Wednesday 29 December 2021

EVEN THE STARS 22 TIPS FOR 22


The folks at SoundOn have asked us to compile a playlist of our tips for 2022, so we've selected 22 of the artists and bands that we think will make their mark over the next twelve months and who we're looking forward to hearing what they do next. We've selected artists and bands that haven't yet released their debut album. We'd love to hear in the comments who you recommend and who you think we've missed.




VLURE

The Glaswegian five-piece are the band we're most anticipating in 2022. With their debut EP Euphoria due for release in January and a tour supporting White Lies running from March, the first few months of the year look set for them already. High-energy, fusing the best of rock and dance music into something that hits you hard and immediately and makes you move involuntarily and with lyrics that really get to the crux of the human condition and the insecurities and fears that affect us all, seeking music and friendship as the most powerful and often only release, they look set to be one of our favourite bands of the year - as indeed they were in 2021.



VLURE are on Facebook and Twitter. The Euphoria EP is out on January 14, with vinyl to follow in March. They tour with White Lies in March.


FIKA

Fika, aka Alanah (guitar and vocals), Eva (bass and vocals) and Gracia (drums), hail from Leeds and whilst they only have one release to their name so far, they're high on our must-see bands in 2022 such is the overwhelming power of their single Change that was released in August. Friends who've seen them in Leeds attest to the fact they've got a raft of other great songs to compare with it and can cut it live too. Looking forward to catching them early in the new year.

Fika are on Facebook and Twitter.


ODD MORRIS

Dublin's Odd Morris have been on our radar for a couple of years and like most upcoming bands had their progress checked by the pandemic. Their May 2020 show in Manchester finally happened in November as did the release of their wonderful debut EP Cityscape The Ballet that followed up a series of singles that made their mark. Like many of their Dublin contemporaries they sing about their city and the mental health issues facing people these days, but they do it in a more restrained manner that gets under your skin and is even more affecting for it. Silhouette, a song about not living up to the expectations placed on young men by society, was one of our favourite songs of 2021.



Odd Morris's website can be found here and they are on Facebook and Twitter. Pic - Johnie Lyons


WYCH ELM

wych elm are a Bristol four-piece fronted by Caitlin who utilises violent and uncompromising imagery in her the lyrics that makes them a hard listen if you pay it the attention it warrants but they paint a true reflection of how misogyny and violence impact the lives of women. The music will draw you in, sparse one second, claustrophobic and cloying the next, unpredictable enough to ensure your undivided attention as to where it goes next or whether it’ll suddenly come to a crashing halt. Their songs often last less than two minutes - as on this year's powerful Rabbit Wench EP - but less is very much more.



wych elm are on Facebook and Twitter.


THE RED STAINS

"You'll either really love The Red Stains or despise them with a passion" was a statement we made way back in November 2019 as the formative band played their early shows. A couple of years on, plenty of lipstick graffiti around the toilets of the Northern Quarter and a line-up change behind them, 2021 culminated in a sold-out show at Manchester's Castle Hotel and a growing sense of community as well as purpose around them. Their live shows are still as chaotic as ever, with Natalie very much living for the moment each time she steps on stage, but there feels like the momentum is finally behind them as we head into 2022.


The Red Stains are on FacebookInstagram and Twitter. Pic - Lynn Cole


HATES TALKING

Hates Talking have only released one single and played one gig - a sold out debut at Gullivers in Manchester in November, but those of us who've heard some of their demos think this might be the band that allows front man Sam Carson, formerly of Lunar, to finally fulfil the potential we've always seen in him. Stepping out the shadows of some of his influences with a band that matches his ambitions - Alix Marriott (guitar and backing vocals), Lewis Belle (bass) and Chris Storer (drums) - they will be looking to unleash new music and more live shows onto a yet unsuspecting public.

Hates Talking are on Facebook and Twitter.


