UGLY

They’ve shared the stage with Black Country, New Road—a name that alone should guarantee top-tier quality. But then you hit play, and Ugly’s music begins to fill the room like a kind of magic that’s hard to put into words.

The harmonies chase each other, straight from the best American folk tradition. Acoustic beginnings give way to a glorious mix of instruments talking to each other—repeating musical phrases, twisting them, chasing one another with virtuosic flair that nods to some prog projects.

Ugly are the real wildcard of this year’s Poplar edition—unpredictable as every moment of their debut EP, Twice Around the Sun, and poetic in a way few can match in the UK rock scene.