WU LYF

Overview

British band WU LYF are making their Australian debut at the Sydney Opera House next week, as part of the Vivid Festival. Part beat poet, part disenfranchised youth, part anarchist, this fascinating band from Manchester have been creating a few waves recently with their infectious and emotive self-coined 'heavy pop'. Determined not to sell their soul to the music industry, they've been cleverly manipulating the media and building a steady following over the last couple of years, whilst still remaining decidedly enigmatic. Perhaps even their name, an acronym for World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation, is an ironic nod to their defiance.

Attempts to scratch beneath their surface are met with fierce resistance though, and even on their own website they remain staunchly obtuse. Their story is told across numbered segments in semi stream of consciousness prose which, you'll soon realise, are out of sequence, rendering them nonsensical.

The jury may still be out on whether they are bona fide rebels, or if it's all just an exceptionally clever PR stunt, but that's kind of missing the point. Their music is superb: deep, raw, emotive, yet accessible. This show may be a chance to witness the phenomenon that is WU LYF before they break into the big time.