I’m not talking about One Direction, or any other bands or singers to come out of X Factor and ‘break America’. No, I’m talking about home-grown talent who are the real reasons you should be proud to be British in 2014.
The British rock scene has grown immensely over the last few years, and despite losing Kids in Glass Houses and Canterbury this year (two bands that will be sorely missed), it just keeps getting stronger. Royal Blood were one of the highlights of this year’s festival season, having had massive success with their singles ‘Come on Over’ and ‘Little Monster’ before the release of their debut album in August. And it’s not just the new bands, the likes of Mallory Knox, Lower than Atlantis and Twin Atlantic are reaching new heights with their 2014 releases, all having had increased support from BBC Radio 1 in the past year, which has, of course, had a hand in boosting their profile. The movement of the Radio 1 Rock Show to a primetime spot on Sunday evenings shows how the popularity of the genre is growing, and you should get involved if you aren’t already. Don’t be fooled by industry idiots telling us rock is dead, it certainly isn’t.
This year has also been the year of the female solo singers. From the likes of Jess Glynne, Ella Eyre (with the amazing hair (I like rhymes)) and Foxes, to Nina Nesbitt, Rae Morris and Gabrielle Aplin, the girls are smashing it this year. The first three being at the forefront of the pop/dance scene, with collaborations with Clean Bandit, Rudimental and Zedd bringing them and their talents into the mainstream limelight. They’ve all since released solo stuff which further showcases their fabulous voices. The other three girls have a more chilled, acoustic vibe and are also on top of their game. Getting stressed with uni work and need to chill out? Listen to these artists and bask in the girl power.
Obviously this is the tip of the iceberg of musical talent in this country, but supporting British music is important in 2014, with the problematic music industry meaning fantastic bands like Deaf Havana (another staple in the British rock scene) have had to cancel European tours because of lack of funds. So let’s fly the flag of British music, ‘cause it’s pretty great.
Image Sources
http://royalbloodband.com/photos/gallery-one/4
http://www.mtv.co.uk/ella-eyre/news/guilty-pleasures-ella-eyre
Edited by Amelia Bauer-Madden