The Bulletin: T Break Lineup Announced | 17 May

FESTIVAL WATCH: T-BREAK SPECIAL - WHO'S WHO
The 16 bands picked for the 2013 T Break stage at T in the Park (12-14 Jul) represent a cross-section of Scotland's musical culture. Although guitar-based music – particularly indie bands – dominate the lineup, there are a few examples of bands fusing mainstream sounds with more experimental approaches, as evidenced by the inclusion of epic electronic excursionists Machines In Heaven, and post-rock mathletes Vasa.

The achievements of breakout hip-hop duo (now a four-piece) Hector Bizerk are recognised – a band who worked hard to promote their own gigs, building a huge following via word of mouth, and garnering some impressive support slots. Significantly, it's their second year at T in the Park, after playing the BBC Introducing stage last year. Electronica is nodded to with the inclusion of big-room electro barons DARC, and folk and acoustic music are strongly represented by the likes of Michael Cassidy and Seams. 

All in all, the T Break judges, who include our very own Music Editor Dave Kerr among their number, along with broadcasters Vic Galloway and Jim Gellatly, and a selection of gig bookers, band managers and print journalists, have included a pretty strong and varied selection this year – and each band will be looking forward to performing in front of a heaving crowd at the 20th annual T in the Park in July. Let The Skinny take you through the bands who could well be Scotland's next big thing... 

Machines In Heaven
Releasing their debut, controversially titled The 'Glasgow Jihad' EP, via experimental netlabel Black Lantern Music earlier this year, Machines In Heaven sound, in many ways, like the perfect Glasgow band - rooted in an indie and post-rock aesthetic, they incorporate heavy electro grooves, elements of DFA-style punk-funk and neo-disco, and the epic sweep of soundtrack music into their multi-layered sound, perfectly bridging the city's love of indie and it's world-renowned club scene.

The band's uniqueness is due in no small part to their lineup – experimental songsmith Blood Blood (Davey Gwynne) is on board; as is veteran producer and Optimo favourite Magic Daddy (Greg Hurst); recent addition to the band Connor Reid produces chillwave as YuTaNi; while founding member Graham Crossan previously traded in esoteric folk under the name The Great I Am. Lauded by everyone from Vic Galloway and Ally McCrae to Billboard Magazine, they're playing pretty much every festival in Scotland this year – an experience which will no doubt hone and sharpen their already impressive live performance.   

"Machine In Heaven are having an exceptional year so far, and being picked to play T Break is one of the most exciting things yet to happen to us," says Crossan. "T In The Park is one massive party, and we're looking to add everything we can to the atmosphere."

Hector Bizerk
After storming the BBC Introducing stage last year, Hector Bizerk have managed to get picked for this year's T-Break, making a welcome return to the festival. Perhaps one reason for their return is the expansion of their band from a two-piece (with rapper Louie backed only by the immensely impressive drumming of Audrey Tait) into a four-piece, with bass and synth rounding out the lineup and solidifying their sound. They have gone from being an interesting and unique oddity to unmissable live sensations, as evidenced by our review of a recent show.

What's more, they represent a fine example of the best the vibrant Scottish hip-hop scene has to offer, as Louie comments: "As a completely independent band in an under-supported genre, I think our selection for T In The Park is testament to how open-minded T Break's judges can be," he says. "We are absolutely stoked to be flying the flag for hip-hop at TITP two years in a row." A technically devastating rapper, a brilliant writer and a charismatic performer, Louie also released a fantastic solo album this year, which is worth checking out before you catch them at T Break.

Honeyblood
Honeyblood, comprised of Stina Marie Claire (vocals/guitar) and Shona McVicar (drums), have been winning hearts and minds up and down the country since they formed, selling out first EP Thrift Shop in record time. For once the hype is justified - trading in stripped down garage rock and new wave, they have drawn comparisons to the Breeders and Throwing Muses, with sharply observant lyrics, and a wilfully lo-fi aesthetic. Definitely ones to watch at T Break and beyond. 

Fake Major
Two-man indie-pop sensations Fake Major are a sublime proposition. Richard Freguson and David McGinty have made music together from childhood onwards, and their easy camaraderie and intricate harmonies definitely sound like the result of practice, familiarity and the special intimacy that is created when two singers develop and evolve in parallel. On record, their songs are a riot of colour and sound, with horns, multi-part guitars and drums. Live, they promise something a little more stripped back, and it will be fascinating to see how their sound transfers to the festival setting. Their debut EP, Having Lots Of Fun, mixed by veteran indie producer Andrew Bush and mastered by Iain Cook of CHVRCHES, was released on Comets and Cartwheels for Record Store Day this year. 

Blindfolds
Blindfolds also hail from Glasgow but, on first listen, you wouldn't be surprised to learn that they had sprung fully-formed from the swamps of the Mississippi Delta. Their EP, Voodoo, released late last year, is full of anthemic, foot-stomping choruses, delivered in the unique growl of front-man John O'Neill, ornamented by chugging blues riffs, wild harmonica and powerful drums. At times recalling the psych-rock pomp of The Doors, or the filthy swagger of The Cramps, their music is sweaty, dark and deadly - the kind of unashamedly retro band who could give Black Rebel Motorcycle Club a run for their money. 

