![The Vaccines: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? asked the band's 2011 debut album. Four years on, they're still defying expectations with the release of the Sleater-Kinney inspired English Graffiti, with its newfound elements of surf rock and heightened punk sensibilities.]()
The Vaccines: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? asked the band's 2011 debut album. Four years on, they're still defying expectations with the release of the Sleater-Kinney inspired English Graffiti, with its newfound elements of surf rock and heightened punk sensibilities.
![The Flaming Lips: At last year's festivals, the band's set included Wayne Coyne rolling himself out over the audience in an inflatable plastic ball, balloons spelling out expletives, confetti, rainbow colour schemes... The list goes on. What we're trying to say is, even if you're not into The Flaming Lips' music (why on earth not though?) you'd be a fool to miss their live show.]()
The Flaming Lips: At last year's festivals, the band's set included Wayne Coyne rolling himself out over the audience in an inflatable plastic ball, balloons spelling out expletives, confetti, rainbow colour schemes... The list goes on. What we're trying to say is, even if you're not into The Flaming Lips' music (why on earth not though?) you'd be a fool to miss their live show.
![Belle and Sebastian: Belle and Sebastian have been creating their unique brand of wistful pop for nearly twenty years now, and batting off accusations of tweeness for just as long. Their live shows though, by all accounts, are energetic and joyous - and this year propped up by their dance-tinged new album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance.]()
Belle and Sebastian: Belle and Sebastian have been creating their unique brand of wistful pop for nearly twenty years now, and batting off accusations of tweeness for just as long. Their live shows though, by all accounts, are energetic and joyous - and this year propped up by their dance-tinged new album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance.
![The Thurston Moore Band: Despite being part of one of the most celebrated alt-rock bands of the 20th century, Sonic Youth, Moore has been producing his own solo output since the mid '90s. Since the acrimonious demise of Sonic Youth in 2011, he's been treating fans to his own unique brand of rock, and proving why he was named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.]()
The Thurston Moore Band: Despite being part of one of the most celebrated alt-rock bands of the 20th century, Sonic Youth, Moore has been producing his own solo output since the mid '90s. Since the acrimonious demise of Sonic Youth in 2011, he's been treating fans to his own unique brand of rock, and proving why he was named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
![Dum Dum Girls: The languid beauty of 2011 single 'Coming Down' and its contemporaries made them destined for brooding film soundtracks , but they picked up the pace a bit with 2014 album Too True. The two eras combined will provide the perfectly balanced festival set.]()
Dum Dum Girls: The languid beauty of 2011 single 'Coming Down' and its contemporaries made them destined for brooding film soundtracks , but they picked up the pace a bit with 2014 album Too True. The two eras combined will provide the perfectly balanced festival set.
![The Cribs: As they head beyond the tenth anniversary of being signed, the band are doing the festival circuit performing tracks from their sixth album For All My Sisters. Expect tracks from that, as well as a generous helping of back-catalogue favourites. At Live at Leeds, they even covered Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and there's every chance they'll do the same at LSS.]()
The Cribs: As they head beyond the tenth anniversary of being signed, the band are doing the festival circuit performing tracks from their sixth album For All My Sisters. Expect tracks from that, as well as a generous helping of back-catalogue favourites. At Live at Leeds, they even covered Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and there's every chance they'll do the same at LSS.
![Tei Shi: Entwining elements of shoegaze with R&B and electro-pop, the Argentinian-born Tei Shi might be known for making]()
Tei Shi: Entwining elements of shoegaze with R&B and electro-pop, the Argentinian-born Tei Shi might be known for making "bedroom pop", but you should take a trip away from bedroom-listening and catch her brooding, atmospheric live show.
![Peace: The band's difficult second album has taken them away from the introspection of their debut and towards issues like gender stereotyping, greed, the recession and the anxiety of Generation Y - whilst remaining unmistakably Peace. Speaking to Gigwise last year of their last show, Harry Kossier said,]()
Peace: The band's difficult second album has taken them away from the introspection of their debut and towards issues like gender stereotyping, greed, the recession and the anxiety of Generation Y - whilst remaining unmistakably Peace. Speaking to Gigwise last year of their last show, Harry Kossier said, "It's changed and it's got better and bigger."
![Fat White Family: Expect blood, sweat, tears, and possibly other bodily fluids from Fat White Family's live show, which is notoriously unhinged but anchored by the fact that the music itself, though equally debauched, is actually pretty great.]()
Fat White Family: Expect blood, sweat, tears, and possibly other bodily fluids from Fat White Family's live show, which is notoriously unhinged but anchored by the fact that the music itself, though equally debauched, is actually pretty great.
![George The Poet: Though his biggest single to date, following his success on the BBC's Sound of 2015 poll, is 'Cat D', there's a lot more to George The Poet than clumsy lyrics like,]()
George The Poet: Though his biggest single to date, following his success on the BBC's Sound of 2015 poll, is 'Cat D', there's a lot more to George The Poet than clumsy lyrics like, "I like cars a lot." In fact, that song recovers from its initial misstep, but his Chicken & The Egg EP, with its political edge, is infinitely better.
