Supergrass
From Oxford scamps to Britpoppers extroadinare, it's the Supergrass timeline in 5 easy stages.

Capacity cows
The origins of one of the most decorated bands of the Britpop era are auspicious to say the least. Danny Goffey had emerged from his band the Fallopian Tubes to form the Jennifers with fellow pupil Gaz Coombes in 1993. The band Coombes described as "just plain sh*t" morphed into Theodore Supergrass however, when Coombes chanced upon fellow pupil and bassist Mick Quinn in a Harvester (So something good has came out of a Harvester). Danny, Gaz and Mick dropped the Theodore shortly after and embarked on their first live shows to a herd of cows next to Mick's house.

Alright!
As receptive as the cows were, they weren't going to get the band any record deals, but that was ok because a gig at the Jericho Tavern in 1994 was replete with a veritable herd of slavering record company A&Rs, and after wowing the bovine hordes, Supergrass signed to Oxford label Backbeat. Their debut 'Caught By The Fuzz' hit shelves in summer 1994, and thanks to John Peel, sold all of it's 250 copies immediately. Gaz's tale of teenage arrest and cannabis possession was then re-released in October when the band signed to Parlophone, and was instantly hailed by both NME and Melody Maker.

Big Time
The next 18 months spelled it all out for the Oxford dons, who mixed a succession of live festival triumphs with a string of singles. The tracks 'Mansize Rooster', and 'Lenny' whipped up the fervour surrounding the band, and by the time 'Alright' romped in at No.2 there was little they could do wrong. The offers came in from far and wide; Calvin Klein wanted Gaz in their pants, and Stephen Spielberg even wanted to serialise the group Monkees style. However - joined by Gaz's brother Rob on keyboards - the boys ploughed all their energy into making a successful second album.

The dreaded follow up album
Often seen as the making or breaking of any band, Supergrass were right to worry about the eagerly-awaited follow up to 'I Should Coco'. Contrary to the title, 'In It For The Money' proved that Supergrass were serious about surviving the Britpop scene, and if further proof were needed, the first single 'Richard III' earned the band their second No.2 hit. While later singles 'Sun Hits The Sky' and 'Late In The Day' couldn't match the success of 'Richard III', the overall consensus was that Supergrass were very much in it for the music.

The secret of their success
In a word, "sideburns". Of course the staunch respect and emulation of bands like The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Beatles - coupled with their unfazeable zeal has helped Supergrass no end. But Gaz's face furniture - which resembles Noddy Holder's after a three month kidnap ordeal - is the aesthetic icing on a particularly sticky pop bun.