Toploader

Toploader is a britpop band from Eastbourne, England, formed in 1997. The group’s line-up includes four of the five original members: Joseph Washbourn, Dan Hipgrave, Rob Green and Matt Knight.

Career

Toploader begin by playing small venues in the UK alongside acts such as Coldplay and Muse. The band later support artists including Paul Weller, Robbie Williams and Bon Jovi, and become the last British band to play the original Wembley Stadium.

They build a strong chart profile with a run of top 20 singles in the UK and overseas. Their debut album, Onka’s Big Moka, sells more than one million copies and stays in the UK Top 5 for over six months. Their second album, Magic Hotel, reaches number 3 in the UK album chart. Across the two albums, the band sell over two million records.

Their cover of King Harvest’s Dancing in the Moonlight becomes a global hit and is the song most closely associated with them.

Hiatus and later activity

Toploader break up in 2003 after the collapse of their record label, S2. They later reform in 2009 and sign a one-album deal with Underdogs Music for their third album, Only Human, which is released in 2011.