Lowes

Having formed just outside Lancaster in NW England, the band’s first single (2016’s “Awake At Night”) led to intense industry attention. Wisely choosing to take a step back from the heat, the group recouped in their home studio located in the Lake District. All three members of LOWES live in the property too, with the creative hub acting as HQ for everything from writing to the band’s visual output.

“Here We Are” is an epic statement from a band with great ambitions. Opening with a sparse piano part, vocalist Evie Plumb stops you in your tracks as she sings “I was a child still, at 19." The song then builds toward a cinematic high-point as the rest of the band (Drummer & Producer Luke Paget plus bassist and guitarist Jamie Walker) join her on the rib-rattling track. It’s an energetic sound for a band who know the sky is the limit.

Musically the band’s influences sit firmly between the festival-headlining bands they love and vocalists as similarly dominant as Plumb. “All the bands we admire make timeless music and that’s what we aspire to do too,” she says citing Florence + The Machine, Lorde, and Birdy as kindred spirits. “That ambition to bring people together, create that magic, and make them forget about life outside is what we love to do.” As for the rest of the band, Tame Impala, Arcade Fire, and the sonic landscapes of M83 and Hans Zimmer are all name-checked.