Theatre Review: The Battle, at the Birmingham Rep

AD: This Press Night Review refers to the 2026 Production of The Battle at the Birmingham Rep*

Summer 1995. I was 17 years old. First job, working in Payroll at a recruitment agency. First boyfriend, whose music tastes were questionable. Consequently, I was more “Pop” than “Britpop”. The biggest records of 1995 included Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Meatloaf. And Robson & Jerome. And I owned them all. Yes, even Robson & Jerome.

But elsewhere, in cooler circles than mine, there was another chart battle that I was dimly aware of. And this brand-new play written by John Niven and directed by Matthew Dunster takes us back to “The Battle” for chart supremacy between Britpop heavyweights Blur and Oasis.

(Just to try and get my cool badge back, I ditched the pop-loving boyfriend, and finally discovered Britpop. Albeit five years too late. However I was – and remain – firmly more TeamSuede or TeamPulp)

“I’m a professional cynic but my heart’s not in it / I’m paying the price of living life at the limit” (Blur, Country House, 1995)

“The Battle” tells the – mostly-true – story of a summer-long rivalry between intellectual southerners Blur and working-class northerners Oasis. Blur win 4 Brit Awards compared to Oasis’ single trophy. Oasis top the charts for the first time. With the two bands trading insults, the gloves are off. Blur’s manager Andy Ross (Mathew Horne) suggests that Blur release their next single “Country House” on August 14th. On the same day that Oasis release “Roll With It”. It’s a head-to-head, media frenzy battle for the coveted Number One slot. There’s a price to pay though for chart domination. Relationships fracture, technical issues get in the way and both bands – to quote Blur – are “paying the price for living life at the limit”.

These were the days when being Number One in the charts counted, before Spotify and Apple Music and streaming almost made the UK charts obsolete. Number One still meant bragging rights. In fact, whilst the backdrop is this particular chart battle, The Battle is really about an era, about fame in the 90s when success meant dating a supermodel or falling out of the Groucho Club. It’s cocaine-fuelled, it’s Loaded, it’s ladettes, it’s TFI Friday. This new alternative guitar-based music, and the characters it produced, was just background music

“You gotta say what you say / Don’t let anybody get in your way” (Oasis, Roll With It, 1995)

The Battle is a tongue-in-cheek look at the culture of the day, with the imagined conversations that took place away from the media-frenzy, in the recording studios, award ceremonies and video shoots. John Niven’s script is witty and sharp, although some of the comments are naturally a little dated, leaving the audience with a “did-they-really-say-that?” gasp of nervous laughter. The “c-word” is liberally sprinkled throughout, used almost with glee. Depictions of smoking and drug-taking are rife.

George Usher’s Liam Gallagher is a swaggering delight, throwing tantrums, spewing expletives and generally being highly entertaining. He has every little movement captured, and even though it seems like an exaggerated caricature, it could very well be an accurate reflection of Gallagher himself. A more reflective Noel Gallagher is played by Paddy Stafford, although he’s not averse to his own media mishaps, particularly his cocaine- and gin-fuelled interview with the Observer.

From the Blur camp, Will Taylor stands out as the unbalanced and neurotic Graham Coxon, hiding in a bathroom and desperately clutching a red wine bottle, whilst Oscar Lloyd and Brandon Bendell deliver compelling performances as Damon Albarn and Alex James respectively. The different creative directions of the bandmates are well portrayed, in particular during scenes between Taylor and Lloyd.

In quite a “laddish” scene it was good to get a glimpse of the strong women behind the men in Justine Frischmann (Harriet Cains), Meg Matthews (Louisa Lytton) and Jo Johnson (Iona Champain). Both Jo and Justine had their own successful music careers, whilst Meg worked in fashion PR and music management

“He’s reading Balzac and knocking back Prozac” (Blur, Country House, 1995)

This is not a jukebox musical of Britpop classics, although the interval playlist contains banger after banger. In fact, music itself barely features apart from a few tantalising snippets and intros here and there. The only full song we hear performed live – no spoilers – is not even a Blur or Oasis song.

The set changes are a little clunky, and occasionally seem a little unnecessary. But it gives us the opportunity to hear more of that 90s playlist, see snippets of news reels and watch cartoon versions of much-loved 90s DJs, including Jo Whiley, Chris Evans, Steve Lamacq, and Mark and Lard, thanks to great work by animator John O’Connor.

For those that lived and breathed Britpop back in the 90s this is a nostalgic journey back in time. There’s a fun re-imagined ending to the tale, although I think the play may have worked just as well without it. The Battle is yet another successful collaboration from the Birmingham Rep team and “There’s No Other Way” to say it – audiences are going to love it.

With Blur in the blue corner and Oasis in the red, “Some Might Say” this is the hottest ticket in town from the beginning “To The End”. The Battle is at the Birmingham Rep until Saturday 7th March 2026 – you can book your tickets here.

Photo Credits: Helen Murray

*Why is this post marked AD? I was invited to attend Press Night in exchange for an honest review. You can trust that I will always be honest and truthful on A Brummie Home and Abroad, and being an invited guest will not influence my opinion in any way.