Summer Sundae is nearly upon us, the biggest event in the Leicester music calendar is just seven weeks away. Since the events launch in 2001, Summer Sundae has gone from strength to strength, growing from a relatively small one day event into one of the most anticipated festivals of the summer. So many great bands have played Summer Sundae in the past, including Mystery Jets, Kasabian, Hot Chip and Super Furry Animals to name but a few, and this years festival is no different. Seasick Steve, Tinchy Stryder and Mumford & Sons headline the main stage with a whole host of fantastic acts throughout the entire line-up.

To help those who are lucky enough to be going to the festival prepare, the Monograph are giving you our weekly rundown of the seven acts that are not to be missed at this years Summer Sundae. These will not be specifically Leicester based acts and will not just be the acts you hear on Radio 1 everyday, they are just our personal picks of the line up.

So in at week one we have chosen the wonderful Los Campesinos! Having first come across the Cardiff seven piece back in early 2008 following the debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster…, I was immediately impressed. The album wasn’t perfect but it showed such an uncompromised passion and vigour it was impossible not to fall in love with them.

Shortly after their debut Los Campesions! released their second offering We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. Easily their best work to date, WABWAD managed to iron out the slight kinks from the first album while maintaining the initial fire. In just a few short months the band have managed to unify their sound, where previously they came across shambolic, often appearing to try too hard to keep all seven members as involved as possible, they produced a much more coherent album which was musically far superior to its predecessor. This year LC! returned with Romance Is Boring and I was delighted to find more of the same. As exciting as ever, Los Campesions! have an incredible quality, no matter how many times you’ve listened to them before it still feels like the first time you’ve listened to them each time you play an album. Their raw sound, coupled with the most angst ridden lyrics this side of Morrisey, has the ability to make anyone look back on their teenage years with longing nostalgia and utter loathing in equal measure.

Los Campesinos! play the Drowned in Sound presents Indoor Stage on Sunday 15^thAugust. Next week the Monograph will be picking our next not to be missed act.

Words by Duncan Graham
A regular gig goer and demon at the bar, Duncan has a keen eye for spotting emerging talent. He is Co-editor of the Monograph.
Read all articles by Duncan Graham