EuroHeedFest - The Cult of Guided by Voices!

by Marc Freak

There was a time when Guided by Voices very nearly crossed that bridge from cult indie rock to public acceptance here in the Uk. 1999. The end of the century. A band that had for years been releasing pure genius pop hook nuggets of fuzz, drenched in a lofi (anti) production, had just delivered a properly “produced” album in Do the Collapse. In Hold on Hope there was an indie anthem sure to get the next generation of festival goers holding their lighters aloft whilst they sing along. It was however never to be. The distributing record company - the legendary Creation Records - did the collapse itself, and despite a good amount of airplay, the distribution wasn’t there. Selfishly, it is quite likely that a lot of us GBV fans were not overly upset by this. We quite like having this huge wealth of some of the best, catchiest, perfect tunes all to ourselves. Cased in a lofi production that scares off the more timid listener. They are mine! All mine! They always have been and always will be. Muhahahaha.

My what a huge wealth it is too! The prolific chief of GBV Robert Pollard has some 3,000 songs released under the Guided by Voices moniker, or his solo albums. Or his multiple side projects. Airport 5. Boston Spaceships. Circus Devils. Lexo and the Leapers. Ricked Wicky. The list goes on. Generally to this day we are still getting two or three releases a year. And even now, I stumble upon tracks, nay whole releases, that I didn’t know existed. And it is generally a joy.

Now, whilst I have already admitted that there is some comfort knowing that the wider world has never fully latched on to Pollard’s genius, it really is missing out. Absolute indie bangers like Game of Pricks. Subspace Biographies. Glad Girls. Motor Away. If you’ve got a spare month or so, I’ll pull you together a playlist of life changing classics! But warning, there will be no time for sleeping. Just don’t tell anyone, yeah?

But those that know know. And whilst the band themselves have now retired from live shows (Bob is 68 - them high kicks probably aren’t as easy to do now as they used to be!) the dedicated fanbase can still get its own kicks. So picture this. Its May 2026. London, UK. Specifically The George Tavern (located in the Shadwell/Whitechapel area - which just so happen to be my favourite part of London). Its Euroheedfest (number 14!). An annual gathering of devoted GBV fans from across the UK and, more and more frequently, the wider globe. Proceedings start outside in the yard, as fellow fans gather around the acoustic guitar antics of some of us believers (like yours truly). We all have a jolly good singalong before heading inside for the main events. Approximately seven hours of back to back Guided by Voices (and wider Pollard) cover bands. No repeat songs - each playing something different from the last set. From some of the big hitters (Teenage FBI; Cut Out Witch) to lower key album cuts and rarities (John the Dwarf Wants to Become An Angel; Ha Ha Man). And the crowd go wild!

This year we were treated to sets from Airshow 88; Your Volunteer Fire Department; Teenage FBI (travelling all the way from the USA to be with us); Cocks of the Block. And closing (as we generally do) with a greatest hits set from Band of Pricks - fronted by co-event organiser Dan Ormsby - with the band having already treated us to a faithful anniversary full live rendition of the classic Under the Bushes Under the Stars album (incidentally, the first GBV album that I heard and still my favourite to this day). There is so much love from every performance, every song. Performed by the devoted to the devoted. Do not underestimate quite how challenging some of these tracks are to perform, however simplistic they may at times sound. And with songs quite often having a runtime of less then two minutes, each of the sets manage to cram in a satisfyingly large number of tunes. Its reassuring to know that, whilst it is unlikely (if not impossible) that we’ll get to see Bob performing live again - or at least not in the Uk - we can once a year drunkenly chant “GBV! GBV!” until we can barely speak, and dance the night away.

If you haven’t experienced Guided by Voices go check them out. And if you become as immersed into the cult like genius of Robert Pollard’s songwriting as I have become, well I’ll probably see you at EuroHeedfest 15 next year! But, hey, don’t tell too many people. This band are mine, all mine.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse