A Genuine Freakshow

A Genuine Freakshow

A Genuine Freakshow are an alternative rock, experimental and indie rock group from Reading, United Kingdom. Active from 2005 to 2013, they build a sound around pop songwriting, icy textures and dense walls of noise, with influences that range from Mew and Sigur Rós to The National. Their songs mix catchy indie pop hooks with a more intricate and delicate character, and also carry some of the quirky grandeur associated with Pulp.

Sound and line-up

The group performs as an expanded rock line-up rather than a standard four-piece alone. Alongside guitar, bass, drums and vocals, the arrangement includes violin, cello and trumpet. That instrumentation gives their live performances a broad, layered sound, and they are noted for presenting large-scale music without tipping into excess.

Recordings and releases

Their debut album is Oftentimes. A free four-track download from the album is made available through their website, and the album is also distributed through OK! Good Records. After more than 150 headline and festival shows, the band returns to the studio with long-term collaborator and producer Jordan Fish to record a set of new songs written and performed live over the previous summer.

The result is the four-track EP Where The River Bends, which the band release as a separate statement rather than holding the songs for a later full-length album. OK! Good Records issues the EP in the United States.