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Who's the best British indie band around at the moment?

BMS1 [Edit] [Delete] 77 replies 15:19 March 9th, 2013

I'd go for Veronica Falls. Two great albums and they've now become an excellent live band too. Shrag would be a close second although they'll disband after Friday's Lexington gig. It's a huge shame when an excellent indie band doesn't get the attention that they deserve.

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Always assumed they were American.

They sound pretty generically American to me.

Hard to look past Foals really. Three top ten albums, improving signifiantly each time, decent live. Get quite a bit of press coverage and attention, but then that wasn't the question, really.

forzaborza | 9 Mar '13, 15:34 | X | ^ This | Reply

Dinohead86, uncle_retrospective, and forzaborza this'd this
- oh come on, Foals are shite
  
  politelydeclined @forzaborza | 9 Mar '13, 17:00 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  tom_edwards, heartworms, El_Goodo, amputee-porn, badmanreturns, furio, skippingkate, and automatik this'd this
  - * popular
    
    forzaborza @politelydeclined | 9 Mar '13, 21:13 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    Dinohead86 this'd this
    - nothing to do with their popularity, they're tedious
      
      politelydeclined @forzaborza | 10 Mar '13, 16:24 | X | ^ This | Reply
      
      DaddyorChips this'd this
      - At the end of the day though mate, they're built up a loyal fanbase and achieved a level of respect in a competitive industry.
        
        Can any of the bedwetters on here say the same?
        
        DaddyorChips @politelydeclined | 14 Mar '13, 08:35 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - <checks Last.fm profile, notes you like Of Montreal and The Go Team, chuckles>
        
        forzaborza @politelydeclined | 14 Mar '13, 08:50 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        oh nice and mature...
        
        politelydeclined @forzaborza | 14 Mar '13, 15:12 | X | ^ This | Reply
- :D
  
  OvertakenByTractors @forzaborza | 9 Mar '13, 19:29 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  DaddyorChips this'd this
I think Veronica Falls have a very British indie sound; very C86-ish.

I've seen them live for a number of years and they were a nervous live act early one. Their new album is probably the best of the year for me and they've grown to be a very strong live act now.

BMS1 | 9 Mar '13, 15:44 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Shame they are such utter cunts irl
  
  heartworms @BMS1 | 9 Mar '13, 17:42 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - very severe
    
    care to clarify?
    
    riverlodge @heartworms | 9 Mar '13, 21:04 | X | ^ This | Reply
Hot Chip

Think there's definitely an argument to be made for each album being better than the last. In Our Heads is definitely my fave anyway.

Have slowly grown as a band and now, having finally ditched that silly 'dance music for geeks' tag, are in possession of an incredible catalogue of work, hopefully with their best to come.

orangejuice | 9 Mar '13, 15:52 | X | ^ This | Reply
- if they fall under 'British indie' then yes
  
  but I reckon they're not quite OP was looking for
  
  SCROTUM @orangejuice | 9 Mar '13, 16:02 | X | ^ This | Reply
'excellent indie' you say?

Icarus-Smicarus | 9 Mar '13, 16:10 | X | ^ This | Reply

DaddyorChips and no-class this'd this
clinic

incredible body of work,7 albums in they've released a classic.starting to get namechecked by younger bands.tons of critical acclaim.
for a younger band id have to say hookworms.

jessepinkmanslungs | 9 Mar '13, 16:17 | X | ^ This | Reply

Oissin_ and TheWza this'd this
Most of my favourite British acts are Scottish

frightened rabbit
Errors
Twilight Sad

sean | 9 Mar '13, 16:21 | X | ^ This | Reply

cameron12, Icarus-Smicarus, JaguarPirate, emmettcruddas, thesewoodenideas, wilbur, shinymcshine, hanshotfirst, and kubrahhh this'd this
- Belle and Seb are an obvious favourite. The Pastels are still around right?
  
