The ones to watch

So who are the next Next Big Things? No-one knows for sure – but the artists featured on these pages have put in those long pre-release hours and are looking like this could be their breakthrough year. From Paisley to Caithness, playing everything from hip-hop to grunge-pop and earning praise from the likes of Edwyn Collins and Liz Lochhead, these 12 acts are making some of the best music in Scotland right now. Don’t be surprised if you hear a lot more about them over festival season.

Tuff Love

Describing themselves as "melancholy guitar pop", Tuff Love are fronted by Glasgow duo Suze Bear (bass/vocals) and Julie Eisenstein (guitar/vocals). Their introspective lyrics contrast wonderfully with “aggressively melodic” guitars, and they’ve been getting noticed for it. Their early EPs were released to high praise from the likes of Vic Galloway and Lauren Laverne, and debut album Resort launched in early February at Stereo. They’re just finishing a full UK tour supporting Chastity Belt and will be playing alongside Primal Scream and The Charlatans at this year’s Electric Fields.

Influences: “Guitar bands making pop music are what I liked growing up,” says Suze Bear, who in her youth was “obsessed” with 1990s alt-rockers Ash: “I have every single on CD.” Broader influences range from American punk groups such as The Descendants and NOFX to the famously slick pop production of ABBA.

Career highlight: “Getting our music pressed onto vinyl has been a mega highlight,” says Bear. As a close second, playing at a certain Glasgow east end venue: “I never thought we’d be the sort of band that would be able to play the Barrowlands," she adds, "but we managed somehow.”

Strangest gig story: Perhaps bad news for a band about to embark on a European tour: “This strange thing happens every time we go on tour," says Bear. "I get really ill, either during the tour or after. It’s some sort of weird tour curse.”

Hopes for the future: “I think we’re all looking forward to touring in Europe in March and April, we’re going to Germany and Switzerland and it seems really nice to play over there.” In addition to their launch tour, Bear and Eisenstein are branching out beyond Tuff Love, and collaborating with composer Kim Moore on a theatre project: “We’re the live band for this one-woman monologue which is really fun,” says Bear.

Neon Waltz

John O’Groats is not typically considered to be a hotbed of indie rock, but the UK’s northernmost settlement has produced an absolute gem in Neon Waltz. In the summer of 2015, the six-piece band made the 250-mile trek south to Strathallan castle for a spot on T In The Park’s T-break stage, and they’ve been building a sizeable following. Tracks like Bare Wood Aisles and Sombre Fayre are brilliant, with an airy, dreamlike quality. From the weight of anticipation surrounding their upcoming debut album, you get the sense that from their windswept Caithness hideaway, these guys are about to blow everyone away. They’ll be playing the Hidden Door festival in Edinburgh early next month, and will also be appearing at Electric Fields.

Influences: While the band’s sound has often been described as "psychedelic", Singer Jordan Shearer is quick to avoid that particular pigeonhole: “I think that's putting it in a category where it doesn't really belong.” Musically, they share an appreciation for rootsy North American artists: the baroque rock of The Walkmen, Timber Timbre’s dark “Southern Gothic” sound, and legendary Canadian folk group The Band.

Career highlight: “Probably playing in front of 4,000-odd people in Manchester, with Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr," says Shearer. "The size of the stage and crowd just felt right, and the music we play felt right at home in that setting.”

Strangest gig story: Finding themselves in Cahoots in Liverpool, apparently “The most mental bar in world history … The barman was Barry Sutton, formerly of The Las. He was equally as eccentric as he was terrifying and funny. On another planet. After crashing a fag off me, we went back inside and he started playing the piano with his feet.”

Hopes for the future: Long-term, Jordan Shearer wants to be “in a situation where we write the music we want, and playing to the same kind of crowds we did in Manchester, but off our own backs”. Are there any festivals or venues on his bucket list? “I like the look of Coachella. I’m sick of being cold now,” says Shearer.

CARBS

Having plenty of synth-based musical experience between them, Glasgow bros Jonnie Common and Jamie Scott (also of Conquering Animal Sound) knew exactly what they wanted to do next: order pizza. Then, they started writing hip-hop. Their shared love of pizza inspired them to choose the name CARBS, and their sound is a mixture of old-school synth noises and clever verses that tend to have a humourous take on the travails of modern living. CARBS’ next live show will be at Perthshire’s Solas festival on June 18th.

