Terris

In the Welsh city of Newport, four musicians came together in 1999 to form a band. Discovered by Richard Parfitt, a former member of the 60 Foot Dolls and a local figure of note, at the venue Le Pub in Newport, the group consisted of Gavin Goodwin on vocals, Alun Bound handling guitar, Owen Matthews on drums, and Neil Dugmore on keyboards. Expressing contempt toward fellow Welsh musicians, they positioned themselves as the redeemers of pop music. Goodwin's fervent passion, coupled with the band's shared disregard for both press outlets and fellow artists, propelled them to attention via a feature on the cover of New Musical Express, even with limited prior output. His tense stage presence drew parallels to Ian Curtis of Joy Division, and echoing Curtis's own views, Goodwin described creating music as an unavoidable drive instead of a path toward celebrity. The raw power evident in their limited edition EP The Time Is Now and first single ‘Cannibal Kids’ echoed the force found in punk and grunge eras. Despite this, the surrounding media excitement created unrealistic expectations for the band's first album, which came out in March 2001, though songs like ‘White Gold Way’ and ‘Deliverance’ revealed their considerable promise.