Incubus

Up Dharma Down: Noisetrade Sampler

Dubbed by BBC as “The Manila band most likely to cross over to the lucrative Anglophone market of North America”, Up Dharma Down (UDD as they are called by their legions of fans) is among the heavyweights of the music industry back in its hometown Philippines. If you are just wondering how big UDD is, just imagine this – they have opened for big time foreign bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Bloc Party, The xx, Tegan and Sara, among many others. This is proof of their ability to draw crowds everywhere they play and the trust given to them by many concert producers to open for bands with much more accomplished resumes.

West the Defender: Don’t Tell My Girlfriend

A six man band which was formed three years back in the east coast state of New Jersey, West The Defender enjoys drawing up inspiration from band behemoths like The Beatles, The Eagles, Incubus, Weezer, and Fountains of Wayne. Theyve also had their share of live performance stints at some of the best stages in their area such as The Stone Pony and Asbury Convention Hall. You can expect the same amount of indie-pop-rock in their first full-length album Dont Tell My Girlfriend.