Musicians you don't know, but should

Firstly if you're a festival person that title certainly won't apply to you. Secondly I'd understand (but not forgive) thinking that that's a very hipsterish title, but for one good reason it isn't: I'm going to put videos in this post and implore you to find more, a hipster want's no one to share their music, I want everyone to. If you do know any of the following artists, there are a few real people might know, and I don't know that you know them please say so, it's always great to know people you share interests with.
Anywho lets get on with it shall we? Just a little bit on each, with the strong advice you go and listen to much, much more. Starting with a band that it's very hard to find good videos of.

Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs

Put your volume up high and ignore the wind, it'll be worth it when you go see them live. It's almost worth going to a festival just to see these 3, they are certainly the best (and possibly the only) skunk band in the world (that's skiffle punk, don't say this isn't an educational blog) Few bands will ever make you laugh as much as a hobos gig will. Songs like Tyburn jig (that's that one ^) show that they can do properly beautiful serious songs, but seeing wino beat a toy guitar with a ladle while my brother fails to play a kazoo, that was pretty good too. The hobos are pure brilliance and the fact all they got from Britain's got talent was half a second in a montage, shows just how awful that program is. Fuck ITV, go and see this band

3 Daft Monkeys

I did a one man waltz to this song at Beautiful Days, it's one of the few things I remember (I ran out of vodka by the end of the (extended, woot woot!) set) another is Athene's dress...  no comment there. There is a new 3DM album out this year and Athene just had a baby, these are things that make me smile and give me hope for humanity. I struggle to find fault with these 4 (yeah, 4, 3 daft monkeys, one daft name) my dad complained that there was no percussion, now they have a drummer (hence 4) who is turning into Bilbo Baggins (he's not started transforming yet in this video) and they're fun people too (imagine chatting to say, bono, no one wants that) Want a conversation purely in hashtags? I've had that conversation with their bassist. Have a shirt from 2010? It's fine to run (like an excited child) across a festival to have a chat and get it signed... in 2012. They are an amazing band and genuinely nice people.

And while I'm here: Massive congratulations to Tim and Athene on the birth of their son!

Dan Donnelly

Dan is quite simply one of the nicest, most talented people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting (even if he does call me Jackson) There are so few people who sound anywhere near as good with or without a band and he will never "make it" (what-ever the hell that means) because music doesn't sell anymore, image sells and Dan has an image that no record company will ever consider, human. If you make your living playing in people's living rooms for a place to sleep and it's working, you have to be getting by on pure talent (that's the past now, Dan's a proper grown up dad too now) one of those gigs was in my dads living room a good few years ago, it will never be forgotten.

Deferred Sucess

I chose that specific video for one reason and one reason only, one of those voices you hear at the end there, is moi! So I've sung on a professional music video, your move Jevons! Again, this a band that will make you laugh as well as sing amazing songs that you'll be singing months later. "I don't wanna go home was summed up perfectly by Skeg so as I'm lazy, I'll let that do "This is a tale of every festival you have ever been to, that moment when you wake up on a Monday morning and you realise that its back to the humdrum of real life, bills, deadlines and preparing for the fact that it is not ok to speak to strangers, it's not ok to dance and sing along with them, then you get that 'earworm' from the night before, that one song, sung on a small stage with hundreds of people singing along, or that fella on the bridge en route back to camping field singing what everyone else is feeling, and you find yourself humming the hazy lyrics as you pack away your tent, ready for your real life."

Mad Dog Mcrea

The most recently seen by me and a very good band to just dance and sing to. The first on this list I've not had the chance to get to know, I'm going to have to talk about music now aren't I? Well here goes. "Mad Dog Mcrea blend a unique mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music. From self penned songs of adventure, drinking, love and life to traditional songs of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies, Mad Dog never fail to capture their audience with their infectious songs." that's totally not taken from their website. Seriously though this is a bad well worth a look with some brilliant songs.

Ferocious Dog

Frankly if I need to say any more than "Ken's hair" then something is wrong here, but I will. When I first saw this band I was certain there was no way I'd ever like them, but here we are. The more I go to festivals the less bands I pass up on (at BD I was pretty much at the main stage for everything but PIL) Ferocious dog play a great range of music and very little of it is bad, if you don't like this song, look up another, you'll find something for I promise.

The Skints

Yes, I do know the words to this song. Another band I was fairly nonplussed about at first, then they were announced for Beautiful days so I thought I'd check them out and holy Moses! They are good, very good. Far from any band I'd liked before but why should that ever be an issue? They were absolutely brilliant on the main stage and I'm certain they'll be back on before too long and that is a very good thing. The only bad thing I can say: one of their songs has the line "when we met we both were strangers"... is that not a given? I can deal with it though.

Dreadzone

AHOY! (Sorry Mrs L) I used to avoid Dreadzone sets like the the plague, but the more I listen to them the more they grow on me. Yet another beautiful memory from beautiful days, they were on far earlier than normal but it was still an amazing set that I bounced so hard to I was sure I'd broken an ankle. Dreadzone's music is as one of a kind as their front man, when Spee was diagnosed with scoliosis the only change that made to the sets was the fact he now brings a stool to sit on while he sings, that's how we roll in the fields!

The Levellers

They organise Beautiful Days, they headline the festival. They are the first band I ever truly got into and I'm sure will remain at the top of my musical list for many more years. This year is their 25th year in action and they are still just as good as ever. Their time at the top if popular music faded long ago, but that has done nothing to stop them releasing music to rival their best. Static on the airwaves was not as good levelling the land, but it was close, can anyone ask for more?

I think I'd better stop there, well done for sticking with me on this, I hope you like something here but if not that's fine, because in the words of a song both the first and last band on this list often end sets with "There is only one way of life, and that's your own"