Samuel Johnson said \u201cwhen a man tires of London, he tires of life\u201d. The same could easily be said for London\u2019s music. From rock to hip-hop, folk or R&B, London contains a microcosm of the world\u2019s music. While it is impossible to distill all of the city\u2019s musical heritage into a single playlist, this hopes to capture the musical spirit and soul of England\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
One of the most recognizable rock bands of all-time, Led Zeppelin has contributed to some of rock\u2019s most iconic moments. If the Beatles were the first celebrity pop-group, Led Zeppelin was the first hard rock band to achieve true world-wide stardom. Robert Plant\u2019s high-octane vocals, Jimmy Page\u2019s guitar virtuosity, John Bonham\u2019s thundering drumming and John Paul Jones\u2019 orchestration and elegant basslines all helped contribute to Led Zeppelin\u2019s stardom through the 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the first virtual band, Gorillaz proved the critics wrong with their global hit \u201cFeel Good Inc\u201d in 2005. Composed virtually by a band separated by geography but not talent, Gorillaz paved the way for the online collaboration that would shape popular music in the decades to come.<\/p>\n
There are few musical acts in history that can compare with the theatrics and flamboyance of Queen. Another English band that would shape popular music forever, Queen turned the stadium rock show into a genre and would forever change how bands performed live. Vocalist Freddie Mercury would also go down in history as one of the greatest live performers of all-time as well as a historically astounding vocalist and musician.<\/p>\n
Another 70\u2019s icon who would make an indelible mark on popular music, David Bowie helped usher the transformation of rock from rebellious teenage music to a bona fide artistic genre. During his lifetime, Bowie was one of the most best-selling artists of all-time with hundreds of millions of albums sold. Bowie experimented with a variety of different musical styles and continued to evolve as an artist throughout his life.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s almost absurd the amount of talent that London produced in the 70\u2019s. Along with Led Zeppelin, The Who shaped hard rock into one of the world\u2019s most popular and long lasting musical genres. Guitarist Pete Townshend\u2019s theatrics and use of feedback and power chords are still dominant in rock music today. Their music helped to shape both hard rock, punk rock and mod rock in later years.<\/p>\n
An internet sensation while still in her teens, Birdy has quickly risen to ranks to become one of the UK\u2019s most popular pop stars. With her willowy voice, fluent instrumentation and precocious talent, Birdy has already released three studio albums before her twenty first birthday.<\/p>\n
Folk rock inexplicably grew into one of the world\u2019s most popular genres near the tail end of the 2000\u2019s and no band contributed more to this global resurgence than Mumford & Sons. Mumford & Sons was one of the most popular acts of the late 2000\u2019s and early 2010\u2019s and toured widely throughout the world, while powering coffeeshop playlists across the globe.<\/p>\n
Prodigiously talented, fearless and completely dysfunctional, Amy Winehouse was one of the decade\u2019s most popular acts with a unique sound shaped by blues, R&B and soul. She held the record for most Grammy wins by a single female artist and is widely cited as a musical inspiration, even after her tragic death at age 27.<\/p>\n
One of the original girl pop groups of the 90\u2019s, the Spice Girls remain a cultural icon and one of London\u2019s most popular musical exports. While their flame didn\u2019t burn long, few acts burned as bright as the Spice Girls in the 90\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Another prolific but short-lived English pop band, One Direction pumped out five albums in five years before internal dissension brought about their end. Few bands were as popular in the 2010\u2019s and the passion and fervor of their fans brought comparisons to the 60\u2019s Beatlemania and was commonly cited as a truly global musical phenomena.<\/p>\n
Essentially ignored by the larger musical community during his short and tragic life, Nick Drake would go on to achieve prominence and influence in later decades. There are few indie and folk musicians today who don\u2019t cite his music as a major influence. His poignant songwriting, non-standard guitar tunings and voicings and reclusive personality would become hallmarks of later folk and indie artists.<\/p>\n
In conjunction with Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen helped usher in a new era for female alternative musicians. Embracing a style that shunned the traditional pop path for women, Lily Allen crafted a sound that combined elements of electropop with R&B. Her fearlessness inspired future generations of artists to embrace their inner vision for their music.<\/p>\n
In progressive rock, no other name holds as much weight as Pink Floyd. Their philosophical songwriting, extended compositions, abstract experimentation and elaborate live performances all contributed to their success and fame as the world\u2019s greatest psychelic and progressive rock band.<\/p>\n
One of Britain\u2019s most eclectic talents, James Blake\u2019s depressive lyrics, unique audio experimentation and richly layered instrumentations brought indie pop into the mainstream. An indie icon and pioneer of blending rich acoustic talent with electronic production, Blake\u2019s music pushed 2000\u2019s indie music away from the coffeeshop guitars into the galaxy of experimentation.<\/p>\n
A true pop star in every sense of the world, Adele conquered the 2010\u2019s with Grammy wins, sold-out stadiums, and albums that won critical acclaim while marching to massive commercial success. Few artists sold as many records, or won as many accolades as Adele did in the decade.<\/p>\n
What started as a hard rock alternative to the polished sound of bands like the Beatles has morphed into rock music\u2019s truly eternal show. Touring well into their fifth decade, The Rolling Stones are one of Britain\u2019s truly iconic musical exports. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards permeated the public consciousness to such a degree that their very names came to symbolize an entire era of music and culture.<\/p>\n
Another British icon, Elton John built an eternal musical empire on astronomical talent and a prodigious drive for world-wide tours. One of the most widely traveled and toured musicians, Elton John has forever cemented himself into Britain\u2019s already rich musical heritage.<\/p>\n
Fronted by brother Mark and David Knopfler, Dire Straits was one rock\u2019s best-selling musical acts. Their incredible guitar work forever changed rock and helped bring about the musical differention that led to roots rock, blues rock and folk rock. Dire Staits won four Grammy Awards as well as induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.<\/p>\n
As universally derided as they are popular, Coldplay brought alternative pop and pop rock to the forefront of the 2000\u2019s Billboard charts. Coldplay sold more than 100 million albums in their career on their way to picking up seven Grammy Awards out of twenty nine nominations.<\/p>\n
Noted for their power vocal performances as well as eclectic compositions, Florence + The Machine were a driving force for the development of indie pop, baroque pop and chamber pop. All of their innovations would become staples of the genre, and they remain one of the most influential indie acts of the late 2000\u2019s.<\/p>\n
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