Preview: Yes Way

More than a year ago, Upset the Rhythm and Auto Italia hosted their first YES WAY festival in a disused car warehouse in Peckham. Not only did it tempt East Enders down South for once, it also proved that underground music in the UK is as exciting as it has always been. Many of the bands that played last time have gone on to release records with Captured Tracks, Sub Pop and well, Upset The Rhythm and are welcomed back for a second year running while other UK cities represent thanks to excellent promoters like Comfort on a Tightrope.

Here are our picks from the bands we've covered this year

Friday

COLD PUMAS

Cold Pumas are so boombastic that Shaggy's retiring his crown to the Fisher bros and Mr Dan Reeves. Yeah, rather than apologise for liking hitting things hard, noodling and indulging in a bit of spooky shouting, Cold Pumas really go for it.

Cold Pumas: Beat Mystery by brilliantlydifferent

FAMILY

FAMILY make super cool synth pop that could come streaming out of by Brooklyn warehouses, 90s downtown discos or any where that the clientele really like their Cure with a dose of woozy beats. I

MUNCH MUNCH

glitch-pop; taking simple formats and whizzing them into a fury. I

LA LA VASQUEZ

Moving on from their savage days with a melodic set of fuzzy jams that are a must hear in 2010. Au Pairs, Young Marble Giants, Bikini Kill, K Records... whatever, they love that stuff but they're on their own track. 3 Parts girl, 2 Parts beer, 1 Part Cider, all rulin'. I wrote that earlier this year. I stick by it and add that they're better than ever.

GOLDEN GRRRLS

A fuzzy front blown down by the north wind from Glasgow, their gnarled take on C86 - the melodies set into ten tonne feedback and three part vocals hardly distinguisable from each other- is a real treat.

Golden Grrrls @ Glasgow Social Centre 18.12.09 from Winning Sperm Party on Vimeo.

FORMER BULLIES [Download]

They’ve always harboured a slapdash approach to the recording process, hurriedly getting the songs down on tape before they flutter away on the breeze. Ramshackle, wonky and utterly charming, it’s both a blessing and a curse that they’re located somewhere in the blogging world’s blind spot.

ISLET

Anyone who's been steamrolled by their liveshows will confirm, they mix wild live sounds [howling, organ and tag team drums] and manic guitar sounds.

FAIR OHS

The sound of three ex-hardcore blokes who gave melody a go, Eddy, Joe and Matt Flag glue 80s punk to 60s rockabilly. It's refreshing to hear a band refuse to give up live ferocity when they pick up a killer chorus.

BITCHES

If you like drumming, singing and crazy bass riffs you should check out BITCHES, a duo who've been making even lacklustre Londoners nod their heads to their fierce sounds. Staz goes all Moe Tucker cool on the drums while Blake gets amongst the crowd and makes young men wet their pants.

HUMAN HAIR

A band that aren't too beardy and aren't too predictably punk rock they make music that is at once thrashingly direct and, with the odd Dr Who-ish synth, pretty spacey.Those vocals rise above sometimes moody backdrops all Mark E Smith style yelping; they might be lost beneath the melee of noise but you know they are controlling the whole thing.

PLUG

Plug are a London two piece consisting of a Sian and a Georgie. They make dreamy, off beat, beepy, shouty music with a rough Raincoats vibe. Check ‘Body Story’ with its DIY, minimal and childlike feel or 'You Keep The Beats' raw and rough chorus.



Tickets for individual days or the whole weekend are available at http://www.wegottickets.com/f/1824