JESCA HOOP Barbican London 04 | 10 | 19
OLDEN YOLK
The Lexington London 15 | 10 | 19
GWENIFER RAYMOND
Old Queen’s Head London 16 | 10 | 19
SKATING POLLY/SHE MAKES WAR The Lexington London 18 | 10 | 19
INDIGO GIRLS
NIA WYN
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
The Waiting Room London 19 | 11 | 19
London 28 | 10 | 19
BABYBIRD
LAMB
100 Club
Union Chapel
London 21 | 11 | 19
London 28 | 10 | 19
THE DUKE SPECIAL
OF MONSTERS AND MEN
Union Chapel
Eventim Apollo
London 23 | 11 | 19
London 29 | 10 | 19
FENNE LILY
FEBUEDER
Sebright Arms
The Lexington
London 04 | 12 | 19
London 30 | 10 | 19
TE DNESS
JIM LOCKEY & THE SOLEMN SUN
Garage
The Islington
London 20 | 10 | 19
London 30 | 10 | 19
BOBBY OROZA
DAWES
The Lexington London 22 | 10 | 19
KIEFER SUTHERLAND 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London 22 | 10 | 19
GRUFF RHYS EartH
London 23 | 10 | 19
POM POKO Scala
London 23 | 10 | 19
THE TELESCOPES Shacklewell Arms London 12 | 12 | 19
London 04 | 11 | 19
GEIKE
THE HEAVY
Electric Ballroom London 07 | 11 | 19
METHYL ETHEL London 13 | 11 | 19
HOLDING PATTERNS
Paper Dress Vintage London 13 | 11 | 19
Boston Music Rooms London 10 | 12 | 19
Islington Assembly Hall
Brixton Electric
OH, SLEEPER
St Pancras Old Church London 05 | 02 | 20
THE MENZINGERS 02 Forum Kentish Town London 15 | 02 | 20
KID KAPICHI Moth club London 11 | 03 | 20
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THURSDAY 17
OCTOBER 2019
17.10.19 ELECTRIC BALLROOM London shedrewthegun.com
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Oh my god, the end of year (known also as Q4 to those that like to divide their year into neat packages) is overwhelming isn't it? Every year it seems to come as a surprise, which on reflection, it really shouldn't. There is just so much incredible music coming out it's impossible to keep up. We've been crossing our fingers for a new Angel Olsen record for some serious amount of time now and so obviously jumped at the chance to have her grace our cover. Her boldest and most confident work to date, it's going to be a record we wrap ourselves in as the days get shorter and the nights get colder. This also seems to be the month of all change so update your records because Colours is now where Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen used to stand, The Grace resides above The Garage where Thousand Island once was, and Cafe 1001 presents new east London venue Werkhouse. There’s a new energy in town and we love it.
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Jacques Greene - Do It Without You Dave: Anna of the North - Dream Girl Loki: Sassy 009 - Thrasher Danny: Sudan Archives - Confessions Gemma: Georgia - Never Let You Go Kezia: Charli XCX - Next Level Charli Katie: Aurora Halal - Nasty II GEORGIA photo: Joseph Connor
Jack: William Doyle ft. Brian Eno - Design Guide London in Stereo: 07
INTERVIEWS 22
28
REVIEWS
LINDSTRØM
46
82
ANGEL OLSEN
40
16
CLIPPING. 56
FEATURES 12 20 79
LIVE
WHAT’S ON
ANNA MEREDITH
36
ALBUM RELEASES
59
NEW SOUNDS
EVENTS
GIGS OF THE MONTH
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS Angel Olsen cover story: page 28
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 80 85
IN LONDON
THOUGHTS...
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@instereomag.com
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@instereomag.com
Online Editor: Kezia Cochrane kezia@instereomag.com
Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@instereomag.com
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@instereomag.com
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
Advertising: sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
Photography: Angel Olsen cover story: Ebru Yildiz (ebruyildiz.net) Contributors: Claire Biddles, Geoff Cowart, Georgia Evans, Georgia Marsh, Katie Goh, Thomas Hannan, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Robin Murray, Kelly Ronaldson, Harriet Taylor, Albert Testani, Lee Wakefield, Megan Wallace, Madeline Wrench. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 09
Academy Events present ACADEMY EVENTS & SPREADLOVE PRESENTS
UK HIP HOP HEAVYWEIGHTS
RODNEY P BLAK TWANG & TY THE(OUT KINGDEM EP 23 AUGUST)
“Three guys who are the foundation to the UK hip-hop scene and the foundation to UK rap music in general” Twin B (BBC 1Xtra)
TUE 29 OCTOBER 2019
O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON, LONDON
Vetiver
presents
plus special guests
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
Tuesday 17th December 2019 O2 Academy2 Islington London
An Academy Events presentation by arrangement with ATC Live
Saturday 7 December 2019 O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London
TICKETMASTER.CO.UK & ALL USUAL AGENTS
Goldenvoice Presents RY X
FLYTE
LUCY ROSE
SLOWTHAI
YAK
BAKAR
SUMMER WALKER
ADIA VICTORIA
KOJAQUE
CUCO
SOFI TUKKER
MAXO KREAM
TOM WALKER
FKA TWIGS
THE COLLIER
RÜFÜS DU SOL
OLIVER TREE
SYML
DROELOE
23 OCTOBER XOYO 24 OCTOBER SOLD OUT O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON 25 OCTOBER ALEXANDRA PALACE 29 OCTOBER SCALA
BABEHEAVEN
18 NOVEMBER THE LEXINGTON
23 NOVEMBER ELECTRIC BRIXTON 25 NOVEMBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON 26 NOVEMBER HEAVEN
T SOLD OU
28 NOVEMBER THE PICKLE FACTORY
CONRAD
30 OCTOBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
29 NOVEMBER MOTH CLUB
CALL ME LOOP
30 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE
30 OCTOBER O2 ACADEMY 2 ISLINGTON
05 DECEMBER ELECTRIC BRIXTON
EZRA COLLECTIVE
05 DECEMBER THE DOME 06 DECEMBER XOYO
06 DECEMBER SEBRIGHT ARMS
TEMPLES
8 DECEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
MABEL
12 FEBRUARY EVENTIM APOLLO
EDITORS
28 FEBRUARY THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY
JADU HEART 12 MARCH SCALA
DC goldenvoiceuk
20 OCTOBER ELECTRIC BRIXTON
15 NOVEMBER ULU
goldenvoice.co.uk
18 OCTOBER SOLD OUT O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
11 NOVEMBER SOLD OUT 4 DECEMBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUND BARBICAN CENTRE
OCT - MAR
14 OCTOBER ROYAL ALBERT HALL
BADGIRL$
KEYAH/BLUE photo: Alexandra Waespi
TOP TEN: New Sounds Amy O - Rest Stop Keyah/Blu - Til Bliss Penny Police - There is More Katie Malco - Creatures Alta - Push 14 Trapdoors - Sages (feat. Mick Jenkins) Layfullstop - PMT Hemm - Think About It Pom Pom Squad - Cherry Blossom Common Holly - Joshua Snakes FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
BADGIRL$ by Gemma Samways Considering the tribalism that surrounded popular music until even relatively recently, it’s not hyperbolic to suggest that a band like Badgirl$ simply couldn’t have existed a decade ago. Raised on a staple diet of rap, indie, and post-punk, the Manchester-formed outfit operate an entirely post-genre approach, fusing elastic trap beats with skeletal, grunge guitar, and auto-tuned vocals with taut punk riffs. Formed in early 2018, the trio were signed on the strength of one Soundcloud demo, joining J Hus and Octavian over at Black Butter. You could say that early faith has been repaid already, because in all of their releases so far Badgirl$ have proven they’re as SHHE
committed to pushing the boundaries of British music as any of their label mates. Let’s look at the evidence. The combination of oppressive feedback and guttural shrieks on ‘Only 1’ from debut mixtape Bethnal remains utterly compelling six months on from its original release, as is the lo-fi swagger of ‘Juice’. Meanwhile, recent single ‘Stella’ is like Jamie T re-imagined through the paranoid fug of Fentanyl. Adept in conjuring a sonic universe that’s every bit as grimy and claustrophobic as the times we’re living in, Badgirl$ are perhaps the perfect band for 2019. LISTEN TO: Stella
@badgirls_tv
SHHE by Jess Partridge Embracing the tension and beautifully spacious production that made us fall for the likes of Savages and FKA Twigs, ScottishPortuguese artist SHHE has us completely enraptured. Pulsing like a heartbeat, there's a raw intimacy in SHHE's tracks, led by her subtle and somewhat understated vocals that flow throughout stripped-back tracks evoking the landscapes they were written in. It's all just enough to leave you desperate for more and with her debut album coming out on One Little Indian later this month, now is the perfect time to start your obsession with this unbelievably talented artist. LISTEN TO: Emma @shhemusic London in Stereo: 13
