Little big time

3:38pm Friday 18th January 2008

Andy Welch and Viv Hardwick look at the potential hit-makers over the next 12 months

LAST year, while most critics rightly agreed Mika was going to be a big star, few saw Leona Lewis returning from her American break to become the year's late success story. Over the next 12 months, some of the biggest artists in the world are going to be releasing albums with the likes of Madonna, REM, Coldplay and Oasis ready to re-enter the pop chart fray.

Another big name, U2, will be giving us their 12th album. Little is known about the as-yet-untitled record, but as the band have recalled producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the men who helped craft The Joshua Tree, we should expect something very special indeed.

Portishead, who haven't released anything since their self-titled second album in 1997, are set to return, as are The Kooks, who have now sold around two millions copies of their 2006 debut Inside In/Inside Out, and Eminem - who should have collected plenty of material to rap about in the four years since his last record.

Late last year, Radiohead shocked the music industry by releasing album In Rainbows as a download on their own website, allowing fans to pay what they wanted. The move from the Oxford quartet came after Prince gave his last album away with copies of the Mail On Sunday and the likes of The Charlatans and Ray Davies also had releases attached to newspapers.

These days, albums are released to promote live shows with, for example, The Police, who reformed last year, grossing almost £70m in ticket sales from the US leg of their tour alone.

Over the next year or so, expect to see labels getting into concert booking and promoting, and artists signing new types of contracts with their employers.

Typically one step ahead of the competition, Madonna has already made her move and lined up alongside Live Nation. Traditionally a tour company, it's now venturing into the record industry.

The deal Live Nation has with 'Madge' is worth an estimated £120m and entitles it to a slice of all the superstar's forthcoming earnings from albums, tours and merchandising. It was an unprecedented move at the time, but rest assured this time next year, Madonna won't be the only artist involved in such a deal. Downloads can only increase in popularity too. Around 95 per cent of all singles in the charts are now bought online, and it won't be long until the figure for album sales catches up, although it's highly unlikely the CD will die out this year, or even by the end of the decade.

The death knell was sounded for vinyl years ago, yet it's still a popular format for music lovers.

So which new artists should we be looking out for?

As previously mentioned, Leona Lewis was 2007's runaway success. She released both the biggest selling single of the year in Bleeding Love, and the fastest-selling debut album in UK history, but don't expect the most recent X Factor winner Leon Jackson to have similar success. It's a safe bet the young Scot's fame will vanish almost as quickly as it arrived. Both will appear at Newcastle's MetroRadio Arena on February 16 in the X Factor Live tour.

Duffy, however, is a different story.

The singer from North Wales, who plays Newcastle's The Cluny on February 24, is being touted as the next Amy Winehouse', although that's merely a reference to her smokysounding voice and catchy songs, not her lifestyle. Two performances on Later... With Jools Holland have exposed her to a wide audience, and with songs that can appeal to both Radio 1 and Radio 2 listeners, she'll have no trouble finding fans of all ages.

The same can also be said of Adele and the more folk-based Laura Marling, who have fast become the names to drop of late. They'll both release debut albums soon.

Hailing from Manchester and with an outspoken singer called Liam Fray, there's something very familiar about The Courteeners, who play Middlesbrough Arena on February 9.

Thankfully, they are distinctive, and have the songs - namely What Took You So Long? and Acrylic - to make them a massive success in 2008. Also set for big things are Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong (watch out for the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour to Newcastle's Carling Academy 1 & 2 on February 3), The Troubadours, These New Puritans (The Empire, Middlesbrough, February 23), Cajun Dance Party and Glasvegas (The Knights Club, Middlesbrough, February 1 and Station Club, The Junction, York, on February 2 and The Cluny on February 18).

Ploughing a different furrow, Royworld (Fibbers, Barfly, York, February 21) are also worth your attention. Recalling the likes of Keane and The Feeling, their lush pop will be all over the radio later on in the year.

Check out Elasticity on their MySpace page if you need proof.

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