Top 15 Best British Bands of All Time

The four lads from Liverpool changed the world forever; with their unsurpassed harmonies, drive to experiment and timeless melodies, John, Paul, George and Ringo are the absolute foundation of pop music.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards created the ultimate bad-boy archetype of rock 'n' roll: dirty riffs, blues passion and an energy still very much alive after more than sixty years.

Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor fused opera, hard rock and pop into dizzying masterpieces that have topped charts around the world for decades.

The masters of concept rock: with their philosophical lyrics, groundbreaking sound effects and David Gilmour's lyrical guitar solos, they created a sonic universe of otherworldly class.

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham defined hard rock and heavy metal with heavy blues riffs, mysticism and thundering drums.

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey unleashed a whirlwind of synthesizers, guitar explosions and the ultimate primal scream of youthful rebellion on stage.

In the '90s, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher led the Britpop revolution with arrogant swagger, Beatlesque melodies and indestructible singalongs that unite millions.

Chris Martin and his bandmates grew into the biggest stadium pop act of this century: sweeping melodies, emotional choruses and visually stunning concerts.

Led by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead evolved from grunge-era outsiders into the most innovative and respected art-rock band of modern times.

Joe Strummer and Mick Jones proved that punk intelligence, political engagement, reggae and rockabilly could merge perfectly into timeless battle songs.

Although partly American, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie formed the British blues backbone of this emotional pop-rock phenomenon, whose Rumours broke every record.

Carried by Mark Knopfler's unmatched fingerpicking guitar style and cinematic stories; a masterclass in subtle musical craftsmanship.

Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland combined new wave, post-punk and reggae rhythms into one of the tightest and most successful power trios ever.

Alex Turner and his friends from Sheffield first conquered the internet with lightning-fast garage rock, then grew into stylish desert rockers with huge worldwide status.

The standard-bearers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal: Steve Harris' galloping basslines, twin guitar harmonies and Bruce Dickinson's epic voice.