Hi Claire! Welcome to MusicBanter.
I love that you have such a wide appreciation for music. And I have a bass guitar, too!
I also like London. I remember finding it interesting that when you ride in the Underground, you end up with soot in your nose afterwards. I was told by an American friend living there (whom I was visiting) that this was residual soot from when coal-burning trains worked in the tunnels. Truth or fiction? I always wondered. Do you know?
So, you want to find new groups and inspiration. I'll share two of the songs I learned about at MusicBanter to see how you like them (in case you haven't heard them). I love this first song, but never would have *predicted* I'd like it if someone had told me about it before I heard it. I think the last newcomer I shared this song with deleted her intro thread...so I wait with suspense to see what you'll do!
Eskamon - Fine Objects
And have you heard Polvo's "Time isn't on my side" song? I learned about Polvo through MusicBanter, too:
Polvo - Time isn't on my side
Here are two songs I like that I knew about *before* I joined MusicBanter. MGMT is the one band I've seen live during the last 10 years:
MGMT - Time to Pretend
MGMT - Indie Rokkers
And here's one more, Claire, by Wilco, in case you haven't heard his music:
Wilco - Reservations