Britpop trailblazers Republica mark 30 years with Brighton gig

Britpop trailblazers Republica have announced a major UK tour this autumn, marking 30 years since their rise as one of the late 90s’ defining acts.

Running across October and November 2026, the tour will see the band bring their techno-pop, punk rock, electronica sound back to stages nationwide including Brighton Chalk on November 6 and Guildford Boileroom on November 12.

Fronted by Saffron, Republica emerged alongside a wave of era-defining female-fronted bands including Catatonia, Elastica, Sleeper and Skunk Anansie, helping shape the sound and attitude of Britpop at its peak.

Saffron, who lives near Lewes, is delighted to be celebrating it all still: “It was triumphant. We became unignorable. Before that no radio station would playlist female-fronted bands but we just became like a gang of us. It was great.”

Whether it all seems like 30 years ago since they started is another matter: “I was reading something the other day and someone was saying it's not about the years in time; it's about the time that you spent in those years and I just thought yes. If you hear a great record you just think I love that. It's that music in that moment. I think music suspends time because it connects you in a really magical way. Music is universal. It's a language that you can hear anywhere whether it's punk or whatever, whether it's new music or old music.

“But it is 30 years since the release of our debut album. It was so exciting. We were signed to a small independent label in London. It was in those years where you had these small independent labels that were run by really dedicated passionate people that were completely in it for the music. I think it gave a kind of energy to it.

“But then we got signed by the head of RCA Records in America and we went over there. You couldn’t even begin to believe it. Within two weeks there were queues of people moshing and we were selling out all these venues. We broke in America. Nobody really cared about us in the UK and then we came back. Our last tour of America was 65 gigs. It was just great but the point is we came back and we had a story. In a way we came back with a bit of a swagger and we were saying ‘Remember us!’ We had that story and we were ready to go and that was so rare. We ended up playing the main stage at Reading and Glastonbury. It was fantastic. We had a brilliant time.”

“It’s incredible to think it’s been 30 years. These songs still feel as urgent and exciting as they did back then. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone.”