Due to their penchant for androgynous attire/makeup and raw guitar riffs, Placebo have been described by some as a glam version of Nirvana. The multi-national band was formed by singer/guitarist Brian Molko (part Scottish and American, but raised in Britain) and bassist Stefan Olsdal (originally from Sweden). Earlier, both had attended the same... [+] Read More

Due to their penchant for androgynous attire/makeup and raw guitar riffs, Placebo have been described by some as a glam version of Nirvana. The multi-national band was formed by singer/guitarist Brian Molko (part Scottish and American, but raised in Britain) and bassist Stefan Olsdal (originally from Sweden). Earlier, both had attended the same school in Luxembourg, but didn't cross paths properly until 1994 in London, England. Briefly called Ashtray Heart and influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth, the Pixies, the Smashing Pumpkins, and the aforementioned Nirvana, Placebo's drum slot was filled alternately early on by Robert Schultzberg and Steve Hewitt (the latter being the group's only member of British origin). Although Molko and Olsdal preferred Hewitt as their main man (it was this lineup that recorded several early demos), Hewitt opted to return to his other band at the time, Breed. With Schultzberg back on board, Placebo signed a recording contract with Caroline Records, which had issued the trio's self-titled debut in 1996. The album was a surprise hit in the U.K., where such singles as "Nancy Boy" and "Bruise Pristine" became hits, as the group became the toast of the British music weeklies and supported their debut with opening for such outfits as a the reunited Sex Pistols, U2, and Weezer.

Despite their success right off the bat, Schultzberg wasn't seeing eye to eye with the other bandmembers, who by this point were able to convince Hewitt to come back onboard full-time, prompting Schultzberg's exit from the band. One of Hewitt's first performances with Placebo upon returning proved to be a big one, as major fan David Bowie personally invited the trio to play at his 50th birthday bash at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1997. The following year, Placebo switched over to the major-label division of Caroline, Virgin Records, and issued Without You I'm Nothing in November. The album was another large seller in England and initially appeared to be the group's breakthrough in the U.S., where MTV embraced the album's leadoff single "Pure Morning," but subsequent singles/videos failed to match the success of its predecessor. Around the same time, Placebo also recorded a cover version of T. Rex's classic "20th Century Boy" for the movie Velvet Goldmine, in which the trio appeared performing the song, as well.

The relationship between Placebo and Bowie continued to blossom, as Bowie made a special appearance on-stage with the band during a tour stop in New York, in addition to both parties uniting for a re-recording of the title track from Without You I'm Nothing (issued as a single in 1999). Placebo's third release, Black Market Music added hip-hop and disco elements to the band's tense rock sound. The U.K. saw a release date in early 2000; stateside fans were treated to a resequenced version that fall. The U.S. version featured a slightly different track listing, adding the aforementioned Bowie version of "Without You I'm Nothing" and the band's cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You". The recording spawned additional U.K. hits such as "Taste in Men" and "Slave to the Wage."

In spring 2003, Placebo showcased a harder edge with the release of their fourth album, Sleeping with Ghosts. The album went Top Ten in the U.K. and sold 1.4 million copies worldwide. Australian tour dates with Elbow and U.K. shows with Har Mar Superstar followed in 2004. Placebo's singles collection, Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004, was released before the year's end. The 19-song compilation included their biggest U.K. hits and the new track "Twenty Years." Frenchman Dimitri Tikovoi (Goldfrapp, the Cranes), who mixed select songs on Once More with Feeling, produced Placebo's fifth effort, 2006's Meds. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide [-] Hide

When the Auteurs released their debut album in 1993, the British press linked them with the massively popular Suede as part of a "glam revival." While the band can blast out guitar-drenched rockers like Suede, the Auteurs come to life when they draw from the quiet side of such distinctively English guitar pop bands like the Kinks, the Smiths,... [+] Read More

