2013 in British Music

The Story of 2013

Arctic Monkeys returned with 'AM', their most successful album, 'Do I Wanna Know?' with its heavy, hypnotic riff becoming their signature song. The album sold millions and won the Brit Award for Best Album. David Bowie surprised everyone by releasing 'The Next Day' after a decade of silence – a brilliant, vital album that proved he hadn't lost his edge. Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' with 'Get Lucky' dominated summer, but Disclosure's 'Settle' was the British electronic album of the year, 'Latch', 'White Noise' and 'When a Fire Starts to Burn' defining the UK deep house sound. London Grammar's 'If You Wait' was a stunning debut. Bastille's 'Bad Blood' was everywhere, 'Pompeii' a massive hit. James Blake was pushing electronic soul. The London grime scene was building. Stormzy was releasing mixtapes. The charts were increasingly dominated by streaming, with Ed Sheeran, One Direction and Pharrell Williams competing for airplay. British music was diverse, confident and globally successful.