The '
ShockWaves NME
Awards Tours (known without sponsorship as the NME
Awards Tour before 1999, and the Brat Bus Tour' before 1998) normally took place in the lead up to the official
NME Awards themselves. The tour was known to sell out in just a matter of hours. The tour normally showcast the main protagonists of the
independent alternative rock scene, with a number of relatively unheard of bands usually supporting more mainstream acts. A number of previous support acts on the tour went on to become very successful commercially, such as
Arctic Monkeys (support act in 2006) and
Franz Ferdinand (who played the opening slot in 2004). From 2005, the tour was sponsored by
unisex hair product company
ShockWaves. In 2007, the main
NME Awards tour was split into two different tours of four bands each. The first tour, the '
ShockWaves NME
Indie Rock Tour was created to reflect the growing indie rock scene in Britain throughout 2006–2007. The second tour, the ShockWaves NME
Indie Rave Tour', displays the small number of bands currently associated with the
new rave music genre.
NME editor
Conor McNicholas stated that the reason for the tour split was to allow more fans to gain tickets to the Awards tour, and allow them to display more bands at the one time. The tours were played in a number of intertwined dates at the same time. This format was kept for one year, before reverting to one tour in 2008. In 2017, rather than organise a tour themselves,
NME sponsored a series of previously announced headline dates by the band
Blossoms. In 2018, for the first time in 23 years, an
NME sponsored tour did not take place. Though
NME are yet to make a statement about the cancellation of the tour, they have run articles about the demise of the Warped Tour on their website. • 2017:
Blossoms, Cabbage, Rory Wynne • 2016:
Bloc Party,
Drenge,
Ratboy,
Bugzy Malone • 2015:
Palma Violets, Fat White Family,
Slaves,
The Wytches • 2014:
Interpol,
Temples,
Royal Blood,
Circa Waves • 2013:
Django Django,
Miles Kane,
Palma Violets, Peace • 2012:
Two Door Cinema Club,
Metronomy,
Tribes,
Azealia Banks • 2011:
Crystal Castles,
Magnetic Man,
Everything Everything,
The Vaccines, • 2010:
The Maccabees,
Bombay Bicycle Club,
The Big Pink,
The Drums • 2009:
Glasvegas,
Friendly Fires,
White Lies,
Florence and the Machine • 2008:
The Cribs,
Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong,
Does It Offend You, Yeah?,
The Ting Tings • 2007: • ShockWaves
NME Indie Rock Tour:
The Automatic,
The View,
The Horrors,
Mumm-Ra • ShockWaves
NME Indie Rave Tour:
Klaxons,
CSS,
The Sunshine Underground,
New Young Pony Club • 2005:
The Killers,
The Futureheads,
Bloc Party,
Kaiser Chiefs • 2004:
Funeral for a Friend,
The Rapture,
The Von Bondies,
Franz Ferdinand • 2003:
The Datsuns,
The Polyphonic Spree,
Interpol,
The Thrills • 2002:
Andrew W.K.,
Lostprophets,
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,
The Coral • 2001:
Amen,
JJ72,
Alfie,
Starsailor • 2000:
Shack,
Les Rythmes Digitales,
Campag Velocet,
Coldplay • 1999:
UNKLE,
Idlewild,
Delakota,
Llama Farmers • 1998:
Stereophonics,
Asian Dub Foundation,
The Warm Jets,
Theaudience • 1997:
Geneva,
Symposium,
Tiger,
Three Colours Red • 1996:
The Bluetones,
The Cardigans,
Heavy Stereo,
Fluffy • 1995:
Veruca Salt,
Marion,
Skunk Anansie,
60 Ft. Dolls ==
NME Radar Tour==