The lowdown on Inner City Waves #14

The final Inner City Waves of 2018 sees an energetic Manchester collective rubbing shoulders with one of Leicester’s most exciting young artists and an up-and-coming R&B artist alongside a vocalist making waves in both music and fashion. As always, the free-entry showcase is the best place to check out some of our favourite local emerging artists and tap into the sounds making the underground tick. Sign-up to attend the night here and find out more about each artist performing below.

NoSpace

Manchester-based collective NoSpace hit their stride in January of this year, releasing the five-track Out of Body EP which outlined the diverse talents within their ranks. Known for energetic shows, they opened for such acts as Mic Righteous and The Mouse Outfit, alongside launching their EP with a headline show earlier in the year. Battle rap enthusiast, youth leader and project producer Cave Man aka. Pooch (Leanin’ crew) is one of the various talented wordsmiths contributing to the group, as is Blakk Ice, whose recent freestyle for FRESH on ROAD is well worth a watch. Check out the EP and you’ll hear an appreciation for Grime, hip-hop and RnB all blending into the collective’s sound.

Taff Jr.

Also based in Manchester, Taff Jr. is one of those artists that followers of the city’s music scene may’ve already run into, without even realising it. He was part of Manchester Hill Remembered at Manchester Cathedral earlier this year, he has sung and recorded backing vocals for artists including Alice Gasson and written and performed with hip-hop/soul/electronica outfit Family Ranks. His solo work shows an appreciation for soul and hip-hop music, while his deep, rich and characterful voice gives his songs a strength and emotional presence. Don’t let the beard and acoustic guitar mislead you, this man is soul through and through!

Sarah Angel

Sarah Angel is leading a two-pronged charge into popular culture, making waves both in music and fashion. Her intentions to empower and inspire people through her work are always evident, from her shoots celebrating natural hair styles to her songs like Clarity, written when the artist was ‘at a low’ but containing the positive energy to return her to a creative plateau. Her collaborative cut with Kardanski, Phone Call, was picked up for Footaslyum’s Winter Fashion Campaign at the beginning of the year and subsequent release You, came accompanied with an awesome video from her regular visual collaborator, theApeNinja. From the sounds of soul and funk, to house and RnB — Jill Scott, Busta Rhymes and Erykah Badu amongst her reference points — there’s plenty to love about this up-and-coming artist’s wordplay, melodies and creative attitude.

Scott Xylo

Hailing from Leicester, Scott Xylo has been working diligently for the past few years, but finally dropped his astonishing LP Find Us When U Get There, with Black Acre Records in September. Picked up by Bandcamp, they named it their Album of the Day upon release, describing it as ‘expansive LP that combines Afrobeat, soul, jazz, and funk,’ while praising Scott’s range on the record as well as his intentions to craft a ‘manga adaptation, using “sounds, feelings, and lyrics,” Xylo says, to generate a story of a cyborg called Jon and a princess called Aliya on the planet AFRIKKA.’

An accomplished bassist and producer, championed by Gilles Peterson, Kojey Radical as well as spotlighted on Mary Anne Hobbs’ BBC 6 Music show, there’s little more proof needed that he’s an artist of true talent. But it’s well worth checking out his gorgeous track Hold On to drive that fact home!