Badminton
Born in the attic bedroom of a young boy with an electric guitar, what started as a careful breeze grew into a full-blown alt-rock/garage thunderstorm with a wink to the 90s. Frontman Luca de la Haye joined forces with a soul-baring drummer, a laid-back guitar nerd with a passion for noise, and a powerhouse bassist to complete the spark. Within a year, the four-piece crashed into the Dutch alternative scene, turning twenty-something chaos into catchy, high-energy rock songs about love, self-discovery, and growing up.
YĪN YĪN
Get ready to groove with Dutch quartet YĪN YĪN at Hit The City! Fresh from global tours hitting Paradiso, Lowlands, Fuji Rock, and beyond, the Maastricht-based four-piece brings their fourth album, Yatta!, to life. A hypnotic fusion of disco, funk, psychedelia, and Southeast Asian sounds, their music is a journey from Italo disco’s mystical space grooves to 1960s Japanese soul-funk and Thai spaghetti western vibes. From dancefloor-filling beats to trippy, chill soundscapes, YĪN YĪN craft a globe-trotting, exploratory groove that’s endlessly infectious.
Lambrini Girls
This trio from Brighton leaves no performance unnoticed. With their cocktail of punk, pop, and indie, they tear up every stage. Their lyrics are full of social and political commentary and feminist rage, with which they are all too happy to flip the middle finger at society. Unprocessed traumas and influences from Le Tigre and The Spice Girls are clearly audible in the songs of this queer trio. Armed with a guitar, bass, and drums, Lambrini Girls are ready to conquer the world.
Hex Girlfriend
London-based Hex Girlfriend, the electrifying duo of Noah Yorke and James Knott, fuses rave, heavy rock, and industrial grooves into a theatrical sonic storm. Their live shows are a visual and auditory spectacle. Think striking costumes, white armor, and beats that won’t let you sit still. Debut EP No Golf Cart Parking (2024) tackles rebellion, self-worth, and social critique with playful yet heavy energy. Expect chaotic danceability, unexpected twists, and a band boldly defying norms.
Jools
Unpredictable, explosive and emotionally raw, Jools don’t mourn the past, they celebrate survival. Rising from the UK underground in 2023, they have become one of the country’s most vital new punk collectives, earning praise from BBC Radio 1 and tastemakers like Kerrang! and DIY. Their debut album Violent Delights begins and ends with the same defiant mantra: “These violent delights have violent ends”. A statement of identity, autonomy and intent. Co-vocalists Kate Price and Mitch Gordon trade between harmony and confrontation, beauty and brutality, over a sound that fuses punk attitude with flashes of metal, rap and post-hardcore.
DEADLETTER
Born in Yorkshire and forged through friendship, DEADLETTER crashes into Hit The City with unstoppable momentum. What started in 2020 as a tight bond between Zac Lawrence, Alfie Husband, and George Ullyott has evolved into a fierce six-piece powerhouse. Drawing on the sharp pulse of LCD Soundsystem, the edge of The Stranglers, and the wild spirit of Captain Beefheart, they twist lyrical mazes around explosive alt-rock grooves. After their acclaimed debut Hysterical Strength earned four stars from NME, the band now surges forward with their electrifying second album, Existence Is Bliss. Dark, danceable, irresistible. DEADLETTER are one of the UK’s most thrilling new forces.
Mouth Ulcers
London’s Mouth Ulcers are the new pulse of dark post-punk. Drawing from legends like The Cure, Bauhaus, and Twin Tribes, they fuse tribal drums, moody baritone vocals, and atmospheric guitars into a sound critics call “music for vampires to dance to.” Already turning heads with sold-out UK and Netherlands shows, the quartet delivers music that’s urgent, intoxicating, and irresistibly cool. With their debut EP on the horizon via Lab Records and a summer live run set to ignite.
Frans Kalf
Frans Kalf is a cynically joyful life artist, half Amsterdammer, half Ghentian. With catchy songs and sharp lyrics, he guides you through a bittersweet world under the approving gaze of Shaffy and Brel. A place for heartbreaks and belly laughs alike. His debut single, “Terwijl Je Voor Me Stond”, out January 21, fuses chanson with indie and folk, instantly defining his signature sound. Already a Sound Track laureate, Frans captivates stages across the Low Countries and tours with Dressed Like Boys, Kaat Van Stralen, and Johannes Is Zijn Naam.
Fellatio
With their jagged, propulsive sound, Fellatio became a lightning-quick live sensation, spreading like a blight from Rotterdam’s underground scene to the great beyond. Their pilgrimage has just begun, make sure you don’t miss out!
SERVE
SERVE is a sonic statement, a genuine story told by way of unabated riffs, pummeling breakdowns and gut-wrenching hooks. Expect metallic hardcore with old-school and modern influences, ranging from Converge and Slipknot to Fit For An Autopsy and Spirit Box. This is purgation through sound. A raw confrontation with unhealed scars and freshly torn wounds. From the harrowing EPs Life Isn’t Lived, It Is Suffered Through and Deeper Into The Wound, to the full-length The Light Outlives The Sun and the crushing single An Angel Entombed, SERVE turns pain into power and chaos into catharsis.