Teen Anthems

It's the parenthetical addition that makes it a contender for best song title ever. I Hate Oasis (And I Hate The Beatles) remains an amusing assault on an insular and unadventurous British music scene. The single, which was put out by Swansea's Teen Anthems (aka John William Davies) in 1996, sticks an iconoclastic boot into the groin area of a host of supposed musical national treasures. And does so with a feckless, DIY, plinky plonk charm. All together now: "I hate The Beatles and I hate The Who/ And I hate The Kinks and Small Faces too/ And I hate Oasis, oh I really hate Cast/ 'Cos I loathe those bands stuck in the past." Other John William Davies gems worth checking out are Paul Weller=Anti-Christ (1996), Welsh Bands Suck (1997) and Swansea City (1997) (probably the most unprescient football song of all time). A handy round-up of his work can be found on his We Heart Rock CD compilation, self-released on the Sonic Art Union label in 2005.