With an impeccable reputation for live music, DIY venues, and thrilling punk gigs, Camden is one of the UK’s strongest towns for rock music, and Camden Rocks festival each year helps solidify this. With 400 bands playing over the weekend of June 1st & 2nd, the festival is split over 20 of Camden’s finest venues, from mosh-pit indulging DIY spaces like The Dublin Castle, to the intimate Hawley Arms, to larger club spaces like The Electric Ballroom. This year, the lineup is a fantastic mix of indie, punk, and rock’n’roll, and we have narrowed the lineup down to our top 5 Bands to Watch

1. Strange Bones Dingwalls, Saturday 1st, 6pm-7pm

A deafening formidable riot on stage, Strange Bones fuel vivacious punk scat with a grungy foundation. Their sets are always fuelled by an insatiable feel of chaos and urgency, their manic deranged tracks undercutting a politicised edge. Expect intense mosh pits and crowd surfing, with front man Bobby known to jump from amps directly into the crowd beneath

Top tracks: Here Come The Wolves & Give Me The Sun

2. Projector The Monarch, Saturday 1st, 4pm-4:30pm

Cleverly blending grunge with an indie pop sensibility, Projector create a beautifully complex shoe gaze vibe with their music. The dreamy indie breeziness is undercut by deafening bass lines, which builds up an interestingly 90s based sound

Top tracks: Go Ahead & Break Your Own Heart

3. False Heads Camden Assembly, Sunday 2nd, 4:15pm-5pm

Scathing and raw post punk trio False Heads are the most exciting live band at the minute, their music vigorous and powerful, their gritty punk rigour riveting and dynamic. Front man Luke has the passion and attitude needed to convey the band’s ballsy angst perfectly, and his messy riffs slice through the deafening bass lines from Jake and the furore of drummer Barney. They have cultivated a special reputation for themselves as East London’s most exciting band, their live sets fuelled with power and dynamism; certainly not a band to miss live at this year’s Camden Rocks

Top tracks: Slew & Fresh Ink

4. Dirty Orange Music And Beans, Sunday 2nd, 6:30pm-7pm

Merging together old school rock’n’roll (think Hendrix, Rolling Stones, and The Strokes) with a fresh indie-punk vigour, Dirty Orange are always wonderful live; they use retro reverb effects and distortions when playing to amp up a 70s rock sound, accompanied by the accented vocal of lead singer George, yet they still manage to maintain a freshness to their sound. Incredibly catchy on record, and extremely fun live, Dirty Orange’s set will be a very special one

Top tracks: Council Estate & Time Again

5. Gaygirl The Good Mixer, Sunday 2nd, 9:15pm-10pm

Brooding and abstract, Gaygirl blend a messy punk aura with shoegaze indie psychedelia, a very new and innovative sound to get from a band. What I love about Gaygirl is their ability to blend their dreamy indie-pop cloud with a more scathing and intricate punk bite, a rawness and messiness softly layered over their sound. Live, the band are sonic and gripping, and they create a wonderfully hedonistic atmosphere

Top tracks: Sick Note & Paralydise

Additional bands to catch… JW Paris, The Black Roses, Cavalcade, The Pigeon Detectives, King Nun, Pretty Vicious, Brain Ape, Rascalton, Asylums, Queen Zee, Juicebox, Hands Off Gretel, The Gulps, Rews, The Pearl Harts, The Howlers, Panic Island, Dutch Mustard & The Scruff

Hear our Camden Rocks playlist below…

Tickets for Camden Rocks are only £40 per day, or £70 for the whole weekend – this festival is really one of the best for new music, and it plays such a pivotal role each year in its support of the DIY scene, so go and grab a ticket now!

Available here

Wilkestock festival…sick as alwaaays

Once again the festival was a blitz of immersive, scathing post punk music, this year’s lineup playing host to a plethora of intoxicating and talented bands on the upcoming DIY scene. Indie Underground covered the Saturday of the festival for the upcoming issue of Some Might Say Zine, hanging with Strange Bones, Cabbage, 485C, and The Scruff both on and off stage. Check ’em out

All photos by Sahera Walker 

Wilkestock 2017, you were a blast; have a look at some of my on and off stage snaps, featuring some of my favourite bands everrrr. Interviews coming soon with a bunch of these bands (including The Scruff, The Wholls, October Drift and BlackWaters), so keep an eye out for them.

