Story One - Out of Season

Now that the weather's heating up and the festivals get going, Britain properly cranks up those depressing-but-uplifting rock bands that probably no other country could produce. Story One throw melodramatic vocals and violin that veers between a haunting mourn and a jolly jig over gutsy rock, giving it enough of an edge to creep above the countless other bands playing this 'intelligent' pre-post-rock. It's very epic sounding, but still within the three minute verse-chorus-verse parameters so people don't have to concentrate too hard, and you can dance to it too, in a stumbling around a muddy field kind of way. Sure it might be the musical equivalent of warm Tennents served in a plastic cup, but what more do you want from festival bands? [Ali Maloney]