Vasa
One of the most original and inventive bands on this year's T Break stage are Glasgow's Vasa, who released their debut album Never Have Dreams through Overlook Records late last year. Trading in dreamy, elegantly-constructed instrumental math-rock, the band build towering, beautiful edifices of sound, with walls of shoegaze guitar doing battle with complex time signatures and extended ambient lulls. A four-piece, hailing from Glasgow, Perth and Newcastle, their experimental, majestic music stands up with the best post-rock has to offer, drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky.

DARC
The ideal fusion of big-room enormo-dance and upfront, party-oriented rock, Edinburgh's DARC are sure to be crowd-pleasers at this year's T Break. Championed by Ally McCrae and Jim Gellatly, they trade in a sound which is equal parts bombast, energy and enthusiasm, with live drums backing up a live set built from turntables, sequencers, synths and live vocals. Their infectious tracks have seen them picked for high-profile support slots with the likes of Hot Chip. Unafraid to pilfer from techno, electro, dubstep and stadium rock, often all in the space of a single track, DARC look set to blow up the T-Break stage, with the honour of being perhaps the most dance-oriented act on this year's bill.

Michael Cassidy
Michael Cassidy's take on folk is characterised by his fragile, tender voice and intimate lyrics, buoyed by uplifting choruses, all delivered in his distinctive Paisley brogue. He cites John Martyn and Rufus Wainwright as influences, and has supported some heavyweight names, including Ocean Colour Scene, King Krule and Ben Howard. His self-titled debut EP was released in 2011.

Poor Things
The great thing about Glasgow/Perth three-piece Poor Things is how unapologetically lo-fi they are. They are the slacker-rock band Scotland has been crying out for. Their recordings, for the most part, sound wonderfully cheap and throwaway, and are all the more appealing for it. They trade in the kind of beautifully scuffed and scuzzy alt rock/bubblegum pop that will appeal to fans of Pavement, but have a way with vocal harmonies a la Teenage Fanclub too, resulting in the occasional acoustic ballad. For the most part though, it's all willfully strange song titles (A Drunk Man Considers the Royal Wedding at Kelvingrove Park is a particular standout), experimentally-tuned guitars and scattershot drums. Their tracks absolutely nail the trick of sounding like they could fall apart at any moment, but always remaining coherent. 

Pronto Mama
Last year, with funding from Creative Scotland, Pronto Mama took to Chem19 studios to record their second EP Lickety Split, with the help of producers Jamie Savage and Paul Winton. It's an intriguing blend of layered vocal harmonies, witty, observational lyrics and solid indie rock, with hints of math-rock in their intricate guitar and drum parts adding a uniqueness, and a sprawling sense of space. The video for their track One Trick Pony was directed by Robert Florence of Burnistoun fame. 

Seams
Dundee's Seams are a five-piece, centred around the stunning vocals of singer Katie Lynch. Not much has been written about the band so far, and they come to this year's T Break without much hype, or much information in the public eye about their members, their influences, or their approach. One thing is for sure –trading in the kind of immaculately realised, harmonically perfect folk on display in their EP Distance & Time, they are sure to draw attention, with a sound that will appeal to those who appreciate the likes of Rachel Sermanni or Lanterns on the Lake. 

Sunshine Social
Signed to Innovation Music, six-piece multi-instrumentalists Sunshine Social make anthemic, driving indie rock, drawing comparisons to Frightened Rabbit and The Flaming Lips. With pleading, cracked falsetto vocals and intricate, polyrhythmic drums, there is enough complexity in their sound to mark them out from the indie pack, and last year's EP The Trek Home saw them embraced by bloggers and fans alike, building on the recognition they received in 2010 as winners of the Billy Kelly Songwriting Award. 

The Merrylees
Describing their sound as 'psychedelic western pop,' five-piece The Merrylees hail from Edinburgh and Glasgow. Nodding heavily to 60s British psychedelia, there are shades of Arthur Lee in their music, with a folk-y, Americana-influenced twang to their jangly melodies that see them sitting comfortably alongside the likes of Mumford & Sons.   

The Velveteen Saints
The core of The Velveteen Saints approach is simply good old-fashioned rock and roll. Garage, blues, new wave and punk elements are all deployed with the enthusiasm of unashamed rock purists – this is a band who wouldn't seem out of place in any of the previous four decades, with nods to the infectious punk-pop of the Buzzcocks, the straight-up rock and roll of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, or the brazen Motown and soul-appreciation of Rocks-era Primal Scream. They are a band who, when they claim rock and roll is dead, seek only to kill it off so they can revive it again.  

Arches
Like a significant proportion of this year's selection, four-piece Arches hail from Glasgow. Scotland's biggest city both spawns and attracts a huge number of new bands each year, and Arches' members are no strangers to this phenomenon. Singer Michael Rice used to be in Yashin, while other members have all played in bands such as Young States and Jocasta Sleeps .They played their first show late in November 2011, developing their performance and honing their songs, showcased on the EP Like Fireworks. Musically, they have drawn comparisons to Death Cab for Cutie and U2, but we can hear a good dose of Snow Patrol in there too. 

Waiting For Go
Last but not least, Waiting For Go, who incorporate a few dance influences into their muscular indie-rock sound, like a slightly more cheerful Biffy Clyro partying with Hot Chip. Their debut single, Let You Go, surfaced in June of last year and contained enough uptempo energy and enthusiasm to catch the attention of gig promoters across Scotland. Since then the band have built a fearsome live reputation, marking them as ones to watch both at T Break and beyond.