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"Looking into its crystal ball, HMV predicts that it will be another year when
female artists outshine their male counterparts.  Following on from a tremendous 12
months from the likes of Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Kate Nash and Amy Macdonald, to
mention a few, you can now add Adele and Duffy to this list in 2008.  There'll be
more Indie bands, of course, and big things are expected of Yorkshire's One Night
Only, Oxford's Foals and Scotland's GlasVegas. 

"Quite a few big names stars will be back in a big way 2008 - not least Coldplay,
who have a new album scheduled for early Summer, and also Razorlight and The
Fratellis. But the band that might make the biggest noise in 2008 could actually
be.....The Beatles, as they eventually release their catalogue in digital download
form - watch out for a top 20 singles charts made up exclusively of famous Beatles
songs!"

Gennaro Castaldo, HMV

So without further ado, here are 21 acts (in alphabetic order) that we think will
break through in a big way in 2008. Some may have been around for a little while,
'bubbling under', while others may be completely brand new - the one thing they have
in common is that we're all going to hear a lot more from them in 2008."   

ADELE. Big things are already building for this immaculate soul / jazz singer from
South London. Although she's yet to release an album, Adele has already appeared on
BBC's 'Later with Jools Holland' and her limited edition seven-inch vinyl single,
'Hometown Glory', was Zane Lowe's 'Hottest Record in the World' and Jo Whiley's 'Pet
Sound' on Radio One this autumn.

BAND OF HORSES. A hot Indie rock band formed in Seattle and signed to the city's
hugely influential Sub Pop label. The four-piece Band of Horses have already made
considerable waves in America, from early shows opening for Iron & Wine to playing
on the prestigious David Letterman TV show. They were also nominated for this year's
Shortlist Music Prize, America's equivalent of the Nationwide Mercury Prize.

BLACK KIDS.  This five-piece band from Jacksonville, Florida, have already surprised
audiences in America. For a start, only two members - lead singer Reggie Youngblood
and sister Ali on keyboards - are black. And secondly, this is no R&B group - they
have a classic pop sound mixed with compelling harmonies, as witnessed on their
acclaimed 'Wizard of Ahhhs' EP, given away on the band's website this summer.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB. Teenage titans from North London! This band was formed at
school two years ago, when the three founder members were all 15 years old. Their
first break came when they won the Road to V competition and opened the V Festival
in 2006. They were then discovered by producer Jim Abbiss - of Arctic Monkeys and
Editors fame - who worked on the band's much applauded first EP. Says the NME:
"Don't be deceived by their age - there's a lifetime of experience in these glorious
tunes".

CAJUN DANCE PARTY. Another teenage band from London, the five-piece Cajun Dance
Party were in sixth form were they released their debut single, 'The Next
Untouchable' - voted NME Track of the Week in April 2007. Snapped up by XL
Recordings, the band spent the summer playing festivals before releasing the limited
edition 'Amylase' in August. The band's debut album is expected in the summer of
2008.

THE COURTEENERS. Manchester's hot new contenders, The Courteeners have known each
others since they were 10 years old. The band have acquired a large and devoted
following in the North West of England, a reputation certain to spread nationwide
with the imminent album, currently being produced by Stephen Street of The Smiths,
Babyshambles, The Zutons and Kaiser Chiefs fame.

DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? An English Electro Rock band from Reading.
 They've generated a significant amount of excitement via remixes for Bloc Party,
Muse and the Raconteurs as well as their own single, 'Let's Make Out'. The group is
currently working on a debut album for release next spring, and will be touring
with The Cribs on the 2008 NME Awards tour.

DUFFY. This extraordinary singer is from a small seaside town in North Wales. She
came to the attention of Rough Trade's Jeanette Lee in 2004, since which time Duffy
has been honing her songwriting skills in collaboration with Suede's maestro
guitarist Bernard Butler. The result is a sparkling debut album, to be released in
the spring of 2008. As a preview, the single 'Rockferry' is available on download
and vinyl leading up to Christmas.

FILTHY DUKES. The multi-talented Filthy Dukes have already acquired a massive
dancefloor reputation with their Kill 'Em All DJ nights and their in-demand remixes.
Now the three-piece collective is currently in the studio starting on their first
productions of Filthy Dukes original material, which promises a mix of Electro, Punk
Funk, Acid House, Twisted Disco and some Techno, all of which to be released through
the course of 2008.

