Bush (British band)

Bush are a British rock band formed in London, England in 1992. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Gavin Rossdale, lead guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz, and drummer Nik Hughes.

For the Canadian band, see Bush (Canadian band).
Bush
Bush performing live at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday 5 November 2016.
Background information
Also known as
  • Bushx
  • Future Primitive
  • Bush with Gavin Rossdale
OriginLondon, England, United Kingdom
Genres
Years active
  • 1992–2002
  • 2010–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewww.bushofficial.com
Members
Past members

In 1994, Bush found immediate success with the release of their debut album, Sixteen Stone, which is certified 6× multi-platinum by the RIAA.[3] They went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990s, selling over 10 million records in the United States and 20 million in the world.

Despite their success in the US (especially in the mid-1990s), the band were considerably less popular in their home country – a period when Britpop groups dominated the UK charts and the appeal of the grunge sound had declined – and they have enjoyed only marginal success there.[4]

Bush have had numerous top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts[5] and one No. 1 album with Razorblade Suitcase in 1996.[6] The band broke up in 2002 but reformed in 2010, and have released four albums since then: The Sea of Memories (2011), Man on the Run (2014), Black and White Rainbows (2017), and The Kingdom (2020).[7]

History

Formation and Sixteen Stone (1992–1995)

After leaving his band Midnight, Gavin Rossdale met former King Blank guitarist Nigel Pulsford in 1992. The two bonded over an appreciation of the American alternative rock group the Pixies. The two formed a new band which they called Future Primitive. Describing the early sound of the group, one British record label executive said years later, "They weren't what they are today – they were a little like the more commercial side of INXS".[8] To complete the lineup, the pair recruited bassist Dave Parsons, and drummer Robin Goodridge joined in mid-1993 shortly before Bush were signed.[9] While still known as Future Primitive, the band released the song "Bomb",[10] later to be featured on the band's debut, as a single through Rossdale's own Mad Dog Winston Records.[10]

Bush, 2001. L-R: Nigel Pulsford, Robin Goodridge, Gavin Rossdale, and Dave Parsons

In 1993, the band was signed by Rob Kahane, who had a distribution deal with Disney's Hollywood Records. The band completed recording its debut album Sixteen Stone in early 1994. However, the death of Disney executive Frank G. Wells eliminated a supporter for Kahane, and executives at Hollywood deemed Bush's album unacceptable for release. As a result, the members of Bush took jobs performing menial labour. Interscope Records ultimately decided to release the album, and at the end of 1994, Kahane sent an advance copy of the album to a friend at influential Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM, which added the song "Everything Zen" to its rotation.[8]

On the Billboard Music Charts (North America), Sixteen Stone peaked at No. 4 on the Heatseekers and Billboard 200 charts. The album spawned two Top 40 singles. After about six months of promotion for Sixteen Stone, the album began to sell well, once Comedown and Glycerine struck America. Additionally, Little Things and Machinehead both charted well in North America.

In Canada, the band were initially forced to release Sixteen Stone under the name BushX, as the 1970s Canadian band Bush still held the rights to that name in the Canadian market.[11] The dispute arose after the British band's lawyers threatened to intervene to prevent the Canadian band from reissuing its 1970 album,[12] although it was entirely between the bands' lawyers as Rossdale and Domenic Troiano, the leader of the Canadian band, both expressed a willingness to negotiate a solution.[13] In 1997, after the band's second album Razorblade Suitcase also bore the X, Rossdale and Troiano directly negotiated an agreement under which the British band were allowed to drop the X in exchange for donating $20,000 each to the Starlight Foundation and the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund.[12] Both Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase were then reissued without the X.[14]

Razorblade Suitcase (1996–1998)


In late 1996 Bush released the first single "Swallowed" from their second album titled Razorblade Suitcase. The song spent seven weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart. This was followed by single "Greedy Fly". The album hit number 1 in America and placed high in many European countries. Razorblade Suitcase featured American recording engineer Steve Albini, a move which was viewed negatively by critics. Albini had worked with Nirvana on their final studio album, In Utero, three years before. Bush later released the remix album Deconstructed. The album saw Bush re-arranging their songs into dance and techno stylings. The album went platinum less than a year after release.

The Science of Things (1999–2000)

Following the completion of touring, Rossdale went into seclusion in Ireland, where he worked on material for the group's next album. Rossdale periodically sent demo tapes of his works in progress to his bandmates. The group finally convened to record in London in August 1998, where the band reteamed with Sixteen Stone producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.[15]

The release of The Science of Things was held up by a court battle between the band and Trauma Records. The case was settled in early 1999 and the album was finally released that October.[16] The Science of Things was a major departure in several forms from Bush's first two albums. Like the multi-platinum successes of Bush's first two albums, this album also reached platinum status. Also, while the band's previous albums were strongly influenced by grunge, The Science of Things featured some electronic music influences in addition to the sound defined by Bush's earlier work. For example, although lead single "The Chemicals Between Us" had a prominent guitar riff, it also had many electronic elements usually found in dance music. Although the album had a few hit songs, it failed to chart in the top 10.

