Ones To Watch 2021

BEN MONTEITH

FROM - Glasgow
PLAYING TUT'S - Saturday 3rd April 2020
FOR FANS OF - Emeli Sande, Lewis Capaldi, Newton Faulkner

Ben Monteith’s music is honest and heartfelt. He writes from his own pain and life experience. From trauma to joy you feel it in his voice. Music is a gift, a beautiful experience that he wishes to share with as many people across the world as possible. The songwriter’s journey has been an unorthodox one, from him singing in the street to provide for his family to touring with Emeli Sandé. Whether he’s singing to a crowd in the street or three thousand at the London Apollo he gives it everything! And it shows by the audience’s reaction. Whether it’s live or a studio recording he makes a real connection with the listeners

PIP MILLETT

FROM - Manchester/London
PLAYING TUT'S -  Tuesday 13th April 2021
FOR FANS OF - Jorja Smith, Joesef, Sam Smith

Manchester-born neo-soul singer/songwriter Pip Millett delivers smooth, laid-back R&B with a confessional, bittersweet edge, as on her 2018 debut solo single, "Make Me Cry," a lyrically biting rumination on her battle with anxiety, and her 2020 EP Lost in June, a study of the part our families play in shaping our character.

"essential late night listening" - Fader

ALFIE TEMPLEMAN

FROM - Bedfordshire
PLAYING TUT'S - Monday 26th April 2021
FOR FANS OF - Vistas, Dayglow, Declan McKenna

Singer/songwriter Alfie Templeman taps into youthful sincerity while displaying talent and songwriting ability beyond his years.Born in 2003 to a musical family in Bedfordshire — his father was an avid collector of guitars and his older sister played piano — it wasn't long before Templeman was leaning into music. He started with drum lessons at age seven but gravitated towards guitar, teaching himself how to use recording software by the time he was 13. Initially he recorded only instrumentals, but his mother persuaded him to take singing lessons, opening him up to writing full compositions. Two years on, in 2018, he had already put together his debut EP, Like an Animal, which saw release via Chess Club; Templeman was 15 years old at the time. Two further EPs, Sunday Morning Cereal and Don't Go Wasting My Time arrived the following year and included the track "Tragic Love." 2020 was met with the release of EP Happiness in Liquid Form along with singles "Forever Isn't Long Enough" and "Shady"

THE HARA

FROM - Manchester
PLAYING TUT'S - Friday 14th May 2021
FOR FANS OF - The 1975, Royal Blood, The Hunna

Grit, energy and a perceptive exploration of the chaos that surrounds them has fuelled the recent anthemic releases from The Hara. The genre-defying trio’s new EP, Play Dead is no exception. Music written for a live audience and festival stages is at the core of the EP’s soundscape, with five tracks that will inspire moshpit carnage in any crowd. Play Dead contains previously released and chart hitting singles "Animals", "Circus" and "Off the Edge" with two brand new fierce rock anthems, "Bite Down" and "Until It Happens", the latter co-written with You Me At Six’s Max Heyler. Their stage presence is likened to that of legendary greats Queen, AC/DC and Guns N Roses with an amped up sound taking influences from popular artists such as Bring Me the Horizon, Royal Blood and Yungblud which combines Josh’s stunning vocals, Zack’s gritty riffs with Jack’s punchy drum beats to define The Hara

THE CROOKS

FROM - Chesterfield
PLAYING TUT'S - Saturday 15th May 2021
FOR FANS OF - Oasis, Stereophonics, Ocean Colour Scene

A five piece, indie rock ‘n’ roll band hailing from the town of Chesterfield, England. Jack Knight, Chris Stones, Duncan Couch, Conor Fletcher and Jonathan Keeler deliver a huge melodic, anthemic wall of sound that will stay with you in your heart and mind forever. With a plethora of singles being released last year, most recently a track called "Silhouette Sunshine." The follow up single "She Walks Alone" was released in January 2020. Over 26,000 streams within a week on Spotify alone  is an amazing achievement for a band only 9 months old. The track was picked as This Feeling's track of the week and played by Radio X DJ Gordon Smart

GRACIE ABRAMS

FROM - Los Angeles
PLAYING TUT'S - Monday 17th May 2021
FOR FANS OF - Lorde, Emily Burns, Chelsea Cutler

