Ex-Kid British boy wonder turned solo hybrid of the Streets and Blur. Hometown: Manchester. The lineup: Adio Marchant (vocals, music). The background: You could call it a case of every dog having his day, or simply just reward for (dogged) persistence, but anyway, here comes Bipolar Sunshine, the second appearance in this column for Adio […]
Read moreHometown: London. The lineup: Rebekah Raa (vocals), Nic Nell (music). The background: This year’s BBC Sound Of… poll has had the usual mixed reaction. We think it’s a pretty strong lineup, even if just on the basis of FKA Twigs and Kelela, but there’s also Say Lou Lou and MNEK, Jungle and Sampha, Chance the […]
Read moreHe’s the new piano man with the husky voice whose stark confessionals have made him the go-to balladeer for hip hoppers and dubsteppers. Hometown: Morden, South London. The lineup: Sampha Sisay (music, production). The background: Sampha first made a cameo in this column in 2010 in an article on rapper Dels, the year he released […]
Read moreBuzzworthy Brightonians channelling Zep and Pixies using the tried-and-tested two-piece format. Hometown: Brighton. The lineup: Mike Kerr (vocals, bass), Ben Thatcher (drums). The background: Although Drenge, Southern, Ruen Brothers and now Royal Blood have their own specialisms and idiosyncrasies, it would be hard to argue that they weren’t born out of an idea first formulated […]
Read moreJim Hendrix impersonator sires 80s NYC disco-pop wild child. Are you gonna go her way? Hometown: Brooklyn. The lineup: Zoe Kravitz, James Levy, Raviv Ullman, Jimmy Giannopoulos. The background: “Would you take me to the West Side – would that be alright?” Zoë Kravitz ever so politely enquires on Drive, the lead track on Lolawolf’s […]
Read moreFranco-Manc duo with an artful combination of sleaze and menace. Hometown: Manchester. The lineup: Sebastien Perrin (vocals), Luke Byron Scott (guitar). The background: There’s a photo of today’s new duo, naked, although whether they’re on drugs we can’t tell. We can tell, however, that the photo of them was taken in the bath, which is […]
Read moreNew Midlands band channelling Madchester via the Thames Valley. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/108375626″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Hometown: Nottingham. The lineup: Frankie Mockett (guitar, vocals), Joel Sayers (guitar, vocals), Daniel Ondieki (bass), John Davies (drums). The background: Michael A Grammar are like a Manchester band doing an impression of a Thames Valley one; a hybrid of […]
Read moreThese Harrow lads make music for terraces, in the yob-anthem vein of Sham 69 (with a little U2 guitar) Hometown: Harrow. The lineup: Daniel Coburn (vocals), Jesse James (guitars), John Campbell (guitars), Leon Dee (bass), Andy Faulkner (drums). The background: They headlined HMV’s Next Big Thing Festival and played on the Emerging Icons Festival Stage […]
Read moreQuirkily infectious geek-pop from the States. Prediction: they might be giants. Hometown: Boston, USA. The lineup: Dave Munro (lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar), Richie Munro (drums), Steve Scott (keyboards, effects, electric guitar), Casey Sullivan (lead vocals, bass, mandolin), Kiara Ana (viola). The background: Air Traffic Controller are one of those bands where it’s really […]
Read moreIndie rock that is dour yet dazzling, from the home of Donny and Marie. Hometown: Provo, Utah. The lineup: Brandon Robbins (vocals, guitar), Mark Garbett (keyboards, vocals), Andrew Tolman (backing vocals, drums). The background: The Moth and the Flame are fulfilling a need, if indeed such a demand exists, for a Coldplay/Flaming Lips hybrid. They’re […]
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