Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of

Cwmaman Cwmaman () is a former coal mining village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name is Welsh for "Aman Valley"; the river Aman (a small tributary of the River Cynon) flows through the village. There are several hills nearby, such as Pen Foel Aman ...

in the

Cynon Valley Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. It lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash in the south. From 1974 to 19 ...

. The band consists of

Kelly Jones Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh musician and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics. Early life and debut Kelly Jones was born the youngest of three boys to Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the small We ...

(lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (no relation to Kelly; bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals),

Adam Zindani Adam Zindani (born 5 March 1972) is an English guitarist for the Welsh-based rock group Stereophonics, and the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the Birmingham-based band Casino. His debut solo single, "What About Love", was released on ...

(rhythm guitar, backing vocals),

Jamie Morrison Jamie Morrison (born 30 June 1983) is a British musician, best known as the drummer in Welsh band Stereophonics an86TVs He is also known for his playing with Noisettes, Drewford Alabama and releasing music through his label Ninjas & Wolves unde ...

(drums, percussion) and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards). The group previously included

Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 10 ...

(1992–2003) and then Javier Weyler (2004–2012) on drums. Stereophonics have released thirteen studio albums, including nine UK number one albums. A successful compilation album, ''

Decade in the Sun ''Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics'' is a compilation album of greatest hits by Stereophonics. It features tracks from all six of the band's previous albums, beginning from the 1997 debut release, ''Word Gets Around'', all the way throu ...

'', was released in November 2008 and charted at number two on the

UK Albums chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. Described as "classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals", the band have been summarised as possessing a sound akin to the genres of

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and "British traditional rock". Stereophonics' debut album, ''

Word Gets Around ''Word Gets Around'' is the debut studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released on 25 August 1997 through V2 Records and reached number six in the UK Albums Chart, making it one of three Stereophonics ...

'', was released in August 1997 and charted at number six in the UK, aided by the singles "

Local Boy in the Photograph "Local Boy in the Photograph" is the first single by rock band Stereophonics. The song is taken from their debut album, ''Word Gets Around'' and was released on 17 March 1997. The song reached number 51 in the UK Singles Chart. On 9 February 1 ...

", "

More Life in a Tramps Vest "More Life in a Tramps Vest" is the second single released by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. The song is taken from the band's debut album, ''Word Gets Around'' (1997), and was released on 19 May 1997. It reached number 33 on the UK Singles Ch ...

" and "

A Thousand Trees "A Thousand Trees" is the third single released by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. The song is taken from their debut album, ''Word Gets Around'' (1997), and was released on 11 August 1997. It reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. Backgro ...

". The band reached mainstream success with the release of ''

Performance and Cocktails ''Performance and Cocktails'' is the second studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released by V2 on 8 March 1999. The name of the album comes from lyrics in the album's first song, "Roll Up and Shine", just like the previous alb ...

'' (and its promotional singles "

The Bartender and the Thief "The Bartender and the Thief" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, written by the band in April 1998. The song is the second track on their second album, '' Performance and Cocktails'' (1999). "Bartender" was the first single taken from ' ...

", " Just Looking" and "

Pick a Part That's New "Pick a Part That's New" is a song by Welsh rock music, rock band Stereophonics. It was first released as a single on 27 February 1999 in Japan, serving as the band's debut single there. In the United Kingdom, it was issued on 3 May 1999 as the ...

") in 1999 and have achieved a total of ten top-ten singles as well as one number one: "

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...

" (2005). Having sold around 10 million copies worldwide by 2016, Stereophonics are one of the most successful Welsh rock acts. Upon their release of ''

Pull the Pin ''Pull the Pin'' is the sixth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released by V2 in the UK on 12 October 2007. A Stereophonics newsletter released the ''Pull the Pin'' album artwork to subscribers. The cover was also shown to Myspace ...

'', they achieved five consecutive UK number one albums. The band have also been praised for their live performances, which have landed them headlining slots at many of the UK and Ireland's most high-profile music festivals, including Reading and Leeds in 2000,

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

in 2002,

V Festival V Festival, often referred to as V Fest or simply V, was an annual music festival held in the United Kingdom during the third weekend in August. The event was held at two parks simultaneously which shared the same bill; artists performed at one ...

in 2002, the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

in 2004 and 2009,

Oxegen Oxegen was a List of music festivals#Ireland, music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festiva ...

in 2010,

Tramlines Festival The Tramlines Festival is an annual music festival held in Sheffield, UK. The festival was originally free to attend, but now requires tickets. The line-up consists of national and local artists. The festival was curated and organised by a pan ...

and

TRNSMT TRNSMT (pronounced as "Transmit") is a music festival staged at Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland, organised by DF Concerts. History An early line-up for the first TRNSMT festival was revealed in January 2017, two months after the announceme ...

in 2018, and

Latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

in 2019. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.

