Hurricane #1

Guitarist Andy Bell moved beyond the effects-heavy dream pop he had explored with Ride when he turned toward '70s-inspired rock in Hurricane #1. The lineup paired him with vocalist/guitarist Alex Lowe, a former boxer, plus bassist Will Pepper and drummer Gareth Farmer. Alan McGee’s Creation Records issued the self-titled debut Hurricane #1 in 1997, and the single “Step into My World” later appeared in a Volkswagen commercial. The April 1999 release of Only the Strongest Will Survive proved to be the final chapter, as Bell left to take up the bass role in Oasis.

After the breakup Lowe launched a solo career that yielded several independently produced albums. He simultaneously established himself as an abstract impressionist painter. A 2013 cancer diagnosis led to successful chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The following year McGee’s encouragement prompted Lowe to reassemble Hurricane #1 without Bell. Sixteen years after their last record, the group returned with the 2015 album Find What You Love and Let It Kill You.