Much like Bono’s morals, it looks like ‘guitar’ music is in hibernation. Underground, however, the scene is more thriving than ever, and it doesn’t take that much uncovering to discover. But for those of you that don’t find the sticky, beer-stained floor of your local dive pub which just so happens to double up as a breeding ground for new and undiscovered music all that charming, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here is our selection of the guitar-wielding collectives that we think are going to make it big this year.
Yonaka
Blistering quartet Yonaka’s recent EP is a crash course in how to make your mark on the music industry. Scorching riffs, tectonic drums and an unmistakable vocal are prominent from opener ‘Bubblegum’ and these are all elements which soar when the Brighton quartet take to the stage. It’s definitely worth catching these guys soon before their success goes stratospheric.
The Ninth Wave
One of 2018’s most exciting Scottish exports, Glasgow’s The Ninth Wave fuse delicious 80s-inspired synths with dark, looming guitars which contrast beautifully. This matched with elevating dual vocals is an instant recipe for success. Start with their Reformation EP and eagerly await promised new material in the coming months.
Trudy and The Romance
Tied together with a quintessential, delicate vocal, no two Trudy and The Romance songs sound at all similar. The Liverpool lads tackle delirious basslines on ‘Wild’, finger-clicking greatness on ‘Twist It, Shake It. Rock & Roll’ and lovelorn lyrics on ‘Is There A Place I Can Go’ - although they prefer to describe it themselves as ‘mutant 50s pop’.
BlackWaters
For those who like their music with a punk attitude and an angsty delivery, look no further than four-piece BlackWaters. Their riffs are insanely infectious, with lyrics made to be shouted with a pint in one hand and your mate in the other. Live is where the band have undoubtedly earned their stripes, causing a sonic ruckus up and down the country representing the ‘Jarr’ed Up Generation’ - a marker which led to an enviable support slot with The Libertines last summer. Their EP is due in the next few months so we suggest you buckle up and get ready for this one.
Sorry
Lo-fi and lingering, London’s Sorry fuse fuzzy guitars with a delicate vocal exploring more melancholic matters, such as on ‘Lies’, “these days I just can’t keep it together.” Eerie and captivating, let the quartet’s post-punk ponderings wash over you.
Dead!
High-octane and freshly energised rock ’n’ roll swagger with underlying hints of your 14 year old emo phase, Dead! took up recording residence at Dean Street Studios in Soho to record their first album, dropping in a couple of weeks. Having already teased the electrifying ‘Up For Ran$om’ and the skull-shaking ‘Enough, Enough, Enough’, it looks set to be one of the most rollicking albums of the year.
Phobophobes
Soon to release their debut long player Miniature World, Phobophobes are an eerie mix of synth-led echoes and haunting basslines (the flickering ‘Where Is My Owner?’ being a prime example of this) threatening to rip up the rule book.
Safe To Swim
Brighton boys Safe To Swim sure know a thing or two about concocting polished indie gems. Recent cut ‘Boyfriend’ is a banger that we had the pleasure of premiering late last year, proving they’re a four-piece who know exactly how to stay afloat in a sea of aquatic namesakes in 2018. It’s only a matter of time before the likes of the euphoric ‘Struggling’ and the reflective ‘Pretty In The Morning’ are given the bigger platform they deserve.
Himalayas
These Welsh wonders sprung onto our radar after dropping the monstrous riff-laden ‘Thank God I’m Not You’, a track which now boasts over 3.5 million streams on Spotify. While that song may no longer be much of a secret, it’s worth turning your ears to the rest of their back catalogue as there’s plenty more achingly infectious offerings in their arsenal, such as the swaggering ‘Sigh On A Hurricane’ and the elating ‘Ecstasy’.
Whenyoung
The Irish have always been known to create stonking guitar pop, and London-via-Limerick trio Whenyoung are another fine example of this. Press play on ‘Actor’ to get a feel for their pulsing pop rock - or, if you’re still clinging on to Christmas festivities, their Gabriel Bruce collaboration cover of ‘Fairytale of New York’ is a poignant listen.
Moaning
Recent Sub Pop signees Moaning have been drumming up a lot of excitement at Gigwise HQ. Their self-titled debut album is due to drop in March and possesses hints of grunge icons Nirvana, synonymous with the Seattle record label, but there are also washes of woozy garage rock and lustful shoegaze tinges, proving the LA based musicians are not a one-trick pony. We recommend listening to undaunted single ‘Don’t Go’ on repeat while waiting patiently for news of UK tour dates.
Latenight Honeymoon
While there’s music online just yet, you’ll have to trust us on this one, because it’s coming, slowly but surely. This four-piece have more than a handful of tracks ready to unleash on the world, as we found out at their packed out debut show in Soho at the tail-end of last year. The quartet create emphatic, uplifting tracks with skyrocketing riffs which tick more than a few ‘indie anthem’ boxes.
Hey Charlie
A bit grunge, a bit pop but overall certified rock ’n’ roll, London trio Hey Charlie have already been on tour with All Time Low and are set to appear at This Feeling’s London Big in 2018 showcase next weekend. With fuzzy riffs aplenty and primal percussion, their debut EP Young and Lonesome is an accomplished introduction to these thrilling upstarts.
Hotel Lux
Here to serve up a much needed slice of real talk, no subject is too dark or grim for Hotel Lux. Whether it be beheading for a living or daddy issues, this quintet are unafraid of unearthing tales of the twisted truth often brushed under the carpet, while their biting basslines and cutting riffs are often just as bold as their lyrical content.
Honey Lung
Nailing elements of garage rock and grunge with slacker sensibilities intertwined somewhere in between, it’s difficult not to be gloriously submerged into Honey Lung’s encompassing sound. After headlining the BBC Introducing stage Reading and Leeds last summer, frontman Jamie Batten relocated to Berlin for a little while, and we have it on good authority that the new songs that began materialising during this time are towering enough to rival the soaring guitar solo in the band’s most recent cut ‘Stuttering Mind’.
Bloxx
Filtering in the trials and tribulations of what it’s like be young into their lyrical content, this is somewhat juxtaposed, like all great songs, by Bloxx’s effervescent, shimmering indie pop musicality. Darker and heavier guitars show up on the likes of ‘Curtains’ but overall their sonic buoyancy has carried them to some impressive accolades, like over 1 million streams on Spotify and tours with Sundara Karma.
Sheafs
Protesting about the lack of real rockstars in the aptly titled ‘This Is Not A Protest’, Sheffield natives Sheafs are set to continue their sonic assault as they embark on their first headline tour next month. Their riffs are menacing, threatening to get stuck in your head for weeks, which is exactly what happened to us after Reading Festival last summer.
Sad Boys Club
Swooning and lustful indie pop at it’s finest, Sad Boys Club’s ‘Know’ is a dreamy ode to youthful and disillusioned views on romance which finesses delicate guitars layered upon more prominent percussive elements. It’s also perhaps exactly what you would expect a song from a band called Sad Boys Club to sound like, making it a vital introduction. We’re ready for more new music when you are…
White Room
White Room are a five-piece that hail from Brighton making self-confessed ‘sky-gaze’. Last year the quintet launched the blistering ‘Stole The I.V.’ which immediately caught our attention and continued their ascent with warped synths and fuzzy psychedelic tones throughout their back catalogue. After recently signing to Deltasonic and releasing EP Eight, things seem to be going from strength to strength.
Freak
Enveloping a grunge punk sound which has already drawn comparisons to a Slaves and Rat Boy hybrid, Freak’s guitar hooks hark back to the golden age of indie during the early 2000s. A ramshackle, chaotic sonic exploration for a disenfranchised youth, this Essex trio do a pretty good job of providing some joy from the shitstorm outside.
Hello Operator
Salacious riffs are a focal point when it comes to Hello Operator’s sultry rock ’n’ roll sonic exploits. Responsible for a stellar song title in ‘Hallucination Lucifer’ (which is an equally stellar track), latest cut ‘Oosh’ gives us a taste of what other salivating guitar licks we can expect from the York four-piece in 2018.
Calva Louise
It could be said that London-based trio Calva Louise somewhat predicted their swift ascent to underground notoriety with the title of their first release ‘I’m Gonna Do Well’. It’s angsty, surging riffs are juxtaposed with surf rock vibes, and most recent cut ‘Getting Closer’ follows suit as they begin to pave a very distinct sound for themselves.
Femuline
While not overtly a ‘guitar band’ in the immediately obvious sense of the term, it’s near impossible not to give London upstarts Femuline a mention on this list, and not only for the smooth, meandering guitar lines in their live set up. Think a docile Tears For Fears tinged soundtrack embedded into the narrative of modern day East London life.
False Heads
Disdained with the world around them, and with a smouldering set of tracks to prove so, False Heads are seething. An onslaught of outspoken lyrics, ballsy riffs and ferocious drums identified themselves on last year’s Gutter Press EP and made Iggy Pop a fan. If that sounds like your kind of thing keep your eyes, and ears, peeled for ‘Retina’ dropping this March.
Bad Sounds
A band that certainly don’t live up the their name, Bad Sounds are injecting the fun (and funk) back into band practice. Nonsensical lyrics intertwined with bounding samples and swirling synths prove that music doesn’t always need to have a more serious meaning attached to it to be appreciatively consumed.
Indoor Pets
New year, new name, same back catalogue, Indoor Pets used to be Get Inuit and while they may have ditched the name we’re thrilled the four-piece have kept hold of their sunny side up indie pop morsels. Treat your eyes and ears and see the aforementioned pop morsels performed live on their UK tour next month.
Sea Girls
Taking it straight back to mid-2000s indie, Sea Girls are getting ready to showcase their surging riffs on a UK tour next month, following the release of their Heavenly War EP. There’s a touch of early Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees breezing through their songs and with Larry Hibbitt on production duties, what could possibly go wrong?
The Cosmics
Perfecting two minute indie pop punches is something The Cosmics did very early on in their career and they spent many weekends last summer playing them to the masses at festivals across the country - including a coveted spot on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury. Spiralling ‘Inis Fraoigh (Inish Free)’ is a hidden gem in their live set with growling vocals and racing guitars.
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Words: Shannon Cotton
Photo: RMV/REX/Shutterstock
