SGP - Petite Meller

SGP

Whilst Sunday maybe a festival's quietest day, their stages are still as alive as ever. Hidden on the east side of the fields was The Next Stage, new to SGP this year. On which you could have found the french powder-puff mademoiselle, Petite Meller (yes that's her real name) and her extremely talented Afro-French band, enact the most aesthetically pleasing performance that required three outfit changes and looked as if it was extracted from the dreams of Wes Anderson.

Outfit number 1 (bar the heels)
source: @Petitemeller

For most people, the sexualisation of adolescence or the appropriation of culture are areas of discomfort, however, for this Lolita archetype, who is enamoured with African culture, these are topics which should be so obvious that they are neither damned or damaged nor are they glamorised. And with her degree, and soon to be masters, in philosophy this girl knows her stuff when it comes to repression, Lacanian theory, sexuality, and what we see as literal- something she likes to release when on stage. With this in mind, it becomes clear that her imagery isn't just an artistic stunt, instead she claims that "bringing the libidinal unconscious dreams into reality is what fascinates" her and for this reason she aims to create realities that are "more real" than the unrepressed ones we have in our consciousness.

Whilst her philosophical passions can be hard to get your head around, her performance of fun electro-pop-eurotrash-inspired French chansons (in English) are easy to get along with and groove down to. Unfortunately for Petite her set happened to be during the Sunday headliner, Air, so the crowd was a petite as she is. The size of the crowd even left one member asking whether fellow gardeners knew what was about to happen and then deciding it was better they weren't there as it left more space to dance. And how the crowd did.

Petite and co.

Filling the stage with bizarre instruments of the jazz and electro variety, were her band, dressed in coordinating blue and mustard garments, and looking as cute as hell. Then without a moment to spare Petite greeted the stage with her sugary sweet presence in her first outfit of the night: "a Russian hotel blanket", 70's velvet platforms, and what looked like a safari helmet. With only a few singles out in the mainstream, her setlist wasn't as chunky as her heels, yet she still played her pop-jazz fusion with an unstoppable tenacity (despite a few stumbles and nip slips). And although her set was small it was solid, squeaky gold that called for dancing that seemed to be a hybrid of structured motifs and eye rolling seizures, that the crowd seemed to conquer with by flailing their bodies to the beat. After performing such crowd favourites as Babylove, Barbaric, and Milk Bath, and wearing three different kinds of hat, Petite finished a set that felt like she could have gone on forever, and given that the crowd were the "best ever" (according to Petite) they probably would have let her.

With her high notes and sax sounds still ringing in gardeners' ears she left the crowd confused by a mysterious blindfolded character on stage (that she left there) and a toothache from just how sweet she was.

Take a bite out of this cupcake and find out for yourself:
Petite Meller/Website
Petite Meller/Twitter

Petite Meller/Facebook

SGP - Caribou

SGP

Being the headliner at a festival is tough, but headlining a festival and performing after a six year firework spectacular tradition seems impossible. Yet, stood dressed all in white and silhouetted by strobe lights on The Great Stage, Caribou seemed to handle the job with the slickness of liquid velvet.

Caribou 
Source: Andrew Whitton

Having been around for the past 11 years, Caribou knows exactly what it takes to make a crowd weak at the knees and their bodies flail. Known almost as the cult classic of psychedelic electropop, Caribou creates house music like no other. And with their clump of limbs and instruments set up, front man Dan Snaith and co make for an performance of multiple climaxes with a sweaty finish. 

Having had the entirety of the festival on the stage side of the fields, Caribou had no option but to perform to the masses. Although they only had an hour long set, it seemed like the band could have gone on for days and I have no doubt their audience would have let them. As they trickled through the setlist, Caribou made the individual songs into a seamless sea of sounds, with every beat and strobe rolling over the crowd like waves. Performing such tunes as Can't Do Without You, Odessa, and Silver, there wasn't a dry face in the crowd. 