Influences: Scott describes a “smorgasbord of electronic and hip hop influences” including but not limited to Homeboy Sandman, Madlib and Why?, while Common points out the importance of non-musical influences (other than their beloved pizza): “Our debut album was all about letting malfunctioning technology inform the sounds, melodies and tempos.”

Career highlight: The release of their album, Joyous Material Failure, complete with pizza-box-themed art and packaging. Common calls it "the most exciting project I’ve ever worked on”, while Scott observes: “Our dreams of releasing an album as a pizza were finally realised.”

Strangest gig story: By this point in the interview, there were no prizes for guessing that a certain cheese-topped fast food delicacy would be putting in an appearance. Scott duly obliged: “At our album launch in September, we walked onstage with a pizza each. We had a couple of pals who hadn't had any dinner. When they saw us come out with the pizza, one of them made a beeline for the stage, took the pizza box from Jonnie, and headed back through the crowd passing out slices. By the time she got back to where her pals were standing, there wasn't any left for the hungriest pizza lovers in the room … A real shame. We should have halted the show and ordered in more pizza.”

Scott provided a story of triumph over adversity: “We once locked ourselves out of a venue right before going on stage and, to get us back inside, I managed to open a fire exit using my headphones. That night I felt like I could do anything.”

Hopes for the future: Scott’s ambitions are straightforward: “Releasing more music! Our next EP is bubbling away nicely, we're writing a song about how Jonnie and I are like Mario and Luigi, but first we need to complete a Mario game we're playing on the Wii to come up with enough lyrical material to be able to finish that track off."

Common: “I'd like to do a tour of the world's best pizzerias. I imagine it would ruin us physically, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.”

Polaroid People

Polaroid People exist somewhere at the intersection of jazz, hip hop, and what might be called a more “traditional” Scottish post-rock guitar sound. Although they haven’t released much material, the Ayr quintet have already attracted praise from some of the established names in the Scottish rap scene – Hector Bizerk’s Louie thinks they have “massive potential” and anyone who’s seen them play live would be inclined to agree with him.

Influences: Frontman Owen Sutcliffe: “We take influence from all kinds of music, loads of stuff man. Who knows to be honest.”

Career highlight: Being well received in Europe: “Headlining a show in Tilburg, Holland, to a sold-out crowd was pretty special, and both times we’ve played in Germany have been incredible,” said Sutcliffe.

Strangest gig story: Those long-haul trips to the continent do seem to take their toll, however: “Coming off the plane after the band’s last visit to Germany, Lewis * was so fried after the journey that he unpacked his guitar pedals into the Costa sandwich fridge and sat down with a Chai latte. Fortunately, the barista was slightly more aware than we were ...

Hopes for the future: The band are currently working hard on promoting themselves and producing new tunes, and Sutcliffe hopes to be “making a living” from his music over the next five years. Asked for the ideal setting for a gig, he opts for a classic: “Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury, Sunday evening as the sun is setting.”

Sarah J Stanley

While she may only have released a few tracks under the guise of HQFU, Sarah J Stanley has been nothing if not prolific outwith her recent foray into what she calls “sort-of electro”. The Aberdeen-born producer previously released “sort-of folk” under her real name; she’s an award-winning visual artist, filmmaker, graphic novellist … The list goes on, and yet she still found the time to make some of the best electronic music in Scotland last year. Singles CA$HLE$$ LIP$ and Dust & Dirt boast razor-sharp electro synth hooks married to retro drum loops, earning favourable comparisons to the likes of Crystal Castles. After such a strong debut, and with an impressively wide-ranging body of work already behind her, Stanley’s musical career looks full of promise for the year ahead, with a June tour as Sarah J Stanley alongside RM Hubbert and dates at Doune The Rabbit Hole and Brew At The Bog to come.

Influences: Rather than trying to emulate other artists directly, Stanley’s “biggest influence” has always been theory and the creative process of making music: "I grew up in the 1990s wanting to listen to dance, house, hardcore, pop, metal, rock, electro ... Anything that wasn’t allowed, anything that had even the slightest sound in it I loved and wanted to deconstruct and understand.”

