Every South By Southwest conference typically features more than a handful of bands whose ascent to the top of the pop charts seems potentially likely if not exactly a certainty. Having seen the New Cassettes in full live-and-electric mode, I’m inclined to count the Northampton, England band among them. A five-piece of young, enthusiastic rockers with a powerful live set and a crackling new album in Winterhead, New Cassettes have garnered significant critical acclaim in the homeland and have made significant Stateside inroads as well: their music has already been heard on Grey’s Anatomy, Jersey Shore, I Just Wants My Pants Back and much more. And in 2012, those sort of breaks may be even more significant than limited play on radio’s tired rock ‘n’ roll formats.