Caribou @ SGP
Source: Andrew Whitton

Whilst electronica can be a musical umbrella that is often mass produced or overrated, Caribou, however, manages to create such an emotional as well as psychedelic experience that it's borderline extraterrestrial (slotting nicely into Secret Garden Party's space theme). On the night Caribou performed the songs so authentically it was as if they were improvised, even though some of the tunes were as old as most of the crowd. It was a multidimensional experience that suited the every gardener's vibe: whether you wanted to have spiritually uplifting voyage or whether you just wanted to boogie till the late hours, Caribou were there for you that Saturday night.

Let your ears get intimate:
Caribou/Website
Caribou/Facebook
Caribou/Twitter
Caribou/Souncloud

SGP - La Femme

SGP

After a sweaty day in the scorching sun, nothing seemed worse than dancing in the middle of a toasty crowd for the evening, yet La Femme's performance made it all worth while. Having already had the likes of The Skints, Little Comets, and Swim Deep graced the sage that day it was a surprise just how effortlessly La Femme stole the limelight from right underneath this long list's feet.

La Femme
source: Max Miechowski

With a unique sound that, on paper, shouldn't work at all and with lyrics entirely in French, it comes as a shock just how popular La Femme are in England. Performing as a sextet this French lot, make looking cool their day job. Armed with synths up to their eye balls and surf pop riffery these cool kids create a sound that's as if Mary Goes Round performed a cover of Jane Birkin's Je T'aime whilst riding a carousel. And whilst it sounds implausible, La Femme expertly execute the sultry sound of the ye ye girls and the upbeat jangle of surf-pop, whilst in-keeping with the angry doom of the Kraut and DAF punk movement.

La Femme
source: Max Miechowski

After what appeared to be a rushed set up, La Femme entered The Great Stage without dropping a bead of sweat in front of the crowd which had began to form. With a row of synths along the width of the stage and the drum kit just behind, their lay out prepared eagerly awaiting fans for their surf-pop-cold-wave hybrid.  And whilst they seemed unaffected by the heat of the sun or the size of the crowd, they certainly made the audience sweat for them. Performing such popular, hits as Antitaxi, It's Time To Wake Up 2023, and Amour dans les motu, La Femme encouraged a surge of dancing which slowly formed into a mosh pit in the middle. Finishing their hour set, La Femme put the crowd out of their sticky misery whilst at the same time left them wanting more.

If you were lucky enough to spot them around the festival in the evening, they were giving out handshakes, kisses on the cheek, and free t-shirts (at some point).

They're fun and furious, and even if you can't be bothered to translate the lyrics they're like an electro-punk themed carousel on the West Coast that once you've heard it you'll definitely wanna ride. Get on here:
La Femme/Facebook
La Femme/Website
La Femme/Twitter
La Femme/soundcloud

SGP - Blondage

SGP

Having suffered last year with pouring rain and mud baths, Secret Garden Party got to show off their full potential this summer with beautiful weather and glitter covered gardeners, despite the fact they didn't sell out this year. For this year's theme Head Gardeners planned a weekend of intergalactic transportation, taking inspo from the cult classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and amply naming it The Gardeners Guide to the Galaxy.

Blondage

As a festival there stands to be no kind of set structure, rather it is truly just one big party, although having said this the festival doesn't shy away from providing many a stage, which many a great artist performed on throughout the four days. In this four-post-mini-series, there will be a taster of the bands who stood out as the 'best in show' of each day, starting obviously with Thursday.

Although the festival does officially start on Thursday, The Great Stage remains redundant until Friday, which means that it is left to the mini stages to fill the ears of wandering gardeners. New to 2016, The Urban Forest, was merely one of the stages located around the three fields. Built entirely out of old shutters, window frames, and mirrors, the Urban Forest was an home from home in the strange galaxy that was SGP '16. Headlining the Urban Forest on Thursday evening was the Danish electro-duo Blondage. 

