encore academy ~ bands for the future


The internet can be a strange and wonderful place. It's made our world more accessible and allowed us to keep in contact with each other all around the world. More importantly, it's opened our ears to some awesome new bands, and tonight Encore NI wants to celebrate some of that emerging talent.

Though we always prefer to focus on local acts, tonight will see us branching out to lands beyond these shores to give you an insight into tomorrows sound.

Be kind and show em' some love.

Name: Skinnydip
Genre: Noise Rock
For Fans Of: Plumtree, Sonic Youth, Pixies
Location: South England
Facebook//Twitter

Sounding like they came straight out of the 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' soundtrack, Skinnydip could kick your ass and you'd feel cooler for the experience. With a clear nod to heroes of indie bands past, the four piece take the hazy noise rock Sonic Youth and add a degree of unpredictability.

A guitar band at heart, Skinnydip are a sonic two fingers up to modern life, the establishment and dudes in suits. This could be a huge year for them, provided they want it.


Name: Bitch Falcon
Genre: Fuzzed-Out Hyper Grunge
For Fans Of: Royal Blood, Deap Vally
Location: Dublin
Facebook//Twitter

Clearly not even slightly bothered about radio airplay, Bitch Falcon takes the grunge tidal wave of the early 90's and drags it, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. Frontwoman Lizzie Fitzpatrick's punk snarl is as entrancing as the trademark wail of her band's lead guitar. New single 'Wolfstooth' does exactly what it set out to do. Not so much make you dance, as thrash away your problems.


Name: Robocobra Quartet
Genre: Baroque-Punk
For Fans Of: Fugazi, Gill Scott Heron, Frank&Beans
Location: Belfast
Facebook

Saying Robocobra Quartet think 'outside the box' is like saying Kel 'occasionally enjoyed' Orange Soda. (Apologies to anyone born beyond 1997 ~ you will have no idea what that means) This band take the box, rip it apart and invent their own shapes. Then they question the very nature of shapes themselves, until the whole damn shapes system collapses, causing wide spread panic. In short, Robocobra Quartet are quite brilliant. While front-man//drummer Chris Ryan's rhythmic poetry forms the backbone of their material, Robocobra's hypnotic Victorian hip-hop then gives their message a timeless feel. Melodic, yet punchy. Intellectual, yet universal. With music to make you dance, cry and reconsider everything, you really must listen to the band to truly understand, and even then, you may never understand.


Name: Golding
Genre: ShoeGaze
For Fans Of: Swim Deep, Sleeper
Location: Brighton 
Facebook//Twitter

Brighton's 'Golding' are a band full of verve. Though their trippy, psych-inspired sound owes much to the B-Town wave of last year, they've done enough to warrant their own place in the UK music scene. What alienates them from their  melody drenched peers comes in Kipp Boucher's brooding vocals, the front man's drawl evoking fond memories of The Cures Robert Smith. This is no more evident than on the dynamic 'Sabertooth', the closing track on the bands debut EP 'Divas'. Sadly, everything from the bands bohemian aesthetic, to their Brit-pop roots will see them thrown in alongside Jaws, Peace and co. ~ It's up to them to either lead this movement, or break free from it altogether.

Either way, it's an exciting future ahead (and another band named after a Pokémon).



Taylor Johnson

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