Festival In Focus – SWN – 10 to catch
We’re down in Cardiff for the Swn Festival, running a show and catching as many bands as we can. Here are 10 we reckon you shouldn’t miss.
Let’s Buy Happiness
Backed by one of the Hairy Bikers no less (the butch one), Newcastle youngsters Let’s Buy Happiness have been getting plenty of airplay across the alternative radio spectrum. With their upbeat sound and glassy female vocals they prove that there’s still room for a good old indie band amongst the jungle of superstar producers and meat-adorned popstars.
Gross Magic
Gross Magic’s sound couldn’t sound much more like the current crop of American indie if it tried, but it’s in fact the work of Brighton-based musician Sam McGarrigle. His music is a modernised version of glam rock, with his Teen JamzEP getting him attention from the likes of Pitchfork and Stereogum. With a full-length release in the works, his set at Swn could offer a glimpse of what to expect.
Gross Magic - Sweetest Touch by TheSoundsOfSweetNothing
And So I Watch You From Afar
Belfast’s And So I Watch You From Afar have slowly been earning a strong fan base, including none other than Dave Grohl (who got them to support Them Crooked Vultures) and Ash’s Tim Wheeler. Their heavy instrumental post-rock sound was documented on their self-titled debut album earlier this year, leading to them being nominated for Ireland’s equivalent of the Mercury Prize, the Choice Music Prize.
ASIWYFA - Search:Party:Animal by Richter Collective
Theme Park
Making pop cool again, Londoners Theme Park bring their hooks to Swn on the brink of making the step up to music’s top table. The quartet’s music harks back to the best pop from the 80s, even though most of them probably weren’t around to see it, and they have already armed themselves with an arsenal of killer songs to make your life more enjoyable. What more could you ask for.
Niki And The Dove
Niki and the Dove are a two-piece from Stockholm (neither of whom are called Niki, or The Dove for that matter) who follow in the footsteps of Florence and The Machine in making twisted female-fronted pop music. Luckily for those more discerning music fans amongst you, the band have shunned the idea of making lucrative chart-destroying pop, instead opting for something more artistic and therefore much, much better.
Three Trapped Tigers
If you haven’t heard Three Trapped Tigers’ debut album Route One or Dieyet then you need to sort your bloody life out. There’s enough forward-thinking experimentation on a single track from that album to put most so-called experimental bands to shame, and in the hands of three supremely talented musicians there’s a clear and present danger of a spectacular live show to boot.
Three Trapped Tigers - Cramm by bloodandbiscuits
Y Niwl
Y Niwl bill themselves as the world’s first Welsh language instrumental surf band, alongside providing backing for Gruff Rhys’ live shows. Their fantastic performance at last year’s Swn Festival was enough to earn them another invitation, no doubt further up the bill this time, and where better to see what’s occurring with one of the most exciting Welsh bands in recent memory than on their home turf.
Visions of Trees
London’s Visions of Trees have a very simple setup. Sara does the voice, Joni does the music. The result is their brand of panoramic garage-inspired electronica, with plenty of dark undercurrents running through for good measure. With their debut album It Kills/No Flag primed for release the band will no doubt be pulling out all the stops to win over new fans with their mesmeric live show.
SIRENS (NOVOCAINE) by Visions of Trees
Sam Duckworth
Also known as ‘that guy from Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.’, Sam Duckworth has dusted off his original moniker for an album of more mature material that is far better than you might expect. Recorded in the exotic surroundings of Letchworth after Duckworth endured cabin fever and an obsession with reading about economic collapse on a GCWCF tour, the album is far sparser than anything he’s done before, but retains a groove absent on most solo albums.
The Mannequin - Album Preview by SamDuckworth
Artists in this article: Let's Buy Happiness, Gross Magic, And So I Watch You From Afar, Theme Park, Niki And The Dove, Three Trapped Tigers, Y Nwil, Visions of Trees , Sam Duckworth