Fri, 02 Oct 2009 1:09p.m.
From: East Auckland, NZ
Who: Artisan Guns: Matthew Hope (vocals & guitar), Reuben Stephens (bass & harmonies), Alex Freer (drums) and Jonathan Pearce (guitar & keyboards)
The Scoop: This is a new band to get excited about. They are stupid young (still at Uni) and have a sound which really makes them stand out from the crowd. It would loosely be described as being alt folk but has a great layering of drum loops, harmonies & keyboards which creep up on you and take you by surprise. Don't be surprised to see the adjective 'haunting' being used to describe them in the future.
The live sound is a little more loose & grunty than what you hear on the record but both work well. Look out for their first EP called Bird & Bone which has 5 tracks including Autumn which is an absolute stunner. If you didn't know better you may think that they had come from London and the breeding ground that has already given us Jack Penate, The Maccabees and Lightspeed Champion in recent times.
The video for Autumn has started playing on C4 this week and, like the music, stands out from the crowd. Look out for it. You can also visit their website for a chance to win tickets to their shows in Wellington, Christchurch & Dunedin next week.
Shuffle with: Laura Marling, Noah & The Whale, Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes
Play on: Sunday, while enjoying brunch
Next Gig: tonight (2 Oct), Cassette 9, Auckland City
Links: myspace, win tickets