The persistent, breezy Newport guitar band that overcame tragedy to regain their mantle at the forefront of the British rock scene.

Like Manic Street Preachers before them, Feeder appear to be one of those rare bands that, in the face of tragedy, have the strength and determination to fight on and ultimately eclipse their dark history. The suicide of founding member Jon Lee could well have spelt the end for this Newport three piece. But encouraged by the love and support of their dedicated fanbase, frontman Grant Nicolas and bassist Taka Hirose chose to continue playing as Feeder. The roots of the band can be traced back to Newport, Gwent in the early 90s, where Nicholas and Lee played together in short-lived local grunge band Temper Temper. Frustrated by small-town life, the pair changed their name to Reel and relocated to London in early 1995, recruiting Tokyo-born bassist Taka Hirose on the way. A demo tape of the group's hooky, alternative metal caught the attention of the Echo label, who signed the group - newly rechristened Feeder - in mid 1995. Feeder's debut EP, Two Colours, won them prestigious support slots with Reef and Terrorvision. Genuine hype would always elude Feeder - but criss-crossing the country, playing show upon show to provincial rock kids, they gradually began to build a strident fanbase.

1996 saw the release of the group's debut six-track mini album, Swim. It was a moderate success: a single from it, Crash, scraped the top 40 in August 1997. Feeder were swiftly moving into a new commercial realm, as defined by High - a bravely mainstream rock anthem recorded for the film Can't Hardly Wait, which crashed into the UK charts at number 24 in October. High would later replace the ill-fated single Waterfall on reissued copies of the band's debut album proper, 1997's Polythene - but even without the chart hit, it was strong enough to be voted Album Of The Year 1997 by Metal Hammer magazine. 1999's Yesterday Went Too Soon drew a mixed response from fans, some of whom felt that Feeder's steps towards the pop mainstream were a little too eager and pronounced. But tracks like Tinsel Town and So Well saw Nicholas' songwriting progressing in leaps and bounds, inviting a subtlety and depth into the rocky Feeder sound. The band's new commercial dawn came with Buck Rogers - a brash, technicolour pop song that hit the Top 5 in early 2001. It was the calling card for Echo Park, Feeder's accessible third album. Feeder supported the Manics on their European tour and Stereophonics in the UK, and ended their most successful year to date with a re-recorded version of the absurdly catchy Just A Day. Its selling point was a video featuring Feeder's teenage fanbase air-guitaring their way through the track in bedrooms across the nation, and it saw the band wind up 2001 on a optimistic footing. Sadly, the positive mood wasn't to last. Drummer Jon Lee was found dead in his Miami home on 7 January, 2002, following depression caused by marital problems. He had hanged himself using a dog chain. A thousand mourners showed up to Lee's open funeral at Newport's St Mary's Church in South Wales.