Blondage @ Secret Garden Party

Formerly known as Ragleklods, Blondage is made up of the talented Pernille Smith-Sivertsen and Essen Andersen. With only two singles to their name, Blondage aren't easy to hear, so seemingly the best way to listen to them is live. If you were lucky enough to stumble upon their performance on Thursday, you would have found these strobe-a-holics drenched in all black and producing the juiciest synths since Kraftwerk's The Man Machine. Whilst the crowd was small, their performance was not. Whipping out instruments that didn't seem real, and managing to sing (yes both of them) whilst mixing their own music live, Blonadge's pop-electro performance created bubblegum sweet sounds that made your ears happy, whilst your feet hurt. Hidden by cutely coloured back lighting this duo were merely silhouettes on stage that, even without being able to see their faces, performed with ice cool eclat. 

Described by one in the crowd as 'like Grimes but trying less hard' they are clearly a duo to keep your eyes on. Serve yourself an aesthetically pleasing slice of whatever their having here (because you'll sure want a taste):

Blondage/Soundcloud

Blondage/Facebook
Blondage/Instagram

Yuck at The Moth Club 2016

Yuck @ MothClub

In deepest, darkest Hackney Central is a pub that looks as plain as it gets, however once you go through the door that has a laminated 'entrance' sign on, it becomes clear this is a club like no other. With the club's history deep rooted in British military past  (MOTH standing for Memorable Order of Tin Hats) it's a surprise how well the club's original memorabilia complements the  glitter smothered ceiling and the gold shimmer curtains that drench the stage. It's a venue that is a must see to believe, suited and booted for any band that's going to create a good time and who will fill up the dancefloor, evidently Yuck suited the Moth Club down to a tee. With the launch of their newest album 'Stranger Things' on the day of their first gig at the Moth Club it comes as no surprise that they managed to fill floor with moshing indie kids, politely perched fans on the velvet sofas and the odd adolescent who seemingly had managed to sneak their way in (something im sure we've all done at some point).

Shark Dentist

Before Yuck hit the lit up stage, in all its shiny glory, were Shark Dentist. According to their facebok bio the band themselves harvested jellyfish in their childhood and until 2014 there was no such Shark Dentist. However, whilst their "history" and name, on paper, is laughable, any band who calls their genre of music 'sandwich metal' deserves some kind of recognition. The foursome's performance, simply put, encompasses their internet persona... frankly they don't give a shit and they are teeming with wit. Their setlist comprised of songs from their newest single 'Stranger' and the crowd favourite Cut Myself Shaving (as well as a few more), each song performed with the feral intensity of a wild animal and the angsty attitude of a pre-teen. With hilarity of their lyrics they combine the mundane with a rich sound that is anything but boring, unlike cutting yourself when shaving- it is this mixture of honesty and loud noises that make them so enjoyable. Watch this space.

Puppy

Following the delightful catawaul of Shark Dentist came another band with an animal themed title, Puppy.  Whilst the band aesthetically suit their syrupy sweet name, their music is quite the opposite, and it is for this reason that they are so surprisingly pleasing. Puppy's music is a creation of nuance heavy metal that takes the genre for a fast paced ride on the indie roller coaster, making them sound somewhat like Wheatus covering Metallica. However as strange as they sound, their live performance shows that there is method in the trio's madness, creating a sound that's unique but at the same is like having 80's classic rock blasted into your ears. On the night they performed music from their newest EP 'Forever' making for an evening of perfectly refined indie-metal ballads and a setlist built upon hammering drums, rough riffs and rambunctious harmonies all tied up neatly in a bow.

Yuck

It wasn't long before the headliner of the evening, Yuck, came on stage. The band entered the shimmering stage with a blaise presence whilst they were surrounded by glimmering tinsel curtains, which just asked the audience to glow and behold the ever cool foursome. Whilst the band's last two albums may have passed the music scene by, seeped within the shadows, their gradual release of new singles over both this month and the last Yuck have evidently been gathering more and more hype as this year progresses. Their growth in popularity, and support for new album 'Stranger Things' ,was represented by the abundance of fans who flooded the dance floor of the Moth Club on the 26th of February. Performing both classic Yuck hits such as Get Away and The Wall (the song the crowd insisted they played in between tunes) as well as their new stuff Hearts in Motion and Cannonball, Yuck merely excrete what it is to be a indie-grunge band in 2016.

