IT isn’t all about the music, man. These bands had looks, charisma, fashion and tunes in that order and remain loved anyway:
The Strokes
The Strokes proved if five of you all strode around in shades and leather jackets, no-one would notice your songs ripped off Tom Petty. The epitome of decadent New York cool, they set the rules for a decade of indie: don’t smile, don’t brush your hair, and don’t write songs with any kind of rhythmic or melodic variety. Oh, and definite article band name.
The Libertines
The UK’s answer to The Strokes, Pete Doherty and Carl Barât brought their British cool to a moribund music scene, which is to say Doherty was a f**ked-up mess on the verge of death. Fans enjoyed a vicarious drug-fuelled rock lifestyle a lot more than the actual records, as did Kate Moss. Somehow Doherty survived, ultimately the making band less cool.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Most new bands earn the odd chord before launching themselves, but most bands don’t have Karen O shouting shit to distract from their failings. Oozing confidence, her truncated surname boldly stated her intention to become an art-rock icon, a strategy which worked because there’s no real entrance exam for that.
Arctic Monkeys
Alex Turner is George Formby with an amp, but youthful energy, Northern charm and MySpace made his band heroes despite their dire name. Without the street cred I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor would be their sole hit and Turner would run a successful Sheffield window-cleaning business.
The White Stripes
The mystery of Jack and Meg’s relationship and their admirably consistent branding established the Stripes as cool. Musically? Heavily distorted blues riffs that have attracted only the attention of those already inclined since Jack went solo. The thump thump drumming was like a toddler bashing at the kit they got for Christmas.
The Dandy Warhols
The image-obsessed Bowie was a fan, impressed at how far they’d got with so little. One song and an iPod ad, pretty much. Covered Brown Sugar with a cunning change of lyrics, proving they were even able to steal the cool of others.
Phoenix
The French are inherently cool, with their cool cigarettes and their cool lengthy lunch breaks. Formed in Versailles, they were cool enough to be included on the soundtrack to Lost in Translation, propelling them to a level of success they didn’t really deserve and couldn’t handle, sinking gladly back into cool obscurity.
