Category Archives: TVD UK

Middlesbrough six-piece Provenance are quickly making their mark on the North East England indie scene with infectious hooks, soaring melodies, and high-energy live shows. The rising six-piece are bringing indie-pop and plenty of Northern energy to the UK’s emerging guitar scene.

Drawing influence from Catfish and The Bottlemen, Inhaler, and Circa Waves, their sound blends driving indie-rock with new wave-inspired synths. Their latest single, “Save It For The Weekend,” produced by Jamie McIntyre of The Covasettes and Sugar House, delivers an irresistibly catchy take on the realities of an immature relationship, pairing anthemic synths with candid lyricism.

Having earned support from BBC Introducing, Radio X’s John Kennedy and Hunger magazine, as well as slots supporting Corella and appearances at Twisterella and Redcar Beach Live, Provenance are firmly ones to watch. With more new music and live dates to come, 2026 looks set to be a big year for the rising six-piece.

“Save It For The Weekend” is in stores now.

This week’s Artist of the Week is corto.alto, the Glasgow-based project of multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Liam Shortall.

Blending jazz, hip-hop, broken beat, dub, R&B, and electronic production, corto.alto has developed a distinctive sound that pushes beyond traditional genre boundaries. Shortall’s music combines live instrumentation and improvisation with intricate rhythms, bass-heavy grooves, and experimental production.

Following his debut album Bad With Names, which was shortlisted for the 2024 Mercury Prize, corto.alto has continued to build a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting contemporary jazz artists, collaborating with artists including Mick Jenkins, Vector, and anaiis. His highly anticipated new album SOME SMALL FORTUNE is due for release on 4th September via Ninja Tune, featuring recent singles including “GO,” “IJUSTIDONTKNOW,” and “NOBLEHILL,” featuring Bristol artist Jacob Alon.

With his genre-blurring approach and growing international profile, corto.alto is definitely an artist to have on your radar.

corto alto’s album SOME SMALL FORTUNE is due for release on 4th September via Ninja Tune.

Somehow, I never got to see Northern California alt-rock icons AFI in the States. So when they finally came back to the UK, playing the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on their way to All Points East in Victoria Park with the Deftones, I wasn’t going to let it slide again. A band this big in a theatre this small barely happens anymore. Three days later, they’d have tens of thousands of people in Victoria Park. I’ll take this room every time.

Same four members since 1998, but frontman Davey looks like a different man. Gone is the gothic, slick-black vampire mid-cut. Now it’s full biker leather, a pompadour out of 1974, and a handlebar mustache that would make the Village People jealous. The whole look says I don’t give a fuck about anything but rock ‘n’ roll, and it was awesome. From emo to Rocky Horror.

I keep hearing people ask why AFI never got as big as My Chemical Romance. They did, though. Decemberunderground went to number one in 2006, the same year as The Black Parade. AFI got big and then refused to stay there, which is exactly why a band with a number-one record is standing in a 2,000-capacity theatre in 2026, looking thrilled about it. And they put out five studio albums before Sing the Sorrow broke them. Most labels would’ve given up after two in those days. Most bands might get to four. Five is a proving ground in my book.

Four dudes making this much noise is insane to me. No frills, no gimmicks, a back line of Marshall stacks and a statement. Marshalls stacked like that scream metal show, but this was more punk, and then it went goth for a stretch, and then somewhere else again. All over the place, and I could not look away. Seriously.

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From a standout John Lewis Christmas campaign to emerging as an artist in her own right, Mel Raeburn is quickly making her mark with her soulful vocals and warm, contemporary sound.

Raeburn first caught the public’s attention in 2024 when she won John Lewis’ nationwide TikTok competition to perform a new version of The Verve’s “Sonnet.” Her rendition became part of the retailer’s Christmas campaign, introducing her distinctive voice to a huge new audience.

Since then, Raeburn has been focused on developing her own music, stepping out from behind the cover that first brought her recognition and establishing herself as a singer-songwriter. Her debut original single, “Table For Two,” arrived earlier this year, followed by her latest release “Serendipity.”

“Serendipity” sees her continuing to showcase her soulful, expressive vocal style across a contemporary pop sound. Written by Raeburn alongside Rosie Shaw and produced by Bailey Hopton, the track offers a more personal introduction to the artist behind the viral cover.

