In addition to John Legend and The Script, this year's Byblos International Festival in Lebanon will feature indie British band Alt-J . The band rose to prominence in 2012 and their most recent album released last year topped U.K. music charts.
The band's best-known track, "Tessellate," was even covered by Elie Goulding. However, the song that launched the band to greater prominence is "Breezeblocks."
Band members Gwil, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Green met while studying at Leeds University in 2007. Joe and Gwil first teamed up to form the band and Thom joined when he heard the unique sound the two had created. Gus completed the line up and the four friends started performing in their local area for a few years before choosing the name Alt-J.
The unique name refers to the delta sign that is formed when holding down the 'alt' and 'j' keys on the keyboard. In mathematical equations, the delta symbol represents change, reflecting the turning point in the band members' lives when they chose the name. With the success that followed, it seems like the change was positive.
The Byblos Festival annually brings a series of prominent acts to Lebanon during the summer including performances by Lana Del Rey, Beirut, Stromae and Scorpions in recent years. Although the full line-up and schedule has yet to be announced for this summer, it looks like this year is going to continue the trend of presenting top-notch international music to Lebanese fans.