229.LONDON 229 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN Brigade
Giorgos Xatzipavlou
04 OCTober
24 OCTober
Sex Pistols Experience
Buddy Curtess & The Grasshoppers
04 OCTober
District 97 & MaschinE 09 OCTober
Gévaudan 10 OCTO ber
Juan Amodeo 10 OCTober
VAMA 12 OCTober
ILYA SOBOLEV 13 OCTober
BRET HART - Inside The Ropes 16 OCTober
Goodfoot 17 OCTober
Dancers Delight UK 18 OCTober
The Fallen State 19 OCTober
Prago Union 19 OCTober
Osaka Monaurail 22 OCTober
Ahmed Soultan 23 OCTober
Let Man Loose 24 OCTober
25 OCTober
Wendy May’s Locomotion 25 OCTober
Cattle Decapitation 31 OCTober
Faded - Haunted Halloween 1 november
Jonah Matranga 4 november
Lock & Key 7 november
Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners 7 november
PETTY CRIMINALS 15 november
THE SPECIALS LTD 16 november
THE ROOM 16 november
JADIS 18 november
POLY-MATH + BODY HOUND 20 november
THERESA BAZAR 20 november
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on
Antony Gormley Clearing VII 2019
Antony Gormley
Boiler Room Fest Boiler Room has always been an eclectic mash-up of musical influences and guests. Never one to limit their vision, the focus has always been on the cutting edge artists, defining or disrupting different scenes. So it’s no surprise to see the inaugural Boiler Room festival doing the same, a four day celebration of brilliant music ranging from greats like D Double E to our new favourites Lava La Rue and Vegyn, with each day having a genre emphasis, it’s a mix of what Boiler Room does best: jazz, rap, bass and club. Find the days that suit you the most and enjoy what we hope will become a permanent fixture in the London festival diary. OCTOBER 9TH-12TH, VARIOUS LONDON VENUES festival.boilerroom.tv // @boilerroomtv
London Literature Festival
Probably most famous for the Angel of the North, our favourite work from this giant of the sculpture world has always been the more subtle pieces: the unsettling figures that stood on top of London landmarks in 2007, for example. This rare opportunity to soak up work from across his 45 year career, plus new installations to savour in the glorious setting of the Royal Academy’s main galleries is far too special to pass up. SEPTEMBER 21ST - DECEMBER 3RD ROYAL ACADEMY royalacademy.org.uk @royalacademy
An absolutely underrated diamond in the London festival calendar, the Southbank Centre’s Literary Festival is a stunning array of talent all coming together to celebrate the written word in all forms. Opening with Poetry International exploring the theme ‘poetry as disruption’, prepare for the undoubtedly life-changing experience of hearing such greats as Nikki Giovanni speaking, alongside open and honest poetry discussions and workshops. As for the rest? Don’t miss the chance to see an exclusive Q&A with none other than Brett Anderson as he promotes his revealing autobiography. OCTOBER 17TH-27TH. SOUTHBANK CENTRE, southbankcentre.co.uk // @southbankcentre
Nikki Giovanni
Bridget Riley Bridget Riley’s incredible works come so fully formed, so flawlessly packaged that it’s hard to imagine the creative process behind them. With this exhibition, the Hayward Gallery will lift the lid on the work behind the finished pieces and give insight into how Riley’s technicolour, mathematical mind works. From preparatory sketches to the only 3D work she’s known to have created, this is a rare chance to get to know such an instantly recognisable and so greatly revered talent. OCTOBER 23RD - JANUARY 26TH - HAYWARD GALLERY, SE1 8XX southbankcentre.co.uk // @haywardgallery
BFI Film Fest There really is something electrifyingly exciting about the UK’s biggest celebration of film - the 63rd BFI London Film Festival - it feels pulsing with opportunity and discovery, from seeing the most talked about new films (this year the festival opens with a showing of Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ starring Dev Patel, Ben Wishaw and Nikki AmukaBird) to stumbling upon slow burning gems. There’s a vibrant world of storytelling and imagination just waiting to be discovered. Take a chance on something new and pick yourself up some tickets. OCTOBER 2ND-13TH VARIOUS VENUES bfi.org.uk // @BFI London in Stereo: 17
G ñ× ¦æ
with INTRO Mirrors Festival is an ever changing beauty, from its east London roots, this year it takes up residence in one of our favourite venues making use of each of Roundhouse's perfectly adapted spaces. On this mix of stages you'll find a concoction of confessional alt. rock with Phoebe Bridgers and American Football leading the way, and rough and ready energetic newcomers like Porridge Radio and LiS faves, Big Joanie. To help make sure you're ready for such a whirlwind of a day we've put together a guide of our favourite emerging acts taking to the Mirrors stages. Make sure you're down there early to catch this talented bunch. Mirrors takes place at Roundhouse, Camden. November 2nd. Tickets: mirrorslondon.com
BIG JOANIE FALL ASLEEP Punk-influenced and hailing from London, Big Joanie filter their DIY ethics through classic 60s girl group sounds to create a beautifully addictive riot. Snarling vocals with a sour tinge, sit next to sugary handclaps and four to the floor drum beats - best demonstrated by the single ‘Fall Asleep’ - all this merely hints at what a tour de force this band are live.
BIG JOANIE
EMPATH HANGING OUT OF CARS
EMPATH photo: Troy Memis
Philly four-piece Empath cover their classic sounding US alt. rock with a layer of weighty noise, transforming their laid back music into a dense and often overwhelming din. The contrast between Catherine Elicson’s intimate vocal and the maelstrom of drums, guitar and synth behind her is key to the addictive nature of their debut Active Listening: Night On Earth. It's all brilliantly encapsulated on ridiculously fun and wildly messy single 'Hanging Out of Cars'. We can't wait to see the mayhem of this record come to life.
SORCHA RICHARDSON
ARLO DAY BAD TIMING Arlo Day (the recording name of south east London’s Alice Barlow) makes the kind of brilliant noise that is so enveloping it can be uncomfortable. Underpinning her reverb soaked guitar tones and intimately recorded melodies is Day’s abrupt and honest lyrics, so refreshingly direct they avoid being sickly confessional and will make the perfect start to an emotional rollercoaster of day.
SORCHA RICHARDSON DON'T TALK ABOUT IT
ARLO DAY photo: Lara Laeverenz
Going from Dublin to NYC and back again has been the making of Sorcha Richardson and her music. We've been shouting about her for a while now as a genuinely talented and engaging songwriter, sometimes you can just tell someone is innately talented. Setting herself apart from what is a slightly overcrowded field, with her witty, disarming lyrics paired with unexpected melodies, meaning we'll never get bored of the likes of ‘Lost’ and ‘Ruin Your Night’. JUST MUSTARD photo: Pany Inthaxoum
JUST MUSTARD DEAF Another Irish act, from the border town of Dundalk, looking to follow the success stories of Girl Band and (dare we say it) Fontaines D.C. comes the the intriguing five piece Just Mustard. Forgoing the chaos of the aforementioned acts by creating creeping, unsettling atmosphere that combines the space of post-punk with chilly electronics. Katy Bell's vocals are a transfixing centre point drawing you in further with each track, which will undoubtedly make the live show impossible to pull yourself away from. London in Stereo: 21
words: Lee Wakefield photography: Lin Stensrud
L i n d s t rø m It’s funny how things turn out. Commissioned by Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway’s premiere art centre, to record a piece in 2017, the subsequent live performances convinced Lindstrøm that something could be salvaged “I’ve really been from these sketches to form a new record, now revealed to be On A Clear Day I Can See You trying to get away Forever. It’s his sixth album, perhaps a further step away from the dance music he’s most known from sitting in front for, alongside contemporaries such as Prins of the laptop. I think Thomas and Todd Terje, but a personal reconnection with the keyboards and synths he it’s possible to learnt his craft on.
express your inner musical visions using a lot of hardware...”
