Muse started out as a band under a number of names including Gothic Plague, Fixed Penalty, and Rocket Baby Dolls. After winning a battle of the bands type competition, it changed its name to Muse and started playing gigs in London and Manchester.

In 1998, Muse signed a deal with America’s Maverick Records. This opened the doors to other deals in Europe and Australia but in the age of indie music, Muse was keen to maintain creative control.

To support the release of its first album, Showbiz, the band toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and the festival circuit in Europe.

By now, Muse gained a reputation for its energetic live performances and fusion of progressive and alternative rock. Matthew Bellamy’s style has also become a trademark for the band as he uses falsetto vocals and pitch-shift guitar effects. NME Magazine described Muse’s style as “every guitar here sounds like it’s from the future, every flourish and movement scored and orchestrated with celestial vision.”

Its second album Origin of Symmetrywas well-received by critics but Maverick Records wanted to make some changes with the songs due to their reservations over lead singer, Bellamy’s vocal style. The band refused and jumped ship to the loving arms of Warner. By 2006, the album was rated in Q Magazine’s fan poll of the 100 greatest albums ever.

Stockholm Syndrome was released as a download only single to give fans a taste of what was to come on the next album. It proved to be one of the most popular download singles ever. Absolution, Muse’s third album, debuted at #1 in the UK charts and yielded a top ten hit Time is Running Out.

In 2004, the band started picking up awards for “Best Alternative Act” and “Best Live Act” and headlined the Glastonbury Festival. In 2006, Muse released its fourth album entitled Black Holes and Revelations. It was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize but narrowly missed out to the Arctic Monkeys. The most notable single from the album was Supermassive Black Hole which ended up being featured on the video game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

By 2008, Muse was the headline act for the V Festival and members Bellamy, Dominic Howard (drums) and Christopher Wolstenholme (bass) received Honorary Doctorates of Arts from the University of Plymouth.

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Muse released Resistance in 2009. It was the first album that proudly claimed a self-production. On its release, it topped the album charts in 19 countries and reached #3 in the US.

The song United States of Eurasia from its 2009 release was available for download but only after it was unlocked in a clever worldwide treasure hunt, consisting of USB keys with song data hidden in seven major cities.

Now a regular headliner for festivals and an arena sell-out, Muse successfully capitalised on the indie movement by not backing down to record label management whims and integrating new technology in not only its musical style but also in its promotion.

Juanita Appleby

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Red Hot Chili Peppers

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The roots of the Stones Roses delve right back to 1980, with their first LP ranking one of the greatest debut’s of all time, their influence casting a shadow over many Brit-pop bands in their wake.

However, edging slowly into 80’s Manchester, a scene dominated by the likes of The Smiths, Primal Scream, and Boddingtons’s Beer, it was difficult to win the affection of wily ‘Dr Martins’ sporting mancunians. Quivering with our haircuts, and oversized trench coats, we almost seemed unsure. They had a long haired bass player for one, and a singer partial to wearing leather trousers? It almost seemed untoward.

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In 1984, after an off-putting show in front of The Who’s Pete Townsend, at Hampstead’s Moonlight Club as part of an ‘Anti Heroin Benefit,’ the band took on the assistance of manager Howard Jones, and finally after many broken records, released their debut album in 1989 amidst the perplexity of the ‘Madchester’ movement. A gratifying blend of Slaughter and the Dogs, The Clash, and George Clinton, the album was defended vigorously amongst mixed reviews, as it plunged into the UK charts, eventually landing them a lucrative deal with Geffen Records.

Great music, always, seeps through the holes of such nostalgic prejudice, soon it was dubbed perfection for post-club comedowns, they were nor accepted or rejected, paving way for a timeless conclusion. However, in 1994, a disappointing follow-up ‘Second Coming’ and many disastrous festival appearances, spelled the tragic end to a band, who after several line-up changes, never really got to grips with acceptance. In 1996, vocalist Ian Brown issued a press release, stating; “Having spent 10 years in the filthiest business in the universe, it is a pleasure to announce the end of the Stone Roses.”

Tristen Lee

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Oasis

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Primal Scream

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Formed in 1984 and winners of the first ever Mercury Music Prize for 1991's ‘Screamadelica’, Primal Scream have influenced a generation of fans over their 20 year career. Fronted by former Jesus & Mary Chain's Bobby Gillespie with Andrew Innes (guitar), Robert Young (guitar), ex-Felt keyboardist Martin Duffy (keyboards) and Stone Roses bass guitarist Robert 'Mani' Mounfield, they signed to Alan McGee's Creation Records in 1985.

The band's 1987 debut LP ‘Sonic Flower Groove’ was influenced by The Byrds, Velvet Underground and the C86 scene. The album set the tone for a musical style that would define the following decade and pave the way for bands like the Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays.

