A Musical World Tour Trivia Quiz

Answer: The New Vaudeville Band

The New Vaudeville Band came into existence when songwriter Geoff Stephens hired a group of session musicians to go into the studio to record his novelty song 'Winchester Cathedral'. Much to Stephens' surprise the record became a hit, reaching the top ten in his native UK and topping the singles chart in the USA. Such was the popularity of the single that it led to requests for the band to tour in the USA.

Unfortunately, since the band did not strictly exist, being only session musicians hired for the one-off recording session, Stephens was obliged to act quickly to recruit a live band. One of the members of The New Vaudeville Band was Bob Kerr, formerly of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.

The band did go on to have a few more hit singles in both the UK and USA, but their fame was short-lived and 'Winchester Cathedral' remains by far their most famous song.

Answer: Wolf Alice

Wolf Alice formed in 2010 but did not release their debut single, 'Fluffy', until 2013. The band released their debut album, 'My Love Is Cool', to widespread critical acclaim in both the UK and USA and have earned a devoted fanbase amongst fans of alternative music in a number of countries.

The song 'Moaning Lisa Smile' earned them a nomination for 'Best Rock Performance' at the 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony. 'Wolf Alice' is a story taken from Angela Carter's superb collection of feminist re-tellings of fairy tales 'The Bloody Chamber'.

Answer: They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants were formed in 1982 by founding members John Flansburgh and John Linnell. They are known for their charmingly quirky alternative pop and have also made records for children. They famously recorded the theme tune to the sitcom 'Malcolm in the Middle'.

The Canadian band The Four Lads were the first act to have a hit with this classic comedy song in 1953. It takes a humourous look at the 1930 renaming of Constantinople to Istanbul and also mentions New York once having been known as New Amsterdam. Most of the versions of this single featured another idiosyncratic They Might Be Giants song, 'James K. Polk', about the nineteenth century American president.

Answer: Electrelane

Electrelane formed in 1997 and are known for their tight and melodic sound and have performed live all over the world. The band released their debut album 'Rock It to the Moon' in 2001 to widespread critical acclaim and followed up with 2003's 'The Power Out' on which they worked with celebrated producer Steve Albini. Electrelane released their last album 'No Shouts, No Calls' in 2007.

They recorded the album in Berlin and it proved very popular with fans and critics, spawning the single 'To the East', which is probably the band's best known song.

Despite the success of 'No Shouts, No Calls', the band announced later in 2007 that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus, though they reformed briefly in 2011 to play some live shows.

Answer: The Beautiful South

The Beautiful South formed in 1988 following the demise of Hull-based jangle pop band The Housemartins. Former Housemartins members Paul Heaton and David Hemingway recruited three other musicians and recorded the band's 1989 debut album 'Welcome to the Beautiful South'.

The album met with immediate success, producing the UK number two hit 'Song for Whoever'. The band's second album, 'Choke', was also a hit and produced the band's only number one hit 'I Need A Little Time'. The Beautiful South went on to record a string of hit albums and singles, selling an estimated fifteen million records worldwide, before amicably splitting up in 2007.

Answer: The Moldy Peaches

The Moldy Peaches formed in 1994 when Dawson and Green met in a New York record shop. Over the next few years they recorded a number of home-made demos together which they self-released as limited edition tapes and CDs. The duo subsequently recruited other musicians to perform live with them.

The band were favourites on New York's underground anti-folk scene but it was their 2001 single, 'Who's Got the Crack', which brought them to international attention, being named 'Single of the Week' in the NME.

The band released their debut album 'The Moldy Peaches', on the Rough Trade label in 2001. The album comprised songs from many of their early demos. The Moldy Peaches are perhaps best known for their track 'Anyone Else but You', which featured prominently in the Oscar-nominated movie 'Juno'.

Answer: Rachel Stevens

'Sweet Dreams My La Ex' was written by Cathy Dennis and was originally offered to Britney Spears who turned it down. Rachel Stevens was just embarking on her solo career and recorded the song for her album 'Funky Dory'. The track became Stevens' debut solo single and also her biggest UK hit, peaking at number two in the chart.

Answer: Hefner

Hefner released their debut album, 'Breaking God's Heart', in 1998 on the Too Pure record label. Over the next few years the band released more albums which earned them a cult fanbase in the UK and brought them to the attention of legendary DJ John Peel who was a great supporter of the band's music.

Hefner's 2000 album, 'We Love the City', is more ambitious than much of their earlier work, featuring a wider range of instruments and more complex arrangements. It included the singles 'Good Fruit' and 'Greedy Ugly People' which both came close to giving the band a top forty hit.

Hefner went on indefinite hiatus in 2002, though the individual band members continue to make music.

Answer: Kirsty MacColl

The wonderful Kirsty MacColl wrote and recorded a number of excellent songs over her long career. She is probably best known for the singles 'There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis', her covers of Billy Bragg's 'A New England' and The Kinks' 'Days' and her duet with The Pogues on the Christmas classic 'Fairytale of New York'. Kirsty MacColl tragically died at the age of just forty-one, in 2000, when she was involved in a speed boat accident. Kirsty MacColl wrote 'Walking Down Madison, in collaboration with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and it featured on her solo album 'Electric Landlady'.

The song was something of a musical departure for MacColl, boasting a hip hop sound markedly different from much of her earlier work.

Answer: The Dresden Dolls

This is the only question in the quiz where the city is mentioned in the band name rather than a song title, but I could not resist including The Dresden Dolls in this quiz! The Dresden Dolls formed in 2000 and soon earned a devoted fanbase on the underground music scene.

Their early performances were characterised by lavish costumes and performances, paying tribute to the duo's love of cabaret, and audience members were encouraged to join in by performing such acts as stilt-walking and fire-eating.

This audience participation became a hallmark of the band's early shows. The duo's increased popularity led to the release of their debut self-titled album in 2003. Two of the tracks on the album, 'Girl Anachronism' and 'Coin-Operated Boy', were picked up by radio stations all over the world and brought the band to a wider international audience.

Their music is instantly recognisable for Palmer's extraordinary style of piano-playing and her distinctive vocal talents.