History

Formation and early years (1986–1991)

and

lived on the same streetMarks (2009), p. 24 in the Welsh village of

. Jones heard Cable played drums so asked if he wanted to jam together. After some time practising in Jones' dad's garage, Nicholas Geake joined in on guitar. Later, Jones invited Paul Rosser and Chris Davies to play on bass guitar and keyboards, respectively.Marks (2009), p. 23 Cable recalls he was the one who suggested that Jones be the singer, as his dad was a singer back in the sixties who supported

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

. In 1986 the band recorded a demo under the name "Zephyr". When Jones went on holiday the band played a gig without him, which resulted in Jones leaving the band and Jones and Cable going their separate ways. Jones, Rosser and Davies formed their own R&B band called "Silent Runner" while Cable joined a glam-rock band named "King Catwalk" on drums. A few years later, Cable was sacked from the band. A few weeks later, Cable waved to Jones from a bus, and Jones, who was standing at a bus stop, waved back. It was the first contact they had since Zephyr had broken up. Two weeks later, Jones and Cable started speaking again.Marks (2009), p. 26 They agreed to give the band another go, but Cable only wanted to play their own songs. Jones agreed. The duo invited Mark Everett to play for them on bass guitar and Jones then started writing his own songs.Marks (2009), p. 27 Everett went on holiday for two weeks but Jones and Cable wanted to continue rehearsing, so Jones invited long-time friend Richard Jones to fill in for Everett. Stunned by Richard's appearance and bass playing, Cable convinced Kelly to keep him instead of Everett. The band decided they needed another member to play lead guitar. Simon Collier was the first guitarist brought in. He did not stay in the band, but instead became Kelly's guitar technician. The band tried hiring two other guitarists, another Richard Jones and Glenn Hyde.Marks (2009), p. 33 Neither stayed for long. Hyde did, however, play harmonica on "Rooftop" for the band's 2001 album ''

Just Enough Education to Perform ''Just Enough Education to Perform'' is the third studio album by Welsh Rock music, rock band Stereophonics. Released on 11 April 2001, the album topped the UK Albums Chart with 140,000 copies sold. and spawned three top-ten singles in the form o ...

''. After Hyde left, the band stuck as a three-piece act.

Name change and V2 Records (1992–1996)

Kelly, Richard and Cable began writing and performing music in working men's clubs together in 1992 as a band known as "Tragic Love Company", a name inspired by their favourite bands (

the Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, was a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...

Mother Love Bone Mother Love Bone was an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood (singer), Andrew Wood's charisma and songwriting helped to catapu ...

and

Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...

). After Tragic Love Company supported Smalltown Heroes in the Borderline Club, London, they met Marshall Bird and Steve Bush who were interested in producing for the band. The band agreed and recorded a demo for "

". Wayne Coleman organised a series of concerts throughout South Wales after receiving a demo from the band. Wayne liked it a lot but hated the band name and told them they wouldn't be performing unless they changed it. After Cable read the manufacturer name of a gramophone, "Falcon Stereophonic", he told Kelly and the band agreed to change their name to "the Stereophonics".Marks (2009), p. 40 In March 1996, the band played a gig at their local

Coliseum Theatre The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

, Aberdare with

Catatonia Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

along with local bands Krazy Keyboards (later to become Dylan Thorn), and the Pocket Devils. When the band finished their slot, John Brand approached them and he became their manager. Brand managed to get over 35 record companies in the UK interested in signing the Stereophonics. In May 1996, they signed with V2, the first artists to be signed to newly formed record label. Upon signing, they dropped "the" from their name and simply became "Stereophonics".

Debut album and ascent to fame (1997–2000)

In August 1997, the band released their first studio album, ''

'', which reached number six in the

, from which five singles were released. The debut single, released 25 November 1996, was "Looks Like Chaplin". Afterwards, the band embarked on a successful world tour. In February 1998, the band received a BRIT Award for Best New Group. In the same week, the band re-released the single "

", which in turn reached number fourteen in the UK Singles chart. The band's debut album, ''Word Gets Around'', also went

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in the UK. In November 1998, "

" (the first single from the album ''

'') was released, eventually reaching number three on the UK charts. " Just Looking" was released next and reached number four in March 1999. In that same month, the album was released, entering at number one and going platinum within three weeks. Later that year, the band played in front of 50,000 people at

Morfa Stadium Morfa Stadium was an athletics stadium in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. Constructed and in use since 1980, it was officially opened as Morfa Stadium on 20 April 1989 by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The stadium was subsequently ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

. The concert was filmed and released on DVD the following year. They also collaborated with

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

on a cover of the

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

song "

Mama Told Me Not to Come "Mama Told Me Not to Come", also written as "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)", is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman written for Eric Burdon's first solo album in 1966. Three Dog Night's 1970 cover topped the US pop singles chart. Tom ...

", for the Tom Jones album '' Reload''. Throughout 1998 and 1999, the band toured in Europe, Australia and the US. On 12 June 1998, Stereophonics played to over 10,000 spectators in the grounds of

Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle () is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roma ...

in Wales. Footage of the concert was released on VHS and DVD, titled ''

Live at Cardiff Castle ''Live at Cardiff Castle'' is a DVD released by Welsh Rock trio Stereophonics. The DVD features live recordings from a concert at Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle () is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the ci ...

''.

Mainstream success (2001–2004)

The band released their third album, ''

'', in April 2001. The album included the track " Mr. Writer", which includes lyrics that criticise a critic who the band believe gave them a negative review. The album also contained "

Have a Nice Day Have a nice day is a commonly spoken expression used to conclude a conversation (whether brief or extensive), or end a message by hoping the person to whom it is addressed experiences a pleasant day. It is often uttered by service employees to c ...

", which reached number five in the UK charts. To promote the new album, ''Just Enough Education to Perform'', the Stereophonics played a two-day festival, which was called ''A Day at the Races''. This event was held in

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...

on the first day and at Cardiff's

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...

on the second. The concerts were supported by

Ash Ash is the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the ...

Black Crowes Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psy ...

and

the Crocketts The Crocketts were a Welsh-Irish indie rock band from Aberystwyth. Formed in 1996, the band featured Irish vocalist Davey MacManus, English guitarist Daniel Harris, English bassist Richard Carter and Welsh drummer Owen Hopkin. The Crocketts were ...

, with

Proud Mary "Proud Mary" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by vocalist and lead guitarist John Fogerty. It was released as a single in January1969 by Fantasy Records and on the band's second studio album, '' Bayou Coun ...

playing Donington only. Over 200,000 separate tickets were sold for the weekend festival. The performance was released on a DVD in 2002. 2003 saw the release of their fourth album, titled ''

You Gotta Go There to Come Back ''You Gotta Go There to Come Back'' is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Stereophonics. Produced by Kelly Jones and released on V2 in 2003, this LP became their third consecutive album to top the UK chart, selling 101,946 copies ...

''. In September 2003, drummer

was sacked. According to reports, it was because of his lack of commitment to the band. Cable, at the time, presented a TV show called "Cable TV" and felt that the band would never improve. Because of this, he missed several rehearsals and live concerts. He was eventually replaced by Javier Weyler.
Stereophonics drummer fired
.'' ''BBC News.'' Retrieved on 17 July 2007.

Steve Gorman Steve Gorman (born August 17, 1965) is an American musician and radio host. He is best known as the former drummer of the American rock and roll band The Black Crowes. He spent time as the drummer for British rock band Stereophonics. He also hos ...

, from the Black Crowes, stood in for Cable during the band's live performances until Weyler was appointed. When asked about Cable leaving the band in a 2010 interview with '' Rip It Up'' magazine, Kelly Jones acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. Towards the end of the year, Stereophonics performed a sold-out tour of the UK, ending with a Christmas show at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, supported by Feeder,

Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) is an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1989. They have had five top 10 albums, including a number one in 1997. They have also achieved seventeen top 40 singles and six top 10 singles to d ...

and Adam Masterson. The show was closed with a version of "

Merry Xmas Everybody "Merry Xmas Everybody" (stylised as "Merry Xmaƨ Everybody") is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas ...

", originally recorded by Slade. The group took a break after their 2003–2004 world tour, which included a set at the Manchester Move Festival in July 2004.

