Noisettes are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2003 by singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison. Emerging from the city's independent music scene, the group became known for combining garage rock, post-punk, soul, blues, pop, and disco influences. Their music was matched by an energetic live presence, particularly Shoniwa's theatrical performances and powerful vocals.
Shoniwa and Smith had previously worked together in the band Sonarfly. After forming Noisettes with Morrison, the trio began building a following through live shows and released the four-song EP Three Moods of the Noisettes through the independent label Side Salad Records in 2005. The recording introduced the band's early sound: raw, sharply played, and rooted in punk and garage rock, but with a clear interest in soul and dramatic vocal arrangements. Their growing reputation led to support slots with acts including Babyshambles, Bloc Party, and Muse.
Universal Music signed the band in 2006, with releases appearing through Vertigo in Europe and Mercury in the United States. Noisettes' debut album, What's the Time Mr. Wolf?, followed in 2007. The record presented the group as a volatile and inventive rock trio, moving between abrasive guitar work, blues-inflected passages, and more melodic material. Songs such as "Don't Give Up" and "Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit)" helped establish the band's identity, while the album's intense performances reflected their reputation as a formidable live act.
The group's commercial breakthrough came with Wild Young Hearts, released in 2009. The album marked a significant expansion of their sound, incorporating polished pop production, dance rhythms, soul, and disco alongside the band's alternative rock background. Its single "Don't Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)" became a major UK hit, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. "Never Forget You" also performed strongly, reaching the UK Top 20 and giving the band an enduring place in late-2000s British pop-rock. The album itself reached number seven in the United Kingdom and was certified gold there.
Morrison left Noisettes in early 2010, after which Shoniwa and Smith continued the project as a duo. The remaining members explored a broader and more polished style, including a cover of the Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" and a new version of "Sister Rosetta" for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 soundtrack.
Their third studio album, Contact, was released in 2012. It retained the pop and soul direction of Wild Young Hearts while emphasizing electronic textures, orchestration, and a more varied approach to songwriting. Singles including "Winner" and "That Girl" showed the duo continuing to move between ambitious pop, dance-oriented arrangements, and Shoniwa's forceful vocal performances. Although Contact did not match the commercial impact of its predecessor, it confirmed Noisettes as a band willing to reshape its sound rather than repeat its breakthrough formula.
Noisettes are best known for the contrast between their early, rough-edged guitar music and the colorful, rhythm-driven pop of their later work. Through that progression, Shoniwa and Smith developed a distinctive catalog that connected London's indie rock tradition with soul, funk, and mainstream pop.
