The Waterboys　

Led by the literate singer/songwriter Mike Scott, the group’s sole constant member, the mercurial Waterboys formed in London in 1981. Born December 14, 1958, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Scott fir ..more

The Pineapple Thief　

British prog rock band the Pineapple Thief began as the passion project of frontman Bruce Soord in Yeovil, Somerset in 1999. Initially, Soord worked alone. He thought the venture would only l ..more

David Sylvian　

Following the 1982 dissolution of Japan, the group’s onetime frontman David Sylvian staked out a far-ranging and esoteric career that encompassed not only solo projects but also a series of fasc ..more

Cigarettes After Sex　

Ramones　

The Ramones were the first punk rock band. Other bands, such as the Stooges and the New York Dolls, came before them and set the stage and aesthetic for punk, and bands that immediately follo ..more

Sex Pistols　

The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late ’70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revo ..more

Queens Of The Stone Age　

Formed from the ashes of stoner rock icons Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age reunited the group’s singer/guitarist Josh Homme, drummer Alfredo Hernandez, and bassist Nick Oliveri along wit ..more

Fall Out Boy　

Fall Out Boy rose to the forefront of emo pop in the mid-2000s, selling more than four million albums thanks to the band’s tabloid-grabbing bassist, able-voiced frontman, and handful of Top 40 hits ..more

Aurora (Norway)　

Durutti Column　

The Durutti Column was primarily the vehicle of Vini Reilly, a guitarist born in Manchester, England, in 1953. As a child, Reilly first took up the piano, drawing inspiration from greats like ..more

Pogues　

By demonstrating that the spirit of punk could live in traditional Irish folk music, the Pogues were one of the most radical bands of the mid-’80s. Led by Shane MacGowan, whose slurred, incompre ..more

Cult　

Following a succession of name and stylistic changes, the Cult emerged in 1984 as one of England’s leading heavy metal revivalists. Picking up the pseudo-mysticism and Native American obsessions of ..more

Patti Smith　

Punk rock’s poet laureate, Patti Smith ranks among the most influential female rock ＆ rollers of all time. Ambitious, unconventional, and challenging, Smith’s music was hailed as the most exc ..more

Paramore　

Although their blend of emo-pop and slick, anthemic rock ＆ roll eventually made them stars on both sides of the Atlantic, Paramore began humbly enough in Franklin, Tennessee, where Hayley William ..more

The Jam　

The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the most impact ..more

Cocteau Twins　

A group whose distinctly ethereal and gossamer sound virtually defined the enigmatic image of the record label 4AD, Cocteau Twins were founded in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1979. Taking their nam ..more

Svalbard　

Joy Division　

Formed in the wake of the punk explosion in England, Joy Division became the first band in the post-punk movement by later emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing a ..more

Erasure　

Following the disbandment of the short-lived synth pop group Yazoo, former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke formed Erasure in 1985 with singer Andy Bell. Like Yaz and Depeche Mode ..more

Rage Against The Machine　

Rage Against the Machine earned acclaim from disenfranchised fans (and not insignificant derision from critics) for their bombastic, fiercely polemical music, which brewed sloganeering leftist rant ..more