London band My Luminaries have been announced as winners of the Early Bird section of the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition for 2010, organised by Q Magazine. This is where unsigned bands battle to secure a precious slot at Glasto; newly in 2010, one band, in this case My Luminaries, get an advance invite on the basis of how impressive they are.
So who are My Luminaries? A London five-piece peddling earnest rock, that’s who. They can do fast-paced rousers (eg The Sound of Music) but its the slower numbers that sound more elegant to me. Don’t Hold Me Back, for instance, comes with a nice burnished sound thanks to soft keys and hushed vocals around the occasionally gnarling guitar hooks; Heads Will Roll uses a harmonica and sleepy bass to tell a tale of death on the underground.
A cynic might say this is inoffensive soft rock - with some Keane-like grandeur here and Cribs-esque racket there – destined for the Pyramid Stage in a few years’ time. And they might be right. But doesn’t that make My Luminaries a good band?
If you fancy hearing more, My Luminaries’ debut, Order From The Chaos, is out now and available via the link below. Concert-wise, they’re playing the Monto Water Rats on Friday 5 February (details here).
MySpace | Buy | MP3: My Luminaries – Heads Will Roll (very kindly provided by the band)