The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981 after restructuring their lineup. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit "Don't You Want Me". The band received the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 1982. Further hits followed throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, including "Mirror Man", "(Keep Feeling) Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" and "Tell Me When".
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.
Venom are an English heavy metal band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, Venom's first two albums, Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982), are considered major influences on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Their second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of the black metal genre; as a result, Venom were part of the early wave of the genre, along with Mercyful Fate and Bathory.
Magnum are an English progressive rock, melodic hard rock and AOR band. They were formed in Birmingham in 1972 by Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley (vocals) in order to appear as the resident band at the Rum Runner nightclub in the city. Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years; however, the core of Catley and Clarkin remained until Clarkin's death in 2024.
Raven are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1974 by the Gallagher brothers, bassist and vocalist John and guitarist Mark. They have released fifteen studio albums to date, and had a hit with the single "On and On". Often referred to as "athletic rock", the band gained notoriety as part of the early-to-mid 1980s new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) scene and is considered to be an influence and inspiration on the development of the thrash metal genre, including "the big four", as well as other bands such as Testament, Exodus, Overkill, Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Onslaught, Death Angel, Flotsam and Jetsam, Coroner, Annihilator, and Razor. Raven are also notable for headlining Metallica's first-ever national tour in 1983.
Oceansize were an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart, Steve Durose, Richard "Gambler" Ingram, Mark Heron (drums) and Jon Ellis for the majority of its career, with Steve Hodson replacing Ellis on bass guitar in 2006.
The Phoenix Foundation is a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Wellington in 1997.
Amplifier is the debut album of the Manchester alternative rock band Amplifier.
Jon Oliva's Pain was a musical project of Savatage co-founder Jon Oliva.
William James McAuley III, alias Bleu, is an American musician and a record producer. He has written and produced songs for Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, John Oates, Michelle Branch, Hey Violet, Big Freedia, and the Jonas Brothers, and has won multiple Independent Music Awards for his work with Air Traffic Controller.
Insider is the second album of the Manchester alternative rock band Amplifier. It was released in 2006 by the German-based label SPV on 29 September in Germany and Austria then in the rest of Europe on 2 October.
Leslie Thomas Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool-based band Echo & the Bunnymen, along with vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant. He was brought up in Aughton, Lancashire and attended nearby Deyes High School in Maghull, where he and Sergeant were classmates and became friends.
Faustus are a folk music duo based in the UK. The all-male membership brings together multi-instrumentalist musicians active across many other leading bands in the UK folk scene: Benji Kirkpatrick, Saul Rose and formerly Paul Sartin. They have been described as “bloke-folk” and aiming to “rescue contemporary folk from the curse of feyness”. In 2007 they received a 75th anniversary award from the English Folk Dance and Song Society, and they were nominated as best group at the 2009 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Good to Be Bad is the tenth studio album by British hard rock band Whitesnake, released on 18 April 2008 in Germany, 21 April 2008 in Europe and 22 April in North America by SPV/Steamhammer. It was the band's first album of new studio material in a decade, since 1997's Restless Heart, not including the four new tracks recorded for the 2006 live album Live: In the Shadow of the Blues. The album was the very first collaboration between lead vocalist David Coverdale and guitarist Doug Aldrich. The album charted at number 62 on the Billboard 200 chart, number 8 on the Top Independent albums chart, number 23 on the Canadian Albums Chart and number 7 on the UK Albums Chart. As of sales in March 2011, the album sold over 700,000 copies worldwide, considered as unexpected as an independent label release.
Howie Payne is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, formerly of the Stands.
A Very Still Movement is an EP by British rock band Oceansize, released in August 2001 on the record label Soviet Union. The tracks "Catalyst" and "Women Who Have Men Who Love Drugs" were re-recorded for the band's debut Effloresce. The EP was produced and mixed by Sel Balamir, singer and guitarist of Amplifier. Balamir is also featured in the last track, "Sizeofanocean".
Relapse is an EP by British rock band Oceansize, released in October 2002 on Beggars Banquet Records. It was produced by Tim Smith of the band Cardiacs, and Sel Balamir of the band Amplifier contributed to mixing. Two of the EP's tracks, "Amputee" and "You Wish", were re-recorded in 2003 for Effloresce. An earlier version of "Relapse" appeared as "Ebb" on the Amputee EP.
The Octopus is the third studio album of the Manchester space rock band Amplifier. The format of the album is double CD. It was released to fans online in December 2010 and was commercially released in January 2011. In reviewing the album, the BBC stated that it was "an album that commands respects and time to be afforded to it, but the rewards are plentiful. If two discs seem slightly overwhelming at first, then the other perspective is that there is so much quality to digest here that your value for money is not even in question." The album can be listened to online at a mini-site set up by the band. The Octopus vinyl edition was released in October 2019 with "The Eternal" as an exclusive bonus track.
Hammercult was an Israeli-based thrash metal band, founded in 2010. The band is regarded as the leading extreme metal band of the Israeli metal movement in the 2000s.
Ed Alleyne-Johnson is a British electric violinist and busker. He has been busking since he was a Fine Art student at Oxford University in the early 1980s. He uses an electric violin he carved with a kitchen knife, a custom pedalboard and portable amplifier.
