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The Shockwaves NME Awards Tour is back, and for 2011 it's bolder than ever with a line-up representing the most exciting, groundbreaking and visceral acts around.

2011's line-up is headed up by Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, AKA Crystal Castles. They are joined by Magnetic Man, featuring Skream, Benga and scene catalyst Artwork, art-pop purveyors Everything Everything and The Vaccines, who have bagged the coveted opening slot.

Crystal Castles

Canadian electro from Toronto's boy-girl duo Crystal Castles, whose lo-fi approach to the genre makes their music both sweet and sincere whilst being every bit as punk as the rest. '...hit and run electropop, flailing, pulsing beeps smashed over an evil beat and driven onward by an incomprehensible shrieked vocal.' - Drowned In Sound.
Crystal Castles tour dates

Magnetic Man

After pioneering the dubstep sound from their Big Apple Records HQ in Croydon, Skream, Benga and Artwork formed Magnetic Man. As with many a superhero, their lair no longer exists. But the trio have moved onto bigger conquests, creating an inimitable dark and bassy sound that has rumbled its way to core gigs worldwide. With ongoing support from names such as Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Mistajam and Pete Tong, Magnetic Man's live show is simply devastating.
Magnetic Man tour dates

Everything Everything

This Manchester outfit blend falsetto vocals with synths, guitars and discordant pop hooks. Quirky singles like 'Photoshop Handsome' have seen comparisons to XTC, Wild Beasts and Django Django, but the band also have a sound all of their own. Following their 2011 Mercury Music Prize nomination, even bigger things are expected for them in 2013 following the release of their 2nd album 'Arc'.
Everything Everything tour dates

The Vaccines

London-based four-piece The Vaccines firmly believe that less is more, with songs like 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)' clocking in at under two minutes! Their fast and furious brand of giddy rock 'n' roll could almost be the sound of the Libertines and Ramones falling down the stairs at 100MPH. "On record the Vaccines wallow in the echo-drenched wooziness made famous by the Jesus And Mary Chain, but live they reach back further through pop's past glories, stirring the shimmering girl group drama conjured by Phil Spector and scuzzed up by the Ramones." -The Guardian.
The Vaccines tour dates