1.
Lisbon
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Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with a population of 552,700 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km². Its urban area extends beyond the administrative limits with a population of around 2.7 million people. About 2.8 million people live in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and it is continental Europes westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean, the westernmost areas of its metro area is the westernmost point of Continental Europe. Lisbon is recognised as a city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education. It is one of the economic centres on the continent, with a growing financial sector. Humberto Delgado Airport serves over 20 million passengers annually, as of 2015, and the motorway network, the city is the 7th-most-visited city in Southern Europe, after Istanbul, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens and Milan, with 1,740,000 tourists in 2009. The Lisbon region contributes with a higher GDP PPP per capita than any region in Portugal. Its GDP amounts to 96.3 billion USD and thus $32,434 per capita, the city occupies 32nd place of highest gross earnings in the world. Most of the headquarters of multinationals in the country are located in the Lisbon area and it is also the political centre of the country, as its seat of Government and residence of the Head of State. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, in 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural centre of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbons status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or confirmed officially – by statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the Constitution of Portugal. It has one of the warmest winters of any metropolis in Europe, the typical summer season lasts about four months, from June to September, although also in April temperatures sometimes reach around 25 °C. Although modern archaeological excavations show a Phoenician presence at this location since 1200 BC, another conjecture based on ancient hydronymy suggests that the name of the settlement derived from the pre-Roman appellation for the Tagus, Lisso or Lucio. Lisbons name was written Ulyssippo in Latin by the geographer Pomponius Mela and it was later referred to as Olisippo by Pliny the Elder and by the Greeks as Olissipo or Olissipona. The Indo-European Celts invaded in the 1st millennium BC, mixing with the Pre-Indo-European population and this indigenous settlement maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, which would account for the recent findings of Phoenician pottery and other material objects
2.
Portugal
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Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, to the west and south it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east and north by Spain. The Portugal–Spain border is 1,214 kilometres long and considered the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union, the republic also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. The territory of modern Portugal has been settled, invaded. The Pre-Celts, Celts, Carthaginians and the Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigothic, in 711 the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by the Moors, making Portugal part of Muslim Al Andalus. Portugal was born as result of the Christian Reconquista, and in 1139, Afonso Henriques was proclaimed King of Portugal, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal established the first global empire, becoming one of the worlds major economic, political and military powers. Portugal monopolized the trade during this time, and the Portuguese Empire expanded with military campaigns led in Asia. After the 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but unstable Portuguese First Republic was established, democracy was restored after the Portuguese Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution in 1974. Shortly after, independence was granted to almost all its overseas territories, Portugal has left a profound cultural and architectural influence across the globe and a legacy of over 250 million Portuguese speakers today. Portugal is a country with a high-income advanced economy and a high living standard. It is the 5th most peaceful country in the world, maintaining a unitary semi-presidential republican form of government and it has the 18th highest Social Progress in the world, putting it ahead of other Western European countries like France, Spain and Italy. Portugal is a pioneer when it comes to drug decriminalization, as the nation decriminalized the possession of all drugs for use in 2001. The early history of Portugal is shared with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula located in South Western Europe, the name of Portugal derives from the joined Romano-Celtic name Portus Cale. Other influences include some 5th-century vestiges of Alan settlements, which were found in Alenquer, Coimbra, the region of present-day Portugal was inhabited by Neanderthals and then by Homo sapiens, who roamed the border-less region of the northern Iberian peninsula. These were subsistence societies that, although they did not establish prosperous settlements, neolithic Portugal experimented with domestication of herding animals, the raising of some cereal crops and fluvial or marine fishing. Chief among these tribes were the Calaicians or Gallaeci of Northern Portugal, the Lusitanians of central Portugal, the Celtici of Alentejo, a few small, semi-permanent, commercial coastal settlements were also founded in the Algarve region by Phoenicians-Carthaginians. Romans first invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 219 BC, during the last days of Julius Caesar, almost the entire peninsula had been annexed to the Roman Republic. The Carthaginians, Romes adversary in the Punic Wars, were expelled from their coastal colonies and it suffered a severe setback in 150 BC, when a rebellion began in the north
3.
