Band recommendations for Pukkelpop 2006

August 13, 2006 6:04 AM

MusicFilter: There's LOTS of bands playing at this year's Pukkelpop that I've never heard of. There's no way I'll be able to see all of them. So, any recommendations?

There's too many bands playing to list them all here and I can't link directly to the line-up because it's a flash site, but it's only 2 clicks from the main site.

I know most of the big hitters, but I'm curious if there's any obscure groups in the line-up which are must-sees.

posted by Runkst to Media & Arts (22 answers total)

I'm assuming you know most of the big/mid-tier bands (e.g. Radiohead and/or Snow Patrol)... so I'll skip those. but as for the more obsecure bands here's my recommendations (your tastes may vary of course):

Eagles of Death Metal, The Desden Dolls, Zero 7, !!!, Panic at the Disco, Be Your Own Pet,
posted by tundro at 6:14 AM on August 13, 2006

I'd recommend the Mercury Music Prize (here in the UK) nominated Guillemots, Morning Runner, We Are Scientists (always very entertaining - a very funny band), Scissor Sisters (who know how to party and put on a good show!), Hot Chip (also Mercury nominated), Broken Social Scene and finally my festival favourites, Placebo - camp indie rock thats been perfected into a very slick act!

Hope that helps :) They'd be my choice of the bands personally, but obviously I don't know your taste, so they're the ones I'd reccomend as being most likely to please!
posted by philsi at 6:24 AM on August 13, 2006

I forgot to also say two of my current favourites: Delays are great in the sunshine, and The Pipettes melodies and stories are pure class. Hope that helps :) Hopefully the rest of the responses to this thread will find you some more suggestions or narrow mine down a bit :)
posted by philsi at 6:33 AM on August 13, 2006

Gang Gang Dance
MSTRKRFT
Hot Chip
!!!
Mastodon
Broken Social Scenes (do not miss them)
Nick Oliveri & Mondo Generator
TV on the Radio
We Are Scientists
DJ Shadow
The Twilight Singers
posted by The Michael The at 6:58 AM on August 13, 2006

Jose Gonzales, DJ Shadow
posted by greta simone at 8:22 AM on August 13, 2006

Oh yeah, also the Frames, definitely
posted by greta simone at 8:23 AM on August 13, 2006

I could never attend a festival like this--I'd rip myself apart just so I could go to three shows at the same time. I recognized 90% of the line-up, and good portion of thse are probably worth seeing live at some point in your life. Many of the bands are only 'hot right now'--which means you may never have the opportunity to see them live again! It sucks for you that they're all going to be in the same place at the same time and you won't be able to see all of them.
With that opinion in mind, this becomes a 'hey, everybody, which of these is your favorite?'--type question, and a bit chatty.

Are you going with friends? Get together with them and plan your schedule. Everyone will want to see something different, but you can coordinate meetups and figure out the big-group shows. Pick a few acts that you know that you really, really want to see, and if you have blocks of time open play pin the tail on the indie band and take a chance. there's a lot of great music there this fall.

Now, to play along better, I'll say definitely see My Morning Jacket and The Frames. I'd fit those two bands along with !!! under the banner of 'transcendent' live.
posted by carsonb at 8:26 AM on August 13, 2006

Tunng
My Latest Novel
iForward, Russia!
Gogol Bordello
Hot Chip [saw them last week!]
Mew
!!!
The Knife
posted by yeti at 8:52 AM on August 13, 2006

I saw Against Me! several times when they were still doing their accoustic punk thing, and it was a lot of fun. Probably still is.

Spearhead puts on an amazing show, and the Pipettes supposedly do, as well.
posted by cmonkey at 9:11 AM on August 13, 2006

Artists/ bands that i recommend

(in some kind of order of importance to me)

Massive attack
Radiohead
Dj Shadow
TV on the Radio
Beck
Belle and Sebastian
Hot Chip
Dirty Pretty Things
Mew
Planes Mistaken for Stars

This is one hell of a festival.
posted by Rlocurto at 9:25 AM on August 13, 2006

See the Knife. No one else matters.
posted by maxreax at 9:25 AM on August 13, 2006

If I were you, I would definitely check out Midlake.
posted by ludwig_van at 9:48 AM on August 13, 2006

I'll also skip the already said or obvious big names...

