AMPED

How Coldplay made the Xyloband

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In 2005, Jason Regler was sitting alone in a dark room watching Coldplay on TV when a single lyric gave him an idea. Six years later, that idea made 80,000 Coldplay fans a part of the show and a part of live music history.

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Where Did Adele Come From?

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In 2006, an eighteen-year-old from South London finished her final year at the BRIT School, recorded a three-song demo and gave it to a friend. The friend put it on MySpace. A few months later, one of the biggest music careers in history began. This week on AMPED, we go back before the Grammys, before the stadium tours, before Someone Like You, to the flat above a pound shop in West Norwood where it all started.

Clips:

Backstage at Jools Holland

BRIT Awards 2008

North American Tour footage from 19 Album.

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The Bargain Bond

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This episode explores the slightly chaotic creation of "Millennium," a song that became the Robbie William's first UK No. 1.

We dive into how Robbie went from being the "spare part" of Take That to a solo powerhouse as he struggled with addiction and a lack of creative confidence. Also, it turns out it's A LOT cheaper to hire a 26-piece orchestra to recreate a Bond theme from scratch than to pay to use it.

Clips:

ITV News -1999

Brit Awards - 1997

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Britain's Biggest Illegal Rave

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This episode dives into the chaotic, seven-day sprawl of the Castlemorton Common Festival in May 1992. What started as a massive police miscalculation by redirecting a convoy of New Age Travellers away from Bristol. It resulted in the largest illegal rave in British history.

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Top Of The Mimes

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

For decades, every artist on Top of the Pops had to follow one rule: mime. No live music, no exceptions — just stand there, look the part, and pretend. They had some logic to the decision and most artists played along. Two of the most iconic bands of the 90s did not. This episode details the moments Nirvana and Oasis put their two fingers up at frustrating bureaucratic rule.

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The Last Free Gig In Britain

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In 2002, Fatboy Slim threw a free party on Brighton Beach for 60,000 people but instead 250,000 showed up. The roads were gridlocked for 25 miles, the pubs ran out of beer, and the police almost called in the riot squad. This is the story of Big Beach Boutique II: a disaster that somehow wasn't. Hosted by Olivia Jones.

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Mel C Gets An Offer From Bryan Adams In A Lift

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In 1998, the Spice Girls were the biggest group on Earth, but the "Girl Power" facade was cracking. Between Geri Halliwell’s sudden departure and the grueling "bone-deep exhaustion" of constant touring, the band was under immense pressure.

This episode tells the story of how a chance encounter in a Los Angeles hotel lift changed everything for Mel C. When rock legend Bryan Adams was ghosted by his first choice, he turned to a Spice Girl to save his unfinished track, "When You're Gone".

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Supergrass Turn Down A Massive Offer From Steven Spielberg

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we explore the ultimate Britpop "what if": why Supergrass famously turned down a life-changing offer from Steven Spielberg. Just 12 months into their career—and only two years after forming in a Harvester kitchen in Oxford—the trio found themselves at Spielberg’s California ranch.

The surreal meeting saw a 19-year-old Gaz Coombes bonding with the director over The Twilight Zone before being presented with a choice that could have fundamentally altered the band's legacy. While the lure of global fame and Hollywood access was on the table, the band's reaction to the "shortcut" was an unusual one.

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Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox - Too Many Mistakes

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

On 13 February 1989, inside the grand surroundings of Royal Albert Hall, the British Phonographic Industry attempted to make the Brit Awards less stuffy.

With rock legend Mick Fleetwood and pop star Samantha Fox at the helm, autocues failed, Boy George made a gay sex joke, a government minister was heavily booed and hundreds of screaming Bros fans wiped out backstage communication. The result was a broadcast so painful the BRITs wouldn’t be broadcast live again for eighteen years.

In this episode, Olivia Jones revisits the night British music television imploded and ask whether, in all its shambolic, toe-curling glory, it was the most perfectly British awards show of all time.

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Madonna's Cape Gets Stuck

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

At the 2015 Brit Awards, Madonna was pulled backwards down a flight of stairs during a live performance seen by millions. A cape. A misjudged tie. A split-second choice.

This episode looks beyond the viral moment to examine what it really revealed: a culture newly fixated on her age, a media narrative questioning her relevance, and an artist who has spent four decades refusing to disappear. From early controversy at the MTV Video Music Awards to battles with radio gatekeepers, Madonna’s career has always thrived on resistance.

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Geri Halliwell's Union Jack Dress

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

On 24th February 1997, five women took to the stage at the BRIT Awards and in three minutes and thirty seconds, British pop culture changed forever.

This episode tells the story behind the most iconic dress in pop history: a black Gucci mini-dress transformed with a Union Jack tea towel. But this isn’t just a fashion story.

It’s about control. About five young women who refused to be managed quietly. About reclaiming symbols. About challenging a male-dominated industry and taking control of their own destiny.

From the wardrobe malfunction headlines to Mel C’s on-stage challenge to Liam Gallagher, from global merchandising madness to Sotheby’s auction room drama, we trace how one homemade dress became a record-breaking artefact and why Geri chose to let it go.

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Jarvis Cocker Moons Michael Jackson

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In 1996, at the height of Britpop, one impulsive act at the Brit Awards would change Jarvis Cocker’s life forever.

When Michael Jackson transformed the ceremony into a spectacle for his HIStory album — complete with messianic imagery and a newly invented “Artist of a Generation” award — Cocker made a split-second decision. He stormed the stage during “Earth Song”… and wiggled his bottom at the King of Pop.

What followed was chaos: accusations of assault, a night in a police station, Bob Mortimer acting as an impromptu solicitor, and a media firestorm that turned a moment of protest into a front-page scandal. But as video evidence emerged and public opinion shifted, Cocker became an unlikely symbol of British irreverence, pushing back against corporate spectacle.

In this episode of Amped, Olivia Jones tells the full story behind the headline. The cultural tensions of Britpop, the politics of fame, and the unexpected personal cost of becoming famous for the wrong reason.

Because sometimes the smallest gesture can create the loudest shockwave.

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BRITs Special Trailer

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:16:59 GMT

The first series of Amped dives into the most talked about moments from the Brit Awards. From Jarvis Cocker’s onstage protest of Michael Jackson, to Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack dress, Madonna’s infamous cape fall, and the show which changed everything in 1989 — this season explores the performances that became music legend. Hosted by Olivia Jones and produced by Red Door Studios, Amped tells the greatest stories from the world of music.

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