Finn Wolfhard’s five favourite British bands: “There’s a billion”
It doesn’t matter what period you look at, Finn Woldhard’s career has been surrounded by music.
The actor originally got his start on Stranger Things, arguably the most successful Netflix original and one of the most popular TV shows of all time, and what made it such a hit, apart from great acting and a compelling story, was also one of the greatest soundtracks in television.
Stranger Things was able to capture feelings of joy, nostalgia and suspense using nothing but a range of different songs. As soon as the first season was finished, people were flicking through whatever musical streaming service they used in a bid to make playlists of all the great tracks that appeared on their new favourite TV show.
Perhaps the power of the Stranger Things soundtrack was well and truly realised when the inclusion of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ led to the song becoming a global hit once again, decades after its original release. It wasn’t an overnight fad, either, as the song has well and truly found itself in the mainstream once again, such that it is now basically impossible to go on a night out without stumbling into a bar and not hearing the Bush classic.
“Thank you so much for sending this song on such an impossibly astonishing journey. I’m blown away,” said Kate Bush when talking about her song and it surpassing one billion streams, “I have an image of a river that suddenly floods and becomes many, many tributaries, a billion streams, on their way to the sea. Each one of these streams is one of you.”
Finn Wolfhard’s connection with music doesn’t start and stop at Stranger Things, though. Like a lot of the actors who helped create the Netflix hit, Wolfhard has gone on to make music. One of his most recent singles is called ‘Tunnels’, a track which is very much a reflection of the time in which he grew up, one rich with pop culture and that was flooded with influence.
Wolfhard admitted as much when talking about the track, discussing one of the leading singles from his new album, Fire From The Hip. “I grew up in such an incredible time for pop culture,” he said, “Of course, my music is influenced by these events I lived through. I’ll never forget recording this album”.
Given his music is such a reflection of the time when he grew up and modernity, it’s then interesting to find out that so many of his favourite bands, particularly his favourite British bands, were all making music decades ago. During a recent interview with Far Out in our ‘Existential Boozer’, it didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to music, and soon, Wolfhard was reeling off the British bands that mean the most to him.
“I’ll just say five from the top of my head,” he said, three-quarters of a Guinness sitting in front of him as his eyes stared into nothing and he began to flick through the library of artists he loves stored inside his head: “Let’s see. Buzzcocks, The Clash […] There’s a billion. Happy Mondays, New Order, Joy Division…”
Finn Wolfhard’s favourite British bands:
- Buzzcocks
- The Clash
- Happy Mondays
- New Order
- Joy Division
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Punk Newsletter
All the latest Punk content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.