Feeder: The Life Story Behind the Buck Rogers Band

Feeder are a band that have been part of British rock for more than thirty years, and their story is one of great songs, great sadness and great survival. They came out of Newport in Wales with loud guitars, big choruses and a sound that mixed American rock with British indie, and they became one of the most loved bands of the early 2000s. Their songs were made to be sung along to, and their live shows were made to be loud.

The band was formed in Newport in 1994 by singer and guitarist Grant Nicholas, drummer Jon Lee and bassist Taka Hirose. Grant Nicholas writes most of the songs, and his voice and guitar have become the centre of the band’s sound. Taka Hirose, who came from Japan to study in London, has been the band’s bassist from the start, and his steady playing has held the band together through many changes.

What makes Feeder worth telling is the way their story moves between joy and loss. They had hit singles, they played the biggest festivals, they lost their drummer in tragic circumstances, and they kept going. Through all of that, their songs have kept their power, because they were written with honesty. This is the story of how a band from Newport became a lasting part of British rock, and how they found a way to carry on when everything changed.

Newport Beginnings and the Early Years

Feeder began in Newport, a city in South Wales, in 1994. Grant Nicholas and Jon Lee had played together in earlier bands, and they joined with Taka Hirose, who had come from Japan to study in London and had met Nicholas through mutual friends. The three of them shared a love of loud guitars, big choruses and American rock bands, and they wanted to make music that was both heavy and melodic.

In the early years the band were known as Reel, and they played small shows in Newport and in London. They rehearsed hard, wrote songs, and tried to get noticed. Their sound was a mix of grunge, punk and indie rock, with Nicholas’s voice leading the way. They were not a fashionable band, and they did not try to be. They were a band that wrote songs about feelings, about love, and about the world around them.

The band changed their name to Feeder, taking it from a word that suggested something that feeds you, and they signed to a small label. They released their first singles in the mid-1990s, including Stereoworld and Tangerine, and they began to get attention from music papers and radio. Their live shows were loud and energetic, and they built a reputation as a band that gave everything on stage.

By the late 1990s the band had signed to a major label, Echo, and were ready to make their first album. They had spent years learning how to be a band, and they had a clear idea of what they wanted to do. When their chance finally came, they were ready for it in a way that many younger bands are not.

Polythene and Yesterday Went Too Soon

Feeder’s debut album, Polythene, was released in May 1997 and reached the top seventy in Britain. It was a loud and energetic record, with singles like High, Crash and Cement, and it showed a band with a strong sense of melody and a gift for writing choruses. The album was not a huge commercial success, but it gave the band a platform, and it showed that they could write songs that connected with people.

The band’s second album, Yesterday Went Too Soon, was released in August 1999 and reached the top ten in Britain. It was a more polished and melodic record, with singles like Day in Day Out, Insomnia and Yesterday Went Too Soon. The album showed that the band were growing up, and that their songs were becoming more thoughtful. It was also a sign that their audience was growing, and that they were ready for bigger things.

The band toured both albums widely, playing in Britain and in America, and their live shows became larger and more confident. They were a band that understood the art of a live performance, and they treated every show as if it mattered. Their songs were short and sharp, and their setlists were built to keep the crowd moving. They were a band that had learned how to hold a room.

The first two albums also showed that Feeder were not afraid to be emotional. Their songs were about love, about loss, and about the feeling of being young and trying to find your way. That honesty became the heart of the band’s music, and it was why their fans loved them. They were not just a loud rock band. They were a band that wrote about real feelings.

Echo Park, Buck Rogers and the Breakthrough

Feeder’s third album, Echo Park, was released in April 2001 and became their breakthrough record. It reached the top five in Britain and gave the band their biggest hits so far. The singles Buck Rogers and Seven Days in the Sun became anthems, and the album was full of bright and catchy songs that were made to be sung along to. Buck Rogers in particular became one of the most played songs of the year.

