I feel like a big part of my brand is being very much against music snobs! No matter what genre you're into, there are music snobs in your scene.
Being a music snob isn't just about only listening to Top 40 artists, it's about not being willing to give smaller artists a chance! It's about acting like smaller artists are below your music standard. You can be a music snob and listen to punk, or rock, you can be a music snob and listen to any genre, but if you are not willing to give smaller artists a chance, and only care about the big acts. The acts that are living a very lovely lifestyle can afford to play massive venues and sell them out and don't care about the artists that work day jobs, where they play small venues, and your $0.0032 per Spotify stream is not enough for them to live on, then I hate to break it to you, chances are you're a music snob!
I am in no way, shape or form telling you not to listen to the bigger artists that can live off streaming revenue and can sell out big shows. Go ahead, I listen to them too! I love big bands, however, find smaller artists you love, find ones you will pay customs for their merch when you have it shipped from another country, find artists that have you going "How the fuck aren't these one of the biggest names in the scene?" Find artists that make you question the system within the music industry. Find them, artists, because believe me they're out there!
If my 16-year-old nephew and his friends can find small bands they like, then so can you! If I was 12 and finding small bands to love with my whole heart, then guess what? Your teenage, 20's, 30's or even older self can! If my 50 something mother can find small bands to support, then so can you! If you can't then you ain't trying hard enough. Try harder.
So, now I've rambled about being a music snob, let's talk about bands that might make you question why you're a music snob.
This will include both small and an up and coming band really. Still small, just depends on when you personally stop saying a band is a small band!
We Were Sharks;
Probably biggest band I'm going to mention. I stumbled upon these guys last year, and they blew me away. I got my mum into them and my nephew and some of my friends. They're incredible! Always You, Sober, Never Looked Better and Drop The Act are my personal favourites.
I am well and truly obsessed with this band, and if you like pop-punk then you're probably going to love them! At least give them a shot, they're truly incredible, and Lost Touch is one of my favourite albums of all time!
My nephew literally doesn't understand how these guys aren't one of the biggest bands in the scene.
Nautical Mile;
I talk about these guys a lot! Like A LOT! I have everybody in my life knowing Spin The Bottle at this point, I'm not even sorry about it. They're incredible! They are going to go places if people stop sleeping on them. Their album The Only Way Is Through is probably my favourite album of all time! They're probably one of my favourite bands of all time!
They have no bad songs, but Spin The Bottle, Marionette, Better Half of Me and Bad Influence are phenomenal tracks that if you're going to listen to any, start with them! Let them blow your mind, and then listen to the entire album and Purgatory!
The Mocking Jays;
With a sound like a better version of The 1975, you'd expect The Mocking Jays to have millions of listeners when in reality it's just in the hundreds. They have an edge to them which sets them apart from the crowd. If you're from my neck of the woods, then they should offer you some form of home comfort as they're from Nottingham! It's coming up to 3 years since I discovered them, and they're phenomenal. They're always putting on a good live show, when rona allows for that.
The unreleased music is even better than the music that's currently out, and I probably won't shut up talking about them until people stop sleeping on them. They have the talent to be one of the biggest bands in the scene, yet they're far too overlooked even in the local scene!
If you want to check out any of their songs make it, Funny Bones, Kiss My Neck and I Can't Be (Without Your Love).
Literally one of the sweetest bands ever, and again, my nephew, friends and everybody else I've forced to listen to them, doesn't understand how they are so small when they pack so much of a punch! Love them!
Dude Trips;
A very new discovery, but one that I can wholeheartedly say are phenomenal and when I saw they had only like 700 monthly listeners on Spotify currently I thought "How the fuck is that possible?!" they're Scottish which means they instantly have my heart, because Scottish bands! They're a band that might make you a bit emotional, a bit like a more up front version of Mayday Parade, their sound isn't like Mayday but their lyrics are of a similar style.
I've fallen massively in love with them, and I can't believe I've never heard them before! Honestly, such an incredible band! Probably going to talk about them a lot!
Top picks have to be Tampa Bay, Kit and Through Love & Death.
Misplaced;
These are going to be the last band I mention on this post, but I will link my Small Band playlist at the bottom as always, so if you want to find some more small bands then there are loads there!
Anyway, Misplaced is a Glaswegian pop-punk band! I love them so much! I mean they're Scottish what do we expect? But anyway, they're angsty, they've got an edge and the intro to fuck that, i'm alright still wins me over every time I hear it! They're incredible, and I truly believe they are incapable of making a bad song. They're so talented, and all I'm saying is a good portion of the big pop-punk bands in the scene have nothing on Misplaced. They deserve to be massive!
Such an incredibly talented band that you really do need to check out, and my top picks have to be, idk why i try, I've Been Up Way Too Late and of course, fuck that, i'm alright! Incredible songs, an incredible band.
So, go check them bands out, decide if you still want to be a music snob, if you do, listen to the Small Band playlist, try and find a band, and then consider if you still want to be a music snob. Again, I'm not saying you can't listen to big bands, what I am saying is, you need to start appreciating smaller, up coming bands because they are the future of this scene. They are the future of music, and one day your big bands ain't going to exist anymore, and you'll have to find newer music. So make the jump early, find small bands who you can watch the journey of, find small bands to support, buy tickets to their shows when gigs happen again, buy their merch and buy their music. Stream the fuck out of their tracks, and spread the word really. Support small bands, the music industry doesn't need anymore music snobs. There's enough as it is already.
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