IF YOU WANT TO CLAIM YOU “HEARD IT HERE FIRST”, THIS IS THE GIG FOR YOU
GIG PREVIEW | HEARD IT HERE FIRST PRESENTS ‘THE NEXT WAVE’ AT BAND ON THE WALL by Morgan Hermiston
On 15th July, so in exactly a week, Heard it Here First will present The Next Wave at Band On The Wall in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. With a trio of terrific acts to get through, the doors open at 8pm, with music starting from 8:30pm. No act is given a “support” or “headline” label, giving each the equal chance to impress and engage. But who’s playing? Read on to find out more about the female-fronted lineup, XL Poncho, Roulette, and Shannon Gillespie.
XL Poncho
This group are the only act on this lineup without any music released, but this hasn’t stopped the dynamic fanbase they’re already building and maintaining. They’re also the cover stars of Heard It Here First’s physical magazine. We managed to catch them at this year’s Sound City, and it was such a memorable set! Their live audiences are both the subject, and the builders, of anticipation surrounding future material. With punchy personality throughout, XL Poncho are one of the UK’s next big things.
Roulette
Episode 26 of the Heard It Here First’s podcast saw Roulette being highlighted. The quartet’s powerful melodies and vibrant vocals stand them out compared to a predominantly indie-rock catalogue of UK bands. Already released material including 2026 releases ‘Out of Luck‘ and ‘Insane’, as well as 2025 single ‘Sixteen‘, are packed full of energy that will definitely translate terrifically in a live atmosphere.
Shannon Gillespie
Also featuring in Heard It Here First’s physical print, Shannon Gillespie is gaining traction with her tantalising tunes. She too played Sound City this year at the Kazimier Garden. While Gillespie hasn’t released any music this year, previously produced work 2023’s ‘anything like her‘ and 2025 track ‘The Runner‘ are helping her to build momentum and maintain a steadily growing fanbase.
Tickets
If you’ve ever wished you were there for the beginning and igniting of an artist or band’s career, now’s your chance. With three names who are very quickly building a name for themselves, and a solid fanbase to accompany it, you don’t have long until you lose the chance to say you were there from the start. And with very affordable tickets too, there’s few other places you can pay these prices for the same quality of acts.
Final tickets for Heard It Here First’s The Next Wave can be found here.
