The best new up-and-coming bands in 2024

There are few better things than discovering a new band before they blow up, you can act the trendsetter to your pals, and also just get to listen to how bands up and down the country are reinventing the sounds we know and love, and some that are doing some so completely original that your ears won't know what to do with it.

However, we know that such endeavours to discover new music can not only take time but be a bit of a slog. So with that in mind, we've got a few Skiddle heads together to create a list of the best new UK bands for 2024 so you can get ahead of the curve. Plus, there are even tickets to a few of them live on Skiddle, which you can secure and truly see what all the fuss is about. 
 

So without further ado, here are the best up-and-coming bands 2024 has to offer, scroll down and check them out!

 

 

Maruja

From obscured beginnings, Manchesters Maruja are becoming a fervent force on the UK live scene, and with the release of their EP ‘Knocknarea’ this year, they began to transport the visceral intensity of those live shows into the earphones of people worldwide.

Gritty and Grungy, fused with a Jazzy backbone, lyrics that echo myriad aspects of our culture, and a constant desire to improvise and experiment; Maruja are probably the most interesting and unique band on the circuit, and simply have to be seen live. 

With a tour, and (hopefully) more music on the way, we can’t wait for Maruja to drench us sonically in their evocative, all-consuming, compositions; and we reckon all such desires will be delivered to us in 2024. Grab tickets to see what they're all about below!

 

Tickets for Maruja at The White Hotel

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Tickets for Maruja at Hare and Hounds

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Heartworms

Heartworms, the brainchild of musician and poet Jojo Orme, is quite rapidly becoming one of the most talked about bands on the underground circuit, from fans and tastemakers alike. 

Their defiant, gothic brand of post-punk, delivered with an electronic undercurrent, is a fresh approach to a well-trodden sound, so much so that the cult producer, Dan Carey, of Speedy Wunderground signed the band, and has produced all their music since.

With an excellent EP in ‘A Comforting Notion’ and an even better single in ‘May I Comply’ released this year, we reckon that next year will be the year of the Heartworms; we just can’t wait to see what they do. Heartworms will be at Manchester Psych Festival in 2024, grab tickets below!

 

Tickets for Heartworms at Manchester Psych Festival

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O.

O., another graduate of Dan Careys Speedy Wunderground Academy, are a unique outfit to say the least. Hard to define, harder to clone, but oh so easy to move along to, the London-based Sax-Drums duo are a musical force that proves the anti-pop is still more than alive and kicking. 

Joseph Henwood's baritone saxophone attacks you from all sides, a boisterous beset that forces your body to move; whilst Tash Keary’s stickwork provides the wall of sound needed to defend such a bombardment. 

These groove-laden onslaughts are presented in full force on this year's EP Slice, and with a tour and the potential for more music in 2024, O.’s year looks set to truly introduce them to the masses, and secure a spot as one of the best up-and-coming bands 2024 has to offer. Grab tickets to see O.'s electric live show below!

 

Tickets for O. at YES Basement

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Tickets for O. at Hare and Hounds

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Mary In The Junkyard

The latest band to come out of the illustrious gig circuit of Brixton’s Windmill; Mary In The Junkyard (despite having only one single out) have, through a wicked reputation on stage, already got themselves on the tip of everyone's tongue. 

Whilst it is only one single, what an absolute cracker it is. ‘Tuesday’, released in October this year, is a track that stews in the murky waters of alienation, with a bubbling want to experience something different, something chaotic, something real. 

From the airy croons of Clari Freeman-Taylor, to purposefully aimless riffs of Saya Barbaglia, to the subtle syncopation of David Addison; ‘Tuesday’ is an insanely impressive debut, and we just can't wait to see how Mary In The Junkyard builds upon it in the New Year.   

 

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Chalk

The latest in a long line of excellent Irish exports, this time from the streets of Belfast, Chalk are a band that have already been dubbed “the most exciting Northern Irish guitar band in years” by BBC Introducing.

Formed after meeting in Film School, such cinematic tendencies pull right through into the music they make. Spacy, distorted guitars and synth and a raw, frenzied vocal delivery come together to make a dark atmosphere, but one - given the band’s other love for the Belfast dance scene - that is much closer to a dark industrial rave than any midnight vista.  

