Most Productive Music Towns/Cities

[Mykesbass]

Following @Barking Spiders Norway thread, which towns/cities have been most productive with local talent?  I'm going for Sheffield, but per capita, again, some of the Scottish towns can stake a claim with Dunfermline (55,000) leading the charge with Nazareth, Skids/Big Country, Ian Anderson and Barbara Dickson. 

 

Where else has grown more than its fair share of talent?

 

[SumOne]

Perhaps a bit of a cheat as it's a part of a much bigger city, but Brixton (population 78,000). Has a long list of musicians, including:

 

David Bowie 

Alabama 3

Skin

Dillinja 

Maxi Jazz

Don Letts

Stereo MCs

La Roux

Ty

Linton Kwesi Johnson

Basement Jaxx

Carter USM

.... and 50% of the Clash

 

[Lozz196]

I’d say Liverpool has to feature in this, too many artists/groups to list.

[meterman]

Sticking with Scotland, possibly Glasgow? Lot of bands and musicians came from Glasgow. There’s probably hundreds but off the top of my head there’s:

 

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Teenage Fanclub

Donovan

Altered Images 

Belle & Sebastian 

Primal Scream

Hamish Stuart (Average White Band)

The Pastels 

Maggie Bell (Stone The Crows)

The Blue Nile

Del Amitri

Texas

Mogwai

 

 

plus there’s Jack Bruce, and Angus and Malcolm Young from AC/DC, Mark Knopfler, one of Franz Ferdinand, maybe two of Orange Juice, couple of Simple Minds, a couple from The Jesus And Mary Chain, a few from Lloyd Cole And The Commotions (even though Lloyd is English), I mean there’s probably loads more but my memory is not on top form tonight...

 

 

[TheLowDown]

I'd say Manchester.

[Mykesbass]

  On 03/09/2023 at 21:15, SumOne said:

Perhaps a bit of a cheat as it's a part of a much bigger city, but Brixton (population 78,000). Has a long list of musicians, including:

 

David Bowie 

Alabama 3

Skin

Dillinja 

Maxi Jazz

Don Letts

Stereo MCs

La Roux

Ty

Linton Kwesi Johnson

Basement Jaxx

Carter USM

.... and 50% of the Clash

 

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I'm not making any rules and would say this is a good call. 

[Supernaut]

Surely London? Or LA/NYC. 

[Mykesbass]

  On 04/09/2023 at 06:15, Supernaut said:

Surely London? Or LA/NYC. 

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Problem with these places (and Nashville) is knowing which bands are local. Then taking per capita into account I don't think they would rank so highly.

[SH73]

Isn't Birmingham famous where famous musicians came from? Black Sabbath for example. And the list goes on..

[JoeEvans]

Per capita calculation is essential... Also, for somewhere like Brixton, how many of those musicians actually grew up there and how many moved in as adults already involved in music?

[BigRedX]

Well it's certainly not Nottingham.

[bartelby]

I’m going to vote for Coventry. 

[Mykesbass]

  On 04/09/2023 at 10:27, bartelby said:

I’m going to vote for Coventry. 

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Frank Ifield - now I didn't know he was from Coventry!

[Barking Spiders]

Being the pedant I am, you'd have to qualify whether your mean a city proper or the greater metropolitan area. Fr'instance do you only include the inner London boroughs or do you also add on the outer ones?

 

Any road, pound for pound I'd say Sheffield. Def Leppard, Arctic Monkeys, Human League, ABC, Cabaret Voltaire, Heaven 17, Joe Cocker, Pulp, Bring Me the Horizon, Comsat Angels, the beginnings of the Warp label (home for Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada ..), Jilted John, Thompson Twins...

[bartelby]

  On 05/09/2023 at 09:50, Barking Spiders said:

Being the pedant I am, you'd have to qualify whether your mean a city proper or the greater metropolitan area. Fr'instance do you only include the inner London boroughs or do you also add on the outer ones?

 

Any road, pound for pound I'd say Sheffield. Def Leppard, Arctic Monkeys, Human League, ABC, Cabaret Voltaire, Heaven 17, Joe Cocker, Pulp, Bring Me the Horizon, Comsat Angels, the beginnings of the Warp label (home for Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada ..), Jilted John, Thompson Twins...

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Sheffield definitely has a hell of an output.

[Mykesbass]

  On 05/09/2023 at 09:50, Barking Spiders said:

Being the pedant I am, you'd have to qualify whether your mean a city proper or the greater metropolitan area. Fr'instance do you only include the inner London boroughs or do you also add on the outer ones?

 

Any road, pound for pound I'd say Sheffield. Def Leppard, Arctic Monkeys, Human League, ABC, Cabaret Voltaire, Heaven 17, Joe Cocker, Pulp, Bring Me the Horizon, Comsat Angels, the beginnings of the Warp label (home for Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada ..), Jilted John, Thompson Twins...

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No problem with a bit of pedantry! And yes, Sheffield seems to be out there.

[BreadBin]

Bristol must be up there, especially in the electronic dance music realm

Edit - Wikipedia link added

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bands_from_Bristol

Edited September 5, 2023 by BreadBin

[joeystrange]

  On 04/09/2023 at 07:44, BigRedX said:

Well it's certainly not Nottingham.

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Nope.

[bartelby]

  On 04/09/2023 at 07:44, BigRedX said:

Well it's certainly not Nottingham.

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But you had Pitchshifter, Fudge Tunnel and Iron Monkey!!

[MacDaddy]

  On 04/09/2023 at 00:18, TheLowDown said:

I'd say Manchester.

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Mad fer it!

[JoeEvans]

  On 05/09/2023 at 12:11, BreadBin said:

Bristol must be up there, especially in the electronic dance music realm

Edit - Wikipedia link added

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bands_from_Bristol

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I live in Bristol and have done for years; I love it, but although the music scene is great, it does tend to include a lot of pretty niche bands and some very enthusiastic archivists, perhaps leading to over-estimates of its scale... If you take out Massive Attack, Portishead and Roni Size, there aren't many names in there that people outside the city will know.

[Supernaut]

  On 05/09/2023 at 13:56, JoeEvans said:

I live in Bristol and have done for years; I love it, but although the music scene is great, it does tend to include a lot of pretty niche bands and some very enthusiastic archivists, perhaps leading to over-estimates of its scale... If you take out Massive Attack, Portishead and Roni Size, there aren't many names in there that people outside the city will know.

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Idles?

[Stofferson]

Nottingham is ace

[BreadBin]

  On 05/09/2023 at 13:56, JoeEvans said:

I live in Bristol and have done for years; I love it, but although the music scene is great, it does tend to include a lot of pretty niche bands and some very enthusiastic archivists, perhaps leading to over-estimates of its scale... If you take out Massive Attack, Portishead and Roni Size, there aren't many names in there that people outside the city will know.

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I'm going to respectfully disagree, there's loads in that list that are fairly common knowledge. 

[tegs07]

  On 05/09/2023 at 14:07, Supernaut said:

Idles?

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Yep and Yola Carter 

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by tegs07