A Brit-heavy roster of bands is headed this way for Dubai Sound City, a three-day musical extravaganza taking place across the emirate. City Times previews the big-hitters performing on the Irish Village main stage

Thursday, November 5

THE HUMAN LEAGUE

Hailing from the northern English city of Sheffield, The Human League pioneered the severe yet catchy 80s synth-pop which so many acts have since tried to replicate. The group have been together since 1977, releasing nine albums during that spell.

Key songs: Don’t You Want Me, Tell Me When, (Keep Feeling) Fascination

Strange but true: Upon seeing The Human League perform live in 1978, David Bowie declared they were “the future of pop music”. Other acts weren’t so kind, with Johnny Rotten calling them “trendy hippies” and The Undertones also taking a sly dig at the band in their hit single My Perfect Cousin.

DOVES

This three-piece from suburban Manchester played in various outfits together and apart as teens, before scoring a massive dance hit with Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) in 1993 under the name Sub Sub. But after growing disillusioned with the dance scene, and seeing their studio burning down, the band relaunched themselves as contemplative indie rockers Doves in 1998. They’ve since had two UK number one albums and supported U2, Oasis and Coldplay.

Key songs: There Goes the Fear, Pounding, Black and White Town

Strange but true: Doves recently played a concert with the London Bulgarian Choir in the English capital. The 40-strong choir reinterpreted a series of the band’s songs and performed them on stage alongside the group, who have just released fourth album Kingdom of Rust.

THE FUTUREHEADS

Known for their tightly-woven harmonies, this British quartet are still best known for breakthrough single Hounds of Love in 2005, a jaunty call-and-response reimagining of Kate Bush’s 1986 classic. That same year, they embarked on an NME tour of the UK with The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party (whose frontman Kele Okereke will play a DJ set at Chi@The Lodge on Friday November 6).

Key songs: Hounds of Love, Decent Days and Nights, Area

Strange but true: The Futureheads began while three of its members were working as tutors to help underprivileged kids discover music.

THE FARM

This Liverpudlian band hit the big time in 1991 with debut album Spartacus. Released after the death of drummer Andy McVann, who died in a car crash while being chased by police, the album hit number one and is considered one of the seminal albums of the ‘Madchester’ era.

Key songs: All Together Now, Groovy Train

Strange but true: In 1992, The Farm released a cover of Don’t You Want Me by fellow Dubai Sound City attendees The Human League.

ASLAN

Since forming in the mid-80s, Aslan have endured through the dramas of rock star excess and life on the road. The Dubliners have collaborated with the likes of Sinead O’Connor and the Alabama 3, and remain hugely popular in Ireland to this day.

Key songs: Crazy World, Where’s the Sun, She’s So Beautiful

Strange but true: In 2001, Aslan swept past Kylie Minogue to top the Irish charts with their album Waiting for this Madness to End.

Friday, November 6

THE HAPPY MONDAYS

The notoriously hard-living Happy Mondays mixed Manchester’s prevailing rave scene in the late-80s with shots of retro soul and funk.

Fronted by Shaun Ryder and featuring the infamous maraca-shaking Bez, the group has had a tumultuous history with various addictions afflicting its members. Despite breaking up twice, The Happy Mondays will celebrate 30 years since their inception in 2010.

Key songs: Step On, Kinky Afro

Strange but true: In 1997, Shaun Ryder appeared on popular British talk show TFI Friday, which was filmed live in an early evening slot. Ryder swore numerous times during his interview, despite repeated requests to tone down his language. The show was forced to go pre-recorded following the incident, and the singer remains barred from appearing on Channel 4 to this day.

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE

These five men from Birmingham were hyped by Noel Gallagher as, “the only other band (besides Oasis) that matter then, now and for the future”.

In their mid-90s heyday, in which OCS played the record-breaking Knebworth concerts with Oasis and worked closely with Paul Weller, the group notched a massive hit with album Moseley Shoals. This was followed by three more top 10 albums in the UK.

The Riverboat Song was the theme tune for TFI Friday, while Hundred Mile High City was included prominently in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.

Key songs: The Day We Caught the Train, The Riverboat Song, The Circle

Strange but true: Marchin’ Already, Ocean Colour Scene’s follow-up to Moseley Shoals, gave the band their only UK number one album in 1997. It displaced Be Here Now by Oasis, whose support helped propel them to the top.

DE LA SOUL

Funky hip-hop pioneers De La Soul enjoyed a wildly successful start to their career, with their dazzling off-the-wall debut 3 Feet High and Rising.

The influential New Yorkers have since continued to blaze an inventive trail through the genre, winning a Grammy for collaborating with Gorillaz in 2005 for Feel Good Inc.

Key songs: The Magic Number, Me, Myself and I, Feel Good Inc

Strange but true: 1960s pop band The Turtles sued De La Soul for using a sample from one of their songs without permission, in a track called Transmitting Live From Mars. The Turtles won what was to be a landmark case – from that point on, all samples had to be given the thumbs up before a record could hit shelves.

THE COURTEENERS

Since forming three years ago, Manchester indie-rock outfit The Courteeners have become known both for their catchy tunes and for frontman Liam Fray’s big mouth.

Fray has been quoted in the past as saying he wanted to wear an Oasis T-shirt to a Blur gig (reigniting the Britpop battle of the 1990s), and he has often been compared to his namesake Liam Gallagher in the press.

