1 Will Joseph Cook
Inspired by guitar groups such as MGMT and Vampire Weekend, Cook honed his skills on YouTube as an acoustic performer. Now the 19-year-old’s quirky indie pop songs double up as a diary for his adolescence: bad dates, dysfunctional internet friends and all-round existential panic.
Canterbury, 30 April; Glasgow, 2 May, Newcastle upon Tyne, 3 May; Manchester, 4 May; Birmingham, 5 May; touring to 12 May
2 J Hus
Heralded as one of the UK’s most exciting new MCs, J Hus’s breakout track Dem Boy Paigon was omnipresent during the summer of 2015, scoring every house party, carnival and inner-city traffic jam. A pioneer of the now globally celebrated Afrobeats explosion, his music is a collision of African beats and rhythms, UK rap, dancehall and grime.
Newcastle upon Tyne, 1 May; Liverpool, 3 May; Manchester, 4 May; Nottingham, 5 May; touring to 14 May
3 Blondie
How to keep a long-term relationship alive? Forty years into their career and Blondie, like frisky swingers seeking new thrills, have welcomed a raft of fresh blood into their inner circle: Johnny Marr, Charli XCX, Dev Hynes and Sia all make appearances of sorts on their 11th album, Pollinator.
Roundhouse, NW1, 3 May
4 HMLTD
Anyone concerned with the absence of theatrics in rock’n’roll should pop their head into a HMLTD show, and emerge possibly covered in spit, glitter and God knows what else. Aesthetically borrowing from the Blitz kids, they musically hijack glam rock, noise, dubstep thwomps and even proto-reggae.
Leeds, 29 April; Salford, 30 April; London, 3 May; Bristol, 5 May; touring to 6 May
5 The Magic Gang
Fans of the Kinks’s sunny melodies, powerpop’s savvy hooks and the shabby romance of Mac DeMarco should gravitate towards this buzzy Brighton quartet, who have toured with Wolf Alice and Swim Deep.
Leeds, 29 April; Sheffield, 1 May; Manchester, 2 May; Stoke, 3 May; Leicester, 4 May; Birmingham, 5 May; touring to 27 May
