At the heart of the play is the erratic behaviour of Liam Gallagher, lead singer of Oasis, and the toxic relationship this causes between him and Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur.

From inappropriate comments he makes about Albarn’s girlfriend to his desire to get into a cage-fight with him, self-sabotage seems built into Gallagher’s DNA. He cites John Lennon as his hero, unaware of the irony of this, given Lennon’s pursuit of a world of love and peace, and his own taste for violence.

In contrast, Albarn appears as educated, articulate, and willing to make the peace. Until the chips are down, that is, and then he is ready to take things on, and to take them on big time. When Oasis schedule their single Roll With It for release a week before Blur’s Country House, Albarn agrees to move Blur’s release to exactly the same day. The battle is on for the number one slot.

Aside from its central characters, The Battle takes a look at the music scene of the 1990s. A time of drugs, drink and excessive parties, it was also a time when alternative music became mainstream, and when Britpop was in its heyday.

Whilst playwright John Niven celebrates the music, he parodies many of the things that went with it, from cynical record producers to women in short skirts and snake-print boots. But it is the women who try to speak truth to power, encouraging the men to reconcile with each other. And it is a woman who realises there is an issue with the barcode on Oasis’ single, meaning that not all of its sales are being recorded.

The play makes much of the class war between the bands, with Blur presented as middle-class and from the South East, and Oasis as working-class northerners. This dichotomy is played out through mirror scenes involving each of the bands, from recording studios to media interviews.

Niven is keen to rupture some of the mythology which the media creates, using the stage character of Liam Gallagher to comment on the need for Batman to have the Joker. The two are Yin and Yang.

A digital homage to the 1990s runs throughout the show. It is as charged and fractured as the action on stage, with its Beavis and Butt-Head style animations and its accompanying soundtrack from the era.

Given this digital back projection and the amount of action on a stage, the set feels a little over-fussy, sometimes intruding on the flow of the action and on sight-lines. Dialogue is also a bit hard to make out at times.

But the script is witty, the pace is fast and the characters are well observed. Youthful and full of energy, this production is very reminiscent of the times. Its final twist is worth the wait.

Liam Gallagher was played by George Usher and Damon Albarn was played by Oscar Lloyd.

The Battle is novelist John Niven’s debut as a playwright. It was directed by Matthew Dunster. Video designer was Tal Rosner and sound design was by Ian Dickinson for Autograph. It runs at the Rep until 7th March. For further information visit birmingham-rep.co.uk.