Paramore

A solid, smart pop-punk band from Tennessee, Paramore has garnered positive attention from both the music press (here and overseas) and audiences, much of it centred around the band's charming, down-to-earth frontwoman Hayley Williams, who was only 17 years old when the band released their first album. Their music is effortlessly catchy, with emo undertones leavened by a sense of humour and the punky crunch of electric guitars. In the two years between their 2005 debut and its follow-up, the band had grown musically, and its audiences have grown with it.

• rock
• alternative/indie