Capturing a snapshot of indie rock from the noughties, ‘Breakaway’ is fueled by writhing guitars amongst aching vocals from Sam Slocum. The chorus is gritty and raw, a familiar feat for the band, yet their sound is better than ever. As the lyrics yearn to go back to the past, the instrumentals are just as frenzied and desperate in their pleading. 

Slocum shared on the track, “we needed to capture a few feelings with this song. Some mixture of sadness, anger, regret— and ultimately optimism. When Sky first showed me the initial idea it struck me how punchy yet melodic it was. There were already a few emotions in the guitar part alone, so the words followed naturally and the song came to life. We quickly brought it into the studio with Aron (Kobayashi-Ritch) and recorded it together live”.

Been Stellar’s latest release comes before a busy summer for the band, making their debut at Barcelona’s Primavera festival and touring Europe with Fontaines DC. 

Photo by Santiago Cerrillo

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.
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The first of many sets across the weekend was kicked off on Wednesday, a packed Patterns basement waited in anticipation for the classic rock’n’roll sound of Holiday Ghosts. Playing their beloved socially and politically aware tracks like ‘Mr Herendi’, the band proved themselves to be a great first taste of what was to come. Pete Doherty took to headline the festival’s Deep End beach stage with an enthusiastic showmanship that reflected the crowd’s energetic atmosphere in anticipation for the remaining days of The Great Escape. 

Photo by Barnaby Fairley

Thursday being the first full day of acts meant for a stacked schedule, with Sorry Girls opening the Patterns upstairs stage for the Montreal showcase. Vocalist Heather Foster Kirkpatrick’s dreamy vocals led the indie pop group to a warm reception at the start of the festival. Heading to the Komedia basement, Australia’s Folk Bitch Trio played beautifully in front of a full crowd, expertly mastering their vocal harmonies in tracks like ‘God’s a Different Sword’, amongst acoustic instrumentals in a room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After spotting some Alt Escape acts throughout the afternoon, the evening was spent securing a space in a consistently full capacity Charles Street Tap for the So Young takeover. 

First on the lineup was green star, playing their recently released rock fueled songs like ‘four-o-five’ to enthusiastic heads in the crowd, displaying their effortlessly cool aesthetic reminiscent of noughties emo and grunge. With a lot of recent buzz around the group, they proved themselves worthy of the excitement surrounding them. Still hot off the release of their debut EP, ‘The Country’, Mên An Tol were the next act to follow. Blending elements of folk and indie rock to the audience’s surprise that they unconventionally originated from Cornwall, thanks to frontman Bill Jefferson. Rabbitfoot took to the Charles Street Tap stage, one of the only acts across the weekend to shock yet draw in their audiences with the uniqueness of their act. Bouncing from spoken word, to delicate vocals, to screams, River Fernandez led the group as they merged violin with synth bass, switching from heavy post-punk to elements of baroque in their live performance, making them one of the most memorable acts across the week. 

Rounding off Thursday’s festivities, a fair few worn-out feet and addled minds seek restoration at the Green Door Store to catch a performance from the hotly-tipped Silver Gore. An alt-pop duo centred around the production wizardry of Ethan P. Flynn and the melodic fantasies of Ava Gore, the band were as slick and polished as anything for what was basically their debut show. Their set offers a hamper of instant earworms varying from pounding synth-anthems to soaring acoustic flourishes, and the venue’s beleaguered bricks and cobbles soon shone like gold.

For the unlucky rabble queuing outside tiny basement venue Rossi Bar at 1am and who failed to gain entry to a late night Thursday set from much hyped newcomers R.I.P Magic, Friday afternoon at the sunnier, and much more spacious Deep End stage on the shorefront provided a gracious second opportunity. And it quickly becomes clear they’re a band worth queueing for. Clad in baggy clothes, grounded in massive, stadium-sized hip-rock/rock drums, and churned up by grinding bass rumbles and badass electro swells, absorbing the attention in front ‘floating’ 3D holograms of spinning lamborghinis is lead vocalist Marco Pini (of Sorry), flopping and swaggering about like an inflatable air dancer at zero gravity, domineering the mic, and owning the hustle.

