Straw

Mattie Bennett, who supplied vocals and guitar, first teamed with bassist Roger Power while both attended university in Bristol, laying the foundation for British pop outfit Straw. Keyboardist Duck soon joined, turning the project into a trio that initially went by the name Please and secured a quick deal with Arista—only to be dropped before any single appeared. After recruiting ex-Kings of Infinite Space drummer Andy Nixon and adopting the Straw moniker, the band moved to WEA and released its debut single, “Weird Superman,” during summer 1998. Three additional 1999 singles—“The Aeroplane Song,” “Moving to California,” and “Soundtrack of the Summer”—preceded the full-length Shoplifting, after whose completion Roger Power was removed from the group.