The K’s: Jamie Boyle (vocals/guitar); Ryan Breslin (guitar); Dexter Baker (bass); Jordan Holden (drums). These four young men are a word-of-mouth phenomenon that’s rapidly becoming too huge to ignore. On the surface, the appeal of The K’s seems simple: embodying the relatable frustrations of everyday Britain and its zero hours economy, yearning for a better life in escapist anthems like epic next single Landmines and breakthrough tune Glass Towns. But if creating timeless thrills really was so simple, other bands would rack up so many streams and routinely sell out tours, thanks to the frenzied fan community the band has nurtured. Their gigs are a guaranteed riot, but that shouldn’t overlook the sophistication that gives The K’s the immediately identifiable blueprint all special bands soon develop. Debut single Sarajevo is one of the few rock & roll songs to namecheck Austro-Hungary, notching up over 1.5 million streams in the process.

The Mike Skinner-fronted project known for blending genres that include garage, hip hop, indie and ska. Inspired by bands like Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Daft Punk and Rage Against The Machine, Birmingham native Mike Skinner, who later moved to South London, started laying down tracks in the ’90s. A vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer, he created the music project The Streets with an everyman approach and the idea of defining a new landscape where homegrown rappers could thrive.

The early 1980s weren’t the best of times to be an aspiring guitar player. Twenty years earlier, the head of Decca records, Dick Rowe, had made the biggest A&R gaff in pop history with the legendary clanger “Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr Epstein”. But in 1982, Rowe’s apocalyptic prophecy suddenly sounded frighteningly real. After the initial roar and storm of punk, British pop music had succumbed to a synthesizer-driven pursuit of new waves and new romanticisms. In an age of Vienna’s, Tainted Love’s and Too Shy’s, the pure sound of six-stringed, melodic pop – be it as amorous as The Beatles, as lascivious as The Stones or as giddy as T.Rex – was fast becoming a lost cause with few willing to fight its corner That all changed with Johnny Marr. Born in Manchester on Halloween 1963, of Irish heritage, Marr’s earliest musical memories are the get-togethers of his extended family, perhaps – as his early guitar idol Marc Bolan would sing – dancing himself out of the womb to the traditional strains of Black Velvet Band. As a child he’d be spellbound by his parents’ record collection: the forlorn dramas of Del Shannon, the prison doldrums of Johnny Cash and the heart-popping bliss of his mother’s Four Tops singles. All these influences would linger at the back of the boy Marr’s brain, waiting for the command to attack his finger tips at a later date.

Wet Leg’s blend of dry wit and minimalist-punk riffs started off as a joke between Isle of Wight duo Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. However, reality soon hit with their debut single ‘Chaise Longue’ becoming an overnight sensation and clocking up over seven million streams to date. With the numbers initially seeming virtual, it took their set at last year’s Latitude Festival to make it all feel real. Being amongst other musicians and seeing the packed-out tent sing along with the witty, Mean Girls-loving track made Wet Leg finally see themselves as legitimate musicians

Since its very first shows in February 2016, Hacienda Classical has played numerous concerts in the UK and internationally. Hacienda Classical will again include orchestral renditions of much loved classic club records from The Hacienda’s heritage, revisiting some of the tracks that have proved popular with fans as well as bringing new additions and arrangements of seminal tracks to the set. Over its four years so far, Hacienda Classical concerts have brought together a mixed crowd and lively atmosphere at events which see the set played as a continuous live DJ mix where vocalists, choir, orchestra and guests all combine creating a vibrant, exciting performance. For audiences, these inspirational nights have recreated the tunes that defined a generation for a whole new set of fans, renewing them and rearranging them with the orchestra and artists to create a special and unique experience.