Rooster

Despite being more indebted to '70s rock than blink-182-style power pop, U.K. four-piece Rooster were still — perhaps unfairly — lumped in the same teen rock category as Busted and McFly. Singer Nick Atkinson had previously fronted nu metal outfit 50 Grind, who had a minor hit with a track from the Pokemon movie soundtrack. But after the band split, he reunited with childhood friend Luke Potashnick and — inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Cream, and Guns N' Roses — the pair started writing songs together. After recruiting drummer Dave Neale, an old touring contact of Potashnick's, and bassist Ben Smyth via an advertisement in the rock press, Rooster were formed. Named after a horse that Atkinson won £250 on, they became the first act signed to Hugh Goldsmith's Brightside label and soon built up a largely teenage girl audience thanks to their photogenic looks and appearance at several festivals.

Their first single, "Come Get Some," reached number seven in 2004, and months later they became the first ever group to broadcast a live concert over the 3G mobile phone network. At the beginning of 2005, the success of second single "Staring at the Sun" (number four) helped their self-titled debut album to reach the Top Three, and after further singles "You're So Right for Me" (number 14) and "Deep and Meaningless" (number 29), the bandmembers started work on their second album. With a much more polished sound, they released comeback single "Home" in 2006, but despite strong radio support, it missed the Top 30 and the release of parent album Circles and Satellites was delayed. A second single, "Good to Be Here," taken from the Stormbreaker soundtrack, was released as a download-only single but failed to reignite interest in the band, and the album's release was shelved indefinitely. Rooster announced their split through their MySpace page in 2007. Since then, Smyth has joined British soft rock band Chinastyle and Atkinson is working on a solo career. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi