Class of 2025
We’re spoilt for choice here in Adelaide when it comes to talented young musicians making some very special tunes. We listen to their music as it arrives each month and eagerly line up to see them play at our favourite watering holes and clubs. The following artists are bands, solo acts and music makers that we think will have a big 2025 and will dominate local, interstate and (hopefully) overseas bills in the future.
Any Young Mechanic
Art-folk band Any Young Mechanic (formerly named Wake in Fright) is a five-piece with a unique, polished sound that’s been intriguing pubgoers since 2021. We anticipate 2025 will be a big one for them because they’re already $20,000 ahead after winning the Helpmann Academy’s 2024 Creative Innovator program, with the funds to run an Australian and international publicity campaign around the release of their next album, The Modern Shoe Is Ruining the Foot. We’ll be eagerly checking our inbox for those promo materials. Due to the name change, their discography has been wiped from Spotify, but you can still stream their backlog on Bandcamp under the moniker That’s Not Us!
CityMag recommends: ‘Punchcard’
Twine
We almost didn’t include Twine because, honestly, they had a great 2024. The band released their debut album, toured nationally, and supported the likes of Unwound – a major influence on the band itself. But momentum begets momentum and thus we’re hoping Twine has an even bigger year this year.
CityMag recommends: ‘Same Old Problems’
War Room
War Room is making genuinely exciting music. They cite contemporaries like Black Midi and Black Country New Road as influences, but their artful approach to post-rock and art-punk is both more accessible and more interesting than the sounds that inform them. In large part, we reckon this is because of vocalist and guitarist Louis Campbell and violinist Thea Martin’s chemistry and the almost emo twist they apply to their melodies. It also helps that the band is unafraid to go all the way with their music which is always a delightful romp through unexpected places.
CityMag recommends: ‘The Top Floor’
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STRINGING IT TOGETHER
Maybe you’ve noticed something
about three of the bands we’ve written about – there’s one important member in common. In our gig-going outings of 2024, we couldn’t help but be totally captured by Thea Martin – a multi-instrumentalist likely best known for her violin contributions to Twine, War Room and Any Young Mechanic. She adds an element to these three acts that elevates their sounds and helps develop a uniquely Adelaide sensibility for the current crop aiming to make a mark on the local contemporary music scene. As such, we thought we’d give her a big shoutout. Make sure you give Thea’s solo work a spin too. Find it under the name Short Snarl.
CityMag recommends:
Short Snarl – ‘Part II: Time Passes’
Blush
Annita Vucic is the vocalist and lyricist who pulls together the dreamy, melancholic blues of Blush. The four-piece writes with talent beyond its years and has already attracted the attention of the international press (and CityMag!). Last year they shared the stage with the likes of Energy Angel, but we’re foreseeing a bigger 2025 for the band with an EP in the works.
CityMag recommends: ‘Shades of Blue’
Gere
Former Paradise Club frontman Gere has really found his niche. The surprise release of his debut solo LP in 2024 was more than welcome, and it took what he’d been noodling with in Paradise Club to another level. By embracing some more digital sounds and a poptimist sheen, Gere created a sweet world to get lost in. Even the sadder lyrics on the record feel uplifting thanks to the saccharine production and lovely melodies. With his first album done, we’re hoping Gere gets to showcase everything he’s worked towards in 2025 properly.
CityMag recommends: ‘Drive!’
Maybe Hugo
The multi-instrumentalist introduced himself as Maybe Hugo in April last year, and it’s been a pleasure. We dubbed ‘Like B4’ the strongest debut from any Adelaide artist in 2024 with its refined, determined and soulful vibe. With an EP, groovy music video premiere for ‘Fall in Line’, streaming traction and his first live show behind him, we anticipate that in 2025, Hugo will probably, properly take off.
CityMag recommends: ‘Fall in Line’
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The Genevieves
The Genevieves first hit our radar when we spotted the name scrawled in chalk on the Cranker’s wallside gig guide as we enjoyed a pint at the beloved pub. The post-punk four-piece played an impressive 32 shows in 2024, including gigs interstate, and kicked off 2025 at Swapmeet’s NYE party with the likes of War Room and Twine – good company to keep. The emerging artists, who feature in other projects given the incestuous nature of Adelaide’s band scene, truly showed us what they’re capable of via their debut EP Dog Dreams, which dropped earlier in February.
CityMag recommends: ‘PARTS’
Sunsick Daisy
Sunsick Daisy spent most of 2024 on stage, supporting bands like Late November, Suzi, and Adelaide heavy-hitters aleksiah and Jess Day, bookended by headline gigs. Their two singles released last year continue the self-proclaimed “sour candy” indie rock group’s rising star trajectory. They showed us their versatility from punchy vulnerability in ‘Over & Over’ to dream-pop track ‘Hideaway’, all with an endearing emo tilt. After two solid years of growth, we predict 2025 will spring Sunsick Daisy further up Adelaide’s music ecosystem.
CityMag recommends: ‘Hideaway’
My Chérie
My Chérie blew this writer’s mind when we saw her perform in 2024. Sometimes you just know someone’s destined for a brilliant career on the stage from the very moment they step out into the lights. My Chérie – a queer, female act that soars on an incredible set of pipes – reminds CityMag of Florence & The Machine, but through a more vaseline-smeared lens that gives her music a magical touch, like an afternoon with the pixies by a delightful creek.
CityMag recommends: ‘Darkness & Gold’
Tushar
Tushar had a pretty good 2024, releasing his second EP, the bouncy surf-pop Feels Like A Start, and playing his first-ever headline shows in Adelaide and Melbourne with slots at SXSW Sydney. He’s been at it since 2021, building confidence on support slots and festival stages, and has built a sound that’s intriguing and refreshing. Tushar is carving out a space for himself among Adelaide’s indie artists that will surely see him rewarded in 2025. To paraphrase the deliciously catchy ‘Feels Like A Start’: we wanna jump in with you, Tushar.
CityMag recommends: ‘Tonight’
Somewhere
This avant-rock trio may have only played a single gig in Adelaide and have just two demos up on Soundcloud, but they’ve got undeniable buzz around them and years of talent to back it up. The band is comprised of husband-and-wife duo Sofia Athanasopoulos on vocals and bass and Giuseppe Faraone on guitar, backed by Josh Paulson (formerly of World View) on drums. All three are also amazing DJs with a background in ‘real’ instruments, giving them a tasteful edge. We’ve heard they’ve got an LP in the works, which we’re dying to hear.
CityMag recommends: ‘She Said’