With “Serendipity” marking another step in her journey from viral cover artist to fully-fledged singer-songwriter, Mel Raeburn is an exciting new voice to keep firmly on your radar.

“Serendipity” is in stores now.

PHOTO: JAXON WHITTINGTON | Minneapolis five-piece she’s green describe their sound as “moss music,” aka music for wandering into the forest, getting lost, and discovering magic hidden deep in nature. Inspired by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien as much as Cocteau Twins, the band has created a dreamy, immersive world of shoegaze-infused dream-pop.

Their 2023 debut EP “Wisteria” featured the viral hit “Mandy,” which has now passed three million Spotify streams. After graduating, she’s green took their music on the road, touring across North America with artists including Slow Pulp, Softcult, and Glixen, building an increasingly devoted fanbase along the way. In 2025, the band signed to Photo Finish Records and released their second EP, “Chrysalis.”

Now, she’s green are entering a new chapter with their latest EP “swallowtail,” out now. Working with producer and mixer Sonny DiPerri, known for his work with DIIV, the band have developed a more polished and confident take on their dreamy, guitar-driven sound. “swallowtail” sees she’s green exploring a more mature and emotionally expansive side of their songwriting. With its hazy guitars, tender vocals, and immersive atmosphere, “swallowtail” perfectly captures what makes she’s green so compelling: music that feels like an escape while remaining deeply rooted in real emotion.

With plans to continue developing material that will form the second half of a full-length record, she’s green are only getting started. Their hazy guitars, irresistible melodies and fantasy-inspired escapism are already winning over audiences across the world, and now they’re bringing their immersive sound to the UK.

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Florence Road are proving that the next big thing in alternative music could be coming straight out of Wicklow. This talented four-piece are firmly entering their breakout era, and we’re all invited…

Released via Warner Records, their latest single “7563” immediately grabs attention with its driving guitar line, anthemic opening, and huge vocal delivery. It’s a track that feels designed for the live environment, energetic, emotionally charged and built around the kind of chorus that demands to be shouted back from a festival crowd.

Their recent EP “Spring Forward” captures everything that makes Florence Road so exciting; huge alternative-rock hooks, emotionally charged songwriting, and an infectious sense of momentum. The four-track EP showcases a band that can move effortlessly between raw vulnerability and full-blown explosive energy.

At the centre of the EP is “Hanging Out To Dry,” a brilliantly restless track about trying to convince yourself you’re not falling for someone when, deep down, you know you already are.

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For well over a decade The Welsh John MOuse has occupied a singular corner of British independent music, where synth-pop, art rock, surreal humour, and deeply personal storytelling coexist without ever settling into convention. His latest album Ynys Parc Memorial 1854–1976 doesn’t attempt to reinvent that formula, but it does refine it into perhaps his most complete and emotionally resonant statement to date.

Produced by Sweet Baboo and featuring appearances from Gruff Rhys and Miki Berenyi, the record immediately carries a broader sonic palette than some of Mouse’s previous work. The arrangements breathe with confidence, allowing shimmering synthesizers, motorik rhythms and jangling guitars to support rather than dominate songs that have always been driven first and foremost by narrative.

Narrative has long been The Welsh John MOuse’s greatest asset. His songs rarely concern themselves with grand statements, instead finding meaning in peculiar observations and seemingly insignificant moments. Here, however, those familiar eccentricities sit alongside something more contemplative. Inspired by memory, mortality, and the communities that shaped him, Ynys Parc Memorial 1854–1976 feels like the work of an artist looking backwards without becoming trapped in nostalgia.

If there’s a centrepiece, it may well be “Welsh Words” whose premise, a dream in which Gruff Rhys appears embodied as Joan Didion to offer songwriting advice, perfectly encapsulates Mouse’s gift for collapsing the absurd into the profound.

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Blending hyperpop’s restless experimentation with sleek electronic production and an unapologetically sharp sensibility, the Dallas-born, Lebanese artist Ellisar is rapidly carving out a lane entirely her own.

What makes Ellisar compelling isn’t simply her ability to write infectious hooks; it’s the emotional tension running beneath the glossy production. Her songs capture the chaos of modern relationships, self-worth, and identity, packaging vulnerability inside adrenaline-fuelled choruses that demand repeat listens. The result is music that feels equally suited to a packed club, a late-night drive, or a bedroom overthinking session.

