From iconic British ska bands to Alabama rappers, the NME C-Series has a history of promoting some of the most talented musical acts. Here’s a list of some of the bands that have featured in this series:
British ska band The Specials rose to fame following the release of their single ‘Ghost Town’ which climbed to No. 1 on the UK charts. The band went through various iterations and reunions before releasing their final original album in 2019. Their frontman Terry Hall passed away in 2022 at the age of 63.
Orange Juice, a Scottish new wave band, released two albums following their appearance in the C81 series. The title track of their album ‘Rip It Up’ became a top 10 hit in the UK charts and the band proved to be a classic representative of their generation’s creative spirit.
The Raincoats, another cult band that featured in the C81 series, went on to release two albums that incorporated experimental ideas into their pop music. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was a big fan of the band and spent his time touring London record stores looking for their debut album on vinyl.
Aztec Camera, a Scottish pop band, debuted with their first single before appearing on the C81 series. The band continued to release music over the next decade, with their single ‘Oblivious’ becoming a top 3 hit in the UK charts.
Glasgow band Primal Scream originally started with a jangly indie-pop sound before transitioning towards the UK rave scene. Their album ‘Screamadelica’ released in 1991 captures the spirit of the rave scene. The band has consistently toured around the world and released their most recent album in 2016.
Leeds band, The Wedding Present, were prolific following their C86 appearance and charted 12 different singles in the UK Singles Charts in 1992 alone, a record that was previously held by Elvis Presley.
Scottish post-rock band Mogwai released classic albums and even started their own record label. They landed their first number 1 album in the UK in 2021 with ‘As The Love Continues’.
Birmingham electro-indie trio Broadcast released three albums following their appearance in the C96 series. Their lead vocalist Trish Keenan passed away in 2011, and in 2024, Warp Records announced the release of previously unheard demos as the group’s final release.
Aussie-based Genesis Owusu’s second album ‘Struggler’ released after C23’s release gained high acclaim and he performed a spectacular headline show at Sydney Opera House in 2023.
Jockstrap is a London-based duo that released ‘I<3UQTINVU’ which remixed their entire debut album, 2022’s ‘I Love You Jennifer B’ following their acoustic edition of ‘Concrete Over Water’ in the C23 series. Alabama rapper, Flo Milli, was featured in the C23 series and she gained popularity with the release of ‘Never Lose Me’, which became a hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Her song was featured on her second studio album, ‘Fine Ho, Stay’, which released in March 2024 Read the full article on NME here: Read More