HAYDEN PEDIGO
“He’s an instrumental guitarist – a little bit John Fahey, a little bit Ry Cooder – but he’s very charismatic, even though he’s not singing. It’s just the way he plays guitar. He’s got this very country, authentically Texas sort of feel, but there’s also a bit of jazz in there as well. I saw him at South By Southwest around three years ago and he was incredible. He also ran to be a politician in Amarillo – there’s a film about it called Kid Candidate. So that makes him even more interesting.”
THE ORCHESTRA (FOR NOW)
“They’re a band who built up quite a large live following before they even released any music. They’ve been selling out all their shows in London with no tracks online or anything. It reminds me a bit of early Arcade Fire or Black Country, New Road, but louder and punkier. They’re a seven-piece band, quite a few string players. But the drummer is incredible, like Keith Moon. And the singer’s got a lot of range – he looks a bit like Julian Casablancas, and his lyrics are full of film references.”
SABINE McCALLA
“I came across a track of hers on Spotify and I earmarked it for my second Between The Music compilation, thinking it was from the ’60s, because it’s got an otherworldly, Nina Simone feel. Then I realised it’s a current artist, and that her sister is Leyla McCalla [formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops]. But I don’t know much more about her, so I’m really looking forward to seeing her live. She feels like the kind of artist who would instantly work in the Talking Heads area.”
MOHAMMAD SYFKHAN
“He’s a bouzouki player who fled Syria after Islamic State killed one of his sons, and he settled in Ireland and started making music there. He plays Kurdish traditional songs with an electronic element. Lankum have brought him on tour quite a few times. He’s incredible live – it’s quite a big sound he gets, very upbeat, with just a bouzouki and a little synth. He didn’t have a backing band when I saw him, but for End Of The Road he’s bringing a cellist and a flautist as well.”
ASTRID SONNE
“I found out about her because she was playing with [fellow Dane] ML Buch and it’s a similar vibe. Classical, experimental pop music – that’s how I’d describe it. It’s electronic and hypnotic and soundscapey, but she also plays viola and she’s got an incredible voice, plus there are these really amazing visuals in the background that she does all herself. I think she can do it completely solo by looping herself, but I’ve seen recent footage of her live and there are two or three musicians on stage.”
DAME AREA
“They’re a duo from Barcelona who make super-danceable, fun, slightly industrial music with singing in Spanish [and sometimes Italian, German or Turkish]. It’s got a techno element to it, but it’s also quite punky and catchy. I haven’t seen them live yet, I only watched a few videos, but I can just tell they’re going to be great in the Big Top. She’s on vocals and synths, and he’s on keyboards and drum machines. But it’s very energetic – like Karen O fronting LCD Soundsystem.”
If you’re heading to End Of The Road this weekend, don’t miss the daily Uncut Q&As with Matt Berninger (Fri), Kristin Hersh (Sat) and Christopher Owens (Sun) at 4pm on the Talking Heads stage. And if you didn’t get a ticket, you can enjoy the festival vicariously via our thrice-daily blogs on this very site!
The post “Like Karen O fronting LCD Soundsystem” – 6 of the best new acts to see at End Of The Road 2025 appeared first on UNCUT.
