The Tameside Radio presenter's latest column features a quartet from Failsworth who formed during lockdown and have quickly become one of the North West's most talked about new bands.

The pandemic and its lockdowns were generally the worst time ever for music.

Pretty much everything was cancelled, and it was a time that saw many bands and artists disappear, never to be seen again.

Some bands and musicians kept busy via social media, and used it as a time to think ahead and be creative.

It was also a time that unexpectedly saw some of Greater Manchester’s most loved new bands being formed. One such band is The Haciendas.

The four lads, all from Failsworth and who all attended Failsworth High School, came together through a love of music, including bands such as Courteeners, Biffy Clyro, and Arctic Monkeys, yet all bringing their own influence along too.

Led by frontman Tom Smith, and joined by guitarist Daniel Ashcroft, bass player Kyle McCombe, and drummer Dylan Murphy, who is one of the busiest, best, and most sought after drummers on the whole of the Manchester music scene, The Haciendas have quickly built a large, dedicated, solid fanbase.

Since forming, as well as playing many headline gigs in their own right, at legendary and iconic Manchester venues such as Night People, The Deaf Institute and The Bread Shed, the band were one of the most popular bands to play on this year’s Kendal Calling House Party stage.

This year has also seen them complete a short tour of France, as main support act for DeStijl, and also perform as headliners on Mancunia TV.

Last week, the band released their long awaited debut EP ‘Dreamer’.

Three of the tracks, ‘Dreamer’, ‘Passion Fever’, and ‘Little Monkey’ have received a large amount of radio play on several stations, and on Saturday the lads played a live session at the HMV store in Bury to celebrate their release.

On Friday (14 October), a headline UK tour begins in Leeds, before heading off to gigs in Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool and Nottingham, before a big homecoming tour finale takes place in Manchester at Factory on 12 November.

Support on the homecoming gig comes from two other great new bands, Maloners and The Coltens.

The Haciendas have quickly become one of the North West’s most talked about and promising new bands, and I’m sure this tour and debut EP launch will only see their popularity continue to grow.

The Haciendas can be found across all of the usual social media channels, where you can also find links to ticket outlets for the tour dates, including the Manchester gig on 12 November.

The ‘Dreamer’ EP is available now and well worth checking out.

It’s easy to see why there is so much love for The Haciendas at the moment, and I recommend them, as they could soon become your new favourite band.

You can listen to Dave on Tameside Radio 103.6FM on Monday evenings from 7pm to 9pm. Click here to subscribe and catch up on previous shows.

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper