Paramore

Forming as a fresh-faced gang of teenagers in Tennessee, relentless gigging saw the schoolmates steadily rise from playing scruffy back-room bars to headlining arena tours. Led by red-headed ball of energy Hayley Williams, debut album All We Know Is Falling Down (2005) helped win support slots with Simple Plan and a place on the 2006 Warped Tour. As venue sizes increased and festival slots became more prestigious, second album Riot! (2007) built on the head-thrashing emo anthems that had become a staple of their live shows. Naturally accessible to the mainstream, the use of Decode on the soundtrack to the hit vampire movie Twilight brought wider exposure, paving the way for third album Brand New Eyes (2009) to storm to Number 1 in the British charts (Number 2 in the US). A performance on MTV Unplugged in 2009 showed Hayley's lung-busting vocal range in full force, as the band explored the more heartfelt, austere side of their character.