Tribes

Out of the plethora of new bands being hailed by the NME and others as we amble hopefully, fresh faced and still dizzy from Kanye West's album into 2011, there's one who stand out in a slightly peculiar fashion. A lot of new British acts this year, especially the guitar based ones, are being complimented and hyped up for their Britishness - carrying on the torch/band/silly haircuts of previous generations. It varies from The Vaccines (awesome) to Brother (they make me physically sick, I kid you not) who both represent the revival of two strands of British guitar rock. I suppose every Oasis will generate a Blur in retaliation. And then there's producer turned subversive pop sensation James Blake, touted as the next step in UK dubstep's evolution. But there's one act that stands out amongst that patriotic backdrop though, and it's Camden's beloved, aloof and scruffy Tribes.

Tribes have been an incredibly elusive and intangible band for the past year or so. Identities shrouded in mystery, no physical releases, and very few live shows played. We know their names and faces now however (Johnny, Jim, Dan and Miguel - yes, Miguel), their very few early live shows resulted in them SOMEHOW being chosen to support PIXIES just a few gigs and no releases into their career! There are still no physical, or (legal) digital releases to speak of. They've stated that they didn't want to do "the whole MySpace" thing where their fanbase builds online. They're literally the one hyped act around right now who have gained their following through genuine, physical word of mouth and grassroots fans. They have what can genuinely be called a cult following, and have had lots of British indie fans frothing at the mouth.

The thing that makes them stick out amongst all of the new British acts being championed all over the shop this year however is that they are undyingly devoted and in love with American guitar music. Pavement, Sonic Youth, REM, Nirvana the aforementioned Pixies, have all been mentioned by the bands in interviews as beloved influences. The aforementioned NME has touted them "the best American band in Britain". Their Yankophilia is more than evident in the few songs available on their MySpace page - the grunge tinged "Fate on Tape" and "Whenever" echo Pixies and Nirvana both in terms of the fuzzy sound, but both boasting killer hooks. And "killer hooks" seems somehow inadequate to describe their demo of "We Were Children". It's streaming below, and in it's current bare bone format it is clear it's an amazing piece of songwriting. And their BBC Maida Vale session finally gave us a taster of what a studio version might sound like. Their music doesn't revel sounding lo-fi either, these songs would sound good anywhere. They've made it clear that their intended destination is not radio/commercial success. They're sincere about making people feel something with their music. That may seem like a cliched or even contrived statement, but it's so simple and youthful, I love it. Sometimes you can get a bit tired of overly cerebral, referential and intricate indie music. Tribes - not to call them stupid or simple - sound, right now, just so right and so timely.

If I had to make a snap judgement, I wouldn't say that they're the saviours of British guitar music, which everybody seems to be looking for this year. I think The Vaccines have that in store for them, but Tribes (I hope) should grow into a fantastic new British band, riding along on their own loose, ramshackle tangent.
Tribes don't even have a fully defined sound yet. They have no physical releases and just a mysterious comment saying "tour dates coming soon..." on their MySpace. And yet they've generated this much excitement. I can't wait for whatever happens next.

Tribes - We Were children by ITCManchester

Their session at the BBC's famous Maida Vale studios (organised by the NME and Radio 1's Huw Stephens) was videoed, is is available below, courtesy of the BBC!