  BMS1 @sean | 9 Mar '13, 16:32 | X | ^ This | Reply
- I'd add We Were Promised Jetpacks to that list too
  
  cameron12 @sean | 9 Mar '13, 17:18 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  hibster this'd this
  - meursault too!
    
    emmettcruddas @cameron12 | 9 Mar '13, 19:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    riverlodge, ThomasDucel, JaguarPirate, cameron12, hanshotfirst, PickledOeuf, hibster, and MarwoodW this'd this
    - & the phantom band
      
      hibster @emmettcruddas | 13 Mar '13, 17:32 | X | ^ This | Reply
      
      thesewoodenideas and MarwoodW this'd this
What is indie anymore?

Anyway, my interpretation:

Frightened Rabbit, Wild Beasts, Field Music, Django Django, Bat for Lashes, Twilight Sad, Lone Wolf to name a few.

yuggy | 9 Mar '13, 16:58 | X | ^ This | Reply

politelydeclined this'd this
like

Belle & Sebastian
Field Music
The Pastels

politelydeclined | 9 Mar '13, 17:01 | X | ^ This | Reply
- oh yeah, Metronomy are probably the best English band
  
  politelydeclined @politelydeclined | 9 Mar '13, 20:15 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  Sloame_Ocean this'd this
What is indie anymore?`Anyway, my interpretation:

pichaelmarker | 9 Mar '13, 17:18 | X | ^ This | Reply
- 1. Wild Beasts
  2. Frightened Rabbit
  3. The Maccabees
  4. Metronomy
  
  pichaelmarker @pichaelmarker | 9 Mar '13, 17:22 | X | ^ This | Reply
Johnny Foreigner

NickDS | 9 Mar '13, 19:04 | X | ^ This | Reply

ThomasDucel, guntrip, andyvine, xilia, and thundervulture this'd this
Wild Beasts

El_Goodo | 9 Mar '13, 19:22 | X | ^ This | Reply

friday55, in_limbo, wonton, GoatmeatMF, and cliquester this'd this
- By far the best and they haven't released anything for a couple of years. Not sure if this is a reflection on their greatness or the sad state of British indie rock at the moment.
  
  friday55 @El_Goodo | 9 Mar '13, 21:29 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - It's less than two years since Smother
    
    And I believe album number 4 should be out this year...so they're pretty much sticking to a decent, album every two years schedule.
    
    wonton @friday55 | 10 Mar '13, 13:39 | X | ^ This | Reply
as many have said, flip knows what indie even is anymore

but I'd add Los Campesinos! to the growing list (agree with many of these other suggestions, too)

mute-branches | 9 Mar '13, 20:07 | X | ^ This | Reply

aactv, iizcallum, andyvine, xilia, wilbur, and ThisTemporaryLife this'd this
For all the people saying yeah what the flip is indie nowadays can we test it?

My favourite indie record of the last few have been...

Darkstar - News From Nowhere

Are they indie now that they have been compared to Animal Collective cos if not MPP will have to be whiped off the indie map and put next to Four Tet or something.

But yeah Darkstar, James Blake, Mount Kimbie sound more indie than Hot Chip to me and they're in this thread so...

Oh and Micachu & The Shapes they're ace. Are Hookworms indie or just rock?

jimitheexploder | 9 Mar '13, 21:32 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Let's just go with
  
  indie = everything
  
  wonton @jimitheexploder | 10 Mar '13, 13:40 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - Ace in that case I choose
    
    The xx then. They're ace.
    
    jimitheexploder @wonton | 10 Mar '13, 16:46 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    ThisTemporaryLife this'd this
- Mount Kimbie more indie than Hot Chip?
  
  naaaaah. would like to know your parameters of what indie means
  
  no-class @jimitheexploder | 10 Mar '13, 16:57 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - Mount Kimbie even have guitars
    
    Their live set up is like a small two man band. They even have vocals in the new stuff. Hot Chip are like an electronic dance band with more emphasis on singing they dont sound as indie as Mount Kimbie who have the odd guitar twang and a more mellow energy in general. I dunno never thought of Hot Chip as indie. The tag just feels right for Mount Kimbie, I mean they use dance music ideas but they haven't ever been a dance band of any kind, they're electronic but use live instruments and the general vibe is one of indie, electronic leanign indie but indie all the same.
    
