James Parrish works for Prescription PR, a leading UK music PR company that also offers music promotion and marketing services with offices in London, Cambridge and Manchester. James is a valued partner to MuziScene offering us information about new acts you will like to get to know. Prescription PR is born out of a genuine love for artists that they think will impact on people’s lives. Their current roster includes artists like Black Country, New Road, Chelsea Wolfe, MJ Lenderman, Iceage, DIIV, Soccer Mommy, Death Cab for Cutie, Touche Amore and Duster. These are his tips for Left of the Dial.

Dog Race

Bedford’s Dog Race are a new band who’ve released singles only occasionally over the last two or three years but each and every one of those singles has been excellent. There’s a goth element to what they do which sets that apart from their peers but with post-punk inflections and a clear melodic undercurrent – “The Leader” and “It’s The Squeeze” have both made the BBC 6 Music playlist and rightly so. For me Katie really stands out as a unique singer and they’ve both tightness and a nervous energy live.

Friday | V2_ | 21.10 – 21.50
Saturday | Waalse Kerk | 19.50 – 20.30

Man/Woman/Chainsaw

Man/Woman/Chainsaw are a really exciting prospect, I think. A teenage art-punk six-piece from London who formed at only 16 years old and who’ve played over 100 shows since. Their sound is somewhere between orchestral indie-rock and noise-pop, hook-ready and inventive. They’re a lot of fun live and create a real wall of sound – I first saw them at The Great Escape earlier this year and they blew me and all my colleagues away. Their debut ep Eazy Peazy is out in November on Fat Possum.

Thursday | Rotown | 22.20 – 23.00
Friday | Arminius | 17.30 – 18.10

Benefits

Benefits’ live show is always a must see. Frontman Kingsley Hall puts such passion and intensity into each performance that it can feel like a full exorcism on stage. I always worry about his voice the next morning. Political, barbed and occasionally downright funny, they meld noise, brooding electronic passages and even occasional blast beats into something that will certainly stand out from the rest of the bill. There’s such total conviction behind what they do, it’s hard not to take notice.

Thursday | Perron small | 20.00 – 20.40
Saturday | Waalse Kerk | 21.30 – 22.10

No Windows

Another young group, this time from Scotland. They’re a band who come on leaps and bounds with each release. Formed around multi-instrumentalist Morgan Morris who self-produced their 2022 debut EP “Fish Boy” at 15 and fronted by the vocals and lyrics of his school friend Verity Slangen, the band have moved from bedroom-pop beginnings into something fuller; expansive and atmopsheric indie-folk. They’ve now a full live band and comparisons have been made to Mazzy Star, Daughter and more.

Thursday | De Doelen up | 20.50 – 21.30
Friday | Waalse Kerk | 18.10 – 18.50