After their explosive EP Conditions, released earlier in the year, we’re sure they'll be one of the best new UK bands for 2024, and it will be the year that Chalk become a band that everyone is clawing at the chance to see live. You can be one of those people by grabbing tickets to see them below!

 

Tickets for Chalk at SOUP

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Tickets for Chalk at Hare and Hounds

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Fat Dog

Another export of the electric South London scene, Fat Dog are a band that you’ll hear much earlier than you see them coming. Chaos of the best kind ensues whenever they step on stage, with their boisterous blend of dance, punk, and klezmer making them a band that refuses to be pigeon-holed.

Such idiosyncrasy has caught the attention of industry heavyweights Domino, who picked up their recent debut single ‘King of the Slugs’. The track, despite being their only release, tells you everything you need to know. Equal parts Rave and Punk, it revels in being a bit silly and echoes parts of Warmduscher; it’s an absolute banger.

Fat Dog have to be seen live if you can in 2024, and we can’t wait to hear whatever it is they release next. Fat Dog will be at Manchester Psych Festival next year, grab the tickets below!

 

Tickets for Fat Dog at Manchester Psych Festival

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Picture Parlour

Meteoric rises don’t come much brighter than Manchester-formed rockers Picture Parlour. Having only got together in the back end of 2022, word-of-mouth buzz from live shows and two wicked singles later, the industry is in a veritable buzz around Picture Parlour, and 2024 looks set to be the year they truly take off. 

Fronted by Katherine Parlour, whose snarling croon could be recognised from a mile away, the band have already got on the cover of NME, and their debut single ‘Norwegian Wood’ was shared by none other than Courtney Love, as she praised their “songs and swagger.”

The hype around Picture Parlour is real, and should most definitely be believed. For a band so early in their tenure to be at this point, makes it all the more exciting to see what they have in store for us, and why they deserve to be on any list of the new bands 2024 has to offer.

 

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BIG SPECIAL

True realism and reflections of society through music rarely come from anything but punk, and continuing such a trend is the Midlands duo BIG SPECIAL. Joe Hickin (vocals) and Callum Mooney (drums), may have known each other since college, but they have only now decided to venture into music together.

With a brand of poetic lyricism, spoken word in delivery and barbed in tone, atop a mix of rock and punk beats; their energy is palpable and their music gritty and a regrettably relatable indictment of the country we live in. All of which can be heard on their debut EP TREES which was only released in December.

With a string of sold-out shows, and widespread support, we want to hear BIG SPECIAL shout about shitty jobs, greasy spoons, and politics for as long as possible; something we’re sure the band will deliver in abundance in 2024. 

 

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bby

Eclectic, vibrant, and oh so much fun, East-Londons bby are an alt-indie band of the purest sense that revel in the bright lights of the party.  The crux of bby, and their sensational musical output, is their East London HQ, a place where they hang out, mess around with their instruments, and let their creativity hold no bounds. A place where we’re sure they will be continuing to push their sound in the New Year.

From their flirty and fun debut single ‘Hot-line’ which rocketed them into the spotlight, to the follow-up singles - ‘money body’, ‘gold teeth & fenty’, and ‘u come near’ - which have only added fuel to the fire, bby are a band showing no signs of slowing down.

Catch them wherever you can in 2024, as we’ve heard the live shows are as full of smiles and dancing as their tunes suggest. 

 

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Nightbus

Nightbus, a Northern indie trio based in Manchester, create eerie electronic indie which conjures up feelings of neon-soaked walks through the city at night. With echoes of both New Order and Joy Division, but with a distinct sound of their own, we reckon this is only the beginning for Nightbus.

With three singles already released, and one more on the way, the band say collectively these tracks are like chapters of a short story; linked together by the theme of the late-night dancefloor.

Already signed to So Young Records, if the quality of music continues in the manner it already has done, the time given in 2024 will mould them into a musical force to be reckoned with, and one of the best new bands 2024 has to offer. See Nightbus at YES in Manchesters Mood Swing night below!

 

Tickets for Nightbus at Mood Swings: Top Drawer for 2024 at YES

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.