    jimitheexploder @no-class | 10 Mar '13, 17:08 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - check out the new track
      
      http://youtu.be/-1aeKFyr4SQ
      
      stick to the end with the vocals, they sound like Foals.
      
      jimitheexploder @jimitheexploder | 10 Mar '13, 17:14 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - yeah i hear ya
      
      but i always thought of it as more of a post-rock/shoegaze vibe that you could hear, even with the sketch on glass/maybes eps. i dunno it's a confusing word these days, indie. i suggested Errors below but they're more electronic than guitar-based
      
      no-class @jimitheexploder | 10 Mar '13, 17:22 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - Errors feel like a band to me
        
        an electronic one yeah but still feel like more of a band than Hot Chip somehow. I think its the more dancy thing. Errors dont feel like a dance band so I'd stick them in indie but Hot Chip are kinda dancy or in the ballads like a synth band rather than an indie one. But then Darkstar sound really indie to me on the new one, there isn't a dance side at all there on this one. And James Blake's live thing is just a band innit, an odd sounding one but its set up exactly like one, maybe even more so than The xx who don't have drums do they? But they're mega indie. Dunno I like the bluring lines and move to slightly odder band structures.
        
        jimitheexploder @no-class | 10 Mar '13, 17:27 | X | ^ This | Reply
these new puritans are the only british indie band i can think of

that i've liked one album by
so them

anal_schwarzenegger | 9 Mar '13, 22:09 | X | ^ This | Reply

Comaboy this'd this
Are Arctic Monkeys indie? If so, them.

Sloame_Ocean | 10 Mar '13, 01:21 | X | ^ This | Reply

Dinohead86 and Aaron this'd this
MBV

JaguarPirate | 10 Mar '13, 02:20 | X | ^ This | Reply

harman_kardon, Antelope, wewerewerewolvesonce, and DaddyorChips this'd this
- They're pretty much Brisish now like Terry Wogan
  
  but technically Irish (apart from bilinda and debbie)
  
  furio @JaguarPirate | 12 Mar '13, 20:00 | X | ^ This | Reply
DINGUS KHAN

been the best band around for a while

Mick_Squalor | 10 Mar '13, 02:38 | X | ^ This | Reply

lurchy2 this'd this
- shittest*
  
  WhiteLightWhiteCity @Mick_Squalor | 10 Mar '13, 12:21 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  Comaboy this'd this
Hookworms

been better then Dingus Khan and everything

Yesiamaduck | 10 Mar '13, 04:24 | X | ^ This | Reply

chickenbones and DaddyorChips this'd this
Everything Everything

ThisTemporaryLife | 10 Mar '13, 09:32 | X | ^ This | Reply

Oissin_, whatisthewhat, and thecrikster this'd this
The Real Lads

Here to give the UK music scene a good kick up the arse with proper music for the bloke in the street who puts the lottery on every week.

DaddyorChips | 10 Mar '13, 10:44 | X | ^ This | Reply
- What's their policy on
  
  tunes, lads and haircuts?
  
  StormsOnTheMoon @DaddyorChips | 11 Mar '13, 14:40 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - that they be proper
    
    chadders @StormsOnTheMoon | 11 Mar '13, 15:04 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    DaddyorChips this'd this
    - :D
      
      shucks @chadders | 14 Mar '13, 15:09 | X | ^ This | Reply
      
      joeymahone this'd this
Exit Calm

Hookworms
Public Service Broadcasting
Plank!
Mugstar
93millionmilesfromthesun
She Makes War
Two Skies

TheGrudge | 10 Mar '13, 12:08 | X | ^ This | Reply
For `classic' Brit indie I'd say Spook School.

Edinburgh-based, recently signed to Fortuna Pop, did a cover of Greased Lightning (https://soundcloud.com/spookschool/greased-lightning-dandelion)

sweetverbs | 10 Mar '13, 13:28 | X | ^ This | Reply
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4356930

no-class | 10 Mar '13, 16:53 | X | ^ This | Reply
seriously though, Errors.

no-class | 10 Mar '13, 16:56 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Seeing them live sort of dampened my enthusiasm for them quite a bit
  
  made me realise they're more clinical and technically brilliant then anything else. They lack any emotion behind their music, which is kind of a shame (don't get me wrong I do still enjoy them but I find myself completely disconnected from the music)
  
  Yesiamaduck @no-class | 11 Mar '13, 14:25 | X | ^ This | Reply
Do North Sea Radio Orchestra count as indie?

