Idyllic

Idyllic are a five-piece band from Liverpool (where they’re now based) and Manchester. They’re Joe Keech (drums), Josh Peters (bass), Megan Lee (lead guitar), Ben Rogers (rhythm guitar), and Niall Doolan (vocals).

Images courtesy of Trust A Fox Photography.

After catching the eye at last year’s Shiiine On Festival, we follow up by looking at two former singles:

405-Line

The immediacy of The Stairs’ guitars is spliced with hints of The Stands and The Zutons to conjure a sonic as urgent as it is defiant. Dr Feelgood's debauched punky blues give the lyrical clarion call the muscularity the guitar scene needs.

Sick and Tired

Toying with the tempo at will, they serve up a twisting and turning homage to La’s and via their criminally underrated Scouse brothers, The Bandits. Lee’s

Doolan’s vocal taps into the infectious indie-soul of Dave McCabe and the psyche melody of James Skelly. Alongside the purity of Lee and Rogers’ guitars, Idyllic has announced itself as the real deal!

The Underground

What began as busking has evolved into The Underground, who are now making a name for themselves in their home city of Southend.

Lead guitarist James and frontman Brad are the bedrock of the band. They once had James’s brother on drums and Brad’s dad on bass, but the family affair has made way for Aidian (drums) and Mia (bass) in recent months.

*banner image credit: Finn Sexton

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Keep It Undercover

Fizzing indie guitars are met with Brad’s David Byrne-esque (Talking Heads) vocal to capture imaginations instantly. Their lo-fi sound imparts a drunken sway, imparting images of Fred McPherson and Billy Leeson dreaming up the poetic chaos of Les Incompetents.

Burnout

Brad’s vocal pulls from the cute gruffness of David Gedge (Wedding Present) and the angelic defiance of James Hackett (The Orchids). This emotive meandering is worthy of Edwyn Collins at his peak!

Gas Kunst

Formed back in October 2022 as a three-piece and a drum machine, Gas Kunst has evolved to a heavy-hitting four-piece when ex-C33s drummer joined the fold. The Chesire gang are made up of Buzz Vanker (bass), Dick Cable (guitar/vox), Judy Jones (drums/vox) & Justin Case (guitar/vox).

*Photo credit: John Maddock

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Rare Vitamins

The Thermals’ classic ‘No Culture Icons’ returns to chaotic life. Garage-psyche that flits between destruction and righteousness, life and decay, light and dark. A truly astonishing riot!

Cinematic Ocean View

Effortlessly cool Ty Segall licks and Oh Sees freak-beat psyche is boiled down into a two-min banger.

101 2.0

Not since The Hives burst onto the scene has a band condensed so much drama and impact into so little. One minute and fifteen seconds of B-52s and The Cramps magic!

University

Hailing from Crewe, University are made up of Zak Bowker (guitar/vocals), Ewan Barton (bass/synth), Joel Smith (drums), and EDY (XBOX composer).

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Can't Breathe

‘Can’t Breathe’ erupts into life with life-affirming post-punk of early 00s bands My Vitriol and Seafood before plunging into their unique sense of desolation.

Notre Dame Made Out of Flesh

A Glitching ball of angst-ridden dystopia! They take the coolness of The Strokes debut and smash it through Nine Inch Nails’ sense of mutated euphoria.

Bowker wrenches “I don’t wanna be my Dad, or anyone else from the past” from his soul to deliver this generation's “Phony Beatle-mania has bitten the dust”. Pop-punk and emo have never sounded this groundbreaking.

Motel Thieves

Motel Thieves are a psychedelic five-piece hailing from Swansea. They’re made up of Callum Lipscombe (vocals), Jake Roberts (guitar), Sam Ellis (guitar), Zak Halimi (bass), and Matt Davies (drums).

To date, the band has recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios, toured with Stone, and recorded with Ride’s Mark Gardener.

*image courtesy of Florintine

Purple

BRMC and Brian Jonestown Massacres’ indomitable grooves spiral with rebellion and tinges of The Pretty Things’ psychedelic freedom. It’s anchored by Lipscombe's spellbinding vocal, which sits between Tom and Serge, allowing shades of light and dark to roam free.

Left At Stake

Kasabian’s early psyche-laden mysticism Ride’s sense of exploration is taken for a blissed-out spin in 60s psychedelia.  

Eurekas

Eurekas formed in Newport in October 2021 when Jack Perrett and Dan Burridge joined forces. Their dual lead-singer presence has since garnered interest from BBC Introducing Wales and Steve Lamacq on 6Music.

