Elastica

Formed by ex-Suede guitarist Justine Frischmann after her break-up with front man Brett Andersen, Elastica became the queens of Brit-pop in the mid-1990s, delivering spiky, art punk riffs and bouncy choruses. Frischmann's detached, aloof delivery and androgynous cool sparked some of the anthems of the era in Waking Up, Stutter and Connection (later used on the opening credits of the Channel 4 show Trigger Happy TV) and debut album Elastica (1995) shot to Number 1 in the UK chart. Frischmann's relationship with Blur's Damon Albarn made the couple tabloid darlings and when they split in 1998 Damon poured his heart out on the album 13. Heavy touring and drug and alcohol problems took their toll on the band, but Frischmann returned with a new line-up for the album The Menace (2000), a heavy blitz of art punk featuring a guest appearance by The Fall's Mark E Smith. An underwhelming response led to the band splitting up in 2001 after 10 years together, recording the farewell single The Bitch Don't Work.