indie pop

Samba ist eine deutsche Band aus Münster (Westfalen). Mitte der Neunziger bei Sony als hoffnungsvolle Newcomer im Windschatten der Hamburger Schule unter Vertrag, entwickelte sich die Gruppe um Songwriter Knut Stenert vom wortwitzigen deutschsprachigen Punk hin zu anspruchsvollem Indie-Pop, ohne dabei ein Massenpublikum ansprechen zu können. Durchgängiges Merkmal der Songs sind die extrem einfallsreichen, assoziativen deutschsprachigen Texte von Stenert. Der Name der Band geht auf einen seit den siebziger Jahren beliebten Sportschuh der Firma Adidas zurück.

While the mere mention of their name often invokes raised eyebrows and amused smiles among the uninitiated, Brisbane four-piece Hungry Kids of Hungary produce music that inspires equal measures of curiosity and joy. Dressing their immaculate indie tunes with a healthy dose of 60’s pop sensibility and lashings of soul HKoH have wasted no time in carving out a name for themselves on the Australian music scene with a quartet of radio singles and their relentless touring regime.

The Lovetones is led by Matthew J. Tow (acoustic & electric guitars / sitar / autoharp / vocals), formerly of Drop City, Colorsound and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, along with Matt Sigley (bass / keyboards / vocals) and Chris Cobb (drums / percussion). The Lovetones released their debut album, Be What You Want in 2002 through Bomp! Records, creating a palpable buzz amongst critics from the likes of Creem and Rolling Stone magazine. The latter hailed mainman Matthew J Tow's songwriting worthy of Ray Davies, Bowie, Lennon and McCartney: a bold statement, yet in his case, completely justified.