Stereophonics: adored by artists but hated by critics
Regarding sales alone, Stereophonics remain one of Britain’s biggest bands. Earlier this year, they played two sold-out homecoming shows at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with over 60,000 fans attending each concert. Yet, despite earning praise from the likes of Bob Dylan and David Bowie, the band have never recieved the same respect as some of their peers.
The Welsh rockers, fronted by Kelly Jones, formed in 1992 and have a jaw-dropping eight number one albums in the UK to their name. Astoundingly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Coldplay are the only British bands to have earned more. Unlike the other groups mentioned, the music of Stereophonics hasn’t been translated internationally, which is a significant reason they aren’t seen as superstars.
Cracking the United States has been the holy grail for British bands since The Beatles did so in the 1960s. Stereophonics have never made a dent in the US, but it wasn’t for want of trying. Despite supporting David Bowie on tour in 2003, success across the Atlantic has remained out of reach for the group. Their only album to chart in the States is 2001’s Just Enough Education to Perform, which landed at 188.
On home shores, Stereophonics have always been met with meddling reviews, even when they were on the ascent. Perhaps, this is because of their rudimentary brand of rock, which didn’t re-invent the wheel but does what it says on the tin, and their fans love it. Additionally, there’s not one album in their collection that’s revered as a classic in the same sense as Oasis’ Definitely Maybe or Radiohead’s The Bends. In theory, you need to have created an undisputed masterpiece to become a legendary band, and that’s where Stereophonics fall short.
In 2017, Bob Dylan surprised many when he declared his love for the Welsh group, which of course, pleasantly surprised Jones. The frontman told the New York Times: “The only thing I can put it down to is the storytelling. That’s what’s always been in our music — a beginning, middle and end. I’ve always loved that in Bob’s work; my favourite Dylan song is ‘Who Killed Davey Moore?’ which is about a boxer that died in the ring.”
Furthermore, Bowie was also a fan of their work and invited them to be his special guests across North America in 2003. Every night of the run, he’d watch their set and offer them advice that inspired Jones to write the band’s hit single, ‘Dakota’.
Jones recalled: “I would walk off the stage and I would walk towards the dressing room, and [Bowie] would put his arm on my shoulder and he would walk with me and say, ‘You know, if you extended a few of those songs, you might be fucking onto something’. So I wrote this song, this is called ‘Dakota'”.
Ultimately, despite their undeniable success and ability to write anthems, Stereophonics were never the zeitgeist. They were a throwback to a different era, and the fact they weren’t critical darlings likely made their appeal to their fans even stronger, as well as inadvertently helping them achieve such spectacular longevity.
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