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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Aaron Curran

Scouse musicians who followed the footsteps of The Beatles

The Beatles are not the only Liverpool-based band who have had a massive impact on the world music scene.

There is no denying the importance The Beatles had on Liverpool, as four lads from our city took over the world. However, the Fab Four are not the only big artists and bands to start life on Merseyside.

Although The Beatles' breakthrough in 1962 helped to pave the way with the Merseybeat invasion of the USA - many others would follow suit.

READ MORE: The Beatles' children and what they do

The La's

In 1983, a group of lads from Liverpool grouped together- naming themselves The La's, with founding member Mike Badger stating that the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse for "lads". The group would start off as a skiffle outfit, but as singer and guitarist Lee Mavers became the frontman, the band would evolve.

The band continued to perform around the UK and gained success as a live act, drawing comparisons to the Beatles due to their origins, vaguely Merseybeat sound, and Mavers' expressive lyrics. The band are best known for the 1988 hit There She Goes, which was described by fellow Scouse musician John Power as "one of the best pop songs ever written".

The song is still widely played today and is sometimes referred to as a "one hit wonder" having been the band's only widespread hit.

Echo And The Bunnymen

Echo & The Bunnymen (Daily Record)

Formed in 1978, the gothic group's original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.

Their 1980 debut album Crocodiles went into the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. After releasing their second album Heaven Up Here in 1981, the band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the UK in 1983 when they scored a UK Top 10 hit.

Their best-selling single, The Killing Moon was released in 1984 and entered the top 10 of the charts.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

One of the biggest names of the 1980s, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were formed in 1980 by Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guitar) and Brian Nash (guitar).

The group's 1983 debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and subsequently topped the UK Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks, going on to enjoy prolonged chart success throughout that year and ultimately becoming the seventh-best-selling UK single of all time.

The track was banned by the BBC due to being perceived as being "too overly sexual". After the follow-up success of "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love", the group became only the second act in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles; the first being fellow Liverpudlians Gerry and the Pacemakers in the 1960s.

The Wombats

Formed in 2003, indie outfit The Wombats have sold over one million albums worldwide. The members met while studying at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

The Wombats line-up consists of Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards).

Their most recent album hit number one in the UK charts

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