Southside Festival

After bonding over their shared musical creativity, Joseph and Salih decided to form a band. Before their first performance, Joseph invited Thomas to join.

The trio named itself Twenty One Pilots and began playing a variety of venues around Columbus. The band became known for its attention-grabbing costumes and on-stage antics. Joseph’s mother helped promote the shows by giving away tickets outside of Ohio State.

Twenty One Pilots released its debut, self-titled album independently in 2009, recording from the basement of the house where its members lived at the time. The album peaked at number 139 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 115,000 copies.

Just two years later, in 2011, Thomas and Salih left the group to focus on school and work, respectively. Twenty One Pilots became a duo, with Joseph on vocals and Josh Dun on drums. The new Twenty One Pilots self-released its second album, Regional at Best, that July. Just a few months later, the band played its first sold-out show at Newport Music Hall, catching the attention of several record labels. The band then embarked on the Regional at Best Tour alongside the rock band Challenger, documenting the journey on YouTube.

In April 2012, Twenty One Pilots announced a deal with Fueled by Ramen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. The band released its first record under the label, an EP titled Three Songs, in July. The next month, the band joined Neon Trees and Walk the Moon on tour.

Twenty One Pilots’ third album dropped in January 2013. Vessel climbed to number 21 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 10 in the Alternative Albums Chart. The single, “Holding on to You,” became the band’s first charting single and reached number 11 on the Billboard Alternatives Songs charts.

Later that year, Twenty One Pilots joined Panic! at the Disco as a supporting act on Fall Out Boy’s Save Rock and Roll Arena Tour. The band continued to tour and play festivals throughout 2014.

In March 2015, Twenty One Pilots announced its upcoming album, Blurryface. The third single, “Stressed Out,” dropped that April. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the band’s biggest-selling single. The music video was also a hit, surpassing 2.5 billion views on YouTube.

Blurryface was released in May 2015 and became a breakout success. It was the band’s first number-one album, selling 134,000 copies in the first week. It’s also the first album ever to have every single track certified at least Gold by the RIAA. Blurryface won Top Rock Album at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Twenty One Pilots also took home the award for Top Rock Artist that year.

Twenty One Pilots’ popularity continued to surge throughout 2016. In June, the duo released “Heathens,” a song for the DC Comics film Suicide Squad. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made Twenty One Pilots the third artist after The Beatles and Elvis Presley to have two Top 5 singles charting at the same time.

Since the success of Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots has released two more albums. Trench dropped in 2018, followed by Scaled and Icy in 2021. The latter is the band’s first album to feature Joseph’s younger brother Jay, who performs vocals on three tracks. Both albums were received positively by critics and fans alike. In 2022, Twenty One Pilots took the show on the road with The Icy Tour, to promote and support Scaled and Icy in North America.

Be sure to catch the band live on their newly announced Bandito world tour as well.

Born and raised in Washington, New Jersey, Frangipane also spent time in neighbouring New York where she soon developed ties. During her early years the musician learned to play the viola, violin, and the cello before at the age of 14, pickiing up the acoustic guitar. Frangipane subsequently enrolled in community college studying songwriting and began to build a list of musical connections. In order to pay for her classes the singer-songwriter would perform all over the East Coast using various monikers, ultimately landing on the anagram of her name, Halsey.

The musician’s big break came in 2014 when Frangipane uploaded the song “Ghost” to her SoundCloud page. The track soon became popular online and caught the attention of a number of interested labels. The singer subsequently signed with Astralwerks who issued her debut EP “Room 93” in October that year. Introducing the singer’s emotive vocal delivery and songwriting, reminiscent of British singer Ellie Goulding, the record catapulted Frangipane to online notoriety. Featuring the single “Ghost”, the EP also spawned four accompanying videos, garnering significant attention on music video platforms.

In support of the record the singer toured in support of The Kooks and embarked on her “American Youth Tour” alongside Young Rising Sons and OLIVVER. The remix EP “Room 93: The Remixes” was released in March 2015 featuring mixes by Arty, Lost Kings, and Sander Kleinenberg. Later in 2015 the singer made her South by Southwest festival debut, where according to social media, she was the most talked-about act of the festival.

Known for a unique and dreamy blend of folk, art-pop, indie rock, and neo soul, as well as her stirring and ethereal live performances, Welch has been likened to artists such as Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Ellie Goulding.

