Black Grape

Few bands carry as much Salford history as Black Grape, and fewer still arrived with a sound so deliberately mixed. Formed in 1993 by Shaun Ryder and Bez, the group grew out of the collapse of Happy Mondays and drew on former Ruthless Rap Assassins members for its rapping. Their music fuses funk and electronic rock, built on electronic programming and samples, giving the grooves a restless, sample-driven edge.

Their debut, It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah, topped the UK Albums Chart in 1995 and produced three top 20 singles, going platinum the following year. Its third single, Kelly's Heroes, took aim at celebrity worship, while Temazi Party mocked the temazepam craze, its title misspelt on the sleeve to dodge a possible injunction. The follow-up, Stupid Stupid Stupid, sold less well but was certified gold in 1998, the same year Ryder sacked the band on tour and the group split. A 2015 reunion gig led to a management deal with Creation, and the album Pop Voodoo arrived in 2017. Orange Head followed in January 2024, and Wags, the guitarist, died in March 2025.