The Battle: Blur vs Oasis: Witty, gritty and surprisingly silly
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- 2 min read
The Battle by John Niven, at Birmingham Rep until 7 March 2026. Directed by Matthew Dunster. Touring next in Manchester Opera House until 21 March.
Review by Ellie Blackwell
Recreating Britpop’s ferocious fight for the chart’s top spot, John Niven’s slick, new play perfectly encapsulates this iconic movement and a cut-throat pop culture where artists had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
‘I’m fine with a war as long as I f*cking win’…
Bovril vs risotto, North vs South, Blur vs Oasis: it’s the scorching Summer of ’95.
Those who lived it won’t forget it, and those who didn’t, wish they were there. At least according to Sunday Times best-seller and former musician John Niven, whose aim was to transport his generation back to the music climax of their wild youth.
Launching into Girls and Boys amidst whoops from a hyped-up audience, The Battle commences. Bitter Oasis appear on set trying not to look back in anger as their arch-rivals Blur scoop four Brits, marking the beginning of the competitive clash of the egos.
Oozing arrogance in all the right ways, the accomplished actors perfectly impersonated the iconic cockiness of the frontmen to win hoots from the audience. All the actors showed yet more skill, strutting on stage in-character while executing sophisticated set transitions alongside 90s throwbacks. Though director Matthew Dunster wanted it more about the drama not the music, I couldn’t help wishing they’d let the songs roll a bit longer!
At first I was worried that as a noughties baby the jokes would skim over my head, and whilst some did, I also found myself chuckling away with the rest of the audience at Niven’s satirical and light-hearted dialogue, dripping with dramatic irony. I even felt like I’d lived a snapshot of the coveted nineties culture, immersed in the era with headline news, clips of quintessential nineties culture as well as radio and song snippets from the real-life buildup.
Oscar Lloyd playing Damon even described The Rep’s production as a ‘period piece’. Especially when subtly highlighting other prevalent aspects of the time with women serving only as over-looked girlfriends, silenced assistants or sexualised podium dancers. Will Taylor performing Graham Coxon also reckons its allusion to rock ‘n’ roll’s hedonism stands out.
Nostalgic for older audience members but satiating the curiosity for those who came after, The Battle is an epic story of pride and hubris, cloaked in cigarette smoke and coke. Witty, gritty and surprisingly silly, the heat rises until the wildest theatre climax I’ve ever seen…
Prepare for strong language, drug-taking references and violence, The Battle is showing at the Birmingham Rep until 7 March 2026, with accessible performances throughout (see website link for dates and tickets to all performances). Touring next in Manchester Opera House until 21 March.
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