Stoke-on-Trent is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of 36 square miles (93 km2). In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement in Staffordshire and is surrounded by the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Alsager, Kidsgrove, Biddulph and Stone, which form a conurbation around the city.
Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Justin Harris and Louise Bartle. Former members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes left the band in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music. The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack. They went through a variety of names before settling on Bloc Party in 2003. Moakes joined the band after answering an advert in NME magazine, while Tong was picked via an audition. Bloc Party got their break by giving BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand's lead singer, Alex Kapranos, a copy of their demo "She's Hearing Voices".
The toilet circuit is the network of small music venues in the United Kingdom which rising indie, rock and metal bands often visit to gain support and promote themselves. The name may refer to the size and often the cleanliness of the venue, or a lack of dressing rooms leading to the band being required to change in the toilets.
Credit to the Nation are a British hip hop group, who had chart success in the 1990s and are best known for their Nirvana-sampling single "Call It What You Want". The band is fronted by Matty Hanson and was initially noted for fusing a conscious hip hop style with political elements taken from the British left-wing and anarchist movements. Following their initial split in 1998, the band reformed in 2011.
Cable were an English indie rock band originally from Derby, who released three studio albums: Down-Lift the Up-Trodden (1996), When Animals Attack (1997) and Sub-Lingual (1999) on Infectious Records. The band split up in 1999, before briefly reforming in 2012.
The Maccabees were an English indie rock band, formed in 2004 in London. They released four albums: Colour It In in 2007, followed by Wall of Arms in 2009, Given to the Wild which was released on 9 January 2012 and their last album Marks to Prove It released on 31 July 2015. The band announced that they decided to disband in August 2016, with farewell gigs in 2017.
The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006–2010. On 31 January 2011, the BBC announced that the event would be discontinued with immediate effect due to financial cutbacks.
Penkhull is a district of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, part of Penkhull and Stoke electoral ward, and Stoke Central parliamentary constituency.
Stoke Minster is the main church of St Peter ad Vincula and main church in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Which is now the main church of the wider city of Stoke-on-Trent.
SONS Records is an independent record label based in Stoke-on-Trent, a trading name for SONS Records Ltd. The original company SONS Ltd was formed in 2004 by Seb Clarke, who was shortly after joined by: Neil Graham, Al Padmore, James Wakefield and Tangwyn Davies. The label consists largely of bands native to the North Staffordshire area and has become a noted figure both locally and nationally, having recently received attention from Chris Hawkins, Steve Lamacq, and Huw Stephens as well as Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie SONS has earned comparisons to Factory Records for its DIY ethic and its unique 'SONS sound'. In May 2020 following a decade long hiatus, SONS announced the launch of a series of tracks from their new roster of artists. The first of these tracks to receive national airplay while remaining entirely exclusive to the streaming platform Sonstream, was 'College Days Over' by Jayne Taylor. Chris Hawkins commented on his show that "this sounds like a great old tune, but it's brand new... Muscle-Shoals-on-Trent, great song and arrangement. Classic Americana with a twist of English melancholia."
BBC Radiophonic Workshop – A Retrospective is a 2008 compilation of music and effects from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. It was released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the workshop and includes material ranging from then to its closure. Many of the tracks were previously released on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop - 21 and The Soundhouse.
Skint & Demoralised are a British alternative indie/pop act, fronted by lyricist Matt Abbott from Wakefield, West Yorkshire and produced by David Gledhill from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Formed in 2007, the band released several records and toured the UK between 2007 and 2013. After spending six years pursuing individual projects, Skint & Demoralised announced a new single, which was released on Fierce Panda in spring 2019.
Christian Hardy is a British singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He performs in The Leisure Society and Pop Crisis and is a member of Brighton's Willkommen Collective.
The Chapman Family were an English indie rock band from Stockton-on-Tees, that formed in 2006. The band's final lineup consisted of Kingsley Chapman, Pop Chapman, Owen Chapman, Kevin James Chapman and Scott Chapman. The band's debut album Burn Your Town was released on 7 March 2011. They were notably part of the "10 Tips for 2009" shortlist published by NME.
The Crookes were a British indie rock band who formed in Sheffield in 2007. They released their first single "A Collier's Wife" in 2009 as part of the Too Pure singles club, followed by single "Bloodshot Days" that was released on Heist or Hit Records in 2010. Signed to London independent record label Fierce Panda Records, they have subsequently released four albums, Chasing After Ghosts (2011), Hold Fast (2012), Soapbox (2014), and Lucky Ones (2016) along with an extended EP Dreams Of Another Day (2010).
Palma Violets were an English band from Lambeth, London. The band formed in 2011, based on the musical partnership of frontmen Samuel Fryer and Chilli Jesson.
Another Step is the debut album from the Manchester indie rock band City Reign, released 25 February 2013. The album was recorded in St Trinity Church, Salford with producer Sam Jones. The album was released on the band's own record label Car Boot Records. Before the album was released, the track "Ahead of Ideas" was released as a single in 2012. Another song on the album Anchor was debuted on BBC Radio 6 Music by Steve Lamacq on 28 January 2013.
The Wimmins' Institute was a four-piece all-female indie rock band from London, England, formed in 2015.
The Sherlocks are an indie rock band from South Yorkshire.
When Nirvana Came to Britain is a 2021 documentary about American rock band Nirvana's time in the United Kingdom from their first tour there in 1989 up to their headline performance at the Reading Festival in 1992 and their cancelled UK tour of 1994. It was produced by Wise Owl Films and first aired on BBC Two on 18 September 2021. It was produced to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's Nevermind album, which was released in September 1991.