© all pics by Sahera Walker

The zone strikes again, as This Feeling take over Reading festival for one last rock’n’roll party of the summer. This Feeling and Jack Rocks have joined forces once more to put on what will easily be the best stage at the festival, featuring the best upcoming bands in the UK. A sick mixture of indie, post punk and garage bands, the tent is gonna be a raucous explosion of fresh talent. If you’re looking for future festival headliners, then the This Feeling tent is the place to be. And if you’re not sure which bands to check out, here’s Indie Underground’s bands to watch.

Palm Honey (Saturday, 12:00 pm)

A trippy blend of drugged up psychedelic rock and distorted indie, Palm Honey are musically and aesthetically a stunning live band. They have a screwy nostalgic 60s sound, very reminiscent of experimental bands like Cream and Pink Floyd. They use distortions and blurred amp effects to give their music a more soft trippy edge, full of hazy psychedelia. The band’s aura has a mesmerising finesse to it, and the guitar brings back a gritty bite which glides through that synthetic psychedelia.

BlackWaters (Saturday, 12:45 pm)

A raw post punk four piece, BlackWaters are proper rowdy on stage. Manic and hectic, they have a deranged intensity live, and Max’s voice is packed with post punk grit and rawness. They’re really heavy both on stage and on record, and live they have a really abrasive uncaring feel to their sound. Their music is mad and loud, and has a thrashing mosh pit-esque feel to it. Messy and full of a post punk vibrancy, BlackWaters create a hectic riot on stage which is always fucking class to be a part of.

The Assist (Friday, 12:45 pm)

The Assist are always insane live, blending indie and rock riffs with rapping and a more quirky hip hop vibe. Mikey raps over funky bass lines, and the band fuse a variety of genres perfectly. The way the band perform is really creative and unique, and the raw indie rock rap sound they have is perfect for dancing and grooving. It’s honest and open indie rap, with funky jazz elements to their sound. I love how they don’t stick to one genre, but instead transcend a vast number of musical genres. The experimental exploration the band have gives them a unique vibe which makes them extra fun to see live.

False Heads (Saturday, 3:50 pm)

False Heads are easily going to be the highlight of Reading this year. Tearing up every single stage they’ve ever graced, the three piece have a really tight solid sound to their sets, packed with deranged heaviness from Luke on lead guitar and Jake on bass. Barney’s drumming amplifies the band’s post punk riotous nature, and the anger and bitterness behind Luke’s lyrics make the band mental live. They’re full of raw passion and energy, and the grit and gravel to False Heads gives them a Nirvana-esque feel. They always blow me away each time I see them, and I can genuinely see them playing headline sets at Reading one day.

Breed (Saturday, 4:30 pm)

Blinding disordered rock band Breed are a killer four piece, the second generation of post punk rockers Jackals Rose. They’re full of heavy grit live with a really intense brooding edge, and Jake’s voice and charisma as a frontman is blinding. There’s this immense force the band have, both on record with tracks like Starman and Get With It, and on stage. The harsh rock grit they have gives their music a messy dirty edge, packed with raw rock’n’roll purity, and they’re KILLER live.

Rosko (Sunday, 9:40 pm)

Another one of my favourite live bands, Rosko are one of the quirkiest most interesting unique bands on the scene right now. They fuse indie, rock, hip hop, rap, reggae…pretty much every genre with a grimy gritty rock feel. Their riffs are meticulous and intricate, played perfectly in sync with the reggae style drumming. Bruce’s vocal has this accented bite too, giving the band a very cocky abrasive feel which I love. Live, they remind me a bit of Jamie T, and the intriguing unique sound the band have makes them one of my favourite groups around right now. A must see this weekend.

