In Demand For 2007

2006 was a fine vintage for new music with debut albums and singles featuring highly in many an end of year list including Gigwise’s, our Top 50 Albums poll featured no less than five first offerings, while the Arctic Monkey’s skipped off with probably the most prestigious award in UK music - the Mercury Prize. In some ways it was an unprecedented twelve months for the emergence of new bands and solo artists but in our view 2007 could quite well top it and we’re extremely excited about what the next 52 weeks will bring us!

To give you an idea of whom Gigwise expects to making waves in the coming year we’ve once again put together our predictions and the second “InDemand For…” feature. What follows is a guide of who we expect to making an impact on the charts and reaching a wider commercial audience building on what they began last year, the new acts who appeared on the radar in 2006 and whom will no doubt go on to be hyped to the hilt in 2007 and finally the acts who are still in their early genesis but who we love and hope go on to bigger and brighter things.

The Chart Attack

Jamie T [Listen] Interview
The East London troubadour has already broken the top 20 in the singles chart and with his debut album 'Panic Prevention' arriving in January he looks set to be one of the biggest stars of 2007 with his mix of bedroom beats and mockney rapping. When the album hit Gigwise's door mat we couldn't run quickly enough to get it in our stereo and we have to say it doesn't disappoint. And what he does on record he multiplies ten times over live adding his sometimes acerbic wit to proceedings when need be. Superb.

Klaxons [Listen] Interview
Its Pretty much a given following twelve months of incessant hype about the London trio recently turned foursome and their love for teaming revivalist rave with indie dance that they will be massive this year however you want to label their sound. Like Jamie T they release their debut album ‘Myths Of The Near Future’ in the first few month sof 2007 to massive anticipation from the fans and critics alike and with a huge UK tour to follow by the spring they should be on the lips of more than just the indie kids in the know.

The Maccabees [Listen] Interview
If the album sampler Gigwise received back in November is anything to go by then The Maccabees are going to be very special of the next twelve months. Even without their early singles ‘X Ray’ and ‘Latchmere’, which we expect to appear of the mix, it’s a brilliant five song burst that’s been on high rotation in the Gigwise office. The five piece have that rare ability to pop songs with memorable choruses while still retaining there indie sensibilities that brought the likes of fellow Brightonian’s The Kooks such huge success in 2006.

The View [Listen] Interview
You may not be able to understand a word they’re saying but that hasn’t stopped the Aberdeen scallywags building up a huge fan base already (Gigwise has already felt the force of its size during the bands webchat last August). The View show us how much of an influence the Libertines still have on the British music industry and come armed with songs Doherty and Barat can only wish they’d written. ‘Wasted Little DJs’ and ‘Superstar Tradesman’ are already teen anthems so expect a future where the whole country begins to chant “The View, The View, The View are on fire” – it will happen.

Blood Red Shoes [Listen] Interview
While you may argue that Blood Red Shoes are a long shot for some chart action Gigwise has a sneaking suspicion that the south coast two piece are all but ready to blow up. 2006 saw them garnering the critical acclaim they so deserve and we predict that 2007 will see them gaining that all too important national coverage. In between the thrash of guitar and drums they write brilliantly catchy songs such as ‘You Bring Me Back’ and ‘A.D.H.D.’ that may be complicated but are joyous if you stick with them. They’ve now got the backing of Beggars Banquet on their new label Abeano and that’s not a bad thing either.

Keep An Eye On: Good Shoes, The Enemy, The Rumble Strips, Dykeenies, Goodbooks, Switches, Enter Shikari, 1990s, The Horrors, Fields

All Aboard The Hype Machine

Los Campesinos [Listen]
The Cardiff based collective signed to Witchita at the end of 2006 and release their first single in January all while they're still attending University. While an album may not reach us till 2008 due to their commitment to their studies the next twelve months should continue to see the fervent chatter that started with a few posts on various music related forums and grew to massive label interest within a couple of months. They're already fine exponents of twee indie-pop with a danceable edge despite their relative youth and they really do have the world at their feet.

Foals [Listen] Live Review
Oxford has produced some of the best British bands of the last decade, Radiohead and Supergrass to name just two, and with Foals it looks to have given us another gem. Born out of the ashes of several other bands they're simply stunning live bringing together the intricate guitar play of Hot Club De Paris with the dance-punk of bands like The Rapture and already have an arsenal of songs that could be classed as future singles. If spazz-math-punk-funk is your thing then the Transgressive five piece could well be your new favourite band and we don’t think you’ll be alone in that.