When the Auteurs released their debut album in 1993, the British press linked them with the massively popular Suede as part of a "glam revival." While the band can blast out guitar-drenched rockers like Suede, the Auteurs come to life when they draw from the quiet side of such distinctively English guitar pop bands like the Kinks, the Smiths, and George Harrison. Luke Haines, the group's guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, writes highly melodic pop songs that combine the airy melodies of Harrison with the cutting social observations of Davies; they're sharp, intelligent songs, full of humor and gorgeous melancholy, even when they're loud rockers. With their two albums, New Wave and Now I'm a Cowboy, they've earned a devoted cult in the U.K. without gathering much support in the United States. By the time the group released the Steve Albini-produced After Murder Park in early 1996, they had even lost most of their cult audience in the U.K.; accordingly, the album was a stiff, even on the indie charts. Before its release, Haines had dropped hints in interviews that the record may be the Auteurs' last. Six months later he released an album with his side project, Baader Meinhof; a new Auteurs record, How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, appeared in 1999. Haines focused his energy on Black Box Recorder for a few years, released a pair of solo albums in 2001, and re-recorded several Auteurs songs with an orchestra for 2003's Das Capital. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Menswear signed a record contract before they played more than five gigs. That alone tells you everything you need to know about the band. Menswear were an outgrowth of the post-Blur pop scene in London, England, a group of charming, handsome young men that wanted to be in a pop group more than they wanted to play music. Consequently, they... [+] Read More

Menswear signed a record contract before they played more than five gigs. That alone tells you everything you need to know about the band. Menswear were an outgrowth of the post-Blur pop scene in London, England, a group of charming, handsome young men that wanted to be in a pop group more than they wanted to play music. Consequently, they received their fair share of detractors, but the band weathered the storm, becoming one of the most popular Brit-pop bands of 1995.

The members of Menswear -- vocalist Johnny Dean (b. December 12, 1971), guitarist Simon White, guitarist Chris Gentry (b. February 23, 1977), bassist Stuart Black, and drummer Matt Everett -- told everyone around Camden, London that they were in a band before they had actually rehearsed. Toward the end of 1994, they decided to actually start playing music, choosing the name Menswear and writing Elastica and Blur-inspired pop songs.

The group's first single, "I'll Manage Somehow," received good notices in the NME and Melody Maker, and their second single, "Daydreamer," peaked at number 14. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Spacehog mixes glam-rock influences, such as David Bowie and T. Rex, into its wall-of-distorted-guitars alternative-rock sound. The quartet formed in New York City in 1993 when British drummer Jonny Cragg moved there and got a job killing rats in the basement of an espresso bar. He met guitarist Antony Langdon, also from the U.K., at the... [+] Read More

Spacehog mixes glam-rock influences, such as David Bowie and T. Rex, into its wall-of-distorted-guitars alternative-rock sound. The quartet formed in New York City in 1993 when British drummer Jonny Cragg moved there and got a job killing rats in the basement of an espresso bar. He met guitarist Antony Langdon, also from the U.K., at the coffeeshop, and the two decided to visit topless bars and jam together. Langdon's brother Royston soon joined the group as a vocalist, and they added guitarist Richard Steel to round out the lineup. Almost immediately after the lineup coalesced, they attracted the attention of Sire Records president Seymour Stein, and their debut album, Resident Alien, was released in 1996. It soon spawned the hit single and video "In the Meantime." The Chinese Album followed in 1998. Three years later, Spacehog had a new deal with Artemis Records and issued a third effort entitled The Hogyssey. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Suede kick started the Britpop revolution of the '90s, bringing English indie pop/rock music away from the swirling layers of shoegazing and dance-pop fusions of Madchester, and reinstating such conventions of British pop as mystique and the three-minute single. Before the band had even released a single, the U.K. weekly music press was... [+] Read More

Suede kick started the Britpop revolution of the '90s, bringing English indie pop/rock music away from the swirling layers of shoegazing and dance-pop fusions of Madchester, and reinstating such conventions of British pop as mystique and the three-minute single. Before the band had even released a single, the U.K. weekly music press was proclaiming them as the "Best New Band in Britain," but Suede managed to survive their heavy hype due to the songwriting team of vocalist Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler. Equally inspired by the glam crunch of David Bowie and the romantic bed-sit pop of the Smiths, Anderson and Butler developed a sweeping, guitar-heavy sound that was darkly sensual, sexually ambiguous, melodic, and unabashedly ambitious. At the time of the release of their first single, "The Drowners," in 1992, few of their contemporaries -- whether it was British shoegazers or American grunge rockers -- had any ambitions to be old-fashioned, self-consciously controversial pop stars and the British press and public fell hard for Suede, making their 1993 debut the fastest-selling first album in U.K. history. Though they had rocketed to the top in the U.K., Suede were plagued with problems, the least of which was an inability to get themselves heard in America. Anderson and Butler's relationship became antagonistic during the recording of their second album, Dog Man Star, and the guitarist left the band before its fall release, which inevitably hurt its sales. Instead of breaking up, the band soldiered on, adding new guitarist Richard Oakes and a keyboardist before returning in 1996 with Coming Up, an album that returned them to the top of the British charts.