Buck Rogers was a song about a man who wants to start over, and it had a chorus that everyone could sing. It reached the top five in Britain, and it became a song that was played everywhere, from radio to football stadiums. Seven Days in the Sun was also a hit, and the album’s success took the band to a new level. They were now playing arenas, headlining festivals, and appearing on the biggest stages in Britain.

The success of Echo Park changed the band’s life. They were touring the world, playing in America, Europe and Australia, and their records were selling in numbers they had not reached before. Their live shows during this period were among the best of their career, and they became known as one of the most reliable and entertaining live bands in Britain. Their songs were sung by huge crowds, and their shows felt like a celebration.

The album also showed that Feeder understood pop music. Their songs were short, their choruses were big, and their live shows were built to make people happy. They did not try to be serious or clever in the way some indie bands did. They tried to make music that made people feel good, and they succeeded. That simplicity was their strength, and it was why Echo Park worked so well.

The Loss of Jon Lee

In January 2002, Feeder faced a terrible loss when their drummer, Jon Lee, died by suicide at his home in Miami. He was thirty-three years old, and his death was a shock to the band and to their fans. Lee had been a founding member of the band, and he had been a close friend to Nicholas and Hirose. His death left a hole in the band that could never be filled, and it changed everything about their story.

Lee had been struggling with his mental health, and his death was a reminder of how fragile life can be. The band spoke about him with love and respect, and they paid tribute to him in their shows. His death was a moment that made the band think about their own lives, and about the friends they had started with. It was a loss that stayed with them, and it gave their later music a deeper sense of feeling.

The band had to decide whether to carry on without Lee, and they chose to do so, because they believed that their music still mattered. They did not replace him lightly, and they did not pretend that nothing had happened. They carried his memory with them, and they dedicated their next album to him. His death remains a sad part of the band’s story, and it is a story that people still talk about today.

The band’s decision to continue was not easy, and it was made with great care. They knew that some fans would not accept the change, but they believed that the songs were strong enough to carry the band forward. They began to play live again, and they found that audiences were willing to give them a chance. The shows were different, but the energy was still there.

Comfort in Sound and the Comeback

Feeder’s fourth album, Comfort in Sound, was released in October 2002, less than a year after Jon Lee’s death, and it became one of the band’s most loved records. It was dedicated to Lee, and its songs were about grief, about love, and about finding a way to carry on. The singles Just the Way I’m Feeling, Come Back Around and Just a Day became hits, and the album reached the top six in Britain.

Just a Day became one of the band’s most famous songs, a bright and uplifting track that was written about the feeling of being alive. It reached the top twelve in Britain, and it became a song that people played at happy moments in their lives. The album’s success showed that the band could survive the loss of their drummer and still make great music. It was a record made under great sadness, but it was also a record full of hope.

Comfort in Sound was recorded with a new drummer, Mark Richardson, who had played in the band Skunk Anansie. Richardson gave the band a new energy, and his playing helped to shape the album’s sound. The band toured the album widely, playing in Britain and around the world, and their live shows became a celebration of survival. Their fans sang every word back to them, and the shows felt like a shared experience.

The album’s success was important because it proved that Feeder could carry on after a terrible loss. Many bands would have stopped, but Feeder kept going, and their audience stayed with them. The album is now seen as a classic, and it is a reminder of how music can help people through difficult times. It was a record that turned grief into something beautiful.

Pushing the Senses and the Later Albums

Feeder’s fifth album, Pushing the Senses, was released in January 2005 and reached the top two in Britain, giving the band their highest chart position so far. It featured the singles Tumble and Fall, Feeling a Moment and Pushing the Senses, and it showed that the band could still write songs that connected with a wide audience. The album was a more polished and melodic record, and it was welcomed by fans and critics.

The band continued with Silent Cry in 2008, Renegades in 2010, Generation Freakshow in 2012 and All Bright Electric in 2016. Each album showed a different side of the band, from the heavy rock of Renegades to the more melodic sound of All Bright Electric. The band were no longer at the top of the charts in the way they had been, but they had a loyal audience who kept coming to their shows and buying their records.

