Indie Risers Marketplace Announce New EP & Y Not Fest, Share New single ‘Contact Sports’

Hartlepool rising 5-piece Marketplace announce the upcoming EP Marketplace Mean Business (June 6th) and share the radiant new single ‘Contact Sports’ (March 28th).

Produced by Chad Rodgers (Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Cape Cub), ‘Contact Sports’ is a high-energy ode to the exhilarating uncertainty of new romantic escapades. The track blends a dynamic alt-pop-indie-rock aesthetic with vibrantly catchy melodies and an infectious guitar led backdrop to create a track which is colourful, bright and euphoric.

Vocalist Evie Rhodes explains: “‘Contact Sports’ is about budding romances, where everything is touch and go, and where you know you really like someone but you’re still trying to convince yourself it’s not that serious.

We took a lot of inspiration for this song from bands like The Beths and their style of scrappy love songs that are just so unapologetically sincere without being too serious. The song kind of reads like I’m just crashing out and riding through a train of thought, so I think that balance of lighthearted sincerity was something we tried to capture.”

Drawing influences from a wide range of artists, including Alvvays, Declan McKenna, Pulp, and Talking Heads, the band—consisting of Evie Rhodes (vocals/guitar), Joel O’Beirne (vocals/bass), Jack Purcell (guitar), Matthew Short (synth/vocals), and Ross Dixon (drums)—brings their own individual tastes to the table to create the signature Marketplace sound.

Having opened for the likes of Alfie Templeman, Swim Deep, The Lottery Winners and Abbie Ozard as well as selling out gigs in Manchester, Leeds and their hometown of Hartlepool, Marketplace have already made a name for themselves as a live band. With widespread backing from tastemakers including BBC Radio 1, Clash, Earmilk, Dork, 1883, Far Out, NARC, Notion, Ones To Watch, and Atwood Magazine, the band have received a number of editorial playlist placements and continue to build momentum towards the full EP release. Marketplace are also set to tour the UK in May.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
16th April – BBC Introducing @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead
19th April – Stockton Calling, Stockton
14th May – Kazimier Stockrooms, Liverpool
15th May – Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
16th May – The Great Escape Festival (Matinee), Brighton (DO NOT SHARE)
16th May – The Victoria, London
17th May – The Great Escape Festival, Brighton (DO NOT SHARE)
23rd May – McChuills, Glasgow
24th May – Independent, Sunderland
31st July – YNOT? Festival, Derbyshire