DiS' Class Of 2009 #7: Crystal Antlers

DiS' Class Of 2009 is comprised of bands our core contributors really think you should be listening to. Simple as. We're not necessarily saying they'll 'blow up' or 'cross over' or any of that industry nonsense, but we are saying we think they're great and have a hunch at least some of you will agree...

Crystal Antlers

When did 'crystal' supplant 'the' as prefix of choice for the jobbing young band? Was there a meeting or something? Whatever the case, should the dream comedy package tour of Crystal Castles, Crystal Stilts and Crystal Antlers ever come to fruition, the only must-see is the last, a sextet (guitarist Errol Davis recently returned to the fold) of San Francisco psych-loons whose heroically OTT self-titled EP of last year is making me feel vaguely murderous about not being able to make it to any of the 1,000,000 or so London shows they're playing over the next month. Still, there's a debut album, recorded and mixed onto 2" tape over the course of a sleepless week, due out on the mighty Touch And Go in April, and if it has even half of the balls-out vigour of such organ, guitar and insanity-drenched EP cuts as 'Parting Song For The Torn Sky' or 'A Thousand Eyes', it will very likely be the best thing ever. Imagine the intensity of prime Comets On Fire combined with the po-faced silliness of Muse's better moments. Now throw in the fact their drummer trades under the name Sexual Chocolate. If you are not drooling by now you are a bad person and should feel ashamed of yourself.

• Debut LP Tentacles is released on April 6th via Touch And Go. The band tour the UK soon, including a DiScover show in March with Three Trapped Tigers.

January
26 London Luminaire
27 London Borderline
28 London Lexington
30 Glasgow Nice 'N Sleazy
31 Belfast Pavilion

February
1 Galway Róisín Dubh
2 Dublin Whelan's Upstairs
5 London Bloomsbury Bowling Alley

March
10 London White Heat
11 Sheffield Harley (DiScover show)
12 Manchester Retro Bar

Myspace.com/CrystalAntlers