TTSSFU took to the Charles Street Tap on Friday, instantly capturing the crowd’s attention in one of the most energetic shows seen over the weekend. Mixing indie pop and shoegaze, Tasmin Stephens was an undeniable force onstage, from belting her tongue-in-cheek songs to mingling with the crowd throughout. Liverpool’s Courting powered through a slick setlist of their take on experimental alt-rock for the Deep End stage, smashing through tracks from their latest album. In a fun blend of rock, shoegaze and indie-pop with nonchalance, the band proved their ambition and place on the stage. Ending the night, Deep End headliners English Teacher returned to Great Escape to play a lengthy and expert set, showcasing their award winning debut album, ‘This Could Be Texas’. Keeping their crown as one of the UK’s best indie bands, the group continue to be the ones to watch at any festival lineup due to their fresh take on alternative rock and eclectic stage presence from Lily Fontaine. 

The fourth and final day began at Dust, barely able to fit into the basement where Martial Arts played a hectic midday set to a completely full room, pumping with heavy guitars and feedback with raw and expressive vocals from Jim Marson. Following this, Mould took to the same stage with the Bristol rockers’ infectious energy presenting itself in their short bursts of music, once again packing out the room for a loud and frantic start to the end of the festival. After making our way to the end of the pier, shoegaze-inspired band Hank played the stage at Horatio’s – pacing their way through a fuzzy, guitar heavy set that easily set them up as one of the best alternative acts in the London music scene right now. 

LEMONSUCKR were an unexpected surprise to watch, with their set at The Three Cats catching the word-of-mouth treatment. Getting the crowd moving from the get-go, their upbeat indie-pop turned into an immediate earworm as they electrified the stage with a solid presence. Turning our step towards club Revenge, instrumental trio wing! are in transcendent spirits. Applying the groovy mannerisms of vintage trip-hop to the winding narrative ecstasies of post-rock, their lack of vocals is more than made up for by an exuberant charisma. Far from a pensive, moody experience, wing! are gloriously uplifting – the band themselves are all smiles, living the music’s highs and lows as much as their audience.

Icelandic outfit Spacestation were next onto the Revenge stage and became instant standouts, playing groovy rock tunes reminiscent of early 2010’s indie pop with a fresh, bouncy sound as audience members gathered piling outside the door. Eterna played little ways down the road at Patterns, sharing pensive shoegaze to the intimate room with a moody sound. In the evening we were back at the end of the pier, with KuleeAngee kicking off the SubCat showcase at Horatio’s. Immediately filling up the bar, the Scottish duo had an outrageous energy that kept everyone on their toes throughout their set with consistent electro-pop hit after hit. 

Flip Top Head were the perfect goodbye to the long weekend’s activities, being true representatives of the distinctive talent Brighton has to offer. The six-piece masterfully played their signature mix of folk-rock accompanied by the tender vocals of Bowie Bartlett and are a must-have experience live. 

Photos by Cameron JL West. Words on Silver Gore, RIP Magic and wing! from Elvis Thirlwell. 

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.
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The post The Great Escape 2025 – The Highlights appeared first on So Young Magazine.

‘Deal’ is a succinct track fueled by a chunky bass riff and impulsive drumbeat, clearly and loudly getting straight to the point. Bassist Tom Phillips’ absent-minded vocals declare “I’ve got nothing important to say” – and neither do you. Questioning the existentialism of life, the track implores you to find meaning but also casually shrugs off that idea by the end of the track’s less than two-minute runtime.

Malachy O’Neill makes up the other half of the duo on drums, the pair having met as students in London. Together, along with a growing live reputation in the capital, their focus on rhythm makes for a new take on minimalistic rock.

On the single frontman Tom Phillips shares, “’Deal’ is a short and catchy song that I think you are going to like very much. I wrote it quickly whilst walking home, it came to me in a flash, like a hiccup or a stroke. I think the song makes sense if you feel like although sometimes the world is made of mud and tragedy, other times it’s actually only really made of biscuits”

Photo by Theo Thompson

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.
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The post London’s Most Things Share Final Single ‘Deal’ from Upcoming Debut Album ‘Bigtime’ appeared first on So Young Magazine.

