Meet the Live and Unsigned final headline acts
in April 2009 Tinchy Stryder became the first artist ever to reach number one in the official UK singles chart with a song title featuring the phrase ‘number one’. A self-fulfilling prophecy personified? Well, he’s certainly living up to his Star In The Hood moniker.
Over the past six months, 23-year-old Tinchy has signed a recording deal with Island Records and has racked up three consecutive top three hits.
Visit the official Tinchy Stryder MySpace for more information.
Camden hip-hoppers N-Dubz have had eight Top 40 hits and a whole lotta controversy in their short history. Love them or loathe them, there's just something about them that keeps accumulating column inches and hit singles.
Visit the official N-Dubz website.
Post hardcore and emo rockers Funeral for a Friend formed in 2001 and have released five studio albums, from their 2003 debut Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation, which rode high in the UK Charts, to the band’s fifth release Welcome Home Armageddon! in 2011.
Roll Deep have generated household names far and wide with ex-members including Tinchy Stryder and Dizzee Rascal. Current members are at the forefront of the UK Urban scene and include Wiley and MCs such as Skepta and Flow Dan.
Visit the official Roll Deep website for more.
Three years after The Hoosiers first stormed the charts with their feelgood brand of fizzy pop, it’s still hard to know when to take the trio seriously. But don’t be fooled. Behind the dressing-up box and the on-stage props, the improbable back stories and the strange lyrics of huge hit singles such as Goodbye Mr A and Worried About Ray, The Hoosiers have always been a band whose primary aim is to push the boundaries of pop.
Visit the official Hoosiers website for more.
In the last two years, it’s impossible to think of another British band who have emerged with more infectious and distinctive rock songs than Kids In Glass Houses. Bursting out of South Wales’ hotbed of talent in early 2007, the charismatic quintet found a large and loyal fanbase almost instantly thanks to their huge songs, tireless worth ethic, charming demeanors and stylish aesthetic, and media support to match.
Fdot1 (or Flo as he is known to most) was born in Barbados but was raised between New York, Toronto, Manchester and Harare. He moved back to the UK a few years ago and has been residing in London ever since. Flo's cultural experiences heavily influence his style both musically and lyrically.
You will hear a mix of American, West Indian and UK accents in his flows and a fusion of Jamaican bashment, Bajan calypso and Zimbabwean rhumba on top of a foundation which is firmly rooted in Hip Hop. Fdot1’s style is truly unique.
Hatty Keane was born in Salford, greater Manchester. Singing from the time she could talk, everyone knew she was destined to be a success, but it wasn’t until at the age of eleven when she was given her first karaoke machine that Hatty’s love affair with music really began. She would sing at any opportunity and her natural talent and soulful voice began to shine through.
Singing in the car and performing for family and friends pushed Hatty forward and increased her confidence; always prepared for hard work and looking to improve her talents, she entered and won a school talent contest. In 2010, bolstered by her success, Hatty entered the Open Mic UK competition. Battling through Auditions, Regional Finals and Area Finals to the National Grand Final, Hatty won her age category, came second in the competition out of 9000 acts, built an extensive fan base and played in front of a 2000-strong crowd at the O2 in London.
Wowing judges including Radio 1’s Ras Kwame, Mobo Award-winning Shola Ama and BGM’s Michael King was just the beginning for the teenage sensation. Hatty’s success in Open Mic UK led to her being offered a management and development contract by Future Music and BGM Music. Hatty has been working hard ever since to perfect her music, heading toward her first single release in late 2011.
Taking the line between the compulsive anthems of Jimmy Eat World, the fizzing fervour of The Wombats, the driving power pop-punk of You Me At Six and the smart, syncopated indie-rock of the last few years, the band are a fresh reminder of the British talent out there.
Paradise Point are about as new as it gets having played their first show at the end of 2010 with only a handful of tunes to their name but they instantly exude style and attitude. Aged just 18, they’re full of drive and excitement, determined to return credibility to pop music.
Their instruments are live and their voices are loud, they offer much needed fun, glamour and mystery to a resurgent UK pop scene that is providing an antidote to the X Factor-culture inflicted on the singles chart by Simon Cowell. The most memorable pop of the 80s and 90s was played live by musicians and these four fresh Brits want to fly the flag for the rest of their teen generation who want to make their own music, not somebody else’s.
“65% of Gen Z identify as creators, and 8% consider themselves 'Professional Fans' - earning money from their fan activities”: How self-releasing artists can build a dedicated audience in the 2020s
“More music is being released today (in a single day) than was released in the calendar year of 1989”: How the music production industry has taken note of the huge number of self-releasing artists
