ETC 2015 longlist announced - hear the acts now!

6th March 2015

We’re delighted to reveal the 120 acts on the longlist for our EMERGING TALENT COMPETITION 2015. These acts were all picked by our judging panel, made up of 40 of the UK’s finest online music writers. We’d like to say a huge thank you to the many thousands of acts who entered the free contest, and the judges for helping to narrow them down to just 120 acts.

Each of the bloggers has chosen their favourite three acts. They’re listed below. You can listen to a playlist of the acts here (aside from a few who chose to enter with private SoundCloud links).

These acts will now be whittled down to a shortlist of just 8 acts who will compete at April’s live finals for a slot on one of the main stages at this year’s Festival. The winners of the competition will also be awarded a £5,000 PRS for Music Foundation Talent Development prize, to help take their songwriting and performing to the next level. Two runners-up will also each be awarded a £2,500 PRS for Music Foundation Talent Development prize.

A New Band a New Day
1. The Wicked Whispers
“Out of step in a good, refreshing way”
2. Troy Faid
“Well-executed folk with a nice sense of melody”
3. Yolanda Ribas
“Good voice and performance… bags of potential”

Aimee Cliff
1. Masha
“Sounds like Sia, if Sia made more low-key electronic pop like Banks”
2. Maybug
“Love the patience in his songwriting and playing”
3. Kiana Arnott-Job
“She’s plucking the cello and singing very softly for the first half; plays the cello with incredible, angry skill for the second”

Best New Bands
1. Lucy Kitchen
“Lucy’s vocal tone has hints of Sandy Denny in it – a rare and precious thing indeed”
2. Sankofa
“Draws you in immediately on the strength of its melodic hooks and passion of its vocal delivery”
3. The Courtesans
“The Courtesans deliver dark, compelling slices of the gothic and theatrical”

Black Plastic
1. IISO
“Subtle, emotive and sublime”
2. Aelius
“Like post-rock seen through the eyes of the lead character from Drive”
3. Black Gold Buffalo
“R&B influenced pop that sounds like it was beamed into my ears from Mars”

Breaking More Waves
1. Felix Hagan & The Family
“Brilliantly absurd and dandyish musical theatre”
2. Wyldest
“Hazy, melancholy, ethereal pop that twinkles and shimmers with loveliness”
3. Fjokra
“Explodes with ideas”

Bristol Live Mag
1. Night Flowers
“Absolutely fantastic”
2. TRASH
“Relevant and well-balanced”
3. ULTRAS
“Powerful and fresh-sounding”

brixton via anywhere
1. Subculture Sage
“Inventive, playful, forward thinking beats and  creative rhymes”
2. The Hamiltons
“The perfect house band for your local burlesque club”
3. SHIELDS
“Wonderfully honed, soaring pop gems”

Ceol Collective
1. Eve & I
“Exciting classical, pop, rock crossover”
2. Tom Gee Band
“The sound of summer”
3. Crybabycry
“Power pop with a hint of blues”

Charming Man
1. …And The Hangnails
“It’s rare to find an emerging band as colourful and powerful as this”
2. Theo Verney
“This guy could have incredible potential”
3. Tropic Of Youth
“This song gets me itching for festival season”

Clash
1. Moxie
“Skillfully executed, folk-derived songwriting”
2. Hey Sholay
“Very tasteful Northern indie”
3. Holy Thursday
“The band seem to inhabit their own world”

Clash (Next Wave)
1. Island Cassettes
“Jangly guitars and exotic harmonies make for a slice of island living”
2. Jakl
“A twisted, unsettling but nonetheless irresistible song”
3. Isaac Lee-Kronick
“A unique-sounding cut of beatwork”

Complex
1. MoD
“Confident flow and determined lyrics”
2. Marcello Spooks
“Loving the thunderous trap production”
3. Kirk Spencer
“Chilling. Emotion-stirring.”

Crack in the Road
1. Declan Mckenna
“This kid is going to be huge”
2. Dios Mio
“Elegant yet imposing and powerful at the same time”
3. Deco
“Perhaps the most complete, well rounded track on the list”

Crack Magazine
1. Courtly Love
“A psych rock swagger reminiscent of early  Brian Jonestown Massacre”
2. Dagger Alif
“Breezy, carefree party jams”
3. The Baltic States
“Soaring electronic intensity”

Devil has the Best Tuna
1. Rising Pacific
“Post rock has never sounded so romantic”
2. Second Hand Poet
“Bewitches, beguiles and enchants in equal measure”
3. Scribble Victory
“Takes folk music to places it’s never been before”

Dots and Dashes
1. Orchards
“More angular than most standard geometry sets”
2. Oh Sister
“Woebegone grandeur”
3. O Emperor
“Impeccably cultured shiny indie-pop nuggets”

Drowned in Sound
1. Mistoa Poltsa
“Bratty, discordant lo-fi psych punk”
2. Monsters As Humans
“Intelligently crafted post-rock”
3. Moonwreck
“Glistening reverb laden melodies with distinctive, haunting vocals. Think Wild Beasts go shoegaze”

Fact Magazine
1. Judith Ude
“Flawless soul voice… a massive talent”
2. Circumnavigate
“An orchestral pop outfit with a difference”
3. inkke
“A totally OTT hybrid of grime, Jersey, hip hop and underground dance”

Gold Flake Paint
1. Laska
“Marries electronic sensibilities with delicate vocals… wonderfully impressive”
2. Tessera Skies
“Weighty, epic pop music”
3. Tape Runs Out
“Folk-pop songs that quietly get under your skin”

