Witness

Witness came out of Wigan with a reputation built partly on a friendship with a member of The Verve. Singer-songwriter Gerard Starkie and guitarist Ray Chan met at Wigan & Leigh College, and after years in local groups that never quite fitted their ambitions, they recorded four-track demos together, mixed by Nick McCabe. Their alternative rock was shaped across two albums for Island Records.

Their break came in September 1997, when Ray passed a demo to a Verve press contact backstage at Earl's Court, where The Verve were supporting Oasis. Within a week they had a three-album deal with Island, though the contract called them the 'Wigan Band'. 'Scars' entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 71 in March 1999, and the debut album, Before The Calm, produced by Phil Vinall at Rockfield Studios near Monmouth, followed in July to an NME review calling it astonishing. Under A Sun, released in July 2001 with a shift towards Americana, was named album of the year by Americana UK, though its singles missed the Top 75. The band split in 2004.