Alex James drinks range: Blur bassist trademarks comedy name‘Britpop’ for soda venture

Clever timing could see the Blur bassist capitalise on the power of pun in pop

Blur bassist Alex James has applied to the intellectual property office (IPO) to trademark a new drink called Britpop.

The application for the trademark, which includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, doesn’t give much away. But it could be set to become a considerable challenge to rival drink makers thanks to the sheer comedy of the name alone.

James previously released his own range of cheeses, which came from his farm in Chipping Norton, but they were sadly dropped by Asda in 2012.

At the time, Asda said the range of eight, which included the brilliantly titled Blue Monday, Figgy Pudding and Farleigh Wallop, were “ahead of their time”.

However, clever timing could see a Britpop soda success for James, as the genre hits resurgence in Britain.

The term Britpop came to prominence in the 1990s when Blur and Oasis ruled the British music scene and saw Blur’s first album, Leisure released in 1991.

But the genre saw resurgence in 2012 when the band briefly reformed to headline Hyde Park. Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree all reunited for the show that coincided with the end of the Olympics.

Bands like Pulp and Suede also enjoyed a second wave of fame.

James could also platform his new brand at his food and music festival The Big Festival, a now annual event he runs with Jamie Oliver.