Boards
The Most Exciting Smallish Bands Playing In/Willing to Play in London
I’ve now sorted myself out with promoting gigs regularly (once or twice a month for the rest of the year) and am starting to book up bands to play them. I’m starting to compile a pretty sizable list of bands I want to put on but I’m always open to suggestions and was hoping people could recommend me some live acts that are genuinely gonna excite me
I’ve got a fairly eclectic music taste but what probably links the bands I like together are that
a) They appear to have fun in doing what they do.
b) There’s something unique about them - in the sense of being naturally different rather than quirky for quirkiness’ sake
c) They’re trying to sound like themselves rather than the sum of their influences
d) They’re more interesting in entertaining audiences rather than showing off how cool, sensitive or good at playing an instrument they are
e) Due to a general love of a good lyric I tend usually not to be too keen on instrumental stuff. Whilst this is almost certainly narrow-minded of me, I might as well be upfront about it.
f) On the whole I tend to put on music that you can dance/enjoy yourself to rather than slower contemplative stuff (simply ‘cos I personally prefer to listen to that kind of thing at home rather than when I’m out)
To give you an idea, acts I’ve put on so far include Tim Ten Yen, Friends of the Bride, David Cronenberg’s Wife, Horsebox, Jimmy from the Bobby McGees, Spinmaster Plantpot and Extradition Order. We (ie. Paul Hawkins & Thee Awkward Silences) also play at each night.
More well known acts that fit in what what I’m looking for include:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Grinderman, the White Stripes,, Belle & Sebastian, Suede, Smiths, Hefner, Los Campesinos!, Misty’s Big Adventure, the Polyphonic Spree & the Divine Comedy.
Sorry if this sounds like I’m being lazy and asking other people to find bands for me! As I say I do have a considerable list of people I want to put on but at the same time I’d like to believe there are some great acts out there I don’t know about yet.
PS Feel free to jag if you want but I’d be really grateful if you’d think about whether you fit in with what I’m trying to put on first.