Her latest single “CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS” marks another confident step forward. As her newest release, it builds on the momentum generated by her previous tracks, showcasing an artist who continues to refine her signature blend of shimmering pop hooks, electronic textures, and razor-sharp attitude.

Ellisar has described her music as being “for the girls and gays,” an ethos that perfectly captures the sense of community and fearless self-expression at the heart of her work. Her music embraces individuality, celebrating confidence while leaving room for vulnerability, making her one of pop’s most relatable new voices. In an era where pop continues to blur genre boundaries, Ellisar feels perfectly positioned for what’s next.

“CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS” is in stores now.

History has a habit of overlooking the records that helped define a scene without ever quite breaking through. Bomb Romantics, the long-lost debut from The Blood Arm, is one of those albums.

Originally self-released in 2004 in a run of just 1,000 CDs before disappearing into collectors’ hands, it has spent more than two decades existing largely as indie folklore. Its arrival on streaming services for the first time finally gives this gloriously scrappy debut the audience it always deserved.

Listening back now, Bomb Romantics feels like a fascinating time capsule of the early-2000s indie underground, but one that has aged surprisingly well. Long before the term “indie sleaze” became shorthand for a generation’s soundtrack, The Blood Arm were already blending wiry post-punk guitars, dancefloor rhythms, and knowing lyrical wit into something that felt both effortlessly cool and slightly unhinged.

There’s an irresistible looseness to the record. Recorded over a single weekend in a garage studio, its rough edges aren’t flaws to be polished away but part of its identity. The production remains refreshingly unfiltered, allowing the band’s chemistry to take centre stage. Every track feels as though it might fall apart at any moment, yet somehow always lands exactly where it needs to.

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From writing poetry at the tender age of twelve years old, to becoming an accomplished songwriter, London’s Iris King had always been destined to share her art with the world. Her latest, dreamy single, “I Did, I Will, I Do,” is another exquisite example of this.

King has honed her writing skills over the years through many guises. Her talent led her down many paths, gaining attention from the likes of Noisey, The Line of Best Fit, and New Music Friday, as well as singing and writing music for BBC America’s Orphan Black.

Now deciding to release under her own name, “I Did, I Will, I Do” showcases a new evolution in the artist’s music. A sumptuous, at times, moving piece of music, the track undulates, pulling at the listener’s heartstrings throughout, before ending in a crescendo. “I Did, I Will, I Do” is a reflective love song that many of us can identify with.

The track was written and recorded in LA and produced by Blonder who has previously worked with notable artists including Ryn Weaver and Anna Shoemaker. The track will kick off a run of releases over the coming year, with King aiming to make a mark through her emotive brand of songwriting.

“I Did, I Will, I Do” is in stores now.

There are albums that ask for your attention, and there are albums that quietly earn it. Slow Magic, the second record from Bristol-based artist Sailing Stones, belongs firmly in the latter category. Unfolding with remarkable patience and emotional clarity, it is an album that rewards stillness; twelve beautifully crafted songs that seem less interested in making a statement than inviting the listener into an intimate, deeply personal world.

Whilst Slow Magic is undoubtedly an album about motherhood and matrescence, reducing it to those themes alone would overlook its broader emotional resonance. Jenny Lindfors explores identity, grief, joy, fear, and transformation with remarkable subtlety, writing with the specificity of lived experience while leaving enough space for listeners to find their own reflections within the songs.

Self-produced by Lindfors with arrangements by composer Dan Moore, every instrument feels carefully considered. Reverb washes over fingerpicked guitars without obscuring them, while woodwinds and tape-warped electronics appear almost like passing thoughts, emerging briefly before dissolving back into the mix. The result is a record that feels organic and cinematic in equal measure.

Songs such as “Days Come, Days Go” and “A Promise To Love” find extraordinary beauty in domestic routines, elevating fleeting moments of exhaustion, tenderness, and repetition into something almost mythic. Lindfors has a gift for finding poetry in the ordinary, never romanticising motherhood but never surrendering to despair either.

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One of the South West’s most distinctive voices, Emily Breeze has spent the past decade carving out a world entirely her own, one populated by hopeless romantics, glamorous wastrels, anti-heroes, and beautiful losers. Her songs are equal parts darkly funny and deeply poignant, wrapped in infectious hooks and delivered with a knowing smirk.