Career highlight: “The opportunity to work with a bunch of people who have helped me focus on what I do best, the music itself, and supported me to take it further.”

Strangest gig story: A technical hitch provided a moment of on-stage awkwardness: “Recently, at a Glasgow gig, all my music cut out, but [it] was still on in my in-ear monitors, plus my mic was still on, so essentially I spent about a minute and a half performing a silent disco onstage. The silver lining is that surely nothing that mortifying can happen to one person twice in their lifetime. And I hate everyone for not telling me sooner what was going on.”

Hopes for the future: Stanley has a pretty simple aim, which is to be “In Glasgow, but maybe even scraping towards a living wage.” What about an ideal future gig venue? “ My favourite venues are ones with a good audience and a competent sound engineer. I’d like to give a club night at Ibiza a crack though, I think that’d be a right laugh. As long as I could go to a quiet hotel afterwards…”

The Rising Souls

In the video for their single, Yardbird, The Rising Souls appear as a chain gang breaking rocks, complete with flat caps and dirty overalls. Having been around in some shape or form since 2010, they’re a perfect example of a band who’ve put in hard labour to get themselves noticed. Their gutsy, country-influenced blues sound makes for a particularly good live show, and with a new album out in time for the Edinburgh Fringe, this could be their time for a breakout.

Influences: Bassist Roy “Kelso” Laing describes their sound as a mix of “country, soul and blues”. Artists who’ve inspired the trio include Frankie Miller, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.

Career Highlight: Touring Europe in a campervan: “It was a phenomenal experience," says Laing. "The highlight of the tour was a sell-out gig at The Birdland Jazz Club in Hamburg ... The audience were so appreciative and went wild after every song! A gig we will never forget.”

Strangest gig story: “Touring Holland and Germany in a van in the winter is just funny in itself," says Laing. "We were so cold one night we literally had to put on every item of clothing we brought with us to try and get some heat! Meanwhile, it’s minus temperatures outside and 60mph winds! Man, it was so cold."

Hopes for the future: After a great reception in Hamburg, Laing is looking forward to more European dates this year. Looking further ahead, the Souls are aiming big: “To be signed to a major label and be a well established band," is Laing's ambition. "All we want to do is tour the world and play music. That’s the dream … we would love to go back to America and play as a full band. The SXSW festival would be amazing.”

Mt Doubt

Moody, atmospheric and anthemic, Mt Doubt’s sound is very "Scottish", with many a nod to our country’s fine tradition of brooding alt-rock. Debut album My Past Is A Quiet Beast quickly earned plenty of recognition. The fact that it was financed through the crowd-funding site Kickstarter is further testament to the potential that people see in their music.

Influences: “I try and listen to as much new music as I can,” frontman Leo Bargery said on Facebook, noting who noted Mogwai, The National, and Bon Iver as influences. However, he is also partial to a bit of 1980s alternative: "I’ve been borderline obsessed with Morrissey for the past four years.”

Career highlight: Being tipped for success: “On Christmas Day I found out we’d been chosen by Vic [Galloway] of Radio Scotland as one of his ‘Top 25 to Watch’ this year," says Bargery. "That was pretty amazing because he’s someone I’ve listened to and admired for a long time.” When he was announced for this year’s T Break stage lineup, Bargery realised a long-standing ambition to play at Scotland’s biggest festival: “I went to T in the Park for the first time in 2007 and I’ve been every year since. I was 13 when I went the first time and I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to play here one day’.”

Strangest gig story: “We’ve actually only played five times, so nothing really weird has happened so far, it’s all gone fairly well. Next time’s probably going to be absolutely horrendous now!”

Hopes for the future: Look out for a new release some time next month: “I’ve been recording the second album which will be announced pretty soon," says Bargery. "It’ll be fun to release more music and see how people react.”

KLOE

"Start as you mean to go on" is a clichéd piece of advice, but it has seldom been more applicable than in the case of KLOE. The Clydebank electro-pop singer’s first single, Grip, was picked up by Radio 1. Shortly after that, she signed a deal with Colombia Records. Her debut EP, Teenage Craze, came out at the start of the year, and she’s currently touring the US and Canada. All of this before hitting 20? Not a bad start at all.

