The playlist is out now.

United Nations of Sound – Are You Ready? (29th March)
United Nations of Sound is the new project from Richard Ashcroft (The Verve). ‘Are You Ready?’ is the first piece of music we’ve heard – and it has a totally rockin’ lead guitar break. A further song, the first single, will be delivered to radio in mid-February – and the album, as yet untitled, will be released at the end of March.

Courteeners – You Overdid It Doll (15th February)
2010 is shaping up to be a very good year for Manchester band The Courteeners. They have a star-in-waiting in singer Liam Fray, a huge live following and initial reports on 2nd album ‘Falcon’ (22nd of Feb) suggest it could have the songs to bring the band further recognition.

Hurts – Wonderful Life: Arthur Baker mix (18th January)
Hurts are a new duo from Manchester whose atmospheric music and stylish monochrome press shots recall the 1980s of bands like Tears For Fears. They came #4 in the recent BBC Sound of 2010 poll, voted for by industry experts like our very own Head of Music James Curran. This version of the song gets a very limited release this week – expect to hear a lot more from Hurts as the year goes on.