Introduction

jeanine are a three-piece indie band, originally from east London, but now partially based in Leeds, consisting of vocalist Louis Halsey, bassist Oscar Groves and drummer Will Fox. They formed in early 2025 after having met at East London Arts & Music (ELAM), a specialist creative industries college, and performing under the frontman’s name. They each have different musical education and genre specialism, ranging from folk to funk and alternative. They combine their individual influences into a unique take on indie music that has been described by Upcoming Network as “if Backseat Lovers, King Krule and Bob Dylan somehow had a child together” (Freya Elizibeth, 2026).

Throughout 2025, jeanine had performed at independent live music venues across the UK, including: The Social and Elephant’s Head in London and Royal Park Cellars in Leeds. In May, they released their debut EP: ‘Back Home’, which was celebrated with their first headline show in the form of a launch party event at Next Door Records 2 in Stoke Newington.

jeanine’s primary demographic consists of young adults from urban areas. Their audience overlaps with that of Westside Cowboy, English Teacher & Arkayla. This group appreciates the musicianship and authenticity of the genre’s scene more holistically in comparison to pop music fans, who tend to support artists individually. They express their affinity with the British indie music circuit by following bands of a range of sizes and visiting genre-based festivals, such as: Green Man, Kendall Calling and Y Not. The gatekeepers of the genre are live music promoters and magazine curators who selectively champion a network of emerging indie bands. This is most prevalent in London where certain bands with momentum tend to have come through a handful of venues that operate with in-house and independent live promotion, including: Brixton Windmill, Elephant’s Head, The Lexington, George Tavern and The Moth Club. Additionally, they occasionally colabourate with small record labels and magazines, such as: Big Richard Records and So Young, which are associated with external festivals and other events with the network and infrasctructure to further the career of promising artists.

Making jeanine’s Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

Having fulfilled the role of jeanine’s manager for over a year, I knew about their project and professional progression in detail. I was also in a position to refine their existing EPK to make it more attractive to industry personnel and efficient in securing opportunities to further their career. The majority of people viewing the EPK would be from the live or recorded music sector at this point in their career, so the EPK should be focused towards those areas.

The design is equally eye-catching yet digestible, with a clear, consistent colour scheme and typeface that reflects jeanine’s visual aesthetic. The high-resolution press photos included were taken backstage of their show of the year at Lending Room, supporting Roscoe, which accurately represents jeanine’s identity and adds to the professionalism of the document. The layout naturally guides the reader through the most important pieces of information, and all of the text is brief and direct, for the ease of A&R to consume efficiently. To build on this effect, external media is hyperlinked and accessible without a download, adhering to industry standards.

Beginning with the biography, I chose to include details of their style and influences, released music and their most notable live shows, to give A&R representatives and live music programmers an understanding of their positioning within those areas as quickly. I decided to write an extended biography on a separate document (see appendix 1) that might appeal to interviewers, which is available upon request. Below, I included clickable links to their demos and master recordings, followed by two different examples of live performances. The first video is a recording of the set from their EP Launch Party, which demonstrates their musicianship and includes shots of the audience to the size and dedication of their fanbase. There is also a press section where I included a selection of positive quotes linked to the review or interview. In particular, the final quote from jeanine’s episode of the In The Booth podcast reads: ‘a really clear vision’ (Amira Duggin, 2025), which indicates the artistic development and commitment to the project, appealing to promoters and record labels.

The final page features a selection of their most notable shows of the past year alongside upcoming support opportunities and festival appearances, arranged in chronological order to demonstrate their progression within the live sector. I formatted the past and future shows differently to be able to show their extensive previous experience and the calibre of opportunity they are currently securing in more detail. The EPK concludes with contact information and links to their social media accounts and artist profile on DSPs to open a direct means of communication between industry personnel and the band. I decided not to include statistics that detail their online presence, as their following is best indicated through evidence of their live shows, which is commonplace within the British, emerging indie circuit.

Recording

Since enrolling at Leeds Conservatoire, jeanine have been afforded the time and resources to develop their craft and artistic identity. The sound of their new material and current adaptations of early songs is much grittier and more intricate, compared to their 2025 EP. For example, their song ‘Uncle Sam’ features an energetic and detailed guitar riff with distorted tones. The drum part uses cymbals to build upon this effect, whereas in the past they commonly used them in a soft, decorative manner. The lyricism offers a direct criticism of the political climate in the United States during the trump administration, presenting an expansion in their thematic content, while maintaining their reflective and abstract style.

They have also taken advantage of the masterclasses and 1:1 sessions to discuss their current situation in relation to recorded music. Advice from Alice Scott from Come Play With Me and Charis Richards from Fontana Records concurred that the band should be aware of balancing releasing music to remain current, but not letting it fall on deaf ears. With this in mind, they are continuing to write new songs and constantly rotating their live set to introduce new material to their audience.

jeanine arranged studio time with Rhys Lewis over the course of two sessions in which they aimed to record 10 demos. Lewis is a genre specialist who known for engineering and producing demos for Garage Flower. After the 1st session, they received the mixes for six of their songs that accurately reflected the heavier side of their music and showcased their technical performance and introspective sensibilities that are uniquely jeanine. Those recordings were quickly sent to industry personnel who have shown interest in jeanine, along with invites to their upcoming show in London. Additionally, a link to a private SoundCloud playlist containing these songs appears on the first page of their EPK, adhering to the modern industry standard of sharing demos, which ensures they are easily accessible to A&R representatives.

Touring

To use jeanine’s shows as a mechanism to grow their fan base, they should aim to collaborate with established artists, venues, promoters and festivals within their sonic niche. Moreover, to elevate their position among other emerging indie bands, they should network with promoters of the gatekeeper venues in their hometown to coexist with promising artists, with a community of fans and industry personnel to support their development.

To adapt to a new home market, I used my second role as a promoter to programme jeanine to perform alongside artists of a similar size based in the north of England. This proved successful as I was able to cater directly to jeanine’s needs and those of the audience attending these shows. In January, jeanine supported Roscoe, where they played in front of their biggest crowd to date. The show was reviewed by Upcoming Network, who named jeanine ‘unquestionably a band to watch out for this year’ (Freya Elizibeth, 2026). The next month, they had a two headline shows in Leeds and then London. In particular, their show at Elephant’s Head in Camden, surpassed the venue’s capacity in RSVPs within days of announcing the event, reaching a total of 270 on the night.

On the final page of their EPK, I included details of their most notable performances from the last year, using an asterisk to indicate headline dates. To ensure the information is relevant and works in their favour in the eyes of promoters, I chose to list shows that demonstrated their promise through the reputation of the venue and its location. Below, I included some upcoming shows with the exact date, for the ease of A&R who would be interested in attending. They are all support slots or festival appearances, which aligns with jeanine’s goal of broadening their audience. I mentioned the headlining artists to specify the quality of artists they have connections to. To the same objective, I mentioned that they have been programmed to perform at the Chai Wallahs stage at Kendal Calling to further demonstrate their calibre.