Rialto (band)

Rialto
OriginLondon, England
GenresAlternative rock, Britpop[1]
Years active1997–2002, 2023–present
LabelsEastWest
China Records
Eagle Records
Koch Records (US)
Past membersLouis Eliot
Jonny Bull
Julian Taylor
Pete Cuthbert
Toby Hounsham
Anthony Christmas

Rialto are an English rock band formed in London in 1997. They released their self-titled debut album in 1998, followed by their second and final album, Night on Earth, in 2001. Their single "Untouchable" reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart.[2][3] In the summer of 1998, Rialto became the first ever UK chart band to release a single exclusively through the internet.[4][5][6]

Despite finding favour with music critics, with Melody Maker anticipating "a fairytale future of Oasis-like proportions", the band were famously dropped by their label East West, a Warner Music Group imprint, a month before the release of their heavily promoted eponymous debut album, denting the group's chances of major commercial success. Neil McCormick noted that Rialto were "among the most critically acclaimed and highly touted new groups to emerge" of the late 1990s, making "carefully crafted, Beatlesque pop, with an epic, cinematic sound and slightly sinister lyrics". The group gained a following in East and Southeast Asia, particularly in South Korea where their debut reached the number one spot in the album charts.[7][8]

  1. ^ Alice Jones, "Laugh at Britpop if you will, but it was the unforgettable and glorious sound of my youth", Independent, 25 April 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 460. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ "RIALTO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  4. ^ "Rialto become a house band". NME. 26 April 2000. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Caught in a musical web". BBC News. 6 July 1998. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Pulp fiction". Lancashire Telegraph. 4 July 1998. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Dropped from a great height". The Daily Telegraph. 11 July 1998. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Interview with Louis Eliot of Rialto". PopMatters. 27 April 2002. Archived from the original on 4 January 2003. Retrieved 4 June 2020.