Meet South Arcade, the Oxford quartet blending Y2K genres into one riotous sound

There is no denying that the Y2K aesthetic is well and truly back. Low-rise jeans have made their resurgence, while Timbaland– and Darkchild-inspired production is slowly making its way back to pop (thanks Tate McRae!). But the 2000s were broader than just Britney, and few bands are highlighting that multifaceted aspect of the Y2K era quite like South Arcade.

Formed by singer Harmony Cavelle and guitarist Harry Winks, who were later joined by drummer Cody Jones and bassist Ollie Green, the Oxford-based band first got fans hooked with the brash opening riff on ‘DANGER’, a metal-inspired single that led to them amassing millions of views on TikTok. Since then, they’ve combined inspiration from pop, electronica and rock across the decade to create a sound that’s distinctive to them.

“Our sound came because there actually wasn’t that much in common with music we all liked,” Cavelle tells NME at the band’s London studio. “To be honest, it was a bit of a mess of different inspirations,” Green adds. “But the one common thing we had was this love of the 2000’s scene. There was a big overlap with rock and pop, and on the charts you’d have Britney Spears right there with Limp Bizkit! We noticed that the era was such a deep well of weird and wonderful things when you explored it.”

It soon became apparent that the band weren’t the only ones craving this “weird” new hybrid. With the timeless charisma of Cavelle’s vocals and the nostalgic-yet-unfamilar charm of the instrumentals, South Arcade soon found a devoted legion of fans online. But the dynamic sound of their debut EP ‘2005’ – coupled with captivating footage of rehearsals and energetic live shows – soon took them to the next level.

Now with new music, a UK headline tour, support slots with Bilmuri, and numerous festival appearances on the way, 2025 symbolises the beginning of a new South Arcade chapter.

Although the 2000’s era is a main inspiration, it is clear that you refuse to confine your sound into one set genre. Is this something you sought out when forming the band?

Harmony Cavelle: “It’s a major factor for us because you can get so many different elements coming together. We love drawing from anywhere and everywhere across the 2000s and blending it together. It leads to something new, and it means each song has its own world.”

Ollie Green: “We just wanted a weird melting pot of all our influences. In the early days, The 1975 were an influence — not sound-wise, but in the sense that the producers were part of the band and they would draw inspiration from a lot of different things. We never wanted to make music that was one thing. We’re not the band where we go to the studio, record 10 songs, and they all sound pretty similar. We’re the opposite of that.”

Has that blend of nostalgia and newness led to you having fans from all ages and backgrounds?

Cavelle: “That has definitely come across. The blurring of boundaries is not something we were consciously looking for, but it’s exciting because it has created a kind of pendulum effect. We were wanting to bring this nostalgic, real-band sound back… but some of these 13 or 14 year old kids are discovering it for the first time! They’ve never heard that before, they’ve not had the chance to see it live until now.”

Green: “Then there’s the other side of the pendulum. The people telling us that they went to see these great bands back in the day, and that we’ve reminded them of that. It’s funny because we’re not in either camp — we’re in this weird in-between area.”

Cavelle: “It’s because of that placement that we’re making this wide fanbase, though. It’s cool to be received by all camps in such a positive way– and to see that it’s not just us who likes it! Part of the appeal is us not taking ourselves too seriously, though. We just want to revive this fun space.”

What was it like to see that sudden spike in interest when ‘DANGER’ went viral?

Green: “It was quite surreal and a bit daunting. It’s weird too, because we’re inspired by the 2000s, but that era didn’t really have that same ‘viral’ thing that we have now. The idea of everything moving so quickly is overwhelming, but it’s also exciting. It actually came at a great time for us too, because by that point we had the mentality of: ‘we’re going to make whatever we want because we enjoy it.’ So, it paying off felt like a sign that we were doing the right thing. It reminded us to have more faith in our process.”

Cavelle: “It’s easy to fall into that mindset of: ‘this has got to perform well’, and then you start doubting yourself. That’s a dangerous space to get into, so it was a relief that doing our own thing worked out like that.”

You’ve managed to continue that momentum, and now many of your fans are discovering you through your immense live shows. What is it about playing live that makes South Arcade come to life?

Cavelle: “When we’re writing our tracks, we’re so conscious about, ‘will this go off when played live?’ If we can’t jump to it, just the four of us in the room, it’s crossed out. For us, it’s all about harnessing that energy and having a good time. We know that people often discover us from a screen, so when they do take the chance on us and come to see us live, it restores a bit of faith for us.”

What is your relationship with things like “going viral” now that you’re turning your sights to bigger bodies of work?

Cavelle: “While it’s amazing getting these viral moments and these hits, you do have to take a moment to be like: we’ve earned the interest from these people who have given us a chance, so how do we provide more? We want to build this world of South Arcade so people can stick around. We want to show them more about us and what we’re into. We want to create a space for people to exist in.”

Green: “To do that, we have to continue to trust our gut. If we think too much about things like going viral, it’s the wrong attitude to have. It sucks the life out of it. That’s not why we’re in the band, and people can tell if that’s what you’re trying to do.”

2024 was a big year for the band, how are you continuing the momentum into 2025?

Cavelle: “There will be new music, and it will definitely tap into something we haven’t done yet. There’s more of an electronic side coming through now. Something more dance-focused. We have a new single called ‘Supermodels’ and it should be out on the night of our show at KOKO!”

Green: “We’re definitely working towards another EP too, and we want to get it out as soon as we can. It’s going to be carrying on our world and drawing from more stuff. We’re still working on it, and I think playing all of these shows in all different places will definitely inspire some new material as well”

Cavelle: “Bring on more loud, invasive music that’s going to disrupt people’s Spotify Radio!”

South Arcade will drop their new single ‘Supermodels’ on March 14 and embark on a number of live shows – visit here to buy remaining tickets to upcoming shows.

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