During these years the band also worked on other projects. Grant Nicholas released solo material, and the band’s members pursued their own interests. But Feeder remained the centre of their work, and the band’s identity was still built around Nicholas’s songs and voice. That partnership between the band and their audience had lasted for more than twenty years, and it seemed unbreakable.

The band’s later albums also showed that they were still willing to try new things. They experimented with different sounds, worked with new producers, and wrote songs that reflected their lives as older men. Their music had grown up with them, and their fans had grown up with them too. That shared journey is part of why their story matters.

Torpedo, Black/Red and the Later Years

Feeder’s eleventh album, Torpedo, was released in March 2022 and reached the top five in Britain, giving the band their highest chart position in many years. It was a heavier and more rock-led record, with songs like Torpedo and Magpie, and it showed that the band could still make loud and powerful music after nearly thirty years together. The album was welcomed by fans, and it gave the band a new reason to tour.

The band’s twelfth album, Black/Red, was released in April 2024, and it was a double album that showed both sides of the band. It was a ambitious record, and it proved that Feeder were still making new music after three decades. The album’s songs were about love, about loss, and about the world around them, and they were welcomed by fans who had waited years for new Feeder music.

Throughout these later years, Feeder have continued to tour and play festivals, and their live shows remain a big part of their identity. Their older songs, especially Buck Rogers and Just a Day, are still sung by huge crowds, and their newer songs are added alongside them. The band have become a fixture of British rock, a group that people turn to when they want a joyful and honest live show.

In the end, Feeder are a band that kept going through great sadness and great success, and that is why they are still here. They changed drummers, they changed sounds, and they changed with the times, but they never lost the feeling that had made them start. That is why their music still matters, and why their story is still being told.

Buck Rogers, Sport and the Long Life of Feeder

Feeder’s songs have become part of everyday life in Britain in a way that few bands can match. Buck Rogers is played at football matches, at festivals and on the radio, and it has become a song that people associate with a good night out. Just a Day is played on the radio and at parties, and it has become a song that people associate with feeling hopeful. When a band’s songs are used in this way, it is a sign that the music has a life of its own, and that it speaks to people who have never seen the band live.

Their music has also been used in films, in television programmes and in video games, where its direct and energetic quality fits scenes about sport, about driving and about young people having fun. Buck Rogers has been used in adverts and on television, and it has become a song that even people who do not follow rock music can recognise. When a band’s music is used in this way, it is a compliment to the songs, because it means the music can carry a scene on its own, without needing the band to be there.

Grant Nicholas has also worked outside Feeder, writing songs for other artists and working on other projects. His interest in songwriting as a craft has shaped the band’s music, which has always been built around strong melodies and honest words. The band’s songs are not complicated, but they are carefully made, and that care is part of why they have lasted. A song that is written with attention will always be remembered, and Feeder’s songs were written with attention.

Their visual style has also been important. Their record sleeves, their videos and their stage designs have all been made with a sense of energy, and they have often used bright colours and bold images. The cover art for their albums, from the stark design of Polythene to the rich imagery of Torpedo, has given each record its own identity. A band that cares about how its music looks as well as how it sounds is a band that respects its audience.

Feeder have also been recognised by the music industry in ways that go beyond chart positions. They have been praised by other musicians, they have headlined festivals, and they have been listed among the most consistent British rock bands of the last thirty years. Other artists have said that Feeder are one of the most reliable and hardworking groups in British rock, and that praise matters, because it comes from people who know how hard it is to keep making good music for decades. It is one thing to be loved by fans, and another to be respected by your peers, and Feeder have earned both.

Their connection with Newport and with Wales has also remained strong. They have played shows in the area, they have supported local causes, and they have spoken about their roots with pride. For a band that became famous around the world, that loyalty to home is rare, and it is why their fans in Wales love them so much. They did not forget where they came from, and they did not pretend to be from somewhere else. They are a Welsh band, and they are proud of it.