Anteros (Friday, 11:20 pm)

Anteros are a stunning band live, with a really fun indie rock/ pop aura to their music. Tracks like Cherry Drop and Drunk are insane live, with Laura’s voice gliding beautifully over the heavy gritty riffs. There’s something quite abrasive and arrogant about the band’s stage presence; their sound is ridiculously tight and polished, and the way Laura struts around on stage gives them this confidence and attitude which is infectious. I love the style and aesthetic to Anteros too; very fashionable and edgy, they’re stunning to watch live as well as to listen to. Their tracks blur the boundaries between indie rock and pop; there’s an anthemic feel to their choruses too, and I can see their set on the This Feeling stage as being a big stepping stone between where the band are now and inevitably bigger things to come.

Strange Bones (Saturday, 6:05 pm)

Heavy, uncaring, riotous punk is what Strange Bones are made of. The energy and heaviness the band have has a raucous sense of anarchy to it, especially live where Bobby puts his balaclava on midway through the set before diving into the crowd and crowd surfing. Tracks like Big Sister Is Watching have a nasty politicised bite, the band never swaying away from the riotous attitude and scepticism which is so key to punk. The nasty rawness to tracks like Spitfire and Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus make them an insane band on stage, with new track Energy unreal live too. Bobby’s rough screams paired with the dark heaviness of the guitar make them one of my favourite live bands; their set this weekend really is unmissable.

The Blinders (Saturday, 1:35 pm)

The Blinders are one of the best live bands around right now, fact. Their music is full of heavy distortions, pounding bass lines and lyrically brooding dark connotations. Their shows are hectic and manic, with a frenzied post punk aura to their sets. Looks and sound wise there’s a very cutting edge sense of political frustration, with lead vocalist Thomas wearing a shirt which said  ‘the Tories are a bunch of cunts’ last time I caught them live (can’t disagree with that). Thomas on lead guitar and Charlie on bass is a lethal combination, resulting in vivacious heaviness which rips their stage to bits. If you’re into heavily politicised, abrasive cutting edge rock music then look no further than The Blinders; the dynamic vigour and energy they have is blinding, and their music is packed to the brim with a sensual DIY edge.

The Wholls (Friday, 2:25 pm)

A band who produce alt-rock, post punk music infused with rock rawness and a shot or two of Jack Daniels…The Wholls are maybe one of the coolest most exciting bands to have been picked up by This Feeling. I LOVE these lads. Their guitar sound is roaring, with raucous rock heaviness. The thing which makes their sound so intense and unique is that rough gravel of Tordy’s voice. There’s a gritty undertone which makes tracks like X21 and Take Jimi works of art. Their music is heartfelt, authentic rock’n’roll, and it’s packed with passion and spirit which make them phenomenal live. There’s something brooding and sensual to their tracks too, most of which have a mosh pit inducing aura.

Reading festival this summer has an unreal lineup, and aside from the This Feeling stage I’d recommend catching Marmozets, Black Honey, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, IDLES, LIFE, Cabbage, King Nun, and Tigercub

When it is: 1st-3rd September, 2017

Where it is: Stevenage 

For fans of: indie rock, post punk, DIY rock‘n’roll, & the underground rock scene

Back in April I published my Bands to Watch at Wilkestock Festival post, picking out my favourite bands amongst the first wave of acts announced. The full lineup to have come out since has proven just how sick the festival is going to be, setting it up as a definite highlight of the summer. The three day long festival takes place at the start of next month in Stevenage, featuring a wave of popular well established rock bands as well as some smaller bands who are more well known in the local scene (big up Luke Hinton and Juicebox for this). In my last post I picked the festival highlights out as Carl Barât & The Jackals, Yak, October Drift, MONO 01, Concrete Caverns, BlackWaters, VANT, The Wholls and 485C. Further festival highlights will be…

The Scruff

The Scruff are easily one of the coolest live bands I know, with a brilliantly vibrant rock’n’roll feel to their sets. With a classic sense of British rock authenticity to their music, The Scruff always put on a brilliant show with great reactions from the crowd. I last saw them in March supporting John Hassall & The April Rainers, and the wicked vibrancy their music has makes them one of the coolest most fun live bands I’ve seen this year. Adam is a sick frontman too, and has this fantastically raw gravel to his voice, which pairs with the raucous guitar to give the band a more gritty feel.

