CityLife

Channel M Music's ones to watch in 2009

1 / 5 imagesDEBUT LP DUE: Twisted Wheel

THROUGHOUT 2008 Channel M Music has been unearthing many of the UK’s best new music acts, this year its shows have featured the TV debuts of bands such as Noah & the Whale, Metronomy, Cage the Elephant and Cut Copy as well as more established stars such as Laura Marling, Richard Hawley, The Wombats, Nick Cave, Moby and Justice.

However, despite national recognition and interest in its programming, the music closest to the channels heart is of course, that made in Manchester. 

Over the past 12 months many a new Mancunian band have appeared in front of the Channel M Music cameras and next year promises to be the most exciting one for Manchester music for a very long time.

With that in mind, Channel M Music have decided to count down the top five new Manchester bands set to take 2009 by storm:

1. Delphic
Formed from the ashes of epic indie-popsters Snowfight In The City Centre and first emerging from hibernation back in April with full-on dancier edge, this new band are much tougher, leaner and lets face it… sensational. After hearing the band in their rehearsal rooms, Channel M Music decided to offer the band their own half hour show before they even had time to record tracks themselves. The response that was to follow saw half the UK’s record industry getting in touch to find out just who “that band” were. After having their pick of major label deals within weeks of following the recording, 2009 subsequently looks like it’s going to be the year of... wait for it... ‘Post Dance’ with Manchester’s Delphic leading the way. Currently busy in the studio with their debut album and supporting The Streets and Bloc Party in January.

2. Dutch Uncles
Dutch Uncles have always been a Channel M favourite, having come to their attention several years ago with their precocious songwriting style and stage presence: where other 17-year-olds were bashing out four chords, they were producing something far more sophisticated. Now all grown-up but retaining that youthful cheek and charm, they’ve finally developed into the stars Channel M suspected they’d become. Now one of the most original, dynamic and quirky bands in the country, their excellent eponymous debut album is due for release in February and their proflic output astounding live shows guarantees they will continue to be Manchester music scene favourites for a very long time to come. Let's just hope the rest of the country wake up to them soon.

3. Everything Everything
Everything Everything is another excellent and original new Mancunian proposition. With harmonies tight enough to make a barbershop quartet green, the catchiest hooks you’ll hear all year and some choice lyrics your mum won’t like. Off the strength of their incredible debut single ‘Suffragette Suffragette’ and other great tracks in the pipeline they have debuted on Channel M shows the band have quickly built up a strong following from the likes of Zane Lowe, MTV2 and of course the Channel M Music team for which they played the City Life Social show earlier in the year and a recent full session. Expect to hear a lot more from them in 2009.

4. Twisted Wheel
A little bit more advanced in their career than the rest of the acts on the list but with Twisted Wheel’s long awaited album ready for imminent release in early 2009 they are quite rightly so, a sure fire bet. Channel M has followed front man Jonny Brown and Twisted Wheel’s progression from the start as they bring an old school Mancunian sound into the 21st century with big bold brash anthems such as the recent single Lucy the Castle. After catching their latest Channel M performance, Noel Gallagher invited the boys to support Oasis on tour and with debut album imminent Twisted Wheel are a huge ball of energy about to explode.

5. Airship
Airship are the wild card recommendation for 2009, the ones who have until now kept a relatively low profile but have been quietly grafting away. Airship are the very reason Channel M Music endeavour to work their way through the hundreds of CDs that land in their in tray: because every now and then it reveals something really excellent. Their EP ‘Spirit of the Beehive’ is a great debut, sounding like Radiohead meeting Mercury Rev at Chris Martin’s old primary school to discuss the pro’s and con’s of Coldplay. Along with their excellent live performances it is clear that the band have all the right ingredients to get picked up by the majors very soon indeed!

The Channel M Music 2009 countdown can be seen on Saturday, December 20 at 10pm on Channel M. Check out shows in full from mentioned bands plus much more at www.channelm.co.uk/music.

Published: Sun, 14 December, 2008

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John Stringer wrote:

Suzuki Method are the best new band in Manc. Blew my head off at the kings arms last week. Lets hear more from them in 09.