America is a hard old nut to crack when it comes to the music business - anyone will tell you that. But you'd be forgiven for assuming, given their influence in the UK, that bands like Blur and Oasis were enormous in every nation.
That's not really the case though. Whatever is to blame - be it a lawsuit (Suede) or Patsy Kensit (Oasis) - there are some bands whose enormous success never quite translated in the US of A.
Here's nine of them.
Oasis: They didn't exactly flop across the pond, but they never achieved anything close to the Godlike status they have in the UK. According to Noel Gallagher, brother Liam is to blame for bailing on the first gig of the band's US tour to go house hunting with then-wife Paty Kensit. "That killed us stone dead in America, "he said. "I blame him for us never becoming as big in America as we were in England."
The Jam / Paul Weller: Another quintessentially British staple, The Jam were more or less incomparable in the '80s mod scene but they never managed to chart in the US, and neither did Paul Weller when he went solo. Throughout his career, Weller has sold 300,000 singles and albums in the US... which is not to be sniffed at of course, but shrivels in comparison to his UK success.
Kasabian: They might have headlined Glastonbury, but in the US they're just another mediocre rock band. If you need proof, dig out a Coachella 2015 poster and a magnifying glass (you'll need it) and see how low down Kasabian are. Far below fellow Brits alt-J, FKA twigs, Florence + The Machine and Marina & the Diamonds.
The Stone Roses: If Coachella posters are definitive proof of a band's US success though, then Stone Roses, who headlined in 2013, should have it made. Except, their headline set was famously met with a flat, muted response and a relatively tiny crowd. Fans were even said to trail off in their hundreds before they even reached their biggest hits. They missed out.
Stereophonics: Between 1999 and 2007, the Welsh band had five No.1 albums in the UK. They all went either Gold or Platinum, and two even went 5x Platinum. In the US though, their chart positions were as follows - 134; 188; DNC; 127; DNC. Their next two albums didn't chart in the US either.
Kaiser Chiefs: Ricky Wilson took a big risk in terms of credibility when he decided to appear as a judge (sorry coach) on The Voice UK. Whilst some of their snobbier fans might have lost interest, it actually boosted the band's overall popularity, and their 2014 album Education, Education, Education & War reached No.1. It didn't even chart in the US though, and neither did its predecessor The Future Is Medieval.
Suede: Despite consistent success in the UK since they formed in 1989, Suede's success in the US was limited - thanks in no small part to a lawsuit with an American singer with the same name, which forced them to change their name for the American market to The London Suede.
The Libertines: Their brand of jubilant griminess was always going to struggle to translate in the US, so it's perhaps no surprise neither of their albums managed to chart over there. Perhaps third time will be a charm though, and the much, much-anticipated new album will be the one that finally cracks America for them.
Blur: They might have caused quite a stir over here with the release of their new album The Magic Whip, but in America that still means nothing more to them than ice cream. In fact, not even that. Blur's highest charting album in the US was Think Tank, which peaked at No.56. They did eventually sell 679,000 copies of their 1997 self-titled album though.
Manic Street Preachers: Despite dealing lyrically with US themes, including American consumerism, the band, whose following straddles the line between cult and mainstream, never really found their footing in the US. Perhaps it's something to do with Nicky Wire making comments like, "The only good thing about America is that you killed John Lennon." Perhaps.
