If there’s one thing the UK music scene has never run short of, it’s bands bursting out of northern cities with energy, attitude, and guitars slung low. Yet every so often, a new name emerges that feels genuinely fresh, sharp enough to nod to that indie lineage without being trapped by it. Right now, that band might just be The Kellows.
Still only seventeen, this Sheffield four-piece are already finding themselves playing the kind of gigs most acts spend years working towards. A slot at SXSW London, spins on BBC 6 Music and Radio X, and a growing reputation for their high-energy live sets have marked The Kellows as one of the most exciting young prospects out of Yorkshire’s musical heartland.
What might be most impressive, though, is how quickly it’s all happened. When we sat down, albeit over email, between classes and gigs, I found a band buzzing with enthusiasm but grounded enough to know that this is still the very beginning.
For readers who might be new to The Kellows, how did the band first come together?
“It first started when I asked Evan to write music together as we both played in cover bands before,” Will, lead singer for the band, explains, “and wanted to expand to our own music. We wrote two songs together before reaching out to Reuben, who was in the same college course as us and played drums in a local band we knew. We then played with a couple of different bassists before Charlie reached out to me and asked if he could join the band, which then finalised our line-up.”
That chemistry clearly solidified quickly. What’s striking, even through their answers, is a sense of easy friendship, the kind that defines many great bands in their earliest days.
How did you settle on the name The Kellows?
The story behind the name came out of a typically small but fateful moment. “That was before Charlie joined the band,” they explain, “and we were trying to come up with any band name we could. Whilst we were on the bus coming back from Sheffield, as we were passing Kelham Island, Evan suggested The Kelhams, which I responded to with The Kellows, which we could all agree on.”
It’s a detail any Sheffield local will smile at the kind of name born from geography, friendship, and chance.
Their youth is an easy talking point, but one that seems increasingly irrelevant given how fast things have escalated. Still, I ask the obvious question.
You’re all only 17. When did you first start making music together, and did you imagine things would move this quickly?
“Well, we first started early this year with me and Evan writing the songs,” they say, clearly still trying to wrap their heads around it. “Then shortly after, when Reuben joined, he started writing with us as well, and from then on, it’s been different combinations of writing. As for the second part, we knew we were a decent band with some potential, but we never could’ve expected it to move this quickly. It’s been absolutely amazing so far.”
In the space of a single year, The Kellows have moved from college rehearsal rooms to national airwaves. That kind of rise isn’t just impressive; it’s practically unheard of. It’s helped, of course, by a team supporting them behind the scenes, in particular, their manager, Kelly Munro at End Of The Trail Creative Management Mentoring, whose guidance has been instrumental in navigating early opportunities like SXSW London.
When I ask about Sheffield and their place within the city’s long musical legacy, they balance gratitude with ambition.
What was the Sheffield scene like for you starting out? Do you feel part of a local music community?
“Starting out, we slowly integrated ourselves into Sheffield, playing at Sidney and Matilda a couple of times,” they explain. “But all in all, we still feel like we’ve got some distance to go before being established in the Sheffield scene. However, the music community is very welcoming and supportive, giving us lots of great opportunities.”
Sheffield’s scene has always thrived on that mix of competition and camaraderie. For every established name, there’s a clutch of hungry newcomers ready to take the plunge. And The Kellows’ approach, polite, persistent, appreciative, fits right into that lineage.
When the topic turns to influences, they light up.
Who were some of your earliest influences or artists that made you want to start a band?
“Collectively we all have different influences,” they reply, “but as a whole, bands like The Beatles, Catfish and the Bottlemen and The Stone Roses probably played the biggest part in influencing us to be in a band and play music.”
It makes perfect sense. Listening to Do You Want Me To?, you can easily trace those connections, chiming guitars that nod faintly to Manchester’s golden age, rhythmic urgency straight from the Catfish school of indie energy, and the kind of vocal hooks that feel born to be chanted from sticky dancefloors.
That upward trajectory reached a major checkpoint when they first hit national radio.
Your first tune getting played on Radio X and 6 Music is huge. What was that moment like when you heard yourselves on the radio?
“I think for all of us it was obviously a great feeling,” they say, “and gave us a little bit of reassurance that our songs were capable of being there with the rest on the radio.”
It’s a milestone every new band dreams of hearing your sound nestled between acts you’ve grown up idolising, and for The Kellows, it seems to have reinforced their sense of direction.
Have there been any surreal ‘pinch me’ moments so far?
“I think the most surreal moment for us was travelling down to London for the first time and playing at a festival as big as SXSW, which, for us, being from Sheffield, was a huge moment and achievement for all of us.”
That experience, they explain, didn’t just feel like validation; it was a wake-up call. Big stages bring new expectations. But thanks to the team at End Of The Trail Creative Management Mentoring, they already have eyes on an even bigger festival appearance next year.
