Chew Lips

Comprising singer Alicia Huertas and multi-instrumentalist Will Sanderson, Chew Lips are a fine example of a band who found themselves in the right place at the right time; when they formed in 2008 in East London, they found themselves among a musical scene that was just beginning to shift form the angular, clean guitar sounds that had characterised British alternative for the past decade or so - most recently, through the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs - to a synthpop sound like theirs, one that took plenty of cues from the eighties whilst always being quite clearly forward-thinking. Since they came together, they’ve only released the one album - the well-received Unicorn in 2010 - but that’s not to say that they haven’t made a mark elsewhere, with their live shows having been reviewed positively pretty much ever since day one. They utilise minimal, but dramatic light shows, a fleshed-out instrumental live lineup and lean heavily on Huertas’ ability to engage with the crowd to ensure that the often polished sound of their records doesn’t hold them back in an altogether more human environment. With album number two still on the cards, expect more UK dates before too long.