Their songs have also found new listeners through streaming, where a playlist can bring a band to someone who has never heard of them. A young listener today might find Buck Rogers on a sports playlist, or Just a Day on a driving playlist, and then go back to hear the whole catalogue. That is a new way for music to travel, and it has helped Feeder reach people in countries where they have never toured. Their music now belongs to a wider world than the small town where it began.

In the end, the wider story of Feeder is a story of a band whose songs became part of public life. They did not just write good songs. They wrote songs that people use to celebrate, to feel alive, and to mark happy moments. That is why their fans are so loyal, and why their music still matters. A band whose songs are sung by crowds at football matches has done something that few bands ever do, and Feeder have done it again and again.

Feeder’s first release was a mini-album called Swim, which arrived in 1996. It was a short record, with six songs, and it showed a band that was still finding its sound. The songs were loud and direct, and they were recorded quickly, without the polish of the later albums. It was a humble beginning, but it mattered, because it gave the band their first fans and their first shows. Many great bands start with a small record like Swim, and Feeder’s story is no different.

The band’s sixth album, All Bright Electric, arrived in 2016, and it was their first record after a long break. It was made with a renewed energy, and it included the single Universe of Life, which became a favourite with fans. The album showed that Feeder could still write songs that mattered, even after twenty years, and it was welcomed by critics who had followed the band since the start. It was not trying to repeat the past. It was a record about the present, and that honesty made it special.

In 2024 the band released a double album, Black / Red, which was their twelfth studio record. The two halves were released together, and they showed two sides of the band, one darker and one brighter. The album included the single Playing with Fire, and it was made with the same direct and honest sound that fans love. They toured the record in Britain and in Europe, and their audiences included both old fans who had followed them since the start and young listeners who had found them through streaming. To still be making double albums after thirty years is a rare achievement.

My Take:

When I think about Feeder, the first thing I feel is respect for their survival. I have seen many bands that fall apart after a tragedy, and I understand why, because losing a close friend is one of the hardest things a person can go through. Feeder lost Jon Lee, and they kept going, and I think that takes a kind of strength that is hard to describe. They did not pretend that nothing had happened, and they did not give up. They made an album about grief and hope, and they kept playing. I admire that more than almost anything else in their story.

I also admire Comfort in Sound, because I think it is one of the most honest albums any British band has made. I remember hearing Just a Day for the first time and feeling the lift of it, the way the song turns a simple feeling into something bright and hopeful. It is a song that makes you want to live, and I think that is a wonderful thing for a band to give people, especially when the album was made after such a sad loss. I think the band turned their grief into a gift, and that is a brave thing to do.

There is something I find moving about Buck Rogers. I first heard it as a fun and catchy song, and I still think it is one of the best British singles of the early 2000s. It is a song about wanting to start over, and I think everyone understands that feeling. We all have moments when we wish we could begin again, and Buck Rogers gives that feeling a voice. I think that is why the song has lasted so long. It is not just a pop song. It is a song about hope.

I also think about Grant Nicholas as a songwriter, because he writes about feelings in a direct and honest way. I think many songwriters hide behind clever words, but Grant writes simply, and that simplicity is his strength. When he writes about love, about loss, or about the feeling of being alive, I believe him, because the words feel true. I think that is why Feeder’s songs connect with so many people. They are not trying to be clever. They are trying to be honest.

What I find hardest in their story is the death of Jon Lee. I think about how sad it must have been for Grant and Taka to lose a friend they had started with, a man who had played on their first albums and shared their early dreams. I imagine them thinking about the early days in Newport, about the rehearsals and the small shows, and feeling the loss of someone who had been there from the start. I think that loss is in their later music, and it gives their songs a deeper feeling.

