THE tragedy of Welsh origins limits any possible success in music much as it does in any other field. These bands came from the wrong side of Offa’s Dyke:

Stereophonics

Songs about the delightful idiosyncrasies of their local community provided novelty: yes, old ladies do make a fuss when buying fruit and vegetables! Sadly, the trio soon bumped up against the barriers of their insular worldview and by their third album were singing about caravan holidays. The public wisely moved on.

Catatonia

References to the zeitgeist – Mulder, Scully and road rage were all equally massive in 1998 – got them into the upper reaches of the charts. Unfortunately, their contact with the outside world saw them recoil in horror, penning tracks about how much they hated London and how fantastic it was to be

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