Tense string and flute instrumentals open the track, evolving into repeated chants of the single’s title. Delicate vocals from the band harmonise as spoken word cuts through, sharing gritty feelings and creating a crafted juxtaposition. The New Eves continue to create unique music that you can’t quite pinpoint. 

The New Eves have also shared details on how the new single unexpectedly came to fruition – “the initial lyrics are a poem written by Ella when she was a teenager. It was never intended to be a final part of the song, it just happened to be something she knew by heart whilst we were jamming. This whole song was kind of an accident and because of that it’s had so many incarnations and has taken us to new places, like Nina’s ‘disco cello’ and Violet’s camping cup percussion debut. Now we love it.”

Photo by Katie Silvester

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.
Read the digital edition below.

The post The New Eves Announce Debut Album and Share New Single ‘Rivers Run Red’ appeared first on So Young Magazine.

The track’s enticing guitars draw you in and out of the song, pacing the vocals in a way that fully engages you into the narrative. The band’s sound is noisy yet perfectly constructed, with ‘Fire Movement’ sharing elements of edgy rock and shoegaze. At moments songwriter and vocalist Mat Conner can sound rugged, earnestly venting frustrations on the track. 

Conner shared on the single,“I remember aiming for something the Pixies might write if they were trying to write a Blur track: a song that played with dissonance and resolution and tension, but that also had a light-hearted, pop feel to it. These kinds of opposing forces are in everything we do. If it’s hard, it’s very hard; if it’s soft and delicate, it’s very soft and delicate”.

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The post London’s False Futures Share Debut Single ‘Fire Movement’ appeared first on So Young Magazine.

‘four-o-five’ is full of feedback and distorted vocals, pulling elements of punk amongst clear shoegaze influences – this enhances the vocals against the themes of the track, adding a layer of vulnerability in their earnestness. 

The instrumentals are gritty, showing a great deal of angst within the single, which makes the final outro feel like a climatic release of frustration. The band are known for their intimate, impassioned live shows, with their releases a reflection of that energy. 

On the new track the band shared, “four-o-five is flooded with energy, revelatory imagery, and raucous guitars, and there is a noisy power struggle between facing your wrongdoings and celebrating your emergent freedom”.

Photo by Joe Matthews

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The post London’s green star Share New Single ‘four-o-five’ from Upcoming Debut EP appeared first on So Young Magazine.

Daniel shared that the track “is about you, your friend, your partner, your sibling, anyone who’s ever been blind to someone who is only out to tear them down. Picking apart the pieces of life that make them whole all the while distracting them with lies and false promises. It comes from the perspective of a bystander, who tries to pull the blanket from over their eyes to no avail”.

Cardboard are full of striking energy, with their new release instantly capturing your full attention and is sure to create even more of an adrenaline rush live.

Also Read:  Far From: Not Just a Promoter

Photo by Abi Turner

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The single is repetitive and succinct, with the hook perfectly scratching an itch – ‘Switch Over’ feels reminiscent of alternative music from the early 2010’s, blending instruments and allowing the listeners to hear the fun the band was having when producing the track. Everything about the song feels minimal but creates a big response, resulting in an instantly catchy tune that seems to aptly summarise their upcoming album release. 

Horsegirl don’t complicate the honesty in their music, creating a vulnerable piece with understated subtlety. 

Photo by Ruby Faye

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‘Crispy Skin’ is Squid’s lead single from their upcoming album ‘Cowards’, a concept album following the thin line between right and wrong. The track was influenced by ‘Tender is the Flesh’, a dystopian novel Judge read where cannibalism becomes a societal norm. Judge shares on the single’s background, “I think when most people read books like these they picture themselves as the sort of person that would take the moral high-ground within these narratives. The track was written about how the reality of having a moral-compass in these stories of desperation and horror would be extremely difficult”. 

Blending elements of rock, funk, sprechgesang and electronic music, ‘Crispy Skin’ opens the door to Squid expanding their sound as well as their social commentary, with ‘Cowards’ lining up to be their most anticipated release yet.

‘Cowards’ is out Feb 7th via Warp. Pre order.

Photo by Harrison Fishman.

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here. Read the digital edition below.

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