Florence + The Machine is a band composed of Welch, pianist Isabella Summers, Robert Ackroyd (guitar), Tom Monger (harp), Mark Saunders (bass), and a rotating cast of other artists. Welch credits her bandmates with helping unlock her creative process, as they have been so tuned-in to each others’ musical abilities for so long that they naturally know what she’s hoping for in each new song.

The band’s name came from Welch’s teenage years, when she collaborated with Isabella “Machine” Summers. For a while, the two performed as Florence Robot/Isa Machine — a private joke that eventually stuck in slightly altered form.

With huge encouragement from the BBC, Florence received early critical acclaim and attention from UK audiences as BBC Music Introducing strongly promoted the band. The band’s debut album, Lungs, was released on July 6, 2009, and reached the number two slot in the UK Album Chart, retaining the position for five consecutive weeks. It finally reached the number one position on the album chart on January 17, 2010. By October 2010, Lungs had spent a total of 65 consecutive weeks in the top 40 album charts.

Notable singles from the album included “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up),” “Kiss With A Fist,” and “Dog Days Are Over,” with the songs being featured on films and television series like Jennifer’s Body, 90210, Gossip Girl, Glee, and Skins.

Undoubtedly, the biggest hit single released from Lungs was the cover of The Source and Candi Staton’s 1986 single “You’ve Got The Love.” The track was later also released in collaboration with UK grime rapper Dizzee Rascal under the title, “You’ve Got The Dirtee Love,” following Welch and Dizzee’s 2010 Brit Award performance of the mash-up.

The band’s second studio album, Ceremonials, was preceded by a demo session in January 2010 at a small studio in London. Several producers vied for the chance to produce it, but Welch rejected their offers because she was after a new sound: something darker, heavier, more explosive, and grittier. The band had the rest of the year to work sporadically on the music, since they were out on the road touring heavily.

When the group did record, it happened between January and April 2011 at Abbey Road Studios with producer Paul Epworth, who co-wrote seven of the album’s tracks. Other co-writers included Kid Harpoon and Summers. Welch had to record many of the vocal tracks in various U.S. studios between shows on her tour.

Ceremonials featured singles “Shake It Out” and “What The Water Gave Me,” with the latter video receiving an outstanding 1.5 million views on YouTube in just two days alongside the track on iTunes in August 2011. The fourth single for the album, a remix of “Spectrum (Say My Name)” by Scotland’s Calvin Harris, became the band’s first number-one hit in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, Ceremonials reached number one on the UK Album Chart and number six on the U.S. Billboard 200. Furthermore, Florence + The Machine was honored with nominations for two Brit Awards: British Album of the Year and Best British Female Artist.

2012 was a year of rest for Florence + The Machine after having gone all out for the past half-decade. By the end of December 2012, Ceremonials had received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.

In June 2014, Welch revealed that the band was working on its third studio album. Seven months later, the band performed the new album in its entirety to a crowd in a private London show. The next day, a music video for the title track, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful,” dropped, followed by another video for the song “St. Jude.”

When How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful finally dropped on May 29, it rose to the number-one spot on the UK Albums Chart — the band’s third time enjoying the honor — and hit number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. It was nominated five times for the Grammys. That year, the band headlined Glastonbury Festival, and its set received critical acclaim from a number of outlets. In 2016, Florence and the Machine released a short film called The Odyssey, which combined all of the album’s music videos into one narrative structure.

May 2017 saw an announcement of yet another studio album, High as Hope. During this period, then-drummer Christopher Hayden left the band, but the music didn’t stop: singles like “Sky Full of Song” and “Hunger” came in April and May of 2018. Florence + The Machine stayed busy with tours and song-crafting through the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it released “Light of Love” to support the Intensive Care Society.

By early 2022, the band was back on the road, headlining festivals like Madrid’s Mad Cool. The band’s fans began receiving letters with a cryptic print entitled “King – Chapter 1,” which led to speculation of a new single. Welch confirmed the rumors on February 22 on her Instagram account. “King,” the new single, came out the next day along with a music video. “Heaven Is Here” followed on March 7. Dance Fever, the fifth studio album, was released on May 13 and immediately shot to the number-one spot in the UK.

Featuring Dexter Holland (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman (lead guitar), Greg K (bass) and Pete Parada (drums), the beginnings of the band started in 1984, coming together under the moniker, Manic Subsidal. In 1986, they changed their name to The Offspring, A string of independent releases followed, with the band slowly gaining a footing in the West Coast punk scene.

