The Class of 2025 - The Nominees

Music
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Hi All,

As you may have seen mentioned in the Drowned in Sound newsletter (full press release is here) I have begun working on guide to the must see artists of 2025.

Firstly, I’m thrilled to announce The Class of 2025 is now sponsored by See Tickets, who have helped us create a prize fund to split between the winning acts.

Over the last few weeks, 800+ grassroots music venues, who are part of the Music Venue Trust’s Music Venue Alliance, have been nominating their three must see acts.

Later this week we’ll release a longlist of acts who got multiple votes, and in January unveil the shortlist, which our judging panel will then vote on.

Without further ado, here are the 399 acts who have been nominated for the inaugural Class of…

Would love to know which of these are your must sees and give everyone a little bit of insight or links to listen to them if you can. How many of these acts have you seen?

Aaron Jones & Rachel Walker
Absolutely Anytime
Adam Hopper & the Wimps
Adam Thom
Adult DVD
Adult Leisure
Afflecks Palace
Agar Agar
Airforce
Aleighcia Scott
Amber Prothero
Amelia Coburn
Amyl and the Sniffers
Anna B Savage
Anna Erhard
Anya Louisa
Apolo Junction
Arkayla
ARXX
Aziya
Bambara
Bang Bang Firecracker
Barbarella Bang Bang
Barkie Neebs
Baskery
Bau Cat
Bdrmm
Bean on toast
Beauty Sleep
Becca James
Becky Sikasa
Being Dead
Benefits
Bess Atwell
Bethany Ley
Better Joy
Big Special
Big Tears
Billy Lockett
Black Fondu
Black Market Karma
Blank Atlas
Bled
Blood Wizard
Bobbie Dazzle
Bobby West
Body Horror
Brenda
Brigantes
Brother May
Brown Horse
Bruise Control
Bryony Dunn and The Forest
Buffalo Fish
The Bug Club
Burnt Tapes
By The Sea
The Cairos
Calibre
Camens
Campfire Social
Carsick
Casino
The Castros
The Caterpillar Spies
CELLADOOR
Chalk
Chanel Beads
Charts and Graphs
The Cheap Thrills
ChemiQueen
Chemtrails
Cherym
Chest
Chiedu Oraka
Chris Dover Musician
CHROMA
Cinelli Brothers
City Dog
Civic Green
The Clause
CLEMENTINE
Club Debris
Coach Party
Cold Hands
Collateral
Congratulations
Connolly Hayes
Corella
corto.alto
Cousin Kula
CVC
Dana Gavinski
Danny George Wilson
Dead Monarchs
Dead Pages
Dead Pony
Deadletter
Dearthworms
Delilah Bon
Denver County Council
Devin Casson
Dirty Blonde
Ditz
Divers Green
Divorce
Dom Martin
The Dream Machine
Dry Socket
Dutch Wine
Dylan Holloway
Eades
Echo Town
Ed Harcourt
Ella Knight
Ella McRobb
Elles Bailey
Ellie Dixon
Emergency Break
English Teacher
Erotic Secrets of Pompeii
Eschalon
ESP
Ex-Easter Island Head
Ezra Collective
FAHRAN
Failstate
Fakemink
Fat Dog
Felix Rabin
Fentanyl
Finn Carter Quartet
Finn Forster
Flint Moore
Flo Delo
Florence Adooni
For Breakfast
Fountain
Fragile creatures
Freddie Halkon
Gareth Moulton
Gaz Brookfield
Genn
Geordie Greep
Getdown Services
Giant Walker
Gigi Perez
Gimic
Girl Ray
Girl Scout
Gnod
Goblin Band
GOO
Good Looks
Good Sad Happy Bad
Green Tea Peng
Greenness
Gretel Hänlyn
Grungers
Gurriers
gürl
Haest
Hamish Hawk
The Hanging Stars
Hannah Robinson
Hannah Scott
Hannah White
Harri Larkin
Hauspoints
Heartworms
HECTOR GANNET
Henge
Hermanos Gutierrez
High Fade
High Parasite
Holly Henderson
Home Counties
Honeyglaze
The Hot One Too
HotWax
The Howl & The Hum
The Hunna
Husky Loops
Hutch
ill Citizens
The Institutes
Isabella Coulstock
IST IST
Jacob Alon
James maddock
JAMU
Jasmine Myra
Jayler
Jesus & The Zealots
Jodie Nicholson
Joe Corkram
