 |
| Pictured (from left): Miki Rich, Jonno Panichi, Bonnie Fraser, David Potter / Picture source: Stand Atlantic on Twitter |
We all have favourite bands, for sure. I'm not disputing that or stating in any way that your favourites are undeserving of your support. What I mean by my exclamatory title is that while it's cool to have generic favourites, there is a multitude of lesser recognised bands that are equally as worthy of your attention.
Let me give you an example. We Are The In Crowd are one of my favourite pop-punk bands ever. Ever. But, since their announced hiatus in 2016, I decided to branch out a little to bands that weren't quite as prevalent around the time as my compilation of favourites (Tonight Alive, PVRIS, Paramore...) and was more than pleasantly surprised at my findings.
Asking your friends for artist recommendations is always a pretty solid place to start. I tweeted asking to be directed to some underrated bands and artists a bit over two years ago now and little did I know, that single tweet would be a huge turning point in my life. Shortly after, names were shot at me left, right and centre and Stand Atlantic stuck to me like a glob of really, really, really gross gum. (I'm kidding.) But they did stick to me. To this day, I can't get them off. Remember what I said about them being gross?
When I first heard of them, Stand Atlantic were a tiny Aussie trio, freshly signed to Rude Records, that had just released their second and highly propelling EP, 'Sidewinder'. The five-track effort spun continuously in my household from then on, and if we as a generation still listened to physical copies of records, it probably would've split from the amount of wear it had. Rightfully so, 'Sidewinder' then continued to catalyse Stand Atlantic's career and they have since exploded into popularity. They're even selling out tours now. I love that for them.
Asking your friends for artist recommendations is always a pretty solid place to start. I tweeted asking to be directed to some underrated bands and artists a bit over two years ago now and little did I know, that single tweet would be a huge turning point in my life. Shortly after, names were shot at me left, right and centre and Stand Atlantic stuck to me like a glob of really, really, really gross gum. (I'm kidding.) But they did stick to me. To this day, I can't get them off. Remember what I said about them being gross?
When I first heard of them, Stand Atlantic were a tiny Aussie trio, freshly signed to Rude Records, that had just released their second and highly propelling EP, 'Sidewinder'. The five-track effort spun continuously in my household from then on, and if we as a generation still listened to physical copies of records, it probably would've split from the amount of wear it had. Rightfully so, 'Sidewinder' then continued to catalyse Stand Atlantic's career and they have since exploded into popularity. They're even selling out tours now. I love that for them.
 |
| Pictured: Max Dervan of Wolf Culture / Picture credit: Ethan Tomlinson |
The fast-tracked development of bands' careers is rewarding for the creators and consumers alike. Catching bands while they're in the early stages simply makes the process of their growth so much more heartwarming. Stand Atlantic's first UK headline tour took place in London mid-2018, less than two years after Sidey's release, and being able to go and witness the glee on their faces because of the turnout firsthand made me kinda soft, man.
In a venue with a capacity of only a couple hundred, the almost sold-out show was memorable in more ways than one. Seeing the bumbling crowd of fans that had encountered Stand Atlantic at varying points in their budding career was unifying in a way because we were all there for the same reason: to support this group of boisterous weirdos in their expanding ventures. I was also there to come out to my parents with the help of vocalist, Bonnie Fraser, too, but that's beside the point.
What I'm getting at here is that a band's talent is not reliant on their follower count. In some ways, it's actually more fulfilling to support smaller bands, because you get to experience the sickly sweet pride that comes with them gaining traction, attention, fans...
 |
| Pictured (from left): Harry Deller, Hannah Mee, Tom Paton, Jim Shaw of Hot Milk / Picture credit: Samantha Guess |
Bands with larger followings clearly deserve support, as they have reached their status for a reason, but smaller bands tend to have much more riding on their craft. Independent bands, in particular, are very unlikely to be able to pursue their music career full time, and often have to carry jobs on their backs alongside their guitars or amps. Regardless of stature, bands make tuppence on streams of their songs alone, thus relying heavily on merch sales and live support, and this is even tougher on less established artists.
This is merely another reason that you should give smaller bands a go! As I said before, followers are not synonymous with talent so it's not even like buying a few shirts would be out of pity. There's a damn good chance their music absolutely slaps, too, so you'd be getting to rep your potentially new favourite band. Also, it's becoming a sickeningly regular occurrence that unsigned bands are being stolen from, so by supporting them in buying their products and listening to their music, you're able to make a profound, long-lasting, helpful effect on them.
I've compiled a playlist of kickass songs here, that deserve way more attention than they're getting. Checking out a new band takes only a few moments out of your day, while it could drastically heighten their careers for good.
Article by: PJ