“Initially, I was thinking maybe I could do a live album, but instead I ended up editing and using some of it [for the album]. Usually when I’m travelling, I’m always travelling very lightly with a laptop but, for the arts centre, I was playing lots of synthesisers and stuff like that.” He credits this increased use of hardware and a new-found freedom in “just playing” as rejuvenating. “More and more, I was doing the programming side of the music anyway. I’ve really been trying to get away from sitting in front of the laptop. I think it’s possible to express your inner musical visions using a lot of hardware, because it sounds different when you’re mixing everything together. I think it’s important for me to use the technology and not be limited by it, and express what I want to say with my music. I find that much easier with big synthesisers, old stuff, than with a laptop.”
London in Stereo: 23
Lindstrøm’s approach, he freely admits, had become sterile. As he talks, it’s clear that a change was needed and he found it in On A Clear Day… “It’s a really liberating way to work in an old-fashioned sense. It’s also a different way of recording and arranging, instead of sitting in front of the laptop and stopping and quantising and doing all the tricks you can do in Logic or Ableton. Maybe I will go back to back to the laptop one day, you never know, but it’s important for me not to bore myself to death. If you’re going to the studio and feeling ‘Ah, I really don’t want to go this morning’, you should probably do something else.” With his computer sidelined, he pondered how to keep things fresh for both himself and the listener, “Especially after playing festivals and clubs and realising that people don’t really want you to be complex and weird. They want it to be something they can relate to.” On A Clear Day… isn’t primed for the club and it’s all the better for it. With all four tracks almost stretching to ten minutes and recorded mostly in one take, Lindstrøm’s soundscapes feel unforgivably immersive and limitless in scope. ‘Swing Low Sweet LFO’ particularly feels like it could have fallen from a faraway galaxy, destined to be a breathtaking spectacle when unleashed in concert halls. “Sometimes I’m bored with myself and my sounds and whatever I’m doing,” he reveals. “I don’t really want to put out music for the sake of keeping my career going. I found myself with Smalltown Supersound; they really want me to do my thing.” Buoyed by the musical liberation granted to him by the label, On A Clear Day… brings Lindstrøm full circle, drawing on his diverse past and early love of classical music. “I started playing synths in a heavy rock band in the late 80s and I’ve been really into country and western. I’ve been busking on the street, singing in a symphony choir...” He continues: “The thing is, with classical music, what really draws my attention is the
actual songwriting and the complexity. A lot of the composers are visionaries. I think it’s sometimes hard to find interesting music, especially when it comes to chords, whereas with classical music, it’s really inspiring and it’s harder to find in new music. That’s the main reason why I’m trying to listen to more classical than contemporary electronic music.” “And it’s all about being curious and trying to explore new sounds,” he confirms, with infectious enthusiasm. “I realised I can afford to do an album like this and hopefully more in the future and to just keep on being curious and re-educating myself.” “For me, maybe it’s because I’m 46. A lot of people I know hit 50 and 60 - they start studying again… maybe I’m there.” Despite this being Lindstrøm’s re-education, On A Clear Day… proves that we’re the true beneficiaries. On A Clear Day I Can See You Forever is released October 11th via Smalltown Supersound. LIVE: Oval Space, November 30th + December 13th @feedelity
@hplindstrom
6 Oct
26 Oct
10 Nov
EartH 9 Oct
Islington Assembly Hall 27 Oct
EartH 19 Nov
EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE
FAR CASPIAN Moth Club 16 Oct
HOLLY HERNDON Barbican 16 Oct
MELT YOURSELF DOWN
WHY?
CHROMATICS Roundhouse 28 Oct
T SOLD OUPECK ORVILLE
Scala 28 Oct
CHAI
Studio 9294 18 Oct
Village Underground 28 Oct
Studio 9294 18 Oct
Bermondsey Social Club
SOLD OUT DAVE MURKAGE
HARRIET BROWN
Redon 19 Oct
DEEPER
Shacklewell Arms 20 Oct
ELENA SETIEN The Islington 21 Oct
HOT FLASH HEAT WAVE
Shacklewell Arms 21 Oct
THE DREAM SYNDICATE Scala 22 Oct
BLACK MOUNTAIN
The Garage 24 Oct
CHASTITY BELT
Islington Assembly Hall 24 Oct
PEGGY SUE
The Dome 25 Oct
BATTLES EartH 25 Oct
JACKIE MENDOZA
Sebright Arms
JULIEN CHANG 29 Oct
HELADO NEGRO Jazz Cafe 29 Oct
COMBO CHIMBITA The Lexington 29 Oct
RAYANA JAY
Camden Assembly 29 Oct
JULIEN CHANG
Servant Jazz Quarters 30 Oct
CALEBORATE Colours 30 Oct
PUMA BLUE EartH 6 Nov
BROEN
Shacklewell Arms 6 Nov
CHARLY BLISS Scala 6 Nov
VELVET NEGRONI Corsica Studios 6 Nov
ANNA OF THE NORTH Heaven
THE RAINCOATS OSCAR JEROME Heaven 20 Nov
ELDER ISLAND Roundhouse 21 Nov
ALASKALASKA XOYO 24 Nov
NITZER EBB
Village Underground 26 Nov
RADICAL FACE Union Chapel 29 Nov
!!!
EartH 3 Dec
SARAH KLANG The Lexington 4 & 5 Dec
CRUMB
The Dome 5 Feb
ALGIERS
Village Underground 5 Feb
MODEL MAN
Studio 9294 7 Feb
STRAND OF OAKS Omeara
5 Mar
MARIKA HACKMAN
O2 Forum Kentish Town
UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS
rockfeedback.com
Angel Olsen words: Gemma Samways photography: Ebru Yildiz
ngel Olsen is refreshingly direct. Just back from tour rehearsals in L.A., and currently in the midst of entertaining a friend and dealing with the garbage disposal repair man at her home in Asheville, North Carolina, she bats back my pleasantry of whether now’s a good time to talk with a brusque but good humoured, “It’s the only time I have.” Almost a decade on from debut EP Strange Cacti, the St. Louis born, Chicago-raised artist has seen her profile rise steadily with each subsequent release, while watching her personal space retreat at roughly the same speed. It’s no wonder then that, at this point, the 32-year-old quite rightly values her own time far too much to squander it entertaining banalities. Though, honestly, it’s hard to imagine anyone as sharp-witted and allergic to bullshit as Olsen ever humouring journalists attempting the softly-softly approach.
London in Stereo: 29
Again and again, Olsen has found herself dogged by the misapprehension she’s some sort of tragic figure, with some citing her soul-stirring songwriting as evidence, and others taking to armchair psychology, pointing to her adoption as proof. In an attempt to tackle some of the fallacies following her around, her fourth album, All Mirrors, has been supplied with - what must be - one of the most generous press kits in history, featuring complete credits, lyrics, a fact sheet, and an artistic statement. But when I question the motivations for its existence today, Olsen insists it wasn’t a fear of misrepresentation. “It’s like, ‘Here's all the information for you so that your questions can be unique.’ I’m actually trying to help people. But I know what it looks like. It looks like I'm a control freak, which I am,” she laughs sardonically, “And that I'm crazy, which also I am.” Olsen has had enough brushes with sensationalist journalism that she’d be forgiven for raising her guard entirely. Instead, she’s resolved to communicate on her own terms. “People only want to hear about my dark childhood, that's all that matters to anyone,” she bristles, specifically remembering the press around her last album, My Woman. “And you know what, they're just going to have to fucking wait until I write my own book about it. But I will say, ‘yes, my life has been weird. It's been really fucking weird’. And I'm really blessed that I can make music. And what I'm learning is that even if I hate being on tour sometimes, I won't stop writing because I have to write. It's part of who I am and how I think and how I process [things].” She adds with a laugh, “But I won't promise it's going to be great forever.” For the foreseeable future there are no such worries: All Mirrors is an instant classic. Produced with Burn Your Fire For No Witness-collaborator, John Congleton, it finds Olsen upping the ante once more, bringing in an 11-piece string section to perform arrangements by Jherek Bischoff and Ben Babbitt. Fearlessly dramatic, and
astonishingly varied, Olsen’s fourth album-proper could scarcely seem more disparate from her last official release, 2017’s stripped-back rarities compilation, Phases. And yet, Olsen actually recorded All Mirrors twice - the first time as a solo record in late 2018, and then again with full arrangements, in the winter of 2019.