Joe Martin
John Fairhurst
John Langan
The Jonny Halifax Invocation
Juju
JULIETS NOT DEAD
K.O.G
The Kairos
Kamauu
Karen Dió
Karmen Field
Kat Eaton
Katherine Priddy
Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand
Katie Spencer
Katy J Pearson
Keyrah
Kid Spirit
Kilgour
Kissing Gate
Kneecap
Knife Bride
Knives
Kojaque
KOYO
The Ks
Kyoshi Station
The K’s
Lady Garden
Lambrini Girls
The Lathums
Lauren Housley and the Northern Cowboys
Lemfreck
Lice
The Lilacs
Lime Garden
Loose Articles
Loraine James
Los Bitchos
Los Dedos
Lots of Hands
The Lotts
Loup Havenith
Loveboat
Luke Jackson
L’Objectif
Madalitso Band
Madame Claude
Magdalena Bay
Malin Lewis
Man/Woman/Chainsaw
The Manatees
Maruja
Marvin’s Revenge
Max Bianco
Maya Lane
The Meffs
Melin Melyn
The Menstrual Cramps
Meryl Streek
Mohamed Errebbaa
The Molotovs
Moody Brew
Moskito
Motel Sundown
Mother Vulture
MT Jones
Mt.Misery
Mums
Murder Club
Myles Smith
Myopia
N’Famady Kouyate
Nala Sinephro
Nectar Woode
Nia Archives
Nieve Ella
Nightlives
The Nightmares
Nine Tree Hill
Noisy
O Sees
O.
Oakes
Obey Cobra
The Ocelots
Olive Jones
Omega Nebula
Once a Fig
Oneda
Opus Kink
Orlando Weekes
Orville Peck
Pale Blue Eyes
The Pale White
Panic Over
Panic Shack
Parker
Pastel
Patrick Gosling
Peach
Pensacola Mist
Pentire
Pet Needs
Plantoid
Plasticine
Press Club
Problem Patterns
Qendresa
Quiet The Art
Quireboys
R.Aggs
Ramblin’ Preachers
Raskol
Reciprocate
REN
Robbie Cavanagh
ROIS
The Rosadocs
Rothco
Royston Club
Rupcha Farm
Sam Brothers
Sam Fender
Savannah Gardner
Scott Lavene
Seafoam Green
Sealionwoman
Shambolics
She’s In Parties
Shed
The Sheratons
Shovel Dance Collective
SHTËPI
Siracuse
The Skinner Brothers
Skinny Lister
Skinny Living
Slash Fiction
The Slates
Snake Davis
SNAYX
Snazzback
Snow Strippers
Soapbox
Soft Top
Sorry
South Arcade
Spangled
Steam Down
Stereo Cupid
Still House Plants
The Stray Pursuit
Summer Pearl
Suntou Susso
SuperjazzClub
Suprise Chef
Sustinere
Suthering
Swim School
Tara Clerkin Trio
Tarantula Handsome
TATYANA
Tc & The Groove Family
Thank
THE RAIN EXPERIMENT
THE ROX
Thieves of Liberty
THIS HOUSE WE BUILT
THREE CARD TRICK
Thwack!
Till I’m Bones
Toast Club
Tolstoys
Tom A Smith
Tom Mcrae
Toodles & The Hectic Pity
Tribe Of Ghosts
Tripsun
TTSSFU
TV DEATH
UGLY
Ugly Club
Unpeople
Vieon
Vigilantes
VRi
W.H. Lung
Waterlines
Waterpistol
We Hate the Sharkman
Welly
Wench
Werkha
White Gates
Willie J Healey
Wishy
Witch Post
The Wood Burning Savages
Wunderhorse
YOWL
The Zealots

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some great bands on that list but omg it’s long

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That’s what I would vote for if I was one of

It’s an interesting list coming from those types of venues. No shade but which of them nominated Sam Fender?

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The actual longlist won’t be so long but wanted to share all the names as there’s lots to rummage into in there

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All votes will be kept private I’m afraid.

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You seem to have missed ‘seven’ after Shed

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Of course, it’s just interesting how outlooks differ

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once gave me a slice of cheese on toast with such a thick layer of A+ grade skunk that I was tripping balls for hours afterward while he laughed about it.

