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:

The Horse Heads

The Horse Heads are a four-piece from Chelmsford, Essex. The band consists of George Young (drums), Ronaldo Rodrigues (vocals), Brad Sadler (guitar), and Elias Emin (guitar/bass).

*image credit James Mannion.

They’re signed to the impeccable Cool Thing Records, run by fellow Essex punks Asylums. Let’s check out why they have been championed by both Lammo and John Kennedy in the past year.

UR BOI

Heavy hitting and disaffected vocals light up this punk anthem. More melodic than Idles, more spiteful than Soft Play, The Horse Heads have written the best punk love song since The Dammed’s classic ‘Love Song;.

Bride

Bride are a five-piece hailing from Inverclyde in Scotland. Charlie McQueen(Guitar)and Aedan McVey (Guitar) formed the band in 2021 over a shared love of Joy Division. The line-up is completed by Lewis Rorrison (Drums), Luke Harkins (Bass), and Caragh Power (singer). 

*image courtesy of Keira Taylor aka @taylorvisualss

Let’s see what they have been up to:

Paralysis

Combining the raw strident power of Wolf Alice and the beguiling shoegaze of early Ride and MBV, Bride is on the edge of something genuinely unique here. Punk’s instantaneous hit of feeling and shoegaze’s exploratory nature quite possibly conjure an era-defining moment for guitar music.

Tuesday Nights

A solemn lo-fi intro manoeuvres into Power’s elegant vocal and sumptuous moonlit guitars to conjure a forlorn, unloved protagonist. As the tortured soul reminisces (“cigarettes are all that reminded me of you”), a beauty not seen since the Cocteau Twins emerges to heal the wounds.

Transmission Suite

Transmission Suite are a four-piece indie-electronic outfit hailing from Stirling in Scotland.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

In 2023, they supported the iconic 80s outfit Flock of Seagulls in Glasgow. We look at their latest single ‘Lying Awake’ and former single ‘Part of the Problem’:

Lying Awake

The sound of sun-setting guitars offsets the vibrancy of the synths as this tale of friendship and salvation ebbs and flows from the light to the dark.

Between them and The Slow Readers Club, the 80s synth revival is covered with such effortless skill. Anyone else need not apply.

Part of the Problem

The glitching synths set a wayward path that's elevated by The Charlatans ‘Then’-era guitars and vocals.

A gently rising sense of euphoria and quiet defiance oozes through this dawn-rising gem.

Click the image below for tickets to their Independent Venue Week gigs: