Invada Invasion: The Strange Glue Preview

We're rather excited about this festival, it has more great bands packed into one night at Bristol’s multi-staged Colston Hall than most British festivals manage over three.

Oh, except the good old Supersonic of course, and End of The Road by the sounds of our mighty Editor's recent vibrations. It’s also remained a little under the radar, meaning you’re in luck if this is the first you’ve heard of it as tickets are still on sale, ranging between the £18 and £25 mark depending on your proximity. 

Curated by Geoff Barrow (of Portishead and the Invada Label) the full line up looks like this, followed by five previews of bands we certainly won’t be missing…

Crippled Black Phoenix (with orchestra)
Fuck Buttons
Fuzz Against Junk
Joe Volk (with orchestra)
Gonga
Malakai
Mogwai
Rosie Red Rash
Team Brick (with orchestra)
Thought Forms
Zu
Zun Zun Egui

We’ll start with the last, as the bible tells us so…

Zun Zun Egui

Zun Zun Egui blew me away at The Green Man festival, but I imagine they will be a highlight even amidst serious competition. Based in Bristol, but including members from Samoa, Atlantis and 6^th century Gaul, the band hurls their sonic catch at thy very harbour walls like a musical Trebuchet. Manta Rays, Mullet and Marlin fresh from Havana all the while smoking Mackerel through a peace pipe. Giddy yet? You will be….

Fuck Buttons

Bristolian trailblazers abound… the music of the ATP recordings duo has never been something I’ve been inclined to listen to on record, and this will be my first time hearing them live. I have no idea what kind of stage presence they do or don’t exhibit, but the opportunity to co-pioneer their grooves and blazed trails in company and ‘neath the lights and all is a tempting proposition to say the least.

Mogwai

The only time I’ve been to Colston Hall previously was to see a suited up Will Oldham make a fine case for his Letting Go album. It sounded beautiful in the big hall, and I can’t imagine a better meeting place for my first encounter with the cough cough legendary Mogwai Noise. Even lame post-rock is often convincing in the flesh, so there’s all manner of potential…

Malakai

Not sure how to elaborate on the sound these boys make. Here’s a video of their performance on, err, Lilly Allen and Friends, where they come across a little Super Furries and a little Primal Scream. In the seemingly vacuous environment they exhibit a Clinic-esque self-containment, somehow isolated and distant beneath puffer jacket hoods and Simian masks despite the bombast. In the right environment I can imagine that it could create a queer dislocation in we listeners, somewhere between wig out paranoid shuffles and faux-rock god strutting… not convinced, but intrigued.

Team Brick

Well, Jesus, take a look at this video and then cross-reference that with the billing… Team Brick (with orchestra). Why not!