Hype List 2026 Round-Up: Part One

New year. New noise. Hype is back on the hunt, digging through the chaos, the chatter and the late-night tip-offs to find the acts who aren’t just next up, but about to detonate.

Dork’s Hype List is our annual spotlight on the artists who’ve started to really stand out – not because they’re destined for instant superstardom, but because there’s something in what they’re doing that feels fresh, deliberate and worth keeping close tabs on.

It isn’t about calling winners or demanding overnight breakthroughs. Consider it a guide to the acts shaping the edges of what’s next: the ones we’re excited about, curious about and confident enough to back as they take their next steps.

This week we’re rolling out bigger features on some of our Hype List picks, but there are loads more names in the mix. This is Part One: the smaller bits from the mag we’re not running as stand-alone features, gathered into one place.

ALIEN CHICKS

London trio Alien Chicks make the sort of music that sounds like it’s about to rip the speakers apart. Blending dance-punk chaos with rave-ready electronics, their tracks are built for sweaty rooms and unhinged movement – distorted basslines, shouted hooks and beats that hit like a malfunctioning strobe light.

Their recent work has only sharpened that instinct for chaos. Songs like ‘Illuminati’ feel like they’re teetering on the edge of collapse, but somehow still land with a chorus you can yell along to. They’re loud, weird, and undeniably addictive – and if 2026 is the year Alien Chicks go from cult favourites to something bigger, it’ll be because they’ve earned it the hard way.

THE ITCH

Brighton’s The Itch are the kind of band who seem to exist in a perpetual state of mischief. Their songs are sharp, fast and chaotic, full of distorted guitars and shouted hooks that hit like a sugar rush gone wrong. There’s punk in the DNA, but also something more theatrical – a sense that every track is meant to be played like a prank on the listener.

Ask The Itch what they’re up to and you’ll get answers like “UNDISCLOSED”. But that refusal to play the game only makes them more magnetic. They’re loud, they’re weird, and they’re very, very fun.

UGLY OZO

Ugly Ozo feels like a secret that keeps leaking out. The solo project of Jessica Baker, it’s full of hazy synths, warped vocals and a kind of dream-pop shimmer that’s always threatening to glitch. There’s romance in it, but also unease – like the songs are being broadcast from somewhere just out of reach.

After years spent uploading tracks in fragments and disguises, Baker’s stargirl EP was the first time Ugly Ozo felt fully revealed. It’s a record that plays with identity and self-mythology, and it’s packed with hooks that sneak up on you. In 2026, Ugly Ozo looks ready to step out of the shadows and into something bigger.

RIP MAGIC

Rip Magic didn’t arrive so much as appear out of the ether. For months, only a few tracks floated around online: the hazy pulse of ‘Speedboat’, the uncanny dream-pop of ‘Good Boy’, the spectral synths of ‘Y’, the hypnotic drift of ‘Chaser’. Not demos. Not teasers. Full songs, with a clarity and confidence that suggested a band who’d been doing this for years.

Then they played a show. And another. And suddenly people were talking – not just because the music was good, but because it felt like they’d skipped the whole ‘getting started’ stage and arrived fully formed. In 2026, Rip Magic are still something of a mystery. But they’re a compelling one.

PUNCHBAG

Punchbag don’t do subtle. The south London duo – siblings Clara and Anders Bach – make music that hits like a punch to the chest, all blown-out bass, sneering vocals and riffs that grind forward with relentless momentum. It’s loud, brutal, and somehow still catchy as hell.

Their debut EP ‘I’m Not Your Punchbag’ captures that intensity perfectly: a mix of industrial textures and punk energy, with Clara’s voice cutting through like a siren. There’s humour in the aggression too, but it’s the sense of catharsis that really sticks – like every song is meant to exorcise something.

“It was only because of Covid that we started working together,” Clara says. “We weren’t going to do it before that. It was forced upon us.”

That origin story might explain why Punchbag sound like they’re still furious at the world. But it also explains why the music feels so vital: it’s not manufactured rage, it’s lived-in and real.

If ‘I’m Not Your Punchbag’ is the introduction, everything that follows is primed to hit even harder. They’re sharpening the live show (“pyros pending”) and what comes next with the same restless energy. Punchbag aren’t offering escape. They’re offering ignition.

