# Your 6 greatest non-American and non-British bands **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 11, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121 "2024-09-11T12:54:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/1 "2024-09-11T12:54:23Z")
Continuing the discussion from [The 6 greatest British bands of all time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019): Inspired by the linked thread, I thought about the fact that music threads around here are almost always very anglo-centric. That’s not a criticism, this is an American, English speaking board, and rock music evolved in America and was quickly adapted in the UK, so these countries have the richest pop and rock traditions. But of course there are numerous great bands in the rest of the world, so please post the 6 that are the greatest in your opinion, in the same vein as in @Lucas_Jackson’s thread. Here’s my list: AC/DC (Australia) Midnight Oil (Australia) Crowded House (New Zealand) Ton Steine Scherben (Germany) Kraftwerk (Germany) Daft Punk (France) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/2 "2024-09-11T13:08:05Z")
The Spotnicks (Sweden) Them (N. Ireland) The 5, 6, 7, 8s (Japan) Pussy Riot (Russia) Bob Marley and the Wailers (Jamaica) A Norwegian girl band TBD ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/3 "2024-09-11T13:14:55Z")
Great idea for a spinoff thread. But I should ask, are we framing the question in terms of which bands had the greatest global impact (which would still heavily favor US and UK audiences) or which bands had the greatest impact in their own regions? If the former, I would add ABBA (they would top the list) and perhaps the Sugar Cubes But if you are talking about bands that are big within their own regions, I would add Noir Désir (France) Indochine (France) Dionysos (France) dEUS (Belgium) Louise Attaque (France) In terms of Asia, I don’t think India or China have a strong band culture, and don’t want to think about K-Pop 😅 Can’t say anything about Africa. Maybe some South African band? ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/4 "2024-09-11T13:15:49Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Them (N. Ireland) umm, that’s still British ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/5 "2024-09-11T13:16:28Z")
Off the top of my head… AC/DC (Australia) INXS (Australia) Scorpions (Germany) U2 (Ireland) Europe (Sweden) Men at Work (Australia) Midnight Oil (Australia) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/6 "2024-09-11T13:19:24Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > Them (N. Ireland) > > umm, that’s still British Them’s fightin’ words! N. Ireland is NOT part of Britain and certainly NOT “British”; it’s part of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/7 "2024-09-11T13:22:07Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > Great idea for a spinoff thread. But I should ask, are we framing the question in terms of which bands had the greatest global impact (which would still heavily favor US and UK audiences) or which bands had the greatest impact in their own regions? In the original thread, @Lucas_Jackson was asked similar questions, and I will follow his lead: it doesn’t matter, use your own criteria, be it personal taste, national or international influence. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/8 "2024-09-11T13:28:23Z")
🤣 And I can’t believe I forgot U2 (from real Ireland 😉) And two others (if we can include solo acts with backup bands): Falco (Austria) Nena (Germany) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/9 "2024-09-11T13:31:43Z")
Kaveret (Israel) Mashina (Israel) Tamouz (Israel) Eifo Hayeled (Israel) Fortisakharof (Israel) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/10 "2024-09-11T14:04:03Z")
Wagakki Band (Japan) Babymetal (Japan) Rodrigo y Gabriela (Mexico) Otyken (Siberia) First Aid Kit (Sweden) Quintette du Hot Club de France (France) ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/11 "2024-09-11T14:46:45Z")
A few favorites that come to mind quickly, mostly rock in opposition (or adjacent) stuff: Happy Family (Japan) Miriodor (Canada) Univers Zero (Belgium) Rational Diet (Belarus) Volapuk (France) Abbe May and the Rockin’ Pneumonia (Australia; this is a “one of these is not like the others” choice, but I love to hear her sing.) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/12 "2024-09-11T14:56:08Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > A few favorites that come to mind quickly, mostly rock in opposition (or adjacent) stuff: What do you mean, in opposition to what? The respective governments? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/13 "2024-09-11T15:00:07Z")
Well, you lot are going to be snobs about this, but ABBA (Sweden) are one of the most original, successful, prolific and musically (as in song writing terms) accomplished bands of all time. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/14 "2024-09-11T15:13:46Z")
No snobbery from me, I love ABBA and think they are among the greatest pop masters ever. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/15 "2024-09-11T15:18:46Z")
I mean, when you’ve got two Hollywood films celebrating your music, made a good 30 years after you retired, you’ve got to be on this list. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/16 "2024-09-11T15:22:08Z")
The Guess Who (Canada) The New Pornographers (Canada) Shocking Blue (Holland) Peter, Bjorn & John (Sweden) Os Mutantes (Brazil) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/17 "2024-09-11T15:23:22Z")
Rush [Canada] AC/DC [Australia] Scorpions [Germany] Golden Earring [The Netherlands] April Wine [Canada] Silverchair [Australia] Seen them all in concert except AC/DC. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/18 "2024-09-11T15:26:48Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > What do you mean, in opposition to what? The respective governments? It was originally the name of a movement asserting opposition to the established music industry. I should have capped it. [Rock in Opposition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_in_opposition). So it started as more of an economic thing rather than a musical thing, but the term evolved so as to eventually mean a group of bands with musical similarities. An simplification might be to think of classical chamber music composed and played with a rock sensibility. Or rock music played with a chamber music sensibility. Or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/19 "2024-09-11T15:29:00Z")
Ah, thanks, very interesting. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of that movement. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121/20 "2024-09-11T15:32:57Z")
I feel like ABBA, U2, and AC/DC are locks. Even though I don’t like them I’d probably also throw Rush in the list. I’ll think a bit more about the last 2. Nah, just throw Daft Punk and Rammstein in there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-6-greatest-non-american-and-non-british-bands/1007121.md?page=2)