Gen Z drives ’90s rock revival as Oasis and Metallica dominate charts
A wave of nostalgia has hit Australia’s music scene as ’90s rock bands attract unprecedented streaming numbers and pack venues with fans too young to remember their heyday.
Australia has gone back to the 1990s – but not for the ripped jeans, flannel shirts or, sadly, the low house prices.
Instead, we’re obsessed with the sounds of the ’90s.
Despite their biggest hits debuting more than two decades ago, artists like Goo Goo Dolls, Oasis, Radiohead and Metallica have been trending again for more than two months, according to this week’s ARIA charts data.
The 1998 hit Iris by Goo Goo Dolls also made Spotify’s Top 50 most played songs in Australia, with more than 134,000 daily streams, while Oasis classics Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger each received more than 90,000 streams each.
Enter Sandman by Metallica had 88,000 daily listeners, while Radioheads Creep is ranked 13 on the global Spotify charts.
Meanwhile, more than 320,000 people attended Oasis concerts across Sydney and Melbourne, according to LiveNation, and huge crowds also flocked to Metallica’s shows in Sydney last weekend.
Contemporary music academic Dr Jadey O’Regan said Gen Z was behind the revival, with the younger generation discovering music they were too little to have enjoyed in its heyday.
“In contemporary music at the moment, guitars and rock aren’t really in, so young people are perhaps curious or finding meaning in loud guitars and enjoying rock music,” Dr O’Regan said.
“Gen X and millennial parents are also now sharing their music with their kids, which is really powerful … sometimes it’s hard for parents and kids to connect and music is really powerful in that way.”
Gen Z gave older Oasis fans a run for their money, with LiveNation ticket-holder data from the Sydney shows revealing 25 per cent were aged 18 to 24, compared to 24 per cent aged 25 to 34, and 27 per cent aged 45 and over.
“Demand for Oasis spans every generation, from 18-year-olds seeing Oasis for the first time to fans in their 50s who’ve been there since the beginning,” Mark Vaughan, LiveNation’s senior vice president of touring, said.
Yesteryear tracks are also creeping into pop culture, with Netflix’s Yellowjackets and Derry Girls featuring many beloved ’90s hits.
The revival has also created renewed interest in CDs, according to RedEye Records store manager Matt Huddy.
“They are much cheaper than records, customers may not want to spend $70 on a (vinyl) record but they will spend $30 on a CD,” Mr Huddy said.
“Alongside rock, bands like Nirvana, ’90s hip hop CDs are also selling really well.”
Popular music expert David Cashman encouraged Aussie acts from decades past to follow the lead of Oasis and Metallica and head out on tour again.
“There’s this theory of a 20-year delay, what’s trendy then will come back again, it’s a fascinating movement, people are nostalgic for the simplicity of an era they didn’t even exist in,” Mr Cashman said.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity (for ’90s bands), I’d say to them to milk it while they can.”
Joni Duarte and Sara Teixeira were both too young to appreciate Oasis during the band’s rise to fame, but were thrilled to finally see the them live in Sydney recently.
Mr Duarte, 27, was introduced to Oasis by his father and uncle, and also counts himself a fan of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica and Soundgarden.
“I was born in the wrong generation,” Mr Duarte said.
“There’s definitely some of (Oasis) live performances I wish I could go back and experience.
“There’s nothing like them nowadays … their songs were so impactful to me growing up.
“I’m amazed by the amount of attention and hype they’re getting now, but no matter who is a fan, everyone can be part of the party.”
Originally published as Gen Z drives ’90s rock revival as Oasis and Metallica dominate charts
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