The Coral

Raised on a diet of Brit-pop, Merseybeat and 1960s psychedelic folk, the Scouse schoolmates naturally formed into a raggle taggle jamboree of jangling indie pop that quickly had NME magazine billing them as the next big thing. Full of hazy harmonies and tripped out jams, eponymous debut album The Coral (2002) was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, reached Number 5 in the UK charts and produced the hit single Dreaming Of You. Counting Noel Gallagher as their biggest fan, the band's success grew with second album Magic And Medicine (2003) shooting straight to the top of the charts and lead single Pass It On became a lilting summer anthem. With Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley as producers, Invisible Invasion (2005) took a slightly darker turn before Roots And Echoes (2007) strummed and clattered into a lo-fi attempt at a classic West Coast pop sound. A huge home town following continues to support one of the Noughties' most underrated indie starlets, and the lads are credited with paving the way for a growing resurgence of Liverpool bands.