Through all of Suede's incarnations, vocalist/lyricist Brett Anderson and bassist Mat Osman remained at the band's core. The son of a cab driver, Anderson formed the Smiths-inspired Geoff in 1985 with his schoolmate Osman and drummer Danny Wilder. Anderson was the group's guitarist; Gareth Perry was the band's vocalist. Geoff recorded two demos before splitting up in 1986, as Anderson and Osman left to attend university in London. A few years later, the pair formed Suave & Elegant, which lasted only a few months. By the end of 1989, the pair had placed an advertisement in New Musical Express, asking for a "non-muso" guitarist. Bernard Butler responded, and the trio began recording songs, primarily written by Anderson and Butler, with the support of a drum machine. Taking the name Suede after Morrissey's "Suedehead" single, the trio sent a demo tape, Specially Suede, to compete in Demo Clash, a radio show on GLR run by DJ Gary Crowley. "Wonderful Sometimes" won Demo Clash for five Sundays in a row during 1990, leading to a record contract with the Brighton-based indie label RML. By the time the band signed with RML, Anderson's girlfriend Justine Frischmann had joined as a second guitarist.

Suede placed an advertisement for a drummer, and former Smiths member Mike Joyce responded. Joyce appeared on the group's debut single for RML, "Be My God"/"Art." Scheduled to be released on a 12" in the fall of 1990, the single was scrapped shortly before its release, due a fight between the band and the label. Throughout 1991, the group rehearsed and recorded demos, eventually adding drummer Simon Gilbert. Frischmann left Suede in early 1992 to form Elastica; she was not replaced. A few months later, Suede signed a two-single deal with the indie label Nude Records. Shortly afterward, the band appeared on the cover of Melody Maker, without having released any material. The weekly newspaper declared them the Best New Band in Britain.

"The Drowners," the band's first single, appeared shortly after the Melody Maker cover, and it became a moderate hit, debuting at number 49 due to strong reviews and word of mouth. "Metal Mickey," released in the fall, became their breakthrough hit, reaching number 17 on the U.K. charts after a suggestive, controversial performance on Top of the Pops. Anderson soon became notorious for causing controversy, and his infamous comment that he was "a bisexual man who never had a homosexual appearance" was indicative of how the group both courted controversy and a sexually ambiguous, alienated audience.

A short tour before the spring release of their eponymous debut album was very successful, setting the stage for "Animal Nitrate" debuting at number seven. Shortly afterward, Suede entered the charts at number one, registering the biggest initial sales of a debut since Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome. By the summer, Suede had become the most popular band in Britain -- winning the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for Best Album that fall -- and they attempted to make headway into the United States. Their progress was halted when Butler's father died in the fall, forcing the cancellation of their second tour; they had already begun to be upstaged by their opening act, the Cranberries, who received the support from MTV that Suede lacked. Shortly afterward, the band was forced to change its name to the London Suede in America, due to a lawsuit from an obscure lounge singer performing under the name Suede.

Tensions had begun to develop between Bernard Butler and the rest of the band during the group's 1993 tours, and they peaked when they re-entered the studio to record a new single in late 1993. Butler conceived the song "Stay Together" as a sweeping epic partially in tribute to his father, and while it was a success upon its February 1994 release, debuting at number three, the recording was not easy. As they were working on Suede's second album, Anderson and Butler began to fight frequently, with the guitarist claiming in a rare interview that the singer worked too slowly and that his partner was too concerned with rock stardom, often at the expense of the music. Butler left the band toward the end of the sessions for the second album, and the group finished the record with Anderson playing guitar. Bernard's departure launched a flurry of speculation about Suede's future, and Dog Man Star didn't answer any of those questions. A grandiose, ambitious, and heavily orchestrated double album, Dog Man Star was greeted with enthusiastic reviews but muted commercial response. As Suede were working on their second album, their remarkable commercial success was eclipsed by that of Blur and Oasis, whose lighter, more accessible music brought the groups blockbuster success in the wake of Suede.