Circus
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The term circus also describes the performance which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Philip Astley is credited with being the father of the circus when he opened the first circus in 1768 in England. Early circuses were almost exclusively demonstrations of equestrian skills with a few types of acts to link the horsemanship performances. Performances developed significantly through the next fifty years, with large scale theatrical battle reenactments becoming a significant feature, as styles of performance have changed since the time of Astley, so too have the types of venues where these circuses have performed. The earliest modern circuses were performed in open air structures with limited covered seating, from the late 18th to late 19th century custom-made circus buildings were built with various types of seating, a centre ring, and sometimes a stage. The traditional large tents, commonly known as Big Tops were introduced in the mid 19th century as touring circuses superseded static venues and these tents eventually became the most common venue and remain so to the present day. Contemporary circuses perform in a variety of venues including tents, theatres, many circus performances are still held in a ring usually 13 m in diameter. This dimension was adopted by Philip Astley in the late 18th century as the minimum diameter that enabled a horse rider to stand upright on a cantering horse to perform their tricks. In the book De Spectaculis early Christian writer Tertullian claimed that the first circus games were staged by the goddess Circe in honour of her father Helios, the modern and commonly held idea of a circus is of a Big Top with various acts providing entertainment therein. For many, circus history begins with Englishman Philip Astley, while for others its origins go back much further—to Roman times. In Ancient Rome, the circus was a building for the exhibition of horse and chariot races, equestrian shows, staged battles, gladiatorial combat, the Roman circus buildings were, however, not circular but rectangular with semi circular ends. The lower seats were reserved for persons of rank, There were also various state boxes for the giver of the games, the circus was the only public spectacle at which men and women were not separated. It was constructed during the monarchy and, at first, built completely from wood, after being rebuilt several times, the final version of the Circus Maximus could seat 250,000 people, it was built of stone and measured 400m in length and 90m in width. Next in importance were the Circus Flaminius and the Circus Neronis, a fourth circus was constructed by Maxentius, its ruins have helped archaeologists reconstruct the Roman circus. For some time after the fall of Rome, large buildings fell out of use as centres of mass entertainment. Instead, itinerant performers, animal trainers and showmen travelled between towns throughout Europe, performing at local fairs, Astley performed stunts in a 42 ft diameter ring, which is the standard size used by circuses ever since. Astley referred to the arena as a Circle and the building as an amphitheatre. Joseph Grimaldi, the first mainstream clown, had his first major role as Little Clown in the pantomime The Triumph of Mirth, or, the Royal Circus opened in London on 4 November 1782 by Charles Dibdin and his partner Charles Hughes
4.
