12 artists we're excited to see at the 2023 New Colossus Festival in NYC this week

The 2023 New Colossus Festival is upon us with artists from all over the world — most of them on their way to SXSW — descending on East Village and Lower East Side clubs Wednesday through Sunday. The emphasis here is on discovery, and with all the venues being within walking distance of each other, it encourages club-hopping in an old school CMJ way. Most bands are playing multiple times, too, and there are a bunch of free day parties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

New Colossus badges are $123.60, and get you access to all shows, industry talks/panels and other events, based on capacity. You can also buy tickets to individual shows.

There’s lots to discover, with the lineup featuring almost entirely emerging artists, over 130 in total. With that in mind, we went through the lineup and picked 12 we’re excited to check out, including groups from Canada, Germany, Italy, England, Wales, Denmark, and a couple from NYC. You can check out the full schedule here and listen to a playlist with all of this year’s bands below.

We also shout out a few specific shows at the bottom of this post, including Kanine Records’ 20th anniversary party, the DedStrange label showcase, a Canadian block party presented by M for Montreal, and a 12-hour shoegaze party. Head below for our picks.

12 Artists We’re Excited to See at the 2023 New Colossus Festival

Absolutely Free (Toronto, ON)

If you ever wished Tangerine Dream were a pop band, Montreal’s Absolutely Free got pretty close to that on 2021’s fantastic Aftertouch, with complex polyrhythms (Steve Reich-style marimba/vibraphone features heavily), interlocking layers of synths / guitars, and bright melodies and harmonies that sail through the clouds. They’re excellent live too, and haven’t played NYC in a long time. They play twice during New Colossus, including a free day show on Friday.

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Adwaith (Carmarthen, UK)

Adwaith are a trio from Carmarthen, Wales, who have been making indie rock in their native tongue since 2016, most recently on their wonderful second album, Bato Mato. They may sing in Welsh but their roaring brand of dreampop needs no translation. New Colossus will be their first-ever US shows and both are free matinees.

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Big Sea (Bologna, IT)

Not all Italian bands sound like Måneskin (thank goodness). Big Sea hail from Bologna, which is a college town that has given birth to a lot of the most interesting Italian groups of the last decade or so. They sport a punky indie rock sound, heavy on fuzzed-out riffs and big hooks, as heard on their just-released Celebrate EP. They’ll play twice this week.

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Gäy (Copenhagen)

Danish band Gäy clearly enjoy provoking, from their name to their album and songs titles. (Be careful what you click on when searching the internet for their 2022 album Monster Cocks.) But their brand of garagey rock n roll is playful, fun and, yes, button-pushing, but also easy to like, recalling the early days of punk, from The Damned to Television Personalities. You can also tell listening to Monster Cocks that they’re probably a really good time live. You’ve got two chances to catch them.

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Jane Inc (Toronto, ON)

Carlyn Bezic, the Toronto-based musician who has played live in U.S. Girls, Ice Cream and more, released her synthy, sometimes proggy solo debut as Jane Inc. back in 2021. She followed it up last year with Faster Than I Can Take, expanding her range with forays into Feist-y folk pop, breezy tropicalia, and ’70s glam. We caught her at Pop Montreal 2022 and she was fantastic.  If you miss her two New Colossus shows, she’ll be on tour with U.S. Girls later this year.

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Jeanines (NYC)

Brooklyn duo Jeanines crafted an instant indiepop classic with their 2020 debut album, that was jangly, hooky, and decidedly twee, but not cloying. Its follow-up, 2022’s Don’t Wait For a Sign was nearly as good, with short songs that functioned almost entirely as hook delivery devices. Live, Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith are augmented by an additional guitarist and bassist and might be even better than the records. They play Saturday night at Pianos.

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Kamikaze Nurse (Vancouver, BC)

Kamikaze Nurse came into their own with their 2022 sophomore album, Stimuloso, that mixes jagged noise and rhythms, shimmering melodies and big hooks. While indebted to groups like Pixies and Sonic Youth, these Vancouverites put a fresh, energetic spin on classic indie rock sounds with a welcome dash of shoegaze. They have three shows during the festival.

