Pop Will Eat Itself

Pop Will Eat Itself formed in Stourbridge in 1986, Clint Mansell and the band developing a sound that drew on rock, hip-hop, and industrial music in ways that felt completely original. They were part of the same West Midlands scene as Ned's Atomic Dustbin and The Wonder Stuff. Their music was loud, sample-heavy, and possessed of a dark humour that was entirely their own.

'Box Frenzy' (1987) and 'This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!' (1989) established the template. 'Def Con One', 'Can U Dig It?', and 'Ich Bin Ein Ausländer' were all excellent singles. The band's use of samples and their industrial rock sound was ahead of its time — they were making music in the late 1980s that wouldn't become mainstream until the mid-1990s.

PWEI split in 1996. Mansell went on to become one of the most respected film composers in Hollywood — his score for 'Requiem for a Dream' is one of the most recognisable in cinema. The band reformed in 2005 and have continued to perform. Their influence on subsequent industrial rock and alternative music is considerable.