Elastica - Definition and Overview

Elastica were a Britpop band in the 1990s, formed by Justine Frischmann after leaving Suede in 1991. Frischmann recruited Justin Welch (formally of garage rock band Spitfire - drums), Annie Holland (bass) and Donna Matthews (guitar). Their first single was 1993's "Stutter", which was a word-of-mouth hit. In spite of a period of relative quiet, Elastica's fame grew throughout 1994 as Frischmann's relationship with Blur's Damon Albarn made tabloid headlines. In spite of a lawsuit from Wire claiming that many of the band's melodies were taken from Wire compositions, Elastica's first LP, Elastica, entered the charts at #1.

Elastica was able to garner better American sales than other Britpop bands, replacing Sinéad O'Connor on Lollapalooza in 1995. After personnel problems delayed it, the follow-up LP, The Menace, was released in 2000 to moderate sales. The band then released a final single and announced their break-up in September 2001. Their song "Connection" was used in May 2004 in Garnier television commercials. Frischmann herself was no stranger to television jingles; her uncle wrote the theme song to Benny Hill.