The 1-2-3-4 Festival – Shoreditch just got even better

The 1-2-3-4 Festival 2009

Just in case you missed the new indie bands getting Pitchfork in a frenzy at Camden Crawl—1-2-3-4 is here to save the day.

July will herald in the third annual 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch Festival. The one day festival on 24 July will present the best of the new underground music scene across four staple Shoreditch bars and venues.

Headlining this year’s line-up are These New Puritans, Wavves, Vivian Girls, and We Have Band along with Dum Dum Girls, Drum Eyes, and Autotratz. And with tickets at just £15, it’s a great little-sister festival to Camden Crawl for those who want some of the best live music of 2010 without bank-breaking costs.

The Southend-On-Sea fourpiece These New Puritans are causing the loudest 1-2-3-4 stir. Their first album Beat Pyramid was released in 2008 and their 2010 sophomore album Hidden is drawing comparisons to the NME’s latest drool-inducers Foals, Egyptian Hip Hop and The Horrors. Using a wide range of instruments including bassoons and taiko drums, their live shows sparked their notoriety as they blend hip-hop, synth, pop, and classical music.

While Shoreditch may be the borough for music in London, in New York it’s Brooklyn. The all female three-piece Vivian Girls are the latest in a long list of successful Brooklyn exports. Similar to fellow headliners Wavves and Dum Dum Girls, the trio began their career opening for Sonic Youth and Jay Reatard with their smart fusion of lo-fi/indie with a punk kick-ass girl band mantra. Their first single “Wild Eyes” quickly became an underground hit in 2008 and their second album Everything Goes Wrong was released in 2009. Current popular songs include single “Where Do You Run To” and “Tell The World.”

Wavves is the stage name for San Diego’s noise pop musician Nathan Williams. His self-titled LP was highly praised in 2008 by Pitchfork Media and ABC News thanks to a swift and heavy online following. Although previously performing with Ryan Ulsh, Williams now plays with former Jay Reatard band members Billy Hayes (Drums) and Stephen Pope (Bass). With Reatard’s bandmates jumping on board to back Williams while still an underground indie sprout, he must have some potential.

Artists will be performing at Electricity Showrooms, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, The Slaughtered Lamb, and The Black Heart—with after parties to follow at 333/ Mother, Old Blue Last, Cocomo, Catch, and Bar Music Hall. It’s practically a guided tour of Shoreditch hot spots for those still unaware of how to navigate London’s current ‘it’ area for music.