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Andrew Marston and Andy O'Hare count down their favourite local tracks from the last year.

2 hours

Andrew Marston's Top Ten

It's a difficult choice to make - there's no set of style/genre rules - I've just singled out what I firmly believe to be the best acts of the year based on the sheer amount of music that I've listened to (and I've listened to EVERYTHING that has been sent in). If you've listened to as much as I have - I'd like to think you'd come up with the same results! I also worked on the basis of "if I remembered the song, it must be good!" so tried not to look down a list...

#1: High Maintenance & Mediks ft Georgina Upton - Watching Me

#1: High Maintenance & Mediks ft Georgina Upton - Watching Me

We first discovered this Kidderminster girl when she uploaded her music to bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/introducing - and we almost blew the stereo system. Then we decided to up the stereo system and stick her on at Nozstock. There, she blew everyone away - and on stage looked fantastic. So much so, her picture is currently being printed out and put up on our studio wall to represent who we are and what we do at 主播大秀 Introducing. When it came to editing the session for the website - the track was so immense, we passed it onto 主播大秀 Radio 1Xtra who added it to their playlist within a week!

#2: Calvin Harris ft Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love

#2: Calvin Harris ft Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love

Every year, people are constantly surprised that a 鈥渟igned artist鈥 isn鈥檛 writing better songs than some random person from randomville. But this is chosen purely on our own choice - and tracks like Burn just didn鈥檛 come anywhere near my top 100. But the work she did here with Calvin Harris just had an energy of its own - and pressing play on this in a nightclub all these months later is still a sure fire way of getting everyone鈥檚 arms in the air. And they don鈥檛 care she鈥檚 from Lyonshall nr Kington (or the fact we were the first station to ever have her play live on-air).

#3: Vatouse ft Livia - The Last Time

#3: Vatouse ft Livia - The Last Time

Naughty But Nice were major catalysts on the house music scene in the 90s - and all of the biggest DJs on the planet played in Hereford. After a decade off, the team got back together to write music - and when we booked them for a live session in the Spring, it became apparent they were a who鈥檚 who of the club world. Judge Jules has also recently featured them as his ones to watch out for.

#4: Woodfield - Angelie

#4: Woodfield - Angelie

When I first heard this track, I thought I was listening to a hit I鈥檇 heard before, so out popped Shazam. Then I realised it was someone we showcased as a folk artist several years back - who鈥檚 turned to Americana. When we put the Worcester group on at the Droitwich Music Festival - we were almost embarrassed that we鈥檇 put on a band with such a big track in such intimate surroundings.

#5: Robinson - Waiting On Cinderella

#5: Robinson - Waiting On Cinderella

Every year it seems he features in the top ten. He just can鈥檛 stop writing chart-worthy material - and he hates commercialism (or so he says!). Andy Robinson has played on festival stages for us, we took him to Abbey Road studios for the 主播大秀 Introducing Musicians鈥 Masterclass - and he鈥檚 also been living in LA. This Worcester bloke has been all over national radio with his music - and Janice Long claims to be his fairy godmother!

#6: The Delray Rockets - Beer O'Clock Boogie

#6: The Delray Rockets - Beer O'Clock Boogie

Well, I thought my New Year鈥檚 Eve gig was pretty epic - with everyone鈥檚 arms in the air. This band didn鈥檛 even need deodorant to impress - not only are they known for swinging the double-bass above their head, none other than Robert Plant joined them on stage for a sing-along in Wolverley last weekend. Their style resulted in us choosing them for the Wychwood Festival in June - and rightfully deserved too!

#7: Ronin - Trespasser

#7: Ronin - Trespasser

They were mega upset last year when they didn鈥檛 feature in our top ten - and no, we haven鈥檛 caved into pressure. The problem last year was they were a great band - but without that killer track. So we waited...and waited...and waited...then BAM! But we鈥檝e always loved this Worcester group - and as a thank-you, we let them welcome the flame听into Hereford for the Paralympics.

#8: Answer Back - Never Alone

#8: Answer Back - Never Alone

These Worcester chaps have been gigging all over recently - but it strikes me that they鈥檙e a band who are out there to have fun, rather than to make money. But then they needed to finish their studies by making a music video. So along came Never Alone - which turned into a massive hit online with its anti-bullying theme. It鈥檚 been a while since we鈥檝e heard a McFly or a Busted - yes, this isn鈥檛 the greatest of compliments - but I sure hope they sell as many records, because this is as catchy as it comes.

#9: Puffin Ethics - Kick It

#9: Puffin Ethics - Kick It

Puffin - because he suffers from asthma, Ethics - because he likes to create rap and poems about positive life. This Hereford lad has got a Rizzle Kicks-type sound mixed with drum & bass, which we thought would be perfect for our stage at Nozstock - and it was! It鈥檚 been a while since he uploaded any tracks to us - but we definitely want to hear a whole lot more.

