Crystal Fighters

Weird, wonderful and wacky, Crystal Fighters are one of just a few modern bands who have truly created their own style of music. Following in nobody’s footsteps, this group forged their path into the music scene in 2008, with the track I Love London. Combining the cow bell, synthesisers, drums and vocals, the song was definitely a breath of fresh air for most.

Describing themselves as “a mixture of folk, electro, punk, techno, dubstep and Spanish pop”, Crystal Fighters based their music style and name off an opera written by their friend’s Basque grandfather. Supposedly written in the final months of his life, the book filled them with awe and inspiration and drove them to further explore Basque music; they now use many traditional Basque instruments in their songs.

From all of this evolved what they call their “positive music”. Star of Love and Cave Rave, Crystal Fighters’ two albums, are most definitely positive – guitars, drums, synthesisers, timbre all come together to make the kind of music that makes you want to be jumping in a festival crowd on a beautiful summer’s night.

Their live performance matches up perfectly to their music style; head scarves, feathered headdresses, colourful dresses, vivid trousers, and rope saved from the ocean will all most likely appear at some point in their gigs. Hoping to spread love to all the world, to the planet and the environment, they often ask the crowd to tell stories or to hug each other at smaller gigs.

The word to springs to mind to most people who have listened to, or seen, Crystal Fighters is “trippy” – and I most certainly can’t disagree with that assessment. They are releasing their next album, Everything is my Family, on 21st October. Expect the unexpected is all I can recommend.