The Fly June 2013 by The Fly

Issue n째161

June 2013

Savages

FREE

[REGULARS] IN THE STUDIO O4 WIN STUFF O6 JOHN KERRISON’S GRAPHIC CONTENT 1O STOP’N’CHAT 12 FILM 14 ONESTOWATCH 16 [FEATURES] SAVAGES 22 THESE NEW PURITANS 32 EVERYTHING EVERYTHING 36 FESTIVAL ROUND-UP 4O [REVIEWS] ALBUMS 46 LIVE 56 SIX SHOTS 66

The first time we saw Savages was thrilling. Guitars combusted. Lights fizzed to harsh white from pitch dark and back again. In the eye of it all, Jehnny Beth (left) squirmed on the spot like a tethered lizard. It was seething and intense, but it was also controlled. Last month, they distilled that atmosphere onto debut album ‘Silence Yourself’. Find out what they have to say from page 22... JJ DUNNING, editor Savages, shot by Tom Oldham for The Fly, London, May 2013

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I N T H E S T U D I O

Howler Jordan Gatesmith on his band’s “groovy, psychedelic and weird” second album (and how his dad’s trousers helped to make it)... Working Title: ‘Wasteland Blues’ Confirmed Tracks: ‘Fake Flowers’, ‘Indictments’. Label: Rough Trade Due: Autumn Hi Jordan! Where are you at with the new record? We’re towards the end of recording. We have so many new songs – tons and tons. We have so much weird stuff going on all the way through this record. I’ve been having so much fun with it. What’s been so good about this time around? We’ve toyed around with working with some different people. For a while we were working with Jon Spencer [of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion], who is, THE-FLY.CO.UK

like, an extreme hero of mine. We kind of had a revelation after all our touring though [and decided to reconnect with] our original producer from Minneapolis, Chris Heidman. I’ve known him since I was 16 and he’s helped develop every band that I’ve ever been in. We came back to our roots. We wanted to take full responsibility for the art that we had made in the past and for the craftsmanship that we’re going to continue to do. Round the time of ‘America Give Up’, you said you wanted to write a record a year. We hate to break it to you, but you’re a little tiny bit behind schedule. Is that still something you’d like to do?

[Laughs] I don’t remember saying that! It’s something I really wish could’ve happened! It didn’t really work out. We learned a lot, our first time on tour. I think what we learned was that we really shouldn’t be away that long. I think it interfered with our goal of doing that sort of thing. We couldn’t physically be in two places at once. Do you think maybe you were a bit naive throughout the whole process? [Laughs] Yeah man! Completely naive! Looking back I think a record a year was a bad way to look at it, but the goal is still along those lines. We’re not a band that wants to take a break whatsoever. We’re not a band that

wants to be idle for more than a second. We’re on the road, then we take a breath, then we finish up in the studio. Then we get right back on the road. Is there more of a 60s vibe on this record? This is definitely a big shout-out to the Yardbirds, even the Byrds. We have an affection - and I

think it’s echoed in some of our music – for 60s garage rock and psychedelic, but also for hardcore punk and a lot of other new wave stuff. Any favourite songs so far? The two songs that are my favourites are ‘Fake Flowers’, which is the first Howler soft-rock song. In the best way possible. It is pretty punk, but it’s

Have you recorded in any interesting places? Yes! We recorded at my parents’ house. We went down into the basement and set up amps in my dad’s closet. Some of the greatest tones on the record are complimentary of my dad’s slacks hanging on the wall! They just absorb the sound so beautifully.

groovy, psychedelic and weird. The other one I’m most excited about is called ‘Indictments’. I feel like it’s one of the songs that bridges the gap between the debut and this next record. There’s a lot of weird textual things in it where it disintegrates all over itself, which I was pretty proud of.

BONUS FA C T O I D S Immediately prior to this interview, Jordan burnt his mouth on a cup of coffee. “It’s so sad,” he said. “It’s going to ruin my weekend.” ‘Wasteland Blues’ – the working title for the record – is an homage to Bob Dylan. THE-FLY.CO.UK

W I N S T U F F

Win: Lovebox Tickets! Gain entr y to the London festival for free next month... Lovebox festival returns to the east end of London this July. Taking place from 19th-21st July in Victoria Park, Hackney, the festival is headlined this year by Plan B, Goldfrapp and Azealia Banks. Jurassic 5, Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Angelo, Lilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kim, Hurts and Rudimental are also THE-FLY.CO.UK

on the bill, as are Flying Lotus, Factory Floor, John Talabot, Gold Panda, Purity Ring, Julio Bashmore, Seb Chew, MS MR, Wiley, AlunaGeorge, Jamie Jones and Toddla T. The Fly is curating a stage at the festival on Saturday 20th July, the line-up of which will be

announced on our website, the-fly.co.uk, in the coming weeks. In the meantime, head to our site for the chance to win a pair of tickets to the Saturday of the festival.

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»John Kerrison’s Graphic Content Survival: The Festival-Themed Board Game “Your imminent death while trying to negotiate the perils of tent-pitching will only serve to strengthen the species...”

So, here we are – festival season. For most of you it’s the time of year to pack your tents, booze and Wellington boots and head out into a field where you will momentarily misplace your inhibitions, societal morals, and sanity. For me, it’s the time of year where I unpack my laptop and try and think of something original to write about festivals that I haven’t covered over the last two summers. I now understand why no-one ever sat down to write Father Of The Bride 3. Almost every magazine you’ll read over the next month will contain some sort of rudimentary festival advice. The very basics really, for the kind of people who don’t know that wet wipes are quite useful for cleaning things with, toilets are quite bad for camping next to, and that the withdrawal method isn’t so much a foolproof contraceptive as it is a reason to necessitate a wet-wipe. If you’re bad enough at festivals to require such advice then don’t worry, your imminent death while trying to negotiate the perils of tent-pitching will only serve to strengthen the species. For those of you who think you’re apt to survive, why not test your theory with the board game opposite?

