We hope everyone had a great Christmas and new year break, and we are back this week to look forward to what 2024 has in store for the world of music.
This begins with our “Ones to Watch” list, where we select some of the artists we believe could be set for an exciting 12 months ahead.
In the past, our lists have given early recognition to the likes of The Lathums, The Snuts, Brooke Combe, and The Royston Club.
This year, we have picked out the following five artists as our “Ones to Watch in 2024”, so could some of these bands and solo musicians be your new music discovery?
ENGLISH TEACHER
Another stellar year for Leeds group, English Teacher, saw the band sign to Island Records in 2023 and release some of their strongest material to date. The likes of “Nearly Daffodils” and “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” followed their breakthrough debut EP a year earlier, with the critical acclaim and industry buzz around the group growing significantly.
The modern post punk scene has become saturated and increasingly difficult for new bands to break through, so it is testament to English Teacher’s musicianship and songwriting talent that the band continue to generate excitement within the genre and wider industry. Capping off 2023 with a Jools Holland performance, the foundations are set for a huge 2024, with a highly anticipated debut album just around the corner.
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ELLUR
Halifax indie pop star, Ellur, has come on leaps and bounds since her raw 2021 breakthrough EP, ‘Moments’, which first drew the attention of the thriving West Yorkshire grassroots music scene. Just two years on, the singer-songwriter is finding her feet, and 2023 saw the release of three incredible new singles in “Free”, “Anywhere”, and “The Woman”. So what could 2024 bring?
Ellur has already been championed by Spotify, BBC Radio 1, and Radio X, alongside featuring music in Made in Chelsea and The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon). After touring with The Big Moon, Holly Humberstone, and Baby Queen, we expect to see more shows and new music this year, and if the trajectory continues, Ellur will rapidly become a household name.
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SPANGLED
After signing to This Feeling Records in 2022, Spangled haven’t taken a backwards step. Last year, they played their biggest headline show to date at Gorilla in their hometown of Manchester, and have slots at Isle of Wight and Truck Festival under their belt already.
Their incredible live show has been pivotal in earning the indie group their “hotly tipped” status, but with new singles, “That Farm In Dunham”, and “Little Tom” impressing in 2023, they are becoming impossible to ignore. As the Manchester quartet continue to garner new fans up and down the country, we think Spangled will continue to build on the last couple of years’ breakthrough successes, as they cement their sound and continue to develop as a band.
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TOM A SMITH
For some, it may be a surprise to see Tom A Smith in a “Ones to Watch” list due to the incredible amount he has already achieved at such a young age. With Glastonbury performances, support slots with some of the biggest UK artists, and some high profile fans like Elton John, it has been a strong start to say the least.
Formerly Tom Mouse Smith, a teenage cover artist, Tom A Smith now has a host of his own material and performs with his tight knit live band. 2023 saw a huge UK tour and another popular hit with “Weirdo”, so we think 2024 will carry on in the same vein and Tom will continue to grow and mature in his new found spotlight. We expect the shows to get bigger, the name to continue creeping up those festival posters, and who knows, maybe one eye on a debut album.
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AMELIA COBURN
And last but certainly not least, it is Middlesbrough singer-songwriter, Amelia Coburn. 2023 saw the debut single release in the hauntingly captivating, “See Saw”, showcasing an instantly distinctive and unique artist. The musical-esque falsetto, which The Last Dinner Party have had immense breakthrough success with, is something Amelia has mastered with the recent track.
She was nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards early on in her career, and has since played at Cambridge Folk Festival and Focus Wales, alongside a recent headline tour and an international appearance in Finland at the start of last year. 2024 sees Amelia Coburn teaming up with Bill Ryder-Jones of The Coral to record her debut album, so keep an eye out for the latest talent ready to break from the North East.
So there are our five tips for 2024. We’ll return to this post at the end of the year and see how accurate we were…
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