Recently the Scottish music scene has exploded with a barrage of great sounding bands and artists that have shot to success at the top of the U.K charts. Looking at the quality of the bands behind the front-runners, I would say it’s a scene here to stay!

The Kick, certainly kick they can be found in the Glasgow area and they sound incredibly fresh, after listening to the four songs on their Myspace page I’m hooked, especially on a song called ‘Lights Out’.

"Do you love me or love to hate me?" sings Lora the sexy siren and front women of Darkwater. Well with a sound resident enough to fool you into forgetting this band are unsigned and yet to break the mainstream no matter what your usual tastes are you cannot hate this slice of hard rock.

When Gentlemen's Gold burst through my speakers for the first time, I think the first word that popped into my head was "blimey"; that is, the good sort of blimey.  For really there is not any other possible reaction to a track that so stridently leaps into motion before you even get a chance to turn up the volume.

Addictive! That’s what this track is, like Pringles mixed with crack! It’s a must listen and you'll want to hear it again and again. God Damn Breeder! is one of those catchy tracks that'll stay in your head and you won't be able to get rid of it, the reason for this is that it's a solid track with good rifts and sing-along lyrics.

This song lulls you in with a false sense of security, the intro moodily skulks along, and then without warning it hits you. The fast paced tale of night time debauchery races along and leaves you running to catch up.

From the catchy, dark edged opening chords, to the tunefully abrupt end, 'Myliner' by Symbo is definitely a sound to listen out for. The tenacious chorus, laidback vocal style and resonant riffs are irresistible and make the song as a whole memorable and impossible to not dance to.

This ironic tale of the bands own name anguishly cries out for a new sound instead of as they describe “the same old fashion, but with less passion.” And it seems the band have taken it upon themselves to complete the ambitious quest and give us something new and tasty to sink our music thirsty fangs into.

Whatever they are drinking, I'll have the same! 'Release the Lions' is an impossibly funky, infectiously melodic aural delight! So far it's the only song by them I have heard, but I'm already addicted to their highly original trashy and sleazy sound.

If I could some up this song in just two words, they would be ‘kick ass!' The band set about causing an explosion from the start with a breakneck speed that makes you want to jump around like a loon. Really good vibe, I can imagine the atmosphere at any of their gigs is electric from the start.

I think after listening to just a little bit of LR Rockets, it becomes crystal clear as to why they are named just so.  Fuelled with the energy of what could indeed be many riotous rockets, Personality is a nice concoction of beats and riffs that ever so subtly get you in the mood for dancing.

This song has the potential to be the feel good indie anthem of the year. It is so different yet it sounds as if you have always had 51 Breaks in your record collection. Embers feels like a classic you have loved but with its modern twist you know that it is setting the pace for more new and exciting music.

With a nomination for last year's Kerrang's prestigious Best Unsigned Band Award under their belt, Star Chamber are already living up to their name as an act of nothing less than star quality.  Their new release Something That She Said is a corker of a track that propels quite magically from start to finish.

All the King's Men are a Manchester born and bred band that write songs for Manchester about Manchester and they do it well, very well in fact. There are hundreds upon hundreds of Manc bands out there doing their own thing, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of bands who copy the Manc sound with some effect. But All the King's Men manage to redevelop the Manchester sound into their own form to produce something a bit different.

This song may have a title which sounds more Celine Dion than new indie band Zalinski, but wailing love song this is not. It is more a guitar heavy tale that thumps along more cheerily than Mary Poppins with her umbrella.

With a name like Cactusk, it really just goes without saying that whatever comes out of this music-making machine will probably provide nothing less than a captivating catch of the good stuff. Having drifted from all the way across the pond, these Michigan-based fellows conjure up something that is both mellow and momentous, and their new single A Lie is a fine example of just how they manage to master such a sound.

Well it's a new year, which means more cold mornings, a rubbish summer, another disappointing birthday and more car tax to pay. But a new year also means a new sound. Every year brings a few bands that define the year with original and new sounds. Well the Gin Riots have that new sound, if they were a fruit they'd now be ripening up just in time for the summer.