#10: Robert Brunt - Blue Moon Over Yonder

#10: Robert Brunt - Blue Moon Over Yonder

I haven鈥檛 heard anything like this in the entire time I鈥檝e been doing the show - and to get yourself heard, you must stand out from the crowd. Robert achieves exactly that - in a year we鈥檝e seen artists like Jake Bugg get big. All of the festivals this summer seemed to specialise in swing - and nationally, artists like Caro Emerald and Paloma Faith have really turned heads by bringing back vintage. I can鈥檛 help but think of the American diner in Mars Attacks, when I hear this track, in the dusty desert that surrounds Area 51. If I鈥檓 to bring a curve-ball to this year鈥檚 top ten, this is it - a song that wouldn鈥檛 normally cut through the mainstream.

Honourable Mentions

Honourable Mentions

Armstrong & Stayte produced a mind-blowing Sophie Ellis-Bexter-esque track that ended up on the 主播大秀 Hereford & Worcester playlist, Becky Rose stole the show at Wychwood with her dubstep track Don't Settle Me Down, Bwalya continued to bleed soul in her song Putting Me First and Cantaloop just missed the top ten with their In The Frame (which seems to be re-released every year!).

Basket-making musician Clyde Jefferson had the recording of the year with Girl, DJ Dreem's Ibiza (What It's Doing To Me) shined like Avicii's Levels, Ellen Louise produced a rather cute Silver Linings and Goldman's Closer was very close to the top ten - although had been in our charts in 2011.

Isolated Atoms' Hold On passed the Old Grey Whistle Test, Gypsy Lee Pistolero's No Rose But Fades didn't fade in my mind, Justin Time's Out Of My Mind had me dashing for my Shazam to make sure it wasn't already a hit, Peter & The Harmonics' Tumbleweeds was harmonic genius and Rubicava's Recruit Me sadly didn't get a position in this year's top ten - after narrowly escaping the countdown last year, too.

Scarlette's No Going Back was a close contender, Season's Something Between Us was so in fashion at the start of the year - as was SemTex's Hadoken, with their sampling of Game Boys and Speak & Spells! SHARKSvBEARS encountered the same fate as Rubicava, Muchuu spin-off Sign Of Angelo didn't quite have the success of their former group, SubLixx's Neon Mind was instrumental genius and The Audacity's I'm Not Stalking You But had us rolling around the floor laughing.

The Dale Von Minaker Bands' Jackie Let Go was let go just short of the top ten (for the second year running), The Misers' Fine Line didn't quite enjoy the success this Bromyard group has enjoyed in former years, The Roving Crows' Dirty Habits could have easily been number 11, Tom Forbes' Another Story Of Love oozed such a quality and so did Kamos' Prometheus. If we hadn't have had 4,475 tracks sent in to 主播大秀 Hereford & Worcester on the uploader - these would have definitely been higher up our charts!

Which brings me onto my "ones to watch out for" - including former X Factor contestant Ellice's No Passenger with it's Nashville sound, Bekki Cameron's Just Me continuing our dance/country theme, Done By Sunrise's eponymous track produced by MAS Records in Kidderminster, easyexcess' Alpine Voice ended up being played in clubs by me with it's genius use of the human voice as a sampled instrument and Lisbee Stainton returned to being on fire with Red Dog Running. Cher Lloyd also blew us away by teaming up with Sean Kingston on Rum & Raybans and Peace did an awesome rock version of Binary Finary's 1998.

Thank you to all who uploaded their songs to us in 2013, happy new year, and who knows what these next 12 months will bring. But if the last year is anything to go by, it's going to be a very exciting time indeed!

Andy O'Hare's Top Ten

Well here's my pick of the best songs from the choicest acts I've seen in 2013 - but please remember that my preference is for live gigs - so it's all band or acts who I've personally seen and met during the year - and a bit like the New Year's Honours List!

#1: Rich Monk - Existing Without Living

#1: Rich Monk - Existing Without Living
This isn't a new song - it was recorded live at the Marr's Bar in Worcester a few years ago.听It's from the ex-frontman of my #1 act of 2010, who relaunched himself in solo mode this year with stunning sets at Malvern Rocks and the Morgan in Malvern.听It's just one bloke and a guitar - oh and he can also blow a harmonica like nobody's business. This is what live music's all about folks - my #1 pick of 2013 was the incredible throaty voice of Malvern's Tallulah Fix.

#2: Inca Hoots - Cuneo

#2: Inca Hoots - Cuneo
This was very nearly my #1 ditty for 2013 - but sadly this outfit called it a day halfway through the year, for reasons that still escape me. I went to their farewell gig at the Marr's Bar and asked their singer about this number called Cuneo - apparently he was an Artist who听would paint a small mouse somewhere in each piece as his 'signature'. Stuey would spend ages looking for the mouse and in doing that really got to get a much better look at the painting as a whole and could really appreciate the colours and brush strokes. The line 'we're like little kids with sticks poking at jellyfish' is how he feels humanity treats the earth and his view of seeing the bigger picture stems back to looking for the mouse in those paintings. Apparently I'm the first person to ever ask him about that!