Specializing in a stylized, moody modern pop -- a subtly shifting sound partially indebted to Lorde -- singer/songwriter Gracie Abrams cultivated an online following through a steady series of single releases appearing toward the end of the 2010s. The daughter of movie director J.J. Abrams, Gracie Abrams was born on September 7, 1999. Abrams began playing music when she was eight, starting with drums. Eventually, she picked up guitar, ukulele, and piano. As she entered her adolescence, Abrams built a following through social media, her fan base leading to connections within the industry who were attracted to her early songs "In-Between," "Deep Red," and "And She Will Miss You." After graduating high school in 2018, she enrolled in Barnard College with the intention of majoring in international relations. She maintained her musical career, releasing an EP around the same time. Abrams began releasing singles on Interscope in 2019, beginning with "Mean It"; "Stay" appeared before the end of the calendar year. In 2020, she issued "21," "I Miss You, I'm Sorry," and "Long Sleeves."

KAWALA

FROM - North London
PLAYING TUT'S - Sunday 23rd May 2021
FOR FANS OF - Lewis Capaldi, Dodie, Mumford & Sons

North London’s history of producing era-defining artists is one that can lay claim to some of the UK’s brightest talents, from Madness to Amy Winehouse, Adele to Wolf Alice. Now, KAWALA – one of the country’s most promising new bands – are the latest to put themselves forward for inclusion in that lineage. After breaks on platforms such as Mahogany Sessions as an acoustic indie-folk act, they quickly moved back to London with the aim of expanding their sound. Now backed by a full band of Ben (drums), Reeve (bass) and Dan Lee (electric guitar), KAWALA have started making waves in the live scene, finding inspiration from a range of musical styles. The sound has developed through the use of afrobeat-esque drums, atmospheric electric hooks and strong rhythmic bass, yet still maintaining the focus on the core indie-folk two part vocal and acoustic

HOLLY HUMBERSTONE

FROM - Grantham
PLAYING TUT'S - Tuesday 1st June 2021
FOR FANS OF - Declan J Donovan, Matilda Mann, The Aces

At just 20 years old Holly Humberstone has already gripped audiences across the globe in less than a year’s time, signaling her emergence as one of music’s biggest breakthrough artists and an important voice for her generation. Blending her dark and moody signature sound with unwaveringly honest lyrics, Holly’s music possesses a universal relatability. Her songs embrace and translate some of life’s most intense feelings in a way that typical conversations all too often fail to capture, from coming to terms with her sisters’ mental health struggles, to the perpetual cycle of loss and moving on, to the dizzying feelings of falling for someone for the first time and even the impending doom of failed driving tests

DAYTIME TV

FROM - Glasgow/London
PLAYING TUT'S - Wednesday 9th June 2021 + Thursday 10th June 2021
FOR FANS OF - Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon, The Amazons

Born out of the turbulence of 2020, Daytime TV consists of members Will Irvine, Chris Clark, Gareth Thompson & John Caddick. Having recorded their forthcoming debut album with Grammy nominated producer Romesh Dodangoda, the group’s already sizeable fanbase waits impatiently for the first releases from this exciting new band

LADY BIRD

FROM - Tunbridge Wells
PLAYING TUT'S - Monday 20th September 2021
FOR FANS OF - Rat Boy, Slaves, The Streets

Formed in the archetypal English town of Tunbridge Wells, Lady Bird’s shared desire to spread lofty ideas has led to them creating some of the most exciting music to come out of anywhere in the country. While punk can sometimes be seen as a reductive term, Lady Bird hark back to its deeper meaning, exemplifying an attitude of rebellion, freedom and bold ideas. Lady Bird’s sound manages to be both literary and ultra-aggressive. Joe and Alex lay down a frame work of stripped back rock, heavy and pulverising, but never losing its sense of melody. Over this Don plays the role of narrator, spinning suburban yarns as metaphors for the trials of 21st century life and the desire for personal and spiritual growth. His distinctively English tones are reminiscent of Mike Skinner - telling tales of a Kentish Wetherspoons rather than London clubs - all the while a stripped down Black Flag thrashing away behind