Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".
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".
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a strong regional following, noted for their outlandish costumes and makeup. After Tim Finn's brother Neil joined as co-lead vocalist and songwriter, the band came to embrace a more streamlined and pop-oriented approach and became pioneers of new wave. The band achieved worldwide indie stardom in the 1980s, with particular success in New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
Blindspott is an alternative metal band from West Auckland, New Zealand. After performing under the name Blacklistt for several years, the original line-up got back together in 2018. The band was formed in 1997 with members Damian Alexander (vocals), Marcus Powell, Shelton Woolright (drums), Gareth Fleming (bass) and Karl Vilisini, also known as DJ Dlay.
Turin Brakes are an English band, comprising original duo of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, and long-term collaborators Rob Allum and Eddie Myer. They had a UK top 5 hit in 2003 with their song "Painkiller ". Since starting out in 1999, the band have sold around one million records worldwide. They are currently signed to Cooking Vinyl.
Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV reality TV show Popstars in February 2001, the first UK series of the international Popstars franchise. The group, who were signed to Polydor Records, originally consisted of Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, and Noel Sullivan.
Feeder are a Welsh rock band formed in Newport in 1994. They have released 11 studio albums, 12 compilations, four EPs and 43 singles, spending a combined total of 184 weeks on the singles and albums charts as of 2019, while accumulating 25 top 75 singles between 1997 and 2012. At their peak of commercial success, Feeder won two Kerrang! Awards in 2001 and 2003; they were inducted into their Hall of Fame in August 2019 for “Distinguished Services to Rock”.
Magic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative underground band called Deer Bubbles which split and formed into the much heavier, rock based group called The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt. Their top 40 releases on the ARIA Albums Chart are Friends in Danger (1996), What Are Rock Stars Doing Today (2000), Tough Love (2003) and Snow White (2005). They have received nine ARIA Music Award nominations including four at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 for Life Was Better – their second extended play. Turner died in August 2009 of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. From 2010 to November 2018, the band were on hiatus.
A Kind of Magic is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 2 June 1986 by EMI Records in the UK and by Capitol Records in the US. It is based on the soundtrack to the film Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy.
All Rise is the debut studio album by English boy band Blue, released on 26 November 2001 in the United Kingdom and on 27 April 2004 in the United States. It peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified 4× Platinum in the UK. The album spent 63 weeks on the UK top 75 Albums chart.
Stellar Kart was an American pop punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Inpop Records and Capitol Records. The band released their first album, All Gas. No Brake, in February 2005. Most of their singles have been accepted exclusively on Christian radio stations such as Air 1. Their song "Me and Jesus" from their 2006 album We Can't Stand Sitting Down hit No. 1 for seven weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart and won the 2007 Dove Award for "Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song". Their song "Something Holy" from their 2010 album Everything Is Different Now, an album which adopts a more "worshipful" flavor charted at No. 23 on Billboard Magazine for eighteen weeks. Their latest full-length album, All In, was released on August 27, 2013.
Stellar is a New Zealand pop/rock band led by vocalist Boh Runga, sister of acclaimed recording artist Bic Runga. They have had four RIANZ top 10 singles and two No. 1 albums. The band's signature song is "Violent", which at the 2000 New Zealand Music Awards won the Single of the Year award, as well as winning Runga an award for best Songwriter. The band won seven awards, among them the Best Album award for their debut, Mix. This was followed up by 2001's Magic Line and 2006's Something Like Strangers. The band officially disbanded in 2010 after releasing their greatest hits compilation, and reformed in 2017.
Boh Runga is a New Zealand recording artist and was the lead singer and guitarist in New Zealand rock band Stellar. Boh is the older sister of Bic Runga and Pearl Runga who are also musicians.
"Have a Nice Day" is the second single from rock band the Stereophonics taken from their third album Just Enough Education to Perform (2001). Written by Kelly Jones and produced by Bird and Bush, it was released on 11 June 2001. The song received negative reviews but reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and went on to become one of the band's biggest hits. It also found success worldwide, reaching number 11 in Ireland, number 37 in New Zealand, and becoming Stereophonics' first song to appear on a US Billboard chart.
"All It Takes" is a song by New Zealand band Stellar*, released as the lead single from their second album, Magic Line (2001), in September 2001. The single peaked at number seven on New Zealand's RIANZ Singles Chart and spent 19 weeks in the top 50, becoming the band's longest-charting single. The single includes two B-sides: a differently arranged version of "You" from Stellar*'s debut album, Mix (1999), and a live version of "Violent", recorded live in Hamilton, New Zealand on 4 March 2001.
"Star" is New Zealand band Stellar's ninth single, and their third single from their second album Magic Line. This single is the last of the band's to have a physical release. The single, though charting for five weeks would only reach a position of #40. The single featured two B-sides, the Sub Mariner Remix of Taken, as well as the new B-side We Go Out. This song would later be featured on the soundtrack to the New Zealand horror film The Locals in 2003. Furthermore. after five minutes of silence the single would feature some bonus material. The first bonus sound clip was of the song We Go Out being read by a speech synthesiser and the other being a short James Bond take-of, where Andrew Maclaren played the role of James Bond and Kurt Shanks the speaking role of Miss Moneypenny.
Something Like Strangers is the third studio album by New Zealand Pop rock band Stellar*, released by Sony BMG on August 28, 2006 in New Zealand. The album was released after a period of hiatus after the release of their second album in 2001. Unlike the band's first two albums, Something Like Strangers did not reach the #1 position. It stayed at #9 on the RIANZ albums charts for two weeks before slipping down out of the top 10. The album's lead single was Whiplash, released in March 2006, and followed by the July single For a While.
Rochelle Eulah Eileen Humes is an English singer and television presenter. Humes began her career in British pop groups S Club Juniors and The Saturdays, and has gone on to co-present the ITV entertainment series Ninja Warrior UK. Humes regularly guest-hosts This Morning, and since 2019, she has co-presented the BBC game show The Hit List alongside husband Marvin Humes.
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, and formerly Baria Qureshi. They are known for their distinct and minimalist sound that blends indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual vocalist setup of both Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft, echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.
Magic! is a Canadian reggae fusion band based in Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist/producer Nasri Atweh, guitarist/keyboardist Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and bassist Ben Spivak. Active since 2012, the band is signed with Latium, Sony, and RCA Records, releasing their debut studio album Don't Kill the Magic in 2014, their second studio album Primary Colours in 2016, and their third studio album Expectations in 2018. They are best known for their hit single "Rude", which charted at No. 1 in several countries worldwide, including the US and UK.
