11/09/26
His most successful solo venture up to that point, Happiness In Magazines went top 20 in the UK album charts and earned the guitarist the Best Solo Artist prize at the 2005 NME Awards.
Spearheaded by 'Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery's note- perfect pop and the riotous, Skids-like 'Freakin' Out', it plugged him into a lineage of classic power pop, UK punk and '60s songwriting.
''Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery' and 'Freakin' Out' were two of the first things I wrote," recalls Graham. "I remember thinking, Oh, actually, maybe my songwriting is getting a bit better? Maybe I should take this seriously and not be such a control freak? Stephen just got it. He loved what I was getting at, the sound of it and the era it was influenced by things like The Cars and The Jam."