Their follow-up album ‘Primal Scream’ witnessed a musical progression for the band, but it was 1991's Mercury Music Prize winning ‘Screamadelica’ which became their landmark release, changing the face of British pop music with its mix of dance, dub, techno, acid house and rock.

They returned in 1994 with ‘Give Out but Don't Give Up’ which featured the hit single 'Rocks', but with 1997's ‘Vanishing Point’ they created a more complex dynamic sound of the indie-genre, re-establishing the group as a major force in British rock.

Two Top Ten albums followed; 'XTRMNTR’ in 2000 and ‘Evil Heat’ in 2002, flaunting a greater electronic feel. Evil Heat also featured guest appearances by Kate Moss and Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. In 2003 they released their ‘Dirty Hits’ collection, a retrospective of their career to date.

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In June 2005, Primal Scream played a controversial set at the Glastonbury Festival, throughout which Gillespie was playfully abusive to the crowd and was alleged to have made Nazi salutes during the song "Swastika Eyes".

They released ‘Rock City Blues’ in June 2006, which reached number five in the charts, and featured hit single ‘Country Girl’. A live DVD of the album’s tour followed in 2007.

On July 21 2008, Primal Scream released a new album called ‘Beautiful Future’, and are still going strong to this day.

Carly Page

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Kaiser Chiefs

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Gene was a British indie/rock quartet formed in 1993 in London. They were popularly labelled as a Britpop band and often drew somewhat superficial comparisons to The Smiths, if only because of their slightly Morrissey-esque lead singer. Despite this comparison, there is a lot more to Gene’s music than met the eyes of their critics. Their music takes influence from punk-rockers The Jam, blues riffs from the Small Faces, all mixed in with the soulful sound of motown.

The roots of Gene lay in a band called Spin, which featured guitarist Steve Mason and drummer Matt James. Despite Spin’s split, Mason and James continued playing together, recruiting bassist Kevin Miles. The trio eventually met vocalist Martin Rossiter, and they formed Gene in 1993. Soon after forming, the quartet began to write songs, and had performed a number of shows by the end of the year. They were later signed to Costermonger, a label set up by two journalists, through which they released their debut single, ‘For The Dead’ in 1994.

After their next single ‘Be My Light, Be My Guide’ reached number one in the indie charts, the band signed to Polydor. In 1995, following this, they were named Best New Act at NME’s Brat Awards.

Their debut album, ‘Olympian’ was released in 1995. It received mixed reviews, and although it entered into the Top Ten – the band were soon overshadowed by upcoming acts such as Blur and Oasis.

Early in 1996, ‘To See the Lights’, a collection of B-sides and BBC sessions, was released in England. A new single, ‘Fighting Fit’ was shortly released as a teaser from their new album, and entered into the top ten. However, the album that followed ‘Drawn to the Deep End’ did not follow in the single’s success.

By 2000, the band was without a label. They founded, and issued the live set ‘Rising for Sunset: Live at the Troubadour’, but this went almost unnoticed among the indie scene. However, in mid-summer 2002, Gene emerged with ‘Libertine’, their strongest material since Olympian. A tour followed, but the band went their separate ways in 2003.

Carly Page

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Morrissey

The Smiths

The Jam

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The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish indie quartet who formed in 1983, taking the country’s alternative rock-scene by storm and earning themselves a reputation for their violence and often abrupt live shows. Even though the chart success of the band was virtually nonexistent, their impact upon the alternative-rock scene was incalculable. They shocked the audience with their unique orchestration sound, making a new style of rock, proving an inspiration to bands including Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine.

The brains of the band were two song-writing brothers named Jim and William Reid. Soon after forming, the brothers recorded and sent the demos to various record companies. In the beginning of 1984, they recruited bassist Douglas Hart and the young drummer Murray Dalglish to complete the band’s line-up

Their first single, ‘Upside Down’ was released in 1984, and proved to be a great success despite it’s remarkable blast of live wire feedback and caveman like drumbeat. The first album the band released in 1985, ‘Psychocandy’, was the blending of the two initial works of William Reid and showed a mix of pop songs and droning guitar riffs. This album was the breakthrough the band had been looking for.

Their second album named ‘Darklands’ was released during the band’s tour in September '87, and has been described as "the definitive blend of light and shade". This followed with a collection of singles and B-sides named ‘Barbed Wire Kisses’, and a number of albums; ‘Automatic’ (1989), ‘Honey’s Dead’ (1992), ‘Stoned and Dethroned’ (1994) and ‘Munki’ in 1998.

Due to differences between the brothers, William Reid left the band after their final album, and the group disbanded in 1999. However, on 22nd January 2007, The Jesus and Mary Chain reformed to perform as one of the acts of Coachella festival of 2007.

Albums:

Source: Carly Page

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