Cube

During their school years, childhood companions Chris Langdon on lead vocals and bass—brother to Royson and Antony Langdon of Spacehog—Nic Denson on guitars, and Jon Pike on drums assembled the group Stock Cube. Pete Denton later contributed guitar after suspending his ambitions as an actor and model. Polydor signed the band in 1998, following an intense A&R scramble triggered by a strong demo tape, at which point the name lost its “Stock” prefix while retaining a sound that blended raw edges with polish. That same year brought the rocking Shut up and Get on the Floor EP, which pointed toward promising prospects, and the debut single “Scrounger” appeared shortly afterward. Its distorted three-minute thrash, driven by Langdon’s spitting vocal, offered an early nod to the Stooges, whose resurgence as rock’s dominant influence would arrive only a year or two later. The debut album Fast Food arrived without achieving the impact many felt it warranted, leading the label to drop Cube before any follow-up could materialize. The band kept performing live and earned recognition as an exciting, assured rock act. Additional backing might have turned the story into the beginning of a longer career rather than its close; instead the members chose to part ways in early 2001.