Dance
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Dance is a performance art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. This movement has aesthetic and symbolic value, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particular culture, Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by its historical period or place of origin. Other forms of movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming. Theatrical dance, also called performance or concert dance, is intended primarily as a spectacle and it often tells a story, perhaps using mime, costume and scenery, or else it may simply interpret the musical accompaniment, which is often specially composed. Examples are western ballet and modern dance, Classical Indian dance and Chinese and Japanese song, most classical forms are centred upon dance alone, but performance dance may also appear in opera and other forms of musical theatre. Such dance seldom has any narrative, a group dance and a corps de ballet, a social partner dance and a pas de deux, differ profoundly. Even a solo dance may be solely for the satisfaction of the dancer. On the other hand, some cultures lay down strict rules as to the dances in which, for example. Archeological evidence for early dance includes 9, 000-year-old paintings in India at the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka and it has been proposed that before the invention of written languages, dance was an important part of the oral and performance methods of passing stories down from generation to generation. The use of dance in trance states and healing rituals is thought to have been another early factor in the social development of dance. References to dance can be found in very early recorded history, Greek dance is referred to by Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, the Bible and Talmud refer to many events related to dance, and contain over 30 different dance terms. In Chinese pottery as early as the Neolithic period, groups of people are depicted dancing in a line holding hands, Dance is further described in the Lüshi Chunqiu. Primitive dance in ancient China was associated with sorcery and shamanic rituals, during the first millennium BCE in India, many texts were composed which attempted to codify aspects of daily life. Bharata Munis Natyashastra is one of the earlier texts and it mainly deals with drama, in which dance plays an important part in Indian culture. It categorizes dance into four types - secular, ritual, abstract, the text elaborates various hand-gestures and classifies movements of the various limbs, steps and so on. A strong continuous tradition of dance has since continued in India, through to modern times, where it continues to play a role in culture, ritual, and, notably, the Bollywood entertainment industry. Many other contemporary dance forms can likewise be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, Dance is generally, though not exclusively, performed with the accompaniment of music and may or may not be performed in time to such music. Some dance may provide its own audible accompaniment in place of music, many early forms of music and dance were created for each other and are frequently performed together
5.
Ballet
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Ballet /ˈbæleɪ/ is a type of performance dance that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread, highly technical form of dance with its own based on French terminology. It has been influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in many other dance genres. Becoming a ballet dancer requires years of training, Ballet has been taught in various schools around the world, which have historically incorporated their own cultures to evolve the art. Ballet may also refer to a dance work, which consists of the choreography. A well-known example of this is The Nutcracker, a ballet that was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa. Ballets are choreographed and performed by trained artists, the word came into English usage from the French around 1630. Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th and 16th centuries before being spread from Italy to France by an Italian aristocrat, Catherine de Medici, in France, ballet developed even further under her aristocratic influence. The dancers in these early court ballets were mostly noble amateurs, Ballets in this period were lengthy and elaborate and often served a political purpose. Ornamented costumes were meant to impress viewers and restricted freedom of movement. The ballets were performed in large chambers with viewers on three sides, French court ballet reached its height under the reign of King Louis XIV. Known as the Sun King, Louis symbolized the brilliance of France, in 1661 Louis founded the Académie Royale de Danse to establish standards and certify dance instructors. In 1672, Louis XIV made Jean-Baptiste Lully the director of the Académie Royale de Musique from which the first professional ballet company, Lully is considered the most important composer of music for ballets de cour and instrumental to the development of the form. Ballet went into decline in France after 1830, though it continued to develop in Denmark, Italy, the arrival in Europe on the eve of First World War of the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, revived interest in the ballet and started the modern era. The Russian choreographer Michel Fokine challenged tradition and called for reforms that reinvigorated ballet as an art form, in the 20th century, ballet had a wide influence on other dance genres, and subgenres of ballet have also evolved. In the United States, choreographer George Balanchine developed what is now known as neoclassical ballet, other developments include contemporary ballet and post-structural ballet. Also in the century, ballet took a turn dividing it from classical ballet to the introduction of modern dance. Stylistic variations have emerged and evolved since the Italian Renaissance, early, classical variations are primarily associated with geographic origin
6.
