Welcome to part two of our Ones To Watch for 2026, as we dive headlong into another exciting selection of emerging artists that we want to spotlight this year.
Bramwell
Bramwell are made up of Tom Grogan, Avalon Vowles, Murphy Tandy and Sol Drury Song, who formed in Exeter a few years ago, they are now based in Cardiff and are playing Wales Goes Pop this Easter. They charmingly describe themselves as “musik for anorak pop mods, odds and sods” They cite the likes of the La’s, XTC and The Fall as influences and released an EP and some singles in 2023, and based on the songs we have heard, we are very excited about the wealth of their potential.
Their single ‘Problems’ released last year is a superb jangle pop song and their best release yet, a yearning meditation on issues with a relationship, but also exploring the joyful sides of love, lightened by singalong melodies in the chorus. What sets it apart from many indie pop bands is the melodic charm, the hooky metallic riffing and a percussive, crunchy coating that reminds one of 60s psych from the Nuggets compilation and 70s or 80s new wave bands. The clever, poetic lyrics and catchy vocal snarl, pulls you in a boy/girl melodies hold a life-affirming quality, that reminds me of bits of The Bug Club, The Velvet Underground or even early Strokes, but really they are doing their own thing. Really promising, super song-writing! (Bill Cummings)
congratulations
Brighton quartet congratulations are the most joyful, witty, colourful effervescent band -fusing art-rock, garage, synth-pop and glam. A live congratulations gig is a cathartic rush. Get in quick as the buzz is real -they have a string of sold out shows to prove it! The kaleidoscopic quartet are meticulous in their debauchery, balancing ‘80s pop, ‘00s indie, and a modern-day rock experimentalism into something both deliciously nostalgic and firmly of-the-now. With high-octane tracks about delusional millennials, shadowy boogeymen and really good haircuts, congratulations have made a short dazzling career of never taking themselves too seriously—in fact, they might be the band who take not taking themselves seriously the most seriously ever! Yet, it’s this skilful. devil-may-care attitude that allows them to shine. The band’s kinetic debut- Join Hands is out on 13th February via Bella Union. It’s more than just ten tracks of unbridled groovy indie dance rock, but a call to action- a bright-eyed plea to hang up your worries and let the good times roll. It’s exactly what the world needs right now. They are at their peak and are ready to hit new heights in ’26. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya! (Carmel Walsh)
Little Grandad
I wasn’t attracted to this band because I’d heard them, or seen them live, or even because Steve Lamacq has been extolling their virtues. No, it was because when I was a child, I had one Grandfather who was a six foot plus ex-paratrooper, and another who was an RAF Pay Clerk during the Second World War and later Post Office Manager. We called one Big Grandad and the other…..yes that’s right, Little Grandad. The band do not resemble him in anyway. They’re yet to officially release anything but there are several live videos online plus if you sign up to their mailing list you get lovely live SoundCloud tracks. And they’re really fucking good. They are being roundly talked about as having an Americana sound a la The Band, but there’s a certain chaos reminiscent of The Libertines that makes them stand out, like Pete Doherty at a French market buying cheese. (Jim Auton)
Cowboy Hunters
Edinburgh punks Cowboy Hunters came of age at Left of the Dial, Rotterdam in October 2025. The duo are regulars on the local scene in Central Scotland where they have honed their craft, along with a refreshingly relaxed attitude to this business of making music. Indeed Cowboy Hunters could have a career in comedy if the music doesn’t work out. 2025 saw the band not only play further afield but also have prestigious support slots including opening for Bob Vylan in Glasgow. More new music will be out in the spring and fingers-crossed more gigs. For now cowboys everywhere beware! (Julia Mason)
Smag På Dig Selv
Copenhagens Smag På Dig Selv bring a stomping techno punk vibe to their sound and live it is party central. Their instrumental music guarantees to produce a huge soppy grin to everyone’s face in the crowd. The trio of Oliver Lauridsen (tenor saxophone), Thorbjørn Øllgaard (baritone/bass saxophone, vocals), and Albert Holberg (drums) were born out of Freetown Christiania which began as a squat by hippies and activists on abandoned military barracks in 1971, and is now a self-governing community. It is this free spirit which inhabits both their music and performance. Smag På Dig Selv are simply exhilarating and will release their new album This Is Why We Lost on 6 March. A “World Tour of Christiania” will support the album release with five consecutive dates in the Freetown before further dates in UK and EU in April and May. (Julia Mason)
