Happy New Year! In the first part of our “ones to watch” for the next twelve months we have a vibrant list supplied by our writing team of twelve emerging acts from across the genres and regions. Proof positive there is always so much new talent to fall in love with.
It’s harder than ever to stand out as an emerging artist so lend them your ears and support in any way you can. We tip these acts to do really good things in the next year, and we will be following them every step of the way. Our next part will feature twelve more new artists that make up our 24 for 2024.
Following in the wake of a number of bands from 2023 that spent a prolonged period honing their craft on the stage rather than releasing the first song they wrote, Mary In The Junkyard are an eclectic trio who finally released their debut single late last year. ‘Tuesday’ is five minutes of meandering rhythms and time signatures with looping guitar arpeggios and dancing bass with drums that never sit still. On paper it sounds like it could be a chaotic mess but they are such a tight outfit and their ability is such that they straddle the precipice with a swagger and confidence that belies their infancy as a band.
An EP is mooted for early 2024 after spending the end of 2023 recording. They play a one-off (currently) London gig on 27 March at Corsica Studios in Elephant and Castle. (Jim Auton)
Kaeto released her second single ‘No Body’ late last year. It was Kaeto’s first release for Polydor and follows her debut ‘Good Morning’. Anchored with a psych-flecked groove, and insistent basslines, while soulful heady vocals snake, rippling with the addiction to always being connected, and the themes of being watched and watching others, ‘No Body’ is so vibrant, an immersive gem, that has echoes of ’90s pop, the soulful character of Amy Winehouse or the resonance of early U.S. Girls. “Why are we all watching ourselves?” she asks on the track, exploring themes of smartphone obsessions and modern vanity. “I’m not trying to be preachy,” Kaeto says. “I’m exploring these things because I’m doing them and I can’t stop.”
“I really enjoyed making ‘No Body’ and I love performing it,” she says. “I don’t want to say too much about what it means as it can ruin what other people might interpret and I think that is more interesting and fun! I don’t want to impress my experience onto other people. For me, the music is more fun than the words I can sum up to describe it.
She followed it up with the brilliant ‘Little Me’ with production by Karma Kid and Tom Stafford. This trip hop sway is riven with Kaeto’s bruised vocal that’s at once fragile and ripe with smoky allure, wrapped in strings, prodding beats and an elegant production that takes its cues from Portishead or the more downtempo moments of Roisin Murphy’s catalogue.
The Scottish-born, London-based artist first entered the studio in 2019 with outside producers and began building a sound that would be all her own, with intoxicating live shows and some attempts at creative outlets, she’s a fascinating artist. One such diversion was enrolling in Clown School, a move designed to throw herself into something creative and spontaneous and shake off the mundanity of modern life. It’s why Kaeto’s music has such a free-spirited, loose-limbed sense of adventure about it. “I’m so unashamed of myself,” she says, “but music is where I go to explore these things.’ (Bill Cummings)
After making gains on TikTok with their futuristic synth sounds, Brisbane act Alta Falls are ready for their next big move. The duo already have two EPs full of euphoric earworms under their belt: 2021’s The Fire and 2023’s Wild Dreams. With a well-oiled live set that’s beginning to draw crowds, it’s only a matter of time before Alta Falls take over the physical realm as well as the digital domain. (Emily Stark)
Of all the recommendations for 2024, Sprints sit top of the pile. Signing for City Slang in 2023 they recorded their debut album in France with Gilla Band‘s Dan Fox. Released this week, Letter To Self may well turn out to be one of the albums of the year. 2023 saw a whirlwind of performances, culminating in three sold out headline shows at London’s Scala, Dublin’s Button Factory and New York’s Baby’s All Right. Support slots included opening for Suede and a call up by Kneecap to support them at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, their last shows of the year. Lead singer Karla Chubb was also on Steve Lamacq‘s round table and single ‘Up and Comer’ made the stations A playlist. Sprints have charged onwards since their debut single ‘Kissing Practice‘ in 2020. The spring UK tour is already sold out and there are dates in Ireland, EU and America also scheduled in, including SXSW. (Julia Mason)
Best described as Georgia somehow fronting the New Power Generation, Brighton’s congratulations (always lower case) are all colour and verve. Live, they are the sort of act you watch open mouthed with a smile on your face (if that can be done), and a permanent desire to join in and dance along. Recent EP Woo Hoo is very much only the beginning. (Stephen Doherty)
Lynskey are a North West do-it -yourself punk duo with a penchant for fantastically named songs, ‘all wasps are having an existential crisis, and honestly, same’ being a particular fave. A tour de force live, they make a hell of noise for just two people. They are frequently out and about around the region, with their first headline Liverpool gig in February and a great spot at Manchester Punk Festival in March. Their 3rd EP is out soon (hopefully with more excellent titles). (Steven Doherty)