Alter Bridge
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Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 2004. Since its formation, the band has consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, the band is known for its acclaimed live shows and extensive touring. Following Creeds disbandment in 2004, former members Tremonti, Marshall, named after a bridge that once existed on Alter Road near Tremontis former home in Detroit, Michigan, Alter Bridge released its debut album, One Day Remains, the same year. Despite mixed reviews, One Day Remains went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA, driven by the release of the single Rise Today, the band released its second album, Blackbird, to more positive reviews in 2007, embarking on a successful world tour in support. The album marked the beginning of a collaboration with producer Michael Baskette. The band embarked on a tour in support of AB III from 2010 to 2012. Alter Bridge reconvened in early 2013 and released its album, Fortress, to further acclaim later that year, also embarking on a world tour. After releasing two albums, Marshall left the band in 2000, followed by the release of their third album in 2001. The band went inactive in 2003 following the conclusion of a controversial tour and that year, Tremonti began writing new material with plans of forming a new band with Phillips and Marshall. Being fans of Myles Kennedys former band, The Mayfield Four and they named the new band Alter Bridge, after an actual bridge near Tremontis home on Alter Road in Detroit, and subsequently began recording their debut album. Citing creative differences and increasing tension between Stapp and the band members, Creed announced its breakup in June 2004. Coinciding with this announcement was the one of Alter Bridges formation and of their debut album, the band members felt as if Creed had run their course and were determined to focus on their future with their new singer. Alter Bridges debut album, One Day Remains, was released on August 10,2004 by Wind-up Records, produced by Ben Grosse, the album sold 750,000 copies worldwide and achieved only gold status, a far cry from the multi-platinum success that Creed had previously achieved. It peaked at No.5 on the Billboard charts for fourteen weeks, after Open Your Eyes, two more singles were released from the album, Find the Real and Broken Wings. The music was composed completely by Tremonti, who had written most of the lyrics by himself. Several songs from One Day Remains established an affiliation with WWE, most notably, Metalingus was adopted by former WWE superstar Edge as his entrance theme in 2004, and it was used as such until his retirement in 2011. Alter Bridge would later appear with Edge in a segment on an episode of WWE Raw in 2005. An edited version of the song, Open Your Eyes, is featured in the videogame Madden NFL2005, also in 2005, Alter Bridge released a rare instrumental song called Ahavo Rabo Taco Salad for Total Guitar magazine
7.
Biffy Clyro
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Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil, James Johnston and Ben Johnston. Puzzle peaked at number 2 on the official UK album charts on 16 June 2007, the album went Gold in the UK, selling over 100,000 units, and later in 2012 went Platinum in the UK, having sold over 300,000 copies. Only Revolutions included the UK hit singles Mountains, That Golden Rule, the latter reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart after The X Factor 2010 winner, Matt Cardle covered the song, and became the UK number one Christmas single for the year 2010. In 2011 the band was nominated for the Brit Awards for Best British Group, at the 2013 NME Awards, they received the award for Best British Band. On 25 August 2013 Biffy Clyro headlined the stage at Leeds & Reading Festival. Based on their album and single certifications, the band have sold in excess of 1,240,000 albums and 400,000 singles in the UK alone. The bands singles have spent a total of weeks in the UK Singles Charts, with six weeks in the top ten. Soon brought in was Bens twin brother, James Johnston, after playing gigs around Glasgow and receiving positive and enthusiastic reactions from audiences, the band were spotted by Dee Bahl, who soon became their manager. On 9 April 2001, the previously unreleased 27 was released as a single, on 1 October 2001, a song from thekidswho. was re-recorded and released as a single, Justboy, this was repeated again on 4 February 2002, when the song 57 was released. On 11 March, the debut album, Blackened Sky, was released to generally positive reviews. It was around this time that the band touring extensively. On 15 July, the single from the album, Joy. Discovery. Invention, was released as a double A-side with a newly recorded song called Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke. In 2003, the band retreated to the Linford Manor recording studio in Great Linford, Milton Keynes, England, on 24 March, a new single was released called The Ideal Height, followed by a further new single Questions and Answers on 26 May. After touring relentlessly for The Vertigo of Bliss, the band retreated to Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouth, as with the previous album, two singles were released before the actual album, Glitter and Trauma and My Recovery Injection on 9 August and 20 September respectively. An additional digital download was released on 31 May, called Theres No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake. On 4 October, the third album, Infinity Land was released, followed by the final single from the album, Only One Word Comes To Mind. On 16 February, the band performed a cover of Franz Ferdinands Take Me Out live from Maida Vale on Zane Lowes BBC Radio 1 show, Simon Neils side project Marmaduke Duke also released an album in 2005, known as The Magnificent Duke. He toured the UK together with the Johnston twins accompanying on bass, in 2006, Biffy Clyro left Beggars Banquet and signed a deal with 14th Floor, an offshoot of Warner Bros
8.