*banner image credit: Tom Damsell

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Made You Look

The rock n roll stomp of Twisted Wheel and the glam of Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard provide Perrett and Burridge the perfect backdrop to announce themselves to the world. Sardonic lyrics (“I'm an online deity. Please worship at your screens”) and boisterous indie-punk guitars unite on this funny but powerful anthem. The kind not seen since The Rakes and early Jamie T.

Ivy

Modern Lovers meets Pavement guitars on this slacker rock masterclass. Vocally, they lean into Rivers Cuomo with tinges of Coxon and Albarn circa Blur’s self-titled album.

The Ansells

The Ansells are a three-piece indie outfit from Birmingham. They consist of Lloyd Ballard (guitars and vocals), Paddy Garrigan (bass), and Ollie Gallagher (drums).

*image credit: Visuals by Benjamin

Their debut single caught many an eye as Gigslutz’s This Feeling Track of the Day earlier this year. Let’s examine why:

Have You Got Time

Powered by a great bassline, this debut single charts a course for romantic utopia but stumbles and falls gloriously into despair at several stages.

Our protagonist, yearning for something more, is continually plunged into regret. The sense he is scratching around in the dirt, desperate to make things work when, in truth, love departed a long time ago will crush your soul.

Despite the narrative, Ballard‘s vocal weaves a path through Jamie Boyle's soul (The K’s) and Ollie Anglesa's indie-pop euphoria (The Lilacs) to conjure a powerful melodic hook you cannot free yourself from.

no drinks on the dancefloor

no drinks on the dancefloor formed at school in their hometown of Southend. They’re made up of Jack Griffiths (bass), Jack Solder (lead guitar & vocals), Dan Gilbert (drums), and Sam Ikin (keys).

Images courtesy of the band.

Having bonded over a shared love of Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, and Nothing But Thieves, they set their sights on playing their local iconic venue, Chinnerys, which they duly did, headlining earlier this year to a packed crowd.

Let’s check out their debut single:

Devil Eyes

Solder’s vocals lean into the smoky aloofness of BRMC’s Peter Hayes which cuts through the filthy guitars.  A sense of outsiderdom floods the senses as it did when BRMC emerged leather-clad, cool as fuck declaring, “Whatever happened to our rock ‘n’ roll?”

Unlike most of BRMC's catalogue, Solder’s guitars are devilishly debauched and frenetic in pace! They bring into play the boozy blues of the 22-20s and the effortless dirge of The Von Bondies.  

The Gardeners

The Gardeners are a five-piece hailing from Southend-on-Sea. They all met at school, where they bonded over bands with jangly guitars like The Cleaners, Venus, and Hers.

The band are made up of Nathan Bailey (guitar/vocals), Jed Schlaepfer (guitar/vocals), Henry Williams (Bass guitar), Bruce Haynes (drums), and Ewan Bolton (bass)

*image courtesy of James Devine Photography.

Let’s check out what they have been up to:

Sleeping Alone (without you)

Bailey and Schlaepfer’s guitars lean into Real Estate’s jangle but, often, with a more melancholic purpose, allowing Bailey’s vocal to take the anguished glory of Jamie Boyle (The K’s) towards the rabid introspection of Morrissey.

Together, they summon indie’s penchant for loneliness for a new generation of teenagers to clutch as their own.

Interstate 10

The climatic solo is divine. The Cure’s gothic isolation combines with Blossoms’ psychedelic debut as they struggle from dark to light in a warped moment of magic.

Trip Hazard

Images courtesy of Gabriel Buckley

Trip Hazard is a four-piece from Southend-on-Sea. The band met at school and consists of Lottey (frontwoman and rhythm guitar), Sky (drums and vocals), Abi (bass and vocals), and Sam (lead Guitar).

Nasty Party

Crushing riffs and snarling vocals reignite the chaotic dreams of the riot grrrl scene. There’s an aloofness to Lottey’s vocals, which is utterly intoxicating. Her aloofness breeds a spellbinding power that’s impossible to shake.

Coulrophobic

Although stripped back and more melodic, Lottey's attitude remains. Its ability to impart anguish and pain amid the pop-cum-grunge guitars cuts through, allowing its fine pop sensibilities to shine.

New Found World

New Found World is a three-piece punk band from Essex. Its members are Jack Tyler (vocals/guitars), Sai Lindsey (bass/backing vocals), and James Mein (drums).

They recently supported George Sanders and The Parallels at Southend’s iconic venue, Chinnerys, and last week, they sold out a show at Southend’s Ironworks.

