The Waterboys

Few bands have roamed as far across the map of popular music as the Waterboys. Formed in London in 1983 by the Scottish songwriter Mike Scott, the group has drawn on punk, rock and roll, Irish and Scottish folk, Celtic soul, noise rock, country, rhythm and blues and chamber music, with Scott as the one constant across its line-ups. Their early anthemic sound became known as "The Big Music", a name taken from a song on their second album.

Their debut, The Waterboys, arrived in July 1983, and A Pagan Place followed in June 1984. The band dissolved in 1993 when Scott left to pursue a solo career, but reformed in 2000 and has since alternated between rock and folk albums, with both styles returning in its recent work. Touring remains central: the group continues to release records and play worldwide, and Scott insists that the Waterboys and his solo work mean the same thing, namely himself and whoever travels with him.