Everyone is talking about Zulu Winter. That’s what the hype-meisters are saying, obviously though that’s not the case. No MP has discussed them in the House of Commons, they’ve not featured in the inane punditry on Match of the Day and they’ve not provoked one of those annoyingly pointless phone-ins on daft radio stations.
The reality is probably a few hundred music industry types and wannabees are getting their knickers knotted and a bunch of normal people who’ve heard them or seen them are at best reasonably enamored. Hype, the chew toy of journalists, commentators and ‘insiders’ the world over, is pointless; in fact hype itself is over-hyped.
Maybe they’ll ‘make it’ (whatever that might mean) or perhaps not. Maybe they’re the new Coldplay or more possibly the new Foals, or maybe they’re the newest people in the queue at the Camden Benefit office. Who knows.
Of course ‘hype’ is just a means to an end. People got over excited, so I listened to them and now I like them. So… erm… the hype worked. Damn it.
What we do know is that Zulu Winter are 5 chaps from London who’ve made some tentative but promising progress since they started only last year. Their ‘hype’ status allows them to make just a handful of live appearances this year rather than the grueling, grotty venue tour that’s often a right of passage. Catch them if you can:
13 Jan – Eurosonic Festival, Groningen
26 Jan – XOYO, London
18 Feb – Hostess Weekender, Tokyo
27 Feb – Cargo, London
09 – 18 Mar – SXSW, Texas
02 June – Field Day, Victoria Park, London
Their second single We Should Be Swimming is out on the 27th Feb on Play It Again Sam. Listen and buy if you like.
They’ve previously let these two out the studio:
Ha ha great post.
I’ve been trying to write about the concept of hype for ages and keep tying myself up in knots. You just made it seem all very clear. Thank you.
Robin @ Breaking More Waves
Thanks Robin.
We’re probably over cynical about hype due to the number of over eager emails we have to wade through! Still, I think some more balanced viewpoints would be of benefit to writers, readers and musicians alike (though perhaps a tad more boring).