Slutty new wave/electro duo Kids Of 88 describe their music as “a cross between a late 80s police drama intro theme and a sophisticated super hussy”. With sleazy basslines and mind-numbingly catchy hooks, Kids Of 88 are all about poking tongues and making sweaty suggestive innuendos. Check out here.
More good music from the UK- this time from Newcastle. ‘Sunshine Eyes’ is a proper summer track- all we need is a pool and champagne. Check out here.
This video stirs so much in me it’s lovely and gross at the same time… Ahem… All I know about Timothy Bloom is that he’s written stuff for Chris Brown’s new F.A.M.E album, but it’s obvious something more will come of this man. Check out here.
This is my favourite band at the moment. Hailing from Manchester, The Kill Van Kulls create a really rich, epic, new sound that’s a bit like Friendly Fires on Vallium. Wooden Heart is beautiful! Check out here.
This is pure British pop- chimes a bit with Lily Allen’s old stuff. It’s catchy, fun. Check out here.
This is excellent rock coming out of LA. There’s a lot of The Police, Jimmy Eat World and Kings of Leon in Dom’s sound- which is a good thing! A few years ago I spent a short time out in California during my summer breaks and memories rushed back a little when I heard ‘We Own The Night’. It’s the sort of music that works well played loud in a car racing down a sunny highway to somewhere exciting. Check out here.
From Norway. “Warm waves of silky spring air evoke that European charm that has flooded the UK of late” – beardedmagazine.com after seeing Team Me @ Hammersmith Apollo. Check out here.
Already picked up on radio plays from indie arbiters of taste Steve Lamacq (who came to see them play in London) and Tom Robinson, who had the band in for interview after their shows on the BBC Introducing stages at Leeds/Reading 2010.
They’ve also had plays from Huw Stephens, Frank Skinner (Absolute Radio), Rory McConnell (Radio 1) and have supported The Naked and Famous, Iliketrains, The Sunshine Underground, The Mystery Jets, Two Door Cinema Club, The Neat and Hockey. Check out here.
Kind of stargazing electronic mixed with some surf influences. There isn’t much on these guys online yet so check out their Soundcloud above!
Good British drum & bass that doesn’t dive in too dark like others- it’s pretty uplifting actually. The album’s out in June. Check out here.
This is a bluesy/ poppy sound that feels light and fresh. Has been signed by Universal Records so world domination is likely to ensue shorty. Check out here.
Very late with this one but they’re just too good not to mention. Excellent electro power pop! He’s playing London’s Scala in June. Check out here.
Atmospheric pop with a lot of character from a London based duo. Check out here.
Listening to this guy takes me back to walking around Portobello Market in Notting Hill on dusty sweaty summer days in the 90’s as a kid. It just oozes class and soul and dreamyness all together. Check out here.
This dude is only 20 but he’s already got over 6 million hits for this video. So good. Check out here.
Sometimes the classics are the best – from the Motown of the Isley Brothers and Smokey Robinson to soul legends like Gladys Knight and Etta James, there is a timeless appeal to beautifully crafted songs performed with soul, verve and above all, honesty – Berri Farley is a singer who clearly understands this power.
Already hailed by the likes of industry barometer Music Week and declared as ‘one to watch for 2011’ by the Irish Times alongside the likes of James Blake and The Vaccines, Berri Farley is set to conquer ears and hearts with her remarkable debut E.P, available from June 6th. Check out here.
The video’s racked up quarter of a million views on YouTube, and is platinum in his native New Zealand. Check out here.
With a sound that mixes dirty beats with a catchy chorus, Downside have created the perfect sound that has seen them perform to fans all over the UK including supporting 50 Cent at Birmingham NEC to a crowd of over 30,000. Made up of Dean Moxam and Sean Mcleod, Downside made their mark on the music scene in 2006 with their underground classic Moneyman featuring on MTV Base and reaching number one on the Channel U charts, staying in the top 20 for 3 consecutive months. Since then they have received airplay on national radio stations Kiss FM and Radio 1 xtra as well as being broadcast on stations in the US, Germany and France. Check out here.
One of the most talented and charismatic young men in pop today, Oliver Wride will be hitting the Kings Cross Water Rats on April 19th to showcase his unique brand of effervescent and deliriously uplifting music. This show follows on from a sold out spot at Koko’s club NME where he wowed a packed crowd. He has already been the recipient of ‘next big thing’ press clamour and is set to blow up in 2011. Check out here.