Drummer changes and Stuart Cable's death (2005–2010)

Their fifth studio album, '' Language. Sex. Violence. Other?'' was released in March 2005. It marked their first recording with new drummer Javier Weyler. The band achieved their first number one hit in the UK singles charts with the album's first single, "

". The second single from the album was "Superman". However, that song did not repeat the success of "Dakota", peaking at number thirteen. After "Superman" came "Devil", featuring a controversial video and reaching number eleven in the charts. The album was expected to win the Pop Factory award at the end of the year for Best Welsh Album, but were not even nominated. Feeder's ''

Pushing the Senses ''Pushing the Senses'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh Rock music, rock band Feeder (band), Feeder. It was released on Echo Records, Echo, Liberation Music and PIAS Recordings, PIAS on 31 January 2005 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zeal ...

'' would win the award. On 2 July 2005, the group appeared at the

Live 8 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005 ...

concert in Hyde Park, London, playing to their biggest audience yet. The band were also scheduled to support

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Live from Dakota ''Live from Dakota'' is the first live album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It is a 2-disc compilation featuring 20 tracks spanning the first five of the band's albums and capturing the best of their 2005 world tour. Rather than being a rec ...

''. The album is a two-disc compilation, featuring twenty tracks spanning all five of the band's albums and capturing the best of their 2005 world tour. Rather than being a recording of a single show, the tour was recorded every night and the band picked out the best version of each song individually. The album also features a track titled "Jayne", later released as part of Kelly Jones' solo album, ''

Only the Names Have Been Changed ''Only the Names Have Been Changed'' is the 2007 debut solo album by Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones. Background As Jones explains, "... we were recording the sixth Stereophonics album... and in-between takes I started doing these songs off ...

''. ''

'' was released in the UK on 15 October 2007, along with a download-only taster; " Bank Holiday Monday". The track was also available for free to people who pre-ordered tickets for the band's concerts in 2007. The album was written and recorded by November 2006 but held back for release until late 2007. "

It Means Nothing "It Means Nothing" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics from their sixth studio album, ''Pull the Pin'' (2007). The ballad was released as a single on 24 September 2007 and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. B-side " Helter Skelt ...

" was the first single of the album, released in September before the LP was released a week later on 15 October. The album contains twelve songs and reached number one in the UK's official album chart. The next single, "My Friends", reached number thirty-two in the UK charts, their poorest chart performance since "More Life in a Tramps Vest" from their debut album. On 20 May 2007, at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Preston, the band were joined on stage by

Casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

frontman Adam Zindani. Zindani continued to tour with the band for the remainder of the ''Pull the Pin'' tour, playing lead guitar and backing vocals. He has been credited for writing and performing on two of the band's new tracks, "You're My Star" and "My Own Worst Enemy". On "You're My Star", he sings backing vocals and plays lead guitar, whereas on "My Own Worst Enemy" he only plays lead guitar. In November 2008, Stereophonics released their first greatest hits compilation, ''

''. On 8 December 2009, the

Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) () was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics. Est ...

announced the line up for performers for the nightly Victory Ceremonies. These ceremonies included 30 minutes of entertainment from the evening's host province/territory, 30 minutes of medal presentations, and a one-hour performance by a musical talent. Stereophonics performed their song "I Got Your Number" at this event on 20 February – Yukon Night. The band's seventh album, titled ''

Keep Calm and Carry On ''Keep Calm and Carry On'' was a motivational poster produced by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public, threatened with widely predic ...

'', was released on 16 November 2009. They decided on this name after seeing a poster in the White Horse pub in Richmond where they spent a lot of time whilst recording the album. The album's debut single was "

Innocent Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is prior to the sense of legal guilt and is a primal emotion connected with the sense of self. It is often confused as being the op ...

". The second single from the album, " Could You Be the One?", was released on 15 February 2010. The band embarked on a seven-date tour to support the new album in March 2010 playing at Aberdeen, Newcastle, Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and London. with support from Glasgow band

Hip Parade Hip Parade are a Scottish pop band from Glasgow, who formed in 2008. They are best known for supporting The Stereophonics on their 2010 UK arena tour and appearing on Channel 4's '' Orange Unsigned Act''. The band have appeared twice at Scotla ...

