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The Rocks were an English punk and indie rock band from London, England. Their last lineup comprised James Taylor (vocals), Mauro Venegas (lead guitar), Sarah Bacon (rhythm guitar and keyboards), Chris Mann (bass) and Nick Bukowski (drums).
The Rocks were formed in 2001 by James Taylor and Sarah Bacon, inspired by seeing live performances by At The Drive-In. Taylor began writing the early Rocks material, recruiting lead guitarist and co-songwriter Mauro Venegas and bassist Chris Mann, mainly through a series of chance encounters. The original Rocks line-up was completed by Aidan Clooke, a bandmate of Taylor's from his previous outfit Ojo, on drums.[ citation needed ]
Early self-financed recordings made up the band's debut, independent AA-sided single, "Everybody In The Place" / "I Won't Need You When You're Dead", which garnered a favourable press response upon its release in March 2003.[ citation needed ] The follow-up release that summer, again an AA-side, paired the disco-era Rolling Stones tribute "We Got It" with the traditional set closer "The Bomb". The band kept a heavy gigging schedule, sharing bills with the likes of Eighties Matchbox, Futureheads, Art Brut, The Libertines, The Rakes and Razorlight.[ citation needed ]
Their third single, the Blondie/Elvis Costello-inspired "Celeste" was the most accessible single so far, and moved away from their chaotic garage-punk roots, helping to expand their fan base, although failing to make a breakthrough in terms of radio play. They rounded off the year by beginning work on their debut album with producer Marc Waterman, who had previously worked with Elastica, Ride (band) and ARE Weapons.[ citation needed ]
The recording of their debut album Asking For Trouble was a difficult period for the band, seeing Clooke leave the band to pursue a career in acting, Taylor and Bacon split up, and financial difficulties which delayed the recording process several times.[ citation needed ] The band recruited ex-Placebo drummer Robert Schultzberg, who played on some of the album tracks on a session basis, and they completed their first foreign tour, touring the Netherlands and Belgium in June that year. The album was eventually ready for a summer 2004 release, preceded by the single "Can You Hear Me?"
The album received a mixed critical reception, with positive write-ups in the Observer and The Fly (magazine) balanced by less flattering reviews in The Guardian [1] and the NME. [2] It contained all the singles to date, with a re-recorded "We Got It" being issued as a promo single only (backed with a new recording, "Pluto's Underworld") towards the end of 2004. Internal discord and creative tensions within the band were growing, and after a fractious tour in support of the album (which saw Bacon leave the tour, and the band finish the tour as a four-piece), the band returned to London to try to find a permanent drummer. Jonny Wilson was recruited in early 2005, and played on several new recordings made that year, but was replaced within a year by Nick Bukowski, and the band signed to newly formed independent label Weekender in 2006.[ citation needed ]
With their line-up settled again, the Rocks found a renewed sense of purpose. The first release on Weekender was the single "Heartbreak City", backed with a version of the Jonathan Richman tune, "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar", that December. They also toured Austria and Germany around this time.
The band spent much of 2007 finishing their long-delayed second album, Letters From The Frontline. It featured songs which had been staples of the live set for a while, veering from '50s style ballads like "Tearjerker" to the raucous "Screamers", which harked back to the earlier material but with more of a '70s glam bent. Further pushing the power-pop angle, "The Game Is Up" was chosen as the next single, as another AA-side (with "Too Much Too Soon"), and was released in October 2007. Despite garnering some positive press (Artrocker magazine described it as having "instant classic written all over it") it again failed to revive the band's profile in the UK.
However, the response to the new material was far more favourable on the Continent. "Letters From The Frontline" was released in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in May 2008, the album having been re-packaged to include the tracks "Heartbreak City" and "Lesbian Bar" - released as the first European single from the album in April. Additional singles ("The Game Is Up" and "On The Roof") were released in Europe, ahead of a tour that September/October.
Following the tour, the Rocks returned to the UK, whereupon they went their separate ways musically, and busied themselves in different projects. A planned farewell show in London never happened, although "Letters From The Frontline" belatedly received a UK release in May 2009. Guitarist Mauro Venegas joined The Godfathers in 2014.
Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes from the 1965 television series Belle and Sebastian. Though consistently lauded by critics, Belle and Sebastian's "wistful pop" has enjoyed only limited commercial success.
Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey. Originally a three-piece, the band was officially joined by Rob Coombes in 2002.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch and bassist Ron Blair. In 1982, Blair, weary of the touring lifestyle, departed the band. His replacement, Howie Epstein, remained with the band for the next two decades. In 1991, Scott Thurston joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist, primarily on rhythm guitar and secondary keyboard. In 1994, Steve Ferrone replaced Lynch on drums. Blair returned to the Heartbreakers in 2002, the year before Epstein's death. The band had a long string of hit singles, including "Breakdown", "American Girl", "Refugee" (1979), "The Waiting" (1981), "Learning to Fly" (1991), and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" (1993), among many others, that stretched over several decades of work.
