Audio Addict # 21

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A D D I C T LITTLE DRAGON KLAPP KLAPP: A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR SWEDEN’S COOLEST BAND

KATE BOY / MALLORY KNOX / OLIVVER / TWIN ATLANTIC / YEARS & YEARS DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE #21 / FREE

EDITOR’S LETTER It’s with the utmost pleasure that I introduce to you the latest

and movements. There’s the brand new ‘Foreword’ section

edition of Audio Addict. The re-design that graced our website

– a place where you’ll be able to discover some of the most

in September has extended to the magazine, and here we are

intriguing and exciting artists both on your doorstep and miles

now in fully fledged A4 – it’s fabulous, wouldn’t you agree?

afar. We’re also delighted to introduce ‘State Of...’, a segment in which we investigate a particular genre in search of hidden

But Audio Addict hasn’t merely been given a fancy makeover.

treasures - with this issue’s edition tackling the uncertain

At the risk of sounding Tumblr philosophical, the inside

state of UK hip hop.

counts just as much as the outside - and we’ve been hard at work to bring you a magazine that’s as satisfactory to read as

If that all sounds a bit too intense for you, fret not - there’s

it is to gaze at lovingly.

also a host of ridiculous features that most magazine editors wouldn’t be crazy enough to print. ‘Alcohommentary’ is an

This issue, the wildfire wonders Little Dragon grace our cover.

absurd section of the magazine where writers give their

After an exhilarating year supporting their newest release

impressions of albums whilst under the influence – this issue

Nabuma Rubberband, Yukimi Nagano spoke to us about

I personally tackled Attila’s new album after making short

their eternal struggle against being branded ‘try-hards’ and

work of a bottle of Jäger and the results were, well, interesting

the delights of Sweden’s political agendas. Also in the mag,

to say the least. We also took it upon ourselves to grade rap

Twin Atlantic reflect on the whirlwind few months they’ve had

lyrics a la school teachers – some were ex Zack-tly what we

since releasing their arena baiting album Great Divide and

wanted to see, others were so Childish we had to whip out

pop’s hottest new export Years & Years look to the future after

the dunce caps.

touring with heavyweights such as Sam Smith.

Feel free to write in and tell us what you think of the magazine Alongside the longstanding interviews and reviews sections,

at our brand new reader’s e-mail - audioaddictreaders@

a host of regular features have been added to the magazine

hotmail.co.uk – and perhaps we’ll feature your comments in

with the intention of educating you about brand new artists

the next issue of the mag!

EDITOR // JOSHUA PAULEY FRONT SECTION EDITOR // JAMES BARLOW REVIEWS EDITOR // CONNOR CASS CULTURE EDITOR & SUB-EDITOR // NATHAN BUTLER ART DIRECTOR & FOREWORD EDITOR // JOE PRICE

CONTRIBUTORS

Will Ackrill, Appleby, Matthew Bisgrove, Freya Cochrane, Callum Cornwell, Jodie-Mae Finch, Samantha Fisher, Steven Fox, Ben Hindle, Lydia Hughes, Aaron Jolliff, Jack King, James Miller Kristofik, India Milner, Kiahla Nakahara, George Parr, Tobias Pugh, Rebecca Rayner, Rob Sayers, Joseph Skingsley, Tom Staniszewski, Kaitlyn Ulrich, Minnie Wright

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A D D I C T Website: audioaddictmag.com // Email: audioaddicteditors@hotmail.co.uk The Audio Addict magazine and blog is produced by students on the BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism course at Southampton Solent University. The views expressed in the magazine and blog are the contributor’s own and as such the University and its staff can not be held responsible.

CONTENTS

FRONT SECTION

4 GRADING RAP LYRICS 5 ALCOHOMMENTARY: ATTILA 7 SPOTIFY: HEAVEN OR HELL? 9 GUILTY PLEASURES 10 CRAZY WISDOM: BODY CHEETAH

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FOREWORD

11 OLIVVER

“I needed to take a deep breath and get that off my chest before I could continue”

13 TOTEMO 14 APPLEBY, CADY 15 THE STATE OF: UK HIP HOP

COVER FEATURE

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16 LITTLE DRAGON

“In the past we’ve been like ‘it’s only our opinion that matters, f**k all else!’”

20 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 22 TWIN ATLANTIC “We’re happier on stage”

24 YEARS & YEARS

“I don’t think you can help but be influenced by the stuff you grew up listening to”

26 VOCAL SAMPLES 28 MALLORY KNOX

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“I just think we’re a better band now”

30 KATE BOY

“Most creative people are very self-attacking, at least we all are”

32 REVIEWS

CULTURE

36 FILM REVIEW: INTERSTELLAR 37 VIOLENCE IN VIDEO GAMES 38 GIG GUIDE

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FRONT SECTION

GRADING RAP LYRICS

Sometimes rappers are funny, sometimes they’re clever and sometimes they just miss the mark a bit. Luckily for you the Audio Addict editors have put their stern teacher spectacles on to grade some of the year’s most memorable lines, separating The Underachievers from the Kanye Best.

She give you a free kick, and then you get lamped 'ard - Swet Shop Boys, 'Benny Lava' Mr. Swet Shop Boy, please come and see me so you can give me the name of the girl confusing football with boxing.

C-

I'm miles ahead of you, you can sip my b** **es brew - RTJ featuring Zack de la Roc ha, 'Close Your Eyes and Count to F**k'

Good to have you back, Mr. de la Rocha, this one must be a Milestone for you.

A-

Mitch caught a body 'bout a week ago - Bobby Shmurda, 'Hot N***a'

Are you telling me your friend Mitch killed someone recently? Bobby, you know the first rule of rap school: Snitches get stitches.

U

Don't play with me boy, don't play with me boy /Go play your Nintendo! - Stitches, 'Brick In Yo Face'

t isn’t selling blow.

Take your own advice, you need a hobby tha

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Heart heart heart of a lion lion/heart departed from my soul/thanks to everyone hates me/only makes me fit my role - Yung Lean, 'Volt'

I’m aware that you’ve had to deal with bullies recently, so this line is very brave coming from you Mr. Leandoer. Don’t let the bullies get you down!

Flow been burr since Novem'/chain been burr since Novem'/that means cold/I'm just sayin'/we ain't playin' - Childish Gambino, 'Partna Dem' Donald, take away the explanation of your own bars.

See what I did there? Donald, take away?

D minus? Annoying, isn’t it?

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ded Understand that all language is metaphor - If you hea there's for a wall, you better set a course to a door/And if no door, you better get a door/And if not, just look and see what you saw/And with that saw cut yourself in half/And two halves make a whole so climb through that - Kool A.D., 'Open Letter'

d you’ll go far.

Stop smoking so much dank an 4

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ALCOHOMMENTARY

TIPSY REVIEWS:

ATTILA - GUILTY PLEASURE When Attila’s new album Guilty Pleasure arrived unexpectedly in

I’ve Got Your Back

my inbox a few weeks ahead of its release, it almost went straight to

BRO. This is the bro anthem. You might’ve thought bro anthems

the trash folder. One ingenious idea and a bottle of Jäger later, and

were reserved exclusively for bands that bear a unanimous hatred

Alcohommentary was born – a critical analysis of an album through

for their hometowns and wear sleeveless Defend Pop Punk vests, but

drunken eyes and ears.

in 2014, metalcore is all about the bro anthems too. Just envision it now – a horde of metal bros yelling “I’VE GOT YOUR BACK!” before

Hate Me

flat-out clotheslining their friends in the mosh pit. Friendship is great,

“I don’t give a f**k about my bad reputation!” - nice job Attila, you’ve

and irony is even better.

hooked me in true punk fashion with a line that echoes the ethos of one of my favourite Avril Lavigne songs. This song has those damn

Dirty Dirty

pig growls, which I’ve always found a bit of a conundrum. Aren’t pigs

Anyone remember the band Family Force 5? They had this song

supposed to be cute? Are they imitating the cries of tortured pigs?

called ‘Kountry Gentleman’ which was all about being raised in the

That’s cruel. This song’s put up a more convincing argument for me

dirty, dirty south as an upstanding young individual. It was funky, it

not to eat meat than any Morrissey song has.

was great, it was the polar opposite of this song. ‘Dirty Dirty’ ends in a rousing – perhaps it’s meant to be arousing - chant of “T*TS! T*TS!

Guilty Pleasure

T*TS!” which is kinda gross and makes me feel sad for any girls who

This is the fourth song on this album with a ‘haters gonna hate’

attend this band’s shows.

mentality, but none of them are even the slightest bit as good as ‘Shake It Off’. Taylor Swift legitimately made a song that shares the

Don’t Be Basic

same sentiment as most of these songs, but the clincher is she didn’t

“Y’know, they say jealousy is just love and hate at the same time” -

have to call anyone a b***h or resort to telling everyone to suck her

when this guy says ‘they’, he means Drake, right? Drake said that –

d**k. She did it in a dignified and respectable manner, which is how

and like any hip hop aficionado would tell you, quoting Drake is just

you should truly dismiss the haters. She also did it with trombones,

about the most basic thing you can do.

which are infinitely better than palm-muted breakdowns.

Final Verdict Proving Grounds

This album is like really bad YouTube comments... BUT HEAVIER.

If this was an episode of Friends, it’d be titled ‘The One With The Homophobic Slur’. It would’ve also never been aired, because using homophobic slurs – whatever the context – is not cool.

WORDS: JOSHUA PAULEY

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NEWS

SPOTIFY: ARTIST’S HEAVEN OR HELL? WORDS: AARON JOLLIFF

Leaving the ‘players’ no longer being able ‘play play play’, newly converted pop starlet Taylor Swift took the bold decision to remove her music from streaming service Spotify, something which many of her fans decided to ‘hate hate hate’. After leaving a considerable amount of time for music fans to jump to conclusions, Swift eventually declared her reasoning behind the removal, telling Yahoo Music: “I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists, and creators of this music.”

