Fancy New Band 2023 Lineup Announced - Ballot Box, Chase Woods, Sabreen Islam, Elliot & Vincent, YAHYAH, Chris RL, BLUSH.MP3

Spotlighting a dazzling variety of emerging local talent, 95bFM's Fancy New Band returns to round off Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa / NZ Music Month with a showcase extravaganza at Whammy Bar and Backroom. This year's lineup is (as you would expect) a super stacked affair — featuring Tāmaki Makaurau-raised Bangladeshi songwriter and poet Sabreen Islam who launched her debut room service EP in March, already widely beloved with just two official singles to their name (so far) post-rock hotshots Ballot Box, guitar / drums duo Elliot & Vincent, rising dance-pop songwriter YAHYAH, Taranaki-raised conscious rapper Chris RL, Palmerston North hip hop high-flyer Chase Woods and Tāmaki trans feminine DJ BLUSH.MP3. Get the official lowdown on each act below and nab tickets immediately to witness our future superstars in action on 27th May — or tune into 95bFM for the simulcast if you're out of town...

95bFM Fancy New Band
featuring... Sabreen Islam, Elliot & Vincent, Ballot Box, YAHYAH, Chris RL, Chase Woods, BLUSH.MP3 + bFM Karaoke
Saturday 27th May - Whammy Bar and Backroom, Auckland (koha entry)

Currently tearing up student radio airwaves, peep the clip for Chase Woods' 'Roaches'...

Here's Ballot Box's meditative student radio hit 'Hanuman'...

Watch the clip for Sabreen Islam's 'victory' from her new room service EP...

Check out Chris RL's 2022 hit 'LESSONS' featuring Turquoise Prince & Nextwavez...

Experience YAHYAH's soaring new single 'GO'...

Artist bios:

Sabreen Islam

Auckland-raised, twenty-year-old Sabreen Islam is an artist, songwriter and author. Her single ‘Glow’ was selected as a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition 2020, and she has performed extensively across her native New Zealand, including at Auckland’s popular Others Way Festival. A multi-talented artist, Sabreen is also a published poet. In July 2022 she published a critically acclaimed collection of poetry called spring clean. Proudly Bangladeshi and Muslim, Sabreen is a fierce advocate for her community, which often finds its way into her music: her recent single ‘still love you’ featured tabla prominently in its production.

In 2023, Sabreen released her debut EP, ‘room service’, a collection of six songs created with Auckland producer Sophie Bialostocki. Her subsequent first headline show to celebrate the EP’s release in her hometown of Auckland almost sold out. With her debut EP under her belt, and several exciting projects on the horizon, the future is looking bright for this rising artist as she prepares to share her music with the world.

Elliot & Vincent

Elliot & Vincent are an Auckland-based two-piece band, featuring drummer and vocalist Elliot Finn and guitarist Vincent Cherry. Equipped with a Japanese lawsuit guitar and a tom-heavy drum style, the pair fill the space in each other’s sound, forming driving rhythms and a distorted strain. Keeping in mind some of their desert island picks, albums such as Midnight Boom, Darklands, and A Way of Life, Elliot & Vincent are inspired by the unique music that duo dynamics are able to create.

Ballot Box

Ballot Box are a four piece group from Tāmaki Makaurau, playing a noisy mix of post-punk and indie rock.

YAHYAH

Meet YAHYAH rising singer/songwriter by way of New Zealand, London and Los Angeles. While she’s no stranger to the industry, her independent project will introduce a new side of the artist that fans have yet to see. Her blend of electronic pop has garnered her serious attention and acclaim in Aotearoa’s pop scene, and far beyond, with her independent debut EP "Unleash the Panda" accelerating to the top 50 iTunes Pop charts in the UK, and follow up pop banger ‘Little Joy' featuring on ZM, George FM, The Project and Juice TV in late 2021. 2022 delivered more success for the independent artist, with 'Thoughts From My Bed' reaching number 10 on the Hot 20 NZ Singles chart, followed up by the special Te Reo translation ‘Ngā Mahara Moenga,' which featured as part of the 2022 Waiata Anthems campaign. YAHYAH’s next wave comes with a huge amount of anticipation and promise, with her latest offering 'GO' paving the way for the year and bigger projects to come later in 2023.

Chris RL

Chris RL is a conscious hip hop artist from Aotearoa. He was Born in central Auckland, and was raised in Taranaki where he developed his personality and love for music. He uses his music as a vehicle to help himself, society, and rangatahi navigate life through adversity. Chris's music feels deep and speaks from his past experiences of addiction, his current view of the world, and his ambitious hopes for the future. His debut album "Guidance" featured Well established Artists such as Sidney Diamond, and Noè, as well as producers Such as Kaydub, Nextwaves, Stephen Small and Sam Taylor. This project established the beginning of Chris's Journey. Fresh off tour with Poetik and a run of summer shows/ festivals, Chris is focusing on new music for 2023, merch, shows, and ways to help his community through using his voice.

BLUSH.MP3

BLUSH.MP3 is a trans feminine DJ and artist from Tāmaki Makaurau. She describes her sound as all over the place. Focused on genre blending, Blush plays global club sets that take you on a fast paced journey through many different genres and influences. Their goal is to introduce you to new sounds and songs that you may not have heard before, playing predominantly queer and underground artists. But most importantly the goal for all of Blush’s sets and mixes is simply just to make the listener feel hot, sexy, alive and free !!! No genre specifics, just good music, good blends and good energy.