Popaganda is back at Eriksdalbadet this weekend, and we decided to pick out a few highlights among the many bands playing the festival.
FKA Twigs
There are very few people around right now as cool as FKA Twigs. Her brand of whisper-sculpted experimental R’n’B, which saw her LP1 album earn a Mercury Prize nomination in 2014, combined with her stunning use of visual art, makes her one of the most unique artists around.
Belle and Sebastian
Back in the days before indie and alternative were words used solely by Urban Outfitters to describe their marketing strategy, there were real indie bands, the eccentric outsiders of the music scene, writing songs about obscure intellectual interests and building cult followings (although very rarely coming close to commercial success). Belle and Sebastian are a classic of this genre. Once voted Scotland’s greatest band by readers of The List magazine, the Glasgow indie-pop troupe’s reputation was established on classic albums like Tigermilk and The Boy With The Arab Strap. Their last full-length, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance, came out in 2015, and they headline on Saturday night.
Niki And The Dove
Niki And The Dove will bring the neon 80s disco sheen to Popaganda, with songs drawn from the soft, reflective moonlit pop of their recent album Everybody’s Heart Is Broken Now. And they also have the more muscular electronic of songs like ‘DJ Ease My Mind’ from debut Instinct in their locker too.
Moon City Boys
Moon City Boys take one of the early Friday slots typically reserved for up and coming artists, and that’s fitting, because they’re one of the most exciting bands in Stockholm right now. They released a debut album, I Need More, a few months back and its mix of tightly-wound, mean rock songs like ‘City’ and looser indie numbers like ‘Washing Machine’ showcased the band’s talents and range to the full. They play at 15:30 on Friday afternoon.
Kleerup
Finally, after the sun goes down the party moves over to Sickla and Nobelberget for a more concentrated blast of dance music. Headlining at the Friday afterparty is Kleerup, the legendary producer and musician behind collabs with Robyn (‘With Every Heartbeat’) and the also-at-Popaganda Susanne Sundfør (‘Let Me In’), as well as a number of standalone hits. His most recent album, Det var den sommaren, was released earlier this year.
Words: Austin Maloney
Popaganda, Eriksdalbadet, Aug 26-27.
For full schedules and further information, go to Popaganda.se.