Their self-titled debut appeared in 1989 to moderate success. Yet with their second record, "Ignition," The Offspring became underground favorites, finding fans of their relentless, power chord-driven punk. By 1994, fortunes were abut to change dramatically for The Offspring, with the release of their third album, "Smash." Despite being released on an independent label, "Smash" became a hit of the same name, propelling the band to stardom overnight, selling over four million records. Taking their cues from Nirvana and their quiet/loud dynamics, The Offspring found a string of singles make their way to chart success, with "Self-Esteem" and "Come Out And Play" gaining significant airplay.

Despite major labels knocking at the door, The Offspring decided to stay at the small independent, Epitaph, touring extensively thereafter across the US. After two years, the band caved and decided to join major label Columbia Records, a move that caused controversy amongst punk fans, garnering accusations of selling out. Regardless, their third album, "Ixnay on the Hombre," arrived in February 1997, a record that whilst maintaining positive critical acclaim, it failed to reach the same heights of success as "Smash."

In 1998, "Americana" attempted to regain the band's momentum, finding a hit with the pop-punk single, "Pretty Fly (for a white guy)," returning the quartet to mainstream success. "Conspiracy of One" was to be their next release, a record they threatened to offer as a free download online but their record company denied them this desire, with the record receiving a conventional release in 2000.

Three years later, The Offspring had recorded a new album of material, with "Splinter" offering a return to form. Subsequently, they embarked on international tours during which they found legions of fans across several continents. In 2005, a Greatest Hits was released, featuring new music in the single, "Can't Repeat." Their relentless touring schedule may have set new music releases back, but in 2008, they returned with "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace," displaying a hotly anticipated return to form. Still hard at work over twenty years into their career, "Days Go By" was released in 2012 displaying a more mature sound for their fans.

The dynamic duo of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore met in the year 2000 having both been signed to EMI and being introduced by A&R representative Simon Moor. The pair collaborated on their solo projects with Littlemore providing songwriting assistance on Steele’s band The Sleepy Jackson’s debut album, and Steele assisted on Littlemore’s art-rock project Teenager.

Littlemore is also of the electronic dance outfit Pnau alongside guitarist and producer Peter Mayes. Pnau’s self-titled album reunited Steele and Littlemore and the three crafted a luscious vocal-centred album, which led to the creation of Empire of the Sun.

The band’s name which has long been attributed to the J.G. Ballard novel “Empire of the Sun” or the Spielberg film of the same name, actually refers to empires of civilisations where the sun is the theme of worship, that the band feels connected to.

Despite living in different parts of Australia the two entered the recording studio with Peter Mayes and produced their debut album “Walking on a Dream” in October 2008. The album debuted at No. 8 and peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart, led by the singles “Walking on a Dream” and “We Are the People”. Empire of the Sun earned mainly positive reviews for the album, drawing comparisons with MGMT.

The band’s follow-up, 2013’s “Ice on the Dune” was led by the single “Alive”, which featured a music video produced by Kelvin Optical, Inc., of Bad Robot. The album received slightly poorer reviews than its predecessor however along with the release the band announced they would be scoring the soundtrack for the Jim Carey sequel “Dumb and Dumber To”.

Papa Roach’s music style has been largely debated and the band has been referred to under many different genres. These include hard rock, electronic rock, alternative metal, nu metal, rap rock and rap metal. Generally, however, they are simply referred to as a rock band.

Papa Roach formed in 1993, when two of its members discussed the potential of a band on their school football field. Jacoby Shaddix and drummer Dave Buckner started the band and were soon joined by bass guitarist Will James and lead guitarist Jerry Horton. During these early days the band played every gig they could get, balancing school with performing. A year later they released their first EP, bizarrely entitled ‘Potatoes for Christmas’. In 1996 James was replaced by Tobin Esperance. In 1997 the band released their first full length album, entitled the self-explanatory ‘Old Friends from Young Years’. Their last two independent releases were in 1998 and 1999. The latter EP, ‘Let ‘Em Know’, earned them a record deal by DreamWorks Records.

Since signing and entering the mainstream market, Papa Roach have continued to garner a steady stream of support and success, touring with esteemed bands such as Guns N’ Roses. However, one of their earliest tracks, ‘Last Resort’, still remains their most popular single to date. They have toured worldwide, indicating just how successful the band has become since their early days. The current line up now consists of original, Jacoby Shaddix, Jerry Horton, Tobin Esperance and Tony Palermo who replaced Buckner after he entered rehab.

