Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Ned's Atomic Dustbin is an English rock band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in November 1987. The band took their name from an episode of radio comedy programme The Goon Show. The band is unusual for using two bass-players in their line-up.

Frontman and co-founder Jonn Penney has listed Joni Mitchell, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure and The Teardrop Explodes among his favourite artists. His favourite albums include Closing Time by Tom Waits and Architecture & Morality by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Ned's Atomic Dustbin quickly gathered a strong fanbase after being offered a support slot by local heroes The Wonder Stuff on their 1989 and 1990 UK tours. During 1990, Ned's Atomic Dustbin signed with Birmingham-based indie label Chapter 22 Records for their debut release, The Ingredients EP, followed by a single, "Kill Your Television", which reached No. 92 and No. 53 respectively in the UK singles chart. "Kill Your Television" also topped the UK independent singles chart. This, combined with their acclaimed live reputation, drew a huge crowd to their afternoon appearance on the main stage of the Reading Festival in August 1990. The buzz created was significant enough to catalyse the interest of major record labels. One final single for Chapter 22 followed, "Until You Find Out" which eventually stalled at No. 51. The band decided to sign to Sony Records, on the proviso that they be allowed to release their music through their own Furtive label – thus regaining a higher degree of creative control while still enjoying the benefit of the major label's distribution and advertising clout.

In March 1991, Ned's Atomic Dustbin found themselves in the UK top 20 with their next single, "Happy", their Sony/Furtive debut. It reached No. 16 and earned the band the first of two Top of the Pops appearances. They released their debut album God Fodder shortly afterwards, in April 1991, which made No. 4 in the UK albums chart. In July 1991, British music magazine NME noted that the band were, along with The KLF, Seal, The La's and Electronic, making their mark in the United States. The band released a new UK single, "Trust", towards the end of 1991, while America got the God Fodder versions of "Kill Your Television" and "Grey Cell Green", the video for the latter track proving to be a big hit on MTV's taste-making alternative show 120 Minutes. During 1991, the group toured around the world with, amongst others, Mega City Four, Senseless Things and Jesus Jones. They recorded their second album Are You Normal? in 1992, which was promoted by the singles "Not Sleeping Around", "Intact" and, in some European territories, "Walking Through Syrup".

Having headlined the NME stage at the Glastonbury Festival in 1992, the band spent the next couple of years on a worldwide tour, releasing a compilation of older non-album material and two new tracks called "0.522" in 1994 before decamping to Wales to record their final album, Brainbloodvolume. While still retaining the band's trademark melodic sensibilities, this album boasted a heavier, more diverse sound than their previous releases, moving away from the distinctive twin bass set-up to incorporate samplers and keyboards. Sony released the album in America before the UK, meaning that most die-hard fans bought it on import. This damaged its UK chart position when it was eventually released domestically, increasing tensions between the band and their label.^{[citation needed]}

Ned's Atomic Dustbin had one last UK top 40 single with "All I Ask of Myself Is That I Hold Together" in 1995, following a final appearance on The Word, while the uncharacteristically slow number, "Stuck", became the band's final single, making the BBC Radio One B-list. In 1995, after an extensive US tour to support Brainbloodvolume, Ned's Atomic Dustbin split up in New York City following what would be their final show.

Singer Penney formed a new band, Groundswell (initially featuring Ned's Atomic Dustbin guitarist, Rat), who recorded one single, "Corrode", and a studio album Plausible/Infeasible for New Jersey–based indie label, Gig Records. They disbanded shortly thereafter – in fact, the album was only actually released after their demise.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin took the stage in 2000 for the first time since their initial breakup for a show in Dudley with Groundswell members Andy King and Martin Warlow taking the place of Mat Cheslin and Rat. Originally billed as "the last 30 minutes of Ned's Atomic Dustbin," it was intended as an opportunity to say a proper goodbye to British fans who never got to see a final Ned's show. However, the resounding success convinced members of the band to continue working together, and they continue to perform sporadically ever since. 2004 saw the band perform two new songs, "Hibernation" and "Ambush". In 2005 they again played a few late-December gigs, and on 5 June 2006 their first new single in 11 years, "Hibernation", was released, supported with a weekend concert series called "Ned-Fest". The single was available as both a download and a CD, available to buy online via their website.

The video game NCAA Football 2006 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox features the song "Kill Your Television". Their song "Grey Cell Green" is featured in the video game Saints Row for the Xbox 360 platform, on "The Rock" radio station. The Neds' cover version of the Bay City Rollers song "Saturday Night" features in the movie So I Married an Axe Murderer.