Sons of Noel and Adrian

After whittling the line-up from thirteen down to a much more manageable nine, the Brighton band renowned for their sublime live shows are at their very strongest and most passionate. The 2016 album Turquoise Purple Pink sees the band exploring the influence of 70s Italian psychedelic horror soundtracks, minimalism, synthesisers, extreme volume and transcendent joy. Expect intense siren song from the duel female vocalists, three interlocked guitars and an assault of horns and drums.

The band have successfully reinvented themselves several times over their decade long history. SONAA’s 2008 self-titled debut album combined the lo-fi aesthetic of the likes of Bonny “Prince” Billy with the scale and dynamics of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The thirteen band members created a signature combination of hushed intimacy and epic grandeur which Drowned in Sound called “An intensely vivid journey into a discordantly beautiful world…. truly inspirational”.

In 2012 their second LP “Knots” saw the band “go electric” and explore new influences. In their review, the BBC noted the “influence of Chicago’s avant-garde rock and jazz scene and guitarists such as former Slint-man David Pajo in particular” and called it “a meaty, satisfying listen, unapologetically grand, featuring scores of strings, percussionists and woodwind trills to exhilarating effect”.