Robbie Williams was recently voted the most popular rock star in Europe. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent in the English Midlands. We wondered what the students at Keele University, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, listened to. Of course, Robbie had many fans at Keele, but we found that the students have a very broad taste in music. The students we talked to listened to everything from classical to Death Metal. Have a look at what the people below like: how many of the bands do you know, and what do you think of them?

Nathan, above right, who is studying English and politics, works on and regularly listens to the student radio (Kube). He enjoys rock punk naming White Stripes, Strokes, The Clash and Eyeliners as some of his favourite bands.

Folk

Beth, left, likes rock and folk music listening to bands and singers like Damien Rice, Ryan Adams, Interpol, The Liberties, Foo Fighters and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Beth likes to listen to her music on her computer and on vinyl records.

Punk

Caren and Neil are both English students, with Caren also studying psychology and Neil American studies. They have similar tastes in music, both liking punk and indie. Caren likes The Jam, Beautiful South, Light Years, Green Day. She has an old car, so she still listens to some of these bands on tape. Neil also likes rock bands like Cradle of Filth, Soil, Rammstein and Marilyn Manson.

A wide variety

Lauren and Kirsty, on the left, are from the drama group.  They like everything from pop to hip-hop, musicals, chill out and Chinese/Japanese music, mentioning in particular Damien Rice, REM, Kellis, The Darkness and Red Hot Chili Peppers. This varied mix of music genres reflects the fact that they listen to music in a variety of different ways including CD’s, clubs and the radio.

Classical

Lin, a media and law student, likes to listen to music on CDs and go to clubs to hear her favourite bands, Franz Ferdinand and indie rockers Muse. She also likes Von Bondies, Hot Hot Heat, Dandy Warhols, The Doors and The Kinks. Lin also listens to classical composers Mozart, Bach and Beethoven.

Music on the go

Ian, pictured on the right, uses his iPod, to listen to music on the go. Ian likes rock, metal and folk bands such as Black Sabbath, Richard Thompson, Elbow, Mull Historical Society, Teenage Fan Club and Kate Rusby.

Snot!

Tom and Richard study music technology and like UK hip-hop (Jehst, Taskforce, Foreign Beggers, Lost Souls), drum n bass (Andy C, DJ Hype, True Players, and Metal Headz), Funk (Old Skool – James Brown etc), soul, breaks, metal and punk (Snot, Def Tones, Rage Against Machine).

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