New Music to Love

After our epic adventure last week, Neff and I uncovered a wealth of new bands to listen to. So here are our new music to love list, brought to you after the wettest road trip in history.

We journeyed into London for The Big Mix Festival,  mini festival that was spread out across Shoreditch that provided some really exciting little venues to watch some potentially big new names.

Friends Electric

A welsh electro-pop band that had some really good hooks. I had heard a few of their songs before we got there so made a beeline for them. It was a shame that they were on so early in the day, as the venue they were playing in was quite the walk from the main entrance. I don't think that many people had managed to find it before their set started. But they soldiered on anyway. I would quite happily dance around Sandmarsh with my bottle of Tequila with the girls to this music. Just enough of a dance tune that we can prance around the living room, but  with  some amazing lyrics to sing along with too. Their new single Firework is out today! And the other song that I particularly liked was Golden Blood. Also the lead singer bares a striking resemblance to Terry Richardson. They have now been added to the list of why I am GUTTED to not be going to Wakestock this year.

Treetop Flyers 

Described in the blurb as The Libertines- meets Paolo Nutini, they were the opening band, doing an acoustic set in Spitalfield Market. We liked them so much we then went to their full band set later in the day. I don't really get the Libertines comparison. Their whole vibe is much more country/folk then Indie, but there are times when there is a little twang that could be compared to Paolo's voice. Soft and melodic there is an ounce of Americana running through the songs. Their stand out song was definitely Roses in the Yard, as we were still humming it when we got on the train at the end of the day. Also the bassist has to be one of the most friendly and approachable guys ever, quite happily chatting to the crowd whilst the rest of the guys re-tuned. They have just won the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition so keep an eye out for them and expect big things.

And now for something completely different...

The Meow Meows

This band was exactly what the doctor ordered on an extremely wet Saturday afternoon. A 'Ska & Roll' band that somehow pulled the 60s and 80s together got the crowd skanking and generally cheered everybody up. Despite having a few technical issues with the mikes, theirs was the most enjoyable set of the day. There is a lack of Saxophones in the music that is pervading the charts at the moment, especially now with the loss of Clarence Clemons, and so there isn't a better time for the re-emergence of some proper cheering sounds. They also got the seal of approval from Newton Faulkner who was dancing about 3 feet away from us, so from one ginger to another, check them out!

Tall Ships

Our Favourite band of the weekend, Tall Ships were actually the support act for We Are Scientists on Friday. WAS usually provide some pretty good new music at their gigs (Neffi disagrees at this with some enthusiasm however much love for Goldheart Assembly) so I had high expectations. Plus Edith Bowman raved about them after seeing their gig at Kokos a few days earlier. They did not disappoint. They provide a very big sound with lots of melodic synth and loops. Playing more instruments then is feasibly possible, with only 3 members, they cover a lot of ground. This makes the live performance amazing because you spend half the time working out just how they do it. The math rock they create is epic in sound and the lyrics that are laid on top of them are clever metaphorical thoughts, particularly Ancestors.

They are playing in Brum the night of Race for Life so hopefully a lot of you will come with me to see them play and help me celebrate the end of training and the re-uptake of alcohol! So go get listening!