These New Puritans

Based around tribal, machine gun rhythms that clatter and clang into a post-punk collision of sound, Southend's New Young Puritans became one of the most startlingly unique and sonically ambitious young bands to emerge in the Noughties. With the lofty idea of creating something based around mixing dance hall music with the style of contemporary avant-garde composer Steve Reich, they were recruited by Christian Dior designer Heidi Slimane to soundtrack her collection in Paris in 2007. Angular, dissonant and apocalyptic, debut album Beat Pyramid (2008) drew comparisons with The Fall and Wire, with single Elvis impressing the critics. Viewing the music more from the point of a classical composer than your average indie band, second album Hidden (2010) emerged to an avalanche of rave reviews with NME, Clash Magazine and Drowned In Sound all scoring it 9/10 and Observer critic Paul Morley declaring it the album of the year.

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