Muse, Duffy, The Futureheads, Maximo Park, Stereophonics, Alanis Morissette, Newton Faulkner, Amy Macdonald, Paul Heaton, The P

The 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, incomprehensible voice often disguised the sheer poetry of his songs, the Pogues were undeniably...

The Prodigy
The Prodigy navigated the high-wire, balancing artistic merit and mainstream visibility with more flair than any electronica act of the 1990s. Ably defeating the image-unconscious attitude of most electronic artists in favor of a focus on nominal frontman Keith Flint, the group crossed...

Muse
Muse's fusion of progressive rock, electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation is crafted by guitarist/vocalist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard.

Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette was one of the most unlikely stars of the mid-'90s. A former child actress turned dance-pop diva, Morissette later transformed herself into a confessional alternative singer/songwriter in the vein of Liz Phair and Tori Amos.

Shed Seven
Britpop band Shed Seven officially formed in York, England in 1991, although frontman Rick Witter, guitarist Paul Banks, bassist Tom Gladwin and drummer Alan Leach first began collaborating in bands while still in their teens.

Ian Brown
The frontman for one of the most revered British bands of the 1980s and '90s, Ian Brown symbolized the arrogant cocksureness of his mouthpiece, the Stone Roses. Although the group released one of the three or four most influential records of the decade in 1989 (their debut, at that...

Stereophonics
A bright new noise in U.K. alternative rock in the '90s and into the new millennium, Stereophonics are comprised of vocalist/guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer Stuart Cable (until the latter's replacement by Javier Weyler).

The Twang
Blending the big guitars and emotional swagger of Brit-pop with a subtle but clearly felt dance-friendly pulse, the Twang have quickly risen to fame in the U.K. after making a splash on the club scene and earning the respect of the music press.

Sugababes
Multi-ethnic U.K. trio Sugababes jumped aboard the teen pop bandwagon prior to the new millennium and exuded their own sassy demeanor without the frivolity of most mainstream acts. Siobhan Donaghy, Keisha Buchanan, and Mutya Buena were barely in their teens when they formed in 1998...

The Futureheads
Taking the best of post-punk, new wave, and pop as inspiration, Sunderland's Futureheads were among the best of the U.K.'s "angular" movement, which also included Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party.

Maxïmo Park
Newcastle's angular pop quintet Maxïmo Park consists of singer Paul Smith, guitarist Duncan Lloyd, bassist Archie Tiku, keyboardist Lukas Wooller, and drummer Tom English. Like their friends and neighbors the Futureheads, Maxïmo Park craft smart, sharply catchy...

The Kooks
Luke Pritchard (vocals/guitar), Hugh Harris (guitar), Max Rafferty (bass), and Paul Garred (drums) generate the rubbishy garage rock sounds of the Kooks. Named after the song on David Bowie's Hunky Dory, the Kooks met while attending Brighton Music College in the mid-2000s.

The Pigeon Detectives
Five pals from Leeds, England, who play scruffy but energetic rock & roll with no shortage of swagger, the Pigeon Detectives formed in 2002, but the group's members -- Matt Bowman on lead vocals, Oliver Main and Ryan Wilson on guitars, Dave Best on bass, and Jimmi Naylor on drums...

Newton Faulkner
Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner was born in Surrey on the11th of January 1985 and attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, studying the guitar where he gained a higher diploma at the age of 17.

The Hoosiers
A U.K.-based indie pop trio that started out as a duo, the Hoosiers (originally known as the Hoosier Complex) released a pair of singles and a chart-topping debut album, The Trick to Life, in 2007.

Jamie T

Duffy
Vocalist Duffy is a throwback of sorts with a sanguine, melodic voice that brings to mind such '60s artists as Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark. Born Amy Ann Duffy in the small coastal town of Nefyn on the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, Duffy sang from an early age, but with...