News Festival
55 New Acts Confirmed
St. Pauli’s spectacular club festival is fast approaching. By announcing another 55 names the final straight is in sight on the horizon.
For starters, we’ve got Get Well Soon (photo). Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Konstantin Gropper’s project, an ornately staged melange of indie, chamber pop, and folk, has been enriching the German and international music scene for around ten years now. Get Well Soon’s live shows are as impressive as their cinematic music videos. Come see for yourself – they’ll be at this year’s festival with their new album, “The Horror”.
Noga Erez’s genre-mashup of electro pop, trap, and borrowings from alternative R&B is a celebration of the postmodern in pop – and, amazingly enough, she manages to sound like no one else. Her idiosyncratic music thrives on an unbridled eclecticism that she embraced at a young age. As a child, Erez took piano and singing lessons; later she was a backup singer in an indie band and founded a jazz trio. At Reeperbahn Festival, the Israeli artist demonstrates how seamlessly politics and pop fit together in 2018.
Denai Moore was similarly driven in the early days of her – still relatively new – career. Born in Jamaica, she started to learn to play keyboard from her father when she was quite young. After moving to London’s bustling Stratford district, she found inspiration in the icons of the African-American soul scene in Britain and the US, an influence that can clearly be heard on her releases. R&B and folk, magic and melody – it all comes through in her live performances as well, and with a passion that’s contagious.
Sam Fender has passion, too, and channels it into his music, though he’s less a romantic-ballad type and more a rousing-indie-hymn-with-dystopian-lyrics sort. George Orwell’s classic novel “1984” is one inspiration. The insanity of our late-capitalist world is another. Longlistedfor BBC Sound of 2018, Fender brings his politically charged music to this year’s festival.
Political but a good deal more provocative – that’s Keele. The Hamburg-based combo counts German indie greats Tomte, Kettcar, and Muff Potter among its influences but Keele’s sound is far more intense, especially live, moving between alternative and punk. The band’s debut, “Gut und dir”, was released by Rookie Records last year – and now, this year, the fivesome is playing Reeperbahn Festival. Impressive. Though they’ve actually been making music for a while.
Also confirmed:
Glass Museum | DENA | Declan J Donovan | Ziggy Alberts | black midi | Ruston Kelly | Beauty & the Beats | Cat Clyde | Leto | The Mauskovic Dance Band | LION | BLED WHITE | Nelson Can | The Dirty Nil | Micah Erenberg | Rayannah | Felix Räuber | Perttu | Jett Rebel | Brett Newski | Marianne Aya Omac | Berywam | Moonlight Benjamin | MONOWHALES | Iskwé | Nuela Charles | The Town Heroes | Hillsburn | Walrus | Rock N Roll Radio | Love X Stereo | SE SO NEON | Life and Time | Milk & Bone | Double Experience | Aquarama | Null + Void | Better Person | 2nd Blood | Mijo Biscan | Voyou | Athletic Progression | Inge van Calkar | BBXO | Jon Bryant | Little Destroyer | Yung Heazy | Nick Faye | Rosie & the Riveters | Shirley & The Pyramids