Dork’s Hype List is our annual spotlight on the artists who’ve started to really stand out - not because they’re destined for instant superstardom, but because there’s something in what they’re doing that feels fresh, deliberate and worth keeping close tabs on.
It isn’t about calling winners or demanding overnight breakthroughs. Consider it a guide to the acts shaping the edges of what’s next: the ones we’re excited about, curious about, and confident enough to back as they take their next steps.
Villanelle clearly have iconic rock heritage burned into them courtesy of their frontman’s legendary dad, Liam, who has had a rather big year himself with his own rock’n’roll band. But all that history and lineage would mean nothing if Villanelle couldn’t operate on their own terms, with their own distinct take on rock music and what it feels like to be a young person in a band in 2025. All the composite parts of a striking new band are here. They look intensely cool. They have great songs. And when the three of them are together, they have a magnetic charisma. As they look ahead to releasing more music in 2026, they’re beginning to set the wheels in motion to take over the UK rock landscape.
“It’s been an amazing year,” says Gene, reflecting on 2025 for Villanelle — the year they released their debut single ‘Hinge’ and really started to take things to another level after years of grafting. “A cogs-turning moment for us. We’ve been recording loads and doing all these slow-burning things that have been really exciting. We’ve been at it for three years now. Gigging has been great, but getting to do the music — which we’ve been focusing on this year — has been good.”
“It’s been a foundation year for us, getting into the studio and finding where our sound is, which is fun,” adds Ben.


Villanelle feel like a band in the classic mode. There’s a spark between the three members that belies the simplicity of their origin story — well, if you can even call it an origin story. “Me and Jack met in a pub on a random Tuesday night. Nothing too special,” explains Gene in his typically laid-back manner. “We started chatting, and it became a thing of: do you want to rehearse and play sometime? Me and Ben met through close friends and word of mouth. ‘Do you know a guitar player?’ ‘Yeah, I know someone’. I invited them both to a room and that was that.”

"The band has to be loud as fuck"
“It’s amazing — seeing these interactions from people drives you to want to do more,” says Gene, thinking about early fan support. “‘We’re going to get that song out, don’t worry!’” he laughs, responding to the fan cries to release every song in their live set. All in good time. “We only just dropped the first single, but fans were making bootlegs of our performances as early as June last year,” says bassist Jack. “They’ve already been behind the tunes. We’ve been dropping these songs, but the fans are like: what about that one that we absolutely love? We’re happy they stick by us — we’ll drop it at the right time.”
Villanelle’s sound may be rooted in American rock, but it’s delivered with a distinctly British attitude. “I’ve always loved bands like Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana, but I’ve never wanted to sing like them,” says Gene. “It’s nice to put an English twist on things because that’s being authentic.”
“There’s definitely a Britishness that runs through our sound, but it’s fuelled by a 90s American influence that hasn’t been around for a while,” continues Ben. For Gene, it’s simple: “I’ve always been obsessed with that kind of music. It’s never been about making music for people — it’s about what I like doing for myself. If anyone likes it, then that’s great. That’s just the music I like, and I always want to make something I like.”
One thing Villanelle don’t want to do is emulate Oasis, or Gene’s dad. Spending time with him, it’s clear Gene possesses the innate confidence and presence of Liam — but Villanelle exist on their own terms. “We don’t want to steer away, but we want to be our own individual product,” he says passionately. Naturally, he wants his father to like what they’re doing. “I value his opinion because he’s my dad,” he says.
“We’re not trying to do anything different than any other band,” says Ben, rejecting any idea of added pressure. “There are facts that are different, but we’re just trying to be a band like every other band.”



It might have been tempting to artificially skyrocket things, but their commitment to hard work and organic growth is paying off — even when it goes against instinct. “It’s learning to be patient and not wanting every song out now. It’s doing it song by song and building. I’m very all-guns-blazing, but you need to walk before you can run.” Jack adds, “I think we’re in a nice little pocket of grassroots scene at the moment. We’ve just come off a university tour playing to young people. We’re really into that world at the moment and slowly working our way up. I think we’re sitting quite nicely.” ■
Taken from the December 2025 / January 2026 issue of Dork, out now.