Despite their mainstream success, Papa Roach remain indie at heart. Their name is an indication of the real bond between the members and the history between them: Papa Roach was the nickname of Shaddix’s step-grandfather, who committed suicide in 2006 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. The band paid homage to him with the song ‘Roses on my Grave’.

The band have maintained the same lineup ever since they started; talismanic frontman Alex Gaskarth sings and plays rhythm guitar and keyboards, Jack Barakat takes care of lead guitar and backing vocals, Zack Merrick does the same on the bass, and Rian Dawson is behind the drum kit. Over the course of their decade-plus career to date, they’ve pretty much become poster boys for pop punk as a genre; it’s a style of music that permeates every aspect of their back catalogue, right from their early days playing Blink-182 covers in school, through to their rise to prominence through the Vans Warped Tour, which is to pop punk and emo bands what Download Festival is to metal.

When promoting their debut full-length “The Party Scene” back in 2005, they were happy to play on the undercard to bands like Plain White T’s and Forever the Sickest Kids, but their follow-up “So Wrong, It’s Right” - released in September of 2007 - saw them genuinely break through, and become one of the best-loved pop punk bands on the circuit. Album number three “Nothing Personal”, was another huge step up, landing at number four on the Billboard charts, and their fourth record, June 2011’s “Dirty Work”, saw them begin to flirt with alternative rock influences - not that it lost them many fans. 2012’s “Don’t Panic” continued that approach, and why not? It’s served them impressively well so far.

Deriving their name from a short story by Angela Carter, Wolf Alice was formed in 2010 by Ellie Roswell and Jeff Oddie. Shortly after, the band released an eponymously-titled EP featuring the tracks “Every Cloud”, “Destroy Me” and “Wednesday”, the latter of which was also made into a video. After two years of playing local shows and getting their name into the blogosphere, Wolf Alice became a four-piece with the addition of drummer Joel Amey and bassist Theo Ellis.

The band subsequently released the single “Leaving You” as a free download on their Soundcloud page which resulted in BBC Radio 1 airplay and a feature in NME’s ‘Radar’ section, significantly increasing the exposure of the group. After the release of the single Wolf Alice toured with Birmingham, UK band Peace and recorded a session for BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stevens in January 2013.

Wolf Alice signed with independent label Chess Club records in early 2013 who issued the band’s first physically released single “Fluffy” in February 2013. This was followed the by singles “Bros” and the EP “Blush” in October 2013. By December, BBC Radio 6 named the band as the single most blogged-about band in 2013 and a little while later signed with Dirty Hit Records. The new label released Wolf Alice’s second official EP “Creature Songs” on a 10” vinyl and digitally in May, which the the band supported by opening for a catalogue of UK indie bands including Alt-J, Superfood and The 1975.

Formed of high school friends Ben Kowalewicz (vocalist), Ian D’Sa (guitarist), Jon Gallant (bassist), and Aaron Solowoniuk (drummer), Billy Talent had previously performed under the moniker Pezz. Featuring a punk-revivalist sound the band made their debut recording “Demoluca” in D’Sa’s basement in 1994. After a subsequent demo “Dudebox” the band started to gain more exposure in and around Toronto aided by their debut full-length “Watoosh”. The independently-released album, produced by Brad Nelson, introduced the band’s new new pop punk delivery with Kowalewicz singing in melody with D’Sa. After pressure from American punk band Pezz, the band became Billy Talent and began wiggling their way towards a recording contract. After a useful connection with Jen Hirst, who was later hired by Warner Music Canada, led to meeting their producer Gavin Brown, the band singed a co-agreement with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Canada in 2002.

Billy Talent’s major-label debut “Billy Talent” was released in the Autumn of 2003 and earned positive reviews from the musical press. Noted for its singles “Try Honesty”, “The Ex”, “River Below” and “Nothing to Lose”, the album peaked at No 6 on the Canadian Albums chart and went on to be certified 3x platinum. The release also led to receiving two Juno Awards for Best Album of the Year, and Best Band of the Year, and was promoted with an extensive tour of Canada, the U.S., and parts of Europe.

Recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, “Billy Talent II” was issued in June 2006 and topped the album chart in Canada. Having developed from the un-focused, profanity-rich thrust of their debut, “Billy Talent II” represents a more mature band who continue to develop their sound. Once again Billy Talent supported the album with a 18-month worldwide tour including small shows in the likes of Finland and Belgium, as well as arena shows alongside Rise Against, Anti-Flag, and Moneen.

