List of Famous Bands from Bradford

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Updated July 3, 2024 9 items

List of Bradford bands, listed by their level of fame. This Bradford musicians list includes both bands and solo artists. All famous Bradford bands are included, as well as many Bradford musicians of underground status. This list of Bradford musical artists includes information like what genre the artist falls under, what albums they've put out and more. If you want to know more about these famous Bradford bands you can click on their names to learn more about them. Bands from every genre are listed here, including rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, jazz, and more.

List features bands like The Cult, Allan Holdsworth and more!

If you're wondering, "What bands are from Bradford?" or "What is a list of Bradford bands?" then this list will answer your questions. {#nodes}
  • The Cult
    Gothic rock, Rock music, Heavy metal
    The Cult are a British rock band formed in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's previous band Southern Death Cult. They gained a dedicated following in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s as a post-punk/gothic rock band, with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s establishing themselves as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love Removal Machine" and "Fire Woman". According to music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the band fuse a "heavy metal revivalist" sound with the "pseudo-mysticism ... of the Doors [and] the guitar-orchestrations of Led Zeppelin ... while adding touches of post-punk goth rock". Since the initial formation of Southern Death Cult in Bradford in 1981, the band have had various line-ups; the longest-serving members are Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, who are the band's two songwriters. After moving to London, the band released their second album Love in 1985, which charted at No. 4 in the UK and included singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain". On their third album, Electric (1987), the band supplemented their post-punk sound with hard rock; the polish on this new sound was facilitated by producer Rick Rubin. Their fourth album, Sonic Temple (1989), proceeded in a similar vein, and these two albums enabled them to break into the North American market. It was also during this period that The Cult relocated to Los Angeles, California, where the band are currently based.By the early 1990s, The Cult were fraying behind the scenes due to alcohol abuse, which prompted the band to split up in 1995. The band reunited in 1999 and released the album Beyond Good and Evil two years later. They followed that by reissuing all of their albums in Asia and Eastern Europe in 2003 and Japan in 2004. After their second hiatus, The Cult reformed once again in 2006 to perform a series of worldwide tours, and have since released three more studio albums: Born into This (2007), Choice of Weapon (2012) and Hidden City (2016).
    • Albums: Sonic Temple, Electric, The Cult, She Sells Sanctuary, Dreamtime
  • Allan Holdsworth
    Instrumental rock, Jazz fusion, Jazz
    Allan Holdsworth, an English guitarist and composer, carved a deep groove in the world of music with his instrumental prowess and innovative techniques. Born on August 6, 1946, in Bradford, England, he ignited his love for music at a tender age, and by his early 20s, Holdsworth had already started making waves in the local jazz scene. Throughout the course of his career, he was associated with numerous bands and projects, including 'Igginbottom, Nucleus, Tempest, Soft Machine, The New Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, Bruford, U.K., and his own band, the Allan Holdsworth Trio. Holdsworth was revered for his advanced knowledge of music theory, unique chord progressions, and intricate soloing technique. His style was marked by rapid scales and arpeggios, fluid legato phrasing, and vast stretches on the fretboard. This musical proficiency allowed him to create complex harmonies often described as closer to contemporary classical music than to popular music or jazz. It is no wonder that such a revolutionary musician inspired many guitarists across various genres, including Eddie Van Halen, Frank Zappa, and Joe Satriani. Despite his remarkable talent, commercial success eluded Holdsworth for much of his career. However, this did not deter his passion or creativity. He continued to refine his art, releasing twelve studio albums between 1982 and 2016, each demonstrating a progression in his musical style and technique. Holdsworth also had a keen interest in beer brewing, a hobby which led him to coin specific names for some of his albums. He passed away on April 15, 2017, but his legacy continues to influence countless musicians around the globe.
    • Albums: Metal Fatigue, Road Games, Heavy Machinery, Wardenclyffe Tower, Hard Hat Area
  • Smokie
    Rock music, Country rock, Pop rock
    Smokie are an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire. The band found success at home as well as the rest of the world after teaming up with Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. Along the way they have had a number of line-up changes and were still actively touring in 2012. Their most famous hit singles include "If You Think You Know How to Love Me", "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me", "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone". Their most popular hit single, "Living Next Door to Alice", peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and, in March 1977, reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
