Audio

Audio North’s Artist of the Month – Lucky Iris | August 2026

The northern duo turning Leeds chaos into the sound of the future

Declan Kelly - 14th August 2026

There’s something about Lucky Iris that feels completely made for a packed-out club at 1am.

The Leeds-based duo, made up of Maeve and Jasper, have spent the last few years carving out a sound that refuses to sit neatly inside one box. Hyperpop, electro, indie, dance, synth-pop throw it all in, and you’re somewhere close, but even then, Lucky Iris are busy smashing those pop archetypes to pieces.

And right now, they’re doing it better than ever.

After a huge 2025, Lucky Iris have kicked off 2026 with their debut mixtape, 'fall in love with the dj', a project that feels like the culmination of everything the pair have been building towards since their bedroom-pop beginnings during lockdown.

Released in January via Launchpad+ and EMI North, the six-track mixtape takes Lucky Iris back to the place that shaped them: sweaty, low-lit, bass-heavy rooms where music becomes something bigger than just something playing through a speaker.

As Maeve puts it, the project is about 'finally making the music we want to hear', and that philosophy runs through every corner of the record.

FROM BEDROOM POP TO ELECTRO CHAOS

Lucky Iris might now be turning heads across the UK, but their story started much closer to home.

What began as a bedroom pop experiment during lockdown has evolved into something far more ambitious. The pair have continually pushed their sound forward, experimenting with electronic production and finding a space somewhere between alternative pop and the dancefloor.

Their latest mixtape is arguably the clearest expression of that evolution yet.

Tracks like i just want to dance, play me like a speaker and heart 4 heart had already started building serious momentum throughout 2025, giving listeners a taste of the direction Lucky Iris were heading in.

Then came 'fall in love with the dj'.

The title track captures exactly what makes the duo so exciting. It’s not simply a song about going out it’s about that strange, almost euphoric feeling of losing yourself in music.

THEIR BREAKOUT YEAR

2025 was the year Lucky Iris started making serious noise.

The duo completed their first UK tour supporting Master Peace, while also sharing stages with artists including Babymorocco, Dorian Electra, Hannah Diamond, Bimini and Jessica Winter. They also made an appearance at SXSW London.

DIY, Wonderland, The Forty Five and BBC Radio 1 have all been among the tastemakers backing the duo.

The duo were also selected as a Spotify RADAR Artist of the Week/First Listen Artist, joining a list of previous RADAR artists that includes Griff, Central Cee, Rose Grey, Barry Can't Swim and Rachel Chinouriri. Artists who have all gone on to achieve big things, and it appears that Lucky Iris are heading in those footsteps.

Not bad for a project that started in a bedroom.

LEEDS IS WRITTEN ALL OVER IT

There’s also something particularly Leeds about Lucky Iris.

The city has been part of their story from the beginning, from those early nights out that inspired their music to the grassroots venues such as Hyde Park Book Club where they developed their live show.

And live is where Lucky Iris really come alive.

Their commanding performances have become a major part of their identity, transforming their electronic productions into something that feels less like watching a band and more like stumbling into the middle of a party, from larger-scale production to smaller settings like Rat and Pigeon in Manchester we’re we recently saw them transform the space into a hyper-pop evening alongside similar artists.

They’ve even managed to bring their music and their football obsession together.

As lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fans, Maeve and Jasper have collaborated with the club, featured on Sky News and appeared pitchside at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the club’s The Warm Up series. Their music has also found its way onto the Premier League Official Playlist.

Because apparently Lucky Iris weren’t content with taking over the dancefloor, they wanted the football stadium too.

MAKING MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT

Ultimately, Lucky Iris aren't trying to reinvent pop for the sake of it. They’re making the kind of music they genuinely want to hear.

Music that is loud.
Music that is messy.
And music that understands why we keep going back to clubs, gigs and dancefloors in the first place.

'fall in love with the dj' feels like a statement of intent from a duo who have finally found their sweet spot. It’s crunchy, electronic and relentlessly fun, but underneath all that noise is something incredibly human: the desire to feel something.

And with everything Lucky Iris have achieved already, it feels like we’re only just getting started.

Keep an eye on them because if the last 12 months are anything to go by, the Leeds duo are going to be making a whole lot more noise.

Read more: TESTBED unveils major transformation to become Leeds’ premier destination for music and culture

Featured image: Press