The Visitors

Another one of my favourite local bands, The Visitors are a class four piece from St Albans. They have a really bold, raucous indie rock sound, their sound taking you straight back to noughties post-Britpop indie. There’s a very charismatic feel to the band, who use blaring guitar riffs with mosh-pit inducing drumming, which makes their live shows really fun and enjoyable to be at. Alex is a wicked frontman too, with this Alex Turner-esque confidence on stage. Their music encompasses the cheeky attitude of indie rock, with tracks like Partying All Night giving the band a more intense raw feel. Last time I saw the band, they covered a few artists like Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and David Bowie, but their original tracks are just as credible too.

Waste

Waste are the only band on this list I haven’t seen live yet, but I am crazy excited to see them. They’re really my kinda music, full of this hectic post punk dirt, packed with this vicious flavour of hardcore rock. Their abrasive rock sound is uncaring and crass, with a riotous distorted bite. Live, I get the impression it’ll be a screaming thrashing explosion on stage, and the dark angst to their music has made them a favourite band of mine already. Everything I love about rock music is encompassed perfectly in Waste’s music; raw, snarling gravel, with brooding lyrics. Expect the band to tear the stage to bits.

Written In Ink

I first caught Written In Ink supporting October Drift at The Horn back last Christmas, and really loved their set. From the off, their set was packed with indie raucousness and a load of energy and vigour, drawing a brilliant reaction from the crowd. I love how tight the band are too, very intricate and meticulous with their riffs and track foundations. Mia is a standout musician in the band; an excellently talented drummer, she gives the band a whole new layer of finesse, building up a raw sense of old school rock’n’roll. Having undergone a couple of lineup changes recently, I look forward to seeing Written In Ink take to the stage again.

J.W. Paris

Maybe I go on about this band too much on my blog, but that’s because they are really fucking good. Emotive, raw, post punk rock’n’roll is the sort of sound J.W. Paris produce, very gritty and grimy with this cutting DIY edge. Live, the band’s sound is full of this raw intensity, with both Dan and Aaron taking it in turns on lead vocals. The cutting edge finesse of their voices are backed up by Josh’s raucous thrashing on the drums, amplifying the band’s immensity. They’re one of my favourite live bands, and blend blues infused rock with grunge, giving them a broodingly intense sense of punk filth and gravel. J.W. Paris’ rough DIY edge shines through their music, and every single track that band come up with is killer.

The Violet Shakes

The Violet Shakes recently debuted themselves as a new band; new image, new sound. They used to be known as Pages but have since re-branded, and Wilkestock will be their second gig they play as The Violet Shakes. Stepping away from synth indie music, the band have taken on a more edgy gritty sound, and it’s going to be brilliant to see them live again. Danny is a sick bassist, complimented by lead guitarist and killer vocalist Matt, whose riffs are very intricate and meticulous, gliding over that rich intensity of the bass guitar. James is a fantastic drummer too, and the three of them play in perfect sync with a very tight sound, built on firmly solid foundations. Stepping away from the 1975/ Wolf Alice vibes Pages used to have, I’m hoping The Violet Shakes live will be a lot heavier with a more intense raucous feel to their set (which judging from the demos I’ve heard, they will be).

You can purchase tickets for Wilkestock here, and watch my blog for live updates with set reviews and band interviews over the weekend 

Truck festival, 2017. What a killer weekend. The festival put on some incredible bands, with an unreal host of small upcoming bands putting on some insane sets, especially with So Young who took over The Nest stage on the Saturday. As well as seeing well established bands who I adore, like Slaves and The Libertines, the festival was an opportunity to see some smaller post punk bands and experience the gritty filth of the current underground music scene hands on.

Cabbage

Socially uncaring, politically crass and sceptical in their music, Cabbage are always an absolute riot on stage. From the rapping over A Network Betrayal to the ‘Don’t Buy The Sun’ shirt to ending their set by throwing actual cabbage into the crowd, the five piece were easily the highlight of the Sunday. There’s an element of crass severity to their boldly left wing political message, tracks like Terrorist Synthesizer and Uber Capitalist Death Trade proving popular with the audience. Performed live, tracks like Fickle have a certain rash raucous feel to them, and the raw riffs glide over Lee and Joe’s voices with ease. Up Le fucking Chou.

