London Calling spring edition
The twice-yearly music festival at the Paradiso called London Calling helps give Amsterdam's indie kids and music lovers insight into what's happening across the channel and beyond. London Calling will return on 18 & 19 May 2012 as part of Indiestad.
Paradiso's indie music festival
For those Dutch kids in the know, trawling indie music blogs for the latest new act, London Calling is often their first chance to see them.
You may be familiar with some of the acts on this live set menu but the list is largely populated by bands starting out and breaking through. One thing is certain, if you're at Amsterdam's Paradiso for London Calling, you're guaranteed to catch a whole bunch of next big things!
Spring 2012 highlights
With more than twenty up-and-coming trailblazers on the menu, deciding exactly who to take a musical bite out of is never easy. Here are just a few of the highlights of the spring 2012 London Calling line-up.
Grimes (pictured right): Sharp and concise electro pop that sounds ultimately about 2012 instead of simply harking back to the '80s. The young Canadian is still relatively new, but she's recently signed to 4AD for the release of her third album Visions (her first two albums were only given limited releases in 2010 and reissued in 2011).
King Krule: This babyfaced 17-year-old has already proven to be something of a sensation in England before he's even delivered a debut album. Archy Marshall creates spacious urban singer-songwriter music that fits alongside peers like The xx. In the process he embraces influences such as jazz, hiphop and electronics.
Austra: Canadian girl duo Austra are likely to be one of the biggest hits of the weekend. Last year they sold out a small club show in Amsterdam before supporting Arcade Fire at Heineken Music Hall. Their minimal electronic sound may be quirky, even reminding of Kate Bush at times, but they certainly don't lack ambition.
Spector (pictured left): This new English quintet pack plenty of grandeur into a slick sound that somehow combines elements of Roxy Music with The Strokes. Consider that their chic productions remind of their namesake Phil Spector, and that frontman Fred MacPherson works a pair of glasses like only Jarvis Cocker usually gets away with, then you certainly have a band that's going places.
Team Me: Not too many Norwegian bands have been offered a London Calling slot in the past, but Team Me are one of Scandinavia's brightest pop hopes at the moment, even picking up a Norwegian Grammy last year. Although very much a guitar band at heart, their sound is undeniably pure pop that's bursting with melody and vivid harmonies.
Theophilus London: A fresh change from the guitar music that dominates the fest, this Brooklyn hip-hop star is generating a big buzz with his vibrant sound that mashes up sharp lyrics with electronic beats and echoes of guitar riffs. An early EP included a collaboration with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.
More information
Tickets are 20 euros per night or buy a passe-partout for the whole weekend for 35 euros (be warned: the passe-partouts tend to sell out quickly. For more information visit the official London Calling website.
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