The unskippables

Saint Motel (stylized in all caps) is an American indie pop band from Los Angeles, whose music has been described as everything from "dream pop" to "indie prog." The band consists of A/J Jackson (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Aaron Sharp (lead guitar), Dak Lerdamornpong (bass), and Greg Erwin (drums).

The group initially came together while Jackson and Sharp were attending film school in Southern California. The duo later met Lerdamornpong at a sushi restaurant where he worked near campus and Greg who went to a school nearby. The band emphasizes visuals in addition to its music; their 2009 debut EP, ForPlay, included a video for each of the six songs.

The band's first full-length album, Voyeur, debuted at No. 18 on the alt specialty radio charts and six of its eleven songs charted on the Hype Machine Charts. The album was praised by journals ranging from The Washington Post to Daytrotter. KCRW Music Librarian and DJ Eric J. Lawrence wrote, "They have attacked [the debut album] with gusto on Voyeur, adding dynamic touches to their rock-solid core of songwriting," and, "Overall the album is a satisfying package from start to finish."

Night Riots were an American alternative rock band from San Luis Obispo, California. Formed in 2010, the band consists of Travis Hawley, Nick Fotinakes (guitar), Matt DePauw (guitar), Mikel van Kranenburg (bass), and Rico Rodriguez (drums).

Twenty One Pilots is an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who both left in 2011. Since their departure, the line-up has consisted of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The duo is best known for their singles "Stressed Out", "Ride", and "Heathens". The group received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for "Stressed Out". The band independently released two albums, Twenty One Pilots (2009) and Regional at Best (2011), before being signed by record label Fueled by Ramen in 2012. Their label debut, Vessel, was released in 2013 and became the second album in history on which every track received at least a gold certification, making Twenty One Pilots the first band in the history of music to see every song on two albums earn gold or platinum awards.

Bleachers is an American rock band from New Jersey and the official stage name of songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff. Antonoff has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won six Grammy Awards, including the 2022 Grammy for Producer of the Year. Bleachers' rock music is heavily influenced by the late '80s, early '90s, and the high school-based films of John Hughes while still using modern production techniques. Their debut single "I Wanna Get Better" was released in February 2014, followed by three studio albums: Strange Desire (2014), Gone Now (2017), and Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night (2021).

While on the road with his band, Fun, Antonoff began working on a new project during his time in different cities. For about a year he kept the project a secret until February 18, 2014, when the first single "I Wanna Get Better" was released along with the launch of Bleachers' website, social media profiles, and a selection of tour dates. News of Bleachers was first publicly announced in a Facebook post by Brooklyn music studio Mission Sound in May 2013.

The Family Crest is an American orchestral indie rock band based in San Francisco. The band is made up of seven core members and several hundred additional members who actively participate in recordings, live performances, and other creative projects.

Jukebox the Ghost is an American three-piece power pop band formed in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The band consists of Ben Thornewill (vocals & piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals & guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums). The band has been active since 2006.

In 2003, Thornewill, Siegel, and Kristin met while attending George Washington University. and formed a band called "The Sunday Mail". After two years, they decided to change their name.

After they thought they had enough new material, they renamed themselves "Jukebox the Ghost". The name was a combination of words chosen democratically, with "jukebox" originating from the lyrics of a Captain Beefheart song and "ghost" as a reference to a Nabokov novel. In 2008, they released their first album, Let Live & Let Ghosts which was recorded during winter break of their senior year of college.

The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is a music festival held annually in San Francisco, California, at Golden Gate Park. The festival is produced by Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Presents, and Starr Hill Presents. It is the largest independently owned music festival in the US. In 2019, it was one of the world's highest grossing festivals with revenues of almost $30 million.

Vinyl Theatre is an American indie rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, formed by Keegan Calmes and Chris Senner. The band later grew to include Josh Pothier and Nick Cesarz. Before being signed to an official record label, they produced several singles that were released on the band's SoundCloud page, leading up to the release of Chromatic EP in 2014. The band was then signed to Fueled by Ramen later in 2014. They released their first studio album, Electrogram, with Fueled by Ramen on September 23, 2014. Vinyl Theatre supported the album by going on a national tour in the United States with the musical duo Twenty One Pilots.

The band has said to be influenced by other bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, Two Door Cinema Club, The Shins, The Killers, Young the Giant, and Twenty One Pilots.

Horizons (Welsh: Gorwelion) is an arts scheme and music festival launched jointly in 2014 by BBC Cymru Wales and the Arts Council of Wales to develop new independent contemporary music artists. It is curated by BBC presenter Bethan Elfyn.

The scheme hosts a yearly showcase, but also displays its artists through slots at major domestic and international festivals, as well as securing studio access at the likes of Rockfield and Maida Vale.

In February 2014, the scheme launched and first took part of the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli, promoting artists including musician Chris Jones on the Llwyfan Perfformio.

In May 2014, Horizons was named as 'Horizons 12' and announced the first twelve artists for the inceptive event. Over 300 applicants were reviewed by the scheme, and among the final artists were:

Dreamers is an American pop rock duo, featuring Nick Wold and Marc Nelson.

Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home to artists such as The 1975, Death Spells, Eels, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, CRUISR, Active Child, PJ Harvey, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, James Vincent McMorrow, Black Joe Lewis, Wake Owl, Blitzen Trapper, and Bombay Bicycle Club. Originally, Vagrant Records was mostly focused on emo bands such as Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, The Get Up Kids, Senses Fail, and Alkaline Trio. The label is considered one of the pre-eminent labels of the emo music scene.

Castlecomer is a five-piece Australian rock band formed in the suburbs of Sydney. Named after a small town in Ireland, Castlecomer consists of four cousins who have been making music together since childhood. They released their self-titled debut album on 5 October 2018 on Concord Records.

The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer George Daniel.

Grouplove is an American alternative rock band that was formed in 2009 by Hannah Hooper, Christian Zucconi, Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen, and Ryan Rabin (drums).

The Wild Party is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Andrew Lippa.

The Orion Experience is an American pop rock band formed in New York City in 2005 by singer/songwriter Orion Simprini and Linda Horwatt. The band has released three studio albums and two EPs, and their music has been featured on television shows such as Laguna Beach, The Hills, Victorious, iCarly, and Zoey 101. The name "The Orion Experience" is a "self-effacing" reference to other bands like The Alan Parsons Project and The Steve Perry Project. The band’s gender-fluid themes and presentation have attracted a strong LGBTQ+ fanbase.

Afternoon Records is a record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The label was founded by Ian Anderson and Michael M. Sandstedt in 2003, the year Anderson graduated from high school. He wanted to create a platform for his high school band Aneuretical and others. Afternoon Records is distributed by Warner Music Group.

The Neighbourhood is an American rock band formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011. The band is composed of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, and bassist Mikey Margot. After releasing two EPs, I'm Sorry... and Thank You, the Neighbourhood released its first full-length album I Love You. on April 23, 2013, via Columbia Records. The album was preceded by their 2012 single "Sweater Weather"—their sole single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 14 in 2013 and resurging in popularity a decade later through radio airplay, TikTok, and Spotify.