With the UK’s biggest new music festival kicking off tomorrow, we’ve put together 10 artists punters need to make time for in their schedules. In the spirit of The Great Escape, we’re giving a nod to artists yet to feature on our page – these recs are as fresh to us as they are to you.

Sunday (1994)

Hailing from both LA and Slough, this indie pop trio – comprised of vocalist Paige Turner, guitarist Lee Newell and drummer Puma – have mastered the formula of blending 90s sonics from The Cranberries and The Sundays with modern-day Americana, a la Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain. Tracks like ‘Devotion’ and ‘Tired Boy’ highlight how they can craft timeless sounds paired with witty and playful lyrics.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw

Cutting their teeth on the South London music scene, Man/Woman/Chainsaw are making tracks on many of their contemporaries. The art-punk sextet balance tightly on the line of a large sound, whilst never sounding cluttered or clunky. Latest release, and double A-side, MadDog / Adam & Steve perfectly presents the band’s ability to move from the rash to the magical not just between songs, but from verse to chorus too.

green star

Comprised of Lilah Bobak from Los Angeles, Pedro Soler from Mallorca, and Alberto De Torre from Madrid, the London-based trio are a powerhouse, with tracks like ‘Four-O-Five’ and ‘Blades Of Steel’ amplifying their textured and brightly layered sound created by a blend of noise rock and shoegaze inspired by London’s overarching gloom.

Mên An Tol

Hailing from South East London, yet eponymously named after an ancient Cornish stone formation, Mên An Tol’s sound is fittingly unique. By dabbling with shoegaze-y sonics, Mên An Tol offer a refreshing take on the resurgence of folk music, expected from a band taking their name from the West Country.

Westside Cowboy

These Mancunian rockers recently won Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition and are currently one of the latest bands who are spearheading a fun revival of that classic ’90s-styled slacker rock with their single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ and recently released second track ‘Shells’.

Tough Cookie

Joining in on the wave of 90’s alt-rock-inspired outfits from London is Tough Cookie. Whilst we’re not sure where this trend of Smashing Pumpkins-adjacent bands began, we’re positive Tough Cookie are doing their part to make it stick. In essence, those who are making time to see Keo should be including Tough Cookie in their schedules.

Hank

Hailing as one of London’s buzziest bands, Hank have taken inspiration from that familiar 90s washy shoegaze sound and highlight the balance of smooth melancholic sounds with blistering sonic attacks as heard on ‘Pull It Off’ and ‘Stand On Ur Star’.

DellaXOZ

Initially breaking through as a bedroom producer during early lockdown, DellaXOZ has continued to craft her skills and songwriting on every release – now diving into a world of Midwest emo. Recent single ‘i fear premature death but you look hot smoking cigarettes’ offers a distinctive vibe of a bedroom produced-American Football.

Luvcat

Created as the brainchild of Liverpudlian Sophie Morgan, Luvcat is all things gothic film noir tension and romance, from her eerie yet rocking and TikTok viral ‘Matador’, to her sexy and slinky ‘Love & Money’, Luvcat’s music and performance is bound to leave you feeling like you’ve left a sexy Parisian noir show at a club.

Courting

The Liverpool quartet are chameleons when it comes to transforming their sound and dipping between different genres, proving that they will not be confined to one specific thing. Their latest LP, ‘Lust For Life, Or: How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story ’, Courting show how they can take over a mix of colourful alt-pop, electronica, pub rock and proto-punk through tracks like ‘Stealth Rollback’ and ‘Namcy ‘.

Words by Anagricel Duran & Hugo Harris