British Music

THE BRITISH MUSIC SCENE HAS ALWAYS BEEN PRETTY LIVELY. MANY TYPES OF MUSIC HAVE EITHER ORIGINATED FROM OR DONE WELL IN THE BRITISH MARKET HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS AT THE MOMENT.

Pete Doherty is an English singer-songwriter of Irish-Jewish descent. He became famous when he performed with a band called The Libertines from 1997 until 2004. They were a garage rock band, which is a type of very funky rock influenced by punk. They had a UK number-one album but broke up due to Doherty's problems with heroin. Later he formed the band Babyshambles, which plays various types of music, including punk and ska. This is a form of Caribbean music similar to reggae. However, Pete Doherty has become more famous for his continuing problems with drugs and his fiery relationship with top model Kate Moss. They had a very public relationship until 2007 and were constantly in the tabloid press. He has spent time in prison and is | in and out of drug rehabilitation clinics. Despite this, he is a very talented musician and is very popular with young music fans.

Amy Winehouse is a Cockney singer who writes and performs a mixture of rhythm and blues, jazz and blues music. She has also had problems with drugs and alcohol. News of her mental health has also been in the headlines. Recently Winehouse and Pete Doherty appeared in a YouTube video playing with mice, prompting worries that she was going insane. Her husband (Blake Fielder-Civil), who is in prison, reportedly offered to pay for someone to attack Doherty. Amy, like Pete Doherty, is a very talented musician who is unfortunate to have fallen into the world of drugs. This is something that has happened to many young people in the rock and roll business. Amy was recently filmed in Glastonbury festival hitting a fan who had annoyed her.

Coldplay are a world-famous alternative-rock band and are much less controversial then other stars. They are known, along with their music, for their social activism. Chris Martin, the singer-guitarist-pianist who is married to Gwyneth Paltrow, is very public about issues such as human rights and fair trade for third world countries. Coldplay were also involved with the Live 8 event in 2006. They have won a Grammy for their song "Clocks". Other popular songs are "Yellow" and "Speed of Sound". At the moment, their song "Vida la Vida" is proving to be very popular. Their latest album "Vida la Vida or Death and all his Friends" was released in June and has been very successful. Coldplay's style of music has been compared to Oasis and Radiohead. They themselves have described it as "very heavy soft rock". Some of their music has a very sad feeling to it but it has struck a chord with many music fans. One impressive thing that the band have done is give 10% of their profits to charity. Their activism is well-known and Guy Berryman, the bassist, has said that if it helps people, then they want do it.

Oasis have been about since the early 1990s and were part of the Britpop movement of bands. This was a type of music focused on the British style of guitar playing and lyrics about things that affect British people. Oasis' second album What's the Story Morning Glory is considered by many to be their best. Their singer, Liam Gallagher, is known as a wildman and has had many public bust-ups with other musicians. They were involved in the "Battle of Britpop" in 1995 with Blur. This was when the British press decided that there was rivalry between the bands, and a battle for sales of singles took place. Blur won the battle. When the Britpop movement ended in the late 1990s, Oasis lost popularity and several band members left. The best-known members, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, are still in the band. Since 2005, they have had a resurgence of popularity and a new album is to be released in 2008.

The Prodigy are one of the biggest electronic music bands in the world. This is a type of heavy dance music. It has sometimes been called "Electronic Punk". Others known for this music are The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim. Although there are three members at the moment, most of the music is written and performed by Liam Howlett. They have caused controversy before with one of their songs. In the US, there was outrage is many people thought it was glorifying violence against women. The music video of the song showed a person on a night out, taking drugs and fighting. It caused even more controversy than their song, but many saw it as groundbreaking. The Prodigy have worked with many famous artists including Oasis and Hollywood actress Juliette Lewis, who is also a talented singer. Like Oasis, a new album is rumoured for release this year, probably in October.