2022 has been a great year for music, here at The Pentatonic we have had the pleasure of working with over 230 bands on live shows and we have discovered some incredible new music.
It’s that time of year again where we predict which bands and artists we think will have a successful 2023. The only rule is, bands and artists who have already featured on the list in previous years can not feature again.
#10 – The Raymonds
Funky Warrington four piece The Raymonds have been one of our favourite new music finds of 2022. Their energetic live performances and catchy indie funk tunes really makes this band stand out from the rest. It’s impressive how far this band have come over the past 12 months and we are excited to see what 2023 holds. The Raymonds will release their 2nd single ‘Follow Your Nose’ on 26th January and will also be supporting The Zangwills at Manchester Club Academy on Saturday 4th February.
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#9 – The Maddocks
2022 saw the birth of Stockport band The Maddocks. Having previously worked with members of The Maddocks during their past ventures, I was interested to see what this band had got planned. The Maddocks played their debut show back in August, it was great to hear so much positive feedback from members of the audience and staff at the venue about the bands performance. The Maddocks are due to release their debut single ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ on 20th January and will be celebrating the release of their new single with a headline show at Gullivers in Manchester. We are looking forward to watching this band grow, make sure you make the effort to go and see The Maddocks live in 2023!
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#8 – HI SIENNA
HI SIENNA are a female-fronted, alternative pop band from Manchester who have undoubtedly had an amazing 2022 having played support slots with Lauren Hibberd and The Lottery Winners, an appearance at Bingley Weekender, their own headline show at iconic Manchester venue Gorilla and the release of 2 incredible singles ‘Pride’ and ‘Enter Disco’. When it comes to HI SIENNA, the facts speak for themselves. Their infectious sound makes this band so unique, you could compare their live performances to an 80’s disco! The band have been teasing the release of their debut EP over the past few weeks, we can’t wait to hear it!
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#7 – Little Planets
It has been great to see the rise of female-fronted Leeds pop outfit Little Planets over the past 12 months, with highlights such as a slot at Liverpool Sound City Festival and support slots with Spinn and Retro Video Club. They also released their 2nd single ‘Circles’ which can only be described as a pop banger, you won’t be able to sit still whilst listening to this tune. In October, Little Planets made their biggest announcement as a band, they have signed their first record deal with Modern Sky UK! I’m sure we will be seeing and hearing plenty more of Little Planets in 2023.
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#6 – Madame Claude
Oldham five piece Ska band Madame Claude have been making waves on the live music scene in 2022. It’s not very often I remember the first time I saw a band and was blown away by their performance, but this was the case with Madame Claude. Their energy on stage is infectious and they have been gaining fans with every show they play, there is no way you can’t enjoy watching this band live. 2022 saw the release of 3 singles for the band with more to be released in the imminent future. It’s nice to see a band going against the grain and doing something different, here at The Pentatonic we can’t wait to watch Madame Claude rise to the top!
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#5 – Room D
Room D have been on our radar for the past few years, having worked with them on shows pre COVID, this band has something special. 2022 saw highlights for Room D such as winning a competition to play at YNOT Festival and playing a string of UK headline shows including a hometown show at Manchester Academy 3! Room D are known for releasing feel good indie bangers, however, 2022 saw no new releases from the band. Instead the band spent the year laying the groundwork for what will hopefully be their biggest year yet, with plenty of new music and big shows in the pipeline, we are excited to see what 2023 has in store for Room D, watch this space!
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#4 – The Wears
Another band representing Stockport on this year’s list are indie rock quartet The Wears. A band who came to our attention in 2022, we have had the pleasure of working with this band throughout the year, their growth has been admirable. Going from playing in front of small crowds, to selling out their past 2 headline shows and playing support slots with rising bands such as M60 and Balancing Act. This band are not just impressive with their well rehearsed live performances jam packed with hard hitting riffs, but they also write, record, mix and master all of their own music! Taking influence from bands such as Arctic Monkeys, The Amazons, Royal Blood to create their own sound and solidify their name on the Manchester music scene. We are looking forward to seeing this band grow even further in 2023, the future is looking extremely bright for The Wears.
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#3 – Alex Tracey
It’s safe to say that Alex Tracey has had an impressive 2022, hitting huge milestones such as reaching 100,000 Spotify streams on his latest single ‘Someone Tell Me Why’, 500,000 TikTok followers, 100,000 Youtube subscribers and almost 50,000 Instagram followers! Alex forges funk & disco with indie pop to create fresh, infectious rhythms that make it impossible to keep your feet still. For those who haven’t seen Alex and his band of incredibly talented musicians, you must make it one of your New Year’s resolutions to see them live. Alex has a tendency to steal the show with every performance with his energetic persona and impressive guitar playing, he has the crowd in the palm of his hand. With Alex’s online presence growing by the day, it won’t be long until Alex will be playing to thousands across the world and we can’t wait to be there to see it!
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#2 – Overpass
Midlands based anthemic indie four piece Overpass have made a huge impact in 2022. They hit the ground running with their biggest hometown headline show to date at O2 Institute Birmingham which also sold out! Since then they have secured support slots with names such as The Twang, The Fratellis, The K’s, Seb Lowe, Spinn, The Royston Club and more. During the summer, Overpass made multiple festival appearances including Isle Of Wight, Truck Festival, 110 Above and YNOT Festival. Not only that, the band embarked on their debut UK headline tour, playing shows up and down the country to sell out crowds! Not to mention the incredible 2 singles the band have released in 2022, they even performed their latest single ‘3AM’ on Soccer AM! The band have just announced 2 huge shows for 2023 at London’s Camden Assembly and a hometown headline show at The Mill in Birmingham. It’s safe to say it won’t be long until Overpass are headlining major UK venues and festivals, we can’t wait to see them in action this year!
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#1 – Balancing Act
Taking the top spot on our ‘Pentatonic Picks – Big In 2023’ list is a band who only formed in 2022. Balancing Act consists of friends Kai Roberts and Jackson Couzens who first met in Manchester whilst working on separate projects. They both decided to move to London to work on their new musical project, where they met newest band members George Le Page and David Carpenter and Balancing Act were born. In February 2022, the band dropped their debut single ‘Cold’ which gained the band praise from several online publications. In the track you can hear influences of rock music fused together with multiple other genres, it is hard to confine the band to a certain genre. The band have created a sound that is somewhat unique to them, a distinctive sound that if you heard one of their tracks on the radio, you would know it was them. Balancing Act have spent the 2022 releasing more new music, including their debut EP ‘Malice In Tone’ which features singles ‘A Little More Time’ and ‘All Yours’ plus brand new tracks ‘Gift Shop’ and ‘The Saddest Song I Ever Did Write’. Back in September 2022, I had the pleasure of going to watch Balancing Act at one of their debut live shows at a sold out Castle Hotel in Manchester. The band performed a short but energetic set, showcasing the new music they had been working on, a set that left the crowd wanting more. Fans won’t have to wait much longer as the band have announced another 2 headline shows for 2023 in London and Manchester alongside teasing the release of more new music. The band were recently tipped for greatness when they were featured in DORK Magazine’s Hype List for 2023, a great achievement for the band! Balancing Act have really cemented their name as powerhouses of the music scene and we can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for them. Balancing Act take the #1 spot on this years ‘Big In 2023’ list.
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Written by James Thomas