The singer isn’t the first to disagree with the rise of streaming services. A charter of artists have expressed their distaste for Spotify; common themes have occurred in their arguments against the service with poor royalty payments and access to their albums for free being main concerns. Spotify claims to inject “nearly 70%” of their revenue back into the music industry, which would make you think they’re providing a profitable method. Further research indicates that an artist can earn as little as $0.006 per stream – something that seems completely unfair.

Whilst this model seems imbalanced, popular artists such as Swift could be unaffected. With 25% of Spotify’s users streaming her music, royalty payments possibly could soar, providing an additional income for the artist. Spotify itself has claimed that one “global hit album” was accumulating its creator $425,000 a month. Swift’s latest album 1989 also has become the first album of 2014 to score a platinum position, selling 1.287 million copies within the first week.

These extremely high sales alongside the enormous loyal fanbase Swift has established portrays her removal of music from streaming as an act of greed, a marketing ploy to boost both her album and back catalogue sales – not to save royalties she’s losing.

Another example of an artist who’s expressed their dislike for Spotify and its royalty system is Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. Yorke called the platform “the last desperate fart of a dying corpse” and removed his music from the service in 2013, tweeting that he was “standing up for fellow musicians”. This seems to be a contradiction from a musician whose band’s 2007 album In Rainbows was allowed to be downloaded for free. Whilst Spotify’s model and its royalty system may be viewed as unreasonable, streaming services is the future of music and the system’s popularity is swiftly rising. Recently, music rights and label services Kobalt has revealed that its songwriters have collected 13% more income from Spotify than iTunes in the first quarter of 2014, providing further evidence that streaming is becoming the most preferred form of music consumption.

If musicians and artists think the way Spotify and other streaming services operate is unjust, they need to work with these services to make sure they’re getting a fairer deal – not against them. Pulling their music from these services and speaking out against them pushes the debate backwards and doesn’t persuade people to purchase their music any further, in fact it more than likely increases piracy of it.

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OPINION

ARE GUILTY PLEASURES STILL A THING? There’s much talk nowadays that so-called ‘guilty pleasures’ are a thing of the past. Everyone likes a bit of everything now so what is there to be guilty about? James Barlow and Kaitlyn Ulrich discuss.

NOT A THING OF THE PAST: Guilty pleasures are definitely still a thing. We live in a time where, yes, more folk are open to more styles of music but I’m still in search of a metalhead who will proudly proclaim their love for a real tacky pop song. A great deal of it comes with today’s incessant need to keep up appearances and specific music taste can form a significant part of a person’s personality, but someone who lives in their wornout Iron Maiden 1987 tour hoodie may well be dancing around their bedroom to the likes of S Club 7 or 5ive on the sly in fear of word getting out.

I find myself worrying about who can hear my listening habits sometimes, especially when I’ll have my iPod on shuffle. I have a reputation to uphold, for Bowie’s sake! Anything could come on

after all and I have the majority of Limp Bizkit’s discography on there - purely for nostalgia, I’ll stress.

There are many different ways of enjoying music too, for instance one can listen to something because they think it’s a well-crafted song, it reminds them of a particular moment or just because it makes them laugh. Because of this, the guilty pleasure can be hard to define.

While I will never lie about my love of any kind of music, there are some things I am less inclined to openly admit enjoying. It shouldn’t be, but it can be a little embarrassing when you see greatest hits records from the Backstreet Boys or Boyzone sitting in between seminal albums by Beck and Bon Iver.

A THING OF THE PAST:

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When indulging in your so-called guilty pleasure, you don’t find it to be guilty at all. In fact, you (gasp) actually happen to love it, so why should you feel guilty about listening to it?

a bad name for it and throws it aside. It’s a natural bias that comes from society’s desperate need to put a label of shame upon certain music for whatever reason.

I recently went to a conference where Mike Diver, the online editor for Clash Magazine, was giving a speech. He confessed that he doesn’t believe in guilty pleasures, asking, “what music’s right, what music’s wrong? No music should be more authentic than something else. Embrace it.” This really struck a chord with me.

It’s easy to get lost in thinking that liking something outside your own realm of musical taste makes this music ‘wrong’ to enjoy, but chances are, some 50 million other people in the world think its good as well. Your own musical taste isn’t special; the music wouldn’t be ‘popular’ in the first place if other people didn’t like it.

Society creates a blockade around certain music that gets spread as a general consensus. Think about it. Some people like Nickelback, but they wouldn’t dare confess that aloud. Once songs, or even artists for that matter, get too popular or cliché, the public makes

So dance around in your underwear to that poppy upbeat rendition of Rebecca Black’s latest hit if that’s what you want. If it makes you happy then it’s simply pleasure, which is by no means guilty.

OPINION

BODY CHEETAH’S CRAZY WISDOM DENIABILITY IN UNKNOWN SPACE WORDS: JAMES MILLER KRISTOFIK (BODY CHEETAH) Sometimes artists have things to say outside of their music, and Crazy Wisdom is where we give some of our favourite artists the outlet to do so. There are no guidelines, just unfiltered thoughts from some of the most exciting artists in the world.

Imagine yourself bodiless in a room that is endless in all directions.

You’ve become nothing; you’ve become something so meaningless that the thought of your opinion refuses to exist. In this room, you’ve been given every song ever created. Every song as it was, is, and will once become. Start at the beginning of the list, and pitch the first song into the endlessness. You will notice when this song is thrown because it will not move. It will take form. It will stand in front of you with pure body, creating something in a room full of nothing.

If you continue to do this, the cornerless room will start to take shape.

You will begin to see the world we’ve created form around you. And you will also notice that some songs, when played, only further the obnoxious immensity of the room I’ve put you in. These are songs of only one colour; songs who only exist when being played, who vanish when their short length ends. i.e. there is the word “Heavy” – and then there are stones.

As this is written, it is the early 21st century. Future generations will define us by our vicious mastery in creating exhaustible resources.

Materials that have only one short purpose: to be used and then replaced. We abuse our cultural arts in the same fashion. We’ve become so used to the idea that what we hear, or see, or have, is all we are allowed.

This thought is the creation of hopelessness. If you view the natural world (which we exist in) you will see stones. It is now more imperative than ever that we understand these stones did not form by accident.

Stones existed before stones were heavy. Their weight always was, even in an endless room of space. More importantly, their weight will continue to exist after their million year lives.

Working in the music industry has forced me to witness the neglection of significance music and art has to offer. On the Internet there is an endless stream of disposable material. Songs that sound the same as the one played before it. I’ve seen articles written about the subjective nature of taste, which at first seems undeniably true but the individual’s choice of palette is not the concern of culture.

Art has never been interested in our opinions. Rather, it too is like the stone: it exists before, during, and after it is found. It is something that only arrives when valued. There is also a heinous rumour going around that originality is dead. Perhaps it is only hiding from the sickening heat of people who believe in its departure.

We have accepted a world in which denial in hope runs like a leak.

We fear optimism. We’re afraid of sounding dumb, and we’re afraid of searching for value, because what is so readily available is easier.

We’ve chosen not to believe in great art, therefore great art will not appear. We’ve missed the point that what we create - whether that is a machine or a song, directly impacts the world we live in, and that whatever we choose to imagine becomes our reality. (http://bodycheetah.bandcamp.com)

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ØLIVVER FOREWORD

WORDS: JOE PRICE

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FOREWORD

Foreword is our way of introducing some of our favourite underground and rising artists. This is where we’ll take a look at the origins, as well as the future of artists that we’re excited about.

Earlier this year, Bryan Sammis decided to shift focus pretty dramatically. Leaving his admirable position as The Neighbourhood’s drummer, Sammis announced he’d be exiting the band to pursue a solo career under the pseudonym of Olivver. Leaving any band is a pretty bold move, but leaving a band on such an upward trajectory takes a lot of courage.

But with his solo output thus far, Sammis has made it clear that his departure has been anything but a mistake.

Openly making himself known to the world as Olivver with the skeletal ‘Purge’, Sammis’ first solo track post-The Neighbourhood wasn’t so much a statement but a necessary expulsion of thoughts. “Physically, emotionally, musically…

I needed to take a deep breath and get that off my chest before I could continue” he says of ‘Purge’. Taking his bad thoughts and putting them elsewhere, ‘Purge’ was a red herring of sorts, not really fully embracing what his music as Olivver is all about. But it was a necessary step to get where he’s at and without it, he might not have transitioned so smoothly to his place as Olivver.

With an undeniable sense of confidence in his art, Sammis has taken his step backward in fame to step forward musically. Irrefutably cool whilst maintaining his modesty, Sammis has it all mapped out from here: “I have a very clear cut vision of an eventual full-length and it gets me so excited.” His passion for his own project is palpable, making it hard not to share his enthusiasm. He’s already developed a sound removed from his past, with the sleek music of the Freak EP making this evident.

Sammis isn’t committed to remaining in this lane he’s crafted for himself though, saying “I think labelling yourself, or boxing yourself in, in any avenue of life is silly.” He’s not afraid of saying he’ll never corner himself into a style or genre, simply saying “a good song is a good song.” People have used R&B, soul, indie and countless other tags to describe his music, but he says “as long as they also want to say that it sounds good, then I don’t care.”

Looking back to one of his first releases as Olivver, the Catharsis EP, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from; he’s always been evolving artistically. “I put that out in college when I was still finding myself” he explains, before mentioning “I made that for myself as a musical catharsis where I could talk about things that I couldn’t otherwise.” He’s grown quite a lot as a person since he first released that EP in 2011, and he’s as knowing of this as his music makes out. His songs have become more and more fleshed out since, especially when it comes to the production side of things.

