51 for 50 – 1999

It’s hard to remember that 21 years ago the run up to the end of the millennium was a Really Big Thing (even if there was mathematical dispute about whether December 31st 1999 actually was the end of the millennium or not). Prince had told us that it was time to party like it was 1999 even though it was now 1999, and even Pulp had got in on the act.

The New Labour government was still in its honeymoon period, Cool Britannia was in full effect and the end of my 20s was a time of mild hedonism. Over the course of the year my life would go from the month of February spent in the piping heat of the New Zealand summer, to engaged to be married and starting to ready myself for the next stages of adulthood. Little was anyone to know that it wasn’t going to work out quite as first planned. And by “quite” I mean “at all”. But that’s to come in 2004 and beyond.

The New Years Eve party that year, though, really was something quite special. As far as I can remember. Which, to be frank, I can’t. It was a heck of a party.

The Chemical Brothers are classic 1990s fare. And Surrender is probably my favourite of all their albums, with Music:Response, Out of Control, Let Forever Be, and Hey Boy, Hey Girl all massive big beat Chunes…