Summer 2026 is turning into the season of neo-Britpop. Liverpool’s Keyside, Manchester’s The Guest List, Derby’s Marseille, and now another Liverpool sensation, The Kowloons. The band have a new EP Hallelujah with four fine tunes, definitely worthy of its twelve+ minutes length. But here I’m going to take you back to last year’s amazing, jangle-fabulous song “I Don’t Care.” You can definitely hear the influence of The La’s on this one. The acoustic guitar underlay, the build up with jangly guitars and the contrast between lead singer Stephen Ng and the swirl of harmony vocals. The joy behind this music just rises up and embraces you. Just try not smiling. You won’t go wrong traipsing through the band’s back catalogue either, from their 2021 launch single, a brilliant cover of The La’s unreleased gem “Fishing Net,” to the more recent 2023 EP James Dean. It’s an exciting scene emerging across the north of England this summer, a return to the region’s strong melodic guitar-based traditions. I’m keen to see what or who emerges next.

So many places to meet up with The Kowloons: their website, Soundcloud page, and Facebook locales for a start. And if you live in the UK, you might even be able to see them live!