WORCESTER'S vibrant music scene is no longer a secret behind closed doors, with the Worcester Wave having now firmly arrived.

After other cities have had their time to shine Worcester has being building its own musical identity, with many of the next big things in music set to come from the Faithful city and West Midlands region.

Music lover Rita Dabrowicz said: "To date, the only bands from Worcester to ever make it to Top 40 were The Tights, in the 70s, and Peace, in the noughties, but we know that there is more to Worcester than just sauce and ceramics.

"Keep your eyes and ears open and visit your nearest independent record store or music venue or you may miss the musical revolution."

Before the Worcester Wave sweeps the rest of the country off its feet, Worcester News has this short guide on the local bands to watch out for in the coming months, and years.

The Americas

Worcester native trio, The Americas, was formed in late 2015 by vocalist Harry Payne, guitarist

Aaron Whittaker and drummer Alexander Bradshaw.

After receiving warm reviews from NME magazine and winning the title of the best newcomer from popular online music website Gigslutz (they beat The Cabbage and The HINDS), The Americas joined This Feeling circuit, an established music company, for a series of national live shows.

They opened for The Twang at the sold out concert at O2 Academy Birmingham, as well as for the Bluetones, Blaenavon and Trampoline among many others.

They were then invited to play at prestigious London conference Amplify organized to celebrate the 10th anniversary of BBC Introducing.

Recently, The Americas spent an entire month locked in their studio working on a new record to be released in the second quarter of 2018.

Soeur

Described as “your favourite new guitar band” Droitwich and Worcester act Soeur consists of three experienced musicians that have graced the local musical landscape with their talent for many years.

Anya Pulver (guitar), Tina Maynard (bass) both previously of group Manshize and drummer James Collins (formerly of Maybeshewill) have been playing together since 2015.

Soeur (French for “sister”) appeared on the BBC Introducing stage at the Reading Festival and on the main stage of Leeds Festival over the summer, playing a successful national tour with more than 30 dates.

Just last month, Soeur made their debut at the legendary Maida Vale studios on Radio 1 playing their newest singles “No fire” produced by Ali Chant (PJ Harvey) and Jamie Ward (Kyte, Minnaars) and “Left Living”.

HVMM

Pronounced as “hum”, HVMM classify themselves as “apocalyptic blues”.

The quartet includes singer Andy Teece, drummer Sam Jenkins, bass player Jack Timmis and guitarist Ebony Clay.

HVMM are currently the only English band signed to an American label, Independent Label Alliance (ILA). Their debut EP “Talk to me like I’m dead” was released in early September with an EP launch show at Marrs Bar and a mini concert at Rise Music in Crown Gate Shopping Centre.

HVMM videos for “Lacerate” and “Going postal” have received thousands of views on YouTube.

The band is currently on national tour with shows scheduled until the end of the year.

nth cave

Formed in early 2013 by brothers Fergus and Hector Brazier, nth cave is the youngest band (age wise) on our list with a surprisingly long resume.

The current line up includes Fergus on lead guitar, Hector on drums, Alfie Newman on bass and Danni Timmins on vocals.

In 2016, nth cave performed for BBC Introducing where they were championed by BBC Hereford and Worcester DJ Andrew Marston. They were also invited to the University of Birmingham to shoot a video for their song “BASS”.

Their music has been compared to Bat for Lashes, Lush and the Sundays, and received universal acclaim from critics that led to the band being included on BBC 6 Music Recommends with Steve Lamacq.

Outside of Worcestershire, nth cave played a series of successful shows in Liverpool (Club Bebe), Bristol and at O2 Arena in Birmingham.

The band is currently working on new material to be released next year.

Thousand Mountain

Often abbreviated as TSND MNTN, the rock group trio are Ash Andrews (drums), Dan Stokes (bass) and Joel Hughes (guitar).

This melodic, technical rock group was founded in early 2016 and this year has brought them a significant breakthrough. Working in partnership with the biggest West Midland promoters, Thousand Mountain supported American spoken word legend Listener at the Flapper in Birmingham.

They have also played sold out shows with the rising stars of independent music such as Rubio, Ideal Club, Salt Wounds and Press To Meco.

Whenever they have the chance, Thousand Mountain love to return and play in Worcester.

“We love Worcester,” admits Ash Andrews.

"From the first time we played, we've been welcomed back with open arms.

"It's by far our favourite city to play. Everyone's open-minded about music and they seem to like us.”

True to their word, Thousand Mountain recently played at Worcester Music Festival and headlined the acclaimed Musicians Against Homelessness fundraiser on September 23 at Marrs Bar.

Nuns of Tundra

Malvern four-piece, Nuns of the Tundra, have been called “the saviours of rock music” by Overblown Magazine, and “one of the UK’s most exciting upcoming bands” by the Born Music website.

Formed in 2015, the group is the brain child of vocalist Troy Tittley and guitarist Arran Davies. They are joined by bassist Jim Smith and drummer, Melos Moody.

Known affectionately as Nundra, the group merges American guitar tradition with typically British indie music.

After their induction to BBC Introducing earlier this year, Nuns had a busy summer performing on the festival circuit and recording new music. Their new EP was released on October 10, and was promoted by the single “Float Away”.

It’s worth mentioning that the animated video to the song will represent the UK at the prestigious NYC Indie Film Festival in May 2018.

Population: 7

Population: 7 is a musical collective blending the boundaries of hip hop, soul, funk and rhythm and blues. Founded nearly three years ago, the group released two independent albums “WHYP7” in 2016 and “Fiero” earlier this year.

Their electrifying performances won them rave reviews from music critics and a large following among the city’s residents.

The number of members differs from performance to performance but the current line up is at nine men and women strong with three vocalists (Haydn Rogers, Rachael Medhurst and Sam Ruane), two guitarists (Rob King and Peter Mann), saxophonist Jon Kasch, flue/clarinet player Hannah Webb and drummer Carl Browne.

Honourable mention: Worcester School of Rock and Performance (WSRP)

WSRP is the faithful city’s best kept secret and talent hot spot.

The school accepts all students aged eight to 18-years-old and teaches them how to play an instrument, compose music and present themselves on stage, all under the watchful eye of professional tutors.

Young musicians meet up each Saturday for 10 weeks to practice their craft and perform live up to three times a year.

Rock and roll pupils are able to record their original music and promote it online. WSRP graduates include visual artist and multi-instrumentalist Jodi Hughes, member of the popular group The Lightweights and the youngest musician to take part in Worcester Music Festival and Independent Music Week.