Hot Cakes
1. Staring At Lakes
“Hauntingly beautiful, sparse but filled with layers that build and build to a truly satisfying crescendo”
2. Signals
“Energetic, interesting and creative”
3. Jael
“An artist that has many strings to her bow”

i-D Magazine
1. Laura Zocca
“Girl’s got serious skills”
2. Jay Prince
“His drive and hustle is unextinguishable”
3. Flat 24/7
“The UK sound and originality is something I liked”

It’s All Indie
1. SHE
“Meaty hooks, with washed out vocals and draped with a wash of fuzz and wah-wah pedals”
2. Theo Altieri
“Jangly echos of Jamie T, crossed with some baggy goodness… it’s a smorgasboard of eargasms!”
3. Moones
“The most anthem heavy track I’ve heard”

Josh Hall
1. Barney Artist
“Beautifully produced”
2. Low Cost Life
“Really nice – shades of Fridge and Mount Kimbie”
3. Seven Summits
“Can see this doing well”

Just Music That I Like
1. Cattle and Cane
“Immaculately crafted, deftly shaped sibling harmonies and exquisite instrumentation entwine seamlessly”
2. Tyrants
“An unrepentant combination of old and new rock that brims with tension and drama”
3. Pockets
“Beautifully spacious, slow-motion ambient rock”

Kate Hutchinson
1. Buffalo Woman
“A supercool hands-in-the-air anthem”
2. Budapest
“The best bits of Massive Attack and the best bits of Radiohead in one.”
3. Cavalry
“A darker Maccabees, full of broodiness and great songwriting”

Laura Snoad
1. Blonde Bunny
“Absolutely beautiful”
2. Shield Patterns
“I’d really like to see them play”
3. Sculpture Music
“Great instrumentation – you don’t often hear a hammer dulcimer in a pop context”

Lauren Martin
1. Emoticon
“A clear direction in terms of melody, hook, depth and arrangement”
2. Basheba
“A subtle blending of soul, drum ‘n’ bass, pop and house”
3. Duplex Sound
“As if it was made by dance music fans verging into pop”

Marcus Barnes
1. LEKIDDO – Lord of The Lobsters!
“Good silly fun!”
2. Less Than Worse
“It’s cheeky, a bit rude and the singer has a nice rugged voice as well”
3. Livia
“Really like this. Strong voice”

Mark Higgins
1. Lee Broderick
“A bright pop charabanc rolling uncontrollably through a ticker tape parade”
2. Kinds
” Has the potential to light up clubs and stages in equal measure”
3. Lauren Faith
“A swarming, wobbling beat with Lauren’s shimmering vocals on top adds up to something really special”

Michael Cragg
1. Ayelle
“Really beautiful vocals with a lot of personality, but used in a very subtle way”
2. Frankie Knight
“The song is really captivating – vaguely trip-hop, 80s electropop touches and a sort of interestingly blank vocal”
3. The Peaks
“Jaunty, really well-crafted indie pop”

Moleskin 90
1. Aina More
“A strong, charismatic rapper with versatility”
2. Hawkon
“Off kilter pop music”
3. Tau Benah
“Soulful and catchy from the off”

Music Liberation
1 – Noiiises
“Music which expertly fuses electronica and rock to great effect”
2 – Otherkin
“Full of soaring melodies, intricate guitars”
3 – The Pearl Harts
“They are noisey and brash, and coming straight at ya!”

Neon Filler
1. New Opera Hero
“Take live performance to a whole new level”
2. Sherika Sherard
“A rare warmth among singer songwriters”
3. Miss Halliwell
“Seasoned alternative rock outfit”

Nialler9
1. Princess Slayer
“Quirky and uplifting modern pop with EDM touches”
2. Zaska
“Soulful pop from Hozier band members”
3. LSBV
“Current indie pop with big melodies and a lot of promise”

Real Horrorshow Tunes
1. Lazy Day
“Tempestuous garage rock led by the enigmatic Tilly”
2. Kutosis
“This Welsh trio offer up fun, surf-indebted indie funk”
3. A House in the Trees
“Lovelorn nugget of sparse, compelling music, with harmonious vocals”

SBTV
1. Jefferson Duke
“Creates atmospheric ambience with his guitar and loop pedals”
2. Jeramiah Ferrari
“The soulful reggae sounds of Jeremiah Ferrari are chilled out and vibesy”
3. Johanna Glaza
“Glaza paints a beautiful folk soundscape filling the air with her lush melodies”

The House of Coxhead
1. Olivia Louise
“Unique and fresh sounding”
2. Swell
“Energetic and fun”
3. K.O.G & the Zongo Brigade
“An act that I would definitely go out of my way to watch at Glastonbury”

The Line Of Best Fit
1. Jagaara
“There is something magnetic about Jagaara; a chemistry between the three sisters that physically draws you in”
2. YOU
“Anna Waldmann’s charming, breathy vocals recall the finest 60s dream pop purveyors”
3. One Bit
“House music with soothing pop melodies”

The Quietus
1. DC Scribbla
“Deft and relentless lyrically”
2. Nubiyan Twist
“90s throwback hip-hop beats, hints of trip-hop lingering somewhere beneath and the gentle gilding of the violin”
3. 0800 empire
“The vocals strike a nicely spectral counterpoint to the mechanical churn of the drums”

Shapeless Radio
1. Hannah Lou Clark
“Fluid and close-mic’d rock music with strong layered rhythm”
2. Future Dub Orchestra
“Electronic dub reggae throwing back to the late 90s”
3. Genes and Machines
“Kraut influence and excellent rhythmic layering”