After a two-year string of cancellations and postponements, Neighbourhood Weekender festival will return to Warrington’s Victoria Park across Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th of May. The line up sees Greater Manchester residents Courteeners and Blossoms take headline slots alongside adopted Mancunians DMA’s and Rock icons Kasabian. Yet, as always, the indie festival has a host of lesser known, upcoming artists for music lovers to discover.
Kynsy
After being placed in the NME Top 100 and Dork’s Influential Hype List, Dublin songwriter Kynsy has cemented herself as a must see this Summer. Her sound is eclectic, dipping between elements of Garage Rock and electro-infused bedroom pop with ease, often creating a steady, rhythmic backdrop that allows her vocals to take the lead. Just like her instrumentals, her vocals refuse to exist within the confines of one style. Taking inspiration from a varied collection of songwriters such as Damon Albarn, Julian Casablancas and Iggy Pop she shifts from deadpan cynicism to playful expressionism in a heartbeat.
Her debut EP ‘Things That Don’t Exist’, released last year, provided a perfect snapshot of her colourful blend of sounds. ‘Elephant in the Room’ develops from a cinematic, introspective intro into a more angsty and self-empowered finalé. Meanwhile, ‘Dog Videos’ is peppered with bubblegum synth tones and uplifting brass hooks that create a feel-good urban energy reminiscent of Lily Allen. With a brand new bold and punchy single 'New Year' just released and a headline slot for BBC1’s Jack Saunders announced, it looks like Kynsy could be in for a huge summer.
Pip Blom
Dutch quarter Pip Blom began with lead vocalist, Pip, writing her own songs back in 2016 and uploading them online. The rapid attention that the releases received prompted her to quickly form a band around her, made up of Darek Mercks, Gini Cameron and brother Tender Blom, and start touring across Europe. Since then, they have expanded on their Amsterdam origins and become one of the most well received European exports in the UK with their down to earth indie aesthetic.
Pip has often been credited for the personal aspect to her songwriting. Indeed, there is a refreshing honesty that rings throughout her lyrics and, although many of the band’s tracks are performed with quite an uplifting, warm tone, the thematic content can be brutally truthful. Their new album ‘Welcome Break’ which arrived late last year offers an unfiltered, and often self-critical, view of modern day relationships with the lyrics “do you feel like a number?” and “I know I’m not easy to like”. This blend of joyful musicality and deeply relatable concepts offers a calming sonic release and will provide the perfect soundtrack for a therapeutic festival detox come May.
Retro video club
Indie Rock outfit Retro Video Club push everything they do to the max. Each track is laden with their thick Edinburgh accents and is delivered with a powerful intent. They sound like they would be equally at home playing in a cramped underground club or in front of a stadium crowd as their music combines a gritty bouncy energy with an expansive, anthemic quality. Their latest single 'Faking' is driven by a soaring vocal chorus comparable to fellow Edinburghers Vistas and is perfect for singing at the top of your voice in a packed festival tent.
Their bold Rock swagger has earned them support slots with the likes of The Vaccines, The Kooks and The Libertines as well as an upcoming headline UK tour in August. If you can’t wait till then, then make sure you’re at Neighbourhood on the Saturday to catch their set!
The Rills
After sporadically releasing a selection of five singles in as many years, London trio The Rills are really kicking into gear in 2022. They are building up to their debut EP and have just released one of the EP’s singles ‘World Leaders’. Their style ranges from more summery, vocal-led tracks with catchy melodies to harsher, more in-your-face atmospheres that carry a punk spirit. ‘World Leaders’ strays into the later of the two with a punchy drum tone and angst-ridden, purposeful lyrics. The direct delivery and audible frustration combined with a dense instrumentation, that is impressive for just three members to make, creates a poignant, gritty anthem perfect for a packed festival tent.
Fresh off a nationwide tour, the industry has certainly caught wind of the band’s rising acclaim as they have been booked to play all the best UK festivals including Great Escape and Boardmasters. However, if you want to catch them earlier than everyone hitting up the summer’s music highlights then Neighbourhood has you covered.
Shit Indie Disco
On top of all the fantastic artists that will be performing across the two days, the festival line up is packed full of fun, music-related events from silent discos to late night raves. However, the must-see side event of the weekend has to be the Shit Indie Disco. Labeled as the best and friendliest student night in Liverpool, Shit Indie Disco (or Shindie to regulars) is the creation of brothers Nic and Sean. Their regular Thursday night event provides a mixture of the latest indie releases as well as a few older classics and offers a down to earth night out atmosphere to contrast the seriousness of club life.
For 5 years the duo have been campaigning to perform at Neighbourhood and now they have finally got the call up that they and their fans have been waiting for. Although they are swapping their usual nightclub surroundings for a festival tent, you can expect the disco to be just as free spirited and energetic as ever. It will certainly be the perfect way to keep the party alive in between seeing your favourite acts.
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