MMVIII: next big things

White Lies
Just think what a wonderful concoction this would be; Joy Divison, The Smiths, The Cure, U2. Now imagine if such a band was a reality. You'd have White Lies then. Their songs are epic, yet dark and disturbing. Name another band who would write a song about a ghost coming back to visit his lover/murderer? Exactly, none. They just sound like they're built for the arenas and stadiums of the world, and their guitar parts don't sound like they're written using fucking algebra.

Cheeky Cheeky & The Nosebleeds
English music has long been devoid of a band with a proper sense of humour. I guess you could class Hadouken! as a sick hipster joke, but I'm talking about a band who's songs are as funny as they are great. I think The Nosebleeds are just that band, ready to take the long-dusty crown of odd-pop once held by the likes of XTC, Talking Heads, Wire and Elvis Costello. Musically they may sound a bit identikit, but they'll be big

Ladyhawke
Okay, she's pretty big already in indie circles, but 2009 is the year where she'll explode into the mainstream. Her eponymous debut is stuffed to the brim with solid gold, 80's-indebted pop hits, all deserving of as much praise as possible. Latest single My Delirium is just one example of the girl's talent for melody and pure tuneage.

Grammatics
Part emo, part indie, part epic pop, Grammatics aren't your usual blogosphere darlings. They won't exactly be soundtracking any Skins episodes or England sporting failure. But they'll gain a massive following if their album lives up to internet hype. The bass is scuzzy, the drums are complex, the guitars have the tone of typical emo band, the vocals are strained, the keys and strings are mournful. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but it does

The Chapman Family
To some they're "The worst band I have ever seen...an abomination". To others, they're the new Manics; snarling, sloganeering, superb. Back in reality, The Chapman Family aren't either, if I'm being honest. Although they have elements of the Manics (loud, angry, amazing, dumb punk fun), they are their own beast. One with the chance to become a highly important band during these "crunching" times.

Twisted Wheel
Successors to Oasis' lad-rock crown? Well according to a lot of critics, they probably are (after The Enemy, Kasabian, The View etc etc). In my opinion, they only have one good song at the moment; "Lucy The Castle" (although it sounds suspiciously like "Suffragette City" by Bowie) The rest sound like The Clash if they were utter garbage really. But they must have some appeal with the masses. If they pick up a bit of studio sheen and songwriting nous from supporting Oasis, their debut album could be pretty good.

Alexis Blue
Right, if they don't get big in the next 396 days, then I'll eat my hat! I don't even have a hat to eat, I'm going to have go out and buy one, just to eat it! AB have all the right ingredients for success but for some reason, not many people seem to have picked up on it, or at least noone with a whole lot of power within the music industry. I urge anyone reading this to check them out, as your musical taste will improve vastly.