This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

British bands that sound very British / don't sound British at all

OK discuss...

I like it when a British band doesn't try to sound American, especially in the vocals. In my opinion, it's rather pathetic that bands feel the need to sound American (especially in the vocals) when the US has nothing over the UK in terms of musical history and creativity.

For example, compared to rubbish British bands like Lostprophets or Funeral For a Friend, I prefer Hell Is For Heroes because the singer sounds so English.

Anyway, discuss and I'll find some interesting bands to illustrate my opinion.

Reply 1

Mean Mr. Mustard

erm...what? like The Arctic Monkeys/The Futureheads/Maximo Park? they all have very distinctive northern accents...

Reply 2

josh1988uk

1

futureheads are great

Reply 3

serious narb

11

funny that the 1st 2 bands that came into my head were Funeral For a Friend and Lost Prophets.

those bands are probably influenced by other american bands so are bound to sing that way, nothing wrong with that.

Reply 4

SamTheMan

OP

17

Babyshambles

erm...what? like The Arctic Monkeys/The Futureheads/Maximo Park? they all have very distinctive northern accents...

Good examples. I was going to mention the Futureheads and Maximo Park. Especially Maximo Park. It's almost as if they stress it (a bit in the way the Proclaimers exaggerate their Scottish accent)

How about some really big British bands like Bush or Coldplay? Gavin Rossdale sounded like he was trying to do the archetypical Eddie Vedder deep American voice that 3/4 of singers in alternative rock bands try to put on but then he went back to a very distinctive British voice.

Reply 5

SamTheMan

OP

17

serious narb

funny that the 1st 2 bands that came into my head were Funeral For a Friend and Lost Prophets.

those bands are probably influenced by other american bands so are bound to sing that way, nothing wrong with that.

It's not because you're musically influenced that you have to sing the same way.

A lot of American punk bands were influenced by early British punk and most of them sang like Americans.

Reply 6

serious narb

11

SamTheMan

It's not because you're musically influenced that you have to sing the same way.

A lot of American punk bands were influenced by early British punk and most of them sang like Americans.

but they wernt directly influenced by British Punk, current 'Punk' is nothing like the original scene, the american bands that were influenced by British Punk do sound quite English, like Rancid for example

Reply 7

black_mamba

14

I think Kaiser Cheifs sound dead English, and for some reason I feel sick at the thought of brit bands attempting that US style (lost proffets make retch) :O

Reply 8

Wilko_777

10

black_mamba

I think Kaiser Cheifs sound dead English

I was thinking they sound english too, as i scrolled down this thread.

Bloc Party don't sound American, neither do Athlete. probaly more aswell, can't think of any right now.

Reply 9

goldenbarnes

11

Most British band ever - The Ordinary Boys

Reply 10

SamTheMan

OP

17

serious narb

but they wernt directly influenced by British Punk, current 'Punk' is nothing like the original scene, the american bands that were influenced by British Punk do sound quite English, like Rancid for example

I was talking about proper punk and current punk isn't that different: At The Drive-In (who became the Mars Volta) were very punk. Rival schools or the Yeah yeah yeahs are very punk.

It's true that the singer in Rancid and the Transplants has a bit of Britishness in the way he sings. You have a point.

Reply 11

princessa

1

goldenbarnes

Most British band ever - The Ordinary Boys

i love the ordinary boys!

sam, i dont think singers conciously do it, but i know what you mean. i like it when you can hear a welsh or london accent in a singers voice, it makes them much more distinctive.

Reply 12

dashboardphotos

goldenbarnes

Most British band ever - The Ordinary Boys

I'm sorry but you can't get more british that The Smiths.

Most un-english sounding band has to be The Lostprophets. Bloody sellouts even talk witha slight american twang now. I don't mind english singers putting on american accents atall, but Iain watkins just takes it too far. This being added too by the fact I hate the egotistical arse hole.

Reply 13

yorkshirelass

14

Proud Mary (from the Creedence CLearwater Revival song) are a band from up north (I think) who have been around for a few years but seem to think that they are from South Carolina and it's the mid-60s. They don't sound (or look..) British at all. However, I still like them. At the end of the day it's about the music and not where it comes from. Lots of bands with singers that have very pronounced/accentuated English accents (The Smiths, The Cure, Kaiser Chiefs) get on my nerves anyway.

Reply 14

SamTheMan

OP

17

dashboardphotos

I'm sorry but you can't get more british that The Smiths.

Most un-english sounding band has to be The Lostprophets. Bloody sellouts even talk witha slight american twang now. I don't mind english singers putting on american accents atall, but Iain watkins just takes it too far. This being added too by the fact I hate the egotistical arse hole.

What's worse than the American "accent" (apparently there's no such thing as an accent in singing as I learnt from linguistics.) is using American vocabulary...

Music and songwriting is about expressing something you feel strong about and that's personal so when some ****** from Cardiff starts singing about stuff as if he was in Southern California, now that's being a sell-out!

I can't remember an exact example but I think I've heard a Lostprophets song where they use a typically American word. James Blunt definitely does it (he's hoping that noone's noticing that he's been ripping off every single American songwriter for young teenage girls).