“It’s like this: we’re the best rock and roll band in the world, no question. No one has it like us. No one has better songs. No one plays better gigs,” said the singer in one interview.

Key songs: What Took You So Long?, Not Nineteen Forever

Strange but true: The Courteeners have acquired an impressive celebrity fanbase already. Indie gloom-monger Morrissey is a huge fan, and Bono and The Edge from U2 both attended one of their gigs last year.

GABRIELLA CILMI

Aussie songbird Gabriella Cilmi registered her first smash last year with Sweet About Me, a provocative number which topped the chart in her homeland and hit top 10s across Europe.

Gabriella, who only turned 18 a few weeks ago, also snagged a winner with her first album Lessons to be Learned – seeing her compared to the likes of Anastasia and Amy Winehouse.

Key songs: Sweet About Me, Save the Lies

Strange but true: Gabriella was influenced by music from a young age. Her mother listened to Janice Joplin and Cat Stevens, while her father was more into heavier acts such as Blondie and T-Rex. As a child, she used to perform Led Zeppelin covers in the garage of her parents’ Melbourne home.

OUTLANDISH

Danish hip-hop trio Outlandish combine a diverse background of different faiths and heritages to create a truly unusual musical soundscape.

Together for 12 years, the band’s biggest hit to date was with pop song Aicha. They have travelled the world trying to promote peace and understanding between cultures and religions.

Key songs: Walou, Aicha, Look Into My Eyes

Strange but true: A Belgian teenager became an inadvertent YouTube star with his cringeworthy bedroom cover of Aicha. “I don’t think he’s trying to copy us. I think he’s trying to put some feelings into the song that are very…original!” Waqas from the group told City Times earlier this year.

Saturday, November 7

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

Fronted by Ian McCulloch, these Liverpool stalwarts have recorded five top 10 studio albums since the 1980s.

The post-punkers have also proved an influential bunch, and were awarded an ‘Inspiration Award’ by Q Magazine in 2002 for their impressive back catalogue.

Key songs: The Cutter, The Killing Moon, Nothing Lasts Forever

Strange but true: Two members of Echo & The Bunnymen have been killed in motorcycle accidents. Drummer Pete de Freitas died in 1989 while travelling to London. Keyboardist Jake Brockman, who joined shortly after, also passed away after colliding with an ambulance in the Isle of Man just over a month ago.

THE WOMBATS

This fun indie-pop three-piece met while studying at Paul McCartney’s Institute of Performing Arts in Liverpool.

Since forming in 2003, The Wombats have performed at prestigious venues such as Wembley Stadium (prior to this year’s Community Shield game between Chelsea and Manchester United) and the Liverpool Arena (to help celebrate the city being named the European Capital of Culture in 2008).

Key songs: Let’s Dance to Joy Division, Moving to New York

Strange but true: The Wombats have appeared as guest stars in Aussie soap opera Neighbours, an enduring favourite in Britain. Earlier this year while touring Down Under, they made a cameo in the show – following in the footsteps of The Pet Shop Boys and Emma Bunton.

ALPHABEAT

Giving a colourful 21^st-century twist to the synth-pop genre created by the likes of The Human League, Alphabeat are sure to have heads shaking and toes tapping at Dubai Sound City.

The Danish six-piece initially hit it big in Scandinavia with the ultra-catchy Fascination, before rolling out onto the rest of the world. New album The Spell is set to be released imminently, following their UK top 10 debut This Is Alphabeat.

Key songs: Fascination, Boyfriend

Strange but true: Alphabeat were asked to open for The Spice Girls during the UK leg of their 2007-8 world tour. They turned down the offer though, with guitarist Anders B claiming it would have been “too weird” at such an early stage of their career.

SUPER FURRY

ANIMALS

Who would have thought a wacky bunch of Welshmen would last so long?

Mixing poppy sensibilities with general absurdity, the Super Furry Animals have achieved steady success over the past 16 years – even reaching number 11 in the charts with 2000’s Mwng, an album recorded entirely in Welsh.

Key songs: Golden Retriever, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, Something 4 the Weekend

Strange but true: The band’s debut EP – entitled Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in Space) – was named after a Welsh town. It won the Guinness World Record for the longest ever title for an EP.

NITIN SAWNHEY

Indian-British musician Nitin Sawnhey has won all manner of critical superlatives for his unique approach and ability to skip between a variety of genres.

The multi-instrumentalist has won numerous awards for his output, and has worked with artists including Sting, Sir Paul McCartney and Jeff Beck.

Key songs: My Soul, Broken Skin

Strange but true: As a young man, Sawnhey helped form comedy act The Secret Asians. After being given their own show on BBC Radio, the collective eventually graduated into television with the classic British sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.

THE AUTOMATIC

Hyperactive Welsh whippersnappers The Automatic created the monster hit of summer 2006 with – well – Monster.

Their debut album Not Accepted Anywhere peaked at number three in the UK charts, though follow-up This Is A Fix fared considerably worse commercially, only hitting number 44.

In between the two albums, screechy keyboardist/vocalist Pennie left the band, to be replaced by Paul Mullen of Yourcodenameis:Milo.

Key songs: Monster, Recover, Raoul

Strange but true: In their early days, the band used to demand a shrine be built to David Hasselhoff as part of their pre-show rider.

adam@khaleejtimes.com