    • Albums: Celebration, Changing All the Time, From Smokie With Love, Strangers in Paradise, Hits 1
  • Gareth Gates
    Pop music, Soul music
    Gareth Paul Gates (born 12 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly. Gates used the McGuire Programme to manage the problem and is now a speech coach with the programme.In 2009, Gates moved into musical theatre, playing the title role in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre. In 2009โ€“2011, Gates completed an eighteen-month stint as Marius, initially in the touring production and then in the West End production of Les Misรฉrables. He also took the roles of Eddie in the musical Loserville, Warner in Legally Blonde in 2012 and Dean in Boogie Nights the Musical in Concert in 2013. He was part of the pop group 5th Story, set up for The Big Reunion.
    • Albums: Go Your Own Way, What My Heart Wants to Say, Pictures of the Other Side, Anyone of Us, Unchained Melody
  • Kimberley Walsh
    Pop music, Contemporary R&B, Rhythm and blues
    Kimberley Jane Scott (nรฉe Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, model, television presenter, actress and dancer. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The series announced that Walsh had won a place as a member of the girl group Girls Aloud. The group achieved large success, having twenty consecutive top ten singles (including four number ones) in the UK, six studio albums have all been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), two of which went to number one in the UK, and accumulating a total of five BRIT Award nominations. In 2009, Girls Aloud won "Best Single" with their song "The Promise". During the group's hiatus, Walsh embarked on acting and presenting. In July 2010, she became a presenter on the music talkshow, Suck My Pop and presented coverage for the BAFTA Awards. In 2011, she appeared in Horrid Henry: The Movie as Prissy Polly. Musically, Walsh has featured on Aggro Santos's "Like U Like". In 2012, Walsh made her West End theatre debut, playing Princess Fiona in the London production of Shrek the Musical. She also fronted the 2009 Autumn/Winter collection for the fashion chain New Look and, in January 2011, she was revealed as the new face of Puma AG. In 2012, Walsh took part in Strictly Come Dancing, where she finished as one of the runners-up.
    • Albums: Centre Stage, Like U Like, One Day I'll Fly Away, The Road
  • Justin Sullivan
    Rock music
    Justin Edward Sullivan (born 8 April 1956, Jordans, Buckinghamshire) is an English singer and songwriter. He is also the frontman and lyricist of the British rock band New Model Army, which he formed in 1980 together with drummer Robert Heaton and bassist Stuart Morrow in their hometown of Bradford, Yorkshire. In the early 1980s he performed under the stage name of "Slade the Leveller", referring to the Levellers. His parents are Quaker.Apart from his regular New Model Army albums, he has released two live albums with New Model Army material together with various members of the band capturing their off-duty tours, namely Big Guitars in Little Europe together with Dave Blomberg in 1995 and Tales Of The Road together with Dean White and Michael Dean under the name Justin Sullivan & Friends in 2004. He is an active member of Red Sky Coven, which he co-formed, with Rev Hammer, Joolz Denby and Brett Selby. He collaborated with Denby and Heaton on the album Hex, which put music to Denby's poetry, and then recorded "Weird Sister" and "Spirit Stories", also putting music to Denby's poetry.In 2003 Sullivan debuted as a solo artist with the album Navigating By The Stars. His songs "Tales of the Road", "White Lights", "Lullaby", "Navigating by The Stars" have been remixed by Christoph H. Mueller (Gotan Project) and added to the pre-release soundtrack of Exilรฉe, a thriller by Nemo Sandman (with Denby), director of Wonderful Way to Go and other videos and stills for NMA. In 2007, Sullivan sang on "Who Has Questions For The Dead?" on the This Is Menace album The Scene Is Dead.
    • Albums: Navigating by the Stars, Twilight Home, Ocean Rising
  • Tasmin Archer
    Pop music, Rock music
    Tasmin Archer (born 3 August 1963) is an English pop singer. Her first album, Great Expectations, spawned the hit "Sleeping Satellite," which reached number one in the United Kingdom and Ireland. She won the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act in 1993 and went on to release other albums.
    • Albums: Bloom, Great Expectations, ON, Shipbuilding, Arienne
  • RDB
    Hip hop music, UK Garage, Bhangra
    RDB is a band initially formed by three British Sikh brothers in 1997, whose style blends western genres with traditional Punjabi beats and vocals. The group is now led by its sole remaining founder SurjRDB along with a team of singers, performers and composers.
    • Albums: Three, Very Best of RDB, Simply RDB, Rhythm Dhol Bass (RDB), Urban Flavas
  • Rock Productions Music

    Rock Productions Music

    Nu metal, Christian rock, Screamo
    I Am Future are the youth band of Bradford's Abundant Life Church. The band cite their musical styles as including rap, rock, and indie; Cross Rhythms has noted influences from Delirious?.
    • Albums: RPM: Live, I Surrender All, Give My All