Modern English is a model of consistency. Formed in Colchester, Essex, England, the band has had the same core line-up since 1977: vocalist Robbie Grey, guitarist Gary McDowell, bassist Mick Conroy and keyboardist Stephen Walker. In recent years, Modern English have been widely respected as innovators of post-punk, thanks to younger generations discovering their catalogue and new artists citing the band as an influence. This increased popularity has translated into sold-out tours of their early albums and a performance on the main stage of the 2023 Cruel World Festival in front of more than 25,000 people.
Rotterdam cult band Spasmodique celebrated 40 years in 2021. Originating in 1981, in the corridors of a psychogeriatric nursing home in Capelle a/d IJssel, the quartet developed into a relentless live band that played across Europe throughout the 1980s and early 1990s and released four studio albums.
