The Pigeon Detectives

Boasting one of the most original names in indie rock, the Pigeon Detectives swooped in on the UK's 2000s scene and ruled the roost with three consecutive Top 40 albums. The quintet comprising Matt Bowman (vocals), Oliver Main (guitar), Ryan Wilson (guitar), Dave Best (bass guitar), and Jimmi Naylor (drums) assembled in Rothwell—in the Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire—and hit the ground running with their debut album. After forming in 2004 and building a buzz over the next few years, the band were signed to Leeds indie label favourite Dance to the Radio and released Wait for Me in 2007, soaring all the way to number three on the UK album chart and producing hits in "I Found Out" and "Romantic Type." The band's second album Emergency (2008) arrived hot on the heels of their first, recorded with famed producer Stephen Street in Monnow Valley Studios, Monmouth, Wales. Emergency once again cracked the UK top five and yielded a hit in lead single "This Is an Emergency," the group's second-highest charting single. They issued their third album three years later, Up, Guards and at 'Em!, which didn't fare quite as well in the charts, only making it to number 30, but nonetheless gave the band their third consecutive top 40 album. In April 2013, the Pigeon Detectives dropped their fourth studio album, We Met at Sea, with its successor, Broken Glances, following in 2017. The album served as a thank-you letter to their loyal fans. Five years later, the band returned with their sixth studio LP, TV Show, which was produced by Rich Turvey (The Coral, Blossoms) and propelled by its first single, "Lovers Come and Lovers Go". Still in the Indie top 10 since their beginnings, the band followed in 2025 with Still Not Sorry, a collection of their best hits.