Bands that you knew before anyone else

[Darkshine84]

Saw Maximo Park in a pub function room in Hove (near Brighton) in early 2005, just before they released A Certain Trigger.

Not too proud of this, but i've been a fan of Fall Out Boy since they started. Their first album is amazing, then they decided to go all commercial on us.

Also saw Elbow supporting Muse in 2003. I thought they where shit. I was wrong.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Darkshine84

[Amlo4ka]

Boney M.

[suchacharmer]

Vampire Weekend is probably the best example for me...I had a friend that went to school with them, so we were going to see them way before their album was released, before Pitchfork was having aneurysms over them, etc.

And being from the US, I'm way ahead of everyone here, but probably not super ahead of the game in the UK. I remember being into The Cribs right after their first album dropped, they since gotten really big. I've followed The Raconteurs since the day they were announced, but that hardly counts as Jack was already famous. Larrikin Love, We Are Scientists, and Guillemots were others I picked up on quickly.

Oh, and another good example is M.I.A. I remember seeing her debut video on IMF back when I was in high school and falling in love. I've since kind of grown sick of her.

[pineapple-tea]

Vampire Weekend is probably the best example for me...I had a friend that went to school with them, so we were going to see them way before their album was released, before Pitchfork was having aneurysms over them, etc.

And being from the US, I'm way ahead of everyone here, but probably not super ahead of the game in the UK. I remember being into The Cribs right after their first album dropped, they since gotten really big. I've followed The Raconteurs since the day they were announced, but that hardly counts as Jack was already famous. Larrikin Love, We Are Scientists, and Guillemots were others I picked up on quickly.

Oh, and another good example is M.I.A. I remember seeing her debut video on IMF back when I was in high school and falling in love. I've since kind of grown sick of her.

[ig1234]

Papa Roach... trawled forums and stuff when I was younger and imported this ages before they were big >_>

Get Cape Wear Cape Fly... as I went to school with him and saw him in his old band, Silverskin.

Florence and the Machine - Had the pleasure of seeing her come along unannounced and sing accapella on the Guardian Lounge in 2007 before the Aliens. It took me a month of googling after the festival to find out who she was by finding her old bands Myspace.

And lots of other ones... in different but probably less interesting ways.

[suchacharmer]

Sick of M.I.A!? I'm still very much a fan

[Scott Martin 88]

Yeah, I'm not one of those "they are big now, so therefore I am no longer a fan," but she has really taken off over here since Paper Planes was used in a couple of movies...and I don't like her stage persona, and some of the things she chooses to spout off about in the press make me angry. Plus, my roommate chooses to play Kala 24/7 and I'm frankly a little sick of it.

[llcoolphil]

Starsailor cos they come from just down the road

However, I did see a rather good double act in a tiny club in london in the summer of either 2001 or 2002. Brother and sister i think they were, Jack and Meg possibly. They went on to do quite well. Saw an outfit at Lancaster University called The Smiths once and an Irish band at the same venue. U2 they were called. And The Manic Street Preachers played in a tiny club in Blackburn to about 50 of us but I had to leave early (half way through the set) to get the last bus.

Edited March 17, 2009 by llcoolphil

[Dark Star]

Saw Muse countless times before they got big when they supported nearly everyone at the Cavern here in Exeter, remember thinking they were a good band but would never have seen them getting as huge as they have.

Also, saw Coldplay twice before Yellow came out, if that counts? Again at the Cavern.

[usatoglas]

Alabama3 for me as well.

Saw them several times at small venues in brixton and then some montsh later at their fabled unsigned bands slot at reading where it all happened for me.

And good on em. one of my fave all time bands

[bertieb73]

I followed Therapy? on their first ever tour when they were just doing pubs/clubs and I also watched Nirvana supporting Mudhoney at Sheffield Leadmill in about 1990. I happened to see Hole supporting Nirvana at the same venue a year or two later...

[ivan]

The Cribs

First time I saw em it cost £1.00 , and for quite some time it did not get much dearer.

Me and mate saw em at the Hyde Park Cellars in Leeds to the proverbial 4 men and his dog !

Used to see em regularly round Wakefield and Leeds and got to know them quite well. When they

played The Other Stage at Glasto back in 2006 I felt like a very proud dad.

[Funkfarley]

Strawhouses...they ain't big yet but I know them now and one day they will be huge!. You saw it here first!!

[glasto_mongrel_2008]

I found it hard to take last year hearing everyone going 'Oh my god, have you heard that NEW band Kings of Leon!' 'Yeaah my sex is so totally on f**king fire maaaan!'

Even the cheesy nightclubs up town were playing them!

[The Nal]

I knew them before the Quarrymen. Ages before you.

[theboytaff]

Not a massive claim but Stereophonics used to play in my aunties pub in Aberaman.

My best discovery that I still brag about to mates was Hot Chip. They supported Soulwax in Liverpool Academy, and as soon as I got back from the gig I told everyone that they would be huge. Cue me with a smug grin on my face as they were the penultimate Other Stage headliner last year

[Squall Moogle]

The Birthday Massacre. They are still not too big but have quite a sizeable international following .

[spite_and_malice]

The Zutons, Wombats. Soft Toy Emergency as they're from around here. Was listening to Pendulum early 2007 and people have just recently cottoned on and now they're total shit.

Seen Ting Tings supporting Reverend and the Makers in 07 too. Have loved KOL since Aha Shake Heartbeat and when I heard The Bucket on MTV2 about 5 years ago.

[spite_and_malice]

I knew of them when Paul was still a zygote.

[Wooderson]

The Jam. They were quite good for a while, until that singer chappie started parping on about how much he supported the royal family and their values...

[loosechange]

I was there when Captain Beefheart started up his first band.

I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."

I was there.

[Sipperana]

I banged on to anyone who would listen about the Fratellis after I first heard Creeping Up The Backstairs, which only got a limited release at the time. Then saw then upstairs at the Birmingham Academy, and from thence in successively larger venues as they got better known. Bored of them now though.

White Lies I could also claim as I have family friend connections. And one day I hope to be able to brag that I worked with the singer/pianist from Everett.

My brother has a good one though, as he saw AC/DC in an upstairs pub room in 1974, the first time they came over, and there were about 50 people there.

[Chickenburger]

i'm from leicester so unfortunately had to suffer kasabian a number of times before their success.

dear god they were awful, how did they ever become successful cos i can't see they've improved any?

(ok, i know a lot of people will disagree but i know i'm not the only one to think that, loads of people in leics i know are embarrassed to be associated with em... )

[howlin_pete]

The Subways, I remember getting a really early demos of I Want To Hear... and Rock and Roll Queen and waiting absolutly ages for the debut to come out. And after seeing them play just after their release, there was a little known band called The Kooks supporting them. Terrible then, terrible now

[rostalof]

I've often wondered about this, 'I knew them before you' and 'Ah, they're too mainstream now', crap. As if hearing a band before other people indicates some sort of superiority.

Have a look at how ridiculous this behaviour is!