The band's performance at Woodstock '99, however, helped The Science of Things achieve platinum status despite its slow start. Three singles were released from The Science of Things, most notably "The Chemicals Between Us", which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks and peaked at No. 67 on the US Hot 100."Warm Machine" was the second single released. "Letting the Cables Sleep," the third single, reached No. 4 on the Modern Rock Tracks and also received considerable airplay, and appeared in an episode of the medical drama series ER.

Golden State and breakup (2001–2002)

In October 2001, now on the Atlantic Records record label, Bush released its next album, Golden State. While the album attempted to return to the simple, catchy sound of the band's debut, it failed to achieve the same commercial success as the band's previous releases. Several singles were released, most notably the hit "The People That We Love (Speed Kills)", but none were mainstream successes. The album was the band's least successful, selling only 380,000 copies in the US. "The People That We Love (Speed Kills)" was used in the game Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. In January 2002, Pulsford retired after the release of Golden State to spend more time with his family. Chris Traynor filled in for him for the subsequent tour, which would turn out to be Bush's last for eight years. Due to declining record sales and a lack of support from Atlantic Records, Bush disbanded in 2002. In 2005, a greatest hits album called The Best of: 1994-1999 and a live album called Zen X Four were released.

Post-breakup (2003–2010)
Current guitarist Chris Traynor performing with Bush in 2016.

Gavin Rossdale formed a new band, Institute, in 2004, serving as their lead vocalist and guitarist, just as in Bush. Chris Traynor also joined the band, as lead guitarist. In addition to playing in Institute, Traynor also joined the reunited metal band Helmet in 2004 on bass; he quit the band in 2006. Institute released one album, Distort Yourself, but failed to achieve much commercial success in spite of opening for U2's Vertigo Tour at some shows. Institute broke up in 2006 and Rossdale then embarked on a solo career. In 2007, he covered the John Lennon song "Mind Games" for the Lennon tribute album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. His first solo album, Wanderlust, supported by leading single "Love Remains the Same", was released in June 2008. Rossdale also ventured into acting, appearing in the films Zoolander, Little Black Book, The Game of Their Lives, Constantine, How to Rob a Bank and others.

Robin Goodridge recorded with the British rock band Elyss in 2004, although they have not released any new material since. In 2006, Goodridge began drumming for indie rock band Spear of Destiny, and appeared on their 2007 album, Imperial Prototype. During the summer of 2008, he toured the UK with British rock band Stone Gods after their current drummer Ed Graham reportedly fell ill. On 29 July it was announced that Graham had left the band and on 6 October 2008, the band's website announced that Goodridge had joined the band. Nigel Pulsford has spent most of his time since leaving Bush raising his children with his wife. In an interview with Blender, Gavin Rossdale admitted that the likelihood of a Bush reunion was "very high". He then added "quite high,"[17] In a November 2008 interview, Rossdale revealed that he had tried to contact the other members of Bush, "I reached out to them."

Reunion and The Sea of Memories (2010–2013)

On 22 June 2010, it was announced that Bush would play their first show in eight years at the second-annual Epicenter Music Festival in Fontana, California on 25 September 2010. A new album, then-titled Everything Always Now, was also announced as well as a new single "Afterlife". Founding members Nigel Pulsford and Dave Parsons both decided not to rejoin the band.[18]

Pulsford's and Parsons' successors were Chris Traynor and Corey Britz respectively. Traynor had also stood in for Pulsford during the Golden State tour. The new line-up played seven shows in 2010, performing songs from Bush's previous four albums as well as a new song, "Afterlife".[19]

Gavin announced on radio that their new album had been named The Sea of Memories and was released in September and managed to peak at No. 18 on the Billboard Top 200. The first single of the album, "The Sound of Winter" was released in July 2011 and reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[20] On 19 November 2011, Bush performed a live set for "Guitar Center Sessions" on DirecTV. The episode included an interview with program host, Nic Harcourt.[21] Their song "Into The Blue" was featured on The Avengers soundtrack album released on 1 May 2012. They toured with Nickelback on their Here and Now Tour.