Instructions You will need: A friend/Dice/Low expectations/Nothing better to do

You’ve piled into your friend’s crappy red Nissan Micra to drive halfway across the country while enthusiastically saying things like “woo” and “yeah”; because you’re young. At the first roundabout your friend puts a Mumford & Sons CD on. You murder them. Go straight to jail (miss a turn).

An in-car argument breaks out over whether Alfonso Ribeiro from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air is still alive. While caught up in the disagreement your car veers violently to one side and you strike a man in the road. It is Alfonso Ribiero. After taking a moment to appreciate the irony you may move forward three spaces to escape an angry Uncle Phil.

You’ve arrived at the festival, huzzah! Roll an odd number to pitch

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your tent. Roll again if the term “pitch your tent” made you think of erections.

You get a text from your friends at the very moment your phone battery runs out. You never find them and die alone. Go straight to heaven (miss a turn).

The company that masterminded the Tupac hologram have their own stage – a kind of macabre marionette theatre of the deceased. You don’t understand why Cobain, Joplin, and Hendrix are standing before you. The only logical explanation is that the dead have risen so you kill everyone to ensure your own survival. It was an unwise choice. Go straight to jail (miss a turn).

You get too drunk and fall asleep face down in the

mud. As a result your skin looks radiant in the morning and you win a beauty competition. Move forward three places.

A bearded man with a flute beckons you to join him in the shade of a tree. Miss a turn while he talks to you about hemp, your aura and his beliefs in conflicting religious ideals for four hours.

It’s the last day of the festival and you’re not feeling very well. Roll an even number to prevent yourself from suffering permanent psychosis.

With home in sight you stop at a motorway service station to use the bathroom. It’s been a long weekend and the festival toilets were filthy. Roll an even number to avoid doing an Elvis in a Welcome Break.

Survival: The Festival-Themed Board Game

“woo yeah”

Finish

Start

9 3

8 7

6 5 11

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S T O P ‘ N ’ C H AT

JOHN COOPER CLARKE “IF I WAS A POLITICIAN, I’D BE ASSASSINATED...”

Hi John, how are you today? “Yeah, okay, yeah.” You are known as the “punk poet”. What’s the most punk rock thing you’ve ever done? “Being a punk rocker. It’s as simple as that. I don’t even really know what it is.” What’s the most poetic thing you’ve ever done? “Poetic? Oh, every day of my life is poetic. I’m a professional.” How would you describe your work to our mum? “First of all, I would apologise for some of the language, but I would try to convince your mother that that’s not all there is to it. I’d say it’s one of the many spices in the metaphysical stew that is my poetry.” You’re on the national curriculum - do you have to take out the swearing? “Not all of my poems, I’ve got to say, are riddled with profanities and obviously the educational establishment have selected those poems that err on the side of caution, language-wise, as you would imagine they THE-FLY.CO.UK

would. They tend to concentrate on ‘Beasley Street’ and one called ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ that’s probably the most romantic number I’ve ever written.” Are you a romantic person? “To a sadistic degree.” What do you like watching on TV? “The Simpsons. I like Chief Wiggum. Clancy. I also like Mo and, obviously, Homer is the mouthpiece of every man on the planet.” Do you identify with him a lot? “Oh 100%. He’s never said one thing that I don’t agree with. Some of his actions are quite questionable, but the motivation behind it is 100%. ” Is he your hero? “He’s the closest thing I have to a hero now Elvis has died.” Would you ever consider being a politician? “No, no. Why would I want to be hated by everyone? You wouldn’t want that. There’d have to be something wrong with you. Every politician I’ve ever come across has got something about them. They’re just not normal people. If I was a politician, I’d be assassinated anyway. I’d kick too many arses. I enjoy being loved by people.” Do you think you should be Poet Laureate? “It amazes me that I haven’t been asked. I’m just amazed. It is well known that I am a militant republican, so maybe that’s got something to do with it.” Who would win in a fight between you and the current Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy? “What, a punch-up? Carol. I am quite agile, but I think Carol. She’s got quite a reach.” John Cooper Clarke tours the UK this month, culminating with a London Palladium show on 9th June. ticketmaster.co.uk

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F I L M

Cape Expectations Superman! Zombies! Cornea-melting 3D! James Luxford on this month’s releases... AFTER EARTH (7th June) After the hat-trick of crap that was ‘The Lady In The Water’, ‘The Happening’ and ‘The Last Airbender’, M. Night Shyalaman is no longer a name to trust in the movies. However, his new THE-FLY.CO.UK

sci-fi has Will Smith and his uncannily similar son Jaden starring (albeit with very odd accents) as a father and son who crash-land on Earth one thousand years after it is abandoned by mankind. It will probably have a massive box office due to The Fresh

Prince’s involvement, but with Shyalaman behind the camera, quality-wise, it could go either way. MAN OF STEEL (14th June) It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a 3D reboot directed by ‘300’ helmer Zack Snyder. Charged with making the Big Blue Boy Scout sexier and more action-packed, he casts Henry Cavill in the title role, with ‘Boardwalk Empire’ star Michael Shannon taking over from Terence Stamp as General Zod, a Kryptonian criminal out for

TA K E F I V E : SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS

BIG BLUE MOVIE! Avatar (2009)

James Cameron always knows what the public want - in 2009, that turned out to be big blue Thundercats.

REXY TIME! Jurassic Park (1993)

Spielberg, for better or worse, kick starts the CGI revolution with this classic.

SERIOUSLY GOOD! The Dark Knight (2008)