Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every Real-Life Band That Played The Bronze

The numerous real-life bands that played the Bronze in Buffy the Vampire Slayer serve as a perfect time capsule to the 1990s, and highlighted up and coming talent. The beloved series, which ran from 1997-2003, took place in the fictional town of Sunnydale, California. Aside from the fact that it was sitting directly on top of a Hellmouth, there really wasn’t much to do in the ostensibly small town that was also inexplicably large enough to have its own university. Thankfully, Sunnydale had a pretty awesome club known as the Bronze. The place may have been a bit lax in terms of carding minors, but it did attract some pretty great bands.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is remembered for a lot of wonderful things: snappy dialogue, clever use of metaphor, epic battles (and romances), and unforgettable characters. One vital aspect of the show that tends to get overlooked is the music. The series has two soundtrack albums, as well several releases showcasing Christophe Beck’s iconic score, and of course, the soundtrack to the musical episode, “Once More with Feeling”. Buffy featured music by bands as varied as Rasputina, Azure Ray, The Sundays, and Alison Krauss. As for the Bronze, the local club would occasionally host musicians way too famous to stop off in Sunnydale, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t delightful to see them become a part of the Buffyverse.

While there were many real-life bands that played the Bronze, Four Star Mary was the band behind Oz’s fictional group, Dingoes Ate My Baby and THC was responsible for the music of Veruca’s band, Shy. Members of both bands could be seen at times on stage at the Bronze along with the fictional musicians played by actors. Four Star Mary also appeared in “Restless” as the band in Giles’ dream. Also, there was a rare, non-Bronze performance from Bif Naked, who played a few songs at UC Sunnydale in season 4.

Sprung Monkey

Aside from winning the award for “Most Excellent ‘90s Band Name Ever”, Sprung Monkey has the immense honor of being the first band to play the Bronze. They appeared in the pilot, “Welcome to the Hellmouth”, performing “Believe”, but several other songs can also be heard as events unfold. Sprung Monkey’s music was featured in a couple of other season 1 episodes as well. The band, who originated in San Diego, was active from 1991-2002, but reunited in 2005.

Superfine

Superfine played the Bronze in season 1, episode 4, “Teacher’s Pet”. Their song “Stoner Love” can be heard, but “I Already Met You” is much more prominently featured while the Scoobies hang out. The track also appears on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album. Frontman Rob Grad was the bassist for 90s rock band Kik Tracee before joining Superfine, which he left in 2010.

Velvet Chain

Season 1, episode 5, “Never Kill a Boy on the First Date”, was one of many episodes in which Buffy struggled to maintain some semblance of a social life without her calling get in the way. Of course, dating Owen was disastrous, but while the two were at the Bronze, L.A.-based trip-hop band Velvet Chain played “Treason” and “Strong”. The latter was also included on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album. Velvet Chain were such big fans of the show that in 1999 they released The Buffy EP, which included their own take on a sort of theme song called “Buffy (She’s the Slayer)”. Seth Green played guitar on the track.

Cibo Matto

Cibo Matto is responsible for one of the most memorable Bronze moments. In the season 2 premiere, “When She Was Bad”, Buffy took her “issues” out on Willow, Xander, and Angel. Her flirty dance with Xander wounded them all in one fell swoop. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendan are both great, but it’s “Sugar Water” by Cibo Matto that makes the scene work so well. Another track from the band, “Spoon”, can be heard as well, before Buffy’s now-infamous dance. The band, whose name means “crazy food” in Italian, was formed in New York City in 1994 by Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori. They were later joined by other members, including Sean Lennon. Cibo Matto went on hiatus in 2002, but reunited in 2011.

Nickel

Another important Bronze moment is Spike seeing Buffy for the first time, which happens in season 2, episode 3, “School Hard”. Nickel played the club, performing their songs “1000 Nights” and “Stupid Thing”, from the album of the same name. It’s during “Stupid Thing” that plays when William the Bloody catches his first glimpse of the Slayer. Unfortunately, despite their undeniable contribution to this monumental Buffy moment, Nickel didn’t do much after their appearance on the series.

Lotion

Appearing in season 2, episode 15, “Phases”, Lotion played the Bronze just before Oz wreaked havoc as a werewolf. They performed “Blind For Now” at the club and their music can be heard in season 3 as well. This Manhattan-based indie band was formed in 1991 and has opened up for amazing musicians such as Pavement, Frank Black and the Catholics, and Mercury Rev. They broke up in 2001.

Splendid

Splendid has played the Bronze twice. They performed “Charge” in season 2, episode 19, “I Only Have Eyes for You”, as Buffy “came, saw and rejected” a potential suitor. Splendid returned in the season 4 premiere, “The Freshman”, playing “You & Me”, as Xander gave Buffy a much-needed pep talk. The band can also be heard in season 5. Splendid was a musical duo comprised of former husband and wife team, Angie Hart, of Australian band Frente!, and Jesse Tobias, who would go on to work on the musical arrangements with Christophe Beck for “Once More with Feeling”.

Bellylove

Bellylove played the Bronze in Buffy‘s season 3 premiere, “Anne”. The band performed their song “Back to Freedom” while the Scoobies wondered where Buffy had gone. Bellylove formed in L.A. in 1998 and remain active to this day, though their sound has evolved over the years, as drummers have come and gone. Founders Lisa Rae Black and Toni Valenta have been constants despite lineup changes.