Man on the Run (2014–2016)

On 26 March 2014, it was reported that Bush had begun recording their sixth studio album with producer Nick Raskulinecz.[22] Gavin Rossdale announced on 18 August 2014 that the new album, Man on the Run, was available for pre-order in both digital and deluxe edition CD form.[23] A day later, the band revealed that the lead single from the album would be "The Only Way Out".[24] In November 2014 the band announced tour dates for the early months of 2015 beginning on 30 January. [25] In June 2016, Bush released a music video for the new song "People At War".[26]

Black and White Rainbows (2017–2019)

In January 2017, it was reported that Bush had mastered and completed work on their seventh studio album.[27] On 6 February 2017, the band announced the title, release date of 10 March 2017, and track listing for their seventh studio album, Black and White Rainbows. The lead single from the album, "Mad Love", was released the same day.[7]

On 2 April 2018 a tour of the United States of America, called Revolution 3 Tour, was announced for the summer. They will perform as headlining with Stone Temple Pilots and The Cult.[28]

Rossdale also revealed that he was working on some material called "heavier" than the recent productions in anticipation of a forthcoming band album.[29]

The Kingdom (2019–present)

In May 2019, Bush set The Mind Plays Tricks on You as the title of their new studio album,[30] tentatively due in early 2020.[30]

On 10 May 2019,[31] it was announced that a song, "Bullet Holes",[31] would feature in the film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.[31] The song and music video were released on 17 May 2019.[32] Rossdale claimed in late May that the new album, featuring songwriting from Tyler Bates, was influenced by Bush's presence on music festivals dominated by primarily metal bands, and that he had been specifically listening to System of a Down during the writing process for the new album.[33]

On 3 March 2020 the band released a new single, "Flowers on a Grave" and announced their new album was re-titled The Kingdom and will be released in July.[34]

Musical style and influences
Bush stage before playing 8-17-2011 Austin, TX

Bush have been described as post-grunge,[35][36][37] grunge,[38][39] alternative rock,[40] and hard rock.[41] One of the first bands to be described as post-grunge, Bush were labeled almost pejoratively as post-grunge.[42] Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone described Bush as "the most successful and shameless mimics of Nirvana's music".[43] In the book Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota, Chuck Klosterman wrote, "Bush was a good band who just happened to signal the beginning of the end; ultimately, they would become the grunge Warrant".[44] In the book Accidental Revolution: The Story of Grunge, Kyle Anderson wrote about Bush's album Sixteen Stone, writing:

"The twelve songs on Sixteen Stone sound exactly like what grunge is supposed to sound like, while the whole point of grunge was that it didn't really sound like anything, including itself. Just consider how many different bands and styles of music have been shoved under the "grunge" header in this discography alone, and you realize that grunge is probably the most ill-defined genre of music in history."[45]

Bush have noted Nirvana's music as a key influence in their work,[46] but remained insistent that their style is original.[8] Talking to The Morning Call in February 1996, lead guitarist Nigel Pulsford remarked "Nirvana was a big influence. They acted as a catalyst, put the guitar band back in vogue and inspired us to perform".[46] Of the similarities in the music of the two acts, Gavin Rossdale told Rolling Stone that he "hoped" there was an element of Nirvana in Bush but also that felt he "had [his] own thing".[8] In 2011, Rossdale proclaimed Pixies as "the most influential band" to him.[47] In addition, members of Bush have cited artists including David Bowie,[48] Bob Dylan,[48] PJ Harvey,[48] Hole,[49] Led Zeppelin,[50], Sex Pistols,[48] Smashing Pumpkins,[49] and Soundgarden as influential or inspirational.[49]

Band members

Current
  • Gavin Rossdale – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1992–2002, 2010–present)
  • Chris Traynor – lead guitar (2002, 2010–present), backing vocals (2002)
  • Corey Britz – bass, backing vocals (2010–present)
  • Nik Hughes – drums (2019–present)

Former
  • Nigel Pulsford – lead guitar, backing vocals (1992–2002)
  • Dave Parsons – bass (1992–2002)
  • Robin Goodridge – drums (1993–2002, 2010–2019)

Touring musicians
  • Sacha Puttnam – keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2002)
  • Sibyl Buck – bass (2012, 2013)

Timeline

Discography

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1997[51] Bush Favorite Alternative Group Nominated
1998[52] Bush Favorite Alternative Group Won

Grammy Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1998[53] "Swallowed" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated

MTV Video Music Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1996[54] "Glycerine" Viewer's Choice Won
1996[54] "Glycerine" Best Alternative Video Nominated
1996[54] "Machinehead" Best Video From a Movie Nominated

