2009 "discoveries"

[krasnyi]

A great part of the GM build-up is trawling the myspace pages and youtube to check out the performers you've never come across before. Two years ago (my first GM) I 'discovered' the wonderful but sadly no more, Monkey Swallows the Universe, Gilbert and Fanfarlo. Last year it was Radio Luxembourg (now called Race Horses), Caribou (best performance of 2008?) and Los Campesinos! Being a regular listener to Marc Riley's excellent show on 6Music I'm a bit more savvy about many of the acts now (so already into Leisure Society, Camera Obscura, Sweet Baboo etc). But I've still come across some fab sounding stuff that's completely new to me and which I'm really looking forward to seeing - the pick being:

6 Day Riot - sound liike a wonderul festival band, exuberant, skiffly folky stuff.
Player Piano - saw this guy supporting the great King Creosote on his recent tour - his Into the Dark ep is full of well impressive and highly polished songs.
Erland and the Carnival - Simon Tong has played in the Verve and the Good the Bad and the Queen but E&theC don't sound anything like these - file under folk-pop I guess.

So - what are your discoveries and recommendations for 2009?

[sealclub]

slightly off topic, but just in case you weren't aware, nat from mstu is now going by her own name of "nat johnson". after a few months doing solo stuff with loop pedals she's now got a full band behind her again (including kev from mstu).

[krasnyi]

Yup, I know. The single she had out last year - Dirty Rotten Soul - shows she's still on good form. Another one who should be on the bill for Green Man 2009. She entered the GM poll last year but didn't have an organised support network to get her the necessary votes. If you haven't seen it already there's some good stuff from Nat and Kev on bandstandbusking.com. Also worth checking out for a great session from the Leisure Society.

I missed MSTU at GM two years ago - it was pissing down at the time and my daughter (then nearly 4) refused to leave the tent because the waterproofs we'd been into Abergavenny to get her that morning 'made her look like a boy'! Heard bits of Little Polvier and the sublime Sheffield Shanty drifting across the campsite though.