ONES TO WATCH 2007
The View

The View are a band who are being tipped for big things as we enter 2007 and it's not difficult to hear why. The Dundee quartet don't do anything new or different, and they won't change the world, but good music is good music. They released two excellent singles last year, Wasted Little DJs and Superstar Tradesman, and have an infectious new song called Same Jeans out in January before their debut album is released. At a time when so many new English bands have affectations of being from some quirky place in London or from Sheffield, it's refreshing to hear a band who aren't immediately easy to pigeonhole as one or the other, with hints of early Manics and the criminally-underrated The Crocketts in their freewheeling indie rock music. Their last Manchester show sold out in a day, so clearly the word is getting around that The View are definitely worth checking out, and 2007 is looking very good for them.

Lady Sovereign

Not many English acts make it big in America before here, but Lady Sovereign seems to be one of them. Having made some headway in her home country with good early singles, Lady Sov wowed Jay-Z and got a record deal from him, so has spent most of her time in the US since then, getting plenty of play on MTV and releasing her debut album Public Warning in October. She'll be seeing 2007 in by performing in New York's Time Square to around 100,000 alongside the likes of Gwen Stefani and Pussycat Dolls. Her new single Love Me Or Hate Me is out in January, featuring Missy Elliott, and with the album following in February, expect to see a hell of a lot of Lady Sov this year, love her or hate her...

Just Jack

He might not be a new artist, but Just Jack looks primed to have some real success this year with his new album My So-Called Life Stories. With excellent first single Writers Block and new release Starz In Their Eyes (complete with that X-Factor video on YouTube, watch it here) both sounding ready-made for the kind of success that The Streets have had, the album could well be one of the highlights of the year.

Charlotte Hatherley

The former Ash guitarist has already released one solo album, the excellent Grey Will Fade, which was sadly overlooked as being just a side-project. Now that she is out on her own, hopefully her second release will get the kind of attention it deserves, as she has a fantastic knack for summery pop hooks and Kim Wilde tributes...

Switches

One of the early contenders for best single of 2007 is Drama Queen by Switches, full of glam rock stomp, punk swagger and indie rock smarts, sounding like My Bloody Valentine covering a T-Rex song and is another great example of why we're really looking forward to hearing the full album by these guys.

The Noisettes

The Noisettes have toured with the disparate likes of Muse and Babyshambles, but sound nothing like either of them. In truth, they don't really sound very much like anyone else, despite lazy comparisons to Skunk Anansie. Shingai Shoniwa has a great powerful rock voice and their songs are classy and timeless, making their debut album What's The Time Mr Wolf a real cracker.

The KBC

Signed to Manchester's High Voltage label, The KBC hail from Preston but definitely have their roots in the Madchester scene with their dance rock anthems like Pride Before The Fall, Not Anymore and Test The Water. Rocking music that gets your foot tapping as well, who could ask for more?