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You " (1985), which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Other commercially successful singles include "Promised You a Miracle" (1982), "Glittering Prize" (1982), "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" (1982), "Waterfront" (1983), "Alive and Kicking" (1985), "Sanctify Yourself" (1986), "Let There Be Love" (1991), "She's a River" (1995), and the UK number one single "Belfast Child" (1989).
The Darkness are a British rock band that formed in Lowestoft, England in 2000. The band consists of Justin Hawkins, his brother Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain and Rufus Tiger Taylor.
The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1983 and Mavers joined the next year, although for most of the group's history, the frequently changing line-up revolved around the core duo of Lee Mavers and John Power along with numerous other guitarists and drummers including Paul Hemmings, John "Timmo" Timson, Peter "Cammy" Cammell, Iain Templeton, John "Boo" Byrne, Chris Sharrock, and Neil Mavers.
Lostprophets were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike Lewis on guitars, Stuart Richardson on bass and Mike Chiplin on drums.
The Heartbreakers, sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock.
Purple Hearts are an English mod revival band, formed in 1977 in Romford, eastern Greater London. They were often considered one of the best English mod revival groups, the NME calling them "one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on rock 'n' roll terms".
Flowered Up were an English indie pop-alternative dance band, formed in Camden Town, London, in 1989, active during the baggy movement. Their 13-minute single "Weekender" reached the UK top 20. The band split up in 1994 amid drug problems. Following a failed reformation attempt in 2007 and a solo record deal that fell through, frontman Liam Maher died from a heroin overdose in 2009, followed by his brother Joe from complications of long-term ill-health, in 2012.
The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who was an official member of the group from 2008 until 2011.
The Godfathers are an English rock band from London, England, with strong influences from R&B and punk.
Metronomy are an English electronic music band, formed in Totnes in 1999. Their lineup consists of founding member and leader Joseph Mount, Oscar Cash, Anna Prior, Olugbenga Adelekan, and Michael Lovett. Their music consists of vocal and instrumental electronic pop music.
The Indelicates are a Sussex-based English indie rock band. Formed in 2005 by Julia and Simon Indelicate, the band's songs are known for their mix of dark, cynical lyrics and tuneful rock melodies. The Indelicates came to attention with their early demos, which were released for free on their website. The band signed to independent record label Sad Gnome Records in 2006 and released several singles and an EP. After leaving Sad Gnome in 2007, the band signed to another independent label, Weekender Records, which issued their first album, American Demo, in 2008.
Courteeners are an English band formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 2006 by Liam Fray, Michael Campbell, Daniel "Conan" Moores and Mark Cuppello (bass); the last was replaced by the band's producer Joe Cross in 2015. They previously toured with pianist Adam Payne, who has been featured on every album, but in 2019 was replaced with Elina Lin. In December 2012, the band dropped "The" from their name, continuing simply as "Courteeners". In 2024, Cross and Lin became official members of the band.
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan (vocals), Rab Allan and Paul Donoghue, with Swedish drummer Jonna Löfgren joining the group in 2010 until her departure in 2020. Their platinum-selling debut album Glasvegas released in September 2008 was well received by critics and reached No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart. It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2009. The album went on to enjoy further critical and commercial success in North America and in Sweden. On 1 December 2008, less than three months after the release of their debut album the band released the mini-album A Snowflake Fell , a 6 track Christmas EP, which was recorded in Transylvania.
Special Needs were a five-piece alternative rock group formed in London, England in 1998. They disbanded in 2005, reformed in 2011 with the group's comeback including a first tour for over six years in November 2011. The group disbanded for a second time towards the end of 2012.
The Vaccines are an English indie rock band, formed in West London in 2010 by Justin Hayward-Young and Freddie Cowan. The band currently consists of Young, Árni Árnason, Timothy Lanham and Yoann Intonti (drums).
Skinny Lister are a British folk band formed in London in 2009. They were a five-piece band until October 2013 when a drummer was added. In August 2022 they returned to being a five piece after Sam Brace left and the decision was made not to replace him. They are signed to Xtra Mile Recordings, and were previously signed to Sunday Best Records in the UK, SideOneDummy Records in the US, and Uncle Owen Records in Japan.
Royal Blood are an English rock duo formed in Littlehampton in 2011. The current lineup consists of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher (drums). Their signature sound is built around Kerr's bass playing style, which sees him using various effects pedals and amps to make his bass guitar sound like an electric guitar and bass guitar at the same time. The duo were signed by Warner Chappell Music in 2013 and have since released four studio albums: Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark? (2017), Typhoons (2021), and Back to the Water Below (2023).
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