Friday recommendations
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For fans of Bilk and the fusing of spoken word with punky backing tracks. It's a bit tacky and has a 'youth club band' feel to it, but it looks like it'll be a lively set.
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These guys live in the 70s and only own records by Led Zeppelin and T Rex. Cliched, balls-out rock.
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It's like Idles meets Depeche Mode. Industrial and cranky, but with a pop side that smooths the edges a bit.
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Less adventurous bits of The Coral, Blossoms and The La's come together to form a setlist full of jangle-indie-pop. If it was absolutely pissing down and they were playing in a tent, I might look in.
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Trippy swirling pop numbers. Imagine Stevie Nicks on downers. Playing in Tim Peaks (which would be the perfect location if Burgess was selling hash cakes in there).
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Early 90s also-rans serving up carefully crafted jangly guitar pop. They never pushed the envelope, but they were a staple on my Matsui stereo as a 16 year-old so I'll be there for nostalgic reasons.
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Young punkers whose favourite band is pretty obviously Yard Act. They can play a bit though. I'd look in.
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Shape-shifting pop that borrows from Status Quo, redneck yankee stuff, White Stripes and radio-friendly indie. Hard to characterise but probably fun to watch.
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Now we're talking. This is The Velvet Underground doing good quality drugs with The Libertines. Arty, bluesy rock n roll. Original? Nah, but if you like late 60s garage rock, this is for you.
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A 12-piece gaggle fusing heavy rock with big band brass and giving it all the beans on every number. One of a kind, I'll give them that. Could land well in a festival setting.
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Big Vampire Weekend sounds in these skittish, up-tempo art college guitar pop numbers. To give these Barrow-in-Furness boys their dues, they can really play.
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Ok, so we're talking Kraftwerk and Devo mixed with Kasabian. Arty, angular post-punk but with a groove to it. Definitely got something about it.
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Saturday recommendations
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All sorts happening here. Noah and the Whale, lightweight Chilli Peppers and smooth 70s-era Hollies. Harmonies aplenty in each tune. Has the potential to the weekend's wildcard.
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Not entirely sure, but I think she's a sassy singer/MC taking inspiration from Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse and Little Simz.
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Neat and tidy, thoughtful pop reminiscent of Heather Nova. Doesn’t really go anywhere or dish up any surprises, but as carefully crafted pop fodder goes, it just about holds its own.
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Gritty shoegaze blues rock, pulling bits from early Verve, Ride and the wall-of-sound guitar attack that Oasis would later get credit for.
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Girl duo doing DIY post-punk two-minute pop numbers. Really basic and really catchy. Reckon they probably know four chords between them.
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Chorus-heavy lad rock from these one-time next big things. Borrows unashamedly from The Enemy, Kasabian and Reverend and the Makers, but they've also got a softer, more melodic side to keep it fresh.
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A sort of baggy Krautrock outfit. Eclectic and uncertain of its identity, but quite interesting. Fronted by the son of the late Craig Gill (Inspiral Carpets drummer).
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Lad-rock's last heroes, before all that stuff became uncool and passe. A one album wonder perhaps, but they've got big beery anthems and the drummer and guitarist can really play.
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Sunday recommendations
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It has a catchy, loose alt-country feel combined with bits of Haim and Big Moon. Not half bad.
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Accessible, well-worked grunge pop, summoning up bits of Alanis Morrissette, The Cranberries and Wolf Alice.
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Big Joni Mitchell influences in these mainly slow, heartfelt pop strollers. Gets a bit more interesting when they up the pace.
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An indie singer-songwriter doing fairly sickly sweet numbers that draw on Jay Kay's delivery style, but….. but..... they're pretty bloody catchy. I'll feel dirty going, but I think I'll enjoy it (I just won't admit it).
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Fontaines DC influences, straying into a kind of edgy electro-punk.
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Aussie surf slacker rock from these childhood friends. Been done umpteen times before, but there's an unpolished, natural, 'for the love of it' feel that can't help but draw me in.
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Electronic, dance-driven Africana. Not my usual go-to, but this is pretty interesting stuff.
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Rapper/MC dropping his lines over 90s-sounding dance-infused backing tracks.
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