The Outcharms and Charlie Bennett live at The Sunflower Lounge

The Outcharms

Forged in the shadow of Sheffield’s bustling music scene, The Outcharms fly their own flag as Doncaster’s finest with their signature style of sparkling guitars and massive choruses that have shook venues up and down the country. Since forming in 2014, the band have reached significant milestones such as amassing over 2.3 million streams on Spotify as well as selling out some of the UK’s most historic venues such as The Leadmill and Night & Day Cafe. The Outcharms have supported some of the biggest names in indie and pop music, such as The Fratellis, Reverend and the Makers and fellow Donny lad Louis Tomlinson, as well as earning radio play from the likes of John Kennedy at Radio X, BBC Introducing Sheffield and Sine FM. With their iridescent Smiths-like jangle, watertight rhythms and crooning vocals, the 'Charms continue to hone their craft and experiment with new sounds, styles and structures, whilst going from strength to strength and showing no signs of slowing down. UTC x

Charlie Bennett

Charlie Bennett is a 24-year-old bedroom-pop artist from Birmingham. Inspired by Dayglow and Beabadoobee, he started releasing music in late 2020, having taught himself to record and produce from his bedroom during lockdown. A self-declared “bedroom pop artist”, Bennett was drawn to the genre’s creativity-first ethos: making music with whatever gear you have. This DIY stance proved itself in his breakout track “Is This Falling?” in September 2020. With 6 million streams and counting, it was recorded using a £20 microphone and an iPhone. Its success gave Bennett the confidence to double down on his musical instincts, releasing his debut EP “Duvet Days”, which was aptly named after using his bedding to soundproof his room whilst recording. Charlie Bennett has built a community of over 500,000 dedicated followers, nicknamed his “Strawbennetts”, who’ve helped stream Charlie’s music over 12.5 million times to date. He’s landed playlist spots on Spotify’s “Our Generation”, supported Will Joseph Cook’s recent UK tour, a slot at Reading Festival, plays on 6 Music, BBC Introducing and KCRW, and the attention of major label bosses, one of whom Bennett remembers chatting to on Zoom whilst folding his socks. Given what they continue to achieve from a student bedroom, it is clear this DIY champ is one to watch.