Alpinestars

Richard Woolgar and Gly Thomas, both based in Manchester, assembled their duo after local club promoters dared the pair to create a full hour of original material. Drawing from New Order and Depeche Mode, they adopted the name Alpinestars, lifted directly from Thomas’s mountain bike, and delivered on the request. The resulting show proved successful enough that the newly christened act issued its first EP, Less Vegas, in 1999. Before the year was out, Silicon Chick and Kitzbuhel Weekend followed, paving the way for the full-length debut B.A.S.I.C. in early 2001. Mid-2002 brought the next album, White Noise, whose expanded focus on vocals and live instrumentation included a contribution from Placebo’s Brian Molko.