You’ve already done SXSW London, and there’s talk of SXSW Texas next year. How did that come together?
“Well, it all originates from our manager, Kelly,” they say. “Who has all these opportunities that we can play, and as we grow as a band, those opportunities increase in stature, which allows us to play at festivals as big as those.”
For a band still balancing gigs with college coursework, it’s a dizzying thought heading from Sheffield to Texas before even turning eighteen.
What’s your approach to live shows? Do you see yourselves as a live band first and foremost?
“To be honest, I think we prioritise songwriting over anything else really,” they admit, “but playing live shows is a huge part of our band’s identity and gives us the platform to grow and develop as musicians and as a band.”
That blend of discipline and freedom is clear even in how they prepare. When asked about pre-gig rituals, they shrug it off with modest ease: “Before every gig, we usually jam the songs together a bit by ourselves just to warm up for when we’re on stage. None of us get too nervous, but if it’s quite a packed gig, there are elements of nerves sometimes before the show.”
There’s something refreshing about that honesty, no myth-making, no exaggerated bravado. They carry themselves like a band aware of their momentum but not cocky about it.
Attention now shifts to their newest single, Breathe Me In, out Friday.
What can you tell us about the track?
“This track is special to us because it’s the original song that got our manager interested in us, and it’s also one of our favourites that we’ve written,” they reveal. “We also always use it as our last song of the night because of all its energy and power. For me, it’s my favourite just because of how great it makes me feel when I hear it or play it. I’d really recommend it to anyone who loves indie music.”
Where did the song come from lyrically and musically?
“Well, both the music and lyrics go hand in hand and come from that feeling of unreciprocated love for someone who you really want but never works out for any reason,” they explain. “The song feels like a desperate plea to someone, which the music all backs up as it’s quite dark but still upbeat.”
There’s a maturity in that explanation beyond their years, an understanding that the best pop-leaning indie songs often mask heartbreak with rhythm.
How does ‘Breathe Me In’ fit into your sound or evolution as a band?
“I think it established a more focused idea of our sound and how we should make and play music together,” they say. “It gave us more creative liberty in how we craft our parts to suit and create a song.”
The single was recorded at Unit 13 Studios in London with renowned producer Paul Tipler, whose credits stretch back through British indie history. “For both our singles, we recorded them there,” they note, “and it was a great experience for us all. Really great to hear our songs sound professional.”
Listening to Breathe Me In, the jump in polish is impossible to miss — a blend of studio sheen and live urgency that captures precisely what makes them stand out.
Even with their rapid rise, there’s still a pragmatic sense of balance behind it all.
With things moving so quickly, how do you balance being in a band with everything else — school, work, life?
“We balance it quite well with college and work,” they explain. “The main thing that hinders gigs are holidays, which are awkward to work around, but we always manage.”
It’s endearing to hear them talk like that, casually dropping sentences about festivals and record producers in between mentions of coursework.
What’s next after Breathe Me In? A single, EP, maybe an album?
“We’ll see how Breathe Me In does,” they say sensibly, “and based on that we’ll assess what the best next steps would be, whether that’s another single or an EP.”
There’s no rush, and why should there be? The pace is set, and they seem wise enough to let momentum do its job.
Looking ahead, they’re still dreaming big.
Hopes for next year, especially if Texas happens?
“Well, as a band we’re hoping for a record deal but also to get more of a name for ourselves in the Sheffield music scene and hopefully play bigger and better gigs,” they say. “However, expanding our social media is a huge focus for us at the moment to help us grow.”
What’s one goal you’ve set yourselves as a band in the next twelve months?
“I think one of our collective goals is playing live in the BBC Introducing studio, which would be really great for us as we all enjoy watching it and listening to the show.”
If you could support any band on tour, who would it be and why?
“There are lots of upcoming bands similar in genre to us that we’d love to be involved with and support, such as Garage Flower and Cherryholt,” they say. “I think their fans would also catch on to our music.”
There’s an undeniable sense that The Kellows are just getting started. Talking to them, you get the feeling that the ambition is there, but so is perspective. They’re moving fast, but they’re moving smart, guided carefully by Kelly Munro and the team at End Of The Trail Creative Management Mentoring, picking up experience and exposure one careful step at a time. Their story might still be in its opening chapters, but it already reads like the beginning of something properly exciting.
When you listen to Breathe Me In, when you catch them live in Sheffield, or see them slot between bands twice their age on festival bills, there’s that unmistakable flicker, the sense that you might be seeing a band destined to break out beyond the local scene entirely. Their songs are sharp, their hunger obvious, and their charm intact. Indie music is rebuilt every few years by bands brave enough to chase it. Right now, The Kellows might just be leading that charge.
Check the guys out at the following links:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thekellows/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thekellows/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/3tY4vhe4jQNeKICvgHElOO