Influences: Earlier in her career, Chloe Latimer played acoustic guitar-based music, with influences to match: “Back then it was Taylor Swift, Amy MacDonald, the usual suspects,” she says. One of the first electronic artists to pique her interest was the Canadian producer The Weeknd: “I just thought he was the coolest thing ever, he had these songs where he was talking about vice, drugs, sex, everything, but he made it sound really beautiful.”

Career highlight: “The thing that jumps out is probably still Zane Lowe playing Grip on the radio. I was with my band, sitting in my pal’s house and we got an email saying, ‘You’re sounding great on Zane!’ and I was like, ‘Surely not!’”

Strangest gig story: Even when they’re abroad, self-proclaimed “Queen of Buckfast” Chloe Latimer and her band make sure they’re well stocked with their favourite tipple: “Whenever we’re touring, the boys in the band buy about 20 bottles of Buckie to take with us … I’m actually addicted to the stuff, I want to get a Buckfast endorsement deal. Imagine getting a life supply."

Hopes for the future: “I hope to have not lost my mind,” jokes Latimer. Understandably for someone who’s experienced such a rapid rise to prominence, she is mindful of the pressure she’s under: “It’s a bit crazy sometimes and you get overwhelmed. I hope in five years I’m still really excited about music and I hope that the industry doesn’t ruin me.”

JR Green

Blending trad folk with an indie rock sound, Strontian’s JR Green have been singled out for praise from none other than Edwyn Collins. Brothers Jacob and Rory Green released their Bring The Witch Doctor EP late last year, on independent label Hits The Fan Records, which was also behind the debut of Frightened Rabbit and Kathryn Joseph’s SAY award-winning offering. Do they have another future winner on their hands?

Influences: Rory explains that the pair’s sound has been shaped by a solid grounding in folk: “That’s what we were taught first: traditional Scottish music, things like Steeleye Span, The Chieftains ... As we got older we listened to indie bands like The Strokes and The Libertines, and we just sort of spliced the two together.” Jacob reveals his indie accordion heroes: “I remember being 13 or 14, listening to Arcade Fire and being like – ‘They play accordion too!’”

Career highlight: “The first time we played at King Tuts was pretty special," says Jacob. All of our friends were there.” Rory adds: “Celtic Connections, that was pretty amazing.“

Strangest gig story: The boys have a festive tale: “When we lived back in the Highlands we used to jump at any playing opportunity," says Jacob. "One time we got called to play to a family having their Christmas dinner. It wasn’t even an extensive family. We were playing Biggie Smalls covers and stuff.”

Hopes for the future: Both are looking forward to playing T in the Park this summer. Recording and building a fanbase are their main ambitions at present; with “At least one album under our belts, to be doing this full time would be great,” says Rory.

WHITE

Another act who’ve scored a major label deal after a great start in 2015, WHITE’s unrepentantly theatrical art-pop and sudden appearance on the scene has been likened by some to the early days of Franz Ferdinand. Slick singles like Living Fiction deliver songs that just feel instantly familiar, and a packed-out gig at the QMU demonstrated their ability as a live act. This is a band who already sound like festival headliners. Now all they need is the profile to match.

Influences: Singer Leo Condie calls their style “a cross between LCD Soundsystem and Glam rock”. The band were also inspired by Roxy Music and the arty showmanship of Arcade Fire: “Reflektor came out when we were just starting to write,” says Condie.

Career highlight: Having the opportunity of a session in one of London’s most storied recording spaces: “Last year we played in Maida Vale studios for BBC Introducing, that was amazing, there’s so much history in there," says Condie. "It felt great to be a part of that wider history.”

Strangest gig story: Condie once completely failed to keep his cool in the presence of one of his heroes: “We played a festival called House Festival which is put on by Soho House (a London private members’ club). I was dead excited because the Pet Shop Boys were headlining, I’m a massive fan. These guys kept coming round offering us Prosecco and champagne ... Basically I drank a lot of the free champagne, and me and a friend egged each other to go speak to Neil Tennant from Pet Shop Boys, and I did, but I can’t remember a single thing I said to him …”

Hopes for the future: A return to a country which is becoming something of a second home: “We were in Amsterdam for London Calling festival in October and that was so good," says Condie. "We’re going over to play in the Netherlands again, we seem to be going down well!” Longer-term, Condie is fairly easygoing about the future: “You never know what’s round the corner … We just want to play music to as many people as possible, any plan that facilitates that is a good one.”

