I probably have to thank my older sister for getting me started with music. When i was around 8 or 9 she'd copy tapes of Oasis, Blur, The Verve, Ocean Colour Scene and a few others for me. Including bringing me to my first ever concert which was Oasis. But up until i was 14 my music collection mostly consisted of mainstream chart-bothering rock bands like Travis, Stereophonics, Coldplay, Oasis etc.
The first major turning point was my discovery of Nirvana. With me becoming an angsty little teenager Nirvana just seemed perfect to me, they were pretty much the gateway to the music that my parents would describe as a "****ing racket", the rebellion had begun
. Not long after that i discovered Metallica and metal and hard rock in general and so i went through a mosher phase up until my late teens. But i was always open to other music, in my last year of school one of my friends copied The Cure's Greatest Hits for me and it really opened my mind to how powerful, beautiful and emotional music could be.
When i left school and started college i started to get more and more into alternative rock and indie music, bands like the Pixies, Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr, Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine. And course MB has really opened my mind to all sorts of music. Nowdays i'm still mostly listening to indie and alternative, some folky stuff as well, but i'm getting into electronic music a bit more, listening to The Chemical Brothers, Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin and various compilations.
When i look back there's tons of bands i can't believe i listened to. When you grow older your music tastes really do sharpen.