New UK Artists | The Curve Magazine

5 Up-and-Coming Artists from the U.K. to Watch Out for

In Music

By Pyran Trythall | May 18, 2021

Armstrong's promotional shoot for "Bear"

For such a small country, the U.K. has certainly produced its fair share of noteworthy, groundbreaking artists. To this day, the British music industry is one of the world’s most esteemed for acts in almost every genre, and continues to provide us with some of the most exciting and unique acts that we’re now seeing regularly on the charts (*cough* Arlo Parks *cough* Easy Life). If you’re reading this, it’s safe to say you have a similar train of thought and want to know who to look out for next. Look no further, this list is just some of the best acts we can see taking the U.K. scene by storm in the near future.

ADMISSIONS

We begin our journey in Chelmsford, Essex with rock band ADMISSIONS. Known for their energetic live shows, ADMISSIONS were formed in 2019 and have quickly risen through the ranks to have their song, “Kill the Switch”, be declared “The Halloween Anthem Of The Year” by Discovered Magazine in 2020 and then be a part of BBC Introducing’s “Sound Of 2021”. Described by one Radio station as a mix between the Arctic Monkeys and Porcupine Tree, so if that’s up your alley, join the club. Their latest single “Cloned” came out on April 23rd and is, simply put, one hell of a song.

Keziasoul

Born and raised in Birmingham, Keziasoul has a voice that you will have to listen to more than once. Taking inspiration from legends like Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse, Keziasoul’s music is beautiful and heartfelt, and this is seen in her recent single, “Cup Of Tea”, which has already gotten over 10,000 streams since its release earlier this year. She has already played shows at venues and festivals across the country, definitely a talented artist for the future.

James Brett

Brighton-based singer-songwriter James Brett has been described by one magazine as “Real music”, and we can’t say we disagree. His list of inspirations is one of the widest we’ve seen, yet somehow you can almost hear them all in every one of his songs. Just imagine the guitars of an early Arctic Monkeys (do we have a type?) song, a vocal melody that echoes Oasis, a voice reminiscent of Jake Bugg mixed in with the warmth and atmosphere of Bon Iver’s first album, “For Emma, Forever Ago”. His work is truly unique and special and we highly recommend having a listen to his recent album, “The Sky Is a Distance from The Sea”.

Bryonii

Another artist from this year’s BBC Introducing, Bryonii has worked with a range of exciting producers around the globe. When we listened to her most recent song, “Paradise Lost”, made with London duo Act Cool, one of the team remarked, and I quote, “this song was made for the stage”. Known for her captivating vocals and poetic lyrics, Bryonii brings us a take on electronic music that not only sounds amazing, but has a soul. Don’t be surprised to hear her on Radio 1 sometime soon.

Armstrong

“This is a good song” you think to yourself as you listen to Armstrong’s latest single, “Bear”. “Great guitars, catchy vocals”, you press the like button to save it so you don’t lose it. Then, the saxophone kicks in at the end, and all of a sudden you’re lost for words, able only to reach for the button to play it again. This is anthemic indie-rock at its finest, and since they released their debut E.P. “Glendale” back in 2019, it’s only been up for them. Definitely worth a listen, whether you like indie-rock or not because, after hearing this, you’ll be a fan.