The band play the Belladrum Festival on August 5, Edinburgh Summerhall on August 13 and Electric Fields Dumfries on August 27. Their new single is Fight The Feeling. The full lineup is Leo Condie (vocals) Hamish Fingland (guitar/synth), Chirs Potter (guitar), Lewis Andrew (bass), Kirstin Lynn (drums)

The Ninth Wave

Gathered around a table in the corner of Glasgow’s The Old Hairdressers on the day of their EP launch, the four members of The Ninth Wave are animatedly debating how best to describe their sound. The term they arrive at is “noise-pop,” which is about right: their music has plenty of shoegaze-informed fuzz, but also a fondness for big choruses. Haydn Park-Patterson (vocals, guitar), brother Ronan, (synth, bass) and cousin Finlay Park (percussion) have been playing rock music together since they were kids, but the recent addition of “sister from another mister” Elina Lin (guitar, synth, vocals) coincided with a change to their current sound. With help from some brilliantly creative self-produced videos to accompany their music, they are a youthful band with a very mature sound.

Influences: Elina Lin: “I was listening to The Cure the other day and I realised how much influence we’ve drawn from them.” Ronan and Finlay both point out a love of Rush and The Red Hot Chili Peppers that goes back to their childhood, while Talking Heads and Magazine also crop up in conversation a fair few times.

Career highlight: Elina and Ronan pick out the biggest venues they’ve played at shows at – St Lukes and The Garage. All four nod in agreement with Elina’s observation: “It still feels like we’re waiting for the big highlight.”

Strangest gig story: Haydn recalls a mishap before a show: “One time, before we were meant to go on stage, I was acting like a goon and went over on my ankle. It completely buckled, and I had to play the whole set practically limping.” When it comes to embarrassing stories, Elina is safe from blame: “I’ve played literally one gig with these guys so I’m clear.”

Hopes for the future: “Trying to get into festivals!” Ronan laughs. Elina sets her sights further afield: “I’d love to do a tour outside the UK.” Exciting times lie ahead, as The Ninth Wave have been announced as one of this year’s T Break acts at T in the Park: ”A lot of our friends’ bands are playing as well so it’s going to be a very fun weekend.”

The Vegan Leather

Taking their name from an “extremely tight” pair of faux-leather trousers once worn by frontman Gianluca Bernacci, The Vegan Leather are a Paisley-based art-pop group. Prides’ Lewis Gardener is a fan of their lush synths, and contributed as a producer on their newest single, This House, and their dance-infused sound has translated well to the stages of Glasgow’s music venues.

Influences: Bernacci summarises the music they want to make as having “Soulwax, LCD Soundsystem beats, Talking Heads flair and Arcade Fire/Metronymy melodies”.

Career highlight: As the band rattle off a list of their favourite moments, it’s clear just how much they’ve enjoyed the past year: “Playing the Milk New Year party in Bloc with Bossy Love,” suggests bassist Matt McGoldrick. “Electric Fields last year was a lot of fun.” adds guitarist Marie Collins. Bernacci loved the atmosphere at the band’s late gigs: “Everyone’s so up for it.” Duncan Carswell, the drummer, offers an explanation: “Maybe by that time there’s more alcohol in people’s blood.”

Strangest gig story: “There’s this bar in Paisley called The Bungalow," says Bernacci. "One night our friend put on this charity night, she was going to Uganda. We went absolutely ballistic ...“I fly-kicked a keyboard, Mairi threw a floor tom at me …”

“I wasn’t sure whether we were being ironic, or genuinely raging," says Mairi Collins. "Everyone’s mums and dads were there watching us.”

Hopes for the future: There’s plenty of ambition on show from the whole band, the third from this list to feature in 2016’s T Break lineup: Duncan Carswell hopes for “More single releases”. Bernacci says: “Refining our live show, polishing everything.” Collins: “A show at KOKO in Camden” Matt McGoldrick: “Playing at Wembley – I’d love that big blank canvas to work with.”