Artist Profile

Crystal Fighters

Label:
Agent: Greg Lowe

Crystal Fighters juxtapose the eerie flavour of traditional Basque folk music with churning basslines and catchy energetic vocals, resulting in a jubilant and uplifting sound unlike any other.

They offer raved-up, percussive folktronica, veering from Fischerspooner-style euphoria to Animal Collective-toned delicacy, underpinned by a progressive contemporary London bass sound. Though their distinctive production techniques take in all this and more, Crystal Fighters draw a broader and more profound influence from the energy and wild liberty of the 80s Spanish/Basque 'anti-todo' youth movement and the songs of bands such as Eskorbuto, Sinistro Total and Golpes Bajos.


The Crystal Fighters story is as engaging as their music ~

‘Crystal Fighters’ is the name of an unfinished opera written by singer Laure’s deceased grandfather during his final months of insanity. She came across it while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote abode in the Basque countryside, and quickly became obsessed with the scrawls contained within it. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name which all, in their way, attempt to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings.


2008 saw the group take London by storm. Their unrelentingly raw, intense, and passionate live shows headlining Durrr, Dollop, Matter, Cargo, The End, Secret Garden Festival and beyond, and the group saw features in Dazed & Confused, FACT, Clash magazine and a Radio 1 Live Session for Rob da Bank. The year was finally rounded up with their ubiquitous online hit ‘I Love London’ voted in Mixmag’s Top 100 Records for 2008, the only unreleased record in the 100, crashing in ahead of the likes of Toddla T and Bloc Party.