Hinterland Picks Part One

We at Elba have promised to supply you with our picks for Hinterland. There has also been some reference to the difficulty we’ve had whittling that shortlist down. It is a hard choice and I am already picturing how entertaining its going to be trying to catch everyone we want to see. Take a look at The Pop Cop’s Blog if you’re in any doubt. If you see flashes of a tiny person in a red raincoat/red Cons (I’ve not decided what I’ll be wearing yet), dashing around the place then please say hello because it will almost certainly be me. If you see a wry looking gentleman with specs, laughing at said short flurry and moving at a more leisurely pace then that’s Phil. You should say hi to him too.

Spectrals
This act has a woozy, fuzzy, surfy sound that I absolutely love. They make me think of really hot summers afternoons that leave you parched. This is the band that I want to be listening to on days like those. I know that that will probably be as far from the conditions in Glasgow this weekend as we can get but I’m still desperate to get a wee peek at Spectrals live.

Kitty The Lion
The absolutely adorable Kitty The Lion are my next recommendation. This is a band to make you smile. A band to pop and bop along to. It is pretty, delicate folk with some quirky little lyrical flourishes. If it was possible to cuddle sound, I’d be squished right up to their track Split Ends.

Ambulances
NEE NAW! I can’t say enough good things about Ambulances. Fife sneaks out yet another class act. At their most upbeat moments this sextet are like a really drowsy Teenage Fanclub. Their debut, The Future That Was, is the album that you should have bought and loved last year. If you didn’t, go and see them and pick it up at the gig. Glasgow Podcart did a nice little preview, which you can hear here.

French Wives
I intend to get my dancing shoes on for the very twee French Wives. This Glasgow band like their arrangements full. I caught a little bit of their set a while back in The Liquid Ship and I will most certainly be pitching up for a tap of the foot and bounce on Saturday. It’s Sufjan meets Belle & Sebastian; charming.

Johnny Foreigner
Johnny Foreigner are a Casio wielding trio from Birmingham and a lot more likeable than that description allows. Boy-girl vocals, dance-floor friendly with the cutest artwork ever. They have assaulted the same stage as Dananananakroyd and the Futureheads. They’re definitely a contender for the ‘which headliner to catch’ dilemma .

Jeffrey Lewis
This man is a smarty pants New Yorker. He likes to not only produce the quirkiest music ever ever ever but also draw his own comics. What is there NOT to like? It’s all very bit Moldy Peaches but sometimes rock…ier, sometimes punk…ier, sometimes pop…ier.

So that’s my bunch. Phil will provide you with his selection later this week and we’ll have a couple more Hinterland themed treats so keep checking back!