Bush (British band)
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Bush are a British rock band formed in London, England in 1992. Their current lineup includes lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Gavin Rossdale, lead guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz, Bush found their immediate success with the release of their debut album Sixteen Stone in 1994, which is certified 6× multi-platinum by the RIAA. They went on to one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990s. Despite their success in the United States, the band were well known in their home country. Bush have had top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts. The band broke up in 2002 but reformed in 2010, and have released three albums since then, The Sea of Memories, Man on the Run and Black, after leaving his band Midnight, Gavin Rossdale met former King Blank guitarist Nigel Pulsford in 1992. The two bonded over an appreciation of the American alternative rock group the Pixies, the two formed a new band which they called Future Primitive. Describing the early sound of the group, one British record label executive said years later, the pair then recruited bassist Dave Parsons and drummer Robin Goodridge to complete the line-up. The group soon chose the name Bush, naming themselves after Shepherds Bush, London, in 1993, the band was signed by Rob Kahane, who had a distribution deal with Disneys Hollywood Records. The band completed recording its debut album Sixteen Stone in early 1994, however, the death of Disney executive Frank G. Wells eliminated a supporter for Kahane, and executives at Hollywood deemed Bushs album unacceptable for release. As a result, the members of Bush took jobs performing menial labour, on the Billboard Music Charts, Sixteen Stone peaked at No.4 on the Heatseekers and Billboard 200 charts. The album spawned two Top 40 singles, after about six months of promotion for Sixteen Stone, the album began to sell well, once Comedown and Glycerine struck America. Additionally, Little Things and Machinehead both charted well in North America, in late 1996 Bush released the first single Swallowed from their second album titled Razorblade Suitcase. The song spent seven weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart and this was followed by single Greedy Fly. The album hit number 1 in America and placed high in many European countries, Razorblade Suitcase featured American recording engineer Steve Albini, a move which was viewed negatively by critics. Albini had worked with Nirvana on their studio album, In Utero. Bush later released the remix album Deconstructed, the album saw Bush re-arranging their songs into dance and techno stylings. The album went platinum less than a year after release, following the completion of touring, Rossdale went into seclusion in Ireland, where he worked on material for the groups next album
9.
Deep Purple
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Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. The band is considered to be among the pioneers of metal and modern hard rock. Originally formed as a rock band, the band shifted to a heavier sound in 1970. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have referred to as the unholy trinity of British hard rock. They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as the globes loudest band for a 1972 concert at Londons Rainbow Theatre, Deep Purple have had several line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus. The 1968–1976 line-ups are commonly labelled Mark I, II, III and their second and most commercially successful line-up featured Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, and Ritchie Blackmore. This line-up was active from 1969 to 1973, and was revived from 1984 to 1989, and again from 1992 to 1993. The bands line-up has been more stable in recent years. Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on VH1s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme, the band received the Legend Award at the 2008 World Music Awards. Deep Purple were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, in 1967, former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis contacted London businessman Tony Edwards, in the hope that he would manage a new group he was putting together, to be called Roundabout. Curtis vision was a supergroup where the members would get on and off. Impressed with the plan, Edwards agreed to finance the venture with two partners, John Coletta and Ron Hire, all of Hire-Edwards-Coletta Enterprises. The first recruit to the band was the classically trained Hammond organ player Jon Lord, Lord was currently performing in a backing band for the vocal group The Flower Pot Men, along with bassist Nick Simper and drummer Carlo Little. Simper had previously been in Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and survived the 1966 car crash that killed Kidd, Lord put the two on alert that hed been recruited for the Roundabout project, after which Simper and Little suggested guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, whom Lord had never met. Simper had known Blackmore since the early 1960s when his first band, the Renegades, debuted around the time as one of Blackmores early bands. HEC persuaded Blackmore to return from Hamburg to audition for the new group, Blackmore was making a name for himself as a studio session guitarist, and had also been a member of the Outlaws, Screaming Lord Sutch, and Neil Christian. Curtis erratic behaviour and lifestyle, fueled by LSD use, caused a sudden disinterest in the project he had started, but HEC was now intrigued with the possibilities Lord and Blackmore brought, while Lord and Blackmore were also keen to continue. The two carried on with recruiting members, keeping Tony Edwards as their manager
10.
