Straw was formed in Bristol by Mattie Bennett (vocals and guitar) and Roger Power (bass and guitar) in 1998, after their earlier work with The Blue Aeroplanes. The duo recruited keyboardist Mark “Duck” Blackwell and drummer Andy Nixon, and signed to Arista under the name Please before re‑branding as Straw when Bennett took lead vocals. Their breakthrough came with the single "Weird Superman" in 1998, followed by the "The Aeroplane Song" , which peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart on 6 February 1999, and the single "Moving to California" reaching number fifty on 24 April 1999. Straw released their debut album Shoplifting in 1999 and toured extensively with Puressence, Space, Feeder, Supergrass, Alanis Morissette, Fountains of Wayne and Reef, performing on shows such as O‑Zone and TFI Friday. After internal differences led to Power’s dismissal and a drop from WEA, the band added bassist Dan McKinna, self‑produced new material, and secured a deal with Columbia in 2000, issuing the EP Homework and the single "Sailing Off the Edge of the World" to critical acclaim. Columbia later dropped the group, and Straw disbanded shortly thereafter. Post‑breakup, members pursued projects such as The Jeevas and The Magic Bullet Band, while Bennett became an English teacher.