I also admire Taka Hirose, because I think he is the quiet hero of this story. He came from Japan to study in London, joined a band in Newport, and stayed with them for more than thirty years. I think it takes a lot of loyalty to do that, because a band is not an easy life. There are long tours, long nights, and long periods away from home. Taka stayed, and he held the band together through great sadness and great success. I think that is a remarkable thing, and I think he deserves more credit than he gets.

The album Torpedo is the part of their story I keep coming back to. I think it was a brave record, because it was made after nearly thirty years together, and it could have been a tired and safe album. Instead it was loud, heavy and full of energy, and it showed that the band still had something to prove. I respect that, because it is easy for an older band to play it safe, but Feeder did not. They made a record that sounded like a band that still cares.

I also think about the band’s roots in Newport, and how much it must have meant to them to come from a city in Wales that is not known for rock stars. I think it is easy to start a band in London, where everyone is watching, but it is harder to start in a smaller city and still believe you can reach the top. Feeder believed, and they proved that a band can come from anywhere. That matters to me, because it tells young people in ordinary towns that their dreams are not silly.

There is a lesson in Feeder for anyone who has lost someone they love. The lesson is that grief does not have to end your story. You can carry the loss with you, you can honour the person you lost, and you can keep going. Feeder did that, and their music after Jon Lee’s death is a testament to that. I would tell anyone who is grieving to listen to Comfort in Sound, not because it will make the pain go away, but because it shows that pain can be turned into something beautiful.

I also feel sad that the early days of the band are gone, because those first years must have been special. There is a kind of closeness in a small band that you cannot get when you are famous, and I think Feeder lost some of that as they grew. But they gained something else, which is the feeling of a huge crowd singing their songs back to them, and I think that is a fair trade. A band cannot stay small forever, and Feeder grew in the right way, by keeping their honesty even as the rooms got bigger.

When I listen to their later work, I hear a band that is comfortable with itself. Black/Red is not trying to repeat Echo Park, and I like that. It sounds like a band that has been through a lot and is still willing to be honest. I think that is a good place for any artist to reach, where you are no longer trying to prove yourself and you are just making the music that fits your life now. I hope they keep that feeling, because it is the feeling that makes their best work.

In the end, I think Feeder teach us that a long career is built from honesty, loyalty and the willingness to keep going. They were honest about their feelings, they were loyal to each other through great sadness, and they kept making music when it would have been easier to stop. None of those choices alone made them famous, but together they built a band that lasted. I would tell a young musician to look at Feeder and see that success is not one big moment. It is many small choices, made with care, over many years.

I will remember Feeder as a band that made me feel alive. Their music has a warmth to it, a sense that life is worth living even when it is hard, and I think that is a wonderful thing to give people. They made a song about a day that became an anthem for hope, and they kept making music that was worth listening to for more than thirty years. For that alone, they deserve to be remembered as one of the best British bands of their time.

I also think about the way Buck Rogers is played at football matches, and how much that must mean to the band. I imagine standing in a stadium, hearing the first notes of Buck Rogers, and watching thousands of people stand up and sing along. It must feel strange to write a song about a cartoon character and then hear it sung by a whole stadium, and I think it must also feel wonderful. That is the moment when a song stops belonging to the band and starts belonging to everyone.

I also admire the way Just a Day has been used on the radio and on television. I think it is a sign that a song has a life beyond the band when other people want to use it to tell their own stories. Just a Day has that life, because it is a hopeful song, and it works in many different settings. When I hear it, I feel the same lift I felt when I first heard it on record, and I think that is a mark of a great song.

There is something I find hopeful about Grant Nicholas’s work outside Feeder, because it shows that he is not just a band member. He is a songwriter who cares about the craft, and who wants to write songs for other people as well as for his own band. I think that is a generous thing to do, because it means sharing your talent instead of keeping it to yourself. I like that, because it tells me that the band are looking outwards, not just inwards, and that they care about music beyond their own records.