Whether it’s the vibrant synths of ‘Lucy (Hurt People Hurt People)’ or the galloping triumph of ‘Not Going Home’, a lot more care has been put into his music. This also carries over to the lyrical side of things. Sammis has always held lyrics in high regard, continuing to stress the importance of solid lyrical content: “I think that lyrics can often be what separates songs that get big quick and die quick from songs that have longevity.” This level of care is applied on a word by word basis, with him focusing on having his songs making their way into your head without any plans on budging. His love for lyrics isn’t just made obvious in his music, but also in how he sees them: “I think they are overly-important, under-appreciated & devalued by so many artists who are in music for the wrong reasons.”

Despite leaving such a high position not too long ago, he already seems set to achieve similar levels of success in the near future.

The artistic possibilities on his horizon seem colossal, with improvement happening on a day by day basis. He admits this himself, and openly embraces it. He says that each live show with his touring band is better than the last, and it’s not hard to see this improvement carrying over to the studio side of things as well. It’s not entirely clear where he’s headed for those on the outside, but from where he sees himself in the future alone, there’s little doubt it’ll be worth waiting for.

Olivver’s Freak EP is out now.

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FOREWORD

TOTEMO WORDS: CONNOR CASS

“I was going to perform in a Tel-Avivian nightclub, but it was actually in Las Vegas, which is now the largest city in the world according to my dream. Before I went on, some scary-looking guy poured gasoline inside the club and lit a match. I tried to make my friend leave with me but he wouldn’t, so I had an episode of hysterical strength and I carried him away by his hoodie.”

Perhaps the most important characteristic of Totemo is that she is an artist who can vividly remember her dreams.The Israel-based singer-songwriter’s relationship with her own imagination is certainly reflected her ability to create worlds within her music that feel as if she exists on a more ethereal plane. “When we feel something in a dream - we still feel it all the same. and that’s just another opportunity to experience life in all its emotional range.” This is why Heavy As My Dreams is one of the most wondrous EPs you’re likely to hear this year, as Totemo understands both the power of the human mind and its complex emotions.

This emotional resonance with music is what enticed her in the first place, as she recalls “I remember putting on my parents’ vinyls on and just sliding into a world of happiness.” Her background in Israel is also a place she draws her inspirations from, as she describes the “amazing musicians and scenes in Jerusalem,” and offers an insight into the mentality of musicians in the country. “I think it probably has something to do with the complex situation in which we are all in living in the Middle East. And as we know, musicians use music to express themselves and their frustrations.”

Huffington Post recently described her as an artist who “broke all of pop’s rules,” but she doesn’t necessarily focus on breaking rules when creating music - “if anything, when I revisit my work, I would actually try to make it more accessible.” However, it’s an easy claim to believe.

Totemo is an artist whose work defies pop norms. It’s imaginative, it’s deep and it’s motivated by progression. She says “you have to always keep moving. This is almost a cliché. It could be very difficult, but it’s always a necessity.” The biggest pop rule that she’s broken is that her future is an incredibly intriguing prospect.

Totemo’s Heavy As My Dreams EP is out now

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FOREWORD

CADY WORDS: STEVEN FOX

Southampton’s DIY scene is always fluctuating in strength, but never dies.

Cady are one of the bands keeping it afloat with their dark screamo that takes strong influence from classic skramz acts such as Neil Perry and iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook. The band, made up of members of IDWTKWTCBS and Witch Cult, have been touring their 2014 demo around the pubs and DIY spaces of England on the same bills as acts such as Maths, Healing Powers and Plaids.

The four-piece play a passionate, dissonant and honest breed of heavy music that’s scrappy, hard-hitting and intense. Those three things sound odd in the same sentence, but collectively really drive together. Vocally, Cady sound desperate - and this keeps a realness and genuine passion to their debut tape, consisting of three tracks of truly blackened screamo that is impressively catchy for the genre.

Cady are really one of the best new bands Southampton has seen in a while. They feel like a band that are worthwhile and creative, and their fantastic live shows bring this all together. They are a real solid band for Southampton to take notice of.

APPLEBY NOTE TO SELF

WORDS: APPLEBY HIMSELF

Alongside writing about artists we’re excited about, we thought it’d be a great idea to give artists that we strongly believe in free reign to introduce themselves. Note to Self is a recommendation from us via the recommendation itself.

Can I put my stardom in a crock pot please? Overnight notoriety isn’t my cup of tea. The microwave isn’t for me. The toaster, pshh don’t even. I’d rather achieve greatness via slow boil. Are you going to help stir or what? Excuse the kitchen references I’m just finishing up a wondrous bowl of Gumbo. I’d share, but the only child in me gets pretty stingy at times. Anyway, campaigning for attention span is something I’ll leave to the politicians. I never create music for the sole purpose of gaining an audience. What began as therapy for me is still just that, therapy. However, sharing the intimate conversations I have with myself when I’m alone and experiencing insomnia at 3am when I have to be up at 5am has become my singular passion. My demons will be on display and my skeletons will reveal themselves as I am human, but I choose not to hide that in my music. I am no different than you, and we are extraordinary! You can ignore me and my art, but you can’t deny that.

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THE STATE OF: UK HIP HOP KIALHA NAKAHARA TAKES A LOOK AT THE CURRENTLY SHIFTING STATE OF UK HIP HOP

The idea of origin and authenticity has always been a ubiquitous theme in popular music for as long as it’s been around. People regularly chuck out phrases like “That’s not real metal” or “One Direction don’t even write their own music” and subconsciously or not, it’s considered a central ingredient for commendable music.

Art as a creative conduit continually questions originality, which then spurs on the long-winding debate of ‘music from a vacuum’ on the other spectrum. The most targeted genre of this scheme is UK hip hop. Back in the early 2000s when grime came into the mainstream with definitive records such as Dizzee Rascal’s Boy in Da Corner and Kano’s Home Sweet Home, the sonic mixture of drum & bass, hip hop and garage took over the mass media and overshadowed UK hip hop.

Distinctive ragga and electronic infused acts such as Blak Twang, 57th Dynasty and Roots Manuva were pushed aside and labelled ‘too American’ compared to the ambiguous, pioneering sound of grime that seemed to be dropped onto the timeline without any traces of a past or future. Misconceptions of grime being a sub-genre of UK hip hop leave grime enthusiasts cringing but is gathering inspiration from the things you revere such a bad thing? Even Roots Manuva in a 1999 Flipside interview admits “every art-form starts out as imitation… but the thing is, hip hop doesn’t belong to one nation – it’s something which comes from the birth of man.”

1. Rejjie Snow: Outrageous statements will always attract some level of attention and Rejjie Snow knows this well. From the KKK illustration on his only EP, Rejovich, to claiming he’s FlyLo’s rapping alter ego, Captain Murphy, the 21-year-old Irish MC isn’t afraid to challenge the social spectrum. With a rich baritone and a sharp wit, it’s only natural for him to have a cult following after only nine songs. He’s opened for Kendrick Lamar, DOOM, and Joey Bada$$ and despite his stateside education, he holds in a fierce Dublin spirit eager enough to put Ireland on everyone’s radar.

The same thing can be said about the new wave of hip hop, or ‘chill hop’, as the internet calls it, coming out of London right now. This foggy movement whirls in the past thirty years of hip hop culture; the turntablism of old-school boom-bap, the subversiveness of graffiti ethos, the worldly conscience of Zulu Nation, the introverted mutters of today’s angsty rhymers, and the prideful vivacity of British urbanites.

Integrating sounds of 90s New York jazz-rap, Lil B style cloudrap and the atmospheric electro-buzz of Bonobo and XXYYXX, five young artists are ending this stagnant scene with rhyme flows that can finally stand face-to-face with not only grime but US hip hop as well.

2. Loyle Carner: “Everybody says I’m f*****g sad, of course I’m f*****g sad I miss my f*****g dad” are the lines to opening song ‘BFG’ on his debut EP A Little Late. The reason why this 20-year-old Londoner stands out amongst the scene isn’t only because of his openness to vulnerability, but also because of the way he engraves his own stylized form of rapping using heavy staccato accents and romanticised poetry, absent from any hip hop directory. That doesn’t stop him from spitting an emotionally raw and chills-down-spine verse on ‘Cantona’ or maintaining a light-hearted vibe on ‘The Money’.

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THE STATE OF

3. Sub Luna City: The first thing you notice about ‘City Rivims MK 1’ is Archy Marshall, aka King Krule, aka Zoo Kid, aka DJ JD Sports, but in this case, Edgar the Beatmaker and his broad range of musical expertise as he dips into rapping and beat juggling, a complete 180 from his most known darkwave, kid genius persona. But as Edgar’s voice fades, and Jadasea’s vocals kick in, it becomes apparent that he isn’t the only genius here. Jadasea’s clever perceptions, Rago Foot’s clear-cut flows aligned with Black Mack’s jazzy backdrops creates the perfect audible imagery of murky, inner-city adolescents venturing through Southeast London and immersing themselves into the mundane, yet thrillseeking street life.

4. Hawk House: This neo-soul trio is the modern day equivalent to The Fugees or Digable Planets but with a dab of Brit charm and an experimental edge. The group already have a strong back catalogue with one mixtape, A Little More Elbow Room and a studio album, A Handshake to the Brain, that includes production from the rising Australian beatsmith Ta-ku. Their songs contain adept wordplay like “If you ain’t giving food for thought, you’re just supporting famine” and worldly insights enough to give listeners a sudden panic attack about stuff like existentialism. They’ve recently played at Reading & Leeds and opened for Queens’ big up, Action Bronson, which is only the beginning for these innovative hip-hoppers.