My Chemical Romance
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My Chemical Romance was an American rock band from New Jersey, active from 2001 to 2013. The bands best-known lineup consisted of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, bassist Mikey Way and drummer Bob Bryar. Founded by Gerard, Mikey, Toro, Matt Pelissier, and later joined by Iero and they signed with Reprise Records the next year and released their major label debut Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004. Shortly after the release, Pelissier was replaced by Bob Bryar. A commercial success, the album was awarded platinum status over a year later, after the bands split, a greatest hits album entitled May Death Never Stop You was released in March 2014. A tenth anniversary reissue of The Black Parade was released in September 2016 titled The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts, the band was formed by frontman Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelissier soon after the September 11 attacks. Witnessing the World Trade Center towers fall influenced Ways life to the extent that he decided to start a band, the first recording sessions were undertaken in Pelissiers attic, where the songs Our Lady of Sorrows and Cubicles were recorded. The band refers to those sessions as The Attic Demos, after hearing the demo and dropping out of college, Mikey Way decided to join the band. While with Eyeball Records, the band met Frank Iero, the lead vocalist and guitarist for Pencey Prep, following Pencey Preps split in 2002, Iero became a member of My Chemical Romance, just days prior to the recording of the bands debut album. They recorded their album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. The album was produced by Thursday frontman Geoff Rickley after the band became friends with him while playing shows in New Jersey, Iero played guitar on two of the tracks, one of which was Early Sunsets Over Monroeville. During this time, the band was booked at the venue, Big Daddys. My Chemical Romance offered free downloads through PureVolume and the social networking website MySpace, in 2003, the band signed a deal with Reprise Records. Following a tour with Avenged Sevenfold, the band working on their second album. Released in 2004, the album went platinum in just over a year, the band released four singles from the album, Im Not Okay, Thank You for the Venom, Helena, and The Ghost of You. After returning from a tour of Japan in July 2004, the band replaced Matt Pelissier with Bob Bryar. At the beginning of 2005, the band was featured on the first Taste of Chaos tour and they then co-headlined Warped Tour 2005 with Fall Out Boy and co-headlined a tour with Alkaline Trio and Reggie and the Full Effect around the US. In March 2006, the album Life on the Murder Scene was released, incorporating a CD and it included one documentary DVD chronicling the bands history, and a second DVD with music videos, the making of their videos and live performances
11.
