History: The members of Bush come from Sheperd's Bush (hence the name of the band), a suburb of London, England. Rossdale and Pulsford met in 1992, and the two bonded over similar musical tastes, and formed the nucleus of Bush, which was signed to American label Trauma in 1994, recording their debut album Sixteen Stone. (A stone is a British measurement, equal to 14 pounds, making 16 stone equal to 224 pounds.)Their first recognition came when Los Angeles rock radio station KROQ started playing the bands first single, Everything Zen, and the video was soon getting airplay in MTV's BuzzBin. Here in Canada, the band (known as Bush X because of copyright problems) got attention early in 1996 with the release of Glycerine, and that song's steady airplay on MuchMusic and most top 40 radio stations. Sixteen Stone has sold millions of copies in Canada and the U.S., and is seven times platinum in the States. However, back home in England, the band remains virtually unknown, gaining nowhere near the popularity of fellow Brit acts such as Oasis. The band, which has been touring virtually non-stop for the last two years, released their latest album, Razorblade Suitcase, last November 21. They are just about to begin their North American tour, accompanied by Veruca Salt. (If anyone has dates and venues, mail me-I'll put them up.)

Smells like Nirvana: Just about all the critics have accused Bush of trying to be this Seattle band. Personally I disagree since I love Bush and don't particularly like Nirvana, but maybe that's just me...Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl has said that Rossdale sings like the late Kurt Cobain, and even Rossdale (who is friends with Courtney Love) has said that the band 'basically tried to rip off' Nirvana producer Steve Albini on Bush's first album. (Albini went on to produce the band's new album, Razorblade Suitcase) Rossdale has been quoted as saying that 'you gotta have influences, and I always just figured we had pretty good taste.' But the band also says that they don't really sound like Nirvana, and any similarities result mainly from the fact that Cobain and Rossdale had similar influences. Still, despite being a huge commercial success, the critics still won't give Bush a break, refusing to take them seriously for every reason, from the Nirvana thing to Rossdale's good looks.

The Lyrics: Asked whether the music or the lyrics are the most important part of a song, Gavin says the words are, because 'there are only so many guitar chords.'

So click here for the lyrics:

• Comedown
• Everything Zen
• Glycerine
• Greedy Fly
• Little Things
• Machinehead
• Swallowed

The Gavin Page: OK, so he's only one quarter of this very good band, but I still can't help myself-Gavin Rossdale is, for a bunch of reasons, one of the coolest musicians around. So check out this collection of photos and information.

click here for a review of Razorblade Suitcase

Also: O.K., so we are all agreed that Gavin's the hottest guy in all of music, but who's the hottest guy in all of music? Here's what you said...

What's your favourite Bush song? Fill out my survey

British Invasion II: All of a sudden, British accents are all over the radio, and it seems like you can't turn on MuchMusic or MusiquePlus (Canadian and Quebecois MTV, for those who are wondering) without seeng a video with Noel Gallagher in it. Here are some links for other hot Brit bands:

check out the American official site, and the English official site

this page by Nadia Gibbs