Dead Pretties

Dead Pretties are a riotous storm of abrasive, careless punk. It’s gritty, raw and genuine, packed with dark riffs and loud screams which echoed throughout the tent. The sound they produced live was a headbanging mess of dirty rock’n’roll, fuelled by carefully written riffs, deep heavy basslines, and raspy vocals full of tough gravel. One of my favourite discoveries of the weekend, Dead Pretties have set the bar very high for how a band should be on stage. The thudding riffs and constant screaming distortions give the band a bite, creating a flavour of rock’n’roll which so far is untasted.

Hotel Lux

Hotel Lux, man, what a band. They had a very cool aura on stage, with this almost unapproachable intimidating feel. Full of laid back cockiness and a sophisticated arrogance, Hotel Lux have a very pure British feel to them. The heart of 70s punk and the raw bitterness and anger that came with it is embodied perfectly by Hotel Lux. The brooding miserable vocal is packed with nasty gritty punk honesty, and the thudding guitar lines over it make you kinda wanna fuck the world in and go have a cigarette. Moody brooding rock is hard to get right, but Hotel Lux do it with an arrogant finesse, filled to the brim with deranged intensity.

Strange Cages

Raw vibrant rock’n’roll slaps you round the face multiple times with Strange Cages. Live, they have a sleazy deranged kick, full of raw emotion. To me they embody the genuine meaning of punk, and the rough angst they have live really is blinding. The Cracks is one of the best tracks I’ve heard all year, and it was an absolute honour to see this done live. Their screwed up riotous sound echoed throughout The Barn, pounding off the walls and echoing throughout the room. Charlie’s voice is full of a genuine raw grunge edge, which paired with the amped up distortions and fuzzy guitar riffs give the band a whole extra layer of unique, bold and aggressive power. Live, the band have a viciously intense sound, with so much potential. Check ’em out.

God Damn

One of the heavier bands I saw over the weekend, God Damn epitomise perfectly the real essence of hardcore post metal rock. Live, the band spit vicious punk rock all over the stage, and this heavy thrashing music resulted in crazy psyched up moshing from the audience. Vultures was performed brilliantly, and the band use these looped rolling riffs and amp effects with the guitar pedals to enhance their live sound. The heavy head banger feel to their set gave it a very dark grungy metal feel, with a psyched up cutting edge and energy. There’s this epic intensity to their music and done live, this dark grungy moodiness is amplified.

The Americas 

The Saloon Bar was one of the smaller stages at Truck, and the subsequent level of intimacy made The Americas’ set one of the coolest of the whole weekend. The three piece are a bluesy force of old school, classic rock’n’roll, with a classic British rock sound blurred with American infused rock. Whiskey, motorbikes and sex oozed rock’n’roll all mixed together give you The Americas, and their use of a guitar and keyboard gives their music a fun, fresh feel. They manage to blend tainted old school rock music with a more raw post-punk sound, layering blues and 60s rock influences over it. Such a combination is incredibly unique, and I’ve not seen a three piece as cool or fun as The Americas before. It’s classy, feel good rock; keep an eye on these three.

BlackWaters

Gritty, raucous, post-punk indie rock was the best way to start the weekend, and no band would have been better than BlackWaters to open up the Friday of the festival. They’ve been one of my favourite live bands since I saw them earlier on this year, and the FIDLAR/ Arctic Monkeys kinda vibe they have on stage is blinding. Their sound is messy, blaring loud rock’n’roll, packed with punk post-grunge grit. Tracks like Fuck Yeah, Down and Help Me were insane as always, as was their performance of new track People Street. What I love about the four piece is their abrasive uncaring attitude and the forceful riotous nature they have on stage. It was hectic raucous rock, packing a lively brain-explosive punch, Max’s voice effortlessly tearing through the tent. BIG UP.