The album “Billy Talent III” appeared in 2009 following appearances at Coachella festival, the UK’s Download and Reading & Leeds Festivals, and Australia’s Soundwave Festival. The band’s third full-length, like its predecessor, topped the Canadian Albums Chart, spawning the singles “Turn Your Back”, “Rusted from the Rain”, and “Devil on My Shoulder”. Ahead of their fourth album Billy Talent released the singles “Viking Death March” and “Surprise Surprise”. The album, “Dead Silence”, arrived in September 2012 and earned much stronger reviews than its predecessor for its ambitious change of style.

Pennywise formed in 1988 and consisted of Jim Lindberg as the lead vocalist, along with Fletcher Dragge (guitarist), Byron McMackin (drummer) and Jason Thirsk (bassist). However, Mr Thirsk - described as “the emotional core of Pennywise” by Lindberg - suffered from an alcoholic relapse, and died on July 29th 1996 due to a self-inflicted gun wound, before Randy Bradbury consequently joined the band as the new bass player.

Pennywise have released 11 studio albums since 1991 along with one live album ‘Live @ the Key Club’ in 2000. Whilst the band were signed to Epitaph Records, their first album was named ‘Pennywise’, which promoted the idea of maintaining a positive mental health. Since then, Pennywise’s most successful albums have been ‘From the Ashes’, which charted at 54 on the US Billboard 200 and 4 on the Top Independent Albums list, and ‘Reason to Believe’, which gained rave reviews amongst critics and gained a rank of four out of five on Allmusic. It also featured the single ‘The Western World’ which was downloaded over 400,000 times on Myspace, and maintained a position in the Top 40 Modern Rock Tracks chart for 20 weeks.

The Californian band are renowned for demonstrating political and moral wrong-doings in their music, and have influenced many other well-known bands such as Phinius Gage, 4ft Fingers and Consumed with their hard-hitting rhythms and passionate lyrics. Pennywise have played alongside the likes of The Offspring and Sum 41, and performed at surfing and snowboarding concerts like Winter X, whilst their music has featured in video games such as Burnout 3:Takedown.

Having stamped their authority on the punk-rock scene with such a raw and distinctive sound since the late 1980s, Pennywise continue to inspire a keen following and demand a particular respect from fans and fellow-musicians alike.

Alexander Ridha started producing and DJing at a young age. He supported Felix Da Housecat and DJ Hell under his previous pseudonym, Kid Alex. He was awarded the Independent Music Award in 2010 as well as the Best Electronic Artist award on Beatport for three consecutive years. His sound is unique and different, crossing over hip-hop with disco, as well as house.

It was in 2004 that Ridha released his first EP entitled “The Bomb/Boy New” under International Deejay Gigolo Records but shortly after, decided in later releases to maintain his freedom and establish his own label in 2005. He released his first full-length studio album, “Oi Oi Oi” in September 2007, and his sophomore album entitled “Power” between October 1st and October 17th 2009 in various countries from Japan to the UK, Belgium to the USA and Canada.

He was always gaining the attention of artists and new fans, building up his following over time, especially from remixes of works by David Lynch, N.E.R.D, Depeche Mode, Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk and more. He also had the opportunity to work with Kelis, Kano, The Black Eyed Peas and BIGBANG. It was his third studio album; “Out of the Black” released on October 16th 2012 that featured international superstar Snoop Dogg on the track “Got It”.

He broadened his horizons further embarking on a collaborative project with New York band, Scissor Sisters. He also formed a side project with Skrillex called Dog Blood. They performed at the 2013 Miami Ultra Music Festival.

In 2014, he did a composition for a German movie called Who Am I – No System Is Safe. He also released a remix album of “Out of the Black”.

Reminiscent of a 1990’s DIY bedroom-recording approach, Basement is comprised of vocalist Andrew Fisher, guitarists Alex Henery and Ronan Crix, bassist Duncan Stewart, and drummer James Fisher. A year after forming the group released their debut output the EP “Songs About the Weather” in May 2010, which the success of led Basement to sign with Run For Cover Record in August 2010. Produced by Jesse Cannon, Basement’s debut full-length “I Wish I Could Stay Here” was issued by Run For Cover Records in June 2011. Earning a host of stellar reviews from online music publications, the album introduced the band’s melodic aggression to a much wider audience. In support of the release Basement embarked on their first ever series of worldwide tours which including shows in Australia, America, and Europe.

