May 2010
As the summer music conference season springs into life with more conferences than industry to attend them, Seven Webster and Claire Lloyd ask some of the better conference organisers and owners for their tips of acts that they see currently destined for greatness, alongside our usual array of select industry guests and friends.
Sat Bisla (MUSEXPO Music Conference LA and UK)
One band that has caught my attention recently has to be South Africa's Zebra And Giraffe. They combine dancey, indie riffs with a sprinkling of electro, heavy drums, fragile keys and out and out ballsy vocals, best seen on tracks like 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' Their album Collected Memories is jam packed with melodic, ear pleasing, intellectual, pop with a shovel full of rock to keep your head banging.
Also worth catching live are Brisbane's 26 where you can hear influences from as far as The Temper Trap to the classic sounds of The Verve! The track to listen to is 'A New Beginning' which really shows the span of their musicality, drifting from soft, atmospheric lows into crescendos of drums and euphoric guitar parts. You can catch them playing at MUSEXPO Europe.
MUSEXPO takes place in London on June 14 and 15 at The Cumberland.
Nanette Rigg (London City Showcase, Director)
The act I'm most excited about seeing this year at City Showcase is Canadian Ali Milner. Cited as ³a female Sam Cooke² Milner lands in the UK in May and will be charming audiences at the 100 Club on May 6 alongside a great line up of other fresh emerging singer/songwriters like the newly discovered and unsigned artist Gabrielle Aplin, as well as buzz names like Pete Lawrie, Gemma Rae and Chris Simmons for what promises to be a great evening. The song to listen to on her MySpace is OCrystal Clear' which showcases her emotive vocals and classic songwriting style. London City Showcase for emerging bands and artists takes place next month, May 5-9, in a number of indoor and outdoor venues across the capital
Jaimie Hodgson (NME, New Band's Editor)
WU LYF are a Manchester-based ten-strong collective of musicians, artists and thinkers. Their name stands for: World Unite, Lucifer Youth Foundation. They went to school with Egyptian Hip Hop. None of their presence online gives anything away, other than that they're good at making abstract artwork (which comprises most of their pages), and in the only photographic evidence of the band features them all masked in white scarves. The two tracks they've leaked online however are stunning. 'Heavy Pop' and 'Concrete Gold' are like Jason Pierce in his darkest hours being scorched head-to-toe by a school Bunsen burner and left to contemplate the meaninglessness of eternity. At the few A&R-swooped-on shows they've played they sold homemade demo tapes for £50 just to fleece the major label scouts. The tapes, of course, sold out. (Good luck tracking down a link). To catch more new and emerging acts supported by the NME, be sure to check out the forthcoming NME Weekender which plans to host a wealth of new acts alongside a number of established names like British Sea Power, Babyshambles, Chew Lips, Goldhawks and takes place at Camber Sands this coming November 5 and 6.
Mike Walsh (XFM, Head Of Programming)
The acts I see blowing up in the next 12 months are Gold Future Joy Machine - a fairly mysterious London band with massive songs that you can dance to. Two amazing female singer/songwriters that I also feel the need to mention are Natalie Findlay from Manchester who is a true talent, and London's Luna Belle. Both are exceptional and well worth a listen. Another great unsigned act of a different nature also causing a stir at the moment and one for the future is The Cordellia Club.
XFM Radio host a number of evenings in conjunction with City Showcase this coming May 6, 7 and 8 at the Borderline, hosted by the likes of John Kennedy and Ian Camfield.
Other Tips This Month
Guy Lloyd (Juice FM Radio Brighton, DJ)
It has to be 26's Births, Deaths and Marriages EP, it had me from the first listen.
Allan McGowan (IQ Magazine, Associate Editor)
It has to be La Fanfare en Petard, a great street band from Strasburg that I saw rock it while in France a few weeks ago.
Matt Hyde (Wired PR)
The act I have really enjoyed catching live most recently has to be Wolverhampton punk-pop based act Advantage whose horn section add something to set them apart from the rest of the pack.
Seven and Claire's Ones To Watch
Finally acts that we have come across on our travels this month that have caused us to sit up and take notice are firstly May 68. This band posess a radio friendly sensibility and immediateness. This is pure electro pop in the vain of Yazoo crossed with other new acts like Chew Lips. As instant as Nescafe and deserves to be on a playlist near you soon.
Australia's Hungry Kids of Hungary (pictured) whose similarly radio friendly track 'Scattered Diamonds' just puts a smile on our faces and is everything summer is about. The band hit the UK next month for shows at Brighton's Great Escape and London's City Showcase as part of a UK tour.
Sticking with other Australian acts hitting the UK shortly, another great act worth trying to catch are Brisbane's alternative indie vocal driven Drawn From Bees. This band were one of Triple J radios most played acts of 2009. Tracks to listen to are the infectious 'Long Tooth Setting Sun' and 'Waiting for the End' that brings up memories of Bowie's 'Man Who Sold The World'. Drawn from Bees also play MUSEXPO this June.
One more act also well worth a mention this month for their uniqueness are Croydon dub steppers Tek-One. According to all that saw them at the E4 Skins party last month in Bristol apparently they majorly tore it up. The band are heading out on tour with Bring Me The Horizon and Cancer Bats for an extensive UK tour in the next few weeks, and also can be found playing at the Rocksound, XFM and Jagermeister hosted City Showcase night on May 7 at The Borderline). Not to be missed.
Finally thanks to all those that nominated Skindred as Best Live Act and Best UK Act at this years Golden God Awards. Please feel free to vote for them here.
That's it for this month.