The La's

The La's formed in Liverpool in 1983, Lee Mavers developing a sound rooted in the Beatles and classic Merseybeat that felt both timeless and completely contemporary. The band spent years in the studio — Mavers's perfectionism was legendary — before Go! Discs finally released their debut album in 1990.

'There She Goes' (1988, re-released 1990) is one of the most perfect British pop singles ever recorded — a song of extraordinary melodic purity that has been covered hundreds of times and never bettered. The debut album was disowned by Mavers, who felt it didn't capture what the band were capable of. He has barely recorded since.

The La's split in 1992. Mavers has given occasional interviews over the decades, always suggesting new music is coming, but nothing has materialised. The single album they left behind is one of the finest British debut records of its era.