A year later in October 2012, Basement’s sophomore album “Colourmeinkindness” hit the shelves courtesy of Run For Cover Records. Once again extolled by the critical press, “Colourmeinkindness” was produced by Sam Pura, and supported by a few shows towards the tail end of 2012. Following a farewell gig at the Camden Underground in London, Basement announced an indefinite hiatus, with guitarist Alex Henery moving to Boston, Massachusetts, to work for Run For Cover Records. In January 2014 however, some subtle hints on their Twitter account led fans to believe the hiatus had run its course, and true to their beliefs Basement returned to release the EP “Further Sky” in July 2014. Featuring two new songs and a cover of Suede’s “Animal Nitrate”, the well-received record was produced by Dan Goudi.

From the ashes of local Canadian bands Condemning Salem, Helicon Blue, and Plan 9, came the burning light that is Alexisonfire. Comprised of screamo vocalist George Pettit, clean vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Dallas Green, lead guitarist Wade MacNeil, bassist Chris Steele, and drummer Jesse Ingelevics, the band's name derives from the world’s only lactating contortionist stripper Alexis Fire. The band’s debut release arrived in 2002 with the EP “Math Sheet Demos”, after which Alexisonfire caught the attention of recording engineer Greg Below and journalist Mitch Joel. The group were subsequently signed by Below’s and Joel’s label Distort Entertainment, combined with a distribution deal with EMI.

The band’s eponymously-titled debut album was released in October 2002 when three of the group’s members were still only 17 years old. The album’s modest success was the result of word-of-mouth and led to Alexisonfire touring nationally before setting their sails for the U.S. and Europe alongside the likes of Billy Talent, GWAR, Godsmack, and Glassjaw. Following the release, the band were courted by major labels, however in developing their sophomore release saw it fit to retain their independence and creative licence.

In 2004 the full-length “Watch Out!” was released debuting at No. 6 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The album earned strong reviews from the critical press and marked a big progression since their debut – the band were now able to direct their aggression and emotion in a much more focused way. Following the release drummer Jesse Ingelevics announced he was leaving the band and was replaced by Jordan Hastings. Arguably the band’s most popular and successful album, 2006’s “Crisis” topped the Canadian Albums Chart and was extolled by critics. In support of “Crisis” Alexisonfire embarked on a worldwide tour including Canada, the UK, and the U.S. with fellow bands EveryTime I Die, Cancer Bats, and A Change of Pace.

Alexisonfire’s fourth studio album “Old Crows / Young Cardinals” was issued by Dine Alone Records in June 2009. Aided by the singles “Young Cardinals”, “Born and Raised”, and “The Northern”, the album once again topped the Canadian Albums chart and peaked at No. 81 on the Billboard 200, their highest U.S. charting to date. Following an extended hiatus where members focused on other projects, in March 2015 the band announced a string of comeback shows including Reading and Leeds, Sonic Boom, and Heavy Montréal festivals.

The four piece came together in 1995 when, using a 4-track tape recorder, singer-songwriter and guitarist Kristopher Roe, and guitarist Jasin Thomason, would write and record demos with a drum machine whilst searching for a full-time drummer.

The band’s big break came in 1996 when Roe and Thomason attended a show to see the band The Vandals, who owned their own label “Kung Fu Records. Thomason gave a tape to Joe Escalante, a bassist from the band. The Ataris were later signed to the record label and eventually found drummer Derrick Plourde. Fast-forward a couple of months to April 29th 1997, when The Ataris released their debut album “Anywhere but Here” which only took a week to record. The band relocated to Santa Barbara, California. The band had to undergo some line up changes in this transition period, but their popularity started to bloom.

In 2002 saw the Ataris new album “So Long, Astoria” start to take shape. Their contract with Kung Fu Records had expired but they had the attention of Columbia Records to decided to sign with them. This album catered to a much more mainstream audience and generated successful singles such as “In This Diary” and “The Saddest Song”. The album also featured their cover of Don Henley’s “the Boys of Summer” which became their “accidental” second single after a radio station, KROQ in Los Angeles started playing it. However, it is the band’s highest charting single to date, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album sold over 700,000 units in total and was certified Gold.