SOOT SPRITE

Soot Sprite describe themselves as "shoegazey bedroom rock" and the Exeter trio - Elise (guitar / vocals), Sean (bass / backing vocals) and Tom (drums) - already have three impressive EPs under their belt since they formed in 2018. Their most recent Poltergeists has pretty much sold out of its initial run of 500 and showcases a band that is finding its stride and creating music that's more than a match for more celebrated proponents of the genres that they label themselves with.

Soot Sprite are on Facebook and Twitter.


BULLET GIRL

Describing themselves as "noise punk" from Dublin, Bullet Girl are a ferocious live band as evidenced on their recent first tour of the UK and securing number 3 in the Irish Times list of live gigs of 2021. Their 2021 single The Hunt followed up four in 2020 and set their bar higher. With a number of yet unreleased tracks ready to unleash on an unsuspecting public and people in the know on the Dublin scene tipping them for great things, it's going to be difficult to ignore them in 2022.



Bullet Girl are on Facebook and Twitter.


SOLIS

Solis has been our radar for a number of years since we saw her support Blossoms at a tour warm-up show at Yes in Manchester. Since then she's played a number of impressive support slots as well as the open mic circuit as she's recorded her debut album which is finally scheduled for release early in 2022. With singles Jigsaw and more recently Sunday making a favourable impression this year thanks to her rich evocative and emotional vocals coupled with the ability to craft songs that accentuate them, it's one of our most looked forward to releases of next year.



Solis is on Facebook and Twitter. Pic - asupremeshot


PIXIE CUT RHYTHM ORCHESTRA

Dublin's Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra released two singles - I Didn't Love You When I Said I Did And  Don't Know and Empty Envelope - in 2021 after a two-year gap. Comprising of singer / guitarist Sarah Deegan, drummer Danni Nolan and bassist Alice Grollero, the band, named after a haircut, combine softer vocal melodies with harder instrumentation to compelling effect.



Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra are on Facebook and Twitter. Pic - Greg Purcell


SPRINTS

Sprints are another band to cross the Irish Sea and make their mark in the UK. Signed to Nice Swan Records with who they released their Manifesto EP earlier this year, the "garage noise four piece" as they describe themselves are also proving to be prolific as they ready the release of their follow-up A Modern Job in March from which they've already previewed the title track and How Does The Story Go as well as another UK tour to build on the rooms they sold out in October and November.



Sprints' website can be found here and they are on Facebook and Twitter

They play Manchester Yes Basement (February 24), Leicester Soundhouse (25), Cambridge Blue Moon (26), Brighton Hope & Ruin (28), Bristol Strange Brew (March 1), London Moth Club (2), Dublin Whelan's (4) and Belfast Voodoo (6)


ENGLISH TEACHER

Six singles in, including 2021's trio of R&B, Wallace and their most recent Good Grief, and a series of support slots have won English Teacher lots of new fans and plaudits as a band to keep a very close eye on in the next twelve months. The Leeds four-piece fronted by Lily Fontaine stand out from the crowd by dint of her vocals and the drama that the band put into these three-minute assaults on the senses.



English Teacher are on Facebook and Twitter. Pic - Holly Whittaker


TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS

Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers hail from Canberra, Australia and the four-piece have been around for six years since forming whist still at school. With infrequent releases since then that helped build a fervent local audience, they've really stepped up their game with their two 2021 singles Ahhhh!, which has been on rotation on Australia's number one indie station Triple J, and its follow-up Miss Your Birthday. 



Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers' website can be found here and they are on Facebook and Twitter.


BLANKETMAN

Signed to PIAS for the release of their debut EP National Trust that spawned singles Beach Body and Leave The South, Blanketman have continued to develop their sound and their live presence since bursting onto the scene with their debut single The Long Arm Of Entrapment back in 2018. New single The Signalman has already had Radio 1 and 6 Music airplay and is set to be released as part of a double A-side package with as-yet-unheard track Yard Sale in early 2022.



Blanketman's website can be found here and they are on Facebook and Twitter.  