Nightwish
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Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, the band soon picked up drummer Jukka Nevalainen, and then bassist Sami Vänskä after the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First. In 2002, Vänskä was replaced by Marco Hietala, who took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers. Although Nightwish have been prominent in their country since Angels Fall First, they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the albums Oceanborn, Wishmaster. Their 2004 album, Once, has more than one million copies and was the bands breakthrough in the United States. Their biggest US hit single, Wish I Had an Angel and her last performance with Nightwish was during a concert recorded for the live album/DVD End of an Era. After the concert, the members informed Turunen with an open letter that she was no longer a member of Nightwish. In May 2007, Nightwish announced Anette Olzon as Turunens replacement and that September, the band released their sixth album, Dark Passion Play, which has sold almost 2 million copies. The albums lead single, Amaranth, became one of Nightwishs most successful in Europe, the supporting tour, one of the bands largest, started on October 6,2007 and ended on September 19,2009. The band released an EP/live album, Made in Hong Kong, in March 2009 as a CD/DVD, on October 1,2012, Nightwish announced that they had parted ways with Olzon and would be finishing the tour with ReVamp and former After Forever vocalist Floor Jansen. Nightwish is the band and musical entity in Finland with certified sales of nearly 900,000 certified copies. He soon invited friend and schoolmate Erno Emppu Vuorinen to play guitars, and the classical vocalist Tarja Turunen. The three musicians recorded their self-titled acoustic demo in winter 1996, the name Nightwish was derived from their first song together – the demo also included the song The Forever Moments, and an early version of Etiäinen. In early 1997, following the release of the Nightwish demo, Jukka Julius Nevalainen joined the band, the addition of heavy metal elements to the bands existing experimental style gave the band a different sound, forming the core of the Nightwish sound. The band entered the studio in April 1997 to record seven songs for their second demo, in May 1997, the demo made its way to the Finnish record label Spinefarm Records, who wanted to release it as the bands debut album of the same name. The label offered Nightwish to a deal, and the band returned to the studio to record four more songs to accompany the tracks of the demo. The full-length album was released in November 1997 and reached number 31 on the Finnish album charts, the band made their live debut in their hometown Kitee in December 1997. Since they were missing a bass player, Samppa Hirvonen joined them as a live member
12.
Placebo (band)
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Placebo are an English alternative rock band, formed in London in 1994 by singer-guitarist Brian Molko and guitarist-bassist Stefan Olsdal. The band were joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was replaced in 1996 by Steve Hewitt. Hewitt parted ways with the band in 2007 due to personal and musical differences and was replaced the year by Steve Forrest. Placebo are known for their androgynous image and musical content, to date, they have released seven studio albums, all of which have reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom, and have sold around 11 million records worldwide. Placebo founders Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal had both attended the American International School of Luxembourg, but they didnt meet properly until 1994 in London, England. At the time, Olsdal was taking lessons and was on his way home when he met Molko at the South Kensington tube station. Molko, observing that Olsdal had a guitar strapped to his back, on the strength of Molkos performance, Olsdal decided that they should start a band. The two formed as Ashtray Heart, named after the Captain Beefheart song of the same name, originally, the two were unable to decide on a drummer. Molko knew a drummer, Steve Hewitt, and asked him to join the band, however, Hewitt had prior commitments to local band Breed and only had time to play on occasional demos with Molko and Olsdal. Robert Schultzberg assumed the position of drummer in late 1994, Olsdal explained in an MTV interview that the bands name was chosen because of its Latin origins. When translated, it means I will please, Molko has frequently stated in interviews that the name is a rejoinder to the 1990s cliché of naming ones band after a drug. In an interview, Molko stated, Its a complex question to answer, as musicians you try to find a name for your band that represents you and you never really do, because, basically, names for bands lose their meaning after a while. They become a series of sounds that you associate with people in music, the most important thing for a name is that you can imagine forty-thousand people screaming it in unison. Placebos self-titled debut album was released on 17 June 1996, peaking at No.5 on the UK Albums Chart at the height of the Britpop era, the album spawned several successful singles, most popular being Nancy Boy. Tension with Schultzberg and the rest of the group had begun to rise in the previous year, the band initially fired him in September 1995, but he was rehired to record the first seven-inch single Bruise Pristine. After an argument in August 1996, Molko decided that it would be best for the band if Schultzberg left, the band came to an agreement that Schultzberg would leave once they had finished the promotion of Placebo. Eventually, Schultzberg did indeed leave the band in September 1996, before going on stage for their first show in the state of New York, Olsdal informed Schultzberg that he wasnt going on the tour in Germany that was following the US one. At the managers request, Schultzberg did two shows with the band in Paris after the US tour, the last of which was a performance on the French TV series Nulle part ailleurs