LIFE 

Playing for So Young (mad love for them), LIFE were another incredible band and one of my favourite discoveries of the weekend. The hectic rowdy moshing and crowd reaction from the off immediately signalled the band’s popularity, and the tightness of their set proves how deserved their solid fan base is. Their music is, put quite simply, punk. Good old school punk, with a nostalgic sound that’s jumped straight out of a 1970’s London warehouse. Tracks like Rare Boots and Popular Music are wild, packed with a hectic messy nasty sense of grimy old school punk, but with a fresh energetic edge. Similar to bands like IDLES and King Nun, LIFE have something very special about them. For those craving a dose of authentic British punk, LIFE are a band to check out.

Other bands from Truck I’d recommend keeping an eye on: Honeyblood, Yonaka, Kamikaze Girls, Yak, Pulled Apart By Horses, Tigercub, Husky Loops, Palace, Vant, & Bad Sounds

Jack Daniels and This Feeling; the lethal combination. Carl Barât, Liam Gallagher, Slaves and Kasabian all love This Feeling, so trust me (and them of course) when I say they are THE best promoter for upcoming guitar bands. The ‘magic seven’ this year, otherwise known as the Jack Rocks Seven, are seven of the coolest, funkiest most unique raucous rock bands the scene has to offer right now, touring a series of festivals this summer on the This Feeling stage. Next month I’ll be heading to Reading to cover the This Feeling stage on behalf of the legendary Northern Exposure (big up Rachel Brown for this), so keep an eye out for my festival review later on.

Reading festival this year is going to be one of the best, simply because the legendary Mikey Johns will be gracing the weekend with a This Feeling stage. This preview is part one of two; when the whole stage is announced, keep an eye out for my top bands you need to see. But for now, introducing the magic Jack Rocks seven…

Trampolene

Witty tongue in cheek humour is what makes Trampolene such a lyrically exciting and fun band; frontman Jack Jones (who also plays guitar with Pete Doherty’s band The Puta Madres) has the ability to spit out lyrics with a certain witty lick of charm and rock’n’roll vibrancy to them. From spoken word poems to heavy rock tracks, Trampolene encompass versatility and flexibility in their sound. The heavy post punk rock sound they have is deafening too, with brilliantly rich raucous guitar on tracks like My Bourgeoisie Girl and Divided Kingdom. Expect blaring guitar rock riffs, cheeky spoken word poems, and possibly Jack’s stunning acoustic cover of Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths to crop up in their set.

White Room

Using old school classic riffs and styles in their music, White Room are one of those bands with an almost predictable sound. I wasn’t too keen on them when I last saw them live, but there’s promising elements to their music definitely. Riffs are blaring and loud which always gets the audience going, and they definitely know how to put on an engaging and fun gig which will get their audience moving. Soft harmonies and backing vocals are blended well with the guitar riffs, and the band play extremely well together. Despite the repetitive sound I get from their music, I like their tightness and the DIY setup to the band; hopefully Reading will give them, as a new guitar rock band, the opportunity to play to a wider audience.

Bang Bang Romeo

Bang Bang Romeo basically stepped right out of a dynamic 60s rock club, straight into the heart of the underground guitar rock scene of today. Their music possesses this brilliantly rich, authentic quality, and they match dark and brooding guitar rock music with intensely powerful vocals from front woman Anastasia. Their sound is atmospherically blinding, and the aura they have is magnificent; really a soul shaking band who capture everyone’s attention. The rolling riff that opens Carnival is immense too, and the dark power of Anastasia’s voice glides across the guitar, creating a pure old school rock sound, laced with Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin vibes.

Broken Witt Rebels 

Fusing indie rock with a raw old school bluesy sound, Broken Witt Rebels are a Birmingham based four piece. It’s nice raw rock’n’roll, with Danny’s rough gritty voice giving the band a more tough sense of rock authenticity. There’s a southern feel to their music, with a more Americanised rock edge to their sound. Tracks like Guns and Shake Me Down have really groovy dance beats to them, and there’s an exciting build up of anticipation throughout the tracks before those crashing down choruses. I like how they blend Americanised rock with classic British indie; it’s unique to say the least, and I reckon they’ll put on an exciting set this August.