Hailing from Norwich and having a lead singer that grew up on a pig farm does not a rock band make- or does it? The Neutrinos seem to have used these; some may call shortcomings, and cooked up a fierce sounding band of the female fronted kind.

Dynamic and daring from its very start (with no pun intended), Start &Begin 69 simply thrusts itself into a race of both rhythmic and musical enchantment. Quite unlike anything else currently coasting today's music radar, Ceri James has managed to create something that is both unique yet comforting - simply in the sense that once you hear it, you just know you'll love it.

Picture yourself as the star of a sprightly and whimsical film, drenched in a summer time of merry tomfoolery. The music you hear? That is the sound of Isosceles; a gaggle of Glaswegian fellows whose musical delicacies lend themselves quite nicely to a scorching summer soundtrack.

Straight into 2008 comes King Furnace with another shed load of quality tracks! These guys have hit the studio, and they've hit it hard delivering some fresh tacks that smash out of the speakers and right down your ear canal. King Furnace sound as though they've evolved and grown as a band and are now getting to the top of their game. Although I love the old tracks a lot, there is something a bit more energetic about the new tracks, which will be whipping crowds up into frenzies at their shows this summer.

Don't panic, this band aren't long haired snaggle toothed alt rockers gone metal, as the name Dirty Fingernails might imply, (well that's what I had imagined anyway!) Misery is Easy was a very pleasant surprise indeed. They should be called something more like Lo-Fi Lollipop Kids. As there sound is a sweet mix of bouncy melodies, interestingly thoughtful lyrics, and the right amount of lo-fi to give it an edge without making it sound as if it were recorded in a cardboard box.

Ka-ting! Perhaps the title of this track is itself alone a wonderful way to describe the shiny new sound of Super Cute Voices. Fresh, innovative and totally electric, this Welsh new-waving duo have created something that can only really be described as a fabulous lo-fi frenzy. With a sprinkling of synth on a totally high voltage, for only two people Super Cute Voices manage to make an awful lot of solid sound.

In 1991 people in my area dropped their glow sticks, ripped off their raving gear and dawned longer hair, scruffy jeans and chequered shirts, the reason? Nirvana! Kurt Cobain and the album Nevermind changed music and the way people were. Suddenly grunge was the best thing since sliced bread, and it was the way forward. Everyone had a shot at it but Nirvana were the bollocks! But like all good things it came to an end in 1994 with the death of Cobain. Although many bands tried the spirit was never really there, the ruggedness had gone and it seemed bands were just trying to copy but failing.

With this self titled track comes a bombardment of U.S guitar rock, tinged clearly with 80's New Wave British influences. We are lead in by a bass rift which echo's of Joy Division, and there is no denying a strong Cure feel to this amazingly vibrant song. There are of course some American influences evident too; the vocals are reminiscent of Arcade Fire in their haunting harmonies. There is a hungry sense of urgency conveyed through the up tempo beats and hearty vocals that gives this song an interesting edge. "It's like moving in a dream, you're asleep but your body doesn't know it," with their well written lyrics and catchy melodies this American band are definitely stirring up some interest.

And now for something completely different - Futuristic Retro Champions are a band that seems to be innovation personified. If it were possible to collect sunshine in a sound bite, then this here would be your evidence. Quite unlike pretty much anything else you will hear nowadays, this sunny slice of happy hardcore, emotronic (which, for the records, happens to be the best adjective ever) pop is just what the current music scene needs in terms of something fresh and something new.

When I was told I'd be reviewing Tyrannothesaurus and I read the word ‘emotronic' I thought ‘Tricky... how am I going to listen to it without vomiting blood?' but now I HAVE heard it, I'm pleased to inform you that I wouldn't necessarily describe it as emotronic. It's actually damn good. ‘Break Things' is an aural treat-it reminds me of watching children's TV programmes on acid. Sporadic and punchy, a great song to drive around checking people out to this summer.

