Field Day 2015: Ten To See

LA Priest
Domino signing LA Priest delivers sweet popping indie vocals against a mesh of up-tempo calypso rhythms, 80s synths and futuristic modulators. The work of Sam Dust – aka Late of The Pier’s Sam Eastgate – LA Priest first emerged with the dizzying, ever so slightly disturbing pop sounds of "Oino", but has been slowly building into the release of his debut album Inji. Having won over a late night Great Escape crowd this past month, LA Priest looks set to once again prove the talents of main man Sam Eastgate.

Tei Shi
The moniker of New York City based singer/songwriter and producer Valerie Teiccer, Tei Shi creates shimmering fluid pop songs that take on a life of their own on stage. Having joined our Komedia Stage bill at The Great Escape this year, Tei Shi proved her prowess as a performer and almost blew everyone else out of the water with the poised, elegant and yet somehow jagged, gutsy sounds of her Verde EP.

Shura
Having mastered the art of soulful, heart broken pop, Ones To Watch 2015 alumni Shura is high on our list of priorities for the weekend. The work of Alexandra Denton, Shura is all about sinewy vocal delivery, smooth synths and eighties drum beats - her euphoric pop bombast balanced out by lyrical melancholy and tales of heartbreak. Perfect preparation for a romantic summer basically.

Yak
Their secret house party show was a definite Great Escape highlight. For those of you that missed it Field Day offers a chance for redemption. For those of you, like us, who can not wait to experience their hard hitting psych sonics all over again, Field Day offers a chance for repetition.

Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve
Erol Alkan and Richard Norris's intermittent collaboration has been releasing vibrant, Balearic-psych infused, electronica since 2007. Always “re-animating” rather than remixing those that have come before them, Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve have drawn some of the most wonderful, hypnotising atmospherics from the likes of Euros Childs, Temples and Interpol. For some, beauty lies in the familiar made unfamiliar and for those people - especially the dance fans amongst them – this is pure perfection!

Formation
The work of South London twins Matt and Will Ritson, Formation’s sound is a groove packed melting pot, an ode to those long gone fleeting teenage moments as much as a call for forward motion. Improvised pop songs of the LCD ilk? Avant Garde jazz wading into modern youth culture? We’re not quite sure, but it’s exciting – and it’s genuine, which is a pretty rare thing these days.

Tala
The South London born singer/producer has been fairly quiet since her sell out Courtyard Theatre back in January. We can only hope this means she's been working on more of the same cutting edge pop that made her last EP so addictive.

Tropics
Gritting his teeth through the great chillwave crash of 2012, fringes auteur Chris Ward triumphantly emerged in February with his third full length album as Tropics. An emotionally intense offering that splices his core pop DNA with hints of RnB, jazz and soul, Rapture has found a place not a million miles away from James Blake or Jessie Ware. That's a pretty good place to be in our eyes.

Beach Baby
Dreamy pop of the highest order, “Ladybird” is the work of London via Athens four-piece Beach Baby. Bought to us by Chess Club Records and managed by the minds behind Jungle, Beach Baby are able to take the sleekest parts of every discernible genre – from grunge and shoegaze to post-punk – and meshes into a wonderfully dynamic, melodic indie.

HÆLOS
Snapped up by Matador after only a couple of outings, HÆLOS are masters of idiosyncratic beats, sidewinding atmospherics and Massive Attack-style cinematics. On stage you'll find bitter vocals battling with sweet melodies amongst a thick cloud electronics and fearless basslines.