Is a band a group or a single entity?

i'd class The Streets as a singular entity because that is how the act is perceived and presented as - essentially a one man show

Gramatticaly, it's the same in both places: it's a singular entity. No matter how correct it is to read The Smiths is blah blah blah, tho, it just sounds awful. Some pubs go with what is right, some with what reads better.

of course, that would sound better if i could spell better...

i thought it al matters to what you're reffering to, if you say The Streets is rubbish you reffer to their music, but using are meant a refferance to the induviduals, say like they're preformance is rubbish.

say like they're preformance is rubbish.
oops, type-o. i meant: say they're preforming badly.

I do remember an earlier discussion, on ILE rather than ILM maybe. But regardless of earlier conclusions, I maintain that there is a fairly strong UK/US divide (sorry to leave the rest of the english speaking world out of this snapshot) -- and it extends to realms other than music, too, mainly the corporate world.

In the UK it seems standard to refer to a band, or a business, or any group of people with a collective name, in the plural: "Virgin Records proudly declare that Atomic Kitten are the most exciting band of the new millenium." In the US, a singular name behaves like a singular noun and a plural name refers to a plural noun, regardless of how many people these nouns reference: "Rolling Stone takes issue with claims to the effect that Atomic Kitten has any redeeming qualities."

larger numbers of people are singular entities throughout the world though e.g. corporations and nations - curious

This are pointless.