Do Thumpermonkey count as indie?

Loui_Tacceh | 11 Mar '13, 14:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
A lot of mentions for Hookworms in this thread

I'm seeing them in a few weeks; a mate said I might like them. What can I expect?

Btw best British indie band has to be These New Puritans

Fuzzy_Dunlop | 11 Mar '13, 15:00 | X | ^ This | Reply
British Sea Power get my vote

and actually have a body of work that we can judge. I wouldn't argue with Foals, Hot Chip or Wild Beasts though and if the next These New Puritans album is great I would add them to the potential list.

auteur55 | 11 Mar '13, 15:05 | X | ^ This | Reply

JaguarPirate, Oissin_, Icarus-Smicarus, sojourner, thesewoodenideas, and automatik this'd this
- ^the correct answer.
  
  Ricky_Ronco @auteur55 | 11 Mar '13, 15:10 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Was just going to say this
  
  Particularly given the likely quality of the new album - had it been another Valhalla we'd be on weaker ground (not a diss on that album, but they don't need another one like it for a while).
  
  prometheancurse @auteur55 | 12 Mar '13, 19:22 | X | ^ This | Reply
- definitely agree with These New Puritans
  
  Hidden is post-rock as post-rock is meant to be done.
  
  mute-branches @auteur55 | 14 Mar '13, 14:47 | X | ^ This | Reply
Hope of the States

benfyffemusic | 12 Mar '13, 14:07 | X | ^ This | Reply
- are they making a comeback?
  
  hibster @benfyffemusic | 13 Mar '13, 17:34 | X | ^ This | Reply
it's Los Campesinos!

hanshotfirst | 12 Mar '13, 14:14 | X | ^ This | Reply

iizcallum this'd this
probably super furry animals

shrewbie | 12 Mar '13, 19:26 | X | ^ This | Reply

MarkP and rushmore this'd this
Can everybody just stop saying indie

jesus fucking christ you guys

blisters | 14 Mar '13, 02:08 | X | ^ This | Reply
- I'm well indie
  
  Part of that is being up to date on the latest bands like The Kooks and Dennis Sheeran and wearing jeans. Try to keep up if you want to be anywhere near as indie as me, I'm probably the indiest.
  
  mute-branches @blisters | 14 Mar '13, 14:46 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Nah
  
  Sure it technically means nothing...but just about everyone on DiS knows what you mean when you say it, so it has it's uses.
  
  wonton @blisters | 14 Mar '13, 14:51 | X | ^ This | Reply
Peppermint Apes

ThirstyDog | 14 Mar '13, 02:31 | X | ^ This | Reply
well it sure isn't palma violets

heard that album, gave it away. Just like Vaccines. Stop yanking my chain.

theintl | 14 Mar '13, 06:15 | X | ^ This | Reply
65daysofstatic

Matt_was_taken | 14 Mar '13, 08:58 | X | ^ This | Reply
Drop Out Venus

(although they are largely Bulgarian).

Silentcommand | 14 Mar '13, 10:19 | X | ^ This | Reply
The Horrors

Jordan_229_2 | 14 Mar '13, 10:40 | X | ^ This | Reply

cronenberg this'd this
Could we include Elbow in this category?

cronenberg | 14 Mar '13, 13:14 | X | ^ This | Reply
I think it's The Wave Pictures.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong again, everyone.

sweetverbs | 14 Mar '13, 15:06 | X | ^ This | Reply
Tall Ships

I would add to the list.

d-dontshoot | 14 Mar '13, 16:11 | X | ^ This | Reply

automatik this'd this
My current vote goes to Daughter

Just can't put a foot wrong at the moment. Tall Ships are on their way. British Sea Power would be the more established answer though.

automatik | 14 Mar '13, 17:28 | X | ^ This | Reply

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