The last two years have seen a slew of British groups reform, some in order to give the fans what they want, and some in order to make a quick buck (cough Spice Girls cough). But there are still many bands resisting the urge, and the calls from fans to reunite.

This lead me to ask: Which group would you most like to see reform? Most of the answers were predictable, as was the share of voting, but there were a few surprises. First, the results in full.

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It feels like the Led Zeppelin reunion hoohah has been going on for far too long now. And that’s because it has. It seems everyone is getting sick of the will they, won’t they machinations, and even I’m starting to veer that way.

Up to now, I’ve been wanting Led Zeppelin to reform and tour as much as anybody. But I think the time may now have come to admit defeat, stop waving the flags, and move on as Robert Plant seems to have.

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Band reunions are a strange beast: they are a mix of doing it for the fans and doing it for the money, they rarely last very long, and they even more rarely live up to expectations. But despite all of this, millions of people want to see their favorite groups reform.

British groups seem to be making a habit of reforming. Since I’ve been writing Brit Music Scene, we have seen The Verve, Boyzone, Led Zeppelin (for a one off concert), The Police, The Sex Pistols, The Spice Girls, Blur, and Take That all get back together in some form.

Then there are the ongoing rumors surrounding further reunions. The big ones are Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, and Robbie Williams rejoining Take That to make it a proper reunion. So no surprise then that those four bands were all included in a recent MTV poll to find out which group most people would like to see back together.

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Speculation over Led Zeppelin reuniting dominated proceedings here on Brit Music Scene in 2008. In fact, it was a pretty close run thing between Led Zep and Amy Winehouse over who got more coverage.

And here we are at the start of 2009 and there seems to be no change to that trend. This time, I’m reporting how Jimmy Page’s manager, Peter Mensch, has claimed that “Led Zeppelin are over!”

The last I heard about Led Zeppelin was that the whole group minus Robert Plant, who isn’t interested in any sort of reunion, were committed to reuniting for a full world tour. They were also discussing plans to write and record new material.

Obviously, without Robert Plant, there was a need to draft in a replacement singer, and many names seemed to be in the frame as possibilities. Including Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters, Steve Tyler from Aerosmith, and Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge.

Now, according to MusicRadar, the whole thing has been called off and the group are officially dead. The site reportedly phoned Mensch up for confirmation of what he had said in an interview with BBC 6Music.

But instead of detailing the new tour and material he had allegedly told the radio station was coming, Mensch dismissed the claims as bunkum.

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Robert Plant is/was the blueprint for every rock singer that has come since. His style of singing while with Led Zeppelin has inspired generations of vocalists. So it’s fitting that Plant has topped a poll to find the ‘Greatest Voice In Rock’.

The survey was undertaken by Planet Rock and the top 20 list has some fine vocalists on it. Plant beat Freddie Mercury to the top spot, although I’m sure some people would have liked to have seen the Queen front man at number one.

I personally wouldn’t have had Bono, Jon Bon Jovi, or Peter Gabriel in the list. But that’s just because I’m not a fan of any of them. The only notable omissions from the list that I can think of are Liam Gallagher, although maybe Oasis aren’t considered rock, and Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters.

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2009 has arrived so I’m actually overdue in rounding up my best of Brit Music Scene from 2008. Here we finally make it to the end of 2008 with the biggest stories and talking points between the months of October and December

October

The month began with Rick Astley unbelievably being named Best Act Ever by MTV. Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin were threatening to tour with a new lead singer in place of Robert Plant, and Pete Kay beat Leon Jackson in the charts.

There were rumors that The long-awaited Smiths reunion could finally be happening, but it still hasn’t yet. The Ting Tings called for Top Of The Pops to be brought back, and it looked as though Simon Cowell was the man to save the show.

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2009 has arrived so I’m actually overdue in rounding up my best of Brit Music Scene from 2008. Here we find out what the biggest stories and talking points between the months of July and September.

July

Most bands now love having their songs featured in video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, but Led Zeppelin made a stand against the grain by refusing permission for their songs to be used. Meanwhile, Mani claimed that Ian Brown was the main thing stopping a Stone Roses reunion from happening.

There were claims that John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols had racially attacked Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke at the Summercase festival in Spain. While the moment that the Sex Pistols swore on live TV was voted as the most requested clip ever.

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2009 is approaching fast and so it’s time to look back at 2008. Here we’ll see the high and lowlights of the first three months of the year, with a selection of stories we covered between January and March.

January

The month began with Queen being named as the best British band of all time, beating The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Take That, and Oasis. Sad news in the middle of the month when Lily Allen suffered a miscarriage. She later split with boyfriend Ed Simons.

Geri Halliwell claimed that the Spice Girls wouldn’t make a penny from their huge world tour despite it selling out everywhere. She was later proved a liar when it was revealed the girls had made $20 million apiece. Then the once-great girl group canceled the tour and split up again.

The Cribs took Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, on as a fourth member, while Amy Winehouse finally entered rehab.

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It’s definitely happening, it’s just a matter of who will be involved. Yes, the long running saga of whether Led Zeppelin will properly reform and embark on a tour seems to be almost over, with bassist John Paul Jones confirming the band, with the exception of Robert Plant, are working together again.

Not only does it seem like Led Zeppelin will reform for a full tour but new material also looks likely. Because of Plant’s decision not to be a part of the reunion, the band are trying out new singers, and Steve Tyler from Aerosmith is the latest name to be mentioned.

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The Led Zeppelin reunion tour rumour bandwagon has been going on for months now, with twists at every turn. Since the band played together at the 02 Arena late last year, there have been calls from band members and fans alike for a full world tour to take place.

September saw a flurry of activity. First we heard news that Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham had issued an ultimatum to Robert Plant telling him to get on board or be replaced. Then came a report that Plant had indeed signed on the dotted line, a report proved false by Plant himself when he categorically stated he wouldn’t be involved with Led Zeppelin for at least the next two years.

The latest newspaper reports suggest that the new singer who has been rehearsing with the band is Myles Kennedy, a singer I’ve never heard of but who currently fronts Alter Bridge. After Plant’s refusal to play ball, it seems the rest of Led Zeppelin, plus Myles Kennedy, are making plans to head out and play live.

MuchMusic got the scoop after one of its reporters interviewed Dee Snider of Twisted Sister. He shares a manager with Plant, and claims to have inside knowledge of the current state of play. According to Snider, the following describes what happened between Robert Plant and the rest of the band.

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