5. Jesse James Solomon: Amidst all the stereotypical braggadocio found in rap music, Jesse James Solomon is a refreshing member of this revivalist movement. His songs are sincere and introspective; in ‘JFSE’ he raps, “I find it hard to feel at home but home is where the heart is/ I guess it all depends/ home is anywhere I can zone out and reflect/ home is in my head so when I’m rolling through the ends/shit just don’t make any sense.” His runs are smooth and steady, almost like a calm mutter, and his music appears like a genuine snapshot of his thoughts as they are processing. The dark and minimalistic beats sound more of an accompaniment to an introverted youth’s life and although he only has four songs so far, they’re enough to claim him as a promising contender for UK hip hop.

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FANTASY MADE REAL

WORDS: NATHAN BUTLER

IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY, LITTLE DRAGON BLAZE ONWARDS

COVER FEATURE

After being in a band for nigh on two decades, it’s easy to settle for an inoffensive, innocuous sound that can be easily replicated album after safe album. There are an inordinate amount of veteran bands that choose the musical equivalent of getting married, having two kids and working at a finance company, but Little Dragon surreptitiously glide through the rather stale theory of genres to make a unique blend of romantic gloom with effervescent undertones. They’re also natives of Sweden, a country that does pop music so well, it makes Adele sound as dull as a granddad’s sweater.

Unbelievably, there are those who doubt the cool credentials of Little Dragon. In the post-internet age, image is just as important as the music, which is why vocalist Yukimi Nagano believes a band can be misjudged. “A lot of music these days is so stylised, people make an opinion before they’ve even heard it,” she says with an air of clemency, before recounting a tale of a particularly special gig in their hometown. “We had a fantastic show in Gothenburg which was one of my favourite shows ever, my dad was there! We got a HORRIBLE review and I just didn’t understand, I had the best show ever and the crowd was insane, and this person said nothing about the music. He just said ‘Little Dragon think they’re so cool’, I was like ‘was that a shade?!’”

Judging by the tone of her voice and the indulgent, munificent laugh she lets out just after, it’s obvious that she’s not perturbed by journalistic platitudes.

“We’re definitely one of those bands that through the years we get reviews that suck and reviews that are great and you learn to detach yourself from it. I totally get it too, because if I was doing reviews I’d be giving s****y reviews too because I have my taste.”

It’s a rare glimpse of a band that retain a humble and perceptive mentality when so many around them conduct themselves in a cocksure but half-cocked manner, drenched in post-irony.

Despite the fact that their latest album Nabuma Rubberband drew praise from all corners of the industry, Little Dragon maintain a level-headed outlook. Sometimes though, the retroactive teenaged romanticism naturally creeps through.

Yukimi speaks about OutKast’s Andre 3000 and how he mentioned being a big Little Dragon fan, which elicited her internal response of “whaaat?! Can I just write that down, can you say that again while I film?!” It’s wholly energising to see a band acting in their own sphere of mannerisms, eschewing the construct of cool while preserving their own selfawareness as a band.

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This self-awareness is evidenced by their transition from album to album. Their desire for conscious improvement has meant that each of the four albums Little Dragon have released are hugely differing albums from the downtempo R&B of the self-titled debut to the oddball synthpop of Machine Dreams, right to the expansive, melancholic perfection that is Nabuma Rubberband by way of Ritual Union’s shuffling electro pop.

There is a small price to pay for innovation though; Yukimi explains “we haven’t had a single record where we haven’t argued about something – like how the bass drum should sound in the mix or what song someone loves and someone else hates.” It’s this introverted mentality that often leads to a point where you see the wood for the trees, but Little Dragon have managed to find a comfortable spot where both internal and external voices of reason are heard. With a slight hint of impishness, Yukimi says “in the past we’ve been like ‘it’s only our opinion that matters, f**k all else!’” before dropping back into consummate band member mode, noting that “it’s good to listen to people who aren’t as emotionally attached to the music as we are.”

The puckish professionalism Yukimi exhibits seems to have a symmetrical embodiment with Little Dragon’s music, especially in tracks like ‘Klapp Klapp’ and ‘Paris’ which unswervingly elicit a jerky, animated response from limbs in an autonomous attempt to simulate dancing – all while your brain is sending appreciative signals because the music is stupendously crafted.

The progressive mentality that has allowed Little Dragon to excel seems to coincide with the outside world’s view of Sweden: a very forwardthinking country. “there are a lot of things that I’d say are forward-thinking Swedish views that we are proud of – the fact that there’s a feminist

party – you can think what you want about the feminist party, but the fact that there is one is fantastic and important and it’s a big statement... feminism is something that women and men really value over here.” After conversing and enthusing over the importance of feminism, somehow the chat spilled over into the recycling efficiency of Sweden – the most effervescent topic of conversation.

Yukimi seems to have a genuine vested interest in the wellbeing of Sweden and the world as a whole: “that’s one thing I’m super proud of. People should make a habit out of something that actually has a huge result, and here everybody does it. It’s great, but there are definitely a lot of things that I’m not proud of.”

A British citizen with even the most basic knowledge of the political economy in Sweden might be shocked to hear that it’s not as auspicious as it looks from the outside. “At the same time we have the Swedish Democrats party which is quite a racist party that is actually bigger than the environmental party, so I’m not part of that at all. I’m actually really embarrassed and ashamed.” Not one to dwell on negativity, Yukimi states “it’s far from perfect, but there are a lot of values that we are proud of.”

The story of the Gothenburg review sits uncomfortably in amongst the rest of Yukimi’s insightful conversation.

How can someone think of Little Dragon as impostors of cool, as try-hards? They’re still making weird and wonderful music that continues to impress.

They have a self-awareness that encourages creativity rather than an augmented ego. They support gender equality and are environmentally conscious. They are indubitably cool. Coolness oozes from them like melting snow from a Swedish rooftop in spring – drink it up, because it’s delicious.

Nauma Rubberband is out now. The new single ‘Underbart’ is released December 15th.

“

A lot of music these days is so stylised, people make an opinion before they’ve even heard it

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”

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ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 2014 2014 has been as hectic a year for album releases as the last.

As 2015 looms on the horizon, we take a look back at some of our favourite records from the past twelve months.

Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

The first album since singer Laura Jane Grace came out as a transgender woman also happens to be the best punk album in years. These ten contemporary punk bangers have the accessibility for anyone to latch onto, the edge to drive anyone wild, and the grace to make anyone fall in love with this band. (Jack King)

The Black Keys - Turn Blue

The Black Keys’ eighth studio album embodied their graduation to a prestigious league of bands.

An effortless amalgamation of tastes from late sixties psychedelia to their idiosyncratic glam-blues swagger, Turn Blue marked their final step to true maturity. (Minnie Wright)

Body Cheetah – Raking The Wind

Following a landmark year full of gargantuan releases, one would hope for something mind-blowing from one of the giants, but alas, 2014 belongs to the little guys. It’s only his fourth full-length, but Body Cheetah has mastered autumnal beauty better than anyone channeling David Lynch ever has.

(Joe Price)

clipping. - CLPPNG

2014 has been an unusually shy year for hip hop; fortunately we’ve had clipping. to bring much needed audaciousness and confrontation to the genre. Harsh noise rarely sounds this appealing.

(Connor Cass)

Deadmau5 – While (1<2)

Demonstrating his essentialism to electronic music, the outspoken producer Deadmau5 proves that he has matured with While (1<2), returning with two hours of atmospheric piano-laden, rolling electro mixes accompanied by challenging and complex instrumentation. (Lydia Hughes)

DZ Deathrays – Black Rat

‘Black Rat’ is essentially the best of everything that happened in rock music between about 1989 and 1994. The thrash-pop duo have created something so intensely deep and complex that you could listen to it a hundred times over and still take something new away from it. (Callum Cornwell)

Foxes – Glorious

Already having presented her potential through her collaboration with dance producer Zedd on ‘Clarity’ beside singles ‘Let Go for Tonight’ and ‘Youth’, Foxes’ Glorious managed to exceed any expectations that were placed upon it. The star of the show here is Foxes’ remarkable vocals.

(Aaron Jolliff)

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BEST OF 2014

He Is Legend – Heavy Fruit

On their fourth record He Is Legend have taken sludge, stoner and psychedelic elements to craft a delightfully dark record. The way it’s cleverly constructed with careful ambience that links songs together makes for a captivating listen. They found their sound on It Hates You, but here they sharpened it. (Rob Sayers)

How To Dress Well – “What Is This Heart?”

Tom Krell, aka How To Dress Well, has retained his love affair with the 90s on “What Is This Heart?”.

Drenched with Krell’s trademark falsetto and lo-fi melodies, this album is a true testament to his versatility. Featuring everything from synth-dipped pop to lo-fi melancholy, Krell never fails to impress here. (Freya Cochrane)

Jinkx Monsoon - The Inevitable Album

The world of drag is personified no better than by Jinkx Monsoon, winner of season five of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Full of flawless show tunes and jazz numbers, her dry wit and sultry side are both on full display as her beautiful voice is matched perfectly with the impeccable Major Scales’ backing.

(Jodie-Mae Finch)

Martha - Courting Strong

Catchy pop songs about the north, school and love given a punk twist while throwing back to bands in the vein of The Housemartins. It’s fun and light-hearted at times and a little sadder at others, but when Martha borrow a couple of bars from Rush’s ‘Spirit Of The Radio’, it’s hard to argue with really.

(Steven Fox)

Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour

If you’ve never been through heartbreak, Sam Smith tells you what it feels like on In The Lonely Hour. The hauntingly soulful record showcases the singer-songwriter’s undeniably flawless vocals and incredible range within ten sorrowful tracks. It’s hard not to feel the pain Smith’s words express.

