Speedway

The U.K. press drew comparisons between the Scottish pop/rock quartet Speedway and Blondie along with the Pretenders, although the group never converted that praise into meaningful commercial chart results. Jill Jackson and drummer Jim Duguid, both from Glasgow, launched the band—its title taken from an Elvis Presley movie—once they recognized their common enthusiasm for U2. Bassist Tom Swann and guitarist Dan Sells joined next, with Chris Leonard stepping in later for Sells, and the lineup delivered its debut performance at the 1999 opening of the Scottish Parliament. After gaining notice as one of Scotland’s strongest unsigned acts, the four-piece drew interest from label executive Hugh Goldsmith via a show at Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. In 2002 the musicians signed to Innocent Records, an imprint usually tied to manufactured pop acts, then toured universities throughout the U.K. Their debut single arrived the following year, a mashup of Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” and the Strokes’ “Hard to Explain” that climbed to number ten. After supporting labelmates Blue on a U.K. trek, the band issued the follow-up single “Can’t Turn Back,” which reached number 12, and the debut album Save Yourself, which landed at number 42. Once they opened for Bryan Adams, Speedway disbanded when third single “In and Out” managed only number 31. Jackson subsequently formed a duo with Irish singer/songwriter Gianna Cassidy, released her own solo acoustic album, and began writing new material in Nashville. Duguid co-wrote multiple tracks on These Streets, the debut album by former Speedway roadie Paolo Nutini, while Sells became frontman of the hugely successful the Feeling.