Big Audio Dynamite

Punk legends The Clash blasted out anthems of raging, political, DIY rock'n'roll but were unique in their love of other genres, such as reggae, funk and rockabilly. After being kicked out of the band in 1983, lead guitarist Mick Jones further explored these ideas by forming Big Audio Dynamite with reggae DJ and film maker Don Letts, and melding the different sounds and styles into a collision of funky, new wave pop. Breaking new ground by using samplers and electronic beats, the band's biggest hit came with the single E=MC2 in 1985, while second album No 10, Upping St. (1986) went on to reach Number 11 in the UK charts and featured a spoken word outro from actors Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne. Though admired by critics for their experimental ambition, later albums Megatop Phoenix (1989), The Globe (1991) and Higher Power (1994) made little impact and the band petered out in the late 1990s with Jones going on to form Carbon/Silicon. A reunion in 2011 saw the band play at Glastonbury, Coachella and Lollapaloza festivals, receiving a warm reaction from fans and journalists.