there hasn’t been an awful lot to celebrate (although if you feel differently, this might not be the newsletter for you).
I was 5 years old when Geri Halliwell wore the infamous Union Jack dress to perform with The Spice Girls at the Brit Awards in 1997. Whilst I was too young to experience the full force of Cool Britannia [for those unaware, Cool Britannia was a name for the period of increased pride in the UK culture throughout the second half of the 1990s, inspired by Swinging London from the 1960s], it certainly had a trickle down effect. Being British was something to be proud of — so much so that you would wear it on your Tammy Girl t-shirt, your Nokia 3310 fascia phone case, or your diamanté keyring. There was a period of time where the Union Jack was covetable on everything and anything. It didn’t feel dirty, nasty or tinged with xenophobia (but perhaps that was just in my sheltered, middle class upbringing).
Flash forward to 2024, and a new kind of patriotism is coming back into fashion. Last month DJ/singer/songwriter Nia Archives released her debut album Silence Is Loud. A week after its release, I watched her perform in central London, wearing a Union Jack t-shirt similar to one you could buy from any souvenir shop in the surrounding area. Union Jack graphics were displayed on screens behind her, and the album artwork itself features Archives (real name Dehaney Nia Lishahn Hunt) slightly sticking her tongue out to reveal a glittering Union Jack tooth cap.
Corbin Shaw is an artist who has collaborated with Archives on several occasions, most recently on a t-shirt for her album’s release. He tells me: “I know Nia has a real sense of pride for her dual nationality of Jamaican and English background.” Last summer, he created a flag for her Glastonbury set, combining the two nations into one design. “She wanted a flag that spoke for her and her music — jungle music is an English/Jamaican fusion. It's things like jungle music that make you proud to be British, and I think she is redefining what it means to be British in her music.”
British identity and its complexities is something that Shaw himself explores. “The Saint George's cross and the Union Jack have a history and a loaded power which act as a great canvas or backdrop,” he explains as to why these are recurring motifs throughout his work. He reflects: “As we've seen recently with the new England kit that featured a reworked Saint George’s cross, it's a very contentious object to use because it’s a symbol of national pride for some and national shame for others.”
Another artist who has been reclaiming the Saint George’s Cross is singer/songwriter Rachel Chinouriri. Her debut album, What A Devastating Turn Of Events, was released last week and the artwork features Chinouriri in various scenarios on a typically 90s looking estate, wearing a Lonsdale track top with bunting strung up behind her.
Writing on Instagram in a post captioned “IT’S 1 MONTH UNTIL MY DEBUT ALBUM, SO LET’S TALK ABOUT FLAGS 🏴🇿🇼” Chinouriri said: “London is my home and I’m proud of the influences that birthed this album…I’ve learnt how to navigate the ignorance of the land I was born in and think it’s a celebration to acknowledge what Black Brits have achieved in the UK and in all fields…I’m a proud Londoner but an even prouder Zimbabwean”.
Shannon Kelsey Ann is Chinouriri’s stylist, who created looks for the album artwork as well as live performances, music videos and editorials for NME and Rolling Stone. She tells me: “Working with Rachel is honestly so much fun. We’ve been working together for about a year and a half now, and her team has entrusted me with curating her image entirely.”
When I ask her about Chinouriri’s outfits, which have included Union Jack emblazoned Buffalo boots, jacket and t-shirt courtesy of designer Sinead Gorey, as well as acid wash denim by Masha Popova and feather trimmed Poster Girl chainmail — all women, London based designers — she says: “Britcore has always been a big part of Rachel’s brand, so it only felt natural to incorporate elements like this into her styling and aesthetic.”
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