Andrew W.K.

One of the wild men of rock, Andrew W.K.'s stage-diving, hard-partying and generally hedonistic approach caused great excitement and a fair share of bemusement when he burst on the scene in 2000. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, W.K. played in a number of local punk rock bands, including The Pterodactyls, Kathode and Sucking Coeds, before moving to New York and starting his solo career by releasing debut EP AWKGOJ (2000) on indie label Bulb Records. W.K.'s raucous live shows quickly built an industry buzz, and he supported Foo Fighters before signing with Island Records for album I Get Wet (2001). Europe became particularly fond of his thrashing rawk anthems, and he took to dressing in a white t-shirt and jeans, which he would wear without washing for every night of a tour - taking peculiar pleasure in the blood, sweat and muck that his garments acquired. Single Party Hard made the UK Top 20 thanks to support from NME and Kerrang! Magazine and W.K. became a popular figure through good hearted metal pop albums The Wolf (2003), Close Calls With Brick Walls (2006) and 55 Cadillac (2009).