Bar Italia tonight – recorded at The BBC’s Maida Vale Studios – October 14th and broadcast on New Music Fix.

Bar Italia  formed in London in 2020. The band consists of members Nina Cristante (vocals), Sam Fenton (vocals, guitar), and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi (vocals, guitar). Their name is derived from the Soho café Bar Italia.

The Italian-born Cristante grew up in Rome but moved to London in 2007. Fenton and Fehmi lived in a flat below Cristante in Peckham, where they met. In 2019, they began making music together. The band’s sound is often associated with indie sleaze, shoegaze, and lo-fi pop influences. 

From 2020 onwards, the band released four albums, three EPs and multiple singles through World Music, the record label founded by London musicians Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland.

They were noted as a “new act to watch” by The Face magazine and the number one “rising star to look out for in 2023” by The Times. Their 2022 EP CDR was placed at number one on Gorilla vs. Bear‘s list of the best EPs of 2022, and their track “Miracle Crush” was placed at number 13 on Crack‘s list of the 25 best songs of 2022.

In March 2023, it was announced they had signed with Matador Records. They released Tracey Denim in May 2023, while their second album of the year, The Twits, released in November and was supported by European and North American tour dates. Both albums received “generally favorable” reviews according to rating aggregator Metacritic, with French cultural magazine Les Inrocks placing the two projects collectively at number 10 in their list of the best albums of the year. AllMusic called The Twits a reflection of the group’s growth “into an increasingly singular, expressive band”, and the record debuted at No. 36 on the UK Albums Chart, the band’s highest placement as of 2023.

In October 2025, Bar Italia are scheduled to release their album Some Like It Hot through Matador Records. The record, described as a culmination of the group’s collaborative songwriting, blends rock, folk pop and ballads, and follows their 2023 releases. Ahead of the album, the singles “Cowbella” and “Fundraiser” were issued, the latter accompanied by a video featuring actor Matt King. To promote Some Like It Hot, the band announced a tour across the Europe and North America, including a sold-out release show at The Dome in London.

Press Play and dive in.