Five to see at Le Guess Who? 2016

With Julia Holter, Savages, Suuns and Wilco curating this year's festival in Utrecht, you may find yourself wondering what essential secrets lie buried in the vast line-up...

Preview by Music Team | 04 Nov 2016

We know what you're thinking. A festival? In November? Didn't summer finish months ago? You're not wrong, and doubtless a trip to Utrecht won't have been the first thing to occur to Eurocentric holidaymakers during these colder months. Le Guess Who?, however, provides an excellent reason to go.

With a lovingly curated line-up of esoteric treats and must-see favourites, LGW gathers the great and good of today's best new music to make for an unmissable event. This year's headliners – Julia Holter, Savages, Suuns and Wilco – have curated their own stages for the weekend, but with the bill ranging from the dazzlingly magnificent to the strangely obscure, you may find yourself staring at your huge clashfinder and wondering how to make sense of it all. Fear not, dear reader – here are The Skinny's top tips...

Let's Eat Grandma

Those who are after something a little spine-tingling should take note of Let's Eat Grandma, a duo featuring glittery-eyed multi-instrumentalists Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth. Their remit is creepy pop, satisfying drops and rounds and rounds of fairytale lyricism. A divisive duo, sure – but exciting as hell all the same. [Kate Pasola]

Saturday, EKKO stage, 11pm

Jessy Lanza

Lanza's synth-pop/R&B hybrid comes to life in the live arena, all head-bobbing beats and nasty basslines. Nominated for the 2016 Polaris Prize for new album Oh No, come prepared to dance, as the rhythm is going to get you. [Peter Simpson]

Friday, Pandora Stage, 10.25pm

Anna Von Hausswolff

Mournful. Ethereal. Vast. These are all terms you’ll encounter when leafing through reviews of Anna Von Hausswolff’s astonishing albums, alongside the odd mention of the Gothenburg native’s proclivity towards church organs and soul-puncturing melodies. They certainly lend an darkly ceremonial nature to her rapturously-received records, but the profound intensity of her gothic compositions is the real dealbreaker. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Sunday, Cloud Nine stage, 5.45pm

Steve Gunn

You may not find yourself venturing into dramatically taxing territory with Gunn, whose reliably blissed-out folk rock is at most gently psychedelic, but amidst all of the hysteria vying for your attention elsewhere on the bill, you’ll do well to catch a mo with him as he serves up another contemplative ace with latest album, Eyes on the Lines. [Jess Hardiman]

Thursday, Pandora stage, 9pm

Oathbreaker

Now way beyond the, erm, ‘questionable’ politics it was once famed for, black metal remains a uniquely moving force that’s equally capable of being brutal and beautiful, often at the same time. Belgium’s Oathbreaker rank among its best, with Caro Tanghe’s vocals displaying a rare vulnerability that offsets the unrelenting bleakness of their muscular yet deft assault. [Martin Schumann]

Saturday, De Helling stage, 11.55pm


Le Guess Who takes place in Utrecht, 10-13 Nov 2016

http://leguesswho.nl/