While Dog Man Star sold nearly as much as Suede, the impression in the press was the group was rapidly falling apart, and the band didn't help matters when they replaced Butler with Richard Oakes, a 17-year-old amateur guitarist, in September. Suede embarked on a long, grueling international tour during late 1994 and the spring of 1995, before disappearing to work on their third album. During the interim, Butler had a Top Ten single with vocalist David McAlmont, and Gilbert, the only homosexual member of Suede, was attacked in a hate crime in the fall. At a fanclub gig in January of 1996, the group debuted several new songs, as well as their new keyboardist, Neil Codling, the cousin of Gilbert. Suede returned as a five-piece in September of 1996 with Coming Up. A lighter, band-oriented affair than either of the group's two previous albums, Coming Up was an unexpected hit, entering the charts at number one and generating a remarkable string of five Top Ten hits -- "Trash," "Beautiful Ones," "Saturday Night," "Lazy," and "Filmstar." Coming Up was a hit throughout Europe, Canada, and Asia, but it wasn't released in the U.S. until the spring of 1997.

Coming Up never did win an audience in America, partially because it appeared nearly a year after its initial release and partially because Suede only supported it with a three-city tour. Nevertheless, the record was their most successful release to date, setting expectations high for the follow-up. Upon their return to the studio in the fall of 1998, the band decided to ditch their longtime producer, Ed Buller, choosing to work with Steve Osborne, who had previously produced New Order and Happy Mondays. The resulting album, Head Music, was released in May of 1999; an American release followed in June. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Borrowing heavily from David Bowie and the Smiths, Suede forge a distinctively seductive sound on their eponymous album. Guitarist Bernard Butler has a talent for crafting effortlessly catchy, crunching glam hooks like the controlled rush of "Metal Mickey" and the slow, sexy grind of "The Drowners," but he also can construct grand, darkly... [+] Read More

Borrowing heavily from David Bowie and the Smiths, Suede forge a distinctively seductive sound on their eponymous album. Guitarist Bernard Butler has a talent for crafting effortlessly catchy, crunching glam hooks like the controlled rush of "Metal Mickey" and the slow, sexy grind of "The Drowners," but he also can construct grand, darkly romantic soundscapes like the sighing "Sleeping Pills" and the tortured "Pantomime Horse." What brings these elegant sounds to life is Brett Anderson, who invests them with bed-sit angst and seamy sex. Anderson's voice is calculatedly affected and theatrical, but it fits the grand emotion of his self-consciously poetic lyrics. Suede are working-class lads striving for glamour, and they achieve it by piecing together remnants of the past with pieces of the present, never forgetting the value of a strong hook in the process. And while the sound of Suede frequently recalls the peak of glam rock, its punk-influenced passion and self-conscious appropriation of the past make it thoroughly postmodern. Coincidentally, its embrace of trashy pop helped usher in an era of Britpop, but few bands captured the theatrical melancholy that gave Suede such resonance. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

British but based in New York, Spacehog's publicity material would have you believe the group resurrects the glam heyday of vintage Bowie and Mott the Hoople (even disingeniously referring to them as "the band who fell to earth"). It's all well and good to set your sights high, but the hype creates expectations that Resident Alien is incapable... [+] Read More

British but based in New York, Spacehog's publicity material would have you believe the group resurrects the glam heyday of vintage Bowie and Mott the Hoople (even disingeniously referring to them as "the band who fell to earth"). It's all well and good to set your sights high, but the hype creates expectations that Resident Alien is incapable of delivering, despite the blatant Ziggy Stardust vocal inflections of "Starside" and "Zeroes." There's no doubt that this awkwardly-named combo attack their chosen retro-glam vocation with panache, flash, and good humor, but there's ultimately not a lot of substance behind the theatrical pose and fat Gibson runs. With few exceptions (there's no denying the preening bulls-eye of "Never Coming Down") the songwriting tends to be fairly frothy. Still, I'd take a dose of Resident Alien any day over yet another cold dish of serious, mystically dour, faux-acid rock Doors/Led Zep wannabes. Ironically, by homogenizing the Brit-glam sound in their manner, Spacehog may just succeed in bridging to U.S. audiences who often have difficulty relating to the "Britishness" of the latest U.K. wave. ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide [-] Hide

"Brainchild" may have informed the title of the Auteurs' sophomore album, Now I'm a Cowboy, but it was the sneering, in-with-the-hip-crowd antics of the opening "Lenny Valentino" which flew in the face of the light retro-pop the band wielded just a year earlier. Rougher, sexier, more slipshod than before, this song had a lot to say, and the band... [+] Read More

