I am delighted to announce an exhibition celebrating the 90s which I am curating at The Barbican in London which features exclusive outfits worn by The Spice Girls, previously unseen Oasis memorabilia, and personal items owned by legendary record producers and DJs, Paul Oakenfold, Dave Pearce, and Judge Jules.
‘1996: A celebration of the wildest year of Britain’s wildest decade – 30 years on’ celebrates the music, art, fashion, sport, and politics when London felt like the centre of the world. It ties in with my new book published by Harper Collins on April 23.
Opening on Thursday 16 April, the free exhibition at the City of London Corporation’s Barbican Music Library will invite visitors to ask themselves whether it was the greatest year of their lives.
Oasis rocked Maine Road and Knebworth, The Spice Girls were born and scored three number ones, including a global hit with their debut single, Wannabe. The Sex Pistols got back together and Jarvis Cocker’s infamous stage‑crash at the BRIT Awards got him arrested, while his group, Pulp, was riding high in the charts with Blur and Suede.
Trainspotting became the cult phenomenon of the decade, turning Irvine Welsh’s novel into a break-out film, and Young British Artists, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, had emerged as two of the most provocative voices in British art.
In football, as Three Lions echoed from the terraces and across the country, England was inches away from triumphing in Euro ’96 at Wembley. I was there for the lot.
And it was the dawn of New Labour. As John Major’s government entered its final months, Tony Blair and his party were gearing up for a landslide victory in the 1997 General Election.
With a backstage pass in my pocket to some of the biggest events, 1996 was the wildest year of Britain’s wildest decade and I had a front row seat, chronicling it all as a journalist for The Sun and later, on radio and TV. The year was the apex of the ‘90s and the year that I joined The Sun, when alternative and club culture collided, and Britain became the coolest place on the planet.
I’ve hoped to capture that magical period when pop, rock, football, art, dance culture, food, the media, and politics fused together spectacularly. If you were there, this exhibition will feel like you’re coming home… and if you weren’t there, you’ll definitely wish that you had been.
Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage, and Libraries Committee, Brendan Barns, said: “With invitations to the biggest showbiz parties and a bulging contacts book on his desk at The Sun, few people are better qualified or well connected than Dominic Mohan to take us on this wild ride at Barbican Music Library.
“Whether you’ll go mad for the Oasis memorabilia, get misty-eyed looking at Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack platform boots, or admire the superb photography by Jill Furmanovsky, Derek Ridgers and many others, Dominic’s star-studded take on ‘Cool Britannia’ will be one of the hottest free exhibitions in the capital.”
‘1996: A celebration of the wildest year of Britain’s wildest decade – 30 years on’ runs from 16 April to 19 September 2026 at the City of London Corporation’s Barbican Music Library. Admission FREE.
My book, 1996: My Backstage Pass to The Wildest Year of Britain’s Wildest Year, will be published by Harper Collins on 23 April.