Electric Sheep Inc.

Electric Sheep Inc. are a five-piece hailing from Rhyl. They’re made up of Cameron Kelly (guitar), Christian Pimley (vocals) Jacks Jones (guitar) Josh Jones (bass), and Dan Howard (drums).

After wowing a packed Inn on the Green at last year’s Shiiine On, their 2025 looks destined to go on to bigger and better things. Let’s see what they have been up to:

Queen’s Nose

Breathtaking defiance set to the grooves of Happy Mondays with hints of Lou Reed! Frontman Pimley’s gravel-tinged Ryder vocal is beset with rage and angst that will breed an uprising of fans!

Taste of It

The Rhyl outfit give ‘Bummed’ a raw injection of aggression and makes the baggy sound ready to fight 2025 and win!

Ecko

Scottish four-piece Ecko are made up of Jamie Warden (lead vocal & rhythm guitar) Matthew Welsh (lead guitar), Liam O’Connor (bass), and Jamie Thomson “JT” (drums).

They recently went from rags to riches at Shiiine On ’22 festival, playing to a small crowd on Saturday to nearly two thousand the following night (read all about that here).

From having their first gig on 19th December 2021, they come armed with the confidence of a band who’s nailed the debut album and are ready to make their mark in history with the second.

Let’s check out a couple of their previous singles:

Don’t Get Me Wrong

They inject the indie-funk-punk of ‘Fake Tales of San Francisco’ with Definitely Maybe’s hissing desire to conquer the world. ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ is blessed with the rolling swagger of the early 90s, the volatility of the Arctic Monkeys’ debut, and the late-night danger of 60s icons such as The Standells and 13th Floor Elevators.

All bands look to the past for inspiration. Some are swallowed up by it, and some fall into parody but Ecko are the rare breed who square up to it and make it sit down. Only they will write their future.

Pyscho Candy (A Deeper Groove Remix)

The intro pays homage to The Stone Roses’ ‘Bye Bye Badman’ but, it’s in the second verse where they stamp their identity on proceedings. The lysergic licks float downstream whilst JT’s drumming delivers a deluge of punk and garage rock brilliance. Lyrically, that verse is one of the finest character narratives witnessed in a generation:  

“Psycho Sandy coming down / Like a whisper growing / Through the town / You live too slow you'll fade away / You live too fast you'll do some”

A masterclass in making the decaying high street and it’ wayward souls light up like Shane Meadows classic.   

The Utopiates

The North London outfit were formed during lockdown. That alone is a message of hope that only an old person planting a tree for future generations can top. They consist of Dan Popplewell (vocals/guitar), Ed Godshaw (keys), Josh Redding (lead guitar), Luke Nottingham (bass), and Joe Jeffreys (drums).

Within a year, they’ve garnered attention from Lammo and are set to line up Shiiine On’s summer party in July and, on June 25th, they will release a new EP. For now, we focus on their last single ‘Only Human’

Usually, we would take a look at a few songs to highlight what a band’s humble beginnings are striving for. The Utopiates, however, are a different animal. Their last single ‘Only Human’ is a moment to saviour.

It’s the stop everything moment! ‘Only Human’ has that power! It’s reminded the world what rock ‘n’ roll can be. EVERYTHING! Guitar music needed this song. Not since Fat White Family has it really done anything new. Somehow, they have Depeche Mode’s darkness and Marr’s expressiveness firing alongside soul music vocals and razor-sharp lyrics.

They’ve taken the good work of Big Image (formerly Ivory Wave) to another universe.  The funk and grooves of New Fast Automatic Daffodils’ classic ‘Big’ is injected with the hope of Electronic to conjure new realms for rocks explosiveness to traverse.

That is to say nothing of the guitar solo itself. It’s Prince via The Mondays. It’s mesmerising, it’s destructive, its escapist, it’s nihilistic. It’s a world power launching the nukes. It’s incredulous!

The Utopiates have landed and, bow down to their invasion!

Ivory Wave

Something is afoot in the in the Midlands. Gazelle, The Assist, The Pagans SOH, The Cosmics and now, Ivory Wave. The Brummie four piece are gathering momentum rapidly with their blend of Madchester, 00s indie-punk and the finer points of Foals.

In 1988, Factory Records and the Happy Mondays put out 'Rave On' EP. Calling on Paul Oakenfold and Steve Lilywhite for remixes, they changed popular music forever. Ivory Wave's tracks are begging for the next big DJ/producer to come along and unite guitars and dance music once more. In fact, on 'Separate Beat' and 'Club', its hard not to hear Oakenfold doing something special.

Like the Mondays, no one sounds like Ivory Wave currently. Latest single 'Gold' has production values akin to Primal Scream on their 'Chaosmosis' album. 'Cool Kids' merges Black Grape and The Twang, but frankly, is so fresh, the sound is theirs. The minimalist drums, psyche wobble, sax, and venomous vocals are going to blow a hole through dance floors in the UK.

*Image courtesy of Luke Jones

Deja Vega

The recent Shiiine On Weekender didn’t feature many new acts, but, opening Eddy Temple Morris’ closing party were Cheshire three piece Deja Vega. They did not disappoint.

So, as soon as the hangovers and comedowns had gone, we checked out their stuff on Spotify:

Friends In High Places

They are few better ways to announce yourself than this. Big booming dirge guitars compelling you to ramp up the volume to Spinal Tap’s magic ‘11’.

Jack Fearon’s vocals a not what you expect of a new band. They are bristling with fury and angst like all good newcomers should but, the nuances on display are wise beyond his years.  As Fearon rages his way through the song, the expectancy of an eruption keeps on building until he lets loose on the guitar once more. The big soaring riffs encapsulate the spirit of Kasabian’s debut album but with the huge stadium filling ambition of Oasis and The Who.

Pentagrams

Tom Webster’s drumming is absolutely ferocious here. They have a desperation so unhinged, we guarantee you will be left feeling fragile by the end. Meanwhile, Fearon’s guitars combine elements of Beefheart’s ‘Zig Zag Wanderer’ with the escapism of ‘Live Forever’. Together, they inject a much needed dose of adrenaline and hope into the world of psyche.

Skeletons In The Florist  

A more measured and dysfunctional side to Deja Vega showcases the bands darker side. This post-punk offing is filled with explosions of noise that come charging head on with violence and destruction. No one is matching this at present.

Once more, Fearon offers some nuggets of gold on the guitar. The haunting riff after the initial chorus, coalesces The Horror’s feral seaside style of ‘Primary Colours’ with the aggression of The Rifles before firing an all-out assault in the closing stages.