7 days left until the world’s biggest music festival opens it’s gates once again, and with the press deriding this year’s lineup as ‘the most middle aged yet’, we thought we would buck the trend and showcase some of the hottest new bands, fresh from the hype machine, that are performing throughout the 4 days at this years event. With a stellar cast of headliners, none of which younger than 40, and a rather less stellar selection of supporting acts that feature Status Quo, Tom Jones and Rolf Harris, it’s been somewhat overlooked that there are exciting new acts in a abundance, not least the formidable talents of Florence and the Machine, Friendly Fires, Glasvegas and Gaslight Anthem. We wanted to dig a little further however and showcase some of the cracking new bands you may not have stumbled across yet, continue reading to see the 16 acts that we think you should see;
Golden Silvers
Where & When: Thursday, Queen’s Head Stage / Friday, The Park Stage / Saturday, Guardian Lounge
They Say: “Lovestruck Londoners mine ’60s psychedlia to great effect” Uncut
We Say: Harmony-led, Technicolor, synth-crazy, Super Furry’s style madness with an ear for a seriously catchy pop tune.
http://www.myspace.com/thegoldensilvers
The Temper Trap
Where & When: Saturday, John Peel Stage
They Say: “The Temper Trap are four chaps from Melbourne that are here to reinstall everyone’s faith in bigtime, heavy hitting indie-rock” NME
We Say: Australian’s with an epic quality that could see them sitting alongside Kings of Leon, Coldplay or U2, enjoy them while it’s acceptable, then get out quick.
http://www.myspace.com/thetempertrap
The Big Pink
Where & When: Friday, Queen’s Head Stage / Saturday, John Peel Stage / Saturday, Guardian Lounge
They Say: “It’s like waking up in a world that’s very different from the one you know, and being given very little preparation for what is about to be unleashed” Pitchfork
We Say: Ridiculously cool electro-pop with a distinctly My Bloody Valentine infused epic quality, accompanied by the most tragically hip MySpace page imaginable.
http://www.myspace.com/musicfromthebigpink
The Soft Pack
Where & When: Saturday, John Peel Stage
They Say: “The Soft Pack are a band who are secure in their talent and prowess, are confident that their taste and influences are all-but flawless, and don’t need to babble nervously in case 200 people lose interest in what’s happening onstage.” NME
We Say: We’ve already told you about our love for these chaotic, lo-fi adoring, Pavement influenced slackers and their disjointed, insanely catchy golden nuggets of pure pop greatness. Glastonbury ‘09 could be their moment.
http://www.myspace.com/thesoftpack
Joe Gideon & The Shark
Where & When: Sunday, Queen’s Head Stage
They Say: “An inspired band with fire at their fingertips. Astonishing” NME
We Say: Like Jarvis Cocker channeling Nick Cave through Mark E Smith whilst guzzling whiskey and chewing tobacco. Possessing the rare talent of being both funny, original and seriously, seriously good, Joe Gideon is pure genius.
http://www.myspace.com/joegideonandtheshark
We Have Band
Where & When: Thursday, Queen’s Head Stage / Saturday, East Dance / Sunday, John Peel Stage / Sunday, Guardian Lounge
They Say: “Owing more than a touch to the post-punk minimal beats of ESG” NME
We Say: Super-cool, laid back, electro-funk scenesters that sing about being ‘turkey basted’, arty!
http://www.myspace.com/wehaveband
Wave Machines
Where & When: Sunday, John Peel Stage
They Say: “A bevy of well-crafted dance-pop tracks that will definitely brighten up a festival…” BBC Music
We Say: Plugging the same ’80s revival chic as La Roux but with considerably more class and conviction.
http://www.myspace.com/mywavemachine
The Low Anthem
Where & When: Friday, Queen’s Head Stage / Saturday, The Park Stage
They Say: “This debut album by the Rhode Island trio begins like a facsimile of Fleet Foxes and ends like Tom Waits at his most obstreperous.” The Observer
We Say: What they said. The beauty of the aforementioned Fleet Foxes or My Morning Jacket but with a wonderfully ramshackle, hoedown side to them that means you won’t fall to sleep quite as easily.
http://www.myspace.com/lowanthem
Micachu & The Shapes
Where & When: Sunday, The Park Stage
They Say: “Creativity given space and time to blossom, prodigious youths unafraid to fuck with convention, reconstructing the dissected into forms that feel fresh and imaginative” Clash
We Say: We’ve said it already.
http://www.myspace.com/micayomusic
Broken Records
Where & When: Saturday, Queen’s Head Stage
They Say: “Scottish rockers with a European folk twist. Fans of Arcade Fire should apply here” Q
We Say: If big, no, make that huge, impeccably played, perfectly written, Arcade Fire style epicness is your type of thing then there is, at present, nothing better. Until of course the next Arcade Fire record.
http://www.myspace.com/brokenrecordsedinburgh
Alessi’s Ark
Where & When: Thursday, Queen’s Head Stage
They Say: “It’s like opening up a hand-crafted mahogany jewellery box and getting hypnotized by the little plastic ballerina that spins to a multitude of question marks” Drowned In Sound
We Say: If you’re looking to kick the weekend off with a Woodstock vibe and possibly a bit of ‘wacky baccy’, this Laura Marling style, chilled out folk would be a good place to start.
Fight Like Apes
Where & When: Sunday, Queen’s Head Stage
They Say: “Relentlessly pilfering the brightest parts of post-hardcore synthery, cartoon punk and sugar-rush twee, these totally hinge-free magpies have built a nest from shards of Enter Shikari, Test Icicles and Le Tigre and then thrashed the shiny fuck out of it” NME
We Say: Like a rather less twee Los Campesinos! with more emphasis on kicking ass than knitting, a wonderfully youthful noisy pop-punk that won’t require much thinking, just dancing.
Passion Pit
Where & When: Saturday, John Peel Stage
They Say: “Anyone who knows MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular will have twinges of recognition” The Guardian
We Say: If you haven’t already heard the immense hype surrounding this band then you will no doubt find yourself at the back of a very large crowd of Animal Collective fans on Saturday.
http://www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
The Invisible
Where & When: Saturday, Guardian Lounge
They Say: “Choppy guitars, a glossy studio sheen and sparingly dropped samples cosy up with aforementioned vocals, predictably seeing the term “British TV On The Radio” excitably bandied around” Drowned In Sound
We Say: Beautifully polished experimental pop that, if there was any justice, would sell millions and catapult them to international fame. As it stands they’re likely to remain a critic-friendly bands-band, much like the much acclaimed ‘TV On The Radio’, ooops, did we just compare them to……
Slow Club
Where & When: Friday, Guardian Lounge
They Say: “Rockabilly and somewhat folksy but thankfully their songs are fairly jolly affairs without a bit of teenage angst in sight” The Independent
We Say: Twee yes, but the heart-melting folk-pop of this boy/girl duo is hard to resist and could provide a welcome chill out moment in the Guardian Lounge on Friday afternoon.
The Horrors
Where & When: Friday, The Park Stage
They Say: “This is the sound with which the Horrors will transform their public image from foppish Essex posh boys renowned only for their capacity to get on the nerves of the little bloke from the Enemy, to genuine top-of-the-bill indie rock’n'roll contenders!” The Guardian
We Say: Ok, so they’re not a new band, but the volte-face they’ve pulled with their fabulous new Geoff Barrow produced album has shifted them from scenester also-rans to a deadly serious act with potential greatness.
http://www.myspace.com/thehorrors
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