Favourite 'obscure' band?

BRISTOL86

Who is your favourite obscure band? By which I mean bands that you love yet surprisingly few people are aware of?

Mine has to be Matchbox Twenty, been a huge fan since my teens and are an incredibly good band IMO, yet 99% of people in the UK don't seem to know who they are (were). Huge in the States and always toured well in the UK but never hit too much commercial success this side of the Atlantic.

Some seriously tasty guitar playing from around 3:10 here, Kyle Cook is a great player.

Reverend

Most of favourite bands are fairly obscure

Trouble are known by a couple of people on here. 
16 Horsepower I've not seen mentioned much.

the_jaffa

I reckon mine would be Acetone. I first saw them in 93 supporting Verve (with a new band called Oasis on the bill before them) and loved them since. Never got famous at all.

digitalkettle

Recent finds:

• Dawes
• Kiev

Not sure if they're obscure but I don't see much talk of them.

digitalkettle

Sporky

Astronoid. Marvellous.

EricTheWeary

I've heard of Matchbox Twenty so they can't be that obscure  

Probably the band I've seen most in my life were The Larks in the early 80s, something like a youthful Madness I guess. They played a lot of gigs, did kid's tv shows and then disappeared somewhere. Some of their stuff started popping up on YouTube and now there are various recordings as MP3 or streaming rebranded as The Larks UK ( there have been multiple bands called The Larks). Bit of reminiscing I guess but I thought they were excellent live and I'm enjoying the choons all over again. 

As for anybody vaguley 21st century I'm always happy to recommend Croatian instrumentalists The Bambi Molesters, lots of recorded stuff out there. 

blobb

Picchio dal Pozzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAlg1Qw3vnA

Kebabkid

A couple:

Big Wreck and Jellyfish - I still don't think either are that well know in the UK

Animal Logic (Stanley Clarke on bass, Stewart Copeland on drums and Michael Thompson of session and Xotic vid fame on guitar). Adult Pop with a hint of country.

Bourgeois Tagg - their hit single "I don't mind at all" wasn't at all indicative of their sound, general song style and they had hints of XTC. Their guitarist was sessioner and big Beck contributor, Lyle Workman

bbill335

Plumtree!

EricTheWeary

Kebabkid said:

A couple:

Big Wreck and Jellyfish - I still don't think either are that well know in the UK

Animal Logic (Stanley Clarke on bass, Stewart Copeland on drums and Michael Thompson of session and Xotic vid fame on guitar). Adult Pop with a hint of country.

Bourgeois Tagg - their hit single "I don't mind at all" wasn't at all indicative of their sound, general song style and they had hints of XTC. Their guitarist was sessioner and big Beck contributor, Lyle Workman

I watched an interview with Michael Thompson and then listened to a bunch of Animal Logic ( although I don't think he's on everything - he replaced Andy Summers last minute apparently so it's not his band as such). Doesn't sound how I imagined it would sound ( very muso) although somewhat of it's time. 

Kebabkid

Andy Summers was the original guitarist but it's MT on the recordings with a few contributions from others (Peter Haycock) and there's a 2nd album, too. I've even found a live clip with Nile Rodgers playing with them but I believe Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney Band) came in to take over from Michael Thompson.

They showed The Forum, London concert on one of those BBC late night concert thingies.

It is of it's time and live, it was a lot more solo bass but surprisingly enough, for all his virtuosity, SC plays for the songs and comes up with some nice basslines.

I agree, it's of its time and they had zero presence live and it was a project that gained attention more because of the musicians that were in band, but I liked them. Here's a fabulous solo at 2.16 here by Michael Thompson
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/97416/wtb-orig-fender-silverface-deluxe-reverb-or-65-drri#latest

 

markblack

Blitzen Trapper

Winny_Pooh

Sahara Smith - alt country (same musicians as on Raising sand)



mewithoutyou - posthardcore?



The mynabirds - motown meets Fiona Apple



Nomo - acid afro beat

TheBigDipper

I'm a fanboy for Thumpermonkey. Their last released album, "Sleep Furiously" is on Spotify and is dead good. They're also pretty excellent live (but infrequent performers). Apparently just about to get another album out soon.

scrumhalf

Outskirts of Infinity
The Sonics

Fuengi

Agree with @Kebabkid ;Jellyfish were a superb band, Bellybutton is a fantastic album.
I love The Walkmen, seen them a few times and the drummer - Matt Barrick - is a force of nature. Love Paul Maroon's chiming Gretsch too. 
For the very obscure, Elsinore made an album called Yes, Yes, Yes which is not so much criminally underrated as totally unknown.

Shame as it is a beauty. 

Philly_Q

I hate trying to name obscure bands, because I'm sure my obscure is somebody else's household name.  Even if only in their household.

But I'll go with the Good Rats.

prowla

I once bought a couple of albums by a (Canadian) band called 1994; I don't think they made it to CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM19jDrmDgU


 

prowla

Crikey - a quick ebay search and CD is on way!

Deadman

Syd Arthur.