(India Milner)

SBTRKT – Wonder Where We Land

Featuring some excessively talented names - Jessie Ware, A$AP Ferg and long-term collaborator Sampha – Wonder Where We Land has the deep, electronic sound that’s expected. The instrumental tracks aren’t without their own merit though, with some of them featuring some of the best production on the album. (Will Ackrill)

Second Storey – Double Divide

A lesson in off-kilter, contemporary techno, Second Story employs subterranean sonics to induce a digital psychosis on Double Divide. From the cosmic lullaby of ‘North Facing’, to the scatty percussion and growling low end of ‘Combustion Hallmark’ and ‘Trope’, the album distorts through its own inertia. (Ben Hindle)

Taylor Swift - 1989

Aside from single-handedly remedying 2014’s album sales woes, Taylor Swift’s wide-eyed foray into full-blown pop is a glorious pastiche of eighties pop culture and an evocative showcase of the breadth of her songwriting prowess, 1989 serves as Swift’s most endearing record by a not so country mile. (Joshua Pauley)

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TWIN ATLANTIC

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INTERVIEW

CROSSING THE GREAT DIVIDE WORDS: SAMANTHA FISHER

From furiously Scottish pop punk records to softer pop melodies, the last few months have seen Twin Atlantic take a slightly different path in music yet they’re still just as humble as ever. Since the start, the band have been proactive in setting out and doing it themselves after spending a lot of their time watching local DIY bands in free or small venues. “We were very much influenced by the DIY idea,” says beardy bassist Ross McNae, “that you could be in a band and just go on tour and all you needed was yourselves. We went in to do our own demo and we made a fake record label and sold our EP under that as if it was real. Just go and do it rather than waiting for someone to tell you that you can.”

Latest album Great Divide saw the band plunge deeper into the world of pop while maintaining some of the gnarly riffs and bass lines from previous efforts Free and Vivarium. McNae talks of the album’s theme as a “transition between childhood and adolescence before then going into adulthood.” McNae also spoke of inspirations drawn from the reactions they were getting from live shows: “we looked at what songs we felt were working live and why, and what we thought was missing and how we could add extra elements. We’re all about the live show, they give us the best toolkit to give people a good time and it created a much more relaxed and fun record.”

With anticipation building since announcements of a new album in the works since their Free tour two years ago, the band had given those crowds a little preview of what was to come with renditions of ‘Brothers and Sisters’ and a bit later on ‘I Am An Animal’. It was ‘Heart and Soul’ though that was first to be officially released and it’s the track that really strikes the combination of pop in its catchy chorus, and rock ‘n’ roll with its rough and gritty instrumental.

The idea of being pinned down as one particular thing is certainly not on the cards for Twin Atlantic. Craig Kneale, the man behind the drum kit, says that though there’s still a lot of rock songs on Great Divide it’s not the same but most definitely linked to their previous sound, especially with some tracks having been written before even those earlier albums were recorded. “We’re not stuck doing that forever, we don’t want to be just another rock band, we do what we want. Not being pigeonholed as one certain thing is just the best thing.”

Embracing pop has generally been regarded a sell-out move but it’s becoming more accepted as ‘worthy’ and ‘authentic’ music, and people are less afraid to admit it too. “I think because of the internet and television everything is starting to immerse together, even the way people dress. You used to have to pick if you liked hip hop or rock or pop, you couldn’t really like both whereas now that’s okay.” McNae adds to the pop debate, saying “pop music is obviously popular so it must be good otherwise it wouldn’t be pop music. As soon as Jessie J comes out with a song, it’s catchy and you sing it all the time. To me it might not be total John Lennon in terms of the way the lyrics carry, but I think that having something catchy and being able to let loose... that’s just as important.”

Having just wrapped up an intense tour around Europe straight after their run around the UK, Twin Atlantic have spent the last couple of months frantically doing what they love best. “We’re happier on stage”, says McNae, “the start of the band formed around our love of gigs so it’s what we know the best. The studio is also really good fun and when we got to the last album we were ready to go make new songs but when it got to the summer we were like ‘f**k this, let’s go out and play gigs!’”

After just a few days of rest in Glasgow they’re jetting off to America for three weeks to please even more crowds at live shows. The band get to return to Scotland for Christmas but then it’s not long before they’re ringing in the bells for the new year, and subsequently watching a wealth of fireworks for Hogmanay, Edinburgh’s big New Year’s Eve party. So what does 2015 hold for the band? “We have a minute to ourselves and then basically until the end of next summer we’re playing shows all around the world, loads of new places and festivals too. Then we’re thinking about putting out another album, so that’s it, that’s the whole plan, you got it!”

Despite selling out shows and playing the main stage at Reading and Leeds, the band remain relatively down to earth. “It’s always nice to know that people like what you’re doing but we’re quite good at staying grounded” says Kneale. “We’re always thinking about the next stage, it’s never ‘we’ve done this, we can rest now’. We’re more excited internally and it motivates us to do more.”

Great Divide is out now.

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INTERVIEW

&

YEARS POP’S BRIGHTEST NEW HOPEFULS FULFIL THEIR UTMOST DESIRES

WORDS: AARON JOLLIFF

With the creation of Years & Years occurring almost over four years ago, 2014 unquestionably has seen the trio gradually place themselves upon the music scene and proudly define their place.

Distinguishing themselves as “soulful electronic pop” when attempting to categorise their music but “happy with whatever people take away from it”, Years & Years’ musical technique has supplied a fulfilling and engaging crossover mixture, enthralling fans of an array of genres.

Conceiving their name through a “brainstorm session” where “Emre came up with Years & Years and it was the one name nobody hated”, Years & Years came to exist in 2010 after Michael ‘Mikey’ Goldsworthy and Emre Turkman met online when searching to fashion a band, then acquired their vocalist through the peculiar story of hearing Olly Alexander singing in the shower, forming an ensemble which is “definitely a friendship” more than a professional outlook with the group unsure “how anyone could cope otherwise”.

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Growing from strength to strength in 2013, Years & Years came to capture 2014 by swift force, finding themselves catapulted into not only the forefront but also into a numerous selection of successes.

These achievements include supporting artists such as Clean Bandit and more recently Sam Smith, having two of their songs claiming the title of Radio 1’s Track of the Day and securing an appearance on Later With Jools Holland. “I’m really proud of performing on Jools Holland. That was a really big moment for all of us, to be on the line up with all those acts on such a criticallyacclaimed show. It was a real moment,” Alexander says. With all this and more happening in such a short period, a whirlwind of accomplishments has really been spawned. “It’s hard to have proper perspective on it when you’re inside of it,” Alexander states.

“There’s so much work to do so I try to stay focused on that… I’m always racked with anxiety that things will go wrong.”

&

YEARS

The ever-growing list of triumphs for the group have been met with support from a collection of artists such as “Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith” who have each been “so supportive, it has been really amazing”.

Years & Years generated a style which could simply slot into a vast amount of genres and it spirals from the diverse selection of music they grew up on. “Emre grew up on the Beatles and Marvin Gaye, Mikey on classical stuff and Radiohead and I listened to a lot of singer songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Jeff Buckley as well as soul music and R&B,” Alexander reveals. “I don’t think you can help but be influenced by the stuff you grew up listening to.”

Constructing and devising songs from such assortment of influences and approaches in music comes in a particularly simple way for Years & Years though.

“I’m always writing stuff on the piano,” Alexander says, “so sometimes I’ll bring a top line and chord progression to Emre and Mikey and we’ll work something out or I’ll write something over the top of something Emre’s created. Our sound has developed and changed over the years, we never set out to make music of a specific genre, we just picked up instruments or tried software we liked.”

With the ending months of 2014 slowly clasping at the feet of everybody, it closes a year of complete highs for Years & Years but also represents an exciting new chapter for the band to further their growth. 2015 is set to provide the band with a playground of opportunities, something which Years & Years have in already planned. “We’re still on tour supporting Sam Smith until December and we hopefully gonna finish most of the album by the end of the year. Next year we’ll be putting out more music, doing our headline tour and then releasing the album,” Alexander divulges. “I get out of breath seeing that all written down.”

YEARS & YEARS TOUR THE UK NEXT FEBRUARY/MARCH - INCLUDING A STOP AT BRIGHTON’S CONCORDE 2 ON MARCH 7TH 25

OPINION

V O C A L S A M P L E S

NATHAN BUTLER DISCUSSES THE BRILLIANCE OF VOCAL SAMPLING IN MUSIC Hip hop is truly a wonderful genre – it’s birthed countless unique subcultures, styles and practices that have had a recognisable impact on music and society. From the justicedriven joints of Public Enemy, to Kanye’s (sometimes dubious) fashion choices. Out of the many things it has bestowed on us, hip hop has given popular music sampling – the act of taking a snippet of one track and using it in another. Although people who exclusively listen to ‘dad rock’ might tell you it’s stealing (these things get clearance, you know), it’s a creative way to pay homage to the old while breathing life into the new.

A vocal sample is often the layer in a track that gives you that tingly feeling when you hear it and without it, the song could be severely lacking in emotion. Case in point, the timeless dubstep/garage love affair that is Burial’s ‘Archangel’. It has the classic raw, tumbling drum patterns and sub bass that Burial built his name on, along with an ethereal sample from the Metal Gear Solid 2 video game OST. However, the real super-killersweet blow is dealt by the vocal sample, lifted from the most unlikely of sources – Ray J’s ‘One Wish’. It’s chopped up and screwed with to give the emotionally numb instrumental a sense of hopeless, yet brings organic romanticism without any sort of obvious lyricism. Without it, the track would lose the will to live.

Some producers have a supreme ear when it comes to vocal samples and can’t seem to put a foot wrong. Clams Casino’s popularity shot up when long-time collaborators A$AP Rocky and Lil B got a huge amount of recognition. Without Clams’ vocal driven beats to go over, it’s plausible to say Rocky and Lil B might not have gone so far. The vocals Clams chose to sample for a fair amount of the A$AP and BasedGod beats came from English singer/songwriter Imogen Heap, and it just

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seems to click with both rappers. The track ‘I’m God’ produced for Lil B, samples Imogen Heap’s ‘Just For Now’ and it provides the angelic chorus to Lil B’s divine flow, making for a truly transcendental experience.