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Naya Ali (Montreal, QC)

Montreal-based Ethiopian rapper Naya Ali released her debut album, Godspeed: Baptism in 2020 and followed it up with Godspeed: Elevated the next year. The latter was named English Album of the Year at the 2022 ADISQ Awards, which was the first ever rap album to receive the award. “I always had to work 10 times as hard as someone else,” she told Complex in 2021. “So I always had to come with that grit and come with that passion and that fire a little bit. And that just translates naturally within my music.” Having conquered (French) Canada, Naya’s now coming for the rest of the world. She has two New Colossus shows.

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Noah & The Loners (London, UK)

London’s Noah & The Loners are young and only have two songs to their name so far, but already seem to have it all figured on their debut single, “Teenage Tragedy,” which captures brash youthful idealism and romance in just over two minutes. Though just 18, bandleader Noah Lonergan is a vet, having had his first band, Polarized Eyes, get play on BBC 6 when he was just 14. He and The Loners just released their second single, “Protest Eyes,” and both of their shows this week are free day parties.

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Plattenbau (Berlin, DE)

Led by Lewis Lloyd, Plattenbau have been honing their dark, danceable, synth-infused brand of psych (they call it “Post-Ideological Surrealism”) for over a decade, having risen up through Berlin’s underground scene to share bills with IDLES, Preoccupations and more. They caught the attention of DedStrange, the label co-founded by A Place to Bury Strangers’ Oliver Ackermann, who released the excellent Shape /. Shifting in early 2022. Just ahead of their New Colossus visit, Plattenbau dropped visceral new single “Cloaking Love” that sounds like Joy Division by way of Detroit 1971. You’ve got three chances to see them at New Colossus.

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Spirits of Leo (Brooklyn)

Having been around for over a decade, Brooklyn’s Spirits of Leo draw from the more ethereal side of post-punk, recalling The Chameleons, The Sound and The Cure. The band released Gossamer Blue in 2022, that is equal parts drive, melody and atmosphere, with impressive guitarwork and vocal harmonies. Spirits of Leo’s only New Colossus show is part of the all-day Shoegaze Party at Arlene’s Grocery on Saturday.

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THUS LOVE (Brattleboro, VT)

Vermont queer postpunk trio THUS LOVE were one of the hits of New Colossus 2022, wowing with their glammy, angular sound and the undeniable magnetism of singer Echo Mars. The band, whose members live together as well, managed to capture the electricity of their live shows with their debut album Memorial, that was released in October, and they’ve already released two new singles since. See what all the fuss is about at their two shows this week.

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In addition to the dozen artist we picked there are a few notable showcases this week.

Kanine Records 20th Anniversary Party (Wednesday, March 8 at Mercury Lounge): NYC label Kanine celebrates 20 years in the biz with reunions of The Depreciation Guild and Beverly, plus current roster groups Punchlove, Diary and, all the way from France, Hoorsees. There are also SPECIAL GUESTS on the bill.

Canadian Block Party (Thursday, March 9 at Arlene’s Grocery): Our good friends at M for Montreal are co-hosting this night of Canadian talent, including two artists who made this list — Naya Ali and Absolutely Free — plus Marci (the solo project of TOPS keyboardist Marta Cikojevic), and Vancouver-based First Nations rap duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids. Get there early (5-7 PM) for the “Bloody Caesar” Happy Hour mixer.

DedStrange Showcase (Thursday, March 9 at Berlin Under A): DedStrange, the label co-founded by A Place to Bury Strangers’ Oliver Ackermann, presents this night of artists from their roster and groups that they like, including four from Germany — Data Animal, The Pleasure Majenta, Plattenbau, and J3AL0US — plus Canada’s Kamikaze Nurse, and US bands THUS LOVE, Pons, and LUNACY. If you wanna see APTBS, they play Bowery Ballroom on Sunday.

Shoegaze Party (Saturday, March 11 at Arlene’s Grocery): Like shoegaze? Here’s nearly 12 hours of it, with with bands from all over the world, including Sweden’s Boy With Apple, Norway’s Astonomies, Denmark’s 802, plus Canada’s Gossamer Blue, NYC’s Spirits of Leo (who weirdly have an album titled Gossamer Blue), Punchlove, Blushing and more. The day portion is $10 (the only non-free New Colossus matinee).

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