“I will fucking knife you with words. Watch yourself: I can tear you down...” “I think some songs breathe differently when you play them by yourself,” says Olsen explaining the rationale behind recording the songs solo first. “I just wanted it to be bare minimum, a lot like Strange Cacti, but a little bit easier to listen to. And then when I was finished with that I had to go immediately into revisiting the songs, reimagining them, and changing a lot. And because I had recorded them in such a stripped-down fashion, now I could open my mind to collaboration in a new way.” Olsen still intends to release the solo record at some point but thinks it’s better that “this strange, epic record comes out first, so that people can see how much it's changed when the other one comes out.” It’s difficult even to imagine some of these songs stripped back. Take stunning album opener, ‘Lark’, for example. Beginning with the tremulous shiver of strings before rapidly ratcheting up the drama, it ebbs and flows over the course of its six-plus minutes, always utterly cinematic in its scale. Olsen remains immensely proud of the way it came together, despite its protracted gestation over the holiday period, during which she waited impatiently for string demos to arrive. London in Stereo: 31
“I forgive people who yell, because I see through them and I hear them crying instead....”
“It was so cool to finally sit back and listen to the strings sounding like fireworks going off. It's a song that starts the record, and basically says, ‘We're burning the house down now,’ you know? And we needed the house to burn down at the beginning of the record, almost like a backwards story. Like, you start at the finale, and then you work backwards and see how it got to be that way.” Thematically, ‘Lark’ touches on toxic relationships, and specifically verbal abuse, as Olsen explains. “You know the fucked up things that you forgive? I forgive people who yell, because I see through them and I hear them crying instead of yelling. The way that I yell is to sing. But when I'm not singing I can yell really loud. I will fucking knife you with words. Watch yourself: I can tear you down. And I'm not proud of it, but I have a lot of anger. So I think that's why I have empathy for those people; because I know that it comes from a place of deep disappointment and sadness. But at a certain point you have to walk away from those people and let them take agency for themselves.”
‘Impasse’ is similarly mired in heartbreak, its sense of isolation brilliantly accentuated by dissonant, swirling strings that were inspired by Scott Walker’s ‘It’s Raining Today’. And yet, All Mirrors ultimately ends on a hopeful note, with ‘Chance’ finding Olsen declaring, “I’m not looking for the answer or anything that lasts / I just want to see some beauty, try and understand,” over a waltzing arrangement fit for Sinatra. It’s undoubtedly a challenging set to perform live, but Olsen is happy with the progress she and her six-piece band have made in rehearsals. And despite nearly burning out during the tour for My Woman, she’s excited to hit the road again. “I get to be angry again onstage and it's gonna fucking rule,” she laughs. “I'm trying to get dark, to bring some heavy vibes. I'm like, what would Kate Bush do? What would Sinead O'Connor say? Probably some crazy shit that I've said.” All Mirrors is released October 4th via Jagjaguwar. LIVE: Eventim Apollo, February 11th 2020 @angelolsen
@angelolsenmusic
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Anna Meredith words: Katie Goh photography: Gem Harris
hen Anna Meredith goes into the studio to record new music, she brings with her two things. The first is a graphic map, a sketch of the “shape of the album.” The second is an ardent, unshakeable sense of denial. “I’ve developed this quite finelyhoned ability to not really think about any pressure or expectation,” she explains over the phone from her home in London. “I just need to focus on what I think is going to work. Anytime I start thinking beyond that, it immediately makes the music bad.” You’d forgive Meredith for letting some of the pressure slip past her wall of denial. After releasing her critically-acclaimed debut, Varmints, composing the soundtrack to Bo Burnham’s film, Eighth Grade and many, many public commissions, Meredith has become a musical darling, somehow able to straddle the two words of classical music and pop bangers. Now with her new record, FIBS about to be released, she’s equal parts nervous and excited. “I don’t want my music to just float away into the air,” she says. “I make music for people to listen to.”
Meredith begins her writing process with what she likes to call a song’s “nubin,” the centre of the piece. “I don’t really know what that means, but it’s like the cell, a single musical idea,” she explains. “Then I can move on, knowing there’s some germ of an idea for that piece, until eventually I have 12 or 13 tiny bits of ideas and then I nudge those all forward, flesh them out, do a big sweep and finish them all. Then at some point, I blitz them all and get them all to the finish line.” This all sounds surgically planned. “Yeah, I’m not the sort of person to write 50 songs and then pick the best ones. I knew the 11 things I wanted to do when I went into the studio. I’m kinda writing to my own brief.” The high control Meredith has over her musical projects - “I’m unbearable,” she laughs - expands to the recording studio, but she admits she’s got better with collaboration. “There’s definitely no jamming or improvising or any of that stuff in the studio. But I work closely with my band and play them bits at the ‘nubin’ stage and get their thoughts.” She takes one day at a time, the instruments and vocals. Then the layering begins. Meredith is so good a planner that there’s very little editing, even at this stage. She’s simply slotting everything she’s had in her head from the “nubin” stage into place.
“I d o n’ t want my m u si c t o j u st fl o at away i nt o t h e a ir. I m ake m usic for pe o p l e to l i sten to.”
London in Stereo: 37
FIBS continues many of Varmints’ themes, notably the mixture of fast and slow, as well as the hybrid blend of classical and pop influences, but pushed to even further extremities. “I’ve got a kind of masochistic desire to work my ass off and to push further,” she says. “The pop-ier songs are stronger than last time, which I’m chuffed about because that’s been one thing I’ve always wanted to do and given my best shot. I love pop music. I don’t listen to much music, but I love a good pop song.” Does Meredith see many similarities between her music and chart pop music? “I often get people saying my stuff is experimental, but I really don’t see it that way. I write music to make it accessible. I don’t want people to think it’s an exercise in alienation. I'm always trying to write music that I find physically moving. Literally! If it’s energetic, I want to get up off my seat and move. I want to follow the trajectory the music is taking me on.” With FIBS, the music’s trajectory fits its name well. “I don’t see the album as a lie per se, but I like the word and I like the ambiguity of it. It’s like a white lie, not good or bad. And it’s that denial thing as well - I lied to myself and told myself this will be easy! I like things that are a little ambiguous and not one thing or another. And the album is a little bit naughty, like the name; it’s a bit cheeky.” After taking on one-off projects for the last few years, Meredith is thrilled at the opportunity to tour FIBS and, ever the perfectionist, to play the same album every night. “Everyone’s so busy and the world is so fucked-up at the moment that the fact that anybody comes to a gig and knows your stuff is really humbling. And you get to experience that every night - that’s amazing!” FIBS is released October 25th via Moshi Moshi LIVE: EartH, London, February 5th Trinity, Bristol, February 6th @AnnaHMeredith
@annahmeredith
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words: Kezia Cochrane photography: Cristina Bercovitz
“It didn’t feel like anyone was taking control of that narrative and saying ‘No - this is what we should be afraid of...’”