The band has remained a band to this day but it is very much the brainchild of Roe, with him being the driving force behind the band and the original member. In 2013, The Ataris began a North American tour with Kris Roe and the former members John Collura, Mike Davenport and Chris Knapp to celebrate the 10 years of their most successful album, “So Long, Astoria”.

With over a decade of touring stages all over the globe, Modestep have gained a reputation for putting on a show like no other. With the high energy & aggression of a rock band, and the eye-rattling frequencies of a bass-heavy electronic act; Modestep have left a lasting impression on such legendary stages as Glastonbury, Coachella, Reading Festival, EDC, Ultra, Lost Lands, Summer Sonic & notably to a headline crowd of 750,000 at Woodstock.

With two albums under their belt (including the chart topping ‘Evolution Theory’), two seminal EP’s on the Disciple Records label and with tracks & collaborations racking up hundreds of millions of plays; they show no signs of slowing down. With a third album on the way, and a new live-show to match; Modestep set to continue dominating stages across the globe.

The band was originally formed under the name Numb by vocalist Nate Barcalow, guitarist Alex “Grizz” Linares, drummer Alex Pappas, and bassist Derek Doherty. The band signed with Drive- Thru Records and added guitarist Randy “R2K” Strohmeyer to the lineup. Additionally, it was at this time that the group also changed their name to Finch. They released their first EP entitled “Falling Into Place” in 2001 and it sold over 6,000 copies within its first week of release. Led off by three singles, "What It Is to Burn", "Letters to You" and "New Beginnings," the band released their debut full-length album, “What It Is To Burn” in 2002. They set out on tour around parts of the world, and despite having mixed reviews, the album was generally well received. After the tour, the band went back into the studio, to record new material for their second album.

During the time of this recording, the band largely fell from the public eye, and experienced some lineup changes in 2004. Replaced by Marc Allen, Alex Pappas left the band due to musical differences; and later formed the band Redgun Radar. Additionally, Finch went through three different record labels, Drive-Thru Records and MCA Records, which was then purchased by Geffen Records. All of this pushed back the release of their second album, “Say Hello To Sunshine” which wasn’t released until the summer of 2005.

In 2006 the band made an announcement that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus. The hiatus lasted until late 2007 and they again became more active in 2008. Their new shows brought about the release of a self-titled EP in July 2008. Despite the series of announcements and a few single releases, the band announced that they were broken up in 2010. However, the break-up didn’t last long, because in 2012 they came together again to play a show for the anniversary of the release of “What It Is To Burn.” They were originally slated to play only one performance of the album in California, however they later announced extra dates, eventually becoming a full-fleged tour. Post tour the band recorded and released few songs, and in 2014 the band took part in the Vans Warped Tour.

Vocalist, Benji Webbe created the band Skindred with Daniel Pugsley who has remained the bass player since their formation in 1998. The band was fortunate enough to strike a deal with Lava Records and released their debut album “Babylon” in July 2002. The album made the number one spot of the US Reggae chart and number 11 in the US Heatseekers chart. The single “Pressure” made it to number 30 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 2005, and then the single “Nobody” peaked at number 14 on the mainstream rock tracks chart.

The band’s second album “Roots Rock Riot” was released on Bieler Bros Records. It peaked at number 6 on the Heatseekers chart and impressively number 22 on the top independent albums chart. Their third studio album “Shark Bites and Dog Fights” was released on September 21st 2009, which included the song “Electric Avenue”, a cover of the hit single by Eddy Grant. The single “Stand for Something” was released on August 11th 2009. Their fourth album “Union Black” released on April 25th 2011, made it to number 8 on the UK Independent chart, marking the band’s first appearance on a UK Chart. This album was released on the major label BMG. Their album “Kill the Power” was released on January 27th 2014, and became the band’s highest charting album in the UK yet, making it to number three on the UK Metal Chart.

The band has appeared at a numerous amount of festivals over the years, having embarked on many world tours visiting an array of countries in all of the continents. It is no wonder that they have won so many awards in their time.

The two met in 1992 when Szary was working as an underground DJ, performing live acid house music. The two first joined forces under the name Fundamental Knowledge and in 1996 they changed their name to Modeselektor. Two years after the name change, they signed their first remix contract with Berlin based VJ and design collective, Pfadfinderei. They then teamed up with Ellen Allien and his label, BPitch Control. The duo released singles throughout over a period of three years, starting in 2002, culminating in the release of their first album “Hello Mom!” released in 2005.