The Blinders

The Blinders are one of the best live bands around right now, fact. Their music is full of heavy distortions, pounding bass lines and lyrically brooding dark connotations. Their shows are hectic and manic, with a frenzied post punk aura to their sets. Looks and sound wise there’s a very cutting edge sense of political frustration, with lead vocalist Thomas wearing a shirt which said  ‘the Tories are a bunch of cunts’ last time I caught them live (can’t disagree with that). Thomas on lead guitar and Charlie on bass is a lethal combination, resulting in vivacious heaviness which rips their stage to bits. If you’re into heavily politicised, abrasive cutting edge rock music then look no further than The Blinders; the dynamic vigour and energy they have is blinding, and their music is packed to the brim with a sensual DIY edge.

The Wholls

A band who produce alt-rock, post punk music infused with rock rawness and a shot or two of Jack Daniels…The Wholls are maybe one of the coolest most exciting bands to have been picked up by This Feeling. I LOVE these lads. Their guitar sound is roaring, with raucous rock heaviness. The thing which makes their sound so intense and unique is that rough gravel of Tordy’s voice. There’s a gritty undertone which makes tracks like X21 and Take Jimi works of art. Their music is heartfelt, authentic rock’n’roll, and it’s packed with passion and spirit which make them phenomenal live. There’s something brooding and sensual to their tracks too, most of which have a mosh pit inducing aura.

The Sundowners

The Sundowners aren’t my cup of tea in all honesty; the vocals and guitar have a very bland pop sound to them and to me they lack an overall grit and pure rock rawness. However, This Feeling should be championed for expanding their normal sound a bit more, and giving more soft light bands a platform. Rather than being indie rock or post punk (such as bands like The Wholls and The Blinders), The Sundowners possess a more psyche-pop folk quality, with a much more soft soothing feel to them. For fans of bands like The Velvet Underground, or other psyche-folk artists like Elliott Smith perhaps, this band may be one to look into.

You can purchase tickets for Reading 2017 here

When it is: 1st-3rd September, 2017

Where it is: Stevenage 

For fans of: indie rock, post punk, DIY rock‘n’roll, & the underground rock scene

A three-day long charity festival held in Hertfordshire, Wilkestock may be one of the most underrated festivals happening this summer, yet definitely one of the most exciting. The lineup so far is blinding, and the variety of bands playing is electric. Just two announcements in, Juicebox owner Luke Hinton has already booked some of the most exciting raucous rock bands in the UK, from well known famous bands to underground smaller ones. The festival works in association with Juicebox Live and The Horn, who are well known in the local area for booking the sickest, most intense exciting new bands. Tickets are only £65 for the entire weekend, and here are your top bands (of those announced so far) to watch at the festival.

Carl Barât and The Jackals

For any fans of post punk and indie rock, The Libertines are one of those quintessential bands, easily one of the best bands to have emerged from the UK underground rock scene in the noughties. The Jackals is the side project of vocalist Carl; rough, raw, gritty rock is what you get with this band. They have a very careless DIY post punk nature and gravely attitude on stage. Carl’s voice is stunning too, very deep and rough with just a touch of edgy gravel to his tone, and as a band, their sheer rock brilliance is blinding.

Top tracks: Glory Days & Victory Gin

Yak

Yak are a really messy, weird force on stage, with a very abrasive confidence and unique power. Their sound is a lot heavier live than on record, with really raw distorted effects used on the guitar and Oliver’s vocal. The band supported The Last Shadow Puppets on tour last year and have a whole host of festival slots coming up this summer; definitely a band to catch live, Yak are one of those brilliantly intense, gritty post punk bands you need to witness on stage. Alternative thrashing rock at its best.

Top tracks: Alas Salvation & Victorious 

October Drift

Definitely one of the best bands I’ve seen live, October Drift literally define the word heavy. Their music is blunt and harsh, full of this authentic punk rock aggression. Frontman Kiran has a really deep dark vocal and the heavy riffs backing him up are filthy raw and loud. They use heavy distorted guitar effects to build up the thrashing messy sound of the band, and this gives them a very uncompromising and unorthodox edge. This frantic punk force they have live really draws you in as an audience, and they deliver everything you could want from a punk band.

