THEY'RE BACK??! - No Doubt.

WHO IS NO DOUBT?
No Doubt is Gwen Stefani (vocals), Tony Kanal (bass), Tom Dumont (guitar), and Adrian Young (drums). The group started as a Ska band in ’86 in Anaheim, Cali. Since then, they’ve covered a myriad of genres and styles – like punk, rock, reggae, and dancehall. After a 5 year hiatus, they’re reuniting to headline BAMBOOZLE on May 3rd.


The history of No Doubt is a journey of ever-evolving musical styles and images, spanning about 2 decades. With each of their 4 major albums, the band seemed to tackle a new genre of music and take on a unique, new image. There was the original ska period that yielded “The Beacon Street Collection”, then came the massively popular 'new wave-ska' sound of “Tragic Kingdom”, followed by the rock edge of “Return of Saturn”, and finally the dancehall feel of “Rock Steady.” Vocalist Gwen Stefani was not always the dance-pop solo artist, “Hollaback Girl” that we know today. In addition to serving as a rebellious role model for teenage girls in the ‘90’s, Gwen was, and continues to be, an international fashion icon, setting the most risqué and outlandish trends that often involve self-made or self-designed clothing.



The Beginning
No Doubt emerged in 1986 as a fun and crazy ska band, just as the heavy grunge scene was taking over (think Nirvana). Gwen’s older brother Eric started the band as the keyboardist, but he soon left to become a full-time animator on The Simpsons (aw yeah). In ’92, after the release of their first, self-titled album, the band appeared in their first video, for “Trapped in a Box”, a spunky little diddy about being a slave to the television. A petite Gwen was recognized for her “loopy, unpredictable” voice of distinguished vibrato and range, as well as her individualized, self-made style.


The Peak
In ’95, the band played in the first ever, now famous Warped Tour, along with revered rock-reggae gods and Cali buds Sublime. Later that year, ND released the soon-to-be platinum record “Tragic Kingdom”, a collection of catchy yet powerful ska-bitten songs, many inspired by the difficult break up of Gwen and bassist Tony Kanal, who’d kept up a passionate relationship for 7 years. The success of “Tragic Kingdom” instantly propelled the lovably awkward and energetic Gwen into the position of feminist role model and symbol of rebellion for teen girls around the world. She debuted her signature look of platinum blonde hair and red lips, contrasted with her abs-bearing shirt and baggy pants, in the video for “Just A Girl”, which became the unofficial anthem of the female teenager.


Coping With Fame
With the growing success of the band, Gwen’s styles became a bigger media focus than the band’s music. (This concern was expressed in the band’s video for hit single “Don’t Speak”). Gwen set many unlikely trends, among which was wearing a bindi, a jewel donned between the eyes, inspired by Tony’s Indian heritage. Gwen then had the guts to show up at the MTV VMA’s of 98 with short and stringy blue hair, and in a matching blue, fuzzy bikini top. In the ultimate display of audacity, Gwen flashed her metal-mouth smile of multi-colored braces at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards ‘99, where she was nominated Most Fashionable Female Artist. Her hair color changed once again, to bright pink, to celebrate the year 2000, when No Doubt became the first band to perform on MTV New Year’s Eve in the new millennium. The new year ushered in the release of the alternative style album “Return to Saturn”, which debuted at #2 on the US charts. The harder, rock energy of the record reflected both Gwen’s growing insecurities and the band’s rough musical evolution. My personal favorite track off the record, “Magic’s in the Makeup”, reveals Gwen’s insecurities about her true identity, suppressed by her use of excessive makeup and her constantly changing and experimental looks.



Going Steady
Despite generally positive reviews, “Return of Saturn” was a financial failure, so No Doubt recruited major producer Pharell Williams of the Neptunes to help with their new album. During the writing process, Gwen began solo collaborations with artists like hip hop diva Eve and legendary DJ Moby. Then in 2001, “Rock Steady” was born. In just a year, No Doubt had matured (somewhat) and entirely reinvented their image, resulting in a commercial comeback. The band reinstated authentic reggae influences into their music, working with Jamaican artists like Bounty Killer and Lady Saw. The record took on an electro-dancehall sound. Tony Kanal commented on the new sound:

“The album has an old-school, early '80s-underground, dance hall-meets-New Wave-pop feel, and for us, 'Rock Steady' captures that universal vibe."

The band’s new style, album cover, and videos (“Hey Baby”, “Hella Good”) were inspired by artist Steven Sprouse’s bold, punky-urban artwork. Gwen’s belly-bearing shirts and baggy pants, that became a staple of her look, now always included touches of Rasta wear and a mature punkiness that emanated a whole new type of sex appeal. Yet Gwen’s constant identity crisis resurfaced in the hit single “Underneath it All.” The song was directed towards her boyfriend Gavin Rossdale, frontman of grunge band Bush, whom she met back in ’95 at the Warped Tour. The next year, Gwen and Gavin married. No Doubt’s decline began with the start of Gwen’s solo career.


Solo Gwen
In ’03, Gwen finally launched her own clothing line called L.A.M.B. (Love, Angel, Music, Baby), as well as a solo dance-pop side project of the same name, produced in part by Tony Kanal. With the release of the album came Gwen’s more obvious (and freaky) obsession with Japanese fashion sub-culture. A group of 4 Japanese-American back up dancers, who represent each letter of L.A.M.B., became Gwen’s personal entourage, called the “Harajuku Girls”. The first single off the album, “What You Waiting For?”, was written by Gwen about dealing with pressure and taking such risks with her music career. The accompanying Alice in Wonderland-themed video featured a shockingly primp, polished, and matured Stefani, dressed up in all kinds of lavish costumes. The more popular, Fiddler on the Roof-inspired “Rich Girl”, featuring Eve, was released next. Then came the simple-minded beat of “Hollaback Girl”. And when “Luxurious” made it’s debut, people wondered how anyone could have the nerve to re-work the signature beat by the Isley Brothers, made famous by Biggie’s playa anthem “Big Poppa”. In ’06, “The Sweet Escape” album was released, featuring newer, pop-y artists like Akon.

Meanwhile...
While Gwen did her thing, the rest of the band had a few of their own professional endeavors going on. Tony continued producing music, like songs from the movie “50 First Dates”, the "Funhouse” album by Pink, and “Together as One”, the album by Jewish reggae singer Elan Atias, who was a member of Bob Marley & The Wailers. Tom worked on a side project called “Invincible Overlord” and produced Matt Costa’s “Songs We Sing”. Adrian, the often naked and mohawked drummer, who was named Sexiest Man in Music by Playgirl (yes it exists), toured with various bands and appeared on Drum Magazine cover with fellow master Travis Barker.


They’re Back – No Doubt.
Now, after years in the game, and years out of the game, No Doubt is officially BACK. ND’s last tour (and my first concert) was in summer ’04, and it was co-headlined with Blink 182, who has since disbanded (tears). Now, 5 years later, No Doubt is making an explosive return to headline BAMBOOZLE with Fall Out Boy in East Rutherford, NJ. Tix are just now on sale. Will Doosh be there? Hellzzz yeaaaah. Will I get punched out accidentally by some sweaty, emo kid? Probably. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take to see these guys get back together. After taking a look at all the types of music they’ve explored and images they’ve had, I’m really wondering how the now married professionals will present themselves. The official website shows a black & white image of the boys in suits and Gwen in a dress and heels… hmm… they'll sure stand out that way. ND's apparently working on a *new album* while touring, and I am so excited to see what they come up with. The possibilities are endless.