BUSH were once a little known London act previously using the name FUTURE PRIMITIVE and featuring bassist Dave Parsons an erstwhile member of Pop Rock unit TRANSVISION VAMP. Enigmatic singer Gavin Rossdale was previously with MIDNIGHT, guitarist Nigel Pulsford used to be with KING BLANK whilst drummer Robin Goodridge is ex-BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

Being almost unheard of in Britain, BUSH (taking the new moniker from the West London suburb of Shepherd's Bush) scored a huge American hit with their debut album being certified gold following over 500,000 sales in under two months. It soon accelerated to platinum status, promoted by heavy MTV rotation of the band's videos and strong teen female interest in frontman Gavin Rossdale.

To prove that the debut record was no flash in the pan, BUSH scored massively again Stateside with their second album 'Razorblade Suitcase', which topped the Billboard charts with ease, soon selling over three million copies. Undaunted by media taunts that BUSH had stepped into the musical vacancy left by the passing of NIRVANA, the band even had the temerity to use Steve Albini, who had recorded NIRVANA's 'In Utero' album, as producer.

Erstwhile NIRVANA man, FOO FIGHTERS vocalist / guitarist Dave Grohl had become so incensed at what he perceived to be BUSH's blatant plagurism of the NIRVANA sound he took to wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend ' BU$H'. The Englishmen responded by wearing exactly the same design. BUSH were by now becoming accustomed to defending themselves whether it be in the form of TV documentarys, magazine interviews or against a seemingly endless stream of critics. The band GROOP DOGDRILL even went as far to record an anti-BUSH statement 'Shrub'.

Following a mammoth American tour BUSH returned to their homeland to play the Reading Festival in August prior to a British tour. Capitalising on their achievements and eager to plug between official albums an album of remixes entitled 'Deconstructed' (comprising of BUSH reworks by such diverse talents as popster TRICKYand jungle guru GOLDIE) the group re-emerged in the latter half of 1997.

To cap BUSH's rise to superstar status Rossdale also began a high profile romance with Gwen Stefani, lead singer of Los Angeles Pop Rock outfit NO DOUBT, which certainly kept the gossip columnists happy...

The 1999 single 'Letting The Cables Sleep' would come complete with an alternate version cut by Finnish cello quartet APOCALYPTICA.

In 2000 Rossdale collaborated with Dance act BLEACHIN' (which included erstwhile HAYZI FANTAZEE member Jeremy Healy) adding lead vocals to their 'Comin' Down' single, a rework of BUSH's 'Come Down'.

BUSH replaced founder member Nigel Pulsford, in rather acrimonious circumstances, with erstwhile HELMET guitarist Chris Traynor during early 2002. News also arrived that Rossdale was striking out on his own, contributing vocals to a track recorded with A PERFECT CIRCLE drummer Josh Freece for the 'Triple X' movie soundtrack.

Traynor decamped in early 2003, joining up with RIVAL SCHOOLS. That same year Gavin Rossdale, announcing that BUSH was officially in hiatus, guested on BLUE MAN GROUP's album 'The Complex', vocalising on the track 'The Current'. Valuable exposure to this song came with its use in the marketing campaign for the blockbuster 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' movie. The singer also turned up in an acting role, portraying a 1950's English footballer in the film ''Game Of Their Lives'.

Chris Traynor would rejoin the new look HELMET in August of 2003. Rossdale finally announced the band title for his new venture in June of 2004 as INSTITUTE. The 'Distort Yourself' album, which features songwriting and production contributions from HELMET leader Page Hamilton, would be recorded in New York during August. Musicians employed on the recordings comprised BUSH guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Cache Tolman of RIVAL SCHOOLS and Josh Freese of A PERFECT CIRCLE on drums. Meantime, former BUSH drummer Robin Goodridge resurfaced in a new London-based band called ELLIS.