I also think about the band’s later albums, and how they have kept changing their sound. I think about Torpedo, and how heavy and direct it is, and I think it must have been a risk to make a record like that after the more melodic albums that came before. But the band took the risk, and their fans followed them. I think that is because the fans trust the band, and that trust was earned over many years of honest work.

What I find most impressive about their story is the way they have kept going for more than thirty years. I think it is easy to be in a band for a few years, when everything is new and exciting, but it is much harder to keep going for decades, through loss, through changes in the music business, and through changes in your own life. Feeder have done that, and I think it is because they enjoy each other’s company and they enjoy playing together. That enjoyment comes through in their music.

I also think about the younger bands who have been influenced by Feeder, and how much that must mean to them. I imagine a young guitarist hearing Feeder for the first time and thinking that a band can be melodic and heavy at the same time. That is a powerful idea, and I think Feeder have given it to a whole generation of musicians. Their influence is not just in their songs. It is in the permission they give other bands to be both.

There is a sadness in the way rock music has changed, where guitar bands are no longer at the centre of the charts in the way they once were. I think Feeder have felt that change, because they came from a time when rock bands could be the biggest acts in the country. But I also think their best songs survive that change, because a great song works even when the fashion changes. Buck Rogers works today, and it will work in ten years, because it was written with energy and with heart.

In the end, I think the wider story of Feeder is a story of songs that became part of public life. They wrote music that people use to celebrate, to feel alive, and to mark happy moments, and that is a wonderful thing for a band to give people. I would tell a young musician to look at Feeder and see that a song can be more than just a record. It can be a part of people’s lives, and that is the highest compliment a band can receive.

I also think about the band’s first mini-album Swim, and how much it must have meant to them. I imagine a young band in Newport, recording six songs quickly, and hoping that someone will listen. That is a humble beginning, but it is also a brave one, because it means putting your music into the world before you know whether anyone cares. Feeder did that, and their first fans found them. I think that is a lesson for any young band. Do not wait until you are perfect. Start now, and grow as you go.

I also admire the decision to make All Bright Electric after a long break, because I think it must have been frightening to come back after years away. I remember hearing Universe of Life for the first time and thinking that this was a different Feeder, older and wiser than the band I knew. But the more I listened, the more I liked it, because it showed that the band were not afraid to grow. I think that is a lesson for any artist. Do not be afraid to change, even when people love what you already do.

There is something I find hopeful about Black / Red, because it is a double album from a band that has been going for thirty years, and it still sounds fresh. I think many bands run out of ideas, but Feeder have kept finding new ones, and that tells me they still enjoy each other’s company. I would tell a young musician to listen to that album and notice how a band can stay curious for decades. Feeder stayed curious, and their music is better for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Feeder from and when did they form?

Feeder were formed in Newport, South Wales, in 1994. The band’s founding members were singer and guitarist Grant Nicholas, drummer Jon Lee and bassist Taka Hirose.

What are Feeder’s biggest songs?

Their best-known songs include Buck Rogers, Seven Days in the Sun, Just a Day and Just the Way I’m Feeling. Buck Rogers became their biggest hit, reaching the top five in Britain in 2001.

What happened to Feeder’s drummer Jon Lee?

Jon Lee, the band’s founding drummer, died by suicide in January 2002 at his home in Miami, when he was thirty-three years old. The band dedicated their next album, Comfort in Sound, to his memory.

What is Feeder’s most loved album?

Many fans point to Comfort in Sound, released in 2002, as their most loved album. It was written after Jon Lee’s death and includes the songs Just a Day, Just the Way I’m Feeling and Come Back Around.

Who plays drums for Feeder now?

After Jon Lee’s death, Mark Richardson joined Feeder as drummer and played on Comfort in Sound and later albums. Karl Brazil later became the band’s drummer and has played with them in recent years.

Are Feeder still together?

Yes, Feeder are still together and continue to tour and record. They released Torpedo in 2022 and Black/Red in 2024, more than thirty years after they formed in Newport.