Coming Up: CloseUp Festival in London
London-based promoters CloseUp are hosting their annual festival, this year it is taking place on May 20th-22nd at Colours Hoxton. This three-day event features a lineup of indie, R&B and alternative artists from around the UK.
Three up-and-coming bands will play Friday the 20th, starting at 7:30pm. Headlining band Orchards, based out of Brighton, blends electronic with math rock to generate a uniquely glitchy and hook-filled sound. In 2016 they released their first single, Peggy, a jumble of complicated riffs and manic drums that squeezes in a series of infectious hooks. They expanded on this sound with the 2018 Losers/Lovers EP, and in 2020 released their first full-length album, Lovecore. By then their music had developed into something summery and danceable, while hanging on to the athletic drumming and intricate melodies. Trust Issues, their most recent EP, continues the trend, managing to turn up the brightly colored electronic vibe. “Leave Us Here (We’re Fine)”, the opening track, is three minutes of pure sunshine at the beach.
Through their discography, they toggle between math-rock and a sound closer to straight-ahead indie, with persistent overtones of sunny optimism. Thyla and Bandits will round out the night, each delivering loud, guitar-laden alt rock, successfully taking cues from Arctic Monkeys and the like.
Saturday brings a long and sonically diverse line up, with acts starting at 1pm. King No-One is a loud indie group with a stadium-filling sound. The band has been releasing a stream of singles since 2014. They are not an album outfit and have just one EP release - 2019’s OOMM. Over the last eight years their sound has bounced between the rock and pop sides of the indie spectrum, but the volume stays consistently high, as does the emo attitude. Their most recent single, “Oxygen”, is a compact guitar ballad filled with a sweeping crescendo of dark angst, a vibe they have been perfecting over the years. This is one for the devotees of upside-down crosses and ripped skinny jeans.
Later in the evening, Mantaraybryn brings a soulful electronic indie, Cariss Auburn offers up a set of alternative R&B, and second thoughts comes through with a funky sound, reminiscent of bands like Orange Juice. The rest of the evening is filled out with eclectic performances by Mollie Coddled, Downtown Kayoto, a DJ set from Swim Deep, and Havelock.
The festival will round out on Sunday with with Kent-based pop due APRE. Other acts to be showcased include Make Friends, Castells, and Carpark.
Don’t miss your chance to check out these local artists - get your under £20 tickets here for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.