Louis Tomlinson is a man truly after our own hearts. We can list a number of reasons as to why we are such stans (heck, we already have… more than once), but one thing we really need to discuss is his support for the local music scene. This is no secret, since everyone remembers when he showed major love for our boys 5SOS during the One Direction days.
But the support for smaller bands didn’t start and end there. Over the years of his solo career, Louis has taken to his major platform to shout out acts to his millions of fans. We thought we’d take a look at some of the bands he’s shown love to and add to the support!
Only The Poets
Hailing from Reading, England, Only The Poets are an unsigned band consisting of Tommy Longhurst (lead vocals/guitar), Clem Cherry (guitar/vocals), Andy “Roo” Burge (bass/vocals),and Marcus Yates (drums/vocals). The band opened for Louis on his first world tour earlier this year on the European leg. Louis and the band have had a great friendship and Louies still showcase a lot of love for them, with many attending their headline tour. There’s no better feeling than discovering a new artist thanks to your faves!
We recommend listening to: ‘Every Song I Ever Wrote,’ ‘Forget Your Name,’ and ‘Hold Me.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONLY THE POETS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
The Snuts
Formed in 2015, The Snuts are a four-piece indie rock band from West Lothian, Scotland, made up of Jack Cochrane (vocals/guitar), Joe McGillveray (guitar), Callum “29” Wilson (bass), and Jordan “Joko” Mackay (drums). Louis first shared his love for the band in response to fans asking about his favorite Glastonbury performances, and soon after, the band supported him for his Mexico shows. They later supported him at the first-ever Away From Home Festival in 2021, and Louis still regularly shows support for the band. We love to see it!
We recommend listening to: ‘Seasons,’ ‘Maybe California,’ and ‘Knuckles.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SNUTS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
Sun Room
Louis’s love for smaller bands isn’t just local to him. So-Cal based garage rock quartet Sun Room took to the road with Louis as they opened for him for the US leg of his first world tour. They’re made up of members Luke Asgian (lead vocals/guitar), Ashton Minnich (guitar), Max Pinamonti (bass), and Gibson Anderson (drums). The band also performed at the second Away From Home Festival in Spain in August 2022.
We recommend listening to: ‘Sol Del Sur,’ ‘Summer’s Here,’ and ‘Clementine.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SUN ROOM:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Bilk
Knowing that Louis has quite the knowledge for smaller bands on the scene, fans will often take the opportunity to ask for new recommendations from him, which is the first time we were introduced to Bilk last year. The Essex trio is comprised of Sol Abrahams (vocals/guitar), Luke Hare (bass), and Harry Gray (drums), and were billed on the lineup for the first Away From Home Festival in London in 2021. The band are currently gearing up for their debut album to release early next year.
We recommend listening to: ‘Bad News,’ ‘Daydreamer,’ and ‘CM2.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BILK:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
The Vaccines
The Vaccines are a West London indie band made up of Justin Hayward-Young (lead vocals, guitar), Freddie Cowan (lead guitar/vocals), Árni Árnason (bass/vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitar/keys/vocals) and Yoann Intonti (drums), and Louis has been a fan for quite some time. He shared love for the band’s album back in 2018, and earlier this year the band joined the lineup for the Away From Home Festival.
We recommend listening to: ‘I Always Knew,’ ‘If You Wanna,’ and ‘Want You So Bad.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VACCINES:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
Pacific Avenue
Aussie born Pacific Avenue consists of Harry O’Brien (lead vocals/guitar), Jack Kay (bass), Dom Littrich (drums) and Ben Fryer (lead guitar). The band recently found themselves touring across Australia as Louis’s support band. The alt-rock band had a lot of love from their Aussie audience and are currently heading to the UK for some international shows.
We recommend listening to: ‘Leaving For London,’ ‘Something Good,’ and ‘Easy Love.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PACIFIC AVENUE:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
Maruja
Louis does more than just shouting out bands on his social media, and Maruja is a great example of that. Comprised of Harry Wilkinson (lead vocals/guitar), Joe Carroll (alto saxophone/vocals), Matt Buonaccorsi (bass), and Jacob Hayes (drums), the Manchester local alt-rock band were recently victims of a tour theft when their equipment was stolen. As a small band, they had no support when it came to dealing with the situation and created a GoFundMe in order to replace their equipment. That’s when Louis stepped in and donated £4,000 to the fundraiser, bringing the band to their goal. Louis really does have a love for smaller artists!
We recommend listening to: ‘Blind Spot,’ ‘Tao,’ and ‘Rage.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MARUJA:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
VOODOOS
Glaswegian band, VOODOOS, consists of Piero Marcuccilli (vocals/guitar), Scoobs (guitar), Marc Mclaren (bass), and Marco Conte (drums). The band were given the opportunity this year to perform at Louis’s second Away From Home Festival for a crowd of 17,000 to which they’ve shared was “the best moment we’ve had as a band.”
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VOODOOS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
STONE
Liverpool indie band STONE is made up of Fin Power (vocals/guitar), Sarah Surrage (bass), Elliot Gill (lead guitar) and Alex Smith (drums). They’re another lucky band who were invited to perform at this year’s Away From Home Festival. Speaking about them to Official Charts, Louis said, “This time ’round [for the festival] we’ve had STONE. That’s really important to me and was part of the thought process behind Away From Home. They’ve got loads of amazing support slots right now; it feels like they’re really having a moment. For me, music like that is very interesting. It’s different to what 75 percent of other artists are making, and that excites me. I’m lucky enough to be in the position that I am, so championing new music and artists is something that’s really important to me.”
We recommend listening to: ‘Leave It Out,’ ‘Keep Running,’ and ‘Waste.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT STONE:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
HiNDS
Spanish indie rock girl band HiNDS is comprised of Carlota Cosials (guitar), Ana García Perrote (guitar), Amber Grimbergen (drums), and Ade Martin (bass). They were on the bill for 2022’s Away From Home Festival performing to a crowd made up of attendees from around the world. Speaking about them before the performance, Louis shared his excitement: “For me, that’s something that I’m interested in anyway, an all-female band, I think there should be more of them. So, I’m really excited to watch those play.”
We recommend listening to: ‘Good Bad Times,’ ‘San Diego,’ and ‘Solar Gap.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HiNDS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
Milburn
Indie rock band Milburn has a fan in Louis Tomlinson. Made up of Joe Carnall (lead vocals/bass), Louis Carnall (vocals/rhythm guitar), Tom Rowley (lead guitar), and Joe Green (drummer), the band were originally active in the early 2000s. Louis shared his love for the band back in 2015 saying how they “still sound sick!” Coincidentally, the band reunited in 2016 for their third album. Now, we’re not saying it’s thanks to Louis, but heck, having someone like him directing his fans to listen to your music must be a motivator, right?
We recommend listening to: ‘Cheshire Cat Smile,’ ‘Last Bus,’ and ‘Time.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MILBURN:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
Hollow Coves
Back in 2015, Louis showed love in a tweet for Hollow Coves. The Aussie duo is made up of Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins who sing and play guitar. Louis showed love for their “really cool” folk sound, urging 1D fans at the time to give them a listen.
We recommend listening to: ‘The Woods,’ ‘Coastline,’ and ‘Blessings.’
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOLLOW COVES:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
Smaller artists are truly hidden gems and we think more bigger artists with a platform should be championing them. Hats off to our boy Louis, and thank you for growing our stan list!
Have you checked out any of these bands per Louis’s recommendation? Which are your faves? Let us know down in the comments below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP!
Looking for more Louis? Look no further.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LOUIS TOMLINSON:
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