Hella Better Dancer

I got my driving licence in 1999, I first voted at the General Election in 2001 and I started paying back my first mortgage in 2006. I’d not be surprised if none of Hella Better Dancer can drive, they’re too young to vote and they probably don’t even know what a mortgage is (word of advice kids, don’t find out). However, they do have a record deal and have written some buoyantly blissful, indie / nu-folk tunes.

Their 2nd EP, Swimming, came out yesterday (buy it here) and the HBD kids are getting ready to take London, Great Britain and the Universe by storm (too much hype?) with their latest track Hundred Balloons which is featured below.

Tilly, Josh, Sophie and Lucas are seriously talented teenagers and capable of some serene and affecting melodies entwined with crisp riffs & beats and all taking place in a sparse, echo filled expanse, much like the dated changing rooms at my old 6th form college.

Don’t forget to do your homework kids. - Sounds Good To Me Too

"Hundred Balloons" (Roundhouse), from Swimming EP - Here's another example of how simply sending me your music could land you on The Big Beat. A quartet 17 year old's from London, "Hundred Balloons" is on their second EP which was released yesterday. A real breath of fresh air with an easy, mid-tempo jangle pop sound augmented by some nice guitar work. Trendy? Not here. Hella Better Dancer is a band you'll want to root for. - This Is Fake DIY

It's a full-on New Tunes Tuesday this week. I've front loaded the 'cast with the heavy hitters (Radiohead, Lykke Li, TV On The Radio), but the real goodies are the lesser known, emerging artists later on like Milagres, BNLX, Little Dragon, Jamie Woon, Hella Better Dancer, Fixers, and Summer Camp. Press play to get at it now or download it and get at it whenever. Feel free to leave a comment and as always, tell a buddy and bring a friend.

Read more: http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/listen/the-big-beat-1st-march-2011#ixzz1kfwij4tl - This Is Fake DIY/The Big Beat

Hella Better Dancer are a group of 17 year olds (yes 17!) that signed to Roundhouse Records last year and their second EP Swimming is out today.

Hundred Balloons is a track from the EP, and I love it. Kicking off with a bit of Foals / Maccabees-esque drumming – it’s a lovely sounding piece of indie pop. Lead singer Tilly’s voice sounds like someone with alot more experience. She’s been described by Lauren Laverne as ‘sounding like a young PJ Harvey’ – which is a big statement, but not too far off.

Looking forward to seeing how this band progress. - The Clink

It’s not often that I tumble out of bed and roll straight to my laptop to give a shout out to a band I’ve just seen, but today I’ve been driven to it. Thanks a lot, Hella Better Dancer.


For anyone who knows about this impossibly good four-piece from North London, let me kill the elephant in the room; Hella Better Dancer are young. They’re sixth formers. This article is not a paean to a band who are quite good because they’re still young; Hella Better Dancer are good way beyond their years.


The equally young Camden Barfly crowd have already been warmed up by the readily charming folk stylings of O.Chapman (w/ Georgia Bruce) by the time HBD take the stage. Fifteen seconds in to their opener, ‘23’, it’s hard to figure out what to admire first; there is some serious talent on display. Frontwoman Tilly Scantlebury comes off as a ballsier Kate Nash without the stupid accent, while Josh Cohen’s extraordinary, imaginative basslines throb somewhere between Flea and Carlos D. Lead guitarist Soph Nathan adds the icing on the cake, schooling about 150 Camdenite wannabes with effortlessly cool jigsaw guitar licks. Baby-faced drummer Lucas Greenwood’s style, meanwhile, gives the impressions of a boy raised on a healthy diet of Foals and Maccabees.


The effect is phenomenal. Hella Better Dancer’s half-hour set is ridiculously tight. Seven mini-gems are rolled through with some panache; the Barfly sweatbox appreciates them accordingly. By the time the needling guitar of ‘The City Sea’ fades, the crowd are hopelessly amenable, and the scramble to buy their debut EP ‘Please Stay Here’ at the front begins. I only got it yesterday, and I still can’t wait for the next one. - Find Something. Get Involved.

Electrifying riffs, classic vocals, tight drumming and a powerful groovy bass drive this debut record all the way home. The freshman EP is simply way ahead of its time. The maturity of the songwriting displayed by these young musicians is purely mind blowing. “The City Sea,” really brings the record full circle, displaying the band’s true talent. With a spacey, unforced intro, intricate guitar rhythms quickly build and morph this journey into an explosive all out jam. - I Rock London

I recently did a post about Ghosts You Echo who are signed to a small label, Roundhouse Records. At the same time I came across another band signed to the same label, Hella Better Dancer.

When I searched for some basic info on the group I came across this "All four members are in sixth form". That one sentence is enough to make me green with envy. Primarily because I'm getting to the stage where I can't even remember my sixth form days and secondly because for a group so young, they've got a fantastic sound that belies their jealousy inducing youth whereas I'm about as tone-deaf as it comes.

On "Last Song" and "Fuse" I can't help but think of another youthful band who swept the indie scene in 2008, Cajun Dance Party (who split but members have since formed a little band named Yuck). A gorgeous and restrained vocal from front-lady Tilly was the initial appeal, backed by some tight percussion, jangly guitar riffs and fantastic arrangement the group manage to infuse catchy indie-pop tunes with a great level of maturity. Instead of coming out all guns blazing and saving the "proper tunes" for the second album the London foursome have get their stall out from the beginning and crafted something extremely praiseworthy.

Their more recent EP 'Swimming' shows incredible progression, "Hundred Balloons" with some luscious melodies and shimmering soundscapes is immediately appealing and effortlessly cool, it's probably their stand-out to date though "Say It" and "Twenty Three" both have that catchy, jangly poppy beat that could well become their trademark. Cliché time, if Hella Better Dancer (it's a bit of a tongue-twister name guys!) were a stick of rock, they'd have promising written right the way through it.

The band are doing their A-Level's right now so are off the gigging circuit till the summer (good luck guys!) though again that just makes me go 'sigh', right, I'm off down the pub, I don't have any exams! - Just Music That I Like

This song sits somewhere between Slowdive and Warpaint (a Venn diagram that everyone should get behind) which has a languid, melodic build that leads to a thunderous finish with a fair of amount of meandering in between. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but that’s part of the charm. - Track In A Box