Strike | |
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Origin | London, England |
Genres | Eurodance, disco house |
Years active | 1994–2006 |
Labels | Fresh Records |
Members | Matt Cantor Andy Gardner Victoria Newton |
Strike discography | |
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Cover of debut album I Saw the Future
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Studio albums | 1 |
EPs | 1 |
Singles | 8 |
Strike were a British electronic dance music band formed in 1994 consisting of Matt Cantor (later of Freestylers), Andy Gardner (later of Plump DJs) and the vocalist Victoria Newton.
Strike formed towards the end of 1994. A chance vocal session for Victoria Newton at the studios of Fresh Records in Ladbroke Grove, landed her the role as the lead singer.
Strike's first single, "Formula One", entered the lower reaches of the UK top 100 chart. They did not break through until "U Sure Do" was released in December 1994, originally charting at number 31 in the UK Singles Chart, only to re-enter the chart and climb to number 4 in April 1995. due to the track becoming a major club hit. They then began to tour extensively, appearing on television programs such as Top of the Pops and MTV and playing to audiences as large as 70,000. "U Sure Do" achieved chart success in many territories and this took the band to Spain, Italy, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan.
Strike went on to produce another four UK Top 40 hits and an album I Saw the Future was released in 1997 on Fresh Records. They toured with and supported many international artists including the Backstreet Boys, Jocelyn Brown and the Spice Girls.
Newton was offered a solo recording contract with Strike's label, Fresh. In September 1999, she made her debut release with "Martha's Harbour", a cover of the All About Eve hit, including mixes by Mike Koglin and Blu. Although it failed to reach the UK Singles Chart, it was a #8 UK club hit and a favourite of DJ, Paul Van Dyk.