Fran Healy led this band from being a faint blip on the
pop culture radar to a band that defined
the sound heard throughout England in 1999. Initially an opening band for former giants
Oasis, they quickly stole the throne to become Britain's band. Their first single from
The Man Who, "
Writing To Reach You" even aped the chords to
Oasis' biggest hit and asked "What's a
Wonderwall anyway?". The band ushered something of a return for light guitar pop that paved the way for bands like
Coldplay. It was not, however, their originality that brought them to the front page, as they have been called
Radiohead Lite ( their producer of late,
Nigel Godrich, is also
Radiohead's) and
Oasis for grown-ups.
While their first album, Good Feeling was lively rock with Na Na Nas and distortion pedals, The Man Who was a collection of melodic songs about love, fear, and uncertainty. Their 2001 follow-up, The Invisible Band, continues along the same road with slightly more cheerful songs, due probably to Fran Healy's relationship with German girlfriend Nora. Their sound has matured as well, and The Invisible Band has firmly established Travis' place in British music.