Horse Lords

Horse Lords were founded in Baltimore in 2010; they evolved from the experimental collective Teeth Mountain and began as a trio with drummer Sam Haberman, guitarist Owen Gardner, and bassist Max Eilbacher, soon adding alto saxophonist Andrew Bernstein to the core ensemble. Though Horse Lords grew out of the fertile Baltimore noise and leftfield rock scene, a storied environment for artists and weirdos that has nurtured many an influential outsider band (Lungfish, Matmos), their approach is more omnivorous than the stippled rhythms of instrumental electric rock would indicate. Across sixteen years of frequent touring, Horse Lords have released ten studio, live, and collaboration albums in addition to a split EP with fellow Baltimoreans Lower Dens, a handful of singles and compilation tracks. For RVNG’s FRKWYS series, the band collaborated with Berlin-based composer Arnold Dreyblatt, a onetime student of La Monte Young and Pauline Oliveros whose just intonation chamber music was a crucial part of the post-Fluxus Downtown New York City environment. With the relocation of three of the four members to Germany beginning in 2021, the potential for more further creative exploration, and performance opportunities including the Moers Festival (with an 11-piece lineup, interpreting Julius Eastman’s music as well as their own), the interdisciplinary phases of the band’s music was poised for fascinating new directions. The band observes “We are always trying to balance working within the limitations of the quartet and pushing beyond them.

LISA is three souls in a room erupting.
Conjured by Koichi Yamanoha and Anastasia Freygang, they've met via Bobby August in London. This wasn't recent. Starting to play together in 2024 with both artists contributing rhythmic samples, vocals and talismanic presence, Yamaha Dog nuzzled it's way in spelling out ANUS SUN to mark the premiere via Bristol-based label Collapsing Drums. LISA materialised, housing every organ in her very own ribcage.

Swarm Grammar, a Bristol DIY weirdo-scene featuring members of Sunglasz Vendor, Grandchild, im dead, Wendy Miasma and Group Sounds, play a wonky, semi-improvised non-euclidian dance music that they call 'Dialectical Minimalism'. Alternately described as 'Phil Minton starring in STOMP' and 'the Shaggs imitating Can' they are sure to delight and confound in equal measure.