Los Campesinos! show they care

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomvu/

ATP vs Pitchfork was predictably awesome. One of my highlights of the weekend was the Los Campesinos! set on Saturday evening. The reasoning for this is a pertinent topic for this blog.

This set was the 5th or 6th time I’ve seen them, and it was easily the best. Their proficiency has improved dramatically, and their sets have become really tight. But what takes them to the next level is their overt enthusiasm. Showing how much they care makes us care.

As Gareth Campesinos! mentioned on stage, playing at ATP is their “Wembley stadium, Knebworth, Pyramid Stage…”. The entire band looked like they could combust with sheer excitement at any point during their set, and this only enhanced their performance.

Passion, pride, enthusiasm, enjoyment, gratitude. These are emotions that create bonds between the band and the audience (ignoring the fact that the band are massive fans of the festival anyway, and formed part of the audience for the remainder of the weekend). It makes them human, and enables a connection. We as the audience feel complicit in their success, and this makes us support them louder and longer than ever.

To use Saatchi & Saatchi’s terminology, Los Campesinos! are a lovemark. “Lovemarks are a relationship, not a mere transaction. You don’t just buy Lovemarks, you embrace them passionately”.

An example of a lovemark brand would be Innocent. They have shown the benefits of stripping away the corporate jargon, and being real. Conversational copy, grass-roots events, open AGMs and a very obvious passion in their smoothies. This can connect the consumers to the brand, and inspires them to become devotees.

Like Innocent, Los Campesinos! have a stellar product underpinning the emotional bond, and there is absolutely no reason why they cannot replicate Innocent’s success in their indiepop/tweecore sphere. They come with my highest recommendation.

sk

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