Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band that formed in 1992 in Cwmaman, Wales. The band is currently comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing vocalist Adam Zindani and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards), the group having originally also included drummer Stuart Cable. Stereophonics have released six studio albums, of which five have topped the UK Albums Chart; their seventh, Keep Calm and Carry On, is due for release in November 2009. A successful compilation album was also released in November 2008 – Decade in the Sun charted at number two in the United Kingdom.
Described as "classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals," the band have been summarised as possessing a sound akin to the genres of alternative rock and "British trad[itional] rock." Stereophonics' debut album, Word Gets Around, was released in August 1997 and instantly charted at number six in the UK, aided by the singles "Local Boy in the Photograph", "More Life in a Tramps Vest" and "A Thousand Trees", all of which failed to affect the top 20. The band reached mainstream success with the release of Performance and Cocktails (and its promotional singles "The Bartender and the Thief", "Just Looking" and "Pick a Part That's New") in 1999 and have achieved a total of ten top-ten singles as well as one number-one: 2005's "Dakota". The band have also been praised for their live performances, which have landed them headlining slots at many of the UK's most high-profile music festivals, including Reading and Leeds in 2000, Glastonbury in 2002, V festival in 2002 and the Isle of Wight in 2004 and 2009.
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