The Boo Radleys vs Cud

During their early- to mid-'90s heyday, the Boo Radleys walked a crooked line between overdriven shoegaze and breezy dream pop; they were just as likely to record dubby, noise-damaged epics as they were to explode out of radio speakers, a chief example being 1995's hit single "Wake Up Boo!" Combining Martin Carr's off-the-beam songwriting and Sice's choirboy-pure vocals, the band started making blown-out noise rock on 1990's grungily lo-fi Ichabod and I, then gradually dialed back the noise and folded in influences as wide-ranging as hip-hop, dub, Love, orchestral pop, psychedelia, the Beatles, and electronica on a series of singles, EPs, and albums that came together perfectly on 1993's Giant Steps. They then hit the mainstream with 1995's U.K. chart-topping Wake Up! After that brush with fame, they retreated into avant-garde pop that challenged their newfound fans (1996's C'Mon Kids) and searched for a new direction (1998's Kingsize.) The effort to carve a new path proved too much and the band split, not playing again until 2020, when they reconvened without Carr to record new music. The result, 2022's Keep on with Falling, proves that the band's mix of classic melodies, crafty hooks, and uplifting choruses still sounds as good decades later.

Cud was formed in Leeds, England in 1987 by Carl Puttnam (b. Ilford, Essex, England; vocals), Mike Dunphy (b. Northumberland, England; guitar), William Potter (b. Derby, England; bass) and Steve ‘The Infamous Drummer From Cud’ Goodwin (b. Croydon, Surrey, England; drums). The quartet sprung into existence when they discovered the remains of a deserted drum kit in a rubbish skip. They debuted on the Wedding Present’s Reception label and spent two years building up a small but fanatical north England following with a comical hybrid of funk and the uglier elements of independent music. Threatened by a not entirely undeserved ‘joker’ tag - helped by Cud’s desire to perform absurd versions of Hot Chocolate and Jethro Tull songs - 1990 brought ‘a new sense of sanity and professionalism’ to the band. Critical acclaim coincided with a more nationwide spread of supporters, and their new-found attitude reaped commercial dividends when the ‘Robinson Crusoe’ single reached number 86 in the UK charts, closely followed by ‘Magic’ peaking at number 80

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