Future festival headliners. 22 essential and exciting new artists to look out for in 2022 as we hold on to the fervent return of live music.
Last year’s fast rising list featured the likes of Holly Humberstone, Fred Again.., Biig Piig, Lola Young, Baby Queen, Sfven, Tamzene and Greentea Peng.
This year’s red hot list includes 22 new names ready to explode onto the festival circuit. Scroll down to follow ‘The MFN 22’ playlist on Spotify!
Talk Show
FFO: The 1975, Royal Blood, IDLES, Fontaines D.C., Shame
Best track: Stress
Charismatic front-man Harrison Swann has all the qualities of a future festival headliner. Blurring the lines between punk and alt-rock, the new wave 4-piece are at the forefront of London’s bubbling guitar scene. There’s no band going harder than Talk Show right now.
Wet Leg
FFO: Haim, Wolf Alice, Best Coast, Parquet Courts, The Veronicas
Best track: Chaise Lounge
The present and future look fascinating for Wet Leg – a band whose art-form is deeply intertwined with tongue-in-cheek millennial references and provocative femme energy. If the Wet Leg hysteria hasn’t hit you yet, it will do soon. All day long!
TV Priest
FFO: shame, Fontaines D.C., Royal Blood
Best track: Press Gang
London based 4-piece TV Priest have a big post-punk sound ready to fill festival arenas. Comparisons to IDLES are easily drawn, but TV Priest aren’t taking it all too seriously.
Yard Act
FFO: Interpol, Sleaford Mods, Fat White Family, shame
Best track: Fixer Upper
Coach Party
FFO: Wolf Alice, Black Honey, The Ting Tings, girl in red
Best track: FLAG (Feel Like A Girl)
Coach Party bring the girl energy that’s been missing from festival line ups.
Bleach Lab
FFO: Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Mazzy Star, Big Thief, Warpaint
Best track: Talk It Out
Bleach Lab are a band that sound like they’ve been around forever. Dream pop in the purest sense. Bleach Lab have carved out their own sedative soundscape in the tear-jerking corner of melancholic indie. As far as early EPs go, ‘Nothing Feels Real’ is a truly special standout.
The Mysterines
FFO: Pale Waves, Black Honey
Best track: Hung Up
Explosive indie emo pop pushing the mantra that success is the best revenge. Barely out of their teens, Liverpool band The Mysterines completely sold out both their 2020 and 2021 headline tours, as well as headlining the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds
Sad Night Dynamite
FFO: Frank Ocean, Odd Future, Steve Lacey, BROCKHAMPTON
Best track: Psychedelic Views (feat. IDK)
Dark anti-pop with swagger. Demon-obsessed duo Sad Night Dynamite have a coolness that almost makes them feel inaccessible. With a strong cult following, 2022 will be the year to catch SND.
Molly Payton
FFO: Joni Mitchell
Best track: While You’re Driving
20-year-old New Zealand born and London based singer Molly Payton has a sound that’s way beyond her years. With nods to Sharon Van Etten and Jeff Buckley, Molly is a true rockstar. During her performance her coyness makes her all the more endearing as she pours emotion into every song. Starting out as a singer/songwriter, Molly’s sound is ever-expanding and she now writes with her band in mind. ‘While We’re Driving’, the last track on her introspective mini-album ‘Slack’, is a shimmering taste of what’s to come next.
Pip Blom
FFO: Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy
Best track: It Should Have Been Fun
Soft indie rock with a breezy summer vibe. Amsterdam-based Pip Blom quickly grew from small pubs to the European festival circuit. New album ‘Welcome Break’, released via Heavenly Recordings last October, is a pretty perfect record that shows Blom’s penchant for storytelling.
NewDad
FFO: Daughter, Agnes Obel
Best track: I Don’t Recognise You
From the West Coast of Ireland, Julie Dawson’s dreamy vocal pulls you into her sombre world where there’s no sugarcoating the truth. NewDad is the perfect indie soundtrack for a hazy festival afternoon.
Etta Marcus
FFO: Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Beach House, Jeff Buckley
Best track: Provider
South London singer songwriter Etta Marcus holds remarkable emotion in her rich, bluesy voice. Her haunting yet romantic melodies offer a personal and intimate experience.
Kid Apollo
FFO: Rex Orange County, Loyle Carner, Dijon
Best track: let go of things i said.
It’s early days for Brixton trio Kid Apollo, consisting of singer and producer Jimmy HM and twin brothers (and producers) Felix and Theo Ratigan. Dreamy lo-fi R&B flows through the band’s debut EP ‘all i think about’.
Lees
FFO: Phoebe Bridgers, Laura Marling, Jessie Ware
Best track: Night Wars
South West Londoner Lees will get you through your next break-up and emotional breakthrough.
VC Pines
FFO: Chet Faker / Nick Murphy, Leon Bridges
Best track: See You Soon
Barry Can’t Swim
FFO: DJ Seinfeld, Four Tet, TSHA, Jacques Greene, Laurence Guy
Best track: Jazz Club After Hours
Barry Can’t Swim but he can make tunes.
Miso Extra
FFO: Grimes, SHYGIRL, Sega Bodega, Sassy 009, Yaeji
Best track: Adventures of Tricky N Duke
Music and food are both love languages and Miso Extra has expertly combined the two. Her music explores themes surrounding femininity, female empowerment and being of mixed heritage.
Issey Cross
FFO: Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Tate McRae
Best track: Funfair
Fierce alt-pop driven by a soft voice.
Chilli Jesson
FFO: The Vaccines, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian
Best track: St. Vitamin
Years on from the dissolution of Palma Violets, bassist Chilli Jesson is back with his solo project. Early shows around the Capital include supporting Black Honey at sold out Heaven. Single ‘St. Vitamin’ is a delicious first taste of where Chilli is going next.
Boyish
FFO: Sky Ferreira, beabadoobee, Snail Mail
Best track: Superstar, Your Best Friend
In 2021, Brooklyn-based indie queer duo Boyish released ‘We’re all gonna die, but here’s my contribution’ – a beautiful collection of sad songs about relationships, friendships and impending doom.
Low Hummer
FFO: Wolf Alice, Amyl & the Sniffers
Best track: Never Enough
Another exciting new band on the UK’s bubbling alt-rock scene. Low Hummer are 6 ‘skint Northerners’ from Hull. Low Hummer’s no thrills punk tells stories from a town left behind.
Lime Garden
FFO: The Big Moon, St. Vincent, Dream Wife
Best track: Sick & Tired
