Four Finds at Eurosonic

Four Finds at Eurosonic

09 February, 2012
by: Mar Sellars

It was Eurosonic a couple of weeks ago, so we got our mate Mar Sellars to snoop around and find out what Europe has been getting up to band-wise. In between getting drunk, this is what she found out

Eurosonic is an exclusively European artist music festival which kicks off the year with the best up-and-coming acts from across the continent. It’s also a music industry conference and about every single festival organiser, booking agent, PR person and music industry type from Europe travels to Groningen in Northern Holland to check out each other’s bands and decide who to put on in the coming twelve months. So, yeah, basically it’s a massive industry schmooze-fest.

Taking place across 27 venues in the town centre and during the day at the Oosterpoort, the big conference centre in Groningen, with a ton of unofficial parties scattered around  the city, it’s sort of like SXSW with nicer beer and less pizza. The highlight of this year’s fest was a gig in a bowling alley that didn’t start ‘til 2am and went on ‘til about 5am. Some five to ten bands played, a guy dressed like Woody Harrelson in Kingpin DJed old Jam 45s off a portable turntable in the lane beside us, five people made 8-bit looped electronic music by pressing cassettes against coloured squares on a table in the corner (don’t ask me to explain how!), and all while 200 drunk people bowled and partied.

As you’ve probably guessed, it was pretty messy, but from what I can remember from the weekend these were the most interesting bands I saw...

Housse De Racket – France



Just a two piece consisting of a guitarist and drummer (along with backing tracks), these guys have been around for years and years. They started out dressing up in tennis gear and their first album was a concept about two tennis players who are losers in love and they realise that to seduce women they should give up tennis playing and become musicians. It’s pretty funny. I can’t really understand all of it though as it is in French.

They’ve just come back from an Asian tour where they did the New Year’s countdown in Seoul to 5,000 screaming Koreans and they’ve got SXSW, Coachella and lots on the horizon this year. They once did a UK tour with Does It Offend You Yeah? if that helps pigeon hole them. Victor is one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen and, as they say, “We’re good even though we’re French”. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, they’re signed to Kitsune.
 
Veronica Falls – United Kingdom



OK, so this band won’t be new to anyone who’s remotely into music and lives in London but they were one of the best bands of the festival. Veronica Falls played against a big screen with their name proudly displayed in cute cartoon bubble letters (I don’t think the band had any choice in the matter). There were about 100 people queued up outside unable to get in at 1am and they were in direct competition with Iceage who also had 100 people queued up outside.

I haven’t officially counted or anything but I reckon I’ve seen VF about 21 times now. It’s getting ridiculous (they’re everywhere I go!) Since moving to Berlin in October (away from London!) I’ve still managed to see them four times in two months. So like I say, I’m a bit of an expert and this was a good show for them. Their fuzzy twee pop couldn’t have sounded better. If you haven’t already got their debut album, get it. ‘Bad Feeling’ is one of my favourite songs of 2011.

French Films – Finland



French Films are Finland’s answer to the Drums except less hot and with taller boys and more guitars. Truthfully the show wasn’t amazing (partly due to the lame audience) but they’re just one of those bands you know you’ll like. It’s nice trendy jangly indie rock. The kind of band you are stoked on when they come up on your iPod shuffle.

Rats on Rafts – The Netherlands



Most international people leave Groningen on Saturday as the Saturday is called Noorderslag which is a one-day exclusively Dutch music festival, and rumour is that there are no good Dutch bands. Well, I stayed, and I can categorically state that this idea is plain wrong. The best band I saw was Rotterdam’s Rats on Rafts. I had a list of about five bands to check out from my Dutch friends, they were on it and when I told a well known Dutch promoter I wanted to see them, he replied:
 
“Oh, I think they are very boring. They sound very ‘80s.”
“GREAT!”, I said, “I love ‘80s. What kind of ‘80s?”
“Oh like Echo and the Bunnymen”
 
“Ha! even better!” I thought, so I rushed off to see them and of course they were the best band of the day because they didn’t sound like any of the other Dutch bands. See them when they come to the UK!

For festival updates and what not, check out our festival homepage.

Mar Sellars