It seems like just yesterday I was writing about the "BBC Sound of 2014" list and if that list is anything to go by then I have no doubts that we'll be seeing each and every one of the contenders on this list in the coming years.

This is the first longlist in years where I haven't actually listened to at least half of the artists so I wanted to use this as a time to do some research and give my opinion on them as soon as they come to mind.

AJ TRACEY
I was not ready for this! Before searching him on YouTube I was sure that I was going to see a female rapper/singer and so when "Buster Cannon" was the first thing to pop up I was pretty surprised. The song is definitely a banger, the video's very creative and I appreciate the Dragonball Z reference - in short, in less than 4 minutes, AJ Tracey has secured a new fan.

ANDERSON .PAAK A personal favourite of mine. I've had eyes on Anderson for a while and so it's very nice to see him finally coming into the limelight especially over here on British shores. He's definitely a unique and noticeable voice in a genre that's becoming rapidly more saturated. Be it on features, solo material, production or even as part of NxWorries, Paak stands apart. I expect big things...

CABBAGE
I've been seeing this band everywhere over the past few months, they've obviously been extremely busy. The more and more I saw them, I kept telling myself to check them out; to see what they're about, but we all know about procrastination. I guess there's no time like the present. After the first listen I can imagine they'd be great to see live - I haven't heard a band so brazen and British since maybe Palma Violets and this might be a level up...




DAVE
Like most, I'd only heard of Dave because Drake went ahead and remixed his hit song "Wanna Know" and of late I have to say I've been very disappointed with Drake's efforts but I at least have to applaud him for drawing attention to some lesser known names through his own music. Dave is great for now but I'd be interested to see if he has the longevity to still be around and relevant 3 years from now.




DECLAN MCKENNA
I'm actually pretty ashamed that I'm only hearing about Declan through BBC - very poor on my part. After listening to "Isombard", I feel like this might be some of my favourite indie music to come out of the UK in the past couple years. I'm almost as excited as I was when I discovered Jamie T. As well as Declan sounding familiar, he doesn't sound copy-cat or too generic.

Up until this year, I'd been consistently and very unfortunately, missing my chance to see Bring Me The Horizon live. Now I've seen them twice and they just get better and better each time! It's crazy to think that up until three years ago I hated this band. I've not once seen an artist turn around my opinion so fast and with just one album. If you don't already listen to them, see exhibit A and exhibit B - thank me later.

First things first the support. Basement are another band I've loved listening to this year. I recently stumbled upon their new album on Spotify and couldn't get enough, so when I saw them on the bill I was buzzing. On stage they sounded great, and it was amazing to hear the songs I've been listening to so much, live. However, they didn't play like they were playing in an arena. Some bands are made for smaller venues and I get that, but they were put on the tour for a reason and I definitely expected more of a show from them. They have songs that could fill an arena! Especially after seeing them tear it up at Reading Festival earlier this year, I have to say I was a tiny bit disappointed. All in all though, good set - I see big things to come for these guys.

Next up, one of my long time favourites - Don Broco. Well it's no secret that I love this band. Their debut album Priorities even made it to number two on my "Top Albums of 2012" list. However, my interest has dwindled a little bit since their second record came out last year and even after seeing them live here, it's not been able to improve my opinion of the new album. The performance was great, super engaging and really fun, but all in all, the newer material just didn't compare to the older songs and this "newer" show didn't seem to compare to any of the other times I've seen them live. I definitely enjoyed myself as always, but there was something missing for me this time around. I wonder what they'll put out next.

BRING. ME. THE. HORIZON. My oh my - what a band! I have nothing but praise for the performance they put on, the album they've recently put out and the progress they've made over the years. After making their latest album That's The Spirit my number one for "Top Albums of 2015"; again you can assume that I was over the moon to be seeing them live. Opening up with "Happy Song" had the crowd's feet off the ground immediately, heads banging, hair swinging, mouths wide open shouting "S-P-I-R-I-T!" and they just went from song to song taking the audience on an emotional journey. Every person in that arena was having their own individual experience but at the same time we definitely felt together. I came to that show alone and still felt a part of something - that's what a good show does! As well as the set list contributing to the spectacle, the visuals were breathtaking. From beginning to end, the stage set up, lights and visuals had me stumped. This was my first live show since being back in the UK and I wouldn't have it any other way.  This wasn't a show that anyone in attendance would forget anytime soon.

Overall rating - 9/10


Here are some pictures from the show...

For those of you who have been reading for a while, you might have noticed that I haven't posted much this year. At first it was because I spent the past year interning and traveling and so couldn't dedicate a good amount of time to it. However, I've been back now for over a month and have just been waiting for inspiration to strike. Writing and rewriting drafts, deleting, questioning, drafting some more. The only thing that I really kept going was the blog's Instagram page. But finally, after some much needed music talk with some friends - Bonobo came to the rescue with this gem he released on Thursday.

BONOBO - Kerala