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London Calling: The Indie Music Festival of the Season

London Calling Music Festival in Amsterdam

If Indie music is your thing, you probably don’t want to miss out on this weekend’s London Calling music festival in Amsterdam.

This fall’s lineup looks as promising as ever, and you’re sure to find something you like at Friday or Saturday’s show.  Among the performers will be Glasgow postpunk act We Were Promised Jetpacks, electro-pop star Esser, and harder space rockers A Place to Bury Strangers.

I’m also proud to say that Hockey, an indie/rhythm band from my hometown of Portland, Oregon, will be playing as well.

Of course, with over 25 bands planning to show up, I can’t name them all – Check out the website for the full lineup.

The popular event is held twice a year at the Paradiso, one of the most beloved night spots in Amsterdam, and if you’ve never been there, the venue alone is probably worth the €17.50 that it will cost you to get into the concert.  A former church now converted into a rocking concert site, the main dance floor holds only a couple hundred people, but there is also a wraparound balcony where you can actually sit and enjoy your drink instead of getting caught in a mosh pit down below.

Other halls in the Paradiso’s basement often host DJs and jam sessions on otherwise quiet nights, and can also be a refuge from the overcrowded main floor.  Of course there’s a bar downstairs where you can get beer, wine, and a few snacks like chips or muffins to hold you over until morning.

It should be a great show, so get your tickets quick – the Paradiso is almost always sold out!