Plastersun

Photo Credit: Arber Joca

Plastersun are a five-piece band based in Southampton. Fergus McLean (lead vocals), Rai Owen (drums), Oliver White (guitar), Valentina Longo (bass), and Stephen Baker (guitar) hail from the South and met at Southampton University.

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Death by Misadventure

Marquee Moon licks that groove with Talking Heads’ Machiavellian stature, whilst McLean straddles Luke Jenner (The Rapture) and Henry Dartnall (Young Knives) vocally.

Their imagining of the 00s NYC and various post-punk and nu-rave aspects of the UK scene is bolstered by their poignant lyrics of the perilous industry they’re breaking into. Pete Doherty may have emerged from the scene they’re dipping their toe into, but Winehouse and Walden did not.

How many slick basslines can pose such deep philosophical questions?  

Delusions of Grandeur

While the lyric remains razor sharp, sonically they begin to cut loose and reignite scenes of dancefloors filled with chaos!

Bermudas

Image courtesy of the band

Bermudas are a four-piece from Leeds who formed in school eight years ago. They’re made up of Matty (lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist/lyricist/songwriter) Owen (lead guitarist/lyricist/songwriter), Scott (bassist), and Tyler (drummer).

Let’s check out their debut single:

Twice

Psychedelic rolling guitars, blessed with great optimism, lean into Cast and Ocean Colour Scene’s freest moments of the 90s.

Cutting through the bombast is Matty’s raw, gravel-tinged vocal. He adds a level of desperation and working-class fire that will see legions of fans storm the front barriers just to be near him.

Star Print Clad

Image Credit: Kenny Yong

Star Print Clad are a five-piece band based in Brighton. They are Joseph Rohan, Anthony Lane, Otto Frohmader, Jared Thode & Tom Barrick

Let’s check them out:

Melanie

Their latest single is their most melodic to date, sees Rohan’s vocals stray from Jeff Buckley to Caleb Followill (Kings Of Leon). His ability to move from ragged to soulful elevates this mid-tempo track to another level.

Angel in Evergreen

Tinged with Springsteen’s sense of adventure and Sam Fender’s infectious guitars, they set sail on a joyous adventure.

The vocals bed in between the unison of Springsteen and the frayed edges of early Johnny Borrell, giving the band the rough edges their sound deserves.

Too Heavy To Bear

Nestling between T-Rex and Free, they unfurl a dirty throwback of a single.

The Kellows

Image Credit: Lance Burkitt

The Kellows are a four-piece band from Sheffield. They consist of Will (vocals/guitar), Evan (guitar/vocals), Reuben (drums), and Charlie (bass).

Next month, they play coveted SXSW in Texas for End of the Trail Creative. Let’s see why:

Do You Want Me To?

Beset with the urgency that starts scenes, changes fashions, and causes joyous mayhem. The breathless vocals and razor-sharp guitars feed this vitality which will inevitably give birth to a new wave of great bands.

Breathe Me In

Angelic vocals, fizzing drums, and indie guitars that sway like a crowd lost in the moment.

Poised with great drama, The Kellows soar and tumble with a creative ease that belies their fledgeling days.

Clover

Image Credit: Byron Turner

Clover are a four-piece band from Edinburgh. They’re made up of Declan Campbell (singer/rhythm guitar/songwriter/admin) Connell Naysmith (lead guitar), Callum Glendinning (bass), and Mary Stewart (drums).

The band formed at music college, and next month, they headline Sneaky Pete's in their home city for This Feeling.

Let’s check them out:

Biding My Time (On Your Throne)

Campbell’s lo-fi vocals give birth to a romanticism that is instantly infectious. There’s a grittiness to his poetry that brings Scottish peers Shambolics’ melodic rumblings to the fore.

Naysmith’s guitar parts, brief in the early stages, blast out like signal warnings: greatness is coming! A statement that becomes fact during his solo. Loosely tinged with the wilder moments of Peter Green and Noel Gallagher’s yearning to escape, he conjures pure gold.

Click the image below for tickets to their March gig:

Elgin Drive

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Elgin Drive are a five-piece from Fife in Scotland. Their line-up is made of Kellar Harris (rhythm guitar), Matty Lamb (lead vocals), Marc Baker (lead guitar), Joe Kane (drums), and Connor Muir (bass guitar).

Let’s check out their debut single:

Pretty Glasgow Sky

Gritty landscapes clashing with textures, a tried and tested rock n roll formula that’s delivered with panache here.

Lamb’s vocals are angelic yet defiant, gliding towards the escapist joy of Baker’s solo. His guitars inject the poignancy of The Courteeners’ early work with the jingle-jangle meanderings of the DMA’s to forge something beautifully robust.

Headwired

Headwired are a four-piece from the Black Country. They consist of George (bass/lead vocals), Jack (lead guitar/vocals), Joe (drums), and Frankie (guitar).

The band was founded by Jack back in 2018 with a completely different line-up. George was next to join via an online advert and Jack & Joe joined after covid meeting at work and at gigs respectively.

Head in the Clouds

Elegant and expansive psychedelic guitars that roam the 90s searching for meaning via Ride, circa Going Nowhere, and The Seahorses.

Carousel

With the protracted stomp of The White Stripes and a sexy af bassline, Headwired are in an intoxicating mood.