PROLETARIAT

2021 was the comeback year for Proletariat, who disappeared off the face of the earth just as it seemed they were about to become a dominant force. Powered on by front man James Cummins' seemingly irresistible desire to prove a point, the prolific band have released a series of singles that have shown that there's more to them than met the eye with their first incarnation. Recent single Losing Control Is A Beautiful Thing took the foot off the accelerator pedal and showcased a softer side than we're accustomed to. They've been recording down at Carl Barat's studios in Margate so a lot more is expected from them in 2022 including their biggest headline date so far at Gorilla in Manchester in May.

Proletariat are on Facebook and Twitter. Pic - Trust A Fox


ROSELLAS

Rosellas are another prolific band from around Manchester and they recently finished a productive 2021 with their biggest headline show, a sell-out night at the Deaf Institute. Championed by Saul Davies of James after appearing at the Music Feeds Festival that he curated online at the start of the year, they've released an impressive set of singles - The Face Of Many Others, Before The Storm, Common Ground, When This Has All Blown Over and Damaged - as well as that rarity b-sides which stand up to the lead track.



Rosellas are on Facebook and Twitter.


NEWDAD

Galway's NewDad (one word) have seemingly burst on to the scene out of nowhere and seem to be heading on a steep trajectory, moving from Yes Basement in Manchester straight to Gorilla bypassing the standard circuit venues in between. Having achieved 6 Music playlisting with debut single How in 2020, their single Blue preceded their debut EP Waves this year and they finished the year with a new track Ladybird which has won them even more admirers after a sold-out UK tour. Another new single Say It is out January 11 and precedes their Banshee EP that is out in February to coincide with another tour.



New Dad are on Facebook and Twitter.



CRUSH

Crush describe themselves as "fuzzy euphoria fresh from Dreamland" and are not afraid to reference their love of the shoegaze scene in their social media. Their music has progressed across six singles since they formed after meeting at BIMM in 2019 with their latest singles Chewed and So Strange winning them more admirers and lifting their name from support slots to headlines in Manchester and further afield, starting with a show at Yes in February to follow-up their triumphant support to NewDad there late this year. With a raft of unreleased songs that surpass their recorded output to date, they look set to make waves in 2022.

Crush are on Facebook and Twitter.


SEB LOWE

Seb Lowe burst onto the scene via Tik Tok where he has over 100k followers. It's a format ideally suited to his short acerbic observations on the nature of humanity, politics and people's love of self-promotion above everything else. His ability to perfectly craft them to music is apparent from his debut EP Half Decent which came out late in the year. With live shows planned for early 2022, he's very much one to keep an eye out for to see how he develops from an internet artist to people being able to see the whites of his eyes.




Seb Lowe is on FacebookTwitter and Tik Tok. He plays Manchester Night And Day (February 4).


SISTERIX

Sisterix - sisters Ornait and Siomha - hail from Dublin and recently released What Will I Wear To The Revolution - their first single in over a year, a scathing look at the contrast between wanting to look good on social media and also making the right noises politically at the same time. They've previously taken aim at the oppressive nature of church-dominated society and the way women are treated in that on singles The Family and Asking For Trouble.


Sisterix are on Facebook and Twitter.


LOOSE ARTICLES

Loose Articles have had a busy 2021, appearing on Football Focus and securing an opening slot with Foo Fighters at Old Trafford next summer as well as releasing singles Buses and Kick Like A Girl and launching their own line in Loose Articles FC football tops. They've also developed from a chaotic live act  to something more polished and powerful without losing the raw energy of their early shows.


Loose Articles are on Facebook and Twitter. Pic - Piran Aston


EGYPTIAN BLUE

Like many of their contemporaries Egyptian Blue deal with the toxic male behaviour of keeping their emotions inside and not dealing with them. Across two EPs Collateral Damage and Body Of Itch, they've proved themselves to be direct and abrasive. After a year or more of radio silence they re-emerged with Salt in the autumn of this year, the first taster from their debut album scheduled for early next year as well as a nationwide tour. 


Egyptian Blue are on Facebook and Twitter.

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