In contrast to samples that ooze like honey from your ears, there are some that when on paper seem awkwardly placed.

Mike Finito produced the entire Heems mixtape Nehru Jackets and included vocal samples from Kate Bush and ELO, who are probably the last artists you’d expect on a rap mixtape, but it completely fits Hima’s smartass persona. It’s a testament to the art (because it is an art) of sampling to be able to take something so far removed from hip hop and place it in an entirely alien instrumental and still make the whole thing sound like it was always destined to be produced.

Ryan Hemsworth manages to turn the humorous into serious business with the track ‘Benny Lava’ on the Swet Shop Boys EP, as he heavily samples the famously misheard ‘Kalluri Vaanil’ from the movie Pennin Manathai Thottu. The song received a homophonic translation on YouTube and was the subject of many laughs, but Hemsworth has flipped it into a Bollywoodflavoured banger to underpin the socio-politically conscious rap of Heems and Riz. The art of sampling is often under-appreciated, but the way a vocal sample can make a track feel grandiose or emotional is nothing to be sniffed at. There’s a very human element to a production technique that is born from a technical process, which is a magnificent representation of how, even in this technologically-obsessed age, we can find passion and excitement from unlikely places.

WELCOME TO...

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A D D I C T Radio Addict is a new project starting this year and will be accompanying Audio Addict as the magazine’s very own radio station. The motley crew taking command of this new venture consists of Andrew Yates, Chloe Chaplin, Richard Lowe and Rebecca Rayner.

The team are set to bring you the highest quality of audio and visual entertainment to coincide with the fantastic standard of writing Audio Addict already offers. With music linked to the artists and genres featured in Audio Addict, you can listen to the great tracks you read about to your heart’s content.

Broadcast Controller Andrew will be managing radio shows on a live stream. Tune in to hear pre-recorded shows from a number of great presenters bringing you humour, entertainment and top quality journalism, alongside great playlists featuring music from the mag, created with the help of the Audio Addict editors.

If you’re a one-genre-mind kind of person, then Head of Music Richard has just the thing for you. Alongside the streamed radio shows we have genre-themed podcasts for those dedicated

fans. Are you mad about metal, passionate for punk, would you die for dance? There’s something for everyone.

Our Video Content Manager Rebecca will be in charge of bringing you visual bliss in the form of interviews, live sessions and great features from the radio shows and podcasts. Make sure you check out the Radio Addict YouTube channel in the New Year!

Finally, Head of Promotion Chloe will be keeping you in the loop with social media including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, promoting the great content Radio Addict has to offer and organising events throughout the year.

The team here at Radio Addict are very excited to get underway in the New Year. There will be many opportunities for you to get involved in including presenting roles, producer roles, interviewing and filming. If you’d like to get involved and be a part of something new, then email us at the address below: radioaddictmedia@gmail.com

PHOTOS: KAITLYN ULRICH

INTERVIEW

M A L LO R Y WORDS: CALLUM CORNWELL Over the past few years, British rock music has exploded back into the charts. One of the bands at the forefront of this new wave of iconic UK bands is Cambridge-grown Mallory Knox. What’s got them into the public eye and on the Radio One A-list - with the likes of One Direction, Taylor Swift and Eminem - is a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication. When music gets into the charts, authenticity is immediately thrown into question, but Mallory Knox haven’t strayed too far from their roots.

Bassist Sam Douglas tells it how it is. In comparison to a year ago it’s still ”the same people, same band, just completely different circumstances. That’s where the album name came from really, everything’s kind of changed for us. But I like to think that we’re still the same five guys and we still have the same problems that we did five years ago, just we’re on a major record label this time. I just think we’re a better band now as well.”

The truth is Mallory Knox set the bar incredibly high for themselves. Their debut album Signals hitting 33 in the UK album chart, as well as opening Reading and Leeds main stage and playing at Warped Tour Australia.

“People talk about it and say ‘oh Signals did this, and will your new album do this?’ I don’t really think like that, because it can happen that

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your new album might be as successful as your last one, but all we could do was write the best album we could at the time, as long as we love it there’s nothing more that we could’ve done.”

Douglas explains, “obviously we want to be bigger and better and do bigger shows, and bigger everything, but as long as we’re happy with what we’ve done then we couldn’t do a lot more. I don’t really pay too much attention to it, man. What will be, will be. I can’t change that.”

Despite this hesitation, the evidence that Mallory Knox are still on their way up is plain to see with the band soon to be cutting their teeth with their first tour in Europe with Japanese big guns One OK Rock.

“It’s something we’ve been itching to do for well over a year, maybe two. I don’t know why we’ve never been out there, we had a few offers come in and then we were doing something else, and it’s just worked out that way I guess. But to finally be going out there is nice, and to be doing it with the One Ok Rock guys is great. I’ll be honest I didn’t really know that much about them, turns out they’re massive, and they’re mental and they’re really, really good. Having the Tonight Alive guys on there as well, who are really good mates with us makes it even better, so it should be great.”

K N O X So business is booming for the Knox boys. The UK rock scene as a whole is ready to burst. “I feel like, right now, if you look at the Radio 1 playlist you’ve got us, Lonely The Brave, Marmozets, Young Guns, Twin Atlantic, Deaf Havana. They’ve all been on it in the past six or seven months, and that’s crazy. Bring Me The Horizon were A-list, you know? It’s so good, and I think it’s about time. Dan P Carter getting moved up to the Sunday evening slot rather than the Monday 1-2am where barely anyone was listening to it. I think it shows how well UK rock music is doing, it’s in a really good place right now, and it’s a lot of fun.”

What do a number of these bands have in common? Their roots being at the rather prestigious Wolf At Your Door Records. “Wolf at Your Door for us was mental when we even got approached by them, because when we started, we were looking up to bands like Deaf Havana and Lower Than Atlantis. It was really cool to be asked to come onto that roster and be asked to be a part of it… At the time Wolf at Your Door was, for small British bands, the label to be on. It was quite exciting to be a part of it. I’m definitely very thankful for the time that we had with them because that definitely helped us to get to where we are now.”

SET THE STORY STRAIGHT ON THE UK ROCK SCENE

On the subject of retrospect, Douglas looks into Mallory Knox’s back catalogue, back when Pilot was released in 2009 and the band were “excited, we were still finding our feet, we didn’t really know what we were doing, we didn’t even know we were a real band. We were just a band in our drummer’s living room, writing songs because we had nothing better to do, we thought we’d do it for a few months and that would be that.” As their career progressed, and their debut album dropped, excitement turned to pride. “We’d released an album and that was something that we never thought that we’d do. And that was released on a record label, it was on an independent one, but that was still a massive deal for us and we really loved it.”

Back in the present, Douglas is hopeful about Asymmetry. “Just because I feel that we’ve done what we wanted to do when we started writing this album. So, for now it’s hopeful, but in five months time it might be something different. It might not have done what I thought it would, it might have done better than I thought.” Album release day saw Asymmetry rocket to number one in the iTunes rock chart. With their tour slowly selling out date by date, it looks as if Douglas’ hopes for the album may yet be exceeded as the band continue to fly the flag for British rock music.

ASYMMETRY IS OUT NOW

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INTERVIEW

KATE BOY WORDS: CONNOR CASS

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A FUTURE BRIGHTER THAN THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

“I was obsessed with Swedish music without even realising it,” says Kate Boy’s Australian vocalist Kate Akhurst. This sentiment is likely to be echoed by those who are familiar with the colourful imagination and creative edge of Swedish pop music, especially in comparison to pop music offered by the rest of the world.

However, crafting Swedish electro-pop means a band will struggle to stand out as exceptional against their innumerable contemporaries.

Kate Boy needn’t worry though, as they have achieved this via an androgynous image, a strong collaborative attitude and drawing inspiration from some unlikely places.

The trio’s powerful chemistry is evident - it even threw them together when they first met. On the last day of an arduous expedition to Stockholm, Akhurst met the rest of the band on the streets and later that night a musical connection formed and they “just all started listing the same names and we were like ‘we have to go and make some music right now.’”

The result of this single night was ‘Northern Lights’, a song that sounds more like a band at the peak of their powers rather than the beginning of their working relationship. If that’s what the band can achieve in their first night together, it’s incredibly exciting to see the culmination of all their work over two years.

The full extent of this is to be seen on their currently unannounced and untitled, yet finished, debut. It looks set to be their defining statement as Akhurst believes they “really explored the different parts of ourselves, our beliefs and we feel like it’s a really, really good representation of our world,” while fellow band member Markus Dextegen sees it as a chance to bring everything they wanted to Kate Boy: “it’s very hard to compress all our musical dreams in four minutes, but in fifty minutes it’s way more manageable.”

With new bands, constant comparisons are inevitable and for a group like Kate Boy, one atypically Swedish electro-pop duo is always going to stand out as a reference point; The Knife.

Although Akhurst lets out a gleeful, yet honoured, giggle at the thought of this comparison and calls them “a very special, creative mind”, she sees their

reference points as coming “from a bit before The Knife”, with names like Kate Bush and Kraftwerk on their list of heroes.

However, their sound isn’t just born after drawing from more organic, historical influences. Rather, it comes from what the individuals can bring into the project, most noticeably from their distinct musical backgrounds.

They’re one-part Australian and two-parts Swedish. Hampus Hemlin offers an insight into this, believing they combine the “summerness of Australia and the cold, edginess of Sweden. We make cold pop songs with warmth in it.” Between the three of them, Kate Boy have a sleek, singular and androgynous image and their uniform appearance is a perfect reflection of the band’s collaborative ideals, as Akhurst coolly explains “Kate Boy is a blend of us all and that creates the one person.”

Even the way they speak, using ‘we’ and ‘us’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘me’, demonstrates how the band acts as one unit. No individual overrides the others in terms of importance, as is always risky with bands, and each member being involved in the creative process is mandatory. “Most creative people are very self-attacking, at least we all are,” explains Akhurst, demonstrating that the trio are just perfectly suited to the group dynamic.

