Music
Plus One
The 11 best Supergrass songs
Why have a top ten when you can have one more? Ahead of their 2025 live tour, here’s the 11 best Supergrass songs, ranked…
It would very much seem that Britpop is back.
Along with the resurgence of Adidas Sambas, oversized parkas, and a pair of rkids that finally decided to burying the hatchet, Britpop is here for the 2025 tour circuit – and, luckily, Oxford scallywags Supergrass have also reunited for a slew of live dates to coincide with the 30th anniversary of their debut album I Should Coco.
Exploding onto the scene in 1995 in a joyous gurn of retro tees, shaggy hair and outrageous sideburns, the trio – consisting of singer Gaz Coombes, bassist Mick Quinn and drummer Danny Goffney – created some of the catchiest and most memorable songs of that era, morphing and honing their sound to elevate themselves above the indie-rock landfill that would later saturate the industry (and petrol station CD bargain bins up and down the country).
With six studio albums and one live album tucked into the waistband of their flared corduroys, revisiting Supergrass’ back catalogue feels like a chaotic romp in the University towns, festival fields and bustling pubs of 90s Britain. It tastes like late-night chips and smells of your mate’s Ford Fiesta, rolled-up cigarettes and that cut-grass summer when you first fell in love.
And there’s a reason so many people feel such fondness for Supergrass (the late Taylor Hawkins was a massive fan, so much so that he once made a drum cameo with them at one of their concerts), which is why pulling together a Plus One of their greatest hits has been incredibly difficult (special mention to ‘Mansize Rooster’, ‘Strange Ones’, and ‘Late In The Day’). Everyone has a story, shared memory or insane Glasto caper attached to them. Disclaimer: It is categorically impossible not to smile when you hear a Supergrass song.
So, here are (in this writer’s opinion), the very best Supergrass songs to get you prepped for their 2025 reunion tour. Turn on, tune in, freak out.
11. ‘St. Petersburg‘
(Road To Rouen, 2005)
Dreamy and orchestrally layered, ‘St Petersburg’ is a slow burn but devastatingly beautiful – with more than a touch of John Lennon to it. Taken from the band’s fifth and arguably most personal album to date, the single saw a departure from the fun, three-minute thrashers that Supergrass were most famous for. This new sound was mellow and introspective (and def worth a listen if you haven’t already) – unsurprisingly, the entire album became a low-key hit with music critics.
10. ‘Mary‘
(Supergrass, 1999)
Dark and deliciously catchy, the third single to be released from the band’s third album, ‘Mary’ is something of an under-the-radar fan fave. Featuring Gaz’s screaming falsetto, plinky keyboard line and a ghoulish music video that pays homage to 50s Hammer Horror (that was actually banned from TV at the time for being too ‘scary’), the gothicky undertones of this track are quite simply brilliant. Revisit at your own peril.
9. ‘Going Out‘
(In It For The Money, 1997)
Avoiding the dreaded ‘second album curse’, In It For The Money was a critical and commercial success, and produced some absolute belters – some of which have in fact superseded singles taken from Supergrass’s behemoth of a debut. One of which is the glorious ‘Going Out’. Released as the first track from the album, the scuzzy guitars and scythe effects sound amazing against the melodic harmonium, topdecked by Gaz’s subtle little ‘oooohs’ at regular intervals. There’s also a superb brass line thrown in for good measure.
8. ‘Grace‘
(Life On Other Planets, 2002)
With a slight glam-rock edge, the perpetually happy ‘Grace’ was the second single to be released from Supergrass’ fourth album. A radio-friendly pop tune, this is Supergrass doing their happy-clappy funster shtick, and it works – play very loud when you’re cleaning the flat. It’ll help.
7. ‘Pumping On Your Stereo‘
(Supergrass, 1999)
There is something altogether quite Bowie-esque about ‘Pumping On Your Stereo’. Perhaps it’s the combination of Gaz’s voice, the backing vocals, or those distinctive handclaps (that were reportedly included because at points Danny Goffney wasn’t hitting the snare hard enough) that takes it into Starman territory. Either way, it was a massive hit for the band, and the video was a whole bunch of fun.
6. ‘Lenny‘
(I Should Coco, 1995)
That thumped intro can only mean one thing – yes, ‘Lenny’. A bona fide ‘true fan’ favourite, it was the fourth single to be released from I Should Coco and sounds absolutely incredible live. In fact, most Supergrass fans lose their absolute shit when the band plays it (even though many of us are likely to throw a hip out while doing so). It’s heavy while still being groovy as all hell.
5. ‘Sun Hits The Sky‘
(In It For The Money, 1997)
The quintessential festival bopper, ‘Sun Hits The Sky’ is a perfectly crafted Supergrass pop song. Uplifting and worthy of a muddy, drunken ‘I love you, mate’ while clutching a disintegrating paper pint of cider, this is guaranteed to get the crowds loved up at their outdoor shows this year.
4. ‘Caught By The Fuzz‘
(I Should Coco, 1995)
Featuring a Ramones-style intro and Gaz’s punk-rock lament (after reportedly being arrested for carrying cannabis at 15 years old, tsk tsk), ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ was the band’s debut single, and it’s still so good three decades on. The line “If only your father could see you now” was every kid’s shame, and Coombes delivers his mother’s ticking off with musical aplomb. This is what Supergrass do best – take something so stuffily British and a bit rubbish, and make it absolutely hilarious. 90s teens would blast this from their packed cars while trying to get parked at shit festivals. What a time to be alive.
3. ‘Moving‘
(Supergrass, 1999)
The opening track from their third album Supergrass, ‘Moving’ signalled something of a different musical direction for the band. Lush strings, a more prominent keyboard and soaring vocal lines from Coombes heralded a new, more mature sound, and fans loved it. ‘Moving’ sweeps and sways in a Scott Walker-style way, against a lush Wall of Sound backdrop. It’s beautiful, with a small hit of darkness and foreboding – and is so much fun to get down to.
2. ‘Richard III‘
(In It For The Money, 1997)
Oof. What can we say? That opening ‘woooo’ says it all. One of the greatest rock singles of all time. Fact. Nothing more to say or see here.
1. ‘Alright‘
(I Should Coco, 1995)
The single that soundtracked a thousand 90s summers, ‘Alright’ is the very definition of teenage innocence – i.e. before the internet ruined everything. Written at a time when the only thing to worry about was having enough money to buy a couple pints, a box of ten fags and maybe a condom from the pub lavs (“sleep around, if we like”), Supergrass’ best single sums up everything we loved (and miss) about that halcyon decade. Plus, Gaz’s sideburns became an overnight icon. Roll on summer.