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I’ve seen Ezra Collective three times (first time way back in 2019) and Los Bitchos. Both ace, but both a little long in the tooth to be heralded as new for 2025.

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Ex-easter island head have been around a while too (great band though)

And is that THE Quireboys (formed 1984), or is this a different band?

Chuckling at ‘Bean on Toast’ more than I should be.

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For reference, on the submission form, this was my suggested criteria, but a few of these slip outside of it, and tbh there are 399 names, it would take me a few days to check them all - I’ll be checking the long list against this criteria

Criteria

  • pick 3 artists who have released a debut album in last 5 years or will likely release their debut in 2025
  • artists can be from anywhere in the world but will ideally be touring in UK in 2025
  • it’s ok to pick acts who by the end of 2025 may be playing Barrowlands, Brixton Academy or larger shows but currently playing GMVs
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Presented without comment

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SEEN
bdrmm - didn’t make much impression on record for me, but live was a great wall of hooky shoegaze noise
The Bug Club - obviously just the most fun guitar band of the moment. Think it’s impossible to see them without dancing and grinning until it hurts
Chalk - visceral and impressive support slot to SPRINTS last month. Big recommendation for any Gilla Band fans
High Fade - really really not for me. Very talented though
Lambrini Girls - firy and righteous
Lime Garden - the setting maybe didnt do them justice, but very into the album. Pine is one of my tracks of the year
Los Bitchos - always a dance party
Nia Archives - also always a dance party! Incredibly fun mixing between her own material and some brilliant crowd pleasing remixes
O Sees - im a recent convert but would happily see them as often as possible from now on
Press Club - why they arent as big as Amyl i really don’t know. Awesome indie punk with an all-time front woman, stoked for the new music
TTSSFU - some cool swirly dream pop gaze vibes. Fits into the current climate well
W.H. Lung - so good, pure good vibes and magnetic front man. Got tickets for next year and keen to see how they beef up the new album tracks. Way too small for their quality!

WANT TO SEE
Anna B Savage - like her music a good amount and bet she’s a strong performer. Sadly her next tour here clashes with WH Lung
corto.alto - award winning Scottish jazz? yes please, still haven’t listened to the album yet though
Dana Gavinski - disappointed i missed her tour this year. Album was a low key grower, weirdo hooks
Ditz - only heard great things, sounds like perfect dark post-punk energy
Ex-Easter Island Head - heard one song that was so hooky and addictive i was instantly hooked, had decided they were gonna be a lot weirder and harder to get into
Getdown Services - fun droll Pavement-y dance rock. I’ll catch them happily at a festival
Hamish Hawk - really have to see him finally, managed to completely sneak under my radar and blow up before I ever caught him. New album made it clear he’s well worth the growing audience
Man/Woman/Chainsaw - new EP was very strong, early BCNR being the easy touchstone. Think they’ll be fun in small clubs before they hit the big time
Wishy - easily one of my top 5 albums of the year, pure sugar rush 90s alt goodness. If they hadn;t have clashed with billy woods here i;d have been running to their gig. Already committed with a friend to seeing the next tour no matter what

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And so the list includes Ed Harcourt, Kathryn Williams, Orlando Weeks, Osees, Danny George Wilson, Tom McRae and as mentioned the Quireboys, who had a number two album in 1990. Not doing it down intentionally but there’s a lot of artists on there far younger than those that would get a “Chappell Roan, BBC?” reaction if on the shortlist, except DiS is supposed to know what it’s doing.

Also why are The Bug Club and WH Lung in twice?

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Absolutely love Osees getting on there just because John decided to change the name of the almost 30-year-old project again

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I’m friends with these guys so that’s nice

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ROIS is incredible live

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Aye, we’ve already discussed it at length.

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Pretty sure Quireboys (1984) were also known as Quireboys UK as there was another one already at work elsewhere. So, does this mean this one is Quireboys UK 2025?

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There’s a band called Afflecks Palace? My word. NOt even going to touch the erotic Pompeii one!

I’ve heard of very little here tbh, it seems the new music i hear doesn’t crossover with this stuff.

Oh, i tell a lie. Is that Fentanyl the hardcore band? They’re worth a listen - trebly snotty grotty punk. Well worth 15 minutes of anyone’s time. From denver but not a metal band.