Suburban Heroes Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Kinks

Led by Ray Davies (lead vocals, guitar) and his brother Dave (lead guitar, vocals), The Kinks formed in Muswell Hill in 1963. While most British Invasion bands were imitating American R&B, The Kinks wrote about English suburban life with dry wit and precise observation.

'You Really Got Me' was their first hit. Its distinctive guitar riff influenced a generation of rock musicians. Van Halen covered it as their debut single in 1978, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath cited Dave Davies as an early influence and Pete Townshend of The Who said it inspired him to write 'I Can't Explain'. Later songs by The Kinks, like 'Waterloo Sunset', 'Lola' and 'Sunny Afternoon' showed a different side, with character sketches and social commentary that other bands of the time rarely attempted.

The American Federation of Musicians blacklisted them for four years (1965-69) after a chaotic US tour full of cancelled shows, unpaid promoters, and Ray Davies punching a union official who'd been hurling abuse at the band. The union never gave an official reason.

Answer: The Who

Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon became The Who's classic line-up by 1964 and played using the name The Who after a few earlier attempts at a band name. They'd grown out of the mod scene around Acton in West London. That audience shaped everything that followed: the auto-destructive guitar smashing, the volume and the sheer aggression onstage.

Pete pushed the band toward bigger ideas than a typical singles act. 'Tommy' in 1969 told a full story across an album, something rock hadn't really attempted at that scale before, and 'Quadrophenia' followed it up four years later. Among their best-known songs are 'My Generation', 'Pinball Wizard', 'Baba O'Riley' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again'.

Answer: Status Quo

Status Quo started out in Forest Hill, South London, as the Spectres in 1962. They didn't settle on their now-familiar name until later. The early sound was psychedelic pop, a world away from the rock songs they produced over the decades.

'Down Down' hit number one in 1974, but 'Rockin' All Over the World' became the one that stuck, partly thanks to their opening the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium on 13 July 1985 with it. 'Whatever You Want' and 'Caroline' are other songs of theirs most people would recognise. They are among the most successful bands in UK chart history, with hits spanning five decades.

Answer: Squeeze

Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook built Squeeze around their songwriting partnership from the start. They formed the band in Deptford, South East London, in 1974. Jools Holland played keyboards in that original line-up, years before he became better known for hosting 'Later... with Jools Holland'.

The band got labelled as new wave, though their lyrics focused on ordinary English life observed in close detail, rather than the raw energy that would later define punk. Their singles 'Up the Junction' and 'Cool for Cats' both made the top five in 1979. 'Tempted' and 'Black Coffee in Bed' came later and became two of the songs most associated with the band, despite not matching the chart success of the earlier hits.

Answer: Madness

Madness formed in Camden, North London, in 1976, performing under the name The Invaders before deciding to call themselves Madness. The name comes from a Prince Buster song. Made up of Suggs (Graham McPherson), Mike Barson, Chris Foreman, Lee Thompson, Mark Bedford, Dan Woodgate and Chas Smash, they were part of Britain's late-70s ska revival alongside The Specials and The Beat.

Their songs often mixed catchy tunes with serious subject matter. 'Our House' was inspired by Chas Smash's family home, while 'Embarrassment' was written about Lee Thompson's sister and the prejudice she faced because of her interracial relationship. Other hits include 'Baggy Trousers', 'It Must Be Love' and 'House of Fun', which became their only UK number one.

Answer: Small Faces

Formed in 1965, Small Faces were one of the leading bands of the mod era. The original line-up featured Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, although Winston was soon replaced by Ian McLagan. The name referred to both their relatively short stature and the mod term 'face', used for a fashionable, in-the-know individual on the scene.

The band had a string of UK hits including 'All or Nothing', 'Sha-La-La-La-Lee', 'Itchycoo Park' and 'Lazy Sunday'. Their sound blended soul, R&B and psychedelic influences, which helped shape the music of the Swinging Sixties. After breaking up in 1969, members went on to further success with groups such as Faces and Humble Pie.

Answer: East 17

E17 formed in Walthamstow, London, in 1991 and took their name from the area's postcode. The image they built was more street style than most of their boy band rivals, tracksuits and attitude instead of matching suits. Frontman Brian Harvey got sacked in 1997 after telling a radio interviewer that ecstasy was safe and that he'd once driven home fine after taking 12 tablets in one night. The band dropped him within 24 hours.

'Stay Another Day' became the song most people remember them for. It was a Christmas number one in 1994 and became a seasonal favourite. It's oddly downbeat for a festive hit. 'House of Love', 'Deep' and 'It's Alright' were part of the band's earlier run of singles before that.

Answer: Iron Maiden

Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden in Leyton, East London, in 1975, and remained with them through years of lineup changes that saw singers and guitarists come and go before things settled. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno fronted the band through its first two albums before Bruce Dickinson took over in 1981. That marked a real shift, as Paul's rawer punk-edged vocals were replaced by Bruce's operatic range.

The band, built on Steve's galloping bass style, emerged from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal alongside acts like Saxon and Diamond Head. Their stage shows grew. Bigger budgets meant bigger productions, and Eddie the mascot became as much a part of the act as the music itself.

'The Number of the Beast' and 'Run to the Hills' were both released in 1982, and marked the start of the band's most successful period. 'Wasted Years' followed later in the decade and 'Fear of the Dark' in the early 1990s.

Answer: The Damned

The Damned beat every other British punk band to the big firsts, with the first single, the first album and the first US tour. Formed in Croydon in 1976, the lineup paired Brian James's songwriting with a frontman built for spectacle: David Vanian brought a genuinely ghoulish stage presence (rumour has it he really did work as a gravedigger), and drummer Rat Scabies was just as chaotic as the music itself.

'New Rose' got there first, too. It is widely regarded as the first UK punk single. 'Neat Neat Neat' and 'Smash It Up' kept the rough, aggressive style going, then 'Eloise' in 1986 showed just how far David's gothic instincts could pull the band away from their punk roots.

Answer: Cockney Rejects

East Ham's working-class streets provided the backdrop for the Cockney Rejects, who formed in 1978 with brothers Jeff and Micky Geggus. Their music drew on local life, football culture and pub sing-alongs, and they became closely tied to the Oi! punk scene.

Their connection to West Ham United ran deep, and they recorded a version of 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles', the club's anthem. Other songs such as 'The Greatest Cockney Rip-Off' and 'Oi! Oi! Oi!' captured the East London punk sound they were known for.