or a band that makes such dark, unsettling music, Clipping. are perhaps some of the nicest guys in rap. But then Clipping. aren’t your typical rap group and arguably defy such categorisation. Each album has seen them experiment with narrative approaches and their latest release is no different. Cinematic and searingly potent, There Existed An Addiction To Blood is Clipping.’s horrorcore homage, taking its title from Sam Wayman’s Ganja & Hess, “a reference to this movie that we love and this horror that we’re really influenced by,” Jonathan Snipes explains. “Our first album, we made songs to learn what we sounded like and what we were doing, and we were always sort of like, ‘OK - after this, the obvious thing to do would be to make a horror album.’” Whilst this is their first specifically horror-focused record, the genre has a tangible and traceable influence throughout their discography. Addressing how horror frequently offers pertinent social commentary,
and how this is innate to Clipping., Bill Hutson muses, “[We] try not to really harp on too much in the meta-commentary about it. I think the usefulness of horror in cinema, in literature, in everything… every moment in time gets the monster it deserves. It’s always some sort of representation of some anxiety within a culture.” Considering further how horror plays on societal fears and how Clipping. do so within their music, he conveys, “The things that scare us often aren’t the things we should be proud scare us, right? We’re trying to control it from our perspective and say, ‘No, these are the monsters in our world right now’ and do so from our political perspective.” Looking at this currently within film, he continues, “There’s a new trend with Jordan Peele, and It Follows and all these contemporary horror movies that everyone’s really driving home. That’s how they work, as opposed to when Saw was coming out - I think people were just anxious about the US’ foreign policy and torture. It was just very Bush-era values London in Stereo: 41
about who should be grateful for their life and who deserves life just floating out there. It didn’t feel like anyone was taking control of that narrative and saying ‘No - this is what we should be afraid of, not this.’” Clipping.’s narratives have always held a certain authority in the way they fully lure the listener into their unnerving, immersive soundscapes. “I score a lot of movies too and I figured out at some point that the job of movie music isn’t to tell people what to feel and what to think, but it’s there to tell an audience when to feel or when something’s important. I’ve come to think of music in those terms, because it’s so abstract you can’t really describe,” Snipes divulges, on listener expectations within music, rather than music saying, ‘Hey, this is what is important.’ It can say something important is happening right now,” he summarises. Impressively, Clipping. don’t use ‘I’ or write in the first person, which is pretty ground-breaking for rap. “Starting Clipping. was all about constraining ourselves to certain techniques and rules,” Hutson explains. “The most common word in rap is ‘I’ and we have this sense of how all rap music is some version of augmented autobiography, that we’re this authenticity and this realness. And so the idea was ‘Does this still sound like rap if you sort of amputate that subjective
centre and surround it with the same accoutrement of rap?’” Their second record’s title, CLPPNG, literally pinpoints this, and they laughingly recall how it took a good eight months of the record being out before anyone noticed. “We were making these really tough, mean, dark beats and, I don’t wanna just throw Daveed under the bus here, but Daveed is not a very dark, mean person,” Hutson details. “He’s a very friendly, nice guy, and so are we.” “Well...” Snipes jokingly interjects, to which Hutson quips, “Well, we’re less nice than Daveed - that’s true.” Elaborating, he adds, “we had to say these are not true stories; we are revelling in inauthenticity. Which is the most anathema thing you can do with rap, to acknowledge that it’s all a big performance. Nobody is who they pretend to be in a rap song, ‘cause that’s ridiculous.” “It’s like making Daveed a novelist,” Snipes contributes, “not a… memoirist.” Hutson chimes in, concluding, “every rapper is writing millions of little pieces and we’re trying to write Frankenstein, or something like that.” There Existed an Addiction to Blood is released October 18th via Sub Pop. @clppng
@clppng
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Since ‘1950’ burst into our lives, the ascendency of New York’s King Princess has been dizzying to watch: sold-out shows, an adoring fanbase and a clutch of essential tracks that basically everyone seems to love. So with a debut album finally here, Danny Wright got Kezia Cochrane and Katie Thomas together to find out if Cheap Queen will seal her place amongst pop royalty. When did you first hear about King Princess? Katie: Fittingly it was actually when she was featured in our New Sounds for 2019! Kezia: I first came across a shoot of hers on Instagram and I was like ‘this seems like a cool person to check out’ and then I was very into the queer pop vibes! Katie: I liked Emma [Madden]’s description of ‘1950’ being like Billie Eilish giving a class in women’s studies. Kezia: Hah, that’s such a great description! I think her music grew on me – I really liked ‘Pussy is God’ when I first heard it but then some of the others took me a few listens to get into. Katie: I spend the vast majority of my time listening to club music, but sometimes even I need a break from the 4/4. So I liked her sound – the sparse instrumentation, and that you can hone in on her lyrics and vocal melodies, and these soft, delicate harmonies.
KING PRINCESS CHEAP QUEEN October 25th Zelig/Columbia Records @KingPrincess69
@KingPrincess69
Does the album feel like an extension of those early songs, or does she do something different here? Kezia: She really hones in on the more tender melodies and vulnerability of previous tracks like ‘Talia’ here, rather than bigger pop sounds (though they’re definitely still there on some tracks). There’s almost a greater sense of confidence in this sonic tenderness and openness. Katie: It’s definitely more vulnerable, more tender and stripped back. I’ve read it’s a chronological retelling of her heart’s ups and downs from the past year so it’s not surprising that it feels cathartic.
Were you a little disappointed it’s less about the pop riffs - or did it make you like the record more? Katie: The record’s standout pop banger is ‘Hit Me Back’, and that’s the penultimate track on the album, so she makes you wait for it. That said, just because the pop riffs have taken a back seat it doesn’t make the record any less catchy - she has the ear for a melody that sticks. So it wasn’t a disappointment, there’s still a lot of singing along to be done! Kezia: It didn’t feel quite as immediate but I didn’t find that disappointing at all. Releasing ‘Cheap Queen’ and ‘Useless Phrases’ as the first singles gave a good taster of what to expect. ‘Hit Me Back’ is definitely a stand out track, but it almost feels more impactful to have these choice moments of super catchy pop. What are the other stand-out songs? Katie: ‘Ain’t Together’, ‘Isabel’s Moment’ (shout out Tobias Jesso Jr.’s extremely lovely feature), and ‘Watching My Phone’, because, god, can’t we all relate to the idea of sitting thinking about someone and constantly looking at your phone willing it to go off? Kezia: I was instantly hooked on ‘Cheap Queen’, and I also really love ‘Prophet’. It’s such a silky, sensual feeling track where the vocals, melodies and beat all meld together so perfectly . How important is it to have someone who proudly celebrates being queer? Do you think that comes out in the album or is it more a personal collection of songs? Katie: I’m coming at this as a straight cis woman, and don’t want to overstep my place, but I’d say any music that makes you feel proud to be who you are without compromising is wildly important. I don’t think this record necessarily came across as a fierce celebration of being queer, but rather as a personal memoir, where King Princess opens up to express her desires, her fears, her crushes and her heartaches which is super relatable, regardless of your sexuality, or how you identify.
Kezia: To me it feels predominantly like an emotional collection of tracks that are deeply personal and intimate, but naturally her own identity comes through with that. For me personally, the wealth of incredible, proudly queer artists, such as King Princess, who have space to fully express and celebrate their identities has been pretty integral to my own as a queer person. But I think with Cheap Queen it’s ultimately this beautiful, deeply human and relatable expression of emotions. And what do you think the future holds for King Princess? Katie: In interviews I’ve read, she can come across a little brash. And while that confidence is definitely not a bad thing - in fact it’s inspiring - it was nice for me to then hear this music that is so delicate and compassionate. Cheap Queen shows there are multiple strings to the King Princess bow - she can deliver pop and she can deliver an a capella intro to make you shiver (closer ‘If You Think It’s Love’). I’m looking forward to catching her live. Kezia: It’ll be interesting to see where she takes her sound next – it’s exciting ‘cause she could continue with this quieter, gentler sound or bring out some more absolute bangers, and either way it’s going to be great. London in Stereo: 47
BODEGA SHINY NEW MODEL What’s Your Rupture October 11th
