Although Dutch city Groningen inhabits a disproportionately high number of students in general and offers multiple venues for good live music and great drinking this Friday night was even special for the hip city. It’s the final hours of the Eurosonic Noorderslag event, KENSINGTON, the country’s biggest pop/rock group, just played a free show in the heart of the city and the streets are flooded with people. International delegates from the conference, music professionals, the city’s ordinary population, drunken teenagers on their way to the next club – everybody’s on the move whether it’s by feet or bicycle.
It’s a quite lovely picture that also represents the Eurosonic Noorderslag in a good way. It might be busy and full of hectic but it’s also a great way to meet a diversified selection of people and see plenty of up and coming bands, from the latest major label pop sensation to a more obscure psychedelic rock band aside the mainstream. Groningen offers so many venues all over the town although it was – unfortunately, as always – way too hard to get into all of these. ACID ARAB, KIASMOS, YEARS & YEARS … we would have loved to visit more shows but it wasn’t really possible.
Still, Europe’s finest music business get-together of the year was highly entertaining. Imagine it a bit like a big family meeting. Of course, it’s a weird family but everybody’s in there – from your drunken uncle, to the attractive cousin and weird but rich grandfather you barely talk to. In the end, we’re all (hopefully) here for the greater good of everything which is and always should be the music. And we clearly experienced a few highlights. That’s why the upcoming pages are delightfully dedicated to the nine most wonderful artists we witnessed in those past days.
Photo by Sander Baks
1. Soak
Sometimes you just have to wonder. Irish singer/songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson just turned 18 and you clearly wouldn’t expect such a decent level of depth and serenity at such an age. But here she is, unfolding her reduced and a bit odd songs about life’s tragic and everything that comes with it. Her ‘hit’ single B a noBody is a gentle anthem for tolerance and against egoistic tendencies among way too many people of her generation. Already a role model, and – if she’s clever enough – maybe even a heroine for a lot of girls to follow her path. This will be her year, we’re pretty sure.
2. Klaus Johann Grobe
The two Swiss gentlemen already made it into NBHAP’s recent list of interesting German-singing bands at the moment and their Eurosonic Noorderslag performance was another proof of their talent as a live band. They call their music ‘neo kraut romance’ and it quite quickly becomes clear why that is the case. A driving drum beat, spaced-out guitars and an epic synthesizer organ create a very distinctive groove. The cryptic vocals by singer Sevi Landolt are the cherry on top although you don’t really need to be fluent in German to fall for the hypnotic vibes of their sound. Festival organizers of Europe – you would be silly to NOT book KLAUS JOHANN GROBE in 2015, really.
SEA CHANGE – Photo by Ingrid Pop
3. Sea Change
The Norwegian electronic dream pop act played a great show at Eurosonic Noorderslag. Ellen A. W. Sunde and her band showed that they are ready to play festivals all over Europe. In February her debut album will be finally released and with that she will be on tour to convince the crowd that it is time for SEA CHANGE. Keep your eyes and ears open. This act is one of the hottest out there at the moment.
4. Town Of Saints
Playing in front of your hometown is both a challenge and a blessing but for a band like Groningen’s TOWN OF SAINTS it wouldn’t prevent them from giving the best they can. The Dutch indie/folk band clearly belongs in the category of groups that increase their fan base by playing as much live as the can. The irresistibly catchy sound, somewhere between TO KILL A KING and MUMFORD AND SONS, will definitely convince a few people on each gig. Playfulness and joy within the band members was definitely sensible and bringing a whole brass section on stage wasn’t the worst decision either. The group around singer Harman Ridderbos knows how to convince any audience. You heard that from NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION now as well, don’t be surprised if others will follow our recommendation.
5. Flo Morrissey
Photo by Sophie Harris-Taylor
Sometimes less is indeed more. On Friday night the young British songwriter might not have played in front of the biggest audience (could have been 30 to 40 people) but it actually didn’t matter. While most of the venues were packed with way too many people and chatter predominating the band that was playing somewhere in the back of the room FLO MORRISSEY offered a highly welcomed alternative setting. The audience was quiet and so was the artist. Gentle melancholic songs, just her fragile voice, an acoustic piano or a piano. The young lady with the straightened hair cast a spell on those who had the patience to stay at the Groningen Forum. And we were rewarded with a great cover of the TUXEDOMOON classic In A Manner Of Speaking. The right sound for the right time – we can’t thank her enough.
6. Fufanu
The music world needs more maniacs; that much is for sure. Samuel Herring of FUTURE ISLANDS proved in 2014 that there’s a certain demand for charismatic front singers. Hrafnkell Kaktus could bet he next in line. The lead singer of Icelandic psychedelic rock outfit FUFANU unleashes its inner Ian Curtis from the moment his band members starts playing. The almost BAUHAUS-like dark wave intensity of these young fellas from the North was as lot as possible, it was desperate and angry while they also refused themselves to familiar song structures. No surprise that they already supported DAMON ALBARN at the Royal Albert Hall last fall.
7. The Hearing
Photo by Sander Baks
We already had Finnish artist Ringa Manner on our radar a while ago and now we finally had the chance of experiencing her one-girl-band THE HEARING live on the stage which was a truly joyful moment during the event. Since the hypnotic dreampop of her alter ego is based on the concept of loops and repetition the crafted young lady avoids familiar structures and is more interested in sucking her listeners into her ghostly little world. With a stunning vocal performance in finest KATE BUSH tradition on top of it you really can’t argue against her.
8. Kate Tempest
KATE TEMPEST – Trans Musicales 2014 – Photo by Nicolas Joubard
Last month we saw the British rap artist who’s coming from the spoken word background at Trans Musicales de Rennes Festival in France. At Eurosonic Noorderslag she again blew away the crowd during her concert. Without any doubt: KATE TEMPEST will be huge! After her show she was directly booked to several European festival for this year’s festival season. Definitely one of the winners of this year’s Eurosonic Noorderslag. We are happy to hear and see more of KATE TEMPEST 2015. And we have the strange feeling that we definitely will.
9. The Slow Show
Never judge a book by its cover. And never judge an artist by his look. Rob Goodwin of Manchester-based newcomers THE SLOW SHOW might look like another potential hipster (including the obvious side-cut) but once he opens his mouth and starts singing all stereotypes vanish. He might be young but his voice sounds like the one of a middle-aged man who experienced way too many things in his life, including a certain love for Whisky.
The band doesn’t sound British at all, more like an established Americana-band. Their music is honest, emotional and pleasantly classy. And having them perform in an old church in the centre of Groningen clearly wasn’t the worst logistical decision as well. It might have been the outstanding highlight of the event. THE SLOW SHOW will release their debut White Water this March and you’d better have this record on your radar.
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