This Saturday we’ll be back with our fifth online Balcony Festival featuring a selection of great bands chosen by Joyzine and fellow independent blogs and promoters Louder Than War, Loud Women, Gigslutz, God Is In The TV, The Zine UK, Benumu, Crocroland, Sonic Tonic, Quarantini and The Bechdel Sound Test.
Streaming on http://www.joyzine.org from 1pm the show will be raising funds for The Music Venue Trust’s #saveourvenues campaign, which aims to secure the future of more than 550 independent venues during the lockdown. The show will be free to watch but viewers are encouraged to make a donation if they are able to.
The Line Up
False Heads on The Benumu Stage
After releasing their highly anticipated ‘Less Is Better’ EP, False Heads hit the road extensively across the UK and Europe armed with tracks such as ‘Yellow,’ ‘Help Yourself,’ ‘Retina’ and ‘Wrap Up,’ the latter was described by Huw Stephens as “an incredible racket.”
Scrounge on The Joyzine Stage
Scrounge is Lucy and Luke. They are still very much guitar, drums and a mic. The two members met at Goldsmiths, and immediately threw themselves into South London’s fertile DIY arts scene with a number of projects which coalesced into Fame Throwa Records, an underground music collective operating predominantly around the Five Bells venue, and, most recently, the intense, genre-punching post-punk of Scrounge.
Firestations on The Sonic Tonic Stage
Firestations make maximal alt-pop songs filled with vocal harmonies, electronica and unusual rhythms. Their second album ‘The Year Dot’ is out now on Lost Map Records (https://www.lostmap.com/firestations)“Dreamy, clean guitars, celestial percussion and hazy melodies, Firestations present that sense of worldly vulnerability in synth-driven glimpses of the sublime.” THE LIST.
Hightown Pirates
Hightown Pirates were conceived in Liverpool, took our first steps in Hackney, went on adventures in Europe with The Libertines in 2016, then onstage with Peter Doherty in the spring of that year. Hightown Pirates are a collective: old friends, companions, musical cohorts, other survivors, dreamers, people that believe in the impossible, a day at a time.
facebook.com/TheHightownPirates
LE JUNK on The Gigslutz Stage
Dirty bass hooks and an infectious thumping groove set the pace for this electro-rock sound. Pulsating disco drums are unleashed beneath a pumping wave of oscillating synthesisers, while disco keys swarm across sleazy surf guitar riffs.
Clwb Fuzz on The God Is In The TV Stage
Cardiff’s post punk / grunge four piece Clwb Fuzz’s fearless commitment in creating an intoxicating wall of sound has already bestowed on them an impressive live reputation. That live intensity is perfectly captured by producer Tom Rees (Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard) on ’No Heaven’, Clwb Fuzz first release on Libertino. FFO: Breeders, Pixies, Sonic Youth.
Eilis Frawley on The Loud Women Stage
Speaking truths on social structures, feminism, mental health, creative insecurities, personal tragedies and the impacts of living abroad, Eilis Frawley brings a new tone to universal topics.
facebook.com/eilisfrawleydrums
Hideous Wheel Invention on The Louder Than War Stage
Keith Goldhanger is a regular contributor on the Louder than War web site and specialises in new music and new bands. His past musical projects go back many years and the most recent musical journey he has been on has been under the guise of HIDEOUS WHEEL INVENTION. There are two XFM sessions kicking around on the ‘net as well as a Resonance FM show, a couple of 12″ releases and tracks on compilations that were released a few years ago. A large collection of remixes and Mash Ups have recently been unearthed that sit nicely amongst the original electronic pieces that are available on a couple of albums that came out a few years ago. Recently, since the lockdown Keith has been editing together many of the previously unused pieces of work that he still feels are still worth persevering with and is back creating some very weird and wonderful results.