Top 5 Underrated Artists to see at Harvest
When Harvest recently dropped its line-up for 2012, many punters went ballistic for indie icon Beck or swooned for the Nordic majesty of Sigur Ros. Others welcomed the news Grizzly Bear were roaring back into town or that the recently reformed Ben Folds Five would be joining the party.
But we here at Radar like to look past the obvious choices and champion the more obscure but no less awesome additions to the bill. The hidden gems of Harvest, you could say, lurking behind the big names and crowd pleasers. Maybe you know them, maybe you don’t, but by Harvest’s end, we hope you do.
Without further ado, here’s Radar’s five picks that could be your new favourite band at Harvest starting now…
Chromatics
It’s only June but Chromatic’s recently released
Kill For Love has already been tipped by some critics as the best album of 2012 (Pitchfork gave it an impressive 8.7). Having infected earholes with their work on the soundtrack for the awesome Ryan Gosling flick Drive (check out
‘Tick Of The Clock’), the Portland four-piece have upped the ante with Kill For Love, a record wraught with dark, pulsing synths and Ruth Radelet’s sultry, spectral vocals. Given their noir-esque nightscape vibes, let’s hope they’re playing Harvest once the sun goes down.
Watch their ‘Lady’ video
Fuck Buttons
There’s more to Fuck Buttons than their awesomely offensive moniker. Hot-wiring a post-rock approach to tribal dance drums, cyborg synth and noise, the duo from Bristol, England have created a formidable live show that regularly features the use of kids’ toys and shitloads of gut-churning bass. With many tracks pushing past the eight minute mark, the result is unfurling, pumping machine-scapes that often verge on an all-out assault on the senses. Not for the fair-hearted, but thrilling nevertheless.
Watch ‘Sweet Love For Planet Earth’
Liars
“One of the gigs of the year” indie tastemaker website
The Quietus gushed about Liars’ recent live show in London. Never ones to sit still, the Brooklyn three-piece have changed musical styles like other bands switch their riders, morphing from early post-punk to noise-pop to synth-fuelled indie-rock, as evidenced in
WIXIW, their new album out this month. How they pull the electronic edge live should be an interesting indeed.
Watch their head-hunting, somewhat disturbing video for ‘No.1 Against The Rush’
Cake
Given Cake baked their biggest hits – ‘The Distance’, “Short Skirt Long Jacket’ and their very cool cover of ‘I Will Survive’ – back in the ‘90s, you’d be forgiven for not knowing or not remembering this eccentric quintet from Sacromento, California. Blending geeky funk-rock with oddball humour and a wordy vocabulary, the band released their first album in seven years last year with
Showroom Of Compassion (barring a B-Sides collection in 2007).
They’ve been around for a long time, but as their live reviews attest, these guys still know how to bring the good times too.
Check out their hilarious clip for ‘Short Skirt’
The War On Drugs
“Album of the Year”, “an amazing record” and “a striking mix of rock and electronics” are just some of the glowing words The War On Drugs’ second album
Slave Ambient attracted last year from critics. Tapping into the vein of red-blooded Americana rock, this Philadelphia three-piece use Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen as reference points but do it with enough heart and honesty to draw their own map. Well known for experimenting and improvising live, we can’t wait to see them on stage.
Watch ‘Brothers’