Launched in early 2010 as 'New to Q', The Sessions are a series of live music nights showcasing the best in new talent for the coming year, as selected by Q Magazine. Previous upstarts strutting their stuff as the Next Big Thing have included Delphic, Miike Snow, Ellie Goulding and Marina and the Diamonds.

The first dates for the 2012 sessions, renamed as 'Q Now: The Sessions', have been announced and once again boast a promising roster of prodigious talent. The four shows will take place at London's XOYO from Monday 23rd to Thursday 26th January 2012.

Opening the run of gigs on 23rd January are Dry the River, a folk rock five piece from London whose 2011 EP 'Weights and Measures' helped cement their reputation as one to watch.

The 24th sees Scotland's rising R&B star Emeli Sandé share the bill with soul singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka. Sandé's debut album, 'Our Version of Events', is set for release in February whilst the vintage soul sound of Kiwanuka's 2011 EP 'Tell Me A Tale' has already turned heads.

The third show, on Wednesday 25th January, features To Kill A King, a folk-pop outfit fronted by the superbly named Ralph Pelleymounter, and whose music has been branded 'rousing orch-folk'. Having caused a stir with debut single 'Fictional State' earlier in the year, the band's debut EP, 'My Crooked Saint' was released a week or so ago.

The last of the four consecutive gigs features US indie rock outfit Howler supported by London's Zulu Winter. Howler, from Minneapolis in America's Midwest, released their debut EP, 'This One's Different', in August to wide acclaim for its low-fi simplicity and honesty. Along with Zulu Winter and all the acts taking part in Q Now, Howler will be pushing for more headlines in 2012.

We will have tickets for all four dates when they go on sale at 9AM on Friday 28th October, priced just £10.