Lemonsuckr

Image Credit: Ollie Durie

Lemonsuckr are a four-piece band from Brighton. The band is made up of long-term school archenemies who joined forces to make money and exploit each other. They are Guy Ferris (vocals), Oscar Post (guitars), Ollie Thomas (guitars), and Matt Saunders (drums).

Let’s check them out:

H.E.A.T

Deadletter vs Dan Le Sac is the febrile nightmare we’ve been yearning for. Rapid-fire lyrics are spewed out with venom to Atari-esque production on this beast of a single!

Instant Kinks

Introducing touches of rave and flourishes 00s nu rave to their rabid post-punk grooves is a touch of genius!

Bedroom Tax

Image Credit: Shot By Hemps

Bedroom Tax are a five-piece outfit from East London. They consist of Sean Guy (bass/guitar/beats) Gideon Parirenyatwa (vocals), Josh Collins (vocals/guitar), Nathan Abbott (beats), and Paul Monham (guitar).

Sean met Gideon and Nathan while working in Shoreditch, which led to a year of gigging around London. In 2021, the band’s photographer Dolly Smith introduced Josh Collins (vocals), making it a five-piece.

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Hands on the Wheel

A blissed-out Audio Bullys with Nile Rodgers guitars lays the foundations for this vulnerable love story.

Head Above

When bands plot out their dreams, they’re this! No ego, all collectivism. Everyone has a part, each in perfect harmony with the other!

It’s easy to see why Radio X (XFM) guru John Kennedy is in love with them.

The Balla

Image courtesy of This Feeling

The Balla are a four-piece from Liverpool. Their line-up is Harry McKenny (vocals/rhythm guitar), Steven Turnock (drums), Taylor McCallum (lead guitar), Joe Verdin (bass).

This February, they have sold out (with Freight) This Feeling’s coveted Big in 2026 gig in Liverpool.

Let’s see why:

I’m Not A Number

McKenny’s gruff, soulful vocal power, which screams icon in the making, is heightened by McCallum’s ability to channel the brilliance of Liam ‘Skin’ Tyson from Cast.

It’s Richard Ashcroft at his best, chiming timeless orchestration with William Blake poetry.

Paris

Polished, but loitering throughout is a frailty, and an unhinged beast yearning to be set free.

Just two songs in, The Balla are showing signs of the kind of career that will be wild, untameable, and crucially, great!

The Rackets

The Rackets are a four-piece band from Wimbledon. They consist of Tom Farina (Guitar) , Paddy Hodgins (Guitar and lead vocals ) , Darragh Murray (bass & backing vocals), & Liam Roberts (drums), who all met at school.

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Silent Eyes

Ecstatic guitars racing to be free. Hodgins' vocals combine the rough edges of rock ‘n’ roll with enough mainstream flair to elevate the scintillating guitars to the next level.

Thursday Bags

Classic jagged indie licks and character-driven lyrics reignite images of Blur circa ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ and the endless possibilities that lay ahead of them.

Another Day

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Another Day are a five-piece band from London. Their lineup consists of Louis Hillier (vocals/guitar), Jonte Hillier (bass), Mitch Fuller (drums), Jake Hardwick (guitar), and Astile Doherty (spoken word/percussion).

To date they have supported Babyshambles, Pete Doherty, and Sports Team.

Let’s see why:

Doghouse Roses

The wayward infectiousness of Tribes and Palama Violets runs through their glorious, shambolic rock n roll. Elevating proceedings is frontman Hillier’s vocal as he strays from the ashened melody of Grant Nicholas (Feeder) to a unique, rampaging potency that no one can match.

An instant classic!

Guilty

The poetic charm of Pete Doherty oozes through this record. Pure, earnest, but crucially, confidence. A knowingness that they’re great and will take you with them percolates throughout.

Click the image below for free tickets to their upcoming Camden gig:

The Martells

Image Credit: Daniel Blake

The Martells are three-piece band from Glasgow who met through open mic nights in the city. They’re made up of Fergus Currie (drums),Mark McKay (lead guitar), and Maxim Lavergne (vocals /guitar).

Let’s check them out:

Cecilla

Distorting the 00s joy of the Bromheads Jackets and Harrisons to a more dystopian groove, The Martells announce themselves with great drama on the indie dancefloor.

McKay’s solo taps into the lo-fi garage of The Strokes but has Britain’s penchant for ecstasy and escapism to take your mind, body and soul to pastures new!

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Indie euphoria. Many try, most fail. Not The Martells!

The Memos

Image courtesy of the band.

The Memos are Aaron Spencer’s creative machinations. Hailing from Liverpool, Spencer works with local session players on the live circuit to deliver his vision.

Let’s check his songs out:

Futures Ours to Find

Vocally, frontman Spencer taps into the indie warmth of Little Man Tate’s Jon Windall and the timeless songwriting of Cherry Ghost.

She’s On Her Own

Jarvis Cocker’s social comment rubs shoulders with Rick Witter’s sense of adventure on this epic indie number.

Unflirt

Unflirt is the moniker of Christine, a West London singer-songwriter of Filipino heritage.

Let’s see what she has been up to:

Crush

Lowlight shoegaze and dreampop hailing from the covid19 lockdowns, Senorin captures the human condition of the time with great grace. Alone, lost, but never without hope.

Sea Song

The sound of an artist coming of age. The little psyche nuggets of guitar are almost buried in this track, like a wry or shy smile no one is allowed to see.

Her vocal cadence is at its most free here, evoking the beauty of The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler.