Photo: Press

There was a time when NME Radar tours were a highly influential indicator of what would be the next big thing: you had the likes of White Lies, Florence and The Machine -  and many more - playing their first shows.

Recognising the tour has waned somewhat in influence, This Feeling promoter Mikey Jonns, who has the backing of indie elite (Alan McGee, Kasabian, The Libertines and Noel Gallagher have regularly voiced their support) has stepped up to the plate to create a new tastemaking tour. It showcases the best live bands to have grafted themselves a following at his nationwide club night.

The lead three are the Kasabian-esque mighty sound of The Shimmer Band, the brooding anthemic pop of Bang Bang Romeo, and rowdy Essex rockers with the same management as The Libertines, Blackwaters.

They're bands who have played regularly at This Feeling and have picked up multiple nods of acclaim across online press and radio.



But they aren't groups who’ve had an automatic foothold on primetime. Recognising a slight apathy along traditional avenues for guitar music, the Alive tour is part of a few paths Jonns has set up for his favourite bands to gatecrash the mainstream – and it seems to be working.

He’s gone from having a stage at Leeds to having Reading and Leeds – and has a TV programme called This Feeling TV that’s proven the demand for rowdy rock n’ roll has gone nowhere. The Alive tour, which cruises around England - plus Cardiff and Glasgow - for two weeks in October, is perfectly timed with Freshers week which will definitely prove the thirst is there, too.

In addition to the main three acts on the tour, a different local support has been selected, giving an opportunity for newcomers  to play on some of the country’s best soundystems. What a great leg up, especially with A and R’s who will be wondering what the new bands sound like on a proper soundsystem.

In brief the chosen new bands are: the Britpop revivalists YVES; rowdy rock 'n' rollers Chapel Row; up-tempo indie dance of The Assist; hotly-tipped Arctic Monkeys-esque Sheafs; timeless melodic Coral-esque VIDA; Cabbage's proteges Proleteriat.; 60's psych poppers The Strawberries; 90s guitar sorts MINT; riff-oriented group The Ruffs; London blues-tinged garage rockers Paves; melodic Sheffield rockers Liberty Ship; and rock duo Sons.

See which city each band is supporting The Shimmer Band, Bang Bang Romeo, and Blackwaters below. Check here for tickets

Oct 1 Bristol w/ YVES
Oct 2 Cardiff Glee Club w/ Chapel Row
Oct 3 Birmingham o2 institute w/ The Assist
Oct 5 York Fibbers w/ SHEAFS
Oct 6 Glasgow o2 ABC2 w/ Vida
Oct 8 Manchester Academy 2 w/ Proletariat.
Oct 9 Leeds Wardrobe w/ The Strawberries
Oct 10 Hull The Welly w/ Mint
Oct 11 Nottingham Glee Club w/ The Ruffs
Oct 13 Sheffield Plug w/ Liberty Ship
Oct 14 London Electric Ballroom w/ Paves
Oct 15 Brighton Concorde 2 w/ SONS

Listen and share the playlist of all the bands below: