Plymouth still has a rich underground music scene, and with the help of our local guitar teachers, we hope you could be a future headliner at Plymouth Pavilions too.
Ben Howard lived in nearby Totnes since the age of eight, so spent much of his childhood playing the guitar in and around Plymouth. After establishing a reputation for himself as a severely talented acoustic guitarist and songwriter in his local area of Devon, Ben has now conquered the rest of the UK with his infectious blend of folk-pop. Since signing to Island Records in 2011 he has released two EPs and a debut album ‘Every Kingdom’, which was released on the 6th October 2011. ‘Every Kingdom’ has achieved widespread critical and popular acclaim, having sold 160 000 copies in the UK, reaching number 6 in the UK album chart and having been nominated for the Mercury Prize award. On the back of his success, Ben has now completed a UK and US tour and his plan to tour Europe for the rest of 2012. However, he seems not to have forgotten his Devon roots, having played Plymouth Pavilions twice in 2012. With a bright future ahead, only time will tell what’s next in store for Ben.
Muse have sold over 15 million albums worldwide and it’s surprising to know that stadium-rock giants Muse has their roots in humble Devon. Forming in 1994, Muse began their long and successful career playing battle of the bands under the name of ‘Rocket Baby Dolls’ before changing it to Muse in 1995. Muse have long outgrown early battle of the band's gig venues, regularly filling massive arena tours and selling out Wembley in 2007. They have frequently been on the cutting edge of guitar music, incorporating opera, electronica and, most recently, dubstep into their sound, a fact that seemingly has not gone unnoticed by music critics if their five MTV awards, six Q Awards, eight NME awards and two Brit awards are anything to go by. Muse have released 6 UK albums, 4 of which have reached number one on the UK album charts. Plymouth University has had a long-standing connection with Muse, awarding Matt, Chris and Dom honorary doctorates for their inspirational effect on its music students. Muse have been equally generous, donating £15 000 to Plymouth University’s music department, thereby ensuring that Plymouth will have a vibrant music scene for many years to come.
David Hill of Slade was technically in one of the most successful British bands of the 1970s due to their unbeatable ability to write a blinding single, Slade is still as unavoidable today as they were 40 years ago, especially when it comes to the festive season. Devon-born-and-bred lead guitarist David Hill still supplies the soundtrack to Christmas with Slade’s smash hit ‘Merry Xmas Everyone’, which has sold over 1 million copies alone. Still, don’t relegate Slade to Christmas listening, they’ve got a whole catalogue of glam-rock bangers ready for you to discover.
Chris Martin of Coldplay is best known for being the lead singer of pop-rock group Coldplay and grew up in Whitestone Devon, just a stone's throw away from our very own Plymouth. As the frontman on Coldplay, which he founded in 1998, he’s gone onto release five albums, all of which have reached number one in the UK charts and collectively have sold over 55 million units over the globe. Martin is a well-known multi-instrumentalist, not only playing the guitar and contributing vocals to Coldplay records but also piano harmonica, mandolin and the trumpet. Martin and co.’s efforts have been highly praised by critics; they have been awarded no less than seven Grammy awards, five MTV awards and three World Music Awards. With the backing of so many awards and middle-aged women everywhere, Coldplay’s world-beating career looks far from over.