![Everything Everything: You might have forgotten you needed Everything Everything's brand of highly-strung glitch pop, but new single 'Distant Past' will surely have shaken you back into it. Hearing its fast-paced falsetto live will be one of the festival's highlights.]()
Everything Everything: You might have forgotten you needed Everything Everything's brand of highly-strung glitch pop, but new single 'Distant Past' will surely have shaken you back into it. Hearing its fast-paced falsetto live will be one of the festival's highlights.
![Cymbals Eat Guitars: We defy you to listen to 'Warning', the standout track from Cymbals Eat Guitars' 2014 third album Lose, and not feel a pang of nostalgia for the euphoric punk rock/pop of your teenage years. Cymbal Eat Guitars are no gimmick though - there's a wistful frustration in every syllable of Joseph D'Agostino's vocals that adds weight and heft to their songs, both live and on record.]()
Cymbals Eat Guitars: We defy you to listen to 'Warning', the standout track from Cymbals Eat Guitars' 2014 third album Lose, and not feel a pang of nostalgia for the euphoric punk rock/pop of your teenage years. Cymbal Eat Guitars are no gimmick though - there's a wistful frustration in every syllable of Joseph D'Agostino's vocals that adds weight and heft to their songs, both live and on record.
![Spector: You might think, given that their latest two singles are called 'All The Sad Young Men' and 'Bad Boyfriend', that Spector have self-esteem issues - but the band's live shows are confident, assured affairs and their new material is catchy as hell.]()
Spector: You might think, given that their latest two singles are called 'All The Sad Young Men' and 'Bad Boyfriend', that Spector have self-esteem issues - but the band's live shows are confident, assured affairs and their new material is catchy as hell.
![Stormzy: Since Kanye West gave Stormzy a leg-up into the spotlight by bringing him and other British grim artists onstage at the Brits, he's gone from strength to strength. As if that wasn't recommendation enough, he's also been described by Wiley as]()
Stormzy: Since Kanye West gave Stormzy a leg-up into the spotlight by bringing him and other British grim artists onstage at the Brits, he's gone from strength to strength. As if that wasn't recommendation enough, he's also been described by Wiley as "the number one grime done in this new era." "Where do you know me from?" he asked in his 2015 single. The answer to that is only going to get bigger.
![Slaves: When they're not posting defensive Facebook posts defending their name from accusations of racism, and insisting]()
Slaves: When they're not posting defensive Facebook posts defending their name from accusations of racism, and insisting "we're all Slaves in the modern age", the two-piece punk band are making loud, raucous and exciting music. They could prove to be the surprise kings of the 2015 festival season, a la Royal Blood last year.
![All We Are: Having signed to Domino, they've been dominating the airwaves of 6 Music and are often heard here in the Gigwise office. If you love infectious funk rhythms, with layer upon layer of earworm guitar melody and one hell of a chorus, then this is the band for you. Make sure you pick up their astounding self-titled debut album, and catch them on our Cavern Stage at Liverpool Sound City.]()
All We Are: Having signed to Domino, they've been dominating the airwaves of 6 Music and are often heard here in the Gigwise office. If you love infectious funk rhythms, with layer upon layer of earworm guitar melody and one hell of a chorus, then this is the band for you. Make sure you pick up their astounding self-titled debut album, and catch them on our Cavern Stage at Liverpool Sound City.
![Jennifer Davies: Pull off proper pop with credibility and imagination and you're off to a winner. Enter Jennifer Davies - a new artist with personality and attitude by the bowlful and an unreal knack for earworms that send you dancing back to your most prized childhood cassettes, but with a very modern edge. A clear artistic and aesthetic vision that paints her as pretty much the perfect pop star. Watch her blossom in the year ahead.]()
Jennifer Davies: Pull off proper pop with credibility and imagination and you're off to a winner. Enter Jennifer Davies - a new artist with personality and attitude by the bowlful and an unreal knack for earworms that send you dancing back to your most prized childhood cassettes, but with a very modern edge. A clear artistic and aesthetic vision that paints her as pretty much the perfect pop star. Watch her blossom in the year ahead.
![The Bohihcas: Snarling, sharp call-to-arms indie that packs the bravado of the most fearless gang. Get your leather on and lose your minds to them at Liverpool Sound City.]()
The Bohihcas: Snarling, sharp call-to-arms indie that packs the bravado of the most fearless gang. Get your leather on and lose your minds to them at Liverpool Sound City.
![Lonelady: Adding a deep human soul to the coldest mechanical elements of post-punk, this Mancunian marvel is not one to be missed on Gigwise's Cavern Stage.]()
Lonelady: Adding a deep human soul to the coldest mechanical elements of post-punk, this Mancunian marvel is not one to be missed on Gigwise's Cavern Stage.