LIGHTNING BOLT SONIC CITADEL Thrill Jockey October 11th Explosive bass/drums duo, Lightning Bolt have spent the past 25 years making more noise than any two American dudes named Brian should be capable of. Their sonic tomfoolery reaches a critical point on their seventh album, striking a newfound balance between scary precision and terrifying power. It’s a potent mix. The whirlwind pulls you from the sheer abrasion of percussive opener, ‘Blow to the Head’ before shoving you into the (almost) polished speed-pop perfection of ‘Husker Don’t’. And while many tunes remain drenched in the Bolt’s trademark echoed reverb, others are remarkably sparse for a change. But it’s the epic nine-minute closer, ‘Van Halen 2049’ that truly confounds with its remorseless melodic trip through a collage of hallucinatory riffs and alarming feedback. Buckle up. Geoff Cowart
No one is as salty as the seven seas except Bodega, and Jack in Titanic. No one is as perky and as charming and witty except Bodega (maybe Jack in Titanic?). And no one is as shouty in a likeable way except Bodega (although Jack in Titanic gets pretty animated). There are few bands around who pack as much to think about into a few short lyrics too. Their new EP, Shiny New Model, follows on swiftly from 2018’s album Endless Scroll. It opens with the title track, which itself opens with Dinosaur Jr feels and an automated voice reminding us on the transience and built-in obsolescence of everything and everyone: “You will be replaced by a shiny new model.” Such feel-good melancholy. Jon Kean
BIG THIEF TWO HANDS 4AD October 11th What a treat it is to have two albums from Big Thief in 2019. If their last record, the dreamy, crepuscular U.F.O.F., isn’t already primed for your end-of-year list, then its decidedly earthier companion, Two Hands, will surely take its place. Big Thief created the former in lush woodland surroundings. Immediately afterwards, they decamped to a Texan desert to record the majority of Two Hands – live. That lack of overwrought interference has resulted in a tender and timeless collection of rootsy songs. Assigned to a traditional Side A/Side B split, the songs blend naturally, sometimes as indistinguishable demo offcuts. Highlights include the doomed lovers’ title track, with its urgent arpeggios and clacking percussion, while ‘Not’ serves as the record’s devastatingly visceral apex. Charlotte Krol
JACQUES GREENE DAWN CHORUS LuckyMe October 18th Jacques Greene’s holistic, nuanced approach to electronic music could only come from one of club culture’s true evangelists. A producer keenly aware of the transformative impact of the rave experience, Dawn Chorus stems from the bittersweet bliss that permeates that final Uber home. The successor to 2017’s long-awaited debut album, Feel Infinite, Dawn Chorus emphasises his grasp of sound design in its pursuit of post-rave reflection. Utilising Joel Ford as mix engineer, it’s both a singular vision and a collective project, with Jacques Greene embracing the importance of technique and process alongside the exquisite final artefact. ‘Distance’ embodies glorious ambience by utilising cello from London’s Oliver Coates, while fellow Canadian artist, Cadence Weapon stars on stunning Paradise Garage-inspired cut, ‘Night Service’. Indeed, this notion of the club as a point of transgressive worship permeates the record, recurring on the gospel-leaning samples that drive ‘For Love’. It’s a project with admirable breadth: ‘Do It Without You’ is propelled by those crunching, rave-leaning drum breaks, while My Bloody Valentine elements permeate the lush Boards Of Canada synths on ‘Understand’. Conceptually, the album lingers on the process of becoming, of emerging into the new, while Jacques Greene seeks to blur the lines between euphoric abandon and melancholic introspection. These aspects unite on album closer, ‘Stars’, which shuffles between unbridled elation and the curious restraint of the half-whispered vocal. A record dominated by engaging sonic beauty and real emotional impact, Dawn Chorus is an exceptional eulogy to the mercurial rave experience. Robin Murray
JACQUES GREENE photo: Mathieu Fortin
London in Stereo: 49
GIRL BAND
THE TALKIES Rough Trade Records September 27th From the rasping, panicked breaths of ‘Prolix’ to the electrifying distortion of ‘Ereignis’, Girl Band’s latest offering, The Talkies marks an aggressive and confrontational twelve-track follow-up to the Dublin punks’ 2015 debut, Holding Hands With Jamie. Pouring out the raw inner workings of his mind and facing his fears head-on, vocalist Dara Kiely’s performance is captivating throughout every track, driving the record through a surplus of twisting guitars and hammering drum beats. Outstanding single release, ‘Shoulderblades’ incorporates traces of post-industrial influence, while the eerie and chaotic blur of the aptly-named ‘Aibohphobia’ embodies a deep sense of terror. With its abstract and often humorous portrayals of emotion, the record’s harrowing atmosphere certainly doesn’t make for easy listening, but there’s something remarkably therapeutic in its underlying empathy. Kelly Ronaldson
TEGAN AND SARA
HEY, I’M JUST LIKE YOU Sire Records September 27th When you’ve been making a name (or two) for yourself in the music industry over the past twenty years, where do you go from there? The answer, back in time… figuratively speaking. Accompanying their soon-to-be-released memoir High School, Hey, I’m Just Like You is the latest from Canada’s sweethearts and queer heroines Tegan and Sara; another gloriously, punchy record consisting of updated, no-frills versions of their early nineties demo recordings as Plunk. Addressing their origins in a way that’s uplifting, nostalgic, and sort of overdue, Tegan and Sara are remedying what’s made you feel “messed up and blue”. It will satiate any die-hard fans who’ve been awaiting a return to the punky days of This Business of Art, but won’t alienate those that boarded the Quin train for their poppier releases. Harriet Taylor
ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY DEPRESSEDIELICA Run For Cover October 4th Mathew Cothran’s eighth album under the banner of Elvis Depressedly is a further descent into a dystopian, experimental pop world. Cothran takes his typical lo-fi singer/songwriter guise and familiar vocals – filled with existential dread and biblical allusions – and expands more into the electronic and auto-tuned. The airy accents these new elements provide are more nihilistic than euphoric. With tracks like ‘Who Can Be Loved In This World?’, ‘Can You Hear My Guitar Rotting?’ and ‘Let’s Break Up The Band’, you wouldn’t be out of place in thinking that, maybe, Cothran’s not too cheery a person. That said, the record does great genre-straddling between a bedroom recording and a highlyproduced indie think-piece. Albert Testani
FLOATING POINTS
KIM GORDON photo: Natalia Mantini
CRUSH
Ninja Tune October 18th On his third album, Floating Points sets himself apart from his Ninja Tune colleagues. Some of the biggest names in electronic music are signed to the label - from Diplo to Helena Hauff to Bicep to Peggy Gou - yet the producer-cumqualified-neuroscientist has achieved an emotional breakthrough with Crush. It's not all for dancing, nor is all of it melancholic enough for simply contemplating; Floating Points - aka Sam Shepherd flits between experimental techno, transcendent house and dark ambiance to reach the recesses of the human brain. Do we dance? Do we cry? You'll find me in the club doing both. From the album opener to Crush's final credits, jittery synths and anxious strings settle somewhere among the cinematic stardust of his soundscapes. Georgia Marsh
808 STATE
TRANSMISSION SUITE Self-Release October 11th Seventeen years after their last release, I guess 808 State have been slowly digesting the enormous buffet that's been their career and now the acid reflux is forcing its way up. Full of sci-fi waltzes and intricate samples layered beneath tongue-in-cheek hooks and hefty basslines, Transmission Suite is understated, disjointed and masterful. It’s only halfway through lead single, ‘Tokyo Tokyo’, when the beloved TB-303 finally shows its face, that you remember just how fucking cool acid house is. Recorded in the now-abandoned Granada Studios, where they first performed on television in 1989, you can really hear the clunks and whirrs of all that obsolete machinery, underpinned with the welcome return of the acid break. Madeline Wrench
KIM GORDON
NO HOME RECORD Matador October 11th Kim Gordon’s solo debut, No Home Record is an often densely electronic album, more akin to the sound of Nine Inch Nails than her work in Sonic Youth or Body/Head - or it would be, were the emotive vocals not so unmistakably hers. A surprising amount of programmed beats and basslines abound for one so entrenched in the noise-rock scene, though it would have been disappointing from an artist of her calibre to hear Gordon do anything other than go out on a limb once more. The real treat is that voice of hers: witnessing her tear in to modern pop culture phenomena like Twitter and AirBnB with a mixture of fascination and disgust is a peculiar joy, but a real one. Thomas Hannan London in Stereo: 51
DANNY BROWN photo: Tom Keelan
DANNY BROWN
UKNOWHATIMSAYIN¿ Warp // October 4th Has Danny Brown grown up? It’s easy to think so. Laced with features from Run The Jewels, Obongjayar and Blood Orange, uknowhatimsayin¿ has a maturity to it unlike previous releases from the American rapper. Usually recognised by his use of heavy beats and explicit lyrics, Brown has veered into making mellow, jazz-infused tracks for his fifth album. This is particularly obvious in ‘Negro Spiritual’ featuring JPEGMAFIA and produced by Flying Lotus, a collab that could’ve been explosive, but instead feels nonchalant and funky. Nevertheless, Brown maintains his cheeky lyrical storytelling, as the Q-Tip-produced single ‘Dirty Laundry’ has lines like, “So we did the humpty hump in a Burger King bathroom,” to show he’s still got that signature subversive streak under a misleadingly cleaned-up guise. Georgia Evans
