Faithless are an English dance music band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Faithless were founded in 1995. Jazz had his musical beginnings in hip-hop, and was a rapper on the local scene in South London since the mid-1980s. Bliss’ and Rollo’s primary interests were in electronic music. Faithless’ first album Reverence was conceived as a mixtape which covers many genres, encapsulating house, hip-hop, folk and classical music. The album was released on Rollo’s label, Cheeky Records.
Their first show at Camden’s Jazz cafe to showcase Reverence was a sell-out, and a global tour ensued as the record went up the charts all over Europe. The singles “Insomnia” and “Salva Mea” each selling over a million copies, and album going either platinum or gold in every European territory. The second studio album, Mercury-nominated Sunday 8PM, contained the global hit “God Is a DJ” and established Faithless as a major touring force in 1998. Emotive videos were directed by featured vocalist Jamie Catto, featuring the band’s transcendent live shows, and helped bring Faithless’ live prowess to the attention of music fans. They were nominated for Best British Dance Act at the Brit Awards in 1999. The same year, Catto departed the band to form 1 Giant Leap.
In 2001, their third album Outrospective was the first to be released on major label Sony BMG and captured the dreamy synergy between sadness and mad delirium giving rise to hit singles “We Come 1” and a tribute to Muhammad Ali. In 2002, they performed on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury, with another nomination for best British Dance Act at The Brit Awards in the same year. They won Best Dance and Best Live Act at the TMF Awards in the Netherlands in 2001. In 2004, their fourth album No Roots debuted at number 1 in the UK, conceived as a conceptual continuous piece of music in one key, with strong lyrical gravitas it featured vocals from Dido, new collaborator L.S.K, and the late Nina Simone. Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters cited Faithless’ hit protest song “Mass Destruction” as the song he most wished he had written during an interview with Q magazine, and the lyrics were quoted in the US Senate. A powerful video directed by award-winning directing team Dom & Nick alluded to abuses of power during the Iraq War to chilling effect, tracing the connection from childhood bullying to terrorism and genocide.
Their fifth album, To All New Arrivals, was released in 2006. It was inspired by the uncertain futures facing Sister Bliss’ recently-born son, and Rollo’s young family, exploring themes of global poverty, immigration, conflict and belonging through the concept of “new arrivals”. The first single “Bombs”, with its anti-war message and video directed by director Howard Greenhalgh, was not playlisted on daytime MTV or BBC Radio 1. The album also featured collaborations with Cat Power and Robert Smith of The Cure. The band played Coachella Valley Festival in 2007. Their sixth album The Dance was released on 16 May 2010, after a four-year recording break for the band, on their own label “Nate’s Tunes” – and was 2nd in the UK album charts behind The Rolling Stones. Faithless again played the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2010, as well as other festivals around the world, and arenas. They were seen by over one million people and sold over 400,000 records. Faithless performed at Brixton Academy on 7 and 8 April 2011 and was transmitted live via satellite to cinemas across Europe.
After a seven-year recording hiatus, the seventh Faithless studio album All Blessed was released in October 2020. The release came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the themes of the album weaving around immigration, identity, empathy and lack of it. The first track that was officially released from the album came on the same weekend as the album release, Synthesizer, a love letter to electronic music. The album features vocals from newcomers Nathan Ball and spoken word artist & poet Suli Breaks, along with Caleb Femi. Other notable appearances on the album include Soul II Soul founder Jazzie B, Gaika, and Damien Jurado. Rollo said of the album, “We want to give them something else – something that could breathe.” It continued their top 3 chart success in the UK and Europe.
