Cases are regularly made for this or that period of pop history to be recognised as a “golden era”, and random chunks of the 1950s to the 1990s have been widely exalted. It is to Michael Cragg’s great credit that his new book, a thoroughgoing oral history, focuses on a period until now almost entirely shunned by critics: British millennial bubblegum.
It was an era created by the Spice Girls, who had been a much-needed breath of fresh air when Britpop started to go stale in 1996. “Friendship never ends” sang the Beatles of the late 90s, and Emma Bunton shares stories of their domestic situation: “Mel B used to cook corned beef and rice, which was a step up from my beans on toast. We used to make Victoria clean the bathroom.” Their success was so sudden and all-consuming, with three No 1s by Christmas 1996, that a UK music industry geared to guitars and pale boy bands had to build rivals from scratch. That took time. The Spice Girls had 1997 to themselves and would scoop three more No 1s before that year was out.