#3: Brassick - Rome

#3: Brassick - Rome
They've been one of the hardest working bands to come out of both Hereford and Worcester over the last couple of years. In another incarnation they were my #1 act a couple of years ago - they've hardened their sound up - played a great set for us at Wychwood before going along to play support slots to the likes of UK Subs later in the year and are extremely highly rated on the UK punk/grunge circuit. They're brash and in-your-face but they've got a feverish听frontgirl in the incredible Nicola Hardy and tunes in bucketloads.

#4: Plane Crasher - The Man Who Said No

#4: Plane Crasher - The Man Who Said No
They've been a fixture (in one form or another) since this show started - they're manic and unpredictable - and always very loud indeed. This Hereford bunch of punksters ventured out on a nationwide tour this year for I think the first time - and I think that they secretly quite enjoyed it! Despite their fondness for 50s and 60s music technology, such as valve amps, vinyl and analogue tape recording, they're still coming up with the goods in great memorable numbers like this one. So after obtaining permission from the highest echelons of the Beeb - we're finally allowed to say this band name on-air!

#5: Black Russian - Grind

#5: Black Russian - Grind
There's a number of local acts that I'd really love to see play further afield. Acts like Johnny Kowalski, Jasper, Roving Crows, Brassick, Babajack, Lisbee Stainton and others have been busy spreading the great H&W message across the country and beyond.听I'd love to see this outfit pack up their bags and venture out on tour - as they've got quite the most unique asset in the mighty vocals of their frontgirl Alex.

#6: George Barnett - Lone Rose

#6: George Barnett - Lone Rose
This chap has had an amazing year - let's go through it: 10 million hits on Youtube for his cover of Get Lucky, major station playlistings and an appearance (thanks to Andrew) at the 主播大秀 Radio 2 concert in Hyde Park! He also played a cracking set for us at wonderful Wychwood earlier in the year and I was dead chuffed that he also used one of my photos on his Facebook page! Yes, we've got some amazing musical talents in our wonderful two counties and this lad from Leominster appears to have the world at his feet right now.

#7: Fiona McCanlis - World's Apart

#7: Fiona McCanlis - World's Apart
I'm a big fan of open mic nights - yes I know that the Sunday to Thursday gig guide is now packed full of them - but I heartily recommend to try them out听as this is where you'll find new musicians just as they're cutting their teeth. This is probably my gem of 2013 from the open mic circuit - and she has incredible vocals!

#8: Wilkinson (ft Becky Hill) - Afterglow

#8: Wilkinson (ft Becky Hill) - Afterglow
When we first heard this girl's vocals we were gobsmacked - we weren't the only one! She dropped into our recording session at the Cock & Magpie in Bewdley - fair to say that she's had a turbulent up-and-down year but seems to have landed on her feet - and still managed to play a pre-Christmas local gig with her new outfit at the Jailhouse in Hereford. Touch wood she'll go global in 2014.

#9: Terry Walls - Bye Bye Baby

#9: Terry Walls - Bye Bye Baby
I get to a lot of gigs - and what I'm looking and listening out for is that great song that passes my own personal 'Whistle Test' for hummability. I first heard this wonderful off-beat ditty about 18 months ago, but it's taken so long to get recorded - so let's my get moan out of the way early on - you just don't need 100 hours of studio time to get your song recorded - as you'll hear a bit later just a tap off the sound desk when you deliver that blistering performance will often do. There's a few acts out there who still ain't got their amazing live sounds down in permanent form - you know who you are as I hassle you every time I see you - and here's one who eventually managed it.

#10: The Kerensky Offensive - Life's A Game!! (And I'm Winning)

#10: The Kerensky Offensive - Life's A Game!! (And I'm Winning)
I was trying for ages to catch this Bromsgrove band (who were #2 in my 2012 Top Ten) - but I finally caught them live early in the year at a Worcester venue with possibly the worst sound system in the universe. This was their last gig before this bunch of youngsters scattered across the country at various unis for the next three years. I hope that when they finish their various studies they'll hook up once again. I wanted a breezy up-tempo number to kick-start this show and this one does it for me.

Honourable Mentions

Honourable Mentions
I know it's against my H&W so-parochial tendencies - but I saw some great out-of-area acts this year - like Oxfordshire's Vienna Ditto at Wychwood, the incredible South Coast Marxist outfit Thee Faction at The Public in West Brom (what a sad loss of a wonderful venue) and the awesome talents of Cheltenham's Juey at Lakefest.

But it looks like a wonderful year ahead for Remi Harris, Vault of Eagles, This Wicked Tongue - and there's a few acts like Mike Knowles and Hey You Guys! that I'd love to have included in this compilation - but had to be excluded for excessive sweariness - just go and see then live!

Once again, a massive vote of thanks to musos like Done By Sunrise, Skewwhiff, Russell Underwood of East Of The Sun and Calm Like A Riot who not only perform but also actively promote great local music!

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  • Sat 4 Jan 2014 20:00

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