Modeselektor followed up “Hello Mom!” with their second album, “Happy Birthday!” in 2007; an album which featured guest vocalists such as Tom Yorke, TTC, Paul St. Hilaire, and Maximo Park. The duo has also been associated with Moderat, an ongoing collaboration with Apparat, and together they released an EP entitled “Auf Kosten Der Gesundheit” in 2002 followed by “Moderat,” in March 2009. After the release of their first compilation album in 2010, Modeselektor released their third studio album entitled “Monkeytown” in 2011. “Monkeytown” again featured guest vocals and collaboration with Tom Yorke (a self-proclaimed big fan of Modeselektor). In 2013 they went back into the studio with Apparat to release their second collaboration album entitled “II” which was released in the same year.

The band formed in 2009 while Felix Brummer (vocals), Karl Schumann (guitar, vocals), Steffen Israel (guitar), Till Brummer (bass) and Max Marschk (drums) were still in school in Chemnitz, Germany. In August 2009 the group released their first single, “Zu Jung,” and in February 2010 they released their first EP entitled “Adonis Maximus.” Later that year they were awarded the New Music Award from ARD Radio Station. All of the attention also made it’s way to various record labels, and in January 2011 they signed a deal with Universal Domestic Rock/ Vertigo Berlin.

In 2011 the band came in fifth place in the Bundesvision Song Contest with their song “Ich will nicht nach Berlin.” Immediately after they released the song, which reached number 45 on the German Media Control Charts. In January 2012 Kraftklub released their debut album “Mit K” and it went straight to number one. Later that year they played their first gig outside of their home country of Germany, in "La Puerta Grande" Bar in Bogotá, Spain. While touring the band have played with various bands including Beatsteaks, Fettes Brot and Casper, and the band have been known for performing with a trademark look of poloshirts, varsity jackets and suspenders. In 2014 the band released another album entitled “In Schwarz.”

Zebrahead formed in 1996 in La Habra, California and originally consisted of Greg Bergdorf (guitars), Ed Udhus (drums), Ben Osmundson (bass), and Justin Mauriello (rhythm guitar/vocals). The members were all self-professed fans of punk acts like Green Day, Fugazi, and Descendents, but instead of making an appeal to ska like many of their contemporaries they sought inspiration in rap music. There decision to go in this direction prompted them to hirer 2nd vocalist/rapper, Ali Tabatabaee.

On 21 April 1998 the group put out a 26 minute self-titled demo through the label, Doctor Dream. This release showed much potential and landed them a record contract with major label Columbia records. Some of the tracks on the demo earned considerable public recognition as they filtered through various movies like David Spade’s “Lost and Found” and video games such as “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3”.

Zebrahead’s mainstream studio debut “Waste of Mind” came out a little later that year and featured the two singles “Get Back” and “The Real Me”, the former of the two is credited as being the only Zebrahead single to chart on the US Billboard. “Playmate of the Year” followed in 2000 and the EP “Stupid Fat Americans” was released just a year later exclusively to the Japan market.

The band’s success continued to grow in Japan with their next studio album release “MFZB”. The album departed from the group’s saturated funk sound and embraced a more traditional punk style. It was certified gold in Japan and also peaked at no. 9 on the Japan Album Charts. Additionally the group supported the release with several appearances in Japan, one being at the Summer Sonic Festival.

Not long after the Zebrahead finished their tour through Japan lead singer Mauriello left to form a new rock group called Darling Thieves. Former Jank 1000 frontman Matty Lewis filled in for Mauriello and proved to be a good fit for the band.

The group’s 1st album with Matty Lewis “Broadcast to the World” came out on 22 February 2006 and received glowing reviews and drew comparisons to Rancid and the Clash. In 2008 Zebrahead released both the EP “Not the New Album” and their 7th studio album “Phoenix”.

Their proceeding release “Panty Raid” centered around the concept of covering girl groups. The band had briefly dabbled with this idea on the “Waste of MFZB” album on which they covered the Spice Girl’s “Wannabe”. “Panty Raid” featured covers ranging from Cyndi Lauper, Destiny’s Child, and No Doubt.

2011 saw the release of “Get Nice!” while 2013 saw the release of “Call Your Friends”, which was the band’s 1st album not to feature lead guitarist, Greg Bergdorf. 2015 welcomed Zebrahead’s “Greatest Hits? Volume 1” as well as “The Early Year - Revisited”, which is a collection of re-recorded material written between 1998 - 2003.