Grace (MySpace)
This lot are tipped to do very well with the kind of people that buy The Feeling or Keane CDs, but really that comparison isn’t very apt cos they’re definitely more on the side of rock than pop or indie. Still, their next single, called Wonderful, is a very commercial sounding rock song, only a step more sophisticated than Rooster, and since they met at public school and one of them was almost in 5ive, they’re probably just as authentically rock’n’roll as Rooster as well. Still, I have no interest in authenticity so if they can make a song as good as Come Get Some then I’ll be on board. Wonderful isn’t bad, I think it’ll grow on me and it certainly sounds like a hit single in the making.
Hit Potential: 90% Poptasticness: 65%
The WinterKids (MySpace)
I wasn’t entirely convinced by the first song I heard but by the end of it I was intrigued enough to want to hear more, so I did and soon found myself becoming a bit of a fan. They formed in the Surrey village of Peaslake, but so far they seem to be getting more buzz on American indie music sites than in the UK. They’ll be playing the SXSW festival in Texas this year, and with the consistency of the songs I’ve heard so far I think they’ll be headed for big things if the right people see them there. I don’t know if I like it enough to want a whole album, but many people will, and for non-electronic indie music it’s quite enjoyable. Tape It and Who Am I Kidding are two songs worth hearing.
Hit Potential: 72% Poptasticness: 75%