FOALS. A five-piece band formed by undergraduates who dropped out of Oxford
University to pursue a career as the UK's top punk-funk contenders. Foals are not a
typical indie band - they have worked out ways of playing techno on guitars, adding
drums, voice, bass and keyboards to make a manic and polyrhythmic electronica.
Recently featured on Later with Jools Holland, the band make their album debut in
2008.

GLASVEGAS. Alan McGee, founder of the legendary Creation label, reckons Glasvegas
are the 'best Scottish band of the last 20 years'. The four piece Glasvegas -
featuring Caroline McKay on drums together with cousins James and Rab  Allan (singer
and guitarist respectively) and bass player Paul Donoghue - have already earned wild
applause for their own-label single 'Daddy's Gone', released in November. Expect an
album in the summer of 2008.

HADOUKEN! Formed in Leeds in the summer of 2006 by vocalist and songwriter James
Smith, Hadouken! are a prime exponent of Grindie - a combination of indie rock and
grime music. After coming to wide attention via the internet, Hadouken! rapidly
spread their reputation with three singles released during the course of 2007.
Indeed, the band's first release, 'tuning In', was even described as "a savage,
snarling work of genius" by the NME. Their debut album will be released by Atlantic
Records in 2008.

JOE LEAN & THE JING JANG JONG. Word on this band has spread like wildfire since they
played their first gig in January 2007. Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong released their
debut single 'Lucio Starts Fires' in October and supported such bands as
Babyshambles, Dizzee Rascal, Cansei de Ser Sexy and Kaiser Chiefs on tour. They will
now be playing with The Cribs and Does It Offend You, Yeah? on the 2008 NME Awards
Tour.

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION. A new musical venture by ex-Test Icicle Devonte Hynes. Recorded
in Omaha, Nebraska, the resulting album, 'Falling Off the Lavender Bridge', is due
for an early 2008 release. The album is in two halves, a mixture of Hynes' dreams
and life experiences. The lavender in the album title refers to a piece of lavender
he held while asleep as a child and to which he attributes many dreams.

THE METROS. Five-piece band from South London, with clear influences from Ian Dury &
The Blockheads through to vintage Squeeze. The band has acquired a healthy live
reputation during the past year and now - newly signed to 1965 Records, home of The
View - will be releasing their debut album in the summer of 2008.

ONE NIGHT ONLY. Formidable five-piece from Helmsley in rural Yorkshire. This teenage
band, masterminded by vocalist and guitarist George Craig, started out playing punk
pop gigs around their home town. As their reputation soared, however, they honed
their songwriting skills and rapidly developed into a very hot band. Signing to a
major label in March this year, the band have since toured the UK with The Coral and
started work on their debut album, to be released in the spring of 2008.

PARAMORE. An American pop rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, Paramore, featuring
the formidable vocal talents of female singer Hayley Williams. The band was formed
in 2002 but came to attention in America three years later with the release of their
debut album. That early reputation was cemented with the release of their second
album 'Riot!', and now look set to capture the rest of the world in 2008 - Williams
has already been voted number two "Sexiest Female" by readers of Kerrang! magazine.

PROFESSOR GREEN. The 23-year-old rap sensation from London's Hackney established
himself as a leading face on the UK's underground rap scene by beating opponents
week after week in freestyle battles at the legendary Jump Off club. Green was
spotted by Mike Skinner (The Streets) who has since produced and collaborated with
Green on a number of tracks. Green is also showcasing his talents as one of Radio
One's new breed of DJ's.

THOSE DANCING DAYS. A unique Swedish mix of girl group pop and Northern Soul, this
five-piece group originally came to notice with a tune called 'Hitten' - Swedish for
'The Hit' - which they posted on the internet. Those Dancing Days, from Stockholm,
found themselves with a record deal and an EP released to much acclaim in the summer
of 2007. Now comes the group's debut album, which will be in stores during the early
months of 2008.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND. Vampire Weekend is an indie rock band from New York City  - the
four members met while students at Columbia University - whose music is uniquely
influenced by both African popular music and Western classical music. They describe
their genre of music as 'Upper West Side Soweto, performing such songs as 'Cape Cod
Kwassa Kwassa' which references Congolese soukous music. Vampire Weekend's debut
album is released by XL Recordings at the start of 2008.

YEASAYER. This four-piece band, from Brooklyn in New York, describe their music as
"Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel". Their debut album, 'All Hour Cymbals', is a
unique form of indie rock world music. It was released in the UK at the end of
October and was immediately followed by the band's first UK tour, with dates
supporting Arcade Fire.


ENQUIRIES

Gennaro Castaldo, HMV
07801 194 139

Rob Partridge, Coalition PR
020 8987 0123