Let’s check them out:

7:37

A tinge of pop-punk runs through the bassline, but they're onto something far more meaningful via Tyler’s vocals and the devastating distortion they create as a collective.

This tale of mental health and romantic woe is the perfect introduction to a band who are hell-bent on fusing chaos with substance.

Stumbling Through McDonalds

The filth and the fury of Carsick, the mayhem of Transplants, and the post-punk of Hope of the States and Arctic Monkeys form the backdrop to this annihilating anthem.

Rosa Caelum

Rosa Caelum is a heavy-hitting indie-rock outfit from the West Midlands consisting of Robert Mansfield (vocals), Liam Tolley (guitar), Travis O’Leary (bass), Ben Marks-Baggott (guitar), and Sam Horobin (drums).

Formed in late 2021, they have supported The Assist, Rolla, and toured with Bilk.

*artwork courtesy of This Feeling.

Let’s see why:

Jerusalem

Recorded at Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton with Gavin Monaghan. They nail the behemoth sound that’s always been out of reach for former Arctic Monkeys. Monstrous riffs, sexed-up vocals, and, in the second half, the deranged guitars of The Blinders.

The Lovers Were The Last Ones To leave

Their debut single is a blistering piece of bombast. Electrifying guitars to soundtrack nights of out of debauchery and life-long memories. Indie-dancefloors just got put on notice by the astonishing power of Marks-Baggot’s guitars.

Click the image below for tickets to their This Feeling Big in 2024 gig:

The Rampants

The Rampants are a four-piece band from Kilmarnock on the West Coast of Scotland. They consist of Jamie (frontman/songwriter), James (guitar), Ewan (drums), and Ben (bass).

*banner image courtesy of @wilburspolaroids

Let’s see what they have been up to:

1 in the 99

With ‘Brianstorm’ in the intro’s heart and Grian Chatten’s soulful fire oozing from frontman Jamie, they take indie to the furious but scintillating realm of punk.

Blasted

Intoxicating guitars and riotous vocals fire up this Jamie T meets The Strokes classic!

The Way It Goes

The guitars are nothing short of utterly joyous. Death-defying teenage escapism is becoming a reality!

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming Glasgow show:

Dylan Robert

Singer-songwriter Dylan Robert has lived in Liverpool his whole life, growing up just minutes away from John Lennon’s childhood home.

He began playing the guitar with his best friend, Ben Harper when he was ten. Harper is now Robert’s producer. They recorded ‘Floodlights’ and ‘Psychos’ at the Motor Museum Recording Studio on Lark Lane, where Harper works.

*image courtesy of This Feeling. Credit: @lens_of_a_wool

Let’s check them out:

Floodlights

Robert's vocals are a cross between Sam Fender and Elliott Smith, while his guitars chime like Shack and Andrew Cushin. He walks a tightrope of alternative to pop music with such delicate poise here that, fans from all sides of the tracks are indeed to follow.

Psychos

The reflective atmosphere of Bon Iver’s debut album courses through this vein of this dawn-lit masterpiece.

In the closing stages, Robert sings, “Nobody’s walking where we go.” The sense of a lost generation finding its way through a sea of despair is lit up by Bon Iver via John Martyn's guitars. Dawn-lit and single-minded, Robert’s characters forge their spellbinding paths of discovery.

Something In The Lake

Something In The Lake are a five-piece indie-experimental band that met in Croydon, South London. Having met at college (they currently study production at Guildhall School of Music), they bonded over influences such as Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Slint, Pat Metheny, Nick Drake, Portishead, and Bill Evans.

The band of multi-instrumentalists are Leon Benson (vocals/guitar), Patch Sawyer (bass), Sam Pope (guitar), Theo Maguire (drums), and Torin Umrigar (keys/guitar).

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Listener

This self-produced single was recorded between bedroom studios in north London after drums were recorded at engineer Harri Chambers’ studio in Woolwich. As such, it’s blessed with an addictive lo-fi beauty that has you reaching for the likes of Radiohead but, truth be told, they’re unique.

Benson’s voice grows with empowerment in this tale of letting go. It allows the guitars to become less a flicker and more an artful expression of creativity, the likes of which we haven’t seen the pureness of South’s ‘From Here On In’.

Daylight

The self-produced style has struck the gold of UNKLE and DJ Shadow here. As the 4am downbeat Portishead production swells, Benson leans into the melancholy of Jimi Goodwin with hints of Yanns Phillippakis (Foals) and Jonathan Higgs (Everything Everything). It allows the dread and despair of the guitars to unfurl a tension that’s almost too much to take.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming gig: