“What propels Ganser as a band, for me, is what shines here: their performance of joyful apathy so often has many other moving parts underneath that suggest that they are a band of deep caring, simply unsatisfied with the hands they’ve been dealt by the world.” - Hanif Abdurraqib

The Chicago art rock 4-piece made a splash during 2020 with their sophomore album Just Look at That Sky, finding themselves included in best of lists from that year including Vice, Rolling Stone, Paste, and more. Through the pandemic, the band remotely collaborated with other artists for a remix EP including Andy Bell (Oasis, Ride), Sad13 (Speedy Ortiz), Adam Faulkner (Gilla Band), and Bartees Strange while communicating with listeners online waiting for the opportunity to play their mix of noisy post-punk with “surreal humor and dark playfulness” (Paste).

After sharing the stage with the likes of Bikini Kill, Viagra Boys, Amyl & the Sniffers, Gilla Band and more, the band is deep in development on their third record after partnering with Liars’ Angus Andrew in 2022 on an EP called Nothing You Do Matters.

“Anyone can play punk rock. For Ganser, that’s no excuse for low standards. Over a pairof albums, including 2020’s marvelous Just Look at That Sky, the Chicago quartet deployed simple phrasing to make increasingly complicated thematic and artistic statements. On Nothing You Do Matters, a short EP produced by Liars’ Angus Andrew, they offer up their most sophisticated music yet.” – Marty Sartini Garner, Pitchfork

Ganser is Alicia Gaines (bass, vocals), Brian Cundiff (drums), Charlie Landsman (guitar) and Sophie Sputnik (keys, vocals).

Soft are an alternative rock quintet from South London, known for their noisy textures and unforgettable stage presence. Their shows are so energetic that one was almost shut down within minutes. So far Soft have sold out several chaotic gigs at the Windmill and other London venues, featured on BBC Radio 6 and supported the likes of Fat Dog and Deadletter. They are set this year to spread their intricately crushing sound throughout Europe.