# Best UK bands that never 'broke' America **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788 "2018-03-18T17:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/21 "2018-03-19T01:45:47Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I liked [Slade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade) when I was young, but I never hear them mentioned in America. A few weeks ago, I heard “Run Run Away” on the radio and I was thinking that I had not heard that song in 30 years. Its a fun song with a nice beat and a great video. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/22 "2018-03-19T01:59:48Z")
> [@eunoia](#): > > The Sound, and associated bands Second Layer and Outsiders. Outsiders forever. Comsat Angels belong in that group. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/23 "2018-03-19T02:00:15Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I liked [Slade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade) when I was young, but I never hear them mentioned in America. God, I love Slade. I fell in love with ‘Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply’ - which featured Run Runaway and My Oh My - when I was about 17. I was in England for a week after graduating high school and bought at least 15 Slade albums at various teeny record shops. Literally everything I could get my hands off. That and talking my way into the Queen offices off Tottenham Court Road. Them’s highlights for 18-year-old me. Stonehenge? The Palace? Bath? All fine. But vanishing into the London music scene for a week? T’were paradise enow. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/24 "2018-03-19T07:27:40Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > 1. The Stone Roses - hugely influential Manchester indie band of the late 80s/early 90s who took indie music in new directions. Minor indie success in the USA, but widely regarded as the most important band of their time in the UK Did any of the baggy bands break in the US? Happy Mondays, Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, James, etc - I don’t think any of them hit it big. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/25 "2018-03-19T07:42:02Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Did any of the baggy bands break in the US? Happy Mondays, Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, James, etc - I don’t think any of them hit it big. I’ve not ever even heard of any of those groups. It looks like some of them had a couple of songs chart on the secondary US charts (Modern Rock, Dance, etc.), but they certainly never got anywhere past niche status here. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/26 "2018-03-19T08:08:22Z")
You’ve got to have a particular mind set to even bother trying, a collective mind set that is. Most Uk bands might spend a few days in Germany or Scandinavia but the US is such a huge drama, and so, so repetitive promo as you travel from city to city. Classic example might be Oasis - one brother totally into it, the other says fuck that, so it doesn’t happen. People used to talk about this band as being perfect for the US market, big sound, stadium rock stuff, not sure they ever tried - Killing Joke: [Killing Joke - Love Like Blood (Official Video) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpwuRlXbhk) ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/27 "2018-03-19T08:10:37Z")
I see Youtube has links to bands like The Cult and Bauhaus in the side bar - all very Spotify! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/28 "2018-03-19T08:20:29Z")
Many of the acts mentioned here performed at the[London portion of the 1985 Live Aid concerts](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid)\*. Status Quo, for example, was the opening act. I remember being a 15-year-old American and wondering “who the heck are _they_?” — even though I watched plenty of MTV, so I knew my Adam Ant from my Spandau Ballet. \*Scroll down to “performances and set lists” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/29 "2018-03-19T09:15:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’ve not ever even heard of any of those groups. It looks like some of them had a couple of songs chart on the secondary US charts (Modern Rock, Dance, etc.), but they certainly never got anywhere past niche status here. At the time (that time would be around 1990-92) they were by far the biggest thing on the UK rock music scene ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/30 "2018-03-19T09:41:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Did any of the baggy bands break in the US? Happy Mondays, Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, James, etc - I don’t think any of them hit it big. They all got played on Live 105 out in the Bay Area, with the Charlatans being Charlatans UK :rolleyes: The Only One I Love (know? Whatever) with the aggressive organ riff is their hit here. But no, they weren’t big. We also heard Ultravox, When in Rome, the synthy guy - Howard Jones? - etc. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/31 "2018-03-19T10:16:01Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Many of the acts mentioned here performed at the[London portion of the 1985 Live Aid concerts](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid)\*. Status Quo, for example, was the opening act. I remember being a 15-year-old American and wondering “who the heck are _they_?” — even though I watched plenty of MTV, so I knew my Adam Ant from my Spandau Ballet. > > \*Scroll down to “performances and set lists” I recognize all of them, and that’s not really the kind of music I was listening to at the time. (I see Santana performed with Pat Metheny in the US. That would’ve been something.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/32 "2018-03-19T10:19:32Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > the synthy guy - Howard Jones? - etc. Could be Howard Jones, could also be Nik Kershaw, he was big in the UK for a while. Did _Tears for Fears_ do well in America? What about _Go West_? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/33 "2018-03-19T10:33:57Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Could be Howard Jones, could also be Nik Kershaw, he was big in the UK for a while. > > Did _Tears for Fears_ do well in America? What about _Go West_? TFF oh yeah, starting with Mad World, but Big Chair had a number of big MTV singles. Go West had the one song get play, We Close Our Eyes. I saw them in a club on that tour, right before I saw Terence Trent D’arby. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/34 "2018-03-19T10:40:16Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Not a band, but Cliff Richard is a good example of massive popularity in the UK with just minor success in the US. A couple years ago I bought _The Young Ones_ on DVD, and my daughter and I watch a show every now and then. On one segment Rick kept taking about “Cliff Richard.” I had no idea who he was, and had to google him. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/35 "2018-03-19T10:54:34Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > On one segment Rick kept taking about “Cliff Richard.” I had no idea who he was, and had to google him. _The Young Ones_ has a Cliff Richard theme throughout. Not only is the show title a Cliff song, but the backbone of the four main characters’ friendship is that they are all Cliff Richard fans. The finale is the biggest reference, as they escape on a double-decker bus like the Cliff Richard movie _Summer Holiday_ (which is also the title of that episode). ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/36 "2018-03-19T10:54:44Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > People used to talk about this band as being perfect for the US market, big sound, stadium rock stuff, not sure they ever tried - Killing Joke: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpwuRlXbhk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpwuRlXbhk) Wiki says they’ve had a few North American tours. In my opinion, they never exactly ‘broke’ the UK though. And I say this as someone who’s seen 'em live twice. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/37 "2018-03-19T11:11:59Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Did any of the baggy bands break in the US? Happy Mondays, Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, James, etc - I don’t think any of them hit it big. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’ve not ever even heard of any of those groups. You might not recognize the band’s name, but I’m sure you’ve heard “Laid” by James at the very least. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/38 "2018-03-19T11:55:31Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Wiki says they’ve had a few North American tours. In my opinion, they never exactly ‘broke’ the UK though. And I say this as someone who’s seen 'em live twice. Ditto Def Leopard. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/39 "2018-03-19T13:19:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > But…the singer’s name is _ **Fish** _. UH, Fish left the band in 1989, and they’re doing just fine without him. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/40 "2018-03-19T13:38:43Z")
**up\_the\_junction** : Surprised you didn’t mention Squeeze. They were far bigger in the UK than the US. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788.md?page=3)