Ni

You wanna get nuts? Then let’s get nuts! French genre-hopping mad hatters NI give you free reign in unleashing your inner court jester. From berserker rage noise rock to twisted math jazz, this irksome foursome embraces chaos with demented delirium. Ni’s newest LP is called Fol Naïs, which literally translates to “born mad”, in case you didn’t get the memo.

That being said, these paladins of pure pandemonium actually have a method to said madness: their all-embracing maximalist whims are basically their way of saying that they’ve created a musical environment where every band member can express themselves in a free and unfiltered fashion. Which means you better expect the unexpected when they take the stage.

Who knows, the next Ni record may be a collection of twee love ballads, but at Roadburn’s Paradox lineup, these guys will embody their gloriously grotesque selves. And just in case they won’t let you pass, best bring them a shrubbery. Ni! Ni! Ni!

– Jasper Willems