Faith No More

Throwing heavy metal, punk, soul, funk and jazz into a huge melting pot of influences, Faith No More's diverse concoction of sounds made them one of the most popular hard rock acts of the early 1990s. Counting Courtney Love as one of the band's many short-term members, the group took off after Mike Patton joined as front man in 1988. Bringing rap, beat-boxing and guttural death growls to the equation, the new direction spawned the breakthrough singles Epic and Falling To Pieces and turned third album The Real Thing (1989) into a big global success. Becoming increasingly eclectic, fourth album Angel Dust (1992) reached Number 2 in the UK with the smooth, crooning cover version of Lionel Richie's song Easy becoming a surprise hit thanks to its use in a commercial for Levi's jeans. Relentless touring further enhanced their reputation but took its toll and after the studio albums King For A Day...Fool For A Lifetime (1995) and Album Of The Year (1997) the band split in 1997. A reformation in 2009 saw them play the Download, Roskilde and Reading/Leeds festivals.