Sex Pistols, Kinks define Englishness

Twelve English artists have each named a track they feel represents England.

In an article in The Guardian, The Sex Pistols, Suede, The Smiths and The Kinks were all named as artists who performed songs that encapsulated the nation's essence.

Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling nominated The Kinks' 'Waterloo Sunset' as his defining track, saying it "romanticised the mundane".

"[Ray] Davies was a Muswell Hill boy, and I was from Bounds Green, the suburb next door, so I feel a connection there. I've always found that sense of suburbanness interesting in his writing," he said.

James Rushent, bass player of Does It Offend You, Yeah?, said the Sex Pistols' anti-establishment anthem 'God Save the Queen' made a big impression on the country.

"The Pistols going on TV and saying "f***" changed England! You can go on TV now and say "f***" and no one cares."

Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell admired the eccentricities of Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights'.

"I can't imagine this song going down well anywhere apart from England. Her stance is very quaint and English: the way she sings, her accent, the drama of it all. She had the audacity to put out a single that was going to stretch people's imaginations."

Other tracks that made the list included the Beatles' 'A Day in the Life', Suede's 'The Next Life' and The Smiths' 'Panic'.