Hurricane #1

After British shoegazers-cum-retrophiles Ride broke up in 1996, it was no surprise when lead guitarist and occasional vocalist Andy Bell went on to form his own band. His strong Psych-inspired songs had been the one of the high points of Ride's short trajectory, and where possible he would break from Ride to create some truly inspired mod-ish pop. Fronted by Alex Lowe, Hurricane #1 took the formula established by Oasis and did little to alter it. Without question, the band fired up some of their own chunky blues riffs, but they were unable to leave their own definitive stamp on the music map. The band came apart in '99 with the announcement that Andy Bell had been asked to join the ranks of Oasis.