Usually when a band is asked about their future ambitions, answers are usually split between those that demand the success of their heroes and the faux-modesty of those who simply hope to survive playing music. However, Akhurst’s response to the question is an anomaly, with her insisting that “anything creative we just wanna keep doing and we will keep doing,” reaffirming the trio as one led by a creative vision rather than commercial ventures.

Dextegen expresses shock that if you “rewind two years and think of what our expectations were then, they’re not even close to what we’ve been doing.” However, what would be truly astonishing is if you were to fast-forward two years and see Kate Boy doing anything other than dominating the electro-pop sphere.

Kate Boy’s debut is due out early 2015.

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REVIEWS ARCA XEN [MUTE]

Throughout its history, popular music has always been the great social reflector, standing as a bastion of expression for the subdued common consciousness. Of course there are different levels artists can operate on – not everyone can be the voice of a generation – but once in a while someone rather special comes along, who perfectly defines their moment.

Like so many of his modern day peers, Arca rose to fame quickly. However, he hasn’t hogged the limelight or compromised musical integrity to get there. After landing himself production jobs on Kanye West’s highly-celebrated Yeezus and FKA Twigs’ full-length debut, LP1, Arca retreated from media attention, choosing to further develop his unique sound instead.

Thus his debut album, Xen, doesn’t reflect the current climate of cookie-cutter production, but mirrors a dissatisfaction with it; a want for change that lingers in the air, not only in the musical realm, but on a higher, societal scale too. Based

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9 around (and named after) a non-gendered facet of Arca’s personality – perhaps drawing strength from the recent surge of transgender acceptance – Xen is a direct representation of freedom. Arca delights in tearing down boundaries and doing away with any preconceived expectations.

Highly digital and even grime-esque, in parts, Xen draws comparisons with Rustie and Gazelle Twin (see: ‘Bullet Chained’), yet sparse soundscapes and aspects of his childhood classical training divert the overall sound into uncharted territory. A well-practiced city-dweller, Arca hunts for beauty in smog and filth. The sharp strings of ‘Family Violence’ translate a simple elegance from urgency, whilst ‘Sisters’ frolics in grey circumstance. ‘Lonely Thugg’ – another highlight – sees a seedy, unforgiving underworld reveal the latent sadness of its foundations. And, through this destruction of archetypes, and the graceful submission to chaos, a state of zen emerges. (Ben Hindle)

RYAN HEMSWORTH ALONE FOR THE FIRST TIME [LAST GANG / SECRET SONGS] Contrary to the album title Ryan Hemsworth isn’t quite alone for the first time, but his second full-length does reveal a more personal side to the Canadian producer than his work has shown thus far. Despite the many features which adorn five of the record’s mere seven tracks, Hemsworth is undoubtedly centre stage as the artwork would suggest and with the exception of perhaps Kotomi’s appearance on ‘Surrounded’, the limelight is never averted from him.

Many of the producer’s go-to traits are still present – the twinkling synths, sentimental swirls and faint vocal samples – but Alone for the First Time also showcases Hemsworth’s most vocallyled material yet as he tackles the microphone for the first time since his early days of Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry covers.

‘Walk Me Home’ and ‘Snow in Newark’ in particular contain some wonderfully simple melodies that sit neatly in the romantic mix, whereas ‘Too Long Here’ with its frantic percussion and twisting dynamics is a more eclectic beast. Final track ‘By Myself’ has a more sinister tone that taints the cutesy feel of most of the record somewhat but cannot spoil what is for the most part a wonderfully layered and solitary mini-album. (James Barlow)

SUPERFOOD DON’T SAY THAT [INFECTIOUS]

7.7

6.7

It’s been a swift rise onto the pillars of the indie rock scene for Superfood and they’ve gone about it the right way. Instead of continuously releasing EP after EP with songs that wouldn’t even make decent B-sides like so many of their peers, the band have stuck to their guns and released songs to suit them and nobody else. Now a year after the release of their first self-titled single, Superfood have released debut record Don’t Say That.

Superfood have added a touch of maturity and class to their sound and ‘Mood Bomb’ sits pretty at the top of it for this. For a song dominated by velvet-tinged bass and Nick Cave licked and sealed guitar riffs, all that ‘Mood Bomb’ really needs is an incredibly catchy chorus and they’re onto a winner. Luckily for everyone involved, this happens and it ends up being the best song on the record. But with one hand it giveth, the other it taketh away.

Don’t Say That is an album that will leave more intrigue as to where next for the Birmingham four piece, rather than wanting to dwell too much on this record.

Apart from the small tinges of change and maturity, this record is largely playing it safe... and why not? Playing it safe works well for some and arguably does in parts for Superfood, but only in small parts. (Matthew Bisgrove)

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REVIEWS PARKAY QUARTS CONTENT NAUSEA [WHAT’S YOUR RUPTURE?] Earlier this year, Parquet Courts released their second album Sunbathing Animal and now they have announced another LP entitled Content Nausea, coming out under the name Parkay Quarts. Content Nausea is definitely different to the bands previous release. It’s still a basic, stripped down album, but there are some added surprises the like of which we haven’t heard from the band thus far.

The album does have some stand out tracks, for example ‘Slide Machine’, ‘Pretty Machines’ and ‘Uncast Shadow of an Urban Myth’. These stand out in particular because they are extremely evocative not only musically but lyrically. ‘Uncast Shadow of an Urban Myth’ in particular is beautifully simple. It has a slow pace and Savage’s subtle, emotional vocals create a unique atmospheric feel. It’s a great end to the record because it leaves the listener with questions to ask.

Content Nausea is a blend of raw, beautifully simple, energetic riff based songs. Title track ‘Content Nausea’ is a three minute two chord thrash, where vocalist Andrew Savage rants sarcastically about modern life and celebs over scuzzy guitars: “Ignore this part it’s an advertisement, these people are famous I trust them”.

Content Nausea has the feel of an album that has been made with no sense of direction, and from this album it’s difficult to know where Parquet Courts or Parkay Quarts will go next, but maybe that’s the whole purpose of this release. It leaves more questions asked than answered.

(Tom Staniszewski)

6.1 TRASH KIT CONFIDENCE [UPSET THE RHYTHM] Fast staccato guitar riffs come in quick succession. The notes don’t linger for long, as if always in a hurry to disappear. The trio’s fast DIY approach means they play raw, bare music. The songs rarely settle, and sound is almost improvised - constantly shape shifting through pauses, breaks and crescendos. This vital energy powers the tracks, even when the pace slows and the mood changes. A perfect example of this is the aggressive ‘Boredom’, when it experiences a complete mood overhaul in the serene break, creating one of Confidence’s strongest moments. The narrow variety of sounds do limit the texture and feel, their simplistic, authentic DIY sound inhibits variety, and ultimately progress in the album. It’s hard to fault a single track, but this same sounding minimalistic approach becomes tiresome and then the individual tracks lose eccentricity.

They’re still fantastic, but entertainment that produces frustration at its untapped potential makes as much sense as Confidence ending in a song called ‘Shyness’. (Tobias Pugh)

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DEATH RATTLE IN SHADE [LIMB RECORDS] Carving a world that is devastatingly cavernous whilst simultaneously allowing for vulnerability is a tricky concept, but London duo Death Rattle somehow manage this effortlessly. Each track is carefully constructed to be on the edge of tragedy, however, it’s vocalist Helen Hamilton who is always poised to deliver the final emotional blow.

This is especially noticeable on ‘Fortress’, a stark coalition of hushed, throbbing bass and soaring guitars, which sees her stealing attention with a vocal that is simultaneously powerful and on the verge of collapse. There are moments of pure elation (‘Blows’, ‘Weak Joints’) but the duo are remorseless in dragging synthpop into their twisted world. Although they allow for the rare musical mishap, like the goofy melody that invades the sinister desolation of ‘Safe Waters’, In Shade is a rare example of a duo on their debut who already have a wonderfully assured vision of their sound. (Connor Cass)

7.7

THESTAND4RD THESTAND4RD [SELF-RELEASED]

7.2

A coming together of four artists each with their own individual musical projects could make for one hell of a fragmented listen, but TheStand4rd’s debut manages to avoid this due to its attention to fluidity with primary producer Psymun’s layered soundscapes. The producer steers the majority of the eleven tracks through eerie and ethereal turns via more R&B-leaning moments, somehow tying the whole package together neatly.

The group’s three vocalists weave around one another on tracks such as ‘Simple Needs’ in a way that would have one assume they’d been together for much longer than they have.

2:54 THE OTHER I [BELLA UNION]

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Coalescing a fiery sound of indie rock along with atmospheric synthesiser sweeps, London sister pair 2:54 construct a truly haunting and distinguished sound. Intertwining and weaving its way through a collection of distinctly memorable and eventful flashes, The Other I represents the vigour and enormity which 2:54’s music is capable of igniting and producing. With The Other I, 2:54 form a fusion which isn’t only appealing and gratifying, but is also engaging, completely trapping the listener, and pulling them right through the album’s expedition.

(Aaron Jolliff)

They each have their own moments however – particularly oddball rapper Allan Kingdom who dances all over the slowlyshifting build of ‘Binoculars’ and the crackling beat of ‘Pretty’ with some playful hooks, whereas Bobby Raps proves his versatility in switching between a laidback drawl and capable singing voice.

The group’s most recognised member, Internet sensation Spooky Black, meanwhile surprisingly hangs in the background for much of the concise record, with his tender vocal only starring in the concluding tracks. While perhaps not at the peak of the powers yet, TheStand4rd is nonetheless an accomplished debut. (James Barlow)

DEPTFORD GOTH SONGS [37 ADVENTURES]

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Daniel Woolhouse is a shy and sentimental character. The selflabelled introvert, also known as Deptford Goth, unfurls all of his emotion into his music, which is clear with his new album, Songs. Crafted with the care of an ice sculptor, Songs captures the mystique and minimalism that defines Woolhouse’s sound.

