The Stereophonics are
Kelly Jones (
vocals,
guitar),
Richard Jones (
bass, no
relation) and
Stuart Cable (
drums), a relatively young
rock band from
Wales. They gained fame after switching their name from
Tragic Love Company in 1996 and releasing their first
single (
Looks Like Chaplin), and were signed by the V2
label.
Subsequent singles were Local Boy in the Photograph and More Life in a Tramps Vest, both of which were well received. They play at various festivals around Europe, and in August 1997 release their first album, Word Gets Around. It enters the UK charts at number 6.
They then go on tour for about a year, gathering various awards along the way. After the singles The Bartender and the Thief and Just Looking get to #3 and #4 respectively in late '98, their second album, Performance and Cocktails goes straight in at #1. Within six months it has gone multi-platinum, selling more than 1,000,000 copies in the UK alone.
As for their style of music..well..you know that Frank Zappa quote, but anyway..sort of rock/pop/punk (well not really punk, but Kelly isn't afraid to sing loudly in his gravelly voice and thrash his Gibson). They are definitely post-Britpop though. And very good.