DJANK

Unafraid to delve into the murky waters of personal vice and storytelling there’s an unruly spark to everything djank do. From their debut album ‘(DO NOT STAY)’ to this year’s excellent EP ‘POOSHKA’ – featuring standout tracks ‘Robbing 5 Points’ and ‘Bank’ – there’s a deadpan flair and vivid edge to the world they’re building. With a gift for writing small slices of life with big emotional weight, djank are carving out their own path with sharp hooks and sharper instincts.

GIRL GROUP

And then there’s Girl Group: five friends from Liverpool who stumbled into a band by accident and now sound like they’re rewriting the rules of UK indie pop as they go.

It would be easy to treat them as a ‘scene’ band – another jangly guitar group with a bit of buzz – but they’re sharper than that. Their debut EP ‘Thinkin’ About It’ is a rush of energy and character, full of jangly guitars, unignorable hooks and lyrics that feel like they’ve been written with a grin and a knife.

“We never started this band with any intention of anything happening,” says vocalist Lily. “We were just doing it for fun.” That fun is still at the heart of it, but there’s also something prickly lurking underneath. Girl Group’s songs are playful, but they’re also pointed – moments of vulnerability and frustration wrapped in pop melodies.

“People are always like, ‘Oh you’re so nice!’” says guitarist Niamh, laughing. “But we will curse you.” It’s a warning, but also a promise. Girl Group aren’t riding the wave. They’re kicking at its edges.

BLEECH 9:3

As Bleech 9:3 introduce us, Baz Quinlan and Sam Duffy are the songwriting partnership at the heart of this Irish four-piece. But even though the project’s story revolves around their “telepathic” working relationship, it has evolved into something greater, in the shape of Eoin Ward and Sean Sheehan. And while Bleech 9:3 may have formed as recently as 2022, they already sound like a band with a clear identity: scuzzy, 90s-leaning guitars, pounding drums and choruses that feel built for the biggest rooms they can reach.

Their debut EP ‘Machine Men’ is raw but focused, constantly pulling at the line between chaos and melody. With sold-out shows, relentless momentum and a live reputation that’s spreading fast, Bleech 9:3 feel like one of the key new acts to come out of a scene at the top of its game.

GRACE INSPACE

LA-born and London-raised, Grace Inspace has spent her life in motion: living in New York, Australia, Canada and now the UK, writing songs as she goes. She’s built a sound that mirrors that restless energy, blending glossy pop hooks with a hazy edge, like something caught between a dream and a neon-lit reality.

Her track ‘Emergency Contact’ is a perfect example: bright, addictive and slightly unsettling, with lyrics that hint at something deeper beneath the shimmer. Grace writes pop music like she’s sending messages from another world – and in 2026, more people are about to start tuning in.

MY FIRST TIME

My First Time feel like catching lightning in pint glasses; messy, loud, strangely romantic and completely addictive. The Bristol four-piece write songs that burst with emotion and ambition, balancing anthemic indie-rock choruses with moments of fragile intimacy.

Their latest single ‘Brand New’ is a huge, heart-on-sleeve statement, but it’s the way they deliver it that really matters: with the kind of conviction that makes you believe every line.

GETDOWN SERVICES

Bristol duo Josh Law and Ben Sadler make songs that sound like post-night-out confessions: funny, scuzzy, and slightly too honest. Their blend of indie rock, post-punk and deadpan storytelling is addictive, painting pictures of small-town nights and bad decisions with a grin that never quite slips.

There’s something instantly relatable in the way Getdown Services write – like you’ve lived these songs, even if you haven’t. And with their reputation growing fast on the live circuit, it feels like they’re about to go from cult favourites to something much bigger.

Don’t forget: Dork, Close Up + The 100 Club present Here Comes Your Jan – two nights at The 100 Club, London.
Night One: 29th January 2026 – Alien Chicks, Ellis-D, Ugly Ozo (tickets £10 + BF, via Dice / WeGotTickets).
Night Two: 30th January 2026 – Pencil, FLETCHR FLETCHR, Pack of Animals (tickets £10 + BF, via Dice / WeGotTickets)