With his spacious production, the artist captures the loneliness that’s so commonplace in his work, and ties it with a newfound optimism. This beautiful contrast sees Deptford Goth finally getting comfortable with who he is. He’s found his voice, however modest and hushed it may be. (Freya Cochrane) 35

CULTURE

FILM REVIEW INTERSTELLAR

DIRECTOR: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN / WORDS: REBECCA RAYNER

Nolan’s ambition knows no limitations. Whether his energy is spent breathing life into the newest reincarnation of Batman in his acclaimed trilogy or through the mind-bending notions of human consciousness in intelligent blockbuster Inception, Nolan is truly an auteur of the highest standard. Nolan’s ideology is that films need to be an experience, a testament to cinematic greatness, a piece of art and above all to make you question complex notions of the human condition and scientific theory all in a nicely-tied together plot line.

The latest venture from Nolan is Interstellar, a three hour-long dystopian sci-fi epic starring Matthew McConaughey as Cooper, an astronaut-turned-farmer in the struggle of humanity’s fight to survive on a dust-ridden near-future planet Earth. The atmosphere is barely breathable, food production is almost impossible and the need for academics and inventors is overshadowed by the desperation for food. As put by one character, this is the “caretaker’s generation”: the only need is for survival. With all of mankind’s dumbfounded attempts at survival failing, the only real hope for humankind comes in the form of a secret underground NASA. After discovering a wormhole in the solar system able to take humanity far beyond the galaxy into new unexplored territory, it is up to a small team of astronauts, led by the reluctant family man Cooper, to find a new home for mankind.

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At first the film is captivating in the way it shows the flaws and struggles of humanity. The emotion of the characters almost makes you cry at points. The realism and distinct nature of sentimentalities exhibit the importance of the mission. Pain is worn like a badge of honour and desperation can be smelt in every drop of sweat as the team of four astronauts fight it out in a lonely and dark intergalactic adventure of survival.

The human nature element of the film later gives way to something even more challenging when perplexing notions of the fifth dimension: relativity, time and gravity are thrust into the forefront of the narrative. You can’t look away, yet at the same time you can’t quite understand the complexity of what you are seeing.

Irrefutably this film is one that pushes the boundaries of the sci-fi genre making similar movie attempts such as 2013’s Gravity look inferior in comparison, like the difference between The large Hadron Collider and a child’s science project. The sweeping, stunning enormity of the cinematography, the depth of the characters and the stimulating complexity of the scientific theory make this Nolan’s best film to date. An overall must-watch that will either make you leave the cinema dying to watch it again or be left in a transfixed state of bewilderment and awe at the idea of what truly lies within the vast reaches of space.

HATRED: MORE VIOLENCE IN A SEA OF VIOLENCE BUT FOR SOME FAR WORSE WORDS: GEORGE PARR

Many millennials have grown up playing amazing and innovative video games that have been denounced for excessive violence (Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto being the obvious example), but have rarely batted an eyelid as the blood spurts and the heads roll.

However, those oblivious eyes are starting to take notice of the recently released trailer for Destructive Creation’s PC game Hatred, due out next year.

The trailer has generated a lot of controversy for the game, which looks set to push the boundaries of violence in games as far as possible. In the game, players take on the role of an unnamed sociopath who fosters a hatred for everything. His only mission is to kill as many people as possible in a twisted quest for his own death.

It sets the game apart from other violent games by making genocide not only possible, but necessary to continue in the game.

In Grand Theft Auto, killing random bystanders gains the player no positive outcome save a small amount of in-game money they drop and the excitement of a thrilling police chase (which never get boring). In war games your enemy is often a terrorist or Nazi, and even if not, at least it’s shooting back, prompting you to defend yourself by spraying bullets in their general direction. In response to Hatred, boycott campaigns have circulated on Twitter by gamers themselves, writers have published articles about how revolting the game is and the maker of the Unreal Engine 4 that Hatred utilises, Epic Games, removed their logo from the project.

The pressing question is will the game actually influence anyone’s actions? A rather unnerving case is Evan Ramsey, a teenager who took a shotgun to school in the US, with the intent of murdering his bullies. After being arrested for the deaths of two students, he announced that he didn’t realise they would die, saying, “I did not understand that if I… pull out a gun and shoot you, there’s a good chance you’re not getting back up. You shoot a guy in ‘Doom’ and he gets back up. You have got to shoot the things in ‘Doom’ eight or nine times before it dies.”

As a causal link between violence and video games has yet to be solidly made, it behoves the gaming community and society as a whole to play and let play. Obviously the age restrictions are in place for a reason and should be adhered to, but responsible parenting is difficult to perfect and kids will always want what they can’t have.

Playing violent video games won’t turn children into killing machines, but not allowing them to understand the separation of video games and reality can be problematic too.

As for Hatred, maybe it’s a critique of a hyper-violent society that incessantly breeds contempt, anxiety and ambivalence and should be taken as thought-provoking art... Or maybe it’s just fun to kill pixelated characters.

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GIG GUIDE

GIG GUIDE JAN-MAR 2015

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ROB LYNCH – THURS 22ND JANUARY @ THE JOINERS, SOUTHAMPTON

HUDSON TAYLOR – FRI 13TH FEBRUARY @ CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND – FRI 23RD JANUARY @ 1865, SOUTHAMPTON

YOU ME AT SIX & ALL TIME LOW – SAT 14TH FEBRUARY @ THE O2, LONDON

FIRST AID KIT – SAT 24TH JANUARY @ THE DOME, BRIGHTON

ENTER SHIKARI – MON 16TH FEBRUARY @ PYRAMIDS CENTRE, PORTSMOUTH

MARK LANEGAN BAND – THURS 29TH JANUARY @ PORTSMOUTH PYRAMIDS

THE WAR ON DRUGS – SAT 21ST FEBRUARY @ O2 GUILDHALL, SOUTHAMPTON

JESSIE WARE – THURS 29TH + FRI 30TH JANUARY @ O2 ACADEMY, BRIXTON

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 – WED 25TH FEBRUARY @ O2 ACADEMY, BRIXTON

ONE NIGHT ONLY – WED 4TH FEBRUARY @ THE JOINERS, SOUTHAMPTON

KING CHARLES – THURS 26TH FEBRUARY @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH

NECK DEEP – THURS 5TH FEBRUARY @ CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON

YEARS & YEARS - SAT 7TH MARCH @ THE HAUNT, BRIGHTON

INTERPOL – FRI 6TH + SAT 7TH FEBRUARY @ ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON

PALOMA FAITH - THURS 12TH MARCH @ BIRGHTON CENTRE

KATE TEMPEST – SAT 7TH FEBRUARY @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH

TO KILL A KING - FRI 13TH MARCH @ THE JOINERS, SOUTHAMPTON

DON BROCO - MON 9TH FEBUARY @ O2 GUILDHALL SOUTHAMPTON

CARIBOU - SAT 14TH MARCH @ O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON, LONDON

KAISER CHIEFS – TUES 10TH FEBRUARY @ BIC, BOURNEMOUTH

FLATBUSH ZOMBIES AND THE UNDERACHIEVERS - FRI 20TH MARCH @ KOKO, LONDON

AUDIO ADDICT RECOMMENDS GERARD WAY – WED 21ST JANUARY @ O2 GUILDHALL, SOUTHAMPTON

Following a handful of sold-out UK shows in November, former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way brings the spectacular mix of glam rock and brit pop showcased on his debut solo album Hesitant Alien to Southampton’s O2 Guildhall in January 2015.

LIGHTS – FRI 23RD JANUARY @ THE HAUNT, BRIGHTON

Self-confessed gnarly synth-tickler and electropop starlet Lights made an electrifying return with her third album Little Machines. Expect slickly-crafted hooks, huge low-ends and intimate acoustic moments at Brighton’s The Haunt venue.

JUNGLE – TUES 17TH FEBRUARY PYRAMIDS CENTRE, PORTSMOUTH

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With a Mercury Prize nomination attached to their self-titled debut, Jungle’s esoteric and exciting take on modern soul has earned them a reputation as one of 2014’s most enticing new artists. Don’t miss them in all their soulful splendour.

FKA TWIGS – THURS 19TH + FRI 20TH FEBRUARY @ ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON

Another Mercury-nominated act brings her boundarypushing pop to London’s Roundhouse for two tantalising nights. The ongoing mystique of FKA twigs is kept alive by her captivating presence, so prepare for a show of intrigue, flawless dancing and stunning spectacle.

YUNG LEAN – MON 23RD FEBRUARY @ BARBICAN CENTRE, LONDON

Yung Lean is a true Internet phenomenon. The Swedish rapper’s unique approach to modern hip hop has earned him quite the reputation, and his peculiar taste in fashion and beverages have boosted sales of bucket hats and Arizona iced tea by an alarming figure. Set for a one-off headline date in London this February, be sure to witness his adrenalinefuelled live show for yourself.

ROYAL BLOOD – MON 2ND MARCH @ PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL

Everything this Brighton-based duo does pushes rock ‘n’ roll back in the right direction, and that’s never more obvious than during their live shows. The duo have a reputation for a bone-crushing double punch of drum ‘n’ bass, leading to one of the most overwhelmingly loud band on the circuit. There’s a reason why they packed out festival shows before they had a debut to their name.

CHARLI XCX – THUS 24TH MARCH @ CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON Charli XCX may be one of pop’s most desired songwriters for hire, but she’s also one of the genre’s biggest mavericks.

Expect to hear her perform some of your favourite hits in recent memory, while simultaneously evoking a punk spirit with crowd baiting, an unpredictable stage presence and a likelihood that she’ll break the rules.

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