One of the many benefits when you compile such an epic selection like NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION recently did with its 2000s indie oldschool playlist is not only the massive amount of nostalgia you’re experiencing but also the many almost forgotten gems you suddenly rediscover. And believe me, there are quite a few lost treasures in this mixtape. One of them is British three-piece SOUTH which might be one of the more underrated bands of this often nameless decade we tend to call the ‘Noughties’.
Their probably best known tune got his fame from the popular series The O.C., basically our generations Beverly Hills, 90210. Paint The Silence was used right here and just in case you weren’t aware of it – the song lasts even longer and morphs into almost six minutes of tender and slightly psychedelic Post-Britpop sweetness. SOUTH formed in the late 1990s, consisting of lead singer Joel Cadbury and his two bandmates Brett Shaw, and Jamie McDonald. THE STONE ROSES‘ singer Ian Brown was an early fan and the band later got signed on the label of UNKLE‘s James Lavelle which seemed like a logical step considering the fact that they combined electronic beats and rhythmic patterns with psychedelic guitars, although being obviously a bit too late for the whole Manchester Rave movement which would have suited these guys.
SOUTH‘ 2001 debut From Here On In, which features Paint The Silence, delivers this hazy early 00s spirit I’ve come to love from acts like DOVES or early ELBOW. Unfortunately the three-piece never got as big as their fellow countrymen, although delivering standout guitar pop anthems like Colours In Waves from the follow-up LP With The Tides. Sadly only their debut album is currently available to stream on Spotify but I can highly recommend to get hold of the other three ones they released over the course of this decade as well. The group split up in 2009, following the release of their fourth LP You Are Here which was – again – great but remained a hidden treasure. The bandmembers moved on and although a lot of these 90s bands are currently reforming, I wouldn’t bet my money on these gentlemen. But on the other hand, the music is still out there and it needs to be discovered as there’s a high chance that it will light up your spring and summer this year.
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