More about: Eurosonic Noorderslag

During four jam-packed days in January, the unlikely city of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands becomes the beating heart of European music. The biggest industry players and the biggest music fans coalesce to celebrate and nurture their passion: experiencing the best in upcoming live music, from all over the continent. 

Eurosonic is the best place for artists to be heard by an international audience: our very own exports Celeste, Arlo Parks, Joy Crookes, Sorry, Black Country, New Road and Dry Cleaning were amongst those eyeing up international festival slots, however this time around we’ve decided to focus on those coming from a little further away from home. Gigwise were there to capture all the action - here’s a list of international acts we saw and loved, with a bonus video report to help transport yourself to the bustling city of Groningen.

Crystal Murray

To give you an idea of how new some of these artists really are, this is Parisian Crystal Murray’s first time playing outside of France. Audibly influenced by old-school soul and tinged with jazz and house, Murray’s neo-soul sound is enchantingly effortless. This sense of ease afforded her the freedom to saunter around the stage at Groningen’s Grand Theatre venue, flashing cheeky glances into the audience: big on personality, stage presence and soul, this won’t be the last you’ll be hearing from Murray.

Iguana Death Cult

Playing live at All Round Poolcentrum, Rotterdam’s Iguana Death Cult are as kinetic and ramshackle as they sound on record. Hard-hitting, frenzied garage punk forms the strong backbone of their sound, but they flesh this out by bringing in a host of other influences, from psychedelia to new wave, to krautrock, to post-punk and recently even a hint of disco. They’ve clearly built up a cult following in The Netherlands off the back of their live shows, rising through the tight-knit network of grassroots Dutch venues - but they’re more than ready to leave footprints outside of their current stomping ground.

Fehdah

Another gem coming out of the flourishing Irish underground scene is multi-instrumentalist Fehdah, who’s putting her own spin on electro-soul, and is amongst this wave of emerging artists taking the Irish hiphop/electro scene by storm. Playing at Platformtheater to a surprisingly sparse crowd, those who were there definitely felt glad that they’d chosen to traipse off the beaten track to witness the lovechild of Erykah Badu and Four Tet. She states, “I am usually very self-critical of my own music, but this one’s good” before kicking into a belter of a track. She was correct. 

Lewsberg

Never has off-kilter, understated post-punk sounded so good. Not sentimental in the slightest, their lyrics focus on the mania of the mundane, making the everyday sound not so everyday. The vocal from Rotterdam’s Arie Van Vliet is brilliantly detached and irreverent: Lewsberg don’t care about putting on a show for you - why should they? There are no frills, no unnecessary decoration or flourishes to detract from the simplistic brilliance of the songwriting. Either you love them or you’re not bothered, either way they don’t care - take it or leave it. But we’d suggest you take it.

Yīn Yīn

If Thai-inspired psychedelia is a metaphorical (and literal) party, Yin Yin are the lively pre-drinks before the ‘afterparty’ faded jams of the likes of Khruangbin. Their grooves ooze energy, bending and warping the perceived limits of creative musicality, exploring the potential of their instruments - the Maastricht based Yīn Yīn are not phased by genre labels. A strong live presence at Eurosonic, they draped tapestries over their instruments, making for a homely vibe in the venue - almost like an invitation into their studio to experience their psychedelic reinvention of sound.

Hickeys

These charismatic Spaniards brand their sound as ‘glitter punk’ - it’s lo-fi garage with a pop punk bite, with their punchy closing track ‘Hickey Hickey Bang Bang’ bearing strong resemblance to fellow Madrid lo-fi guitar band - and previous Eurosonic breakthrough act - Hinds. Playing their Eurosonic set in a school hall, Hickeys are like your classmates who have suddenly turned badass and got good at playing guitar. Their enthusiasm and wild abandon is infectious - here’s hoping the Eurosonic experience will be as successful for them as it was for Hinds.

L’éclair

This group from Geneva have fully mastered the knack of locking into a groove. Taking to the main stage at Grand Theatre venue, they emitted rhythm-centric, rich vibrations that fused funk, disco, free jazz, 70s kraut and electronic sounds, all wrapped up a hypnotically ambient package. Through their impressive jams they’ve been able to find the funk in krautrock, all the while performing in front of entrancing projections: there are no lines, no boundaries, no breaks - it’s all very fluid and euphoric.

Friedberg

Combine leisurely, desert-rock guitars with a hint of cowbell, and a beautifully mellow vocal from singer-songwriter Anna Friedberg, and you have the Austrian alt-indie project Freidberg. You may have heard their track ‘Go Wild’ on the FIFA playlist, but their otherworldly melodies with a crunchy pop coating are bound for more than just soundtracking a ballsport.

Los Bitchos

An honorary member of our ‘European’ list (Los Bitchos are currently based in London, however their members are from a pick’n’mix of places including Stockholm, Perth, Montevido and…Croydon) Los Bitchos brought one hell of a party to Plato’s Record Shop. They’re having a great time, and make sure that you do too - full of charisma and vivacity, their set incorporates synchronised dance routines, cumbia beats meets garage rock (yes, they’ve made it a thing) and a lot o’noodley psychedelic jams. What’s not to love?

Pongo

The party doesn’t start ‘till Pongo walks in. Igniting the Grand Theatre with her uptempo original blend of dancehall, electro and Kuduro (an energetic type of music from Angola), it suddenly doesn’t feel like dreary January any more. Evoking the best crowd reaction we’ve seen all festival, Pongo’s pacy set was a brilliant and infectious way to end the festival. 

More about: Eurosonic Noorderslag