Belfast trio Chalk took time to establish the essence of who they are. That patience paid off as they hit the ground running with their very first single ‘Them‘ released in 2022. Their debut EP Conditions was released in 2023 and playing throughout the year captivated all who saw them. The thrilling soundscape shifts between loud and quiet, moving between pulsating beats, chaotic noise and moments of calm. Beginning 2024 opening on the main stage at Rockaway Beach they held the room. Now signed to Nice Swan and with a tour in the spring plus a trip to Texas for SXSW, there is no doubt Chalk are destined for big things. (Julia Mason)
Enola Gay
2023 was full of memorable moments for Belfast’s Enola Gay, from Jehnny Beth joining them onstage at Chicago’s Riot Fest to 2000trees festival. They also proved they are not just noisemakers with the Mount Palomar produced single ‘Terra Firma‘ showcasing the vocals of lead singer Fionn O’Reilly and their dance music credentials which saw them playlisted on BBC Radio6 Music. Their second EP Casement was produced by Johnny Hostile, and fingers-crossed an album is in the pipeline. Another Irish band heading to SXSW, Austin is in for a treat. (Julia Mason)
Maruja
Manchester’s Maruja worked hard throughout 2023 with numerous festival appearances, a UK tour, dates in Europe and the self-release of their debut EP Knocknarea. A thrilling band live they have seen their audiences quickly grow over the year and the word is definitely out about this four piece. With a wild spirit seeping throughout their music it’s the live performance which sees fans immediately gained. Jazz punks is a description which doesn’t do Maruja justice. Go. See. Live. (Julia Mason)
Immensely proud of her heritage, Unflirt was born and raised in West London, the first generation daughter of Filipino parents. Her earliest musical experiences are performing karaoke ballads of Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and The Bee Gees with her mum and dad – a “staple activity” in every Filipino household. These happy memories aided her in forging her musical identity. With no formal music training aside from basic guitar lessons imparted in her childhood by her father, she began releasing music independently during lockdown. She bought herself a microphone and a basic interface and began making music from the sanctuary of her bedroom as a way to process her emotions during the pandemic at a particularly pivotal moment of her adolescence.
With two wonderful EPs under her belt and a string of wonderful songs, she is crafting effortlessly bittersweet pop songwriting that details heartbreak and coming of age, beguiling and moving you at every turn. Unflirt released a excellent second EP, April’s Nectar, at the end of 2023. The wistful and gorgeous first single ’Someday’. Is ripe with her sensitive and contemplative delivery that sighs beguilingly like a blanket over a cycle of percussion, strums, and fuzz-tinged guitars. It’s an exquisite moment of yearning that takes time out of the day to dream of wanting and needing more, inspired by the sting of separation. Its tapestry of longing harks to the more subdued moments of Soccer Mommy or The Sundays.
Written by Unflirt and produced alongside Iain Berryman (Wolf Alice, Young Fathers, Beabadoobee) it also contains ‘White Noise; ‘ a swooning, strum, ripe with a longing earworm vocal, pregnant with the awkwardness of recovery after a bust up with a partner. It’s another superlative piece of songwriting that makes her one to watch in the new year. (Bill Cummings)
University were a gem I saw at The Great Escape in Brighton and was completely blown away. Their energy onstage was breath-taking with a drummer you were glued to watching. Their don’t give a fuck attitude is refreshing. They genuinely are three kids having the best time – you get the sense if anyone happens to turn up at their gig or buy their music, then University think that’s an added bonus. The four piece from Crewe released their debut EP Title Track in 2023. It demonstrated that University are no one trick pony. Oh and one band member is gaming onstage! You get a sense that University will chuck the rule book out the window. (Julia Mason)
Megan Nic Ruairí released her exquisite and hauntingly single ‘Twenty Two’ at the tail end of last year. She will release her debut solo EP Made Of Sin on January 19th 2024.
Following the success of her previous release, ‘The Woods’, Nic Ruairi captivates on ‘Twenty Two’ paints an initiate portrait of discovering and romanticising a partner, holding on to the hope of them becoming the idealised image in our minds. With a voice of delicate emotive power swooping from smoky to evocatively stunning, weaving her blend of Irish traditional and contemporary sounds, with her romanticized love stories with themes of self-exploration. Sighing vocals drape over a forgiving piano motif and mournful strings, it’s a gorgeous moment that captures you in its rises and fall. As she unfurls a devastating note like the petals of a blossoming flower: ripe with longing, capturing moments of slow motion heartbreak, it’s comparable with the likes of Cat Power. As she explores the naivety of young love and the enduring impact it can have on one’s heart, even in the absence of concrete commitment. Nic Ruairi is clearly a talent to be reckoned with.
Megan Nic Ruairí’s musical journey has been deeply influenced by her Irish heritage, a connection that shines through in her love for the Irish language and poetry, showcased as a member of family band Clann Mhic Ruairí. Her upbringing in Donegal, coupled with her experiences in London and Nottingham, England as well as her participation in the Dublin-based alternative rock ensemble, BIG LOVE has shaped her distinctive musical style. Her inaugural release, Can’t Trust the Moon, in 2020, served as a foundation for her journey of musical discovery and development. (Bill Cummings)
