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Scruff of the Neck Presents: Ones To Watch

  • Written by  Dave Beech

Scruff

As a precursor to our new weekly column in conjunction with Scruff of the Neck Records, Dave Beech has picked out ten acts that the label are tipping for success in the coming 12 months.

Blooms

With only a single track available online at the moment, it might seem like we're jumping the gun a little with Manchester's Blooms. We have it on good authority however that there's new tracks imminent as well as a mini-tour that kicks off next month. Get in before the bandwagon arrives.

 

frontwards

Everyone knows the Leeds scene is killing it at the moment, and frontwards are a prime example of the city's DIY spirit. Creating a kind of fuzzy indie-pop that could only really have come from Leeds, the band might not be the most commercially viable on the list, but there's enough pop polish present to appeal to more than DIY purists.

 

Dusty Buttons

Hailing from Coventry, Dusty Buttons channel the spirit of '00s indie without the arrogance and lack of talent that was so often synonymous with the genre. Having recorded some new material over the Christmas period, it seems the band are all set to go in to 2016 with a bang.

 

City Of Lights

Another Leeds band now, City of Lights' knack for huge songs and melodies provides the band with plenty of cross-over appeal. Occupying the murky genre most would consider alt-rock, the band blend pop and rock with impressive technical ability that sets them apart from their peers.

 

TRASH

Though Chesterfield might not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of emotive slacker pop, but that's indeed where TRASH call home. Having signed to Clue Records last year, under which they released their fantastic Urban Glow EP, it's easy to see TRASH making 2016 theirs.

 

Brothers Water

With an ear for a melody and buckets of pop sensibility, Brothers Water are the third band from Leeds to make the list. Eschewing the city's usual rough and ready fare in favour of a more polished but no less emotive output, Brothers Water are already making waves, this year could see them become tsunamis.

 

Afterbloom

Having only formed last year, but already making the BBC's own equivalent list, Afterbloom are certainly a hot prospect for the next 12 months. Perfectly encapsulating that baggy post-grunge aesthetic, the band have new material in the pipeline as well as a handful of shows on the horizon.

 

Viola Beach

Already earning themselves support slots with the likes of The Courteeners, Viola Beach have entered 2016 already in good shape. It doesn't look like the band are showing any signs of slowing down however, and with new material on the way, could quite easily be one of this year's buzz bands.

 

DARMA

With the UK enjoying something of a grunge resurgence of late, Manchester's DARMA are a band embracing the genre's aesthetics whilst maintaining a contemporary British twist. Snotty and scuzzy, but not without melody, DARMA are a band worth keeping an eye on.

 

Broken Flags

Stoke-based four-piece Broken Flags are one of a handful of acts from the city that are working tirelessly to prove you don't have to be from a big city to get noticed. With a massive sound to match their huge ambitions, Broken Flags released a couple of tracks late last year so expect them to be plugging them live over the coming months.

 

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