Del Amitri

Del Amitri emerged from Glasgow in 1980, led by singer-songwriter Justin Currie, whose wry cynicism and melodic sophistication became the band's signature. Their commercial breakthrough arrived with 1990's Wicked Game and particularly 1992's Change Everything, which yielded the transatlantic hit "Always the Last to Know". The band's sound married jangle-pop guitars with Americana-inflected arrangements, Currie's baritone delivering caustic observations about relationships and disappointment that resonated throughout the Britpop era without quite belonging to it.

Twisted (1995) achieved platinum status in the UK, while "Roll to Me" became a US radio staple, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Del Amitri occupied a curious space in 1990s rock, too literate for pure mainstream appeal yet too accessible for alternative credibility. Their sardonic romantic realism and crafted hooks influenced a generation of Scottish songwriters. After disbanding in 2002, they reunited sporadically, releasing Fatal Mistakes in 2021. Del Amitri remain emblematic of a pre-internet moment when guitar bands could achieve chart success through songcraft alone, their melancholic wit documenting working-class romantic failure with uncommon eloquence.