"Brainchild" may have informed the title of the Auteurs' sophomore album, Now I'm a Cowboy, but it was the sneering, in-with-the-hip-crowd antics of the opening "Lenny Valentino" which flew in the face of the light retro-pop the band wielded just a year earlier. Rougher, sexier, more slipshod than before, this song had a lot to say, and the band was right behind it. But that's not to imply that the band didn't carry itself with equal aplomb across the rest of the set. The Auteurs blazed through a mixed mutant bag of smoothies and deadlies, where every title read like a trip around the world. Meanwhile, pre-empting all that Pulp would later perfect, Luke Haines' feral lyricism touched on the struggle of upper and lower classes and the horror that falls when they collide. "New French Girlfriend" hashed Haines' vocals to bits with a yummy guitar, while "Chinese Bakery" is an off-kilter rock rampage across streets that slice uptown and downtown, leaving "The Upper Classes" to fill the breach. Elsewhere, both "Life Classes/Life Model" and the sordid claustrophobia of "Underground Movies" emerge as biting commentary. Now I'm a Cowboy served the Auteurs well, becoming an edgily delicious bridge between their immediate past and their enduring future. Dig a little deeper and add a pinch of hindsight, however, and it's also easy to discern the treasure trove of embryonic nuggets that would surface in Haines' Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder solo projects. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Perhaps Menswear was always destined to be a footnote in pop history, a product of the heady good times of London in 1994 and 1995. Reportedly signed after only three shows, the band was never given the chance to fully develop before they recorded their debut album, Nuisance. At the time of their first single, they appropriated the sound of Blur... [+] Read More

Perhaps Menswear was always destined to be a footnote in pop history, a product of the heady good times of London in 1994 and 1995. Reportedly signed after only three shows, the band was never given the chance to fully develop before they recorded their debut album, Nuisance. At the time of their first single, they appropriated the sound of Blur and the style of Pulp; by the time Nuisance was released, they also incorporated the sound of Elastica and Oasis, making the band a virtual Cliff Notes of Brit-pop. Naturally, Menswear doesn't quite have the skills or panache of any of their idols, but that doesn't mean they are lacking in charm. Like Oasis and Blur, Menswear appropriates sections of pop history, claiming them as their own. However, they aren't half the songwriters that Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn are, which means many of their ideas are never developed. Nevertheless, when they assimilate them fully -- like the intoxicating rush of "Around You Again" or the sweeping ballad "Being Brave," which lifts the intro to Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" -- the band is an undeniable guilty pleasure. When pressed, the 'swear can come up with irresistably infectious pop gems, from the frazzled Monkees pop of "Sleeping In" to the flat-out great single "Daydreamer," which sounds more like Wire than Elastica, only funnier, even if it may be unintentional. Even funnier are Johnny Dean's lyrics, from the groupie saga of "125 West 3rd Street" to "Stardust," a silly attack on Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie. In all, Nuisance is the perfect product from a band that is better known for being seen than being heard. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

While Brit-pop was still finding its feet and the mark from which to take its bow, Luke Haines' subversively smiley Auteurs were already there, effectively writing a how-to guide that would become the genre's white heat beat for nearly half a decade. Their 1993 debut, New Wave, was a glorious combination of snappy beats, sexy guitar, and retro... [+] Read More

While Brit-pop was still finding its feet and the mark from which to take its bow, Luke Haines' subversively smiley Auteurs were already there, effectively writing a how-to guide that would become the genre's white heat beat for nearly half a decade. Their 1993 debut, New Wave, was a glorious combination of snappy beats, sexy guitar, and retro vocals which sounded as much like the Beatles shot through the Pet Shop Boys as anything else. Little that had come before sounded even half as invigorating as this, but thanks to the Auteurs, almost everything that came after followed the blueprint page by page. Even better, the whole package was a sonic masquerade that cradled a remarkable intelligence and even more perverse wit. From the opening "Show Girl," which sets the scene, to the hazy, paisley thrift store morality epic "Junk Shop Clothes," the band set itself firmly apart from most of the slathering up-and-comers. "Starstruck" drops one fey line after another as it threatens to reignite the forgotten glam era across both guitar and vocals, a process that's repeated, albeit with a little more menace (and cello), on "How Could I Be Wrong." That just leaves the biting punch of "Early Years" to pipe the band down the road to superstardom. Except it didn't. As is so often the fate of true pioneers, the Auteurs were inexplicably shunted aside by the U.K. press in favor of sundry others' simpler sounds while the U.S. relegated these leaders to followers -- assuming it even heard the band at all. It's a sin, and a shame, but one that wasn't without a silver lining, as the Auteurs were ultimately able to follow their creative heart, bypassing the corporate marketing chart completely. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide [-] Hide