Photo: Press
Eurosonic 2017 is well under way with thousands of people from across Europe coming together in a snowy Great Escape of sorts to discover the very best new music.
The program doesn't have any big names but it's the process of picking the future stars or finding heroes of the underground, who go about making music in their own way without aiming for a career that are exciting to find.
With so many bands (350 in total over four days), picking where to go is a bit of a puzzle. But, with some serious digging you can carve whatever path you want in just about any genre or original, pioneering genre mixtures you desire
Gigwise's path has taken an fondness of the Spiegel venue in the city centre. The creaky wooden stair case that links the upstairs venue and downstairs venue and ye olde feel in general give it a special atmosphere for and the sound is great.
The first band here to do some damage are the blisteringly loud and brilliant Goat Girl. The Rough Trade signees have really taken to the occasion and perform to a completely packed venue on Wednesday (11 Jan) with all the zest that you'd expect a band on the verge of a debut album looking to spend their lives dedicated to rock 'n' roll should. Their sound is like a cross between Brooklyn dream poppers Vivian Girls and fellow South Londoners Fat White Family and Phobophobes and is lapped up by an audience of dedicated music fans that include Trans Musicales founder Jean Louis-Brossard
Amber Arcades follow Goat Girl and draw from their stunning debut album Fading Lines as well as new songs they'd been working on. They're an audiophile’s delight as they're fine-tuned to such a degree that no matter how loud it gets its rich and balanced. The tastefully chosen vintage amps loaded with shoegaze-y effects are ear candy.
Annelotte de Graaf, who orchestrates the entire band is an incredible arranger, with no part of any song failing to show off her gifted ear for melody, and the songs truly take you places. In addition to the dreamy melodies, there's a visceral motorik beat that adds the hypnotic edge to make the songs that much more emphatic. It would be a crime to not have this band play Glastonbury Pyramid stage at some point soon: they're definitely cut out for big audiences and have a broad appeal.
Thursday (13 Jan) leaves us spoiled for choice but after much deliberation we take a chance on Trashy 60s garage pop girl duo Gurr who are from Berlin which pays off. Backed by the bassist and drummer who provide a nonchalant cool look that compliments the two main members, Andreya and Laura Lee, whose chaotic whirlwind of energy - the four-piece are a lot of fun to watch.
The two girls tread a line between being a choreographed 60s girl group and loose Libertines-esque carefree indie band. People don't take much time at all to be won over by their Hinds-esque sound. One of the stand-out moments comes when they play the blistering 'In My head' as one of the vocalists left her guitar aside and as if she's possessed by a demon go into some feral anarchic séance - that's fun to witness. As a whole, they play a professional, tight set and exceed how good they are on record. They have the potential to go much further than playing to 400 people in this small venue above a decadent jazz bar/cafe called Huis De Beurs.
Elsewhere, Mani Orrason has star quality. The insanely talented singer/songwriter debuted at the age of 16 with single Fed 'All My Days', which went straight to number one in Iceland. He plays that song, sure, but he's more than a one-hit wonder. His band are were so well tuned to provide emphasis at all the right points that he rivals big acts like Jake Bugg or Ezra Furman and seems so natural in his role as frontman that he probably writes songs in his sleep.
The first big venue Gigwise checks out is the Stadsschouwburg, and although pretty and delightful - you could take your in-laws here for something 'cultural’ - it lacks the punk spirit and heritage that a lot of the other venues like Huis De Beurs, Spiegel or the Vera has.
Warhaus is the act on we’re here to see and the demand for entry far outweighs capacity as they do have some devastatingly beautiful, cool and sexy songs out. They're like a cross between Nick Cave, Serge Gainsbourg, and Mark Lanegan and manage to captivate their audience with their dark atmospheric performance.
Over in Vera where the likes of Nirvana, Screaming Trees and Henry Rollins have played in the past, the sweat and hedonism that's occurred seems still ingrained in the spirit of the building. Viagra Boys provide another legendary set to help substantiate its legacy. The dual drummers, avant garde saxophone, guitar, and frightening Die Antwoord meets Lias Saoudi (Fat Whites) meets Bez combination is a thrill to witness. The techno beat coming from the drums mixed with the fuzz-laden bass and angular guitar riffery sends Vera into one of the highest energy concert halls anywhere in Groningen
Back at the nearby Spiegel where we started with Goat Girl, Tau are upstairs playing some psychedelic music that seems fit for a break in an ashram in India as much as it does for a underground venue. They revolve around bongo's and an acoustic guitar but cleverly manipulate the guitar to sound bigger than the sum of its worth and meander on transcendent wig-outs and switch between English and Spanish in a deeply cathartic expression of emotion that can only come from someone that's explored the far reaches of human consciousness been terrified and enlightened by it at the same time.
Downstairs at the Spiegel is the final band of the night and Teksti TV 666. As the metal/shoegaze/classic rock band, who have four guitars as well as a bassist take to the stage, they shake each other hands like you would with some you're about to have a boxing match. They then gather round in a circle similar to Michael Gira and Swans adding to the mysterious ceremonial start. And as soon as they lift off you can see why they do that – what follows is an intense ride. In terms of their ensemble it seems like a complete democracy and the one rule: you need a guitar, an insane set of effects pedals and a love for a good riff, ability to think out of the box and try anything that comes to your head beyond what you’ve ever seen on stage before seems to be a bonus point, too.
The Fins just have at their guitars as if they've been told they've got an hour left to live, and the stage is treated more like a suggestion of where to stand than a rule. Some members come into the crowd at times breaking down that barrier between performer and spectator and make everyone feel like part of the show. The highlight comes as the bearer of the Gibson flying V hangs in front of the pa sets his delay pedal to create some insane texture before crowdsurfing. These are legendary performers and there's no denying their wall of sound is the most chaotic, memorable show of Eurosonic 2017 so far.