The band finished the night with two more song's following their faux encore exit, giving one last chance for the crowd to get sweaty, before the start of the brilliantly selected DJ by the Moth Club. The night in general was just as glowing as the ceiling. And speaking of shiny, Yuck's shiny new album premiered yesterday and if you aren't listening it now than what are you doing?!

Gotta catch 'em all:
www.sharkdentist.bandcamp.com
www.puppytheband.com
www.yuckband.com

Sweet (20)16 in her Leather Boots.

As much as a new year is just another day with a different number, we start to reflect on the new things that are to come much more than any other time of year. As this happens, bands who may have previously just been lurking in the shadowy darkness of last years music scene begin to emerge left right and centre. So what a fitting time it would seem to comprise a short list of artists (in no particular order) who as we speak are crawling out of the woodwork and into our ear-holes.

1. Beach Baby

Source: Beach Baby

Despite a Google search for this band resulting in finding pictures of babies on beaches, and being pointed in the direction of First Class' 1974 hit Beach Baby this English Quartet are far from babies and although they are not First Class their music is nothing but. With the same management as that behind the jingly jangly Jungle, it comes as no surprise that their music carries the same dreamy feel, yet it is also completely different. The band's most recent release 'Limousine' (2015) is their first EP and what a way to start. With the songs on the EP they entered the music world with a setlist of post punk, shoe-gaze, surf pop hybrid that that is sweet like honey in your mouth.

2.Blossoms

Source: Blossoms 

After the unprecedented popularity of this leather-jacketed-long-haired five-some's hit Charlemagne it comes as no surprise that Blossoms are already making their mark on 2016's indie market. Seeking inspiration from the works of Alex Turner and ABBA, this band have created a sound that is not dissimilar to pop culture of the 00's; and their recent release At Most Just a Kiss is no exception to their signature funky fresh vibe. Although the band has been deemed to share the focal guitar rifts that such bands as the Arctic Monkeys have, their heavy sythns keep the their tunes funkier than the sounds of Wham!, proving that their roots are firmly grounded in the depths of glam-rock.

3. Tacocat

Source: Tacocat 

Seemingly 2015 was a quiet year for this surf-punk, Seattle based foursome, in contrast they begin 2016 with the strong statement I Hate the Weekend. Whilst most appreciate the luxury of the two days which make up the weekend, the band forces their typical comically piss-off outlook upon the way the weekend is  overcrowded with unbearable drunken businesswomen and men. The single follows the bands classic structure of creating a classic punk sound with unapologetically clever lyricism, keeping fans content with the burn! factor that reigns through their previous two albums. The band, arguably, kicks off the year with a kick up with a socially concious anthem that refuses to be ignored, and this is can only be expected for their thrid album 'Lost Time'.

4. Black Honey

Source: Black Honey

With an EP and three singles under their belt, this foursome come charging at you with the tenacity of freight train but in the dreamy way possible. And it is this that's given Black Honey such a rock n' roll reputation among the indie music scene. Arguably what makes their music stand out above the rest is their ability to combine psychedelic guitars of recent mainstream indie pop, with the lyricism and hearty fuzz tones you'd expect to hear from a 1960's garage band. With this in mind it feels as though the band has based their songs on the moto of something new, something borrowed and something blue making for the perfect collaboration of the old and new and creating a sound that's like a pool of blue you just want to dive straight into. Having already experienced the hype of their own headline show, and won the award for the Most Blogged Artist 2015, it feels safe to say that there are big things coming for this band, we can only but hope they don't 'want to sleep for ever'.

5. Sons of an Illustrious Father

Source: Sons of an Illustrious Father

Having remained relatively unnoticed around world, despite one of the band members being the actor (and angel) Ezra Miller, this New York based trio create deep nuance blues sounds like no other. And whilst the band have previously released two albums pre-2016, this year they plan to release their third album Revol, in March. Whilst fans anxiously anticipate the new album, Sons of an Illustrious Father keeps eager listeners excited with the single Conquest, starting the band's 2016 with a bang.