NILS FRAHM ALL ENCORES Erased Tapes October 18th
Sometimes when an artist pads out an album with previously-released material, it can feel like a cop-out. But Nils Frahm isn’t just any old artist and, more than anything, we should seize every opportunity to appreciate this collection of songs. Comprised of tracks from all three EPs of the Encores series, it showcases Frahm’s individual and evolving musical styles across each one: piano-led meanderings, ambient soundscapes and more expansive, percussive works. It’s the latter that dish up consistent moments of magic, the bubbling urgency of ‘All Armed’ burning brightest. Yet even when Frahm is at his most ambitious, you get the sense it comes almost effortlessly to him. No wonder he’s considered one of electronic music’s most influential, untouchable figures. All Encores fully justifies that. Lee Wakefield
OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS
THE
OLD
BLUE
LAST Mon 7 / £9 Alcopop! Records Dream Nails Fri 11 / £11 The MJR Group Valeras Mon 14 / Free Slay Low Jealous Mon 21 / Free Dark Party Hanne Hukkelberg Tue 22 / £7.70 Kilimanjaro EUT Wed 23 / £8.80 Dark Party Francis Lung
SEBRIGHT
ARMS
Fri 4 / Free Warm Laundry Deathcrash Mon 14 / Free Spilt Milk Josiah Konder Tue 15 / £13.20 Spilt Milk Just Mustard Fri 18 / £9.90 Baba Yaga’s Hut Gum Takes Tooth Fri 25 / Free Rockfeedback Jackie Mendoza Thu 31 / Free Spilt Milk Madonnatron
Wed 30 / Free Killing Moon Live Dantevilles
theoldbluelast.com @theoldbluelast
sebrightarms.com @sebrightarms
THE
DOME
TUFNELL PARK
TIX - DOMETUFNELLPARK.CO.UK Â - CHECK OUT OUR SISTER VENUE BOSTONMUSICROOM.CO.UK
our selection of the best shows coming up this month
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
BRANDY CLARK
TOYAH + B-MOVIE + DAS FLUFF
October 25th £26.50adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
October 27th £22adv // @O2Islington
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE WAITING ROOM
LISA MORGENSTERN
GHUM
October 24th £10adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
October 10th £8adv // @WaitingRoomN16
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
THE LEXINGTON
DAN D’LION
CHRISTOF VAN DER VEN
October 3rd £8adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
Angel
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
October 8th £11adv // @thelexington
Angel
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM GENDER ROLES
MUSH
October 3rd £9adv // @BostonMusicRoom
October 28th £6.50adv // @shacklewell Arms
Tuffnell Park
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
GIRLHOOD
COLOURS GIRLHOOD October 11th £5adv // @ColoursHoxton
BLOXX
WERKHAUS
THE DOME
PHOBOPHOBES
BLOXX October 17th £10adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Old Street
Tuffnell Park
October 17th £10adv // @werkhauslondon
Liverpool Street
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL
HOLY FUCK
KARA MARNI
October 23rd £14.30adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
THE OLD BLUE LAST
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN SKENGDO X AM
EUT October 22nd £7.70adv // @theoldbluelast
October 17th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £10adv // @Bushhallmusic
Old Street / Liverpool Street
October 31st £20adv // @O2ForumKTown
Kentish Town
THE SEBRIGHT ARMS
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
BDRMM
FIGHTMILK + TUNDRA + NERVOUS TWITCH
October 26th FREE // @SebrightArms
Bethnal Green/ Cambridge Heath
October 3rd £7adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
CUCO HELADO NEGRO
JAZZ CAFE HELADO NEGRO October 29th £13adv // @TheJazzCafe
XOYO
OSLO
CUCO
CHARLOTTE ADIGERY
October 23rd £14adv // @XOYO_London
Old Street / Liverpool Street
Camden Town
October 22nd £10adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
TAMU MASSIF
WINTER MOUNTAIN
October 18th FREE // @NHAClub
Notting Hill Gate
October 24th £10adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street London in Stereo: 57
JANICE BIRGITTA ALIDA THE ENTREPRENEURS
(SE)
(NO)
(DK)
THURSDAY 31 ST OCTOBER 7.30 PM T H E L E X I N G T O N , L O N D O N , N1 9JB TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA BILLETTO, DICE AND EVENTBRITE £5 MEMBERS / £8 NON-MEMBERS TWITTER.COM/JAJAJANORDIC
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South
Wednesday October 2nd
and West London this month. Tuesday October 1st
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday October 3rd
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Friday October 4th
Saturday October 5th
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday October 6th
Monday October 7th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Wednesday October 9th
Tuesday October 8th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Thursday October 10th
Friday October 11th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Saturday October 12th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday October 14th
Sunday October 13th Tuesday October 15th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Wednesday October 16th
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday October 17th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS Friday October 18th
Saturday October 19th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday October 20th
Monday October 21st
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Tuesday October 22nd
Wednesday October 23rd
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday October 24th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Friday October 25th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday October 26th
Sunday October 27th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS Tuesday October 29th
Monday October 28th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday October 30th
Thursday October 31st
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL OCTOBER LISTINGS
Friday November 1st
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
BIRD ON THE WIRE PRESENTS
Welsh artists residency IN ASSOCIATION WITH PYST
Frankie Cosmos
Ty Segall & Freedom Band
Sean Nicholas Savage
SOLD
FRI 11TH OCT | 8TH NOV THE VICTORIA
FRI 11TH OUT SAT 12TH, SUN 13TH OCT OVAL SPACE
black midi
Brad stank
SOLD OUT
THU 17TH OCT ST MATTHIAS CHURCH
MON 21ST OCT KINGS PLACE
Weyes Blood
Night Flowers
WED 23RD OCT FABRIC TUE 22ND OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
SAT 18TH JAN QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL
A.A. Bondy
Emel Mathlouthi
Lambert
SOLD OUT
WED 23RD OCT REDON
B Boys
WED 30TH OCT ELECTRIC BRIXTON
THU 31ST OCT REDON
The Tallest Man On Earth
Black Lips
+ JULIE BYRNE
+ PRIESTS, PREGOBLIN & MORE
MON 4TH NOV MOTH CLUB
TUE 5TH NOV COLOURS
TUE 5TH NOV THE VICTORIA
WED 6TH NOV EVENTIM APOLLO
FRI 8TH NOV EARTH
Ólafur Arnalds presents: OPIA
TR/ST
Surf Curse
Mac DeMarco
Daniel Norgren (solo)
FRI 8TH NOV SOUTHBANK CENTRE
WED 20TH NOV HEAVEN
WED 20TH NOV CORSICA STUDIOS
THU 21ST NOV ALEXANDRA PALACE
MON 25TH NOV ST JOHN ON BETHNAL GREEN
Blanck Mass
Aldous Harding
L’Épée
Omar Souleyman
Angel Olsen
TUE 26TH NOV SCALA
THU 5TH DEC ROUNDHOUSE
MON 9TH DEC EARTH
THU 6TH FEB EARTH
TUE 11TH FEB EVENTIM APOLLO
Damien Jurado
Alice Boman
Girl Ray
Big Thief
A Winged Victory For The Sullen
FRI 21ST FEB EMMANUEL CENTRE
TUE 25TH FEB UNION CHAPEL
WED 26TH FEB ELECTRIC BALLROOM
THU 27TH FEB EVENTIM APOLLO
+ HAND HABITS
MORE INFO & TICKETS
THU 27TH & FRI 28TH FEB ROUND CHAPEL
BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET
photo: Cáit Fahey
by
Sorcha Richardson
When I was in my last year of college, I went to London to meet with a music attorney. At the time, I didn’t have a manager, a label, an agent or anybody. Just a handful of demos I’d recorded on GarageBand in my bedroom, with a $100 mic, and a few thousand streams on Soundcloud. The attorney had emailed me, said they liked my demos, and asked if I’d meet them next time I was in town. I didn’t even really understand what a music attorney did, but they had some big pop star names on their website, so I figured I should go. I stayed with my friend Ben at his mum’s house in Twickenham. It was middle of January and it snowed all week. I hadn’t packed for that kind of weather so Ben gave me one of his jackets. It was way too big for me and I could barely reach the zipper but I wore it all around London all week, to every single one of my meetings. I met the attorney, and then I met a booking agent, and I had no idea what I was supposed to say to either of them. And then I left London and went back to New York and realised pretty quickly that trip was not gonna be my big break.
Six years later, this past summer, I played my first London show. Me and my band arrived just in time for the July heatwave and we played a very fun, very sweaty, sold out gig in Dalston. I had a few meetings that week, one of them in the exact same office that I’d been to that January when I was 22, so naïve, and slouched in Ben’s coat that didn’t fit me. It’s funny how life comes full circle like that. It makes you think of everything that has (and hasn’t) happened in the time between. We stayed at an apartment in North London and when I was leaving, the guy who owned it noticed my fender case. He told me to call into the kebab shop on the corner, that they have a music night on Thursdays, and if I was lucky maybe I could get a gig. My 22-year old self would have jumped at that opportunity so I think it’s only fair I check it out next time I’m in London. Sorcha Richardson releases her new album, First Prize Bravery, this autumn. LIVE: The Garage, October 31st Mirrors Festival, November 2nd @SorchaRichardsn
@sorcharichardsonmusic London in Stereo: 79
with
Babeheaven “Duck Soup and Towpath Cafe are two of my favourite restaurants really delicious seasonal food...”
