IDIOT PILOT
Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson already had a good thing going – the duo’s 05 debut, ‘Strange We Should Meet Here’, was a thrilling blend of electronica, indie and rock. But, propelled by a ground-breaking math-rock drummer, a couple of big-name pop punkers, a super producer, giant robots and the release of second album ‘Wolves’- 2008 really does look like being their year. (Simon T Diplock)

BLACK KIDS
Believe the hype! They’ve only got about half a dozen songs so far but each one is shaping up to be a classic. Echoes of The Cure, Arcade Fire, ELO & the Pixies. They’ve made an old sound fresh and new. These kids are too much sugar for your sweet tooth! (Dave Evans)

SAIDMIKE
Ok, let’s sort out some truths here, just in time for the New Year. Pontypridd quintet SaidMike might not look the part but that’s because they couldn’t care less about the next fleeting scene. They might have a truly crappy name, but this is no sub-Blink piss-about-punk. And yes the boys in the band are Welsh but that doesn’t mean this is some faux-American thing either. Instead SaidMike play a synth-soaked blend of upbeat rock and post-hardcore that’s going to rock hard enough to fill a debut full-length, spread a smile across your face and make you shake your tail feather in 2008. Promise. (Simon T Diplock)

LAND OF TALK
The pick of the lot from an obscenely talented bunch to emerge from Canada in the last 12 months. Lead singer Elizabeth has been chiselled from the same rock face as messers Harvey and Harry oozing the kind of class that only crops up very occasionally. Land of Talk’s debut album ‘Applause Cheer Boo Hiss’ is a grown up lesson in how to strike the tricky balance of pop perfection and chilling, distortion lead rock. They may come from Montreal but this music is very much the sound and soul of Seattle indie rock. (Jeremy Hodges)

GROVESNOR
This guy cooked it up a storm supporting Hot Chip at Somerset House last summer. Looking natty in his pristine white jacket and crooning incisive, romantic and humorous lyrics over a combination of electro pop and 80’s soul. Has to be seen to be believed. (Dave Evans)

FUCK BUTTONS
Rarely have two men made so much noise. In fact, rarerly have two men sounded so much like the end of the world. And while Andrew Hung and Ben Power have slowly added tribal blasts and waves of buried melodies and distorted ambience into their colossal sound, new album ‘Street Horrrsing’, due this February, still looks like trapping the roar of the coming apocalypse on shiny disc. Your ears have been warned. (Simon T Diplock)

I AM JACK
Rising from the ashes of a number of local bands, West Sussex based I Am Jack have become a force to be reckoned with in the local music scene. Rejecting the current fad of jerky indie-pop, I Am Jack plough a unique furrow with confidence and subtlty, splicing dizzyingly heavy guitars with moments of pure emotional clarity. The band believe in ‘Organic Rock’; ambitious, progressive and intelligent, which they deliver with a rare assurance. Look out for ‘A Quiet Departure’ – I Am Jack’s self-funded album – and definitely check them out live in London and across the south. (Matt Hall)