Having landed with a delightful thud, it is time to proudly announce the arrival of Hi 5 Alive; hailing from the blossoming Glaswegian music scene, the three-piece have already made quite an impression having appeared on several stages across the country. Enticing eager ears with their blend of upbeat and mellow sounds, the trio of Scottish lovelies have made it just in time for festival season where, I am sure, such musical treats would not go amiss.

Coming straight from the Dales of Yorkshire (well not quite the Dales), come a fresh new band 'hey! Panda'. This is a young band that describes their music as dance punk. One thing I got to say straight away, this band is mental! There's loads of craziness running through the veins of their songs and also a lot of talent. Their sound is quite literally mind stopping stuff, its confusing, its hard to understand until you get taken away inside it and spat out the other end. hey! Panda sort of reminds me of watching a David Bowie concert from the 1970's (on T.V I'm not that old!) lots of energy, arms legs and spit everywhere in a chaotic mess that's absolutely amazing.

With it's erratic choppy intro, 70's-esque vocals, cock rock style bridge and disco bassline, overlaid with something like a synthesizer put in a blender...you wouldn't think it would actually work. But it does. And then some. In fact, with each listen, I hear more snippets of various genres and it reminds me of many things I can't quite put my finger on, (other than it sounding like the music of choice of the glammest of drag queens on an MDMA binge) but that's just a flawless result of a successful combination of eclectic styles, sleaze and attitude.

Ireland has always had a lot to offer musically with massive bands and massive anthems (usually drinking anthems!). But in 2008 Irish music belongs to ‘The Beat Poets' no doubt! This is a band that formed in 2005 and in just 3 years has rocketed to success beyond belief. They're sound is totally refined, its perfect, if they were engine oil they'd be Castrol GTX!

A tune that has quite possibly already graced the space in everyone's mind labelled ‘I have a song stuck in my head' (much to our delight), Broadcast 2000's lovely ditty Get Up and Go has already made a name for itself having featured in E-on's latest television advert. Sound familiar? Yes, so that's where you've heard it before - quite right.

If you asked me to sum up Wa Da We Da by Killola in one sentence I'd say it sounded like Patti Smith fucking KatieJane Garside. I know I'm not struck on Patti or Katie, but sling them together and it works. It's catchier than herpes, I'm already singing along with more enthusiasm than one of the delusional mentalists from ‘Pop Idol'.

KunK, what a name for a band! And what a band they are! If you love heavy guitars, up-tempo beats and in your face lyrics, KunK are the band for you. This band rock and they rock out hard; every track from start to finish is straight in there, no messing around just pure quality.

Take some vocals, a little bit of pop (some voxpop, if you will), and then add a sprinkle of loveliness and what do you get? A concoction that makes up some of today's finest pop, no less. Having formed in January of last year in the ever-so musically vibrant London town, this fabulous four-piece began to gig back in November and so have already had the chance to wow many a crowd. And just on a side note, be sure to keep your eyes peeled this summer for more performances; they're sure to be headed our way.

The word Operahouse reminds me straight away of the many nights spent in a night club in Boscombe many memories, but this isn't about blurry nights gurning, this time Operahouse is all about a great band who are snowballing to massive success, gaining momentum all the way. The 1st thing that really strikes me about this band is the song writing ability, especially the lyrics to their tracks. Every song is full of intelligence and a certain charisma not seen from any band in a long time. Musically these guys are very tight and their professionalism shines through each track.

This is a strange one...it sounds like so many different things that it's hard to pick out any specific comparisons. Although one that does spring to mind is that vocalist Dave Human sounds not unlike Sergio Pizzorno. (Which is always good because Sergio is yummy.)

This song transports you to a darker side of life from the eerie intro to the spellbinding end. Papa La Bas have created a magical mind twisting tour of the musical variety that will have your ears tripping out. The trip hop twosome have made a fusion of the 80's classic power ballad (I Just Died) In Your Arms by Cutting Crew and a piece of classical music called Summer Overture By Clive Mansell featured in the cult classic film Requiem for a Dream. Who would have thought such an unusual, even unthinkable, mix would work but it does with mind-blowing effects.