The Music
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1999 in Kippax, Leeds, England |
| Defunct | August 2011 |
| Headquarters | Leeds , England |
| Products | Alternative rock music, albums, singles, EPs |
The Music was a British alternative rock group formed in 1999 in Kippax, within the Leeds area. The band consisted of Robert Harvey on vocals and guitar, Adam Nutter handling lead guitar duties, Stuart Coleman playing bass, and Phil Jordan on drums. They rose to recognition with their eponymous debut album released in 2002, followed by Welcome to the North in 2004 and Strength in Numbers in 2008, before ultimately disbanding in 2011.
Career
The members of The Music initially met while attending Brigshaw High School, except for Jordan who came from Garforth Community College. They began their musical journey under the name Insense in 1999. Their demo single "Take the Long Road and Walk It" was issued as a limited release by Fierce Panda in 2001, earning acclaim from NME and Steve Lamacq as one of the top unsigned acts in the UK. Subsequently, they signed with Hut and released their debut EP titled You Might as Well Try to Fuck Me.
In 2002, following the release of another EP called The People, their first full-length album The Music climbed to number four on the UK Albums Chart. The reissued debut single reached number fourteen, while later singles "Getaway" and "The Truth is No Words" attained positions twenty-six and eighteen respectively. In June 2003, The Music took the stage on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, stepping in for Zwan.
Their sophomore album, Welcome to the North, was launched in autumn 2004 alongside the single "Freedom Fighters". During this period, they toured with Incubus and appeared at the 2005 edition of V Festival. By late 2006, they previewed new tracks including "Fire," which would later be part of their third studio album.
After signing with Polydor Records in 2007, they worked on Strength in Numbers collaborating with producers Flood and Paul Hartnoll. During this time, Harvey revealed personal battles with addiction and depression that affected the band's momentum.
June 2008 saw the release of their comeback single "Strength in Numbers", closely followed by the full album.
By January 2010, The Music had begun creating demos for a fourth studio project anticipated for release in 2011. However, Harvey exited the band in September 2010, prompting their dissolution in August 2011 after a series of farewell concerts.
Following the breakup, Harvey engaged extensively with Mike Skinner (The Streets) including producing a Christmas single and contributing to Skinner’s 2011 album Computers and Blues. He later partnered with Skinner to form The D.O.T., releasing And That in October 2012.
On 31 March 2011, The Music announced farewell performances culminating with final shows at Brixton Academy in London and O2 Academy Leeds during August. On 21 April of that year, they unveiled "Ghost Hands," a track originating from sessions for their unreleased fourth album.
After concluding their farewell tour, a live CD/DVD set titled The Last Dance: Live was issued featuring recordings from those August performances.
In September 2020, The Music declared plans for a reunion concert at Temple Newsam, initially scheduled for May 2021 but postponed until June 2022. That year also included the release of a live album and concert film called Live at Temple Newsam. Following their reunion activities, Harvey resumed touring with Kasabian, while Nutter embarked on his solo career with the April 2023 release of his album Badlands On Fire.
Band members
- Robert Harvey – lead vocals and guitar
- Adam Nutter – guitar
- Stuart Coleman – bass guitar
- Phil Jordan – drums
Studio and compilation albums
| Year | Album details | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (sales criteria) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | FRA | IRE | ITA | JPN | US | |||
| 2002 | The Music | 4 | 25 | 36 | 39 | 16 | 20 | 128 |
|
| 2004 | Welcome to the North
|
8 | 23 | 78 | 68 | — | 10 | — |
|
| 2008 | Strength in Numbers
|
19 | 30 | — | — | — | 19 | — | |
| 2011 | Singles and EPs: 2001–2005
|
— | — | — | — | — | 81 | — | |
Singles and EPs
| Year | Title | Peak chart rankings | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | NLD | US Mod | |||
| 2001 | "Take the Long Road and Walk It" | "92" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "You Might as Well Try to Fuck Me" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| 2002 | "The People" | "—"Template:Efn-ua | "77" | "—" | "—" | The Music |
| "Take the Long Road and Walk It" (reissue) | "14" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "Getaway" | "26" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "2003" | "The Truth Is No Words" | "18" | "77"Template:Efn-ua | "—" | "—" | |
| 2004 | "Welcome to the North" | "—"Template:Efn-ua | "—" | "—" | "—" | Welcome to the North |
| "Freedom Fighters" | "15" | "—" | "100" | "—" | ||
| "Bleed From Within" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "2005" | "Breakin'" | "20" | "63" | "—" | "20" | |
| 2008 | "Strength in Numbers" | "38" | "—" | "—" | "—" | Strength in Numbers |
| "The Spike" | "114" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "Drugs" | "—" | "—"
| ||||
DVDs
- Live at the Blank Canvas (Released 1 September 2003)
- Welcome to Japan (Released 18 July 2005)
- The Last Dance: Live (Released August 2011)