[Music] Greatest UK Band Cup 2025 - Group B

[Mellotron]

Group B
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A real mixed bag here. All sorts of different genres.

Venue - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow

Madness - 1976-present, 13 albums

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Alongside The Specials, Madness are one of the UK's largest/most influential ska groups, from Camden, North London.

Full of English humour (that I imagine wouldn't particularly travel well over to the US) and witty observational lyrics, hugely prolific in the 80s (6 of their 13 albums released in that decade alone), for many Madness are a huge part of their formative years.

Notable tracks - One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers, It Must Be Love

Manic Street Preachers - 1986-present, 15 albums

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Wales' sole entrant to the GUBC (unless a pedant notices otherwise), the sort of band who can inspire fervent devotion from their followers. I was probably just a little too young to get excited at the time, but can recognise they have written some decent tunes. I remember listening to The Holy Bible at a young age, that was an eye opener. The disappearance (and likely sad passing) of guitarist Richey Edwards led the band close to a break up in 1995, but they persevered.

Notable tracks - A Design For Life, Motorcycle Emptiness, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

Genesis - 1967-2022, 15 albums

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Our first Prog band. A band that has spanned many decades and accommodated 11 members (not to mention a bunch more touring musicians). Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins both have become big names in the music world in their solo careers.

Notable tracks - Jesus He Knows Me, Invisible Touch, Land of Confusion

The Beautiful South - 1988-2007, 10 albums

I'll be honest, I really can't tell you much about them, bar an acknowledgment of the 3 songs below. If there are any fans in here, please feel free to put forward a case for this bands' survival. I am aware they are from Hull, and that Paul Heaton was formerly of the Housemartins (a band which also included Norman Cook, many a year ago)

Notable tracks - Rotterdam, Perfect 10, Don't Marry Her

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Reminder - Two qualify from each group into the Round of 16. You have ONE vote per group - and you cannot change it once submitted, so use it wisely. If you can see that your preferred choice is looking likely to win comfortably, you can vote tactically to help your second choice qualify.

Please feel free to link to relevant YouTube videos, or justify your chosen band in writing. Seen them live? A particular track really affected you? We want to hear it.

Each Group will run for 5 days, to allow plenty of time for voting.

VOTE NOW!

GUBC25 Group Stage Draw

 

[Is it PotG?]

Has to be the excellent Beautiful South.

 

[Badger]

A very weak group. They're all fine but I don't see the winner getting past the next round.

 

[stewart12]

Not going to get worked up about any of these really. It's probably the Manic's but there's not much in it for me

 

[Mellotron]

I too am struggling to muster up enthusiasm for this group.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I too am struggling to muster up enthusiasm for this group.

Much like the last group really. It's all a bit meh thus far

 

[Mellotron]

Much like the last group really. It's all a bit meh thus far

Some big guns coming in the next few days.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Much like the last group really. It's all a bit meh thus far

I'm all up for Pulp, but it looks like they're about to be knocked out, along with my interest in the competition.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Whoever wins this one is going out in the next round.

Poor choices IMO

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

The manics are just a stunning band. I'm always amazed they aren't held up as one the top top British bands. They are seen as more Europa league.

I LOVE them

 

[Mellotron]

The manics are just a stunning band. I'm always amazed they aren't held up as one the top top British bands. They are seen as more Europa league.

I LOVE them

Just never quite clicked for me.

Can't fully put my finger on why.

 

[Badger]

Just never quite clicked for me.

Can't fully put my finger on why.

Same for me. It's the type of band I should like but for whatever reason I just never got into their songs.

It's the same with Radiohead.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

What the actual f*** NSC?!

It's the manics. Of course it's the manics.

What more do you want form a band?

Fiercely intelligent, witty, iconoclastic, iconic, beautiful, sexy, anthemic, angry, incredibly well read, political.

They have every base cover. They look amazing. Have incredible tunes. Some of the best lyrics of the past 35 years. Great artwork.

None of the other bands in this group come close.

 

[Mellotron]

Fiercely intelligent, witty, iconoclastic, iconic, beautiful, sexy, anthemic, angry, incredibly well read, political.

See, you say "sexy" but the drummer looks and dresses (at points) like Mark Corrigan working at a NatWest.

Doesn't quite tie up with the punk ethos to me.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Madness for me.

 

[Mellotron]

I had a feeling Madness might do ok - very popular with my parents and their friends. I can see there being a fair bit of support for them, possible dark horses to go further than expected.

Remember - old people moan and VOTE

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

What the actual f*** NSC?!

It's the manics. Of course it's the manics.

What more do you want form a band?

Fiercely intelligent, witty, iconoclastic, iconic, beautiful, sexy, anthemic, angry, incredibly well read, political.

They have every base cover. They look amazing. Have incredible tunes. Some of the best lyrics of the past 35 years. Great artwork.

None of the other bands in this group come close.

Apart from "incredible tunes", I don't really care about any of those things.

 

[Machiavelli]

A very weak group. They're all fine but I don't see the winner getting past the next round.

I thought Group A was a bit weak, but it appears it's actually full of quality.

 

[Mellotron]

I thought Group A was a bit weak, but it appears it's actually full of quality.

Group A is way ahead of Group B, for me.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

90s manics were so good.

Check out these songs. One from each album they released in the 90s. Musically perfect. Lyrically perfect. visually perfect.

Little baby nothing. From their debut album. A song as relevant today as it was in 92, a song about the sexual exploitation of women. Culture alienation boredom despair.


Album 2(Gold against the soul), La Tristesse Durera. The song title taken from Van Goghs reputed last words


Album 3(the holy bible). Faster. Arguably the greatest song off arguably the greatest british guitar album of the 1990s. So many great lines in this song. Two of my favourites: I know i believe in nothing but it is my nothing. I've been too honest with myself, I should have lied like eveeyone else.



album 4(Everything must go). A design for life. Two years after Richey 'disappeared', in the height of britpop, with vast swathes of the media commodifying and caricaturing the working class this proudly working class band returned with this anthem a rallying cry for the working class. Libraries gave us power...


Album 5(this is my truth, tell me yours). If you toleraye this your children will be next. Their first number one. It's about the spanish civil war. The only n 1 song in history about the spanish civil war. If i can shoot rabbits then i can shoot fascists.



VOTE MANICS!!!

If you have a soul, VOTE THE MANICS!

If you don't have a soul then don't VOTE MANICS!