Cryptic Music Acts 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lighthouse Family

The Lighthouse Family were founded in Newcastle by two guys who met at University - Tunde Baiyewu and Paul Tucker.

Answer: Smashing Pumpkins

This group was formed in Chicago in the late 1980s. Their biggest hit in the UK was "Tonight, Tonight" from 1996, which reached number 7.

Answer: Hue and Cry

Hue and Cry were a Scottish band from the late 1980s/ early 1990s. Their biggest hit was their first one, "Labour of Love" - although my favourite was "Looking for Linda". Wilkipedia advises that the term "hue and cry" was where bystanders were called to help in the arrest of criminals, by creating a loud disturbance, alerting men to capture the offender!

Answer: Echobelly

Echobelly are a British/Swedish band, who were popular in the 1990s. In 2003 they released a "best of" album, titled "I Can't Imagine the World Without Me".

Answer: Pretenders

Bonnie Prince Charlie was known as the Young Pretender. The Pretenders are of course a great band, fronted by Chrissie Hynde. Their only UK number one, came in 1979 with the brilliant "Brass in Pocket".

Answer: Sister Sledge

Sister Sledge were in fact a group of sisters, from the USA. Their only UK number one was "Frankie" in 1985.

Answer: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (or OMD) are a UK based band who had a string of hits in the 1980s and 1990s. My favourites were "Enola Gay" (named after the 'plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima) and "Sailing on the seven seas".

Answer: ZZ Top

ZZ Top are a blues/rock group from Houston, Texas. In 2004, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Answer: Belinda Carlisle

An insect could be a Bee, a girl's name is Linda, and a UK border town is Carlisle - put them all together and you get Belinda Carlisle.
Belinda Carlisle was a member of The Go-Go's and left in the mid 1980s to go solo. In 1987, she reached number one in the UK charts with "Heaven is a Place on Earth".

Answer: Gene Pitney

OK, so it was a little bit obscure, so if you got this one, well done! If it's in your DNA, it's in your Genes, hence Gene; a Miner works in a Pit and a part of a leg is a knee. A mining injury could be a Pit knee (kind of like tennis elbow I guess), so put it all together and you get Gene Pitney.
Gene Pitney died in 2006, and was an acclaimed singer songwriter. My favourite song he did was "Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart" from 1989; a duet with Marc Almond.