. On 5 June 2010, Stereophonics played the first-ever gig at the

Cardiff City Stadium The Cardiff City Stadium () is a stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City and the Wales national football team, Wales national team. Following expansion of the Ninian S ...

with support from unsigned South Wales band 4th Street Traffic, followed by Kids in Glass Houses and

Doves Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

. The concert, known as "Summer in the City", was played to a sold-out audience of 30,000. Two days later, original drummer Stuart Cable was found dead in his home in

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...

having choked on his own vomit after

binge drinking Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions vary considerably. Binge drinking is a style of ...

. After the Keep Calm and Carry On Tour concluded, and their contract with Universal at an end, Kelly Jones wanted to change the way the band worked and so decided to take a break from writing and recording an album every two years.

More Drummer changes, ''Graffiti on the Train'', ''Keep the Village Alive'' and ''Scream Above the Sounds'' (2011–2018)

On 3 March 2011, Stereophonics announced that they were working on new music in the studio. In July 2012 it was announced that Weyler and the band had parted company. It was announced on 24 September 2012 that

, former drummer for

Noisettes Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their seco ...

, had replaced Weyler in the band. On 8 October 2012, Stereophonics released the video to a track titled " Violins and Tambourines" from the upcoming album. On 4 November, the first single from the new album, " In a Moment", was released as a free download from the band's website. On the same day, NME.com reported that the album would be titled ''

Graffiti on the Train ''Graffiti on the Train'' is the eighth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Produced by the group's lead-singer and guitarist Kelly Jones and Jim Lowe, it was released on 4 March 2013 on their own Stylus Records. It was the first St ...

''. The album was released on 4 March 2013. Second single preceding the album, "

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or mor ...

" was released in January 2013; by 10 March it had peaked at number 30 in the UK, making it their group's first UK top-40 single since 2007. A third single, the album's

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

, was released on 13 May. In late September 2014, it was announced that a new album has been mixed and that it should be released in 2015. On 21 March 2015, Stereophonics performed in Bristol and in London's Royal Albert Hall and debuted 3 new songs "C'est La Vie", "I Wanna Get Lost With You" and "Song for the Summer" which are to be on their 9th album ''

Keep the Village Alive ''Keep the Village Alive'' is the ninth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Released on 11 September 2015, it was produced by lead singer and guitarist Kelly Jones, along with Jim Lowe. It is intended to be the second of two album vo ...

'' with the release date of 11 September. "C'est la Vie" was released as the first single of the album. In September 2015 the band appeared on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

's '' Later... with Jools Holland''. During the Keep the Summer Alive Tour, Kelly Jones announced he would like to release the band's tenth studio album "before next summer" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ''Word Gets Around'', rather than release a compilation album. On 27 July 2017 the band announced ''

Scream Above the Sounds ''Scream Above the Sounds'' is the tenth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Released on 27 October 2017 by Parlophone Records, it was produced by lead singer and guitarist Kelly Jones, along with Jim Lowe. Background In 2015, Stereop ...

'' as the title for the album and will be released on 27 October 2017. It became available to pre-order on the same day. The album was released under the new distribution label "Parlophone", as the band parted ways with the old label V2. The band released "All In One Night" on the same day as the lead single from it. On 4 September 2017 "Caught By The Wind" was released as the second single from the album followed by "Before Anyone Knew Our Name" as the third single on 20 October 2017.They released the album's fourth and final single, "What's All the Fuss About?" on 4 December 2017. They embarked on the Scream Above The Sounds tour in 2018.

''Kind'' and ''Oochya!'' (2019–2024)

In January 2019, Stereophonics announced two shows as part of Forest Live, the summer concert series promoted by the

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

Commission: 13 June at

Westonbirt Arboretum Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is an arboretum in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of the town of Tetbury. Managed by Forestry England, it is perhaps the most important and widely known arboretum in the United Kingdom. Planted in ...

, near

Tetbury Tetbury is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish inside the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon monastery was found ...

, Gloucestershire and 23 June at

Thetford Forest Thetford Forest is the largest lowland pine forest in Britain and is located in a region straddling the north of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk in England. It covers over in the form of a Site of Special Scientific Interest A S ...

, near

Brandon, Suffolk Brandon is a town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. Brandon is located in the Breckland area of Suffolk in the extreme north-west of the county, close to the adjoining county of Norfolk. It lies between the towns of Bury St E ...

. '' Kind'' became their seventh number-one album later that year. Originally intending to release another greatest hits album, the band announced their twelfth album, ''

Oochya! ''Oochya!'' is the twelfth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released on 4 March 2022 on Ignition Records. It was supported by a 2022 UK arena tour. Background ''Oochya!'' originally began life when the band were planning a 25th ...

