Bingley Music Live 2011 Preview

The Fun Lovin’ Criminals – or ‘FLC’ – came out of New York fusing hip-hop with alternative, rock, blues, and even jazz sounds.  They’ve found a particular fan base in the U.K. and Europe.  Legal issues with their former management prevented the band from releasing a great deal in this last decade, but last year saw Classic Fantastic, and this April FLC released their first live album, Fun, Live and Criminal.

Wales’ Skindred fuse reggae, metal, and more (including old fashioned rock) into ‘ragga metal’ that taps into a huge number of different influences while making something original.

Brighton’s The Go! Team combine music & movies – indie-garage meets blaxploitation & Bollywood soundtracks, as well old school hip-hop and super-distorted guitars, charting in both the U.K. & U.S. earlier this year with third record, Rolling Blackouts.

Young Guns

Alice Gold 

There are some bands that make the top ten in Britain, and Americans only wish their national audience was as cool in their taste – case in point, Maxïmo Park.  The English act has charted with all three of their records (most recently 2009’s Quicken the Heart), earning their status as a festival headliner in their native country.

While they’ve never really broken outside of the British home, Wales’ Feeder (QRO live review) have been a consistent hit on the Isles, and now bring their alt-rock home.

From Eel Pie Island in Twickenham (that’s in London, under the Heathrow flight path), the Mystery Jets have had success in U.K., but are trying to make it in America (would be helpful if they got their visas in order – QRO live review of U.S. show they couldn’t make).

While London’s Athlete broke through with their 2003 debut Vehicles & Animals, it was with third record Beyond the Neighborhood (QRO review) that they reached great indie-rock skill.  Unfortunately, 2009’s Black Swan (QRO review) was a major step back into the overwrought – but who knows what Athlete will show up in Bingley.

Scottish singer/songwriter Jon Fratelli is best known for his work in The Fratellis, before forming Codeine Velvet Club, but is now working solo, debuting in July with full-length Psycho Jukebox.

Out of the Austin psychedelic rock scene comes White Denim (QRO live review at home in Austin), but they’re more accessible than most psych-rock, if also correspondingly less inspired (QRO photos at a festival).

Also:

Dot Rotten

Dionne Bromfield 

State of Error

Thirteen16

Electronic music duo Saul Milton & Will Kennard – a.k.a. Chase & Status – broke through in the last few years, rising to be one of the U.K.’s top electronic acts.  They’re also much in demand on the festival circuit, with the kind of full-fledged live show that so many in electronica don’t bring.

From just to the southwest on the Wirral Peninsula, The Coral mix the psychedelica & folk of the sixties with even older country and modern day rock through seven albums now, most recently with last year’s Butterfly House.

Daughter of a stage director & a theatre actress, Eliza Sophie Caird adopted the name of lady in My Fair Lady for her own musical exploits, charting in the U.K. with singles such as “Skinny Genes” and “Pack Up”, as well as last year’s self-titled debut album – and recently signed with a modeling agency…

Tottenham grime rapper Jermain Scott – a.k.a. Wretch 32 – emerged from the Tottenham Movement this year, with notice as one of the best new artists of the year from both The BBC & MTV.

Boy, you’ve got to stay “Connected”, and Bingley does that with Clapham’s Stereo MCs.  The 1992 hit single is still the outfit’s best-known piece of work (though has graced soundtracks for a number of flops, such as the films Hackers and Saving Silverman, plus Rob Lowe’s short-lived series, Dr. Vegas), but they’re now something of ‘elder statesmen’ in British rap & electronica.

Also:

The Sunshine Underground 

Russo

Daley

Kingheadlock

Geek