Her latest album, Rats In Paradise, is arguably her strongest work to date. Produced by Stew Jackson (Massive Attack), the record blends shimmering synth-pop, gothic disco, post-punk guitars, and literary lyricism into a collection that feels both cinematic and gloriously chaotic. Describing the album as “a very English version of a Tex Avery cartoon,” Breeze fills each track with vivid characters, sharp observations, and the kind of one-liners that linger long after the music fades.

She has previously been compared to the likes of Patti Smith, Lou Reed, PJ Harvey, and Nick Cave, yet none of those comparisons quite capture what makes Emily Breeze unique. Her music exists somewhere between glamorous excess and everyday realism, where camp theatricality meets brutally honest songwriting.

While she has long been a cult favourite on the UK underground circuit, Rats In Paradise feels like the culmination of years spent refining a singular artistic vision. It’s bold, funny, heartbreaking, and endlessly quotable, the soundtrack to the afterparty you’ve just realised you never wanted to leave.

Rats In Paradise is in stores now.

If you’re looking for your next indie rock obsession, Bristol’s SLAK should be firmly on your radar. Originally formed in Wales, before making England their home, the four-piece have been steadily carving out a reputation for delivering infectious hooks, driving guitars, and the kind of live energy that demands your attention.

Blending soaring melodies with punchy rhythms and an undeniable sense of momentum, SLAK strike a sweet spot between anthemic indie rock and modern alternative. Their music feels equally at home blasting through festival speakers as it does soundtracking late-night drives, balancing raw emotion with an uplifting edge.

What makes SLAK particularly exciting is their ability to write songs that are both immediate and memorable. Every release showcases a band growing in confidence, refining their sound while retaining the authenticity that first drew listeners in. It’s no surprise they’ve been building a loyal following through both their recorded releases and energetic live performances.

Whether you’re already immersed in the Bristol music scene or simply searching for your next favourite band, SLAK are well worth adding to your playlist. With plenty of momentum behind them, they’re a band that feels destined for even bigger stages.

Their latest single “Trophy” is in stores now.

If you’ve spent any time at a UK festival over the past few years, chances are you’ve already stumbled across Getdown Services. The Bristol-based duo has built a reputation as one of the country’s most exhilarating live acts, combining dance-punk grooves, offbeat humor, and razor-sharp observations about modern life into something that feels completely their own.

On paper, their music shouldn’t work. Songs about crisps, radiators, lentils, and the everyday absurdities of adulthood are delivered over infectious basslines, post-punk guitars, disco rhythms, and synth-driven hooks. Yet it’s precisely this juxtaposition that has won them a fiercely loyal following. Behind the surreal humour lies an unexpectedly poignant exploration of growing up, identity, vulnerability, and the strange rituals of contemporary Britain.

Their forthcoming sophomore album Massive Champion is due for release this August and promises to expand both their sound and emotional range without sacrificing the wit that has become their trademark. Written between green rooms and long motorway drives, the record explores themes of childhood nostalgia, self-pity, emotional healing and the beautiful chaos of everyday existence. Latest single “I Can’t Die Like That” perfectly captures their knack for wrapping surprisingly heartfelt reflections inside irresistibly catchy hooks.

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Over the course of eight albums, John MOuse has carved out a singular space where surreal humour, everyday observations, and deeply Welsh storytelling collide. Now, as he approaches the release of his eighth studio album, Ynys Parc Memorial 1854–1976, The Welsh John MOuse finds himself at his most reflective yet.

Produced by Sweet Baboo and featuring guest appearances from Gruff Rhys and Miki Berenyi, the album explores themes of loss, aging, and identity while remaining unmistakably MOuse. The result is a record that balances melancholy with absurdity, drawing inspiration from the people, places, and landscapes of Wales that have informed his songwriting throughout his career.

One minute he’s writing about troublesome neighbours and failed relationships; the next he’s contemplating mortality, memory, and the communities that have shaped him. It’s a record that embraces reflection without nostalgia, humour without gimmickry and Welsh identity without cliché.

The album’s recent single, “20 Summers Left,” offers a poignant glimpse into this more contemplative side. Written as MOuse reaches his fiftieth year, it reflects on the passing of time and the finite nature of life without ever losing the warmth and wit that define his work. It’s a song that feels both personal and universal, confronting mortality with honesty rather than despair.

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