'' on 6 September 2021. It became their eighth number-one album. On 18 June 2022, the second of the band's two concerts at the

Principality Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...

in Cardiff, was broadcast live on

BBC One Wales BBC One Wales is a Welsh free-to-air television channel owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales. It is the Welsh variation of the UK-wide BBC One network and is broadcast from Central Square in Cardiff. History and operation The first televisi ...

and

, with special guest Sir Tom Jones.

''Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry, Make 'Em Wait (2025–)''

On 7 October 2024, the band announced a world tour, "Stadium Anthems Summer '25," to accompany their as-yet unnamed upcoming studio album. Tickets went on sale in the UK on 11 October, with subsequent venues being released gradually. On 30 January 2025, the band announced their 13th studio album ''

Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry, Make 'Em Wait ''Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry, Make 'Em Wait'' is the thirteenth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released on 25 April 2025 through EMI. With a runtime of about 30 minutes, the album is the shortest in the band's history. ...

'' which would be released on 25 April. The same day, they released their first single from that album, "There's Always Gonna Be Something", which peaked at 100 on the UK Official Singles Downloads Chart.

Other projects

On 9 October 2007, a retrospective DVD was released in the United States, '' Rewind: The First 10 Years''. The DVD is a double disc with a runtime of nearly four hours. Much of this footage was recorded around the time that the ''You Gotta Go There to Come Back'' album was being recorded. This is because a similar band history DVD was listed for release shortly after that album but was never released, due to the departure of Stuart Cable. This explains Jones' hairstyle (circa 2003/2004) in the interview footage and the appearance of Stuart and the rest of the band freely talking about their togetherness and solidarity as the original three members. The original footage was updated by adding further footage to the end, bringing it up to date with the band's fifth album. Stuart does not appear on any of the extra footage. Availability coincides with the US re-release of the ''Language.Sex.Violence.Other?'' DVD, and the worldwide digital debut of their latest studio album, ''

''. In 2007, Jones released a solo album, titled ''

'', while recording the band's sixth studio album, ''Pull the Pin''. The album contains ten tracks (all named after women) and features minimal instrumentation. The album also includes the song "Jayne", a previously unreleased Stereophonics track featured on the live album ''

Live from Dakota ''Live from Dakota'' is the first live album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It is a 2-disc compilation featuring 20 tracks spanning the first five of the band's albums and capturing the best of their 2005 world tour. Rather than being a rec ...

'' and the ''Rewind'' DVD. Stereophonics also performed the original opening theme tune for the TV series ''

Long Way Round ''Long Way Round'' (''LWR'') is a British television series and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York City on motorcycles. They travelled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska, a ...

''. The song's lyrics were slightly altered for the follow-up series, ''

Long Way Down ''Long Way Down'' is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South ...

and

Long Way Up ''Long Way Up'' is a British television series which debuted on 18 September 2020, documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2019 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from Ushuaia in Argentina through South and Central America to Los Ang ...

''.

Members

Current members *

– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano (1992–present) * Richard Jones – bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals (1992–present) *

– guitar, backing vocals (2007–present) *

– drums, percussion (2012–present) Current touring musicians *Tony Kirkham – keyboards, piano, harmonica, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1999–present) *Gavin Fitzjohn – saxophone, guitar (2018–present) Former members *

– drums, percussion (1992–2003; died 2010) * Javier Weyler – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2004–2012) Former touring musicians *Scott James – guitar, backing vocals (2001–2004) *Aileen McLaughlin – backing vocals (2002–2003) *Anna Ross – backing vocals (2002–2003) *

– drums, percussion (2003–2004) *Sam Yapp – drums, percussion (2012)

Timeline

Discography

*''

'' (1997) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2003) *'' Language. Sex. Violence. Other?'' (2005) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2013) *''

'' (2015) *''

'' (2017) *'' Kind'' (2019) *''

'' (2022) *''

'' (2025)

Awards and nominations

References

Notes Footnotes Bibliography *

External links

Official websiteStereophonics on Allmusic
{{Authority control Cool Cymru Brit Award winners Kerrang! Awards winners Musical groups established in 1992 1992 establishments in Wales Welsh musical quartets Welsh alternative rock groups Ignition Records artists V2 Records artists