Colchester is home to a wide variety of music styles and has produced very successful musicians, some of which are listed below!
Graham Coxon is the best know as a founding member and lead guitarist of the British rock band 'Blur'. Blur's debut studio album 'Leisure' (1991) peaked at number 7 of the UK album charts and was influenced by bands such as The Kinks and The Wire. The band were major influences on British music and helped to popularise the Britpop genre with albums such as 'Parklife' and '13', often battling with British band Oasis' for spots in the charts. In 1995 this was dubbed by media as 'The Battle of Britpop'. As well as being a vital part of Blur, Coxon also released a series of solo albums before his departure. His first, 'The Sky is Too High' (1998), featured an experimental mix of English folk music and 1960's style garage rock. After going solo full-time Coxon released his fourth album 'The Kiss of Morning' (2002) and his most successful album to date 'Happiness in Magazines' (2005). Coxon received the NME award for 'Best Solo Artist' in 2005 and in 2010 was voted the 15th greatest guitarist in the last 30 years in a BBC poll. He was described by Oasis band leader Noel Gallagher as 'One of the most talented guitarists of his generation'.
Damon Albarn is another of the founding members of 'Blur' and is also co-creator and principal songwriter of the virtual band 'Gorillaz'. The band's first studio album 'Gorillaz' sold seven million copies and placed the band in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2001 as 'Most successful virtual band'. The band has won a multitude of awards including an MTV video music award, an NME award and the band was nominated for nine Brit Awards. Gorillaz plans to release new work in 2016. Albarn, as well as being important parts of both 'Blur' and 'Gorillaz' has released solo work such as his EP 'Democrazy' in 2003, a compilation of work he recorded in hotel rooms whilst on Blur's 'Think Tank' tour. in 2014 Albarn released another solo studio album titled 'Everyday Robots' which reached number two on the UK album charts.
Paul Allender is a symphonic black metal guitarist best known for his involvement with British band 'Cradle of Filth'. 'Cradle of Filth' focus on extreme metal styles and use lyrical content widely based on gothic literature, mythology and horror films. The band make frequent appearances at popular festivals in the UK and beyond and have performed at Download festival, Ozzfest and The Sziget festival, one of the largest music festivals in Europe. As well as success with Cradle of Filth, Allender formed another band in 1995 named 'The Blood Divine' and released two studio albums with them 'Awaken' and 'Mystica'. Paul Allender is best known for his unusual playing techniques, specifically his right-hand techniques that focus on driving rhythms that help to create a darker sound.
