Crystal Fighters are undoubtedly one of the most conceptually original bands to emerge from British shores in recent years. Their sound mashes erratic electronic sounds with traditional Spanish folk music to create a surprisingly palatable result and, on their latest single ‘At Home’, something that has impressive pop leanings. During a short interview the band’s lead singer Sebastian dropped a few interesting factoids about the group. The fact that the group take their name and chief inspiration by an unfinished book written by one of the band’s grandfather is pretty cool. As is the fact that the Txalaparta, a xylophone type instrument that seems to underpin a lot of the group’s most catchy riffs, was originally made from beams in cider factories.
The group also revealed a love of some seriously eclectic odd-ball music. From Frank Zappa to Spanish proto-punk, below Seb reveals five tracks that are currently getting heavy rotation on the Crystal Fighters’ tour van. Read more…
Last week we made a trip up to Manchester for In The City. For three days the bars and clubs of the town’s Northern Quarter are taken over by the best in up and coming bands, as dozens of venues host a range of enticing musical delights. Manchester’s musical history is well known, names that immediately spring to mind are Oasis, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, New Order and, of course, Joy Division. In The City was originally the vision of the late Tony Wilson, who originally signed Joy Division plus a wealth of other emerging talent to his label Factory Records. The three day event was established in order to showcase artists outside of London and continues to attract hundreds of unsigned and emerging acts, eager to attract the attention of A&R’s and labels.
By day, In The City plays host to conferences from some of the world’s leading musical professionals, discussing topics ranging from the difference between US & UK blogging, the emerging music market in China and a Q&A session with Pink Floyds drummer, Nick Mason. See below for a round up of some of our favourite bands over the festival.
You could spend ages trying to describe the sound of Crystal Fighters, but no one seems to do it succinctly as the band themselves. “We make fast dance music with Basque instruments, synthesizers and our voices.”
Crystal Fighters’ use of traditional Spanish instruments may at first seem like some sort of gimmick, but the combination of quirky live instrumentation and burbling synthesisers give the band a unique take on new school electronica. Formed in London, the Iberian ex-pats have already drawn comparisons to Animal Collective if reworked by Soulwax. Looping skittering rhythms make up much of the band’s album, ‘Star Of Love’, but there are softer moments of melody and subtleness that give the group a unique character – a facet that saw them release on über cool French label Kitsuné in 2009 .
Live, the band is also a force to be reckoned with. Mixing improvised sections with quantized dance beats, the group have routinely rocked festivals such as Bestival throughout this year’s summer.
For more info and for tour dates head to the band’s myspace
Brighton festival The Great Escape has announced the first wave of bands to play this year’s event on May 13-15. Among the headline acts will be Manchester electro-pop trio Delphic, dubstep masters Chase & Status and Canadian indie behemoths Broken Social Scene. The three day event is seen as the opening weekend of the UK festival season and has consistently showcased some of the best rising talent within the industry. The Great Escape is comparable to SXSW in Texas as bands can be found playing a number of venues across the city and ticket holders are given a free reign to choose between them. Since its inception in 2006 the festival has played host to the likes of Kasabian, Gang Of Four, Mystery Jets and The Cribs to name a few. The lineup announced so far is:
Delphic Chase And Status Broken Social Scene Marina And The Diamonds Ellie Goulding Crystal Fighters Slow Club Cold Cave Esben And The Witch Japandroids Real Estate Timber Timbre Darwin Deez Best Coast The Cheek Wild Palms Ruby Suns
For full ticket information and line up updates, head to The Great Escape site.