MTV Movie Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1997[55] "Machinehead" Best Song From a Movie Won
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References
  1. "Q&A: Gavin Rossdale to Reunite Bush". Spin.com. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  2. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4 ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 122. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  3. RIAA Certification. RIAA Retrieved 12 April 2017
  4. Albums of the week, at Entertainment.uk
  5. "Bush – Chart history – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  6. "Bush – Chart history – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  7. "BUSH To Release 'Black And White Rainbows' Album In March". Blabbermouth.net. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  8. Daly, Steven. "Nirvanawannabes". Rolling Stone. 18 April 1996. Retrieved on 14 July 2009.
  9. "Nigel Pulsford interview (2009)". BBC Wales - Music. 12 November 2009.
  10. Nine, Jennifer (1999). Bush: Twenty-seventh Letter : the Official History. Virgin. ISBN 9780753501894. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  11. "The battle for Bush: Canadian band duking it out with Brits over its name". Halifax Daily News, June 12, 1997.
  12. "X-cellent solution found to band's name woes". Waterloo Region Record, April 16, 1997.
  13. "X marks the sore spot for mega-popular BushX". Hamilton Spectator, January 10, 1997.
  14. "Both `X' and grunge gone from British Bush". Ottawa Citizen, May 22, 1997.
  15. Uhelzski, Jaan. "Beating Around the Bush Archived 30 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine". Rolling Stone. 17 November 1998. Retrieved on 14 July 2009.
  16. Eliscu, Jenny. "Bush's Wait Problem Archived 7 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine". Rolling Stone. 6 August 1999. Retrieved on 14 July 2009.
  17. "Blogs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  18. "Gavin Rossdale: Interview | Spin Magazine". Bush-music.com. 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  19. "Bush". Facebook. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  20. "Bush Back Atop Alternative Songs With Self-Released 'The Sound of Winter'". Billboard. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  21. Guitar Center Sessions with host Nic Harcourt Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  22. "Bush Recording New Album With Producer Nick Raskulinecz". Blabbermouth.net. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  23. "Bush: The New Album". pledgemusic.com. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  24. "Excited to Announce Album and Single Date". twitter.com. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  25. "Bush: The Tour Dates". axs.com. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  26. "BUSH Honors World Refugee Day With 'People At War' Video". blabbermouth.net. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  27. "BUSH Completes Work On New Album". Blabbermouth.net. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  28. "Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, the Cult Set Tri-Headlining 'Revolution 3' Tour". Rollingstone.com.
  29. "Bush's Gavin Rossdale Teases New Album". Loudwire.com.
  30. "BUSH To Release 'The Mind Plays Tricks On You' Album In The Fall". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  31. Bullinger, Jason. "Bush To Release New Song "Bullet Holes" Included On New 'John Wick 3 Soundtrack'". Altrevolt.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  32. "BUSH Releases Music Video For New Song 'Bullet Holes'". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  33. Bush's Gavin Rossdale has been listening to a lot of System of a Down Blabbermouth.net. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  34. "Bush Issue New Song 'Flowers on a Grave,' Announce 'The Kingdom' Album". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  35. "Post-Grunge". AllMusic.
  36. Goodman, William (29 July 2010). "Q&A: Gavin Rossdale to Reunite Bush". Spin.
  37. Steininger, Adam (23 August 2013). "The 10 Worst Post-Grunge Bands". LA Weekly. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  38. Brackett & Hoard 2004, p. 122.
  39. "Sixteen Stone by Bush on MSN Music". Music.msn.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  40. Hyden, Steven (14 December 2010). "Part 6: 1995: Live, Bush, and Alanis Morissette take the pop path". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  41. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bush – The Science of Things". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  42. Grierson, Tim. "The History of Post-Grunge Rock". About.com.
  43. Diehl, Matt (13 November 1996). "Bush: Razorblade Suitcase". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
  44. Klosterman 2007, p. 240.
  45. Anderson 2007, p. 207.
  46. Parrish, Stephen (2 February 1996). "A Kinder, Gentler Nihilism for British Quartet Bush". The Morning Call. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  47. Schlansky, Evan (27 September 2011). "Gavin Rossdale Discusses Bush's Critics, Nirvana Comparisons". American Songwriter. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  48. Mackevick, Eva. "Gavin Rossdale: Records that changed my life". Readers Digest.
  49. Haskoor, Michael (1 December 2014). "90s Kids Will Get This: We Asked Everclear and Bush the Same Exact Questions". Vice. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  50. "Weekly Interview 6/7/18: Chris Traynor of Bush". Pedal of the Day. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  51. "Rock On The Net: 24th American Music Awards (presented in 1997)". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  52. "Rock On The Net: 25th American Music Awards (presented in 1998)". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  53. "41st Annual grammy Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  55. 1997 MTV Movie Awards (Television Broadcast). Viacom. 10 June 1997.

Bibliography

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