U.S. Regional and Local Music Scenes
Local Cambridge, UK Music Scene
The most legendary band from Cambridge has been Pink Floyd. Katrina and the Waves made a mark in the
80s. In the new century Passion Pit has been the most celebrated band from Cambridge. Other acts from
the region include the Soft Boys, 27, Henry Cow, Chester French, Dolly Mixture, Either/Orchestra, Galaxie 500,
Ezio and the Shivers. Cambridge University has been the center for a lot of up and coming music in the area.
The Pink Floyd story is by far the most compelling musical story to come from Cambridge. Both Syd Barrett
and David Gilmour grew up in Cambridge, where they met Roger Waters. Gilmour attended Cambridge Technical
College and studied modern languages. The band began recording albums on Columbia Records in 1967. Their
most monumental albums were Dark Side of the Moon in 1973 and The Wall in 1979. They have since
become one of the best selling bands of all time.
The Soft Boys were pioneers in punk-inspired power-pop during the 1970s. They were originally called Dennis
and the Experts where formed in Cambridge in 1976. Guitarist Robyn Hitchcock went on to gain more attention
with Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians. Hitchcock moved to Cambridge in 1974 after attending art school in London.
Some of Hitchcock's best work is from the 1990s when he was on A&M Records. Egyptians member Kimberley Rew
went on to form Katrina and the Waves.
Katrina and the Waves was a band the lastest throughout the eighties and nineties on the strength of one
big hit called "Walking on Sunshine." The singer was Katrina Leskanich, who was originally from Topeka, Kansas
in the United States. Her father was in the U.S. Air Force and moved the family frequently. In 1976 Katrina
lived in London. By 1982 her band was based in Cambridge. Following the enormous success of "Walking on Sunshine"
in 1985 they had a series of mid-chart singles. In 1997 they won the Eurovision Song Contest with "Love Shine a Light."
Some of the places in Cambridge to see live shows include Fez Club, Ballare Nightclub, The Corner House Pub
and Barfly. Top local acts listed for Cambridge on Reverbnation in December 2013 include Alicia Catling,
Fred's House, Derecho, Alex Highton, Khalilah Rose, John J. MacDonald, Uberkill, Flaming Jine,
Rudy Jackman and Pia Dean.
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