Starting life as Glass Onion following time together at Glasgow School Of Art, by the end of the 90s Travis had emerged as a driving force in British rock. The Scottish quartet spearheaded the '00s scene that would birth Coldplay, Snow Patrol and their ilk.
Self-releasing their debut All I Wanna Do Is Rock EP in 1996, Travis subsequently signed to Andy MacDonald's Independiente Records for their first album ^. With acclaimed U2 producer Steve Lillywhite at the helm, the album reached the top ten on the UK chart and spawned hit singles 'Happy' and 'Tied To The 90s'.
It would be 1999's The Man Who that truly cemented Travis' musical legacy. Comprising vocalist Fran Healy, bassist Dougie Payne, lead guitarist Andy Dunlop and drummer Neil Primrose, the band offered a darker sound through tracks such as 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?', 'Driftwood', 'Turn' and 'Writing To Reach You'. Although the album was initially met by a lukewarm reception, a fittingly rain-soaked Glastonbury Festival appearance garnered significant praise from fans and media alike and propelled Travis to the top of the charts. BRIT, Music Week and Ivor Novello awards followed.
The Invisible Band followed in 2001, reuniting Travis with The Man Who producer Nigel Godrich. It debuted at No.1 and, as well as celebrating stateside success, its single 'Sing' became the most played song across UK airwaves that summer. It also secured the band another BRIT Award.
Following an accident in which Primrose broke his neck – almost spelling the end for the band – Travis returned with 2003's world-weary 12 Memories. Subsequently touring across the globe and releasing a compilation, it would be another four years until the band released their fifth studio album. 2007's The Boy With No Name was self-described as their reawakening, taking a lighter tone than its predecessor, and roping in friend and comedian Ben Stiller for the video for lead single 'Closer'.
The heavier concept album Ode To J. Smith followed only a year later, recorded in just two weeks and written as a series of stories about nameless characters. It was celebrated as one of Travis' best albums. Where You Stand appeared in 2013, led by single 'Another Guy'. They then returned to Berlin's iconic Hansa Tonstudio to record their eighth studio album Everything At Once, which arrived in 2016. That same year, Healy directed Almost Fashionable: A Film About Travis, captured during their time touring across Mexico and featuring Travis-sceptic journalist Wyndham Wallace. The film won the Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2018.
Having celebrated the 10 year anniversary of The Man Who with special album shows in 2017, the band unveiled new material in 2019. Kissing In The Wind was the first track to emerge from their 2020 album, 10 Songs. Released in October 2020, their ninth studio album was also preceded by the singles 'Valentine', 'A Ghost' and 'The Only Thing', featuring Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.
In 2024, the band revealed their 10th album L.A. Times, preceded by singles 'Raze The Bar' (featuring Brandon Flowers and Chris Martin) and 'Bus'.
Having completed their extensive UK tour that year, Travis returned in 2025 to headline TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall, supported by The Magic Numbers.
