I started to get into what would become Britpop sometime in early 1994 when Blur, Suede and Oasis were all starting to get daytime airplay on BBC Radio 1. So it was there that I heard Common People for the first time, and was captivated by it. I remember heading (not very far) to my by-then usual record shop (Laser Discount, Chelmsford) in a free period to buy the single on the day it came out. I still have it - a special edition with a PULP sticker in that 80s-Dr-Who-ish font and a postcard, both of which I still have inside the sleeve.
Through that well played CD single I discovered I liked Joyriders and Dogs are Everywhere - the B-sides - and then sought out the album they might be on. That was much harder back then with no internet, but somehow I managed to find a CD in the library, which I then taped to cassette (sorry Pulp!) prior to getting a legit copy for my birthday later in the year. And then of course, Different Class - an album that really spoke to me as a geeky boy from a small town.
My summer break in '96 started with my first large gig - Oasis at Knebworth. That was great, until I saw Pulp a few weeks later in Chelmsford. Amazing. And that cemented my relationship with this wonderful, quirky band. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and I was at the O2 with my eldest child, enjoying the new music and reliving the memories.
Thank you Pulp!