3 Steps to a Babeheaven LDN Why do you live in London? We were born here and haven’t left yet. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? Duck Soup and Towpath Cafe are two of my favourite restaurants - really delicious seasonal food. Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces? The canal near my house is nice to walk along and think/talk. Hyde Park, also. Do you prefer London in the sun or in its regular overcast glory? Both are great; maybe I prefer overcast a bit more, as can get some more work done, and stay in and watch some movies. Favourite place to get some peace and quiet?
Towpath Cafe WHERE? 42 De Beauvoir Crescent, N1 5SB
My bedroom, where I can be completely alone. What’s the bit of London you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t? We’re really lucky to have an amazing food and clothes market on our doorstep. I love shopping, so it’s a bit of a problem. What’s the best way to spend one great day here? Go to the Hampstead Ponds on a nice sunny day. Do you have any favourite venues? I like the Windmill in Brixton, Koko and Jazz Café are both nice too. Hammersmith Apollo has great sound. Does living here influence your music? It’s hard to say. I can’t think of any specific ways that it does, but maybe on a more subconscious level.
Windmill Brixton WHERE? 22 Blenheim Gardens, SW2 5BZ
What’s the worst thing about London? The amount of homelessness, caused by lack of government support. How would you advise someone to get the most out of living here? Go out and meet people! Babeheaven’s track, ‘It Nan’ is out now, with their debut project, Suspended Animation, following soon. LIVE: Islington Assembly Hall, October 30th @babeheavenband
@Babeheaven
Hampstead Ponds WHERE? Hampstead Heath, NW5 1QR London in Stereo: 81
four from...
Pop-Kultur Berlin, Germany. August 21st-23rd words: Jess Partridge
Pop-Kultur has really found its feet with 2019 hosting just its 5th edition - a slick and brilliantly successful event. Situated in the heart of Berlin’s vibrant east end, it perfectly combines a mix of local talent and cuttingedge new music with a few big names sprinkled on top for good measure. Here’s why you should make the trip next year:
1
2
Commissions - Alongside riveting performances from unique and boundary pushing artists like Jenny Wilson, Planningtorock and Shabazz Palaces, Pop-Kultur goes the extra mile and commissions new spectacles to make the festival experience truly unique. This year the highlight was Lisa Morgenstern's piece combining her stunning piano skills alongside a traditional Bulgarian choir, completely flooring us with the truly moving pieces inspired by and exploring her heritage.
3
The food in the city and the time to consume it - Berlin is known for a lot of things but only recently has it taken off as a place of incredible food from all round the world. With the festival predominantly taking place in the evening there’s plenty of time to check out what’s on offer. Surrounding kulturbrauerei there’s a whole world of great food but if you want something really special get an early dinner at Cocolo Ramen.
You never know what you’re going to find Festival’s curated and cared for this well always try harder to make sure you have an unforgettable experience, so it’s no surprise to find teasing late night performances on the line-up that lead to dark tunnels below the old brewery, string quartets and, honestly, who knows what else. Truly, anything can happen at Pop-Kultur and, even more fun, it frequently does.
4
The venue - Elements of Pop-Kultur are like any city-based, multi-venue festival. The difference though? All of their top spec and remarkably varied venues are within one small area – kulturbrauerei – which houses a multitude of spaces and makes for an easy to get around (though sometimes confusing) space. Meaning you can run from stage to stage to catch your favourite acts with no issues (and importantly, very few queues). And if you fancy a break? Take some time in the central square and take in the dance classes and atmosphere of the space, it's well worth it.
LISA MORGENSTERN photo: Camille Blake
SHABAZZ PALACES photo: Camille Blake
London in Stereo: 83
MOTH CLUB Du Blonde • The Rhythm Method • Richard Dawson • Working Men’s Club • Lady Bird THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS Julie’s Haircut • Mind Enterprises • John • Mush • K-X-P THE WAITING ROOM Ghum • Pet Shimmers • BOSS • Cinders • Hanging Valleys DINGWALLS Vistas • Mclusky* • Saint Agnes • Grace Petrie • Harry Marshall STUDIO 9294 Murkage Dave • Toy • Melt Yourself Down • Flamingods MOTH CLUB mothclub.co.uk / THE SHACKLEWELL shacklewellarms.com / THE WAITING ROOM waitingroomn16.com
Hackney @mothclub ARMS Dalston @shacklewellarms Stoke Newington
/
@waitingroomn16
DINGWALLS
Camden
dingwalls.com STUDIO studio9294.co.uk
/ 9294
@dingwallscamden Hackney /
Wick @studio_9294
DANCER FROM THE DANCE by Claire Biddles I’ve had a silly ambition for a while to put on a club night that just plays songs from all the dance scenes that I love the most from TV shows and films. Eyes locking across a ballroom to ‘Young Hearts Run Free’; battered Converse shuffling in the Italian heat to Psychedelic Furs; a Jean Cocteau illustration dancing to The Knife; a jealous, peacocking kiss to ‘Call Your Girlfriend’. If this ever happens, it would be something of a role reversal. These scenes are all articulations of longing from someone watching on the periphery. For the duration of a pop song, desire makes its first suggestion, or its definitive confirmation, as the object is watched. It’s a prompt for us, watching at home or in the dark of the cinema — how many times have we watched, hoping? But on this hypothetical dancefloor, the ones longing from the peripheries are pulled into the centre: the crushers become the crushed-on.
A few nights ago I went to see Hustlers, the film about a gang of New York sex workers scamming rich men during the financial crisis. There’s a much-remarked-upon scene early on where Jennifer Lopez’s character stripteases to ‘Criminal’ by Fiona Apple. She’s being watched, of course, by everyone in the room – but the gaze that resonates is that of Constance Wu’s rookie stripper, watching from the back of the room with a complex longing: jealousy, desire, the multitudinous effects of undeniable charisma. It made me think that perhaps the best versions of these scenes are queer, or have queer potential: that particular sharpening of longing, the secrecy, the increased urgency of rejection and all that means. As I left the cinema I added “Criminal” to the playlist I keep for my imaginary club night and I thought about all the times I’ve watched that Fiona Apple video — a straightforward desire for the girl being watched and a more shameful desire to be watched like that, to look like that. I wondered why nobody had chosen that particular song for a dance scene before.
Claire Biddles makes zines about crushes, writes about music for The Wire and The Line of Best Fit, and tweets about both subjects at @msclairebiddles
London in Stereo: 85
SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
EMILY CAPELL
WEDNESDAY 9TH OCTOBER XOYO
LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER
THURSDAY 10TH OCTOBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
SEA GIRLS
+ THE MYSTERINES
SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
TUESDAY 15TH OCTOBER EVENTIM APOLLO, HAMMERSMITH
WEDNESDAY 16TH OCTOBER THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
WEDNESDAY 16TH OCTOBER 100 CLUB
THURSDAY 17TH OCTOBER PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
FRIDAY 18TH OCTOBER THE PICKLE FACTORY
+ JOHN MURRY
+ MABES
+ PRIVATE AGENDA
TUESDAY 22ND OCTOBER 100 CLUB
THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER HEAVEN
DEVON
CURSE OF LONO
TUESDAY 22ND OCTOBER OLD BLUE LAST
EUT +
KATE TEMPEST
CALLUM PITT
THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR
TALULAH RUBY
TUNGZ
LADYTRON
FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
ROBERT ELLIS
MONDAY 4TH NOVEMBER THE GRACE
TRAGIC SASHA
WEDNESDAY 30TH OCTOBER BUSH HALL
THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBER OMEARA
TYLER RAMSEY
HARRISON STORM
WEDNESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER SCALA
SATURDAY 16TH NOVEMBER THE ROUNDHOUSE
LITTLE COMETS
+ HOLLIE COL
FINK
+ SOPHIE HUNGER
WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS QUEEN OF HOXTON
AVALANCHE PARTY
ALFIE NEALE
ROBINSON
TUESDAY 26TH NOVEMBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER EARTH
TUESDAY 3RD DECEMBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
TUSKS
PUMAROSA
JULIA JACKLIN + ANGIE MCMAHON
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
GOOD COP BAD COP 16 OCT / OSLO
25 NOV / EartH THEATRE
28 NOV / XOYO
INHALER PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
RAZORLIGHT 10 DEC / GARAGE
13 & 14 DEC O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
01 FEB 20 / THE O2
06 MAR / THE O2
06 & 07 MAR ALEXANDRA PALACE
SOLD
OUT
Bombay Bicycle Club 07 & 08 FEB ALEXANDRA PALACE SOLD
OUT
SOLD
OUT