Darling Violetta

Darling Violetta performed in season 3, episode 3, “Faith, Hope & Trick”. They played their song “Blue Sun” as Faith danced with the vampire briefly known only as “Disco Dave”, as well as a track called “Cure” while the Scooby Gang got to know Faith a little better. Based in Hollywood, Darling Violetta was active from 1997-2009. The band took their name from the salutation used by Bela Lugosi in his correspondences with his mistress, actress Violetta Napierska. Darling Violetta also wrote and performed the theme song for Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s spin-off, Angel.

K’s Choice

Another unforgettable Bronze moment came in season 3, episode 16, “Doppelgängland”. K’s Choice played their song “Virgin State of Mind”, which fit the scene perfectly, as Vampire Willow entered the club in the main timeline. The song was also included on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album. K’s Choice is a Belgian band formed in 1994. They have had several musicians come and go over the years, with the core members being siblings Sam and Gert Bettens. K’s Choice was active until 2003, though they did reunite in 2009.

Dēvics

The long-awaited reunion between Spike and Drusilla took place during the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel crossover, “Crush”, which was season 5, episode 14. Dēvics played their song “Key” as Dru killed a couple so she and Spike (who had a chip in his head) could drink them together. Another L.A. band, Dēvics formed in 1993, but have been largely inactive since 2006, as members Sara Lov and Dustin O’Halloran have been pursuing solo careers. “Key” appears on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale.

Michelle Branch

Michelle Branch appeared at the Bronze in Season 6, episode 8, “Tabula Rasa”, playing her heartbreaking ballad, “Goodbye to You”. The song soundtracked several major events in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Tara left Willow, Giles left town, and Buffy kissed Spike for the second time. Branch’s song expertly conveyed the complex emotions at play in the episode’s final scenes without the characters uttering a word. The singer-songwriter has been active since 1999 and formed The Wreckers with fellow musician Jessica Harp in 2005. They have since disbanded, but Branch has continued to release music as recently as 2017.

Virgil/Halo Friendlies

Both Virgil and Halo Friendlies played the Bronze in Season 6, episode 9, “Smashed”. The former was performing at the club when Willow and Amy arrived. Virgil played their songs “Parachute” and “Vermilion Borders”. However, once the two witches started altering the Bronze and its inhabitants to their liking, they decided the band could use a change. The group that appeared in place of Virgil was Halo Friendlies, who performed the track “Run Away”. Virgil was formed by Andrew Paul Woodworth in 2000, while Halo Friendlies were an all-girl pop punk band from 1998-2004.

The Breeders

One of the best bands to survive the ‘90s and continue releasing great music in the years that followed, the Breeders appeared on Buffy the VampireSlayer because sisters Kim and Kelley Deal are huge fans of the show. The band played the Bronze as Dawn danced with R.J in Season 7, episode 6, “Him”, performing two songs off their excellent album, Title TK, “Little Fury” and “Son of Three (Viva)”. The Breeders had previously released a cover of Nerf Herder’s Buffy theme song and had also been playing the track on tour for months when Kim Deal herself called to negotiate the Breeders’ appearance at the Bronze. They would go on to record the theme song themselves for Radio Sunnydale.

Angie Hart

Angie Hart was previously mentioned as one half of the pop duo Splendid, who appeared at the Bronze twice. However, Hart’s solo appearance in Season 7, episode 7, “Conversations with Dead People”, deserves its own entry. She performed the track “Blue”, which was co-written with Joss Whedon. The song bookends the episode, acting as the glue that binds the events of this season 7 standout together. Hart also sang backup vocals along with Amber Benson’s Tara on “Under Your Spell” in “Once More with Feeling”. She has appeared on the series more than any other musician, and “Blue” can also be found on Radio Sunnydale.

Aimee Mann

Legendary singer-songwriter Aimee Mann played the Bronze in Season 7, episode 8, “Sleeper”. Along with her band, she performed “This Is How It Goes” and “Pavlov’s Bell” from her incredible 2002 album, Lost in Space. The latter also appears on Radio Sunnydale. As the band played, Spike killed one of the vampires he’d unknowingly sired while under the control of the First. The vamp’s dusting caused them to stop playing, but only for a moment. On her way off the stage, Mann can be heard saying, “Man, I hate playing vampire towns”. She is the only real-life musician to have had any lines on the show. After getting her start in the ‘80s band Til Tuesday, Mann launched a very successful solo career. She has appeared in films and TV shows such as The Big Lebowski and Portlandia, and recorded songs that largely defined Paul Thomas Anderson’s stellar film, Magnolia.

Aberdeen

Fans may not have loved Willow and Kennedy as a couple, but it was Aberdeen who soundtracked their first unofficial date at the Bronze in Season 7, episode 13, “The Killer in Me”. The band played the songs “Sink or Float” and “Cities and Buses”. This American twee pop group formed in 1992 and “Sink or Float” was featured on the UK version of Radio Sunnydale.

Nerf Herder

Appropriately, the last band to be seen at the Bronze is the very same one who composed Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s theme song. Nerf Herder played in Season 7, episode 19, “Empty Places” and Dawn joked they might be one of the signs of the apocalypse. They performed “Mr. Spock” and ”Rock City News” as Faith took the potential slayers out to blow off some steam. The inventors of “nerdcore”, the band formed in Santa Barbara, and were together from 1994 -2003. They reunited in 2005, and their last album was released in 2016.

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