Leeds, UK · alternative · indie rock · indie pop · alternative rock

alt-J

No festival dates we track

Leeds band who turned close three-part harmony, lurching rhythms and Joe Newman's adenoidal delivery into arena-sized indie. 'Breezeblocks' still does the heavy lifting.

alt-J formed at university in Leeds in 2007, taking their name from the Mac keystroke that produces the delta symbol. The music leans on Joe Newman's nasal, clipped phrasing and vocal lines that the band stacks in tight harmony, set against drum patterns that stop and restart rather than keep a straight beat. Gus Unger-Hamilton's keyboards fill the space where a bass player would normally sit.

Their debut won the Mercury Prize in 2012, and 'Breezeblocks' and 'Tessellate' remain the songs most crowds turn up for. Later records added orchestral arrangements and heavier guitar without much changing the way the vocals work.

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