Fuse fearsome dedication with diversely talented musicians, a mind-boggling work-ethic and a positive mission, and you’re facing an unstoppable force. Welcome to Alice Sweet Alice (ASA), a Kansas City alt rock hybrid, whose tasty tunes, stylistic diversity and passionate live show are paying dividends with a hard-to-ignore street buzz. Alice Sweet Alice plays genre-bending music that resists description, classification or categorization – yet sounds intimately familiar. There are definite rock overtones sometimes paired with electronica, jazz, blues and post punk that ignite the senses with progressive composition and meaningful lyrics. ASA has shared the stage with such notable acts as Icon For Hire, Collective Soul, Adrenaline Mob, Chuck Mosley (Faith No More), Blameshift, Mushroomhead, Hurt, Taproot, Psychostick, Nothing More, Shaman’s Harvest, Pezband, Primer 55, Another Lost Year, and many others.

Ortwin Wendt is the driving force behind the passionate, fun, and genre-free project that is United Duality. Based in Celle, Germany, Wendt leads with skilful guitar work and strength of songwriting. In addition though, he fills out every single with layers of instrumentation and colour – often self-crafted, often through collaborations with other vocalists and musicians; always to beautifully engaging and uplifting results. Despite a notably varied string of influences, United Duality makes music with clear links to and inspiration from the likes of The Beatles and other pop-rock creatives of the sixties and seventies. You can hear this approach across releases, even among such strong eclecticism – from the experimental rock soundscape of Purple Heron to the collaborative folk delicacy of See-Saw, there’s something enjoyably familiar about the United Duality sound; an admirable sense of identity runs throughout everything. In recent years, several original releases have made the airwaves of numerous independent radio stations. The unmistakable and historically rooted ‘Sexy Sadie Passed Away’ even made it to number one towards the end of 2018, over on ‘B.I.G. Indie Giant, South Africa’. Being naturally connected to this art form, and having already released an impressive level of new songs, Ortwin Wendt and his creative muse show no signs of slowing down. A full-length album is expected in the near future – 13 original songs under the title ‘Enlightening Snapshots’. The project will take listeners on a journey through varied genres and life experiences, entertaining them yet also closing the gap between artist and audience – letting you build that understanding and connection that we so often turn to music for.

Crouton Cannon’s alternative funk pop seeks to smash off the melancholy veneer of contemporary music. Intricate vocal harmonies tell thinly veiled stories of losing a near-complete coffee loyalty card, hatred of Hawaiian pizza, and the implications of data privacy, driven by the retro rhythm section of drums, bass, guitar and electric piano. Bandleader Alex Marshall, bored of his tedious study of reptile skulls, brought together the London quintet to craft a sound influenced by Vulfpeck, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Louis Cole. The band features Louise O’Connor (lead vocals), Daniel Marks (electric piano), Jonny Cheung (bass) and Ben Swan (drums). Recorded on a converted lightship moored in East London, the band stewed up their driving grooves with David Holmes, who has worked with the likes of Maisha, Nerijia and Saint Agnes. Crouton Cannon’s debut single ‘Credit’, described as “jazzy”, “ace” and “highly listenable” by close friends and Alex’s mum, is an exuberant, funk-fuelled track in a string of releases in 2019/20.