You say party! We say die! - pretty good indie rock. I saw them open for controller.controller here in Winnipeg.
Roni Size - If you like drum and bass at all, this is a must see
Coldcut - Ninja Tune, don't miss it.
posted by utsutsu at 10:42 AM on August 13, 2006

The Knife.

They are my perennial AskMefi "what should I see at this festival" recommendation and with good reason.
posted by fire&wings at 11:24 AM on August 13, 2006

YOU HAVE TO SEE THE FRAMES!

sorry to get over excited.

also TV on the Radio, Broken Social Scene, Regina Spektor, The Dears, Midlake, Forward Russia, MSTRKRFT, and the Pipettes.
posted by ascullion at 12:22 PM on August 13, 2006

Assuming, as above, you know which of the main events you want to see.

Gomez or You Say Party, depending on which one is more your taste in that timeslot the first day, We Are Scientists, Scissor Sisters, Belle and Sebastian.

If I were you, and I'm currently jealous I'm not, I'd make damn sure I was at least in the B&S and Scientist shows. Yeee.

I think you can safely give HIM and 65 Days of Static a miss.
posted by absalom at 12:41 PM on August 13, 2006

dj shadow, tv on the radio, roni size (I didn't even know he was still around), the knife, !!!, technasia, psapp, the pipettes. Andrew Weatherall and Tom Middleton might be interesting if you were into 90s electronica (the orb and global communication, respectively).
posted by advil at 12:48 PM on August 13, 2006

A list of my favorites from the lineup. My must-see bands are in italics =]

Radiohead, Beck, Placebo, Massive Attack.

Arctic Monkeys, Scissor Sisters, The Raconteurs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol, Michael Franti and Spearhead.

The Magic Numbers, Eagles of Death Metal, Dirty Pretty Things, We are Scientists, Gomez, DJ Mylo.

Panic! At The Disco.
posted by cholly at 10:42 PM on August 13, 2006

Alice Russell, Jose Gonzalez, Zero 7
posted by milov at 3:58 AM on August 14, 2006

Andrew Weatherall and Tom Middleton might be interesting if you were into 90s electronica (the orb and global communication, respectively).

You're right about Tom Middleton/Global Communication, but Weatherall never had anything to do with The Orb, bar maybe a couple of remixes (think there's a Sabres Of Paradise remix of Oxbow Laxes). And he isn't just into playing "90s electronica" – I've seen him play stripped-down minimal techno, obscure funk, punk, Northern Soul, pitched-up electro, dub, psych pop, jazz – sometimes all of it in the same set. He's a great DJ; if he didn't clash with anyone I desperately wanted to see, I'd head for where he's playing. Otherwise, I'd go and see the following (presuming they don't clash):

(no order, just taking names looking down the main list and missing the big obvious ones)
Turbonegro
Twilight Singers w/ Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Broken Social Scene
TV On The Radio
The Knife
Nouvelle Vague
!!!
Carl Craig
Hot Chip
Guillemots
My Latest Novel

And for some levity: bands that are playing who I've seen live in the last year or so, and who were rubbish:

Dirty Pretty Things; Babyshambles; Snow Patrol; Placebo. And you don't need to see The Frames. Or Belle & Sebastian, unless they're going to do a cover of AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night Long, which was their redeeming feature last time I saw them.
posted by Len at 7:49 AM on August 14, 2006

Thanks for all the recommendations. I should've known that with the eclectic mefi tastes almost every group would get listed but there seem to be some definite hivemind favourites emerging from everbody's choices. I'll keep these suggestions in mind when planning my schedule. Thanks again.
posted by Runkst at 9:33 AM on August 14, 2006

You're right about Tom Middleton/Global Communication, but Weatherall never had anything to do with The Orb

Sorry, I was getting mixed up with sabres of paradise somehow (even though they aren't very much the same).

And he isn't just into playing "90s electronica" – I've seen him play stripped-down minimal techno, obscure funk, punk, Northern Soul, pitched-up electro, dub, psych pop, jazz – sometimes all of it in the same set.

Well, I think I meant more that they'd play the kind of things that someone who was into 90s electronica would play, and that is more or less that kind of list.
posted by advil at 10:45 AM on August 15, 2006