Shaking Hand
Manchester. Concrete. Echo.
Math precision meets post-rock drift; experi-indie restraint with 90s lineage. Think Tortoise, The American Analog Set and Yo La Tengo locked in a disused factory unit after hours.
Guitars coil and release. Rhythms tighten, then wander.
Instrumentals that breathe rather than beg. Word is spreading: part of the next wave rolling out of the city.
with a self tilted debut album fresh out these are one to watch
From: Manchester
Styles: Post-Punk, Shoegaze
Holly Head
Dancefloor dissent.
Agit-funk architecture built from the rhythm section up - percussive latticework, indefatigable low-end pressure, then the wire-strung guitars slash in. Joe's vocal cuts clean through it all: part sermon, part siren.
Influence as roll call: Wu-Lu, Happy Mondays, Kokoroko, Fugazi, Fela Kuti, DJ Shadow.
Debut single No Gain: frenetic, floor-tested, already carrying that quiet "if you know, you know" status. A first BBC 6 Music New Music Fix live session sealed it.
From: Manchester
Styles: Post-Punk, Post-Hardcore, Afrobeat, Shoegaze, Funk
Pict
Indie guitar music rendered in widescreen but delivered in close-up.
Textured lines. Modern alternative pop instinct. Songs that hold intimacy and scale in the same frame. Lyrically direct; sonically luminous. Understated power, no grandstanding.
Pict are a British indie band crafting emotionally rich songs that blend atmospheric guitar textures with modern alternative pop sensibility. Their music balances intimacy and scale, pairing thoughtful lyricism with shimmering production and a strong melodic core. With a sound that feels both reflective and immediate, Pict create songs designed to connect through mood, honesty and understated power.
From: Nottingham
Styles: Post-Folk, Rock
HONESTY
HONESTY is not a band in the traditional sense. With four core members - George Mitchell.
Matt Peel, Josh Lewis and Imi Marston - and a rotating cast of collaborators which have included musicians and visual artists like Kosi Tides, Softlizard, Rarelyalways, Florence Shaw, and Liam Bailey, the Leeds-based collective emerged as an exercise in doing things differently on a journey towards selt-acceptance.
HONESTY's vital debut album U R HERE, released February 2025, melds influences that range from Mount Kimbie and My Bloody Valentine to Björk and Burial. The result is a subtly exhilarating take on club music that's become HONESTY's signature and the reason they're one of the most essential dance acts coming out of the UK.
Individually and as a collective, HONESTY have found a way to break themselves down and rebuild into something new every time; evolving through their idiosyncratic audio-visual shows,
DJ residencies, remix work and an ever-growing list of collaborations. The output is fluid, imbued with rave-fueled vitality and a certain freedom that comes with new beginnings. Where they go from here is anyone's guess.
BATHING SUITS
Operating under the mantra “Always dancey. Always loud. Always sexy,” Bathing Suits fuse abrasive guitars with pummelling techno to create a visceral noise-trance sound. Drawing inspiration from the frenetic energy of Model/Actriz and Psychotic Monks alongside the raunchy edge of early-2010s pop, their new single “Empathy” (Underplay Recordings) is a seven-minute club exorcism produced by DJ Subaru.
Borne from Leeds’ DIY party scene, the band have built a reputation for their high-octane live shows, sharing stages with Prostitute, Man/Woman/Chainsaw and TTSSFU, and appearing at festivals including Transmusicales, The Great Escape and Green Man.