Conquest, is not only an amicable salute to both traditional folk artists and politically conscious punk bands, but is also a powerful homage to the intersectional feminists such as bell hooks and Andrea Smith- who lead singer Lilah Larson claims 'the song is deeply indebted lyrically to'. The hauntingly sweet song is accompanied by a graphic novel both written and illustrated by Lilah Larson. With an upcoming tour of the US and their upcoming album the band have a their hands full and the music world to conquer.

6. Bleached 

Source:Bleached

Made up of two sisters, the Calivins, Bleached are the veterans of LA's feminist punk girl group Mika Miko. Sticking with the theme of dirty-under-chipped-nails punk rock from their previous band, their music is aggressive and manic but still echoes the popular surf punk tunes. The girls undeniably resemble their 60's femme predecessors: combining a retro Shangri-La's coolness with mordern day rock and roll, similar to the like minded band Hunx and His Punx. Their 2016 release Keep On Keepin On sees bleached in all their glory, and with their second album set to release to release this year, as well as a world tour, this sister act is already giving 2016 a run for its money.

7. Inheaven

Source: Inheaven 

With an immaculate combination of the gloomy vocals, aggressive guitars overlaid by female harmonies Inheaven have managed to create a sound that, although is not dissimilar from their indie rock predecessors such as Jesus and The May Chain and Jimmy Eat World, is completely their own. Their unique sound almost embodies the unrelenting power of teenage angst, so it's no surprise that they style and music caught the eye (and ears) of The Strokes' Julian Casablancas who helped co-release the band's first single. Having already released two singles in 2015, this South London based quartet enter 2016 with a reputation that suggests that their music has so much unstoppable spiritual, kinetic energy that it has a life of it's own.

8. Estrons

Source: Estrons 

Estrons are a fearsome foursome who come charging at you from the Welsh seaside wielding the lyrics 'I'd like to make a man of you'. Whilst this song came out in 2015, and the only other song to their name is a welsh track C-C-Cariad, they prove that they are band not be messed with. The song Make A Man epitomises this exact notion: its political, punchy and powerful echoing fellow political-punk artists and takes no shit. The story behind the track is one 'of a heterosexual female's battle between desiring a man, whilst simultaneously finding herself having little respect for his self important ego and misogynistic attitude towards women' tells frontwoman Taliesyn Kallstrom, thus whilst their name means alien in Welsh their rebellious ideals are any but extraterrestrial. 2016 looks like a year that these Estrons will prove how out of this world they are.

9. Yuck

Source: Yuck

After a surprise appearance in 2015, with release of a new single, Yuck have returned once more this year armed with a pop-punk track that contagious as it gets; upholding their signature style and their reputation as a great UK garage band. Their new release Hearts In Motion successfully embodies the stress of modern day romance, where it’s hard for two hearts in motion to beat at the same time (much like the inability to find a match on tinder). The song itself ends ambiguously, leaving you wondering ‘Is it all just doomed to failure, or is it the one thing that we should be holding on to the most in this world?’(says singer Max Bloom), however 2016 for this band is anything but doomed to fail. Hearts In Motion is a mere taster of what’s to come from Yuck’s third album Stranger Things that’s due out next month.

10. The Magic Gang

Source: The Magic Gang

This rising foursome from Brighton dive straight into 2016 with their new release EP, making their mark on this years music scene. As musicians they have been compared to the likes of Weezer and the Beach Boys, and with sickly sweet guitars combined with lyrics of the mundane, and sometimes gloomy, side of life this comparison rings somewhat true. Across the cleverly named EP, The Magic Gang fuse illusion with reality, epitomised in their contrast between joyous melodies and wistful lyricism that is almost too real to handle. The band themselves claim that their music is for the 'mind, body and soul', and their EP truly displays this to be their mantra. With tunes that make you blissfully aware that life is a bit shitty sometimes it looks like a good year for this surprising relatable and charmingly melancholic quartet. 

Despite the year beginning with such sad loses to the music world it would seem that from here the only way is up. Roll on the hopefuls for this year.