NO DOUBT
Making a statement

The four-member pop group, which made an impact with its eccentric and punk image, and also forceful singing and thought-provoking lyrics, is out with their new album titled Return Of Saturn...

No Doubt was all over the airwaves in 1996 with their numbers Just a girl, Spiderwebs and Don’t speak. But theirs is not just another typical overnight success story. No Doubt has been in the making for a long time. The band was conceived a decade ago, when Gwen Stefani, the blonde, sugary-sweet singer, who seems happy even when she’s singing her sad songs, was only 17 years old. "Originally it was just a bunch of people who didn’t know how to play their instruments, trying to imitate the music we loved, which was ska," Gwen recalls.

In 13 years, the band has undergone major changes. New band members have replaced Eric Stefani, Gwen’s brother who took a cartoonish gig with The Simpsons; Alan Meade, who left to get married at 17; and lead singer John Spence, who died less than a year after No Doubt was formed. The current line-up is Gwen, who took on John’s lead role, adding a splash o’ girl spice, Indian-born bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and the drummer Adrian Young. Gwen insists that inspite of the changes, "we were always the dork band from Anaheim." The singer also says that No Doubt’s success story is what she dreamed of. Says she, "It’s the same story I always loved in the movies, you know, ‘I’m gonna make it’, And they do! That’s my favourite story."

In an era where the majority of bands are caught up in aggro-posturing and the spewing of songs that have degenerated into teen-angst-recitation-by-numbers, No Doubt is something of an antidote, a beacon of hope for those tired of every-day, angry-rock living. Drawing from a palette of new wave, guitar-rock, ska, dance, reggae and pop, vocalist Gwen Stefani, bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young stand as tribute to the fact that music can be fun - uplifting, even -- without sacrificing raw power and drive. Their last release Tragic Kingdom proved it, and their latest release Return To Saturn re-affirms their unique style.

Despite No Doubt’s musical inclination toward that which is upbeat, Gwen is quick to point out that what goes into inspiring the music isn’t necessarily all sweetness and light. "As people, we’re angry," she laughs, "We went through some really bad times early -- personally and bandwise -- and our whole way of dealing with that is humour, and I think that’s really apparent in our numbers. Some of the songs are sad if you really listen to them, yet there’s still an element of humour to it all."

One can conclude that No Doubt embodies the celebratory side of scathing punk rock. And many are ready to hear something other than teen angst-fuelled grunting and screaming, as No Doubt has become something of a phenomenon. Fans plaster their cars with No Doubt stickers, and their bodies with No Doubt tattoos, and the shows by the band are made into a seething, hyperkinetic party. Says Tony, "What’s cool is that because we have a female singing, Gwen gets the girls into it, lets them participate. When you come to a No Doubt show, the audience is spread across the board."

Adds Tom, "But it’s not just this loud energy. There’s a real emotional thing that comes from the songs because they’re so melodic."

The band’s reputation for outrageous live shows won them a wildly dedicated following, while their unique sound landed them opening slots for such diverse artists as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Urban Dance Squad, Mano Negra, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and Fishbone.

Their eponymous debut album was released in 1992, which was followed by a period of extensive touring and intense song-writing. In early 1995 the band self-released The Beacon Street Collection. "We had so many songs which we knew weren’t going to make it onto Tragic Kingdom. We’d written about 60 and just decided to put a CD of some of the stuff out ourselves," explains Tony of the latter disc.

While Tragic Kindgom marks the departure of Eric Stefani (whose gone on to cartoon full time) it also hails the band really coming into their own as song-writers and musicians. "Before, I just didn’t have the experience to get too involved in the song-writing," says Gwen, "But with this album I got really involved in the writing of songs and expressing myself, putting my personality into things."

Return Of Saturn, the long-awaited follow-up to Tragic Kingdom, is the group’s new release. The foursome say that compared to Tragic... they were more focussed while working on ...Saturn. Thanks to the success of their last album, their record company put its all into this album, which is why they could completely concentrate on the music. The group says that they haven’t compromised on this album since they weren’t bogged down by the fact whether it would sell and how much. And they also point out that there is an improvement in their lyrics, which are mature and have more of emotional content.
No Doubt, which has been together for 13 years, denies being a Ska band anymore, and would like to describe themselves as an Organic Rock band. "We still have that Reggae foundation and that New Wave foundation. We write songs on acoustic guitars and basses, and come up with songs, and then work on them together with our drummer, and it just comes together," they say, and add, "Everything that comes out from us is natural, and true."


Compiled By Salma Khatib