Top tracks: Cinnamon Girl & Cherry Red

MONO 01

MONO 01 are a really great upcoming rock band, one who have been heavily supported by Juicebox and The Horn. The four piece take on classic indie rock with post-punk/ garage influences, and have a really bold solid sound live. The band have been together for a couple years, and now have a new guitarist who lead vocalist Nathan described as ‘keeping with Oasis and The Libertines,’ whose influence you can never really go wrong with, right? MONO 01 create these wonderfully heavy raw riffs, and just give you that edgy rock brilliance in the most effortless, natural way. For such a small band, their EP is outstanding too and Wilkestock will be a well deserved opportunity for the band to showcase this talent.

Top tracks: The Narcissist & Girl on The Other Side of Town

Concrete Caverns

Concrete Caverns are one of my favourite local bands; not only are they literally the loveliest guys, but their music is absolutely mad. Their sound is essentially ‘Britrock,’ with influences of indie rock and post punk to their music. Their riffs are ridiculously catchy and so well written too, with Jenny being a faultless track. They take influences from bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines, but have a very personalised unique sound which sets them apart from a lot of the local bands. The band are an immense force live too, with a brilliantly vibrant energy on stage. Their riffs are played to perfection live, and they always manage to pack out the venues they play and receive a brilliant reaction from the audience.

Top Tracks: Jenny & That’s Why

BlackWaters

Full of this crazy energy and fresh punk vibrancy, Black Waters are a hectic indie punk band from Guildford. Their music is raw and chaotic, and they really are one of the best live bands I’ve seen. I’ve caught the band live twice now, and the energy and passion they have on stage is blinding. They have a shit load of fun, and this is backed up by the cocky abrasive attitude from lead vocalist Max which just adds to the raucous rigour and punk authenticity of their music. They remind me a lot of young 70s punk bands, but have a much more exciting youthful edge to them. This bluntness and hardcore ‘no shit’ approach gives BlackWaters an incredible punk bite, and they really embody what DIY indie punk is. Also, the chorus to Fuck Yeah is incredible done live.

Top tracks: So Far Out & Let The Good Times Roll

Vant

Shaking up what modern day British alt-rock is, Vant are one of the bands leading a resurgence in gritty rock music. They write lyrics and riffs to perfection, with a lot of their tracks very abrasive social and political commentaries which give them an interesting and engaging bite. Their riffs are unreal, full of blurred distortions and packed with heavy mosh-pit worth energy. The group have a blinding grunge aura to them, and it really is soul shaking. Bold lyrics and harsh vitriolic guitar is what makes Vant the immense force that they are, and having seen them live twice now it’s safe to say their shows this summer will be absolutely killer.

Top tracks: Karma Seeker & Parking Lot

The Wholls

The Wholls have backing from This Feeling, Jack Daniels, and a whole host of huge festivals this year, and the reason behind that is clear; they are fucking immense. My mate and I caught them at Reading 2016 on the BBC Introducing stage and they were honestly one of my highlights from the entire weekend. They have a really brilliant raw rock sound to them, and the grit and rough punk infused gravel to Arturo’s voice is incredible. They’re an explosive force of attitude and energy, and the raw indie grit they have is undeniable. When playing live, you can expect mosh pits, energetic dancing and just a burst of messy raucous fun from these four lads.

Top tracks: Angry Faces & X21

485C

Definitely the most intriguing uniquely captivating band I’ve seen live this year, 485C are a raw, artsy indie band. They take influences from post punk and 80s indie pop music, as well as artistic subculture movements and traditional guitar rock music. Adam’s voice is really raw and bold, and reminiscent of vocalists like Ian Curtis. The band have an incredibly atmospheric aura, and really are captivating live. With up to four guitarists playing at the same time on certain tracks, their music has a brilliantly heavy deep sound, which is meticulously played to perfection live. I’ve seen the band three times this year already, and am yet to see a less than perfect performance from them.

Top tracks: American Walls & In My Cell 

As you can see, the festival is packed full of the best upcoming rock bands in the UK- I already know a few of the unannounced bands playing too and can honestly say the entire lineup will be killer. You don’t wanna miss out on this; you can buy tickets for Wilkestock here

Read my Part 2 here

Listen to my Ultimate Wilkestock Fest 2017 playlist below: