Ian McCulloch

As the swaggering front man of Echo And The Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch's searing, romantic, new wave anthems made him a hero of Britain's indie scene in the 1980s and a journalist's dream for his stream of biting comments about other bands. With his flamboyant haircut and supreme confidence, the Liverpudlian took inspiration from the melodies of The Beatles, the gloomy poetry of Leonard Cohen and the explosive excitement of punk as classic singles The Cutter and Killing Moon went on to influence Nirvana, Oasis and Suede. Leaving the band in 1988, McCulloch's solo debut Candleland (1989) was a sober, heartfelt affair that contemplated the recent deaths of both his father and Bunnymen drummer Ian De Freitas and featured Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins. It made the UK Top 20 with the help of singles Proud To Fall and Faith And Healing, but follow-up Mysterio (1992) slipped under the radar as grunge started to dominate the rock world. The Bunnymen reformed in 1996, buoyed by the onset of Brit pop, but McCulloch later returned with third solo album Slideling (2002), featuring Coldplay's Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland and actor John Simm playing guitar.