What did Britpop look like? Dave Rowntree’s ‘No One You Know’ is a tantalizing glimpse at its early days

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If you inquire about Blur from a typical listener, your chances are high that they may refer to “Song 2,” the popular anthem by this British group that propelled them to international acclaim and frequent performances at stadiums.

However, Blur, comprising Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Dave Rowntree, and Alex James, didn’t find their road to fame only after the song’s release in 1997. In reality, their debut album “Leisure,” launched in 1991, might not have achieved the chart-topping success of later works such as “Parklife” in ’94, but it marked their initial footsteps on the international stage and possibly the emergence of the Britpop genre.

During the initial phase of the Britpop era, prior to Pulp igniting global interest with their hit “Common People” and Sleeper’s “The It Girl,” an underestimated album that beautifully encapsulated the spirit of the time, there was not a lot of information available.

No, this is before Oasis and Blur duked it out in the infamous Battle of Britpop, before “Roll With It” versus “Country House,” before bassist James donned the rivals’ merch during a celebratory Top of the Pops performance.

During that period, Blur were closely following the success of “Leisure,” and although they had received some recognition in Britain, they were still largely unknown in the United States. It was possible for those years to slip away unnoticed amidst the passage of time, but Rowntree chose to capture their everyday lives using an Olympus OM-10 camera.

In simpler terms, Rowntree told The Times that these periods are rather uneventful, which is why he chose to document them. He described these intervals as the quieter moments in the Blur story, and they share similarities such as traveling, spending time backstage, etc.

Without him realizing it, he was about to catch a sneak peek into the early development of Blur and the emergence of Britpop music. Fortunately, this happened, and these insights will be revealed to the world in his upcoming book “No One You Know,” set for release on September 9 by Hero Press.

Lately, Rowntree shared insights about their past challenges and successes (possibly including some memories) with The Times.

What era do these photographs belong to? I would estimate that they were taken during a period similar to “Leisure.” Seeing Damon’s bowl cut helps me determine that it must have been quite early.

There are some pictures from before we were even signed. But by and large, yes, it’s in the lead up to the first album and the tour that followed that, as far as I can tell.

Before you were even signed, were you still Blur or was the band called Seymour?

It’s important to clarify that our band wasn’t named Seymour for an extended period. The moniker came about when we were officially signed, but it’s possible that we didn’t use it before then. In fact, our initial performances may not have been under the name Seymour at all. I believe we only used that name for a couple of gigs.

I know you took most of these photos, but who took the photos of you?

Among the images, you’ll find some primitive precursors of selfies, indeed mostly captured by me. Occasionally, I handed over the camera to someone else, as evident in the photos appearing in pairs. This is because I first took their photograph, then passed the camera for them to capture my image.

You mentioned in the book that a lot of these photos you hadn’t remembered ever taking.

No, no, because they’re not the big events in the Blur story.

Throughout different stages of my journey, I’ve found solace in maintaining a personal journal, capturing the everyday happenings that often go unnoticed – the small details rather than the grand events. These mundane moments, as I like to call them, are what truly capture the essence of each period in my life.

Instead, they were the moments that others weren’t capturing through photographs. While everyone was busy snapping shots during our stage performances or other public occasions, I desired to preserve memories of what truly transpired during those private moments in between.

So why put them in a book?

Together, these photographs stand out – they capture everyday moments, making the entire collection extraordinary, perhaps something unique that others don’t possess.

In essence, not many people truly got an insight into what it was like backstage with Blur, as we spent only a small fraction of our time performing on stage.

When you were taking these, did you ever think, “Hey, this could end up in a book one day?”

As a dedicated cinephile, let me clarify that I’ve never embarked on such an endeavor. Reminiscing about the past, there was a moment when Damon inquired about my plans for these countless photographs. At the time, it was uncertain to all involved that this wasn’t the final leg of the journey.

During our first American tour, our bus was labeled with something that Kenny, the driver, chose – a label we eventually came to be known by: “No One You Know.” And as it turns out, he was spot on.

In the UK during that time, our band would often perform at small clubs with audiences as minimal as 50 people. The music we produced was not in vogue, making it challenging for us to break into the mainstream charts. Consequently, we had an independent chart, called the “indie chart,” as our chances of appearing on the main charts were slim. However, things changed later, but at that time, it was uncertain whether our tour of Japan or the US would be our only ones; we were unaware of our future success.

I recall hearing about that captivating story from an episode on The Dave Rowntree Show’s podcast, which seemed to perfectly encapsulate your experiences touring the United States.

This is quite surprising, indeed! You’re correct, it was located in what was humorously named Mile City. It was a tiny settlement with only a handful of houses. Right in the center, there stood a building with a sign that read “Casino,” and it contained a slot machine inside, making it a quintessential example of an isolated American town.

These kids bounded over and asked for our autograph. I thought, “Wow, we finally arrived.”

As a devoted cinephile conversing with new acquaintances, I soon discovered to my surprise that they seemed to have scarcely crossed paths with any Britons prior – a fact that, regrettably, might have remained unchanged for them after our brief encounter.

What was it like when you finally uncovered the metal box that held all of these photos?

It was a relief. But it’s not like I opened the box and gorged myself on the pictures.

In time, I delved into several cartons filled with items I jokingly refer to as keepsakes – essentially, items hastily placed in boxes at the end of a trip instead of discarded. As I pondered, I thought it might be worthwhile to sort through these photographs. Initially, I didn’t have high expectations, but once I began sifting through them, I discovered that I had indeed preserved something meaningful.

In a more natural and easier-to-understand style, the sentence could be rephrased as:

There was an intriguing presence, a blend of vigor, youthfulness, and simplicity, which was definitely captivating.

Do you remember why you stopped taking them?

Instead of gazing at this thrilling, novel experience through a camera lens, I should have been fully immersed in it. In reality, I barely used the camera lens for most of the experience, so that was not a valid justification.

After some time had passed, the novelty of these experiences began to wear off as they became more familiar. No longer was I awestruck by everything, having experienced them previously. Just like my first trip to Japan left me breathless with admiration for its stunning landscapes, remarkable people, and futuristic cities, but after visiting multiple times each year over five years, the initial awe had faded, and I stopped taking photos of things that once seemed so extraordinary.

One thing I really wish I hadn’t done is give up the piano when I was seven. It’s one of my biggest regrets. Similarly, I stopped taking photographs after a while and that’s another regret I have to live with.

What would you say was the hardest part of putting it all together?

Leaving out photos was a significant challenge, as there were excellent images that simply couldn’t be included due to not fitting the theme or layout of the book, not because they lacked quality. I found this aspect particularly challenging.

Although I’d prefer to take a more compassionate approach, the strict page limit set by the publishers left me no choice but to eliminate around 100 photographs from the project.

Do you think we’ll ever see those?

You know, there’s enough for another book. There’s only about half of my photos in there.

If I write another book, it seems like I’ve already accomplished that. However, I might consider something new next time. Fortunately, there are still plenty of intriguing photographs left for further work.

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2025-09-09 22:03