2009

Acts Formed

Alabama Shakes

Athens, Alabama, USA
Blues Rock

Beach Fossils

Brooklyn, New York, USA
Indie Rock

Bent Knee

Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Art Rock

clipping.

Los Angeles, California, USA
Industrial Hip Hop

Desire

Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Synth Wave

iamamiwhoami

Stockholm, Sweden
Synth Pop

Idles

Bristol, England
Post-Punk

Ramona Falls

Portland, Oregon, USA
Indie Rock

Shabazz Palaces

Seattle, Washington, USA
Experimental Hip Hop

Sleeping with Sirens

Orlando, Florida, USA
Emo

The Beaches

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Pop Rock

January 6th

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion is released.

February 8th

Rihanna is assaulted by her boyfriend Chris Brown several hours before the Grammy Awards ceremony. Both artists were nominated for awards and cancelled their scheduled performances.

February 8th - Grammy Awards

Album of the Year: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

Song of the Year: Coldplay - Viva La Vida

March 18th

Fever Ray - Fever Ray is released.

March 23rd

Mastodon - Crack the Skye is released.

June 9th

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca is released.

June 25th

Michael Jackson dies at 50 of a drug overdose.

August 28th

Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis. The band would continue without Noel under the moniker Beady Eye.

September 8th - Mercury Prize

Best British Album: Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy

September 12th

The inaugral Sunset Strip Music Festival takes place in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

September 19th

Roc Raida, of The X-Ecutioners, dies at 37 of a heart attack.

October 20th

Fashawn - Boy Meets World is released.

October 28th

The Michael Jackson documentary This Is It grosses over $250m at the box office.

December 20th

Over the previous years it had become a foregone conclusion that the winner of X-Factor would top the British charts at Christmas. As a form of protest, fans intentionally pushed 'Killing in the Name Of' by Rage Against the Machine to #1. Crucially, the song features the refrain 'f*ck you I won't do what you tell me'.