Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in its Downfall, By Luke Haines

Luke Haines was the lead singer of the 1990s band the Auteurs. One might be tempted to call them a Britpop band, but don't do so in Haines' hearing as he loathes and despises Britpop and all the other bands associated with it. But then, he loathes and despises pretty much everything: all bands more successful than his own; anyone who doesn't think his music was better than everyone else's; small people; small dogs; Northerners... Haines' arrogance is breathtaking: he meets Paul McCartney at Abbey Road studios but declines to play him any of his new songs as "they're too good for him".

Bad Vibes is a good title for this chronicle of jealousy, spite, bad temper, quarrels on tour and excessive drinking and drug use, shot through with violent imagery and swearing. There are a few entertaining passages but reading this book is not, shall we say, refreshing to the spirit. In his introduction, Haines claims to be a recovering egomaniac. I am not convinced. Only someone whose egomania is alive and flourishing would have written this.