The Auteurs - Showgirl

What this video is

Released in November/December 1992 on Hut Recordings, 'Showgirl' was The Auteurs' debut single and an early harbinger of what would become Britpop. Fronted by Luke Haines — a sardonic, theatrically minded songwriter drawing on glam rock, post-punk, and literary influences — the band emerged alongside Suede and prefigured the cultural moment that would define British indie music by 1994–95. The single's subject…

Why it matters

As the debut single from The Auteurs, 'Showgirl' sits at the precise origin point of the Britpop genealogy. Wikipedia notes that author Dave Thompson described the debut album New Wave as having 'laid the groundwork for what would subsequently become Britpop.' The video, as a promotional artifact…