Free Mind Festival

The bouncing 2 piece indie band from the East Midlands were acclaimed as "One of the best festival bands we know" by BBC Introducing after conquer-ing every major festival stage in the country including Reading & Leeds. With the release of their debut EP 'Sparks' in 2016, Tin Pigeons quickly received national recognition when their single was named as BBC Radio One's Introducing track of the week - gaining huge support from the likes of Huw Stephens,Greg James and Steve Lamacq. Major exposure has never stopped for the band,with their single 'Home' having plays on BBC6 and their most recent single "Always the Same' being praised by top blogs.

After this release, Tin Pigeons began to take the country by storm, balancing studio time for new releases alongside intense touring; gaining an incredibly strong fan base across the UK.

Having supported the likes of OUTLYA, Billie Marten, SeaFret and Fickle Friends, as well as their own frequent headline tours covering the length of the country - Tin Pigeons live performance has become a must see and has surely gained them the title of one of the strongest bands on the UK's live circuit.

OH LA KANADA is an Alternative Rock/Dream Pop band from London that fuses electronics with acoustics to create highly diverse, eclectic and danceable pop music.

Spanning three nationalities and countless musical backgrounds), the band consists of Karolina, Piotr, Jakub, Gui and Ana. The five of them met at music college in London. OLK started to record their first EP early 2017, with no budget, instead counting on the help of friends. Their EP was released in October 2017, which was promoted on their UK tour in late 2017. The EP was received very well, with second single 'Paper Love' gathering several major blog and playlist features. OLK combines loads of drums and percussion with melodic guitar, groovy bass, lush synths and dreamy vocals to create bright and colourful music that resembles Canada’s nature. They focus intensely on their live performance, which results in something incredibly strong, energetic and professional. Crossing their very different musical paths, they are influenced by the likes of Foals, Metronomy and The Dø.

Four boys in the big smoke making jangly croon pop to please your ears and warm your hearts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1BuCh3XyQ6QfIecry9IcUl?si=Ghzw7WvITba6xIVxu26H-A

"A bunch of strong sounding melodies" Steve Lamacq, BBC 6, 2018

"Such good song-writers" Melita Dennett, BBC Introducing, 2018

"Brilliant, I wish I sounded like that at my stage of their career" Frank Turner, 2017

China Bears formed in Somerset in 2015 by twin brothers Ivan and Frazer. The line up was completed after meeting James and Dean at university in Guildford later that year. Drawing influence from bands such as: The National, Dry The River, Frightened Rabbit and Snow Patrol, China Bears create misery anthemic indie combining ambient guitars, choral vocals and raw lyric writing. They've currently released 3 singles independently with airplay from Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, Steve Lamacq on BBC radio 6, John Kennedy on Radio X and Melita Dennett on BBC Introducing.

After spending the last couple of years extensively playing around the UK they have had notable support slots bands such as: Genghar, The Districts, To Kill A King, Declan Mckenna, The Big Moon. Having just released their new single 'Night Calls' earlier this year China Bears have had a summer full of shows and festivals including slots at Neverworld and Victorious.

They spend the rest of the year touring the UK and are set to release new music in early 2019.

China Bears are currently based in Buckinghamshire.

All Faces is a pop/folk duo from London. After Ben and Daphne met, the group formed in late 2017. Influenced by the likes of Bon Iver, The Lumineers and Ed Sheeran they managed to achieve a distinctive pop/folk sound

Chromium plated Manhattan cocktail party heroes providing psychedelic sounds for freaks and weirdos.

The twenty-four year old singer-songwriter from Gothenburg, Sweden moved to the UK back in the Summer of 2014 to pursue music. With his Swedish charm, he is playing a mix of folk, indie and pop music.

The band was created in 2016 and consists in Carl as a front man on guitar and vocals, Joel Tavares on vocals and keys, Vincenzo De Fraia on bass, Marco Casaluce on electric guitar and Niccolo Rebecchi on drums.

Armed with an acoustic guitar, a breathtaking voice and his band of talented musicians, Carl’s taken his music to over 300 shows as well as showcasing his songs across Europe touring in twice in Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

In 2016 he released his first track “Lions"; followed up by the EP “YOUth". In August 2017 Carl and the band released the single “YOUNG”. Carl is currently working on the second EP planned to be released in 2018.

2018 saw the rise of Elephant Radio, UK Brighton based dreampop infused rock with a knack for inducing a wave of nostalgia through catchy pop hooks soaked in reverb. From humble beginnings as an acoustic duo trawling open mic’s, ER's vision always was to become a full band and work soon began on their debut EP ‘California FM’ which dropped June 2018. Inspired by a generation of Brit pop and psychedelic pioneers Elephant Radio seek to create but not emulate.

A supergroup of sorts comprising George Boorman (Abattoir Blues), Jack Pulman (Birdskulls) and Echochamp signing Daniel Moore, the bunch are releasing their debut single ‘Out The Door’ on Echochamp, and its playing on DIY as our Neu Pick for today.

A sprightly, distinctively British take on mid-west emo, ‘Out The Door’ is a bracing introduction, travelling from an understated, twiddly introduction to a cacophonous finish, dragged along with help from the ever-intense vocals of Abattoir Blues frontman Harry Waugh.

As first impressions go, then, ‘Out The Door’ is a supremely exciting one, and yet another example of what exciting things are going on down by the sea.

Female fronted South East London band. Don’t Take Me Down, the new single from indie DIY band Alice and the Bugs is perfect music for our current heatwave. The lead singer’s sultry vocals over the mellow guitar makes Don’t Take Me Down a must listen. (The camera angles in this live music video make this extra special).

Ivy is a 24 year old singer, songwriter & poet who combines a love for words with a love for music. Ivy has a desire to make a difference with lyrics that centre around mental health & a need to escape a chaotic world

Previously the guitarist and songwriter in indie-rock band West of the Sun and having enjoyed many years playing with the band on UK and European tours and playing festivals such as Isle Of Wight and The Great Escape, 'Howsie' is the new music project of lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Howes, who along with his brother Chris, forms this new sound - an amalgamation of techno, disco, post-punk, hip-hop, indie pop and Krautrock along with classic more conventional songwriting and folk influences. Michael cites their main influences as The Beta Band, Radiohead, Gruff Rhys, The Flaming Lips and Broken Bells.