teethin
Storming out of the blocks in 2025 with debut EP Greed Between The Lines, this Welsh based 5-piece create a sound which takes the punk movement of the Eighties, rave culture of the Nineties, and the explosion of grime in the early Noughties, to produce music which is oozing with attitude and opinion. The mix of genres is spine-chilling, and the perfect soundscape to the frustrations of contemporary society. Live, teethin are exhilarating. There is a hint of Rage Against the Machine to this band who are fuelled by social justice, an anger against the corruption of those in power. Performances in 2025 included Left of the Dial and Mutations, and they delivered on their extraordinary debut EP. More live dates please in 2026. (Julia Mason)
YARD
The Dublin based electro-punk trio Yard supported Sprints at Vicar Street in November and demonstrated their sound can fill such rooms. This reviewer lost count of how many festivals YARD played in 2025, plus they also released two EPs, the second being #2 in November. They are rewarded with a trip to SXSW in March which will no doubt bring them to an even wider audience. This is music to dance to, but with an edge. The pulsating electronics and synths are thrilling and yet there is a tension at times, an angst wrapped within the soundscape which is utterly gripping for the listener. ‘Friction’ features Adam Faulkner of Gilla Band on drums and demonstrates the experimentation that YARD bring to their creativity. (Julia Mason)
Honey I’m Home
Honey I’m Home are an Amsterdam-based quintet whose emotive heft and gigantic sonic ambition is impossible to ignore. The band includes vocalist/guitarist Sofie Ooteman (Marathon); vocalist/guitarist Thom Schotanus (Jagd); drummer Jasper Meurs (WIES, Banji); guitarist/keyboardist Hugo de Groot; and, bassist Evelien Keesmaat, and they’ve been entrancing a string of festivals throughout Europe and have more releases slated for this year.
With a sound that references the gamut of alt-rock from the early 90s the likes of Belly, Sonic Youth imbued with a cinematic sonic ambition and a hit of raw emotions and injustice. With cavernous drumming and soaring, star-busting guitars; ‘Insecure’ reminds one of elements of Deftones or My Bloody Valentine. It’s positively stratospheric. (Bill Cummings)
Prostitute
Towards the end of 2025 Michigan’s Prostitute announced their signing to Mute records. It followed a very limited, release of their debut album Attempted Martyr, which will will be released on CD in addition to two vinyl editions – a special limited Arabic edition on Lebanese sunburst vinyl exclusively through Dinked, and a red vinyl edition – on 13th March. Having already gained recognition during a number of UK and EU dates last year, the band have sold out all UK dates confirmed for April. Based in Dearborn, a town with America’s largest Muslim population, Prostitute were founded by Moe (frontman) and Andrew (drummer), who together write the group’s lyrics, and conceived Attempted Martyr’s themes. Moe explains: “I had an identity crisis, growing up, 9/11 started a lot of xenophobia and Arab hatred and all that kind of shit. I hated being Arabic. I hated Arabs in general, just because people were hating me. Through much of my 20s I felt like, ‘How about I be the character you want me to be?’” Andrew took that crisis and, explains Moe, “ran with it, and made the philosophy behind it, this ‘radical terrorism’, this crazed zealot thing.” Moe is driven by the real-life nightmares of his Lebanese family and friends. They have honed their craft in the dive bars of Michigan over the last four years, and the result is music which is cathartic in its rage, educational in its content and impassioned in its delivery. (Julia Mason)
El Roig
Originally from Barcelona, El Roig (pronounced elle rodge) moved to London straight out of high school to pursue music. With an intimate heart-on-the-sleeve sound rooted in folk and shaped by a love for classic singer-songwriters, El Roig draws inspiration from artists like Lana Del Rey, Leonard Cohen, Tamino, Laura Marling, and Weyes Blood. He captivated with his confessional debut single ‘Tiptoes’, a moving and intimately drawn ballad that delves deep into his mental health struggles. A graceful piano motif sways giving a platform to Roig to show off his exquisite vocal range that is ripe with poignant emotions. His new single, the tender, romantic, thwarted and evocative ‘Stupid Cowboy’ is slated for release early in 2026, and he has more releases planned this year.
His work has echoes of early Rufus Wainwright or Perfume Genius, his songs meditate on themes like the duality of love, vulnerability, mental health, and the silent battles we fight within. It marks out El Roig as a formidable emerging songwriter and artist. (Bill Cummings)
