Islandear Music Blog

Nirvana was a popular American rock band founded in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington. With the lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from the band’s 1991 album Nevermind, Nirvana exploded into the mainstream, bringing along with it an offshoot of punk and alternative rock that the mainstream media of the time referred to as grunge. Other Seattle bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden also gained in popularity, and grunge became the dominant genre on radio and music television during the early-to-middle 90s.

As Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the “spokeman of a generation”, with Nirvana the “flagship band” of “Generation X”.[1] Cobain declined the position, and placed his focus on the band’s music, challenging the band’s audience with their third album In Utero. While Nirvana’s mainstream popularity waned in the months following its release, their core audience cherished the band’s dark interior, particularly after the band’s 1993 performance on MTV Unplugged.

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John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed the band in Birmingham, England in 1978, envisioning a group with the raw do-it-yourself energy of the Sex Pistols, the dance grooves of Chic, and the elegant style of David Bowie and Roxy Music. Other influences the band has mentioned include Mick Ronson, The Clash, Japan, New York Dolls, Velvet Underground, Visage and Blondie. Inspired by one of their favourite Birmingham clubs, Barbarella’s, the band took their name from the evil character “Dr. Duran Duran”, played by Milo O’Shea in Roger Vadim’s sexy science-fiction cult film Barbarella. Their first singer was Stephen Duffy, who went on to lead Tin Tin and The Lilac Time. John Taylor, originally on lead guitar, switched to bass after original bassist Simon Colley left. Several drummers and guitarists were subsequently tried, as well as a handful of vocalists after Duffy left Duran Duran early in 1979.

Finally, drummer Roger Taylor fell in with them at a party, Andy Taylor came south from Newcastle to audition after responding to a magazine advertisement, and Simon Le Bon was recommended to the band by an ex-girlfriend who worked at the Rum Runner nightclub, where the band rehearsed. The owners of the club, brothers Paul and Michael Berrow, became the band’s management, and paid them to work as doormen, DJs and glass collectors when they weren’t rehearsing.

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Depeche Mode’s origins can be traced back to 1976, when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher formed a band known as “No Romance in China.” The band was unsuccessful and in 1979, Vince Clarke formed a new band named “French Look” with Martin Gore. Andrew Fletcher then became part of the band and it was renamed “Composition of Sound.” David Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Vince Clarke heard him perform at a local gig, and “Depeche Mode” was born. The new name was taken from a French fashion magazine, “Dépêche-mode”, which translates to “Fast Fashion”.

The band became part of Daniel Miller’s Mute label by verbal contract, and released their first album, Speak and Spell, in 1981. Soon after, Vince Clarke left and went on to form several other bands including Yazoo (Yaz in the US) with Alison Moyet, The Assembly with Feargal Sharkey, Dave Clempson and Eric Radcliffe, and later Erasure with Andy Bell.

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