Das Wanderlust are a three-piece based in north eastern England who, since the beginning of 2008, have consisted of Laura Susan Simmons (mostly singing and keyboards), Andrew Richard Elliott (mostly guitar and keyboards), and Wesley John Stephenson (mostly drums).
Work on their long-awaited debut album ‘Horses For Courses’ is now fully completed, the first single from which was released on 6th October on Don't Tell Clare. Ahead of themselves as usual, work on material for a second album is already well underway.
As a group Das Wanderlust enjoy confounding others’ expectations, and have been tirelessly contradicting themselves since their first live performance nearly four years ago. They abhor artistic dishonesty, and constantly worry that they fail to live up to their own high standards of integrity and lack of pretence. They find posey indie rock bands very funny.
All of which is to say nothing of the music, which they themselves find it hard to classify beyond the deliberately vague self-applied term ‘wrong pop’. Critics seem similarly unable to agree on what they are, veering in opinion between structureless avant-garde experimentalism and super-melodic noise pop. The band, naturally, disagree with both schools of thought…
Artrocker
When was the last time you heard a band who made your head feel like it was going to burst open? When was the last time you went to see such a band live, only to discover that not only were they as wondrous and superlative as you’d hoped, but also more mystifying and more startlingly arresting than you’d expected? If you’ve ever heard Das Wanderlust’s records or seen them live, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about…
The Guardian
If John Peel were still walking this earth and muttering inanities to himself in the
wee small hours about bedroom pop there's no doubt that Das Wanderlust would be held to the heart of the great man. Is that a chiming chorus of recorders? Is that a young woman in a pinafore dress shrieking her eyes out? Is that the sound of Kenicke being throttled in their sleep? Hell, yes…
NME
Das Wanderlust follow in the frolicsome tradition of post-riot grrrl popsters Bearsuit and Bis. Their weirdo witticisms have resulted in shed-loads of hype and tours with similarly minded comrades like Art Brut…
Plan B magazine
Screeching, stomping and wailing, their hyperactive school orchestra songs build a sugar rush that recalls the nausea of a waltzer ride, along with the syrupy splatter of messy shapes and bright colours… Music as comforting and sticky as an ice cream on a hot summers day...
Das Wanderlust have so far released three 7" singles and a demo EP. The first single, The Orange Shop, was named by BBC 6music's Marc Riley as his no.1 single of 2006, and reached no.14 in the annual festive fifty. They have recorded sessions for Huw Stephens at Maida Vale (BBC Radio 1), for Marc Riley in Manchester (BBC 6music), and for John Kennedy at XFM. They have performed at various UK & European festivals including the inaugral Latitude Festivals of 2006, and as the sole representatives of the BBC at Eurosonic Festival (NL) in 2007, which was accompanied by a half-hour live slot on Radio 1. They have toured with Maximo Park, Art Brut, Persil (NL), and many of their friends. They'll play for you too if you ask nicely.
Bookings:
For all booking enquiries please contact: andrew@launderetteagency.co.uk
PR:
For all press/PR related enquiries please contact: leah@saintedpr.com
Looking forward to the gig on Tuesday at The Portland Arms, Cambridge Together with avant garde experimentalism from Micropenis plus added Ripping Yarns should make for a truly memorable experience.
Your bulletins have been working in the same way those charity adverts do, but better because I've actually bought your single instead of just thinking of sad children when I listen to Kate Bush. So there are some more pennies towards the album. What you should do is ask people to pay for the album in advance, and use that money to get them pressed. That's what Ed Cox did, and if anyone is going to learn anything from anyone else, it should surely be from him. Accordian over techno? Man's a genius.
Anyway, I hope touring is nice and that, and I hope the last London gig wasn't too horrible. Next time you're down here you should come round mine for tea.
you are super duper. please please do it and buzz me when you do, i will bring people and if youre selling i will buy Puzzle straight from your little mitts! xxx
