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best london bands

27 votes
? by oceansontitan

for those who know/care, who do you think are the best london-based bands playing out?

myspace links would be nice...

oceansontitan | 07 Jan '08, 16:43 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Fuck knows!

Unlike most UK cities it's pretty much impossible to know and see every good band in London.

theguywithnousername | 7 Jan '08, 16:46 | Send note | Report this | Reply

i know!

and it's so damn hit and miss too (mostly miss)

oceansontitan | 7 Jan '08, 16:48 | Send note | Report this | Reply

"best london-based bands"

I don't understand the question

Mr_JDTraynor | 7 Jan '08, 16:48 | Send note | Report this | Reply

okay...

well, i live in london, and want to find some local bands worth braving the cold for.

oceansontitan | 7 Jan '08, 16:50 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Probably the best thing to do

is find good promoters and try to go along to their nights. It's worth looking at where the bands you do like in London play regularly, finding out who puts on the gigs and then seeing what else they put on...

What kind of stuff do you like?

theguywithnousername | 7 Jan '08, 16:51 | Send note | Report this | Reply

as far as promotors go...

well in london bands i like a lot of what stolen recordings have been putting out - esp screaming tea band... promotors i like upset the rythmn...

oceansontitan | 7 Jan '08, 16:54 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Might actually be worth checking Paul Hawkins & Thee Awkward Silences out after all...

Aside from that

www.myspace.com/davidcronenbergswife - lo-fi Fall-esque subversiveness

www.myspace.com/theoutdoortypes - loud alt-folk pop

www.myspace.com/friendsofthebride - nothing like what you said just really fucking good.

www.myspace.com/horsebox are a fantastic band (albeit maybe a bit 'poppy' for your tastes...)

Really like www.myspace.com/extraditionorder live.

Am trying to think of more bands along the lines I think I'm thinking of...

theguywithnousername | 7 Jan '08, 17:00 | Send note | Report this | Reply

cool thanks

for all the bands.

and i do love pop music! just slightly fucked up pop music.

oceansontitan | 7 Jan '08, 17:09 | Send note | Report this | Reply

i was going to say popshop!

I miss vikki in their myspace player.

vonmusic | 30 Jan '08, 14:20 | Send note | Report this | Reply

But

why do they have to be local?

Plus, London-based bands are notoriously lacking in creativity and originality

Mr_JDTraynor | 7 Jan '08, 17:11 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Bollocks!

There's just more bands. It's absolute nonsense to say there are less creative and original bands in London - it's just there's loads more shit bands than there are anywhere else in the country.

theguywithnousername | 7 Jan '08, 17:16 | Send note | Report this | Reply

If it isn't UB40 or Duran Duran then

Traynor just doesn't want to know!

Alex-in-Ciderland | 8 Jan '08, 06:49 | Send note | Report this | Reply

lol!

bullshit.

shadyadie | 8 Jan '08, 11:20 | Send note | Report this | Reply

The Sailplanes

http://www.myspace.com/thesailplanes

But we've moved to Berlin. Screw you London!
Not really, might be back soon.

rhsrecords | 7 Jan '08, 16:50 | Send note | Report this | Reply

I'm not going to JAG my own endeavour....

Instead, have these two:

Untitled 1961

www.myspace.com/untitled1961

The Bridport Dagger

http://www.myspace.com/thebridportdagger

So if someone could now JAG for me that'd be lovely. Ta!

Sonic_James_Doom | 7 Jan '08, 16:55 | Send note | Report this | Reply

My Band

www.myspace.com/thevioletsuk

we are playing this friday infact at catch.

andrewviolet | 7 Jan '08, 16:57 | Send note | Report this | Reply

^They're very good.

It's odd. Usually these threads get full of people plugging they're own bands. But the people who've done that so far are actually all in very good bands...

theguywithnousername | 7 Jan '08, 17:01 | Send note | Report this | Reply

yes

agreed! there's been some rad music postd

oceansontitan | 7 Jan '08, 17:17 | Send note | Report this | Reply

oh i didn't realise you were in the violets!

oh i know you! well, i know joe.

_vikram | 8 Jan '08, 06:34 | Send note | Report this | Reply

yeah, The Violets

... love your band. saw you at the Carsica Arts Centre - very good indeed.
Planning to make it to that Zoo night @ catch.

x

punX | 8 Jan '08, 07:00 | Send note | Report this | Reply

^ they suck

meths | 7 Jan '08, 17:49 | Send note | Report this | Reply

yeah they're kinda like

a cross between the smiths and the lucksmiths (melbourne band)

oceansontitan | 8 Jan '08, 03:50 | Send note | Report this | Reply

You sukk

yeh?

right, nice.

ehwhat | 8 Jan '08, 12:44 | Send note | Report this | Reply

project;komakino.

meant to be very good live.

i havent a link, sorry.

kathryn_h | 7 Jan '08, 17:47 | Send note | Report this | Reply

fucking brilliant live

http://myspace.com/projectkomakino

really intense joy division-esqe shoegaze electro.

neecho | 8 Jan '08, 07:13 | Send note | Report this | Reply

there's

already a band called Komakino, who sound exactly how you describe (generic Interpol ripoff).

rhsrecords | 8 Jan '08, 09:44 | Send note | Report this | Reply

apart from

project:Komakino do it better.
and live it's really really intense for just a bloke a guitar a laptop and lots of pedals. very dark.

neecho | 8 Jan '08, 12:25 | Send note | Report this | Reply

I genuinely thought

project:Komakino was a clever joke on bands who rip of Joy Division. Clearly not!

Moscow2 | 8 Jan '08, 12:52 | Send note | Report this | Reply

oh my god, another

joy division ripoff!!!

theloom | 8 Jan '08, 18:43 | Send note | Report this | Reply

after our first rehearsal in ages today

I have decided that my band is not the best band in the UK. But we have two more rehearsals in the next two days so we probably will be by Thursday, where we go head to head with Johnny Foreigner and Cats in Paris in Cambridge. SHOWDOWN!

We are called 4 or 5 Magicians, and we are based in London by virtue of the fact that it is where we play the most, is pretty much halfway between where we all live, and most significantly where my dad's car is based.

Listen to the Huw Stephens show on Wednesday/Thursday at midnight, amongst the Cornish rap and Cumbrian drum and bass, there are some good new bands.

www.myspace.com/4or5magicians
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/huwstephens

Let me off I haven't jagged for ages!

dan_thw | 8 Jan '08, 04:00 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Cornish rap?

Straight outta Launceston!

Alex-in-Ciderland | 8 Jan '08, 06:52 | Send note | Report this | Reply

British Broken Class

I manage this band.

http://www.myspace.com/britishbrokenclass

The material currently up is old, the however the band have been in the studio so expect to hear new material in the next two weeks, and gigs announced within a month or so.

Thanks
The Earl of Walsh.

jamespaul | 8 Jan '08, 12:39 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Why London? What's wrong with Manchester?

London bands are fullo' posers

AdamShankly | 8 Jan '08, 12:28 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Adventure Playground

destroy everything live. Like, seriously.

Joe & Will Ask?
Quel Lux
are both worth a look in too.

SCROTUM | 8 Jan '08, 12:32 | Send note | Report this | Reply

i played a gig with Quel Lux

are you in them?

neecho | 8 Jan '08, 12:39 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Nope

Managed them briefly but soon thereafter I packed in all the glamour, fame and £2 Israeli wine for boarding school.

*sob

SCROTUM | 8 Jan '08, 12:42 | Send note | Report this | Reply

how awful!

they seem like nice chaps anyways.

neecho | 8 Jan '08, 12:43 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Fosca

http://www.last.fm/music/Fosca
http://www.last.fm/music/Cutting+Pink+with+Knives

my other preferred london bands have either whored themselves here or are based in berlin so no JAG for them :p

I can't even JAG my own band til we finish this next e.p. I'm all jagged out for the first one...!

amyblue | 8 Jan '08, 12:56 | Send note | Report this | Reply

two for you all

I saw two excellent bands in Putney last night who I reckon could be ones to look out for....definitely worth checking out.

RedBoxBlue

and

Spotlight Cannibal

fadeaway | 30 Jan '08, 13:52 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Goldheart Assembly

These guys are excellent: (www.myspace.com/goldheartassembly). One of my favourite bands, in fact probably my favourite. Catchy summery 60s-influenced melodic vocal-lead pop . I'm putting them on at 93 Feet East on Thursday (tomorrow) if anyone likes the sound of them. Also playing are the Milk Teeth (www.myspace.com/themilkteeth- supported the Subways on tour, and are generally great), Captain Kidd (www.myspace.com/captainkiddtheband), The Franks (www.myspace.com/thefranks2008) and the Decors (www.myspace.com/thedecors).

If anyone likes them and wants to come down it's only £5 if you order through this website: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/24504 or £7 on the door.

there will also be a bit of magic from me... (www.peteismagic.com).

This reads like a plug, which of course it is, but it's also a list of some of my favourite London bands, so hopefully you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me...

x

Pete
www.jealousofthedaylight.com

JOTD | 30 Jan '08, 17:19 | Send note | Report this | Reply

GUILDEAN GANG

All you need to know mate, this band are outstanding and even better live!!

www.myspace.com/Guildeangang

Sammy05 | 30 Jan '08, 19:49 | Send note | Report this | Reply