The Bluetones

As Brit pop turned the UK music scene into a sea of shaggy-haired, mad-for-it Beatles, wannabes and Hounslow's finest The Bluetones caught the mood of a nation with a string of jangling, melodic indie hits. Brothers Mark and Scott Morriss and friend Adam Devlin were introduced to drummer Eds Chesters by Dodgy's Matthew Priest, and the lads were soon making waves when Radio 1 DJ John Peel started playing an early pressing of the track Slight Return. On its re-release in 1996, the single shot to Number 2 in the UK and the band had one of the classic tracks of the era on their hands. Full of stylish songwriting and soulful hooks, debut album Expecting To Fly (1996) brought more success, knocking Oasis' What's The Story (Morning Glory) off the top of the charts; and the singles Cut Some Rug, Marblehead Johnson and Solomon Bites The Worm all made the Top 10. Subsequent albums Return To Last Chance Saloon (1998) and Science & Nature (2000) fared well, but as the Brit pop scene fizzled out, the band's popularity started to wane. Supported by a loyal fan base, they released their sixth studio album A New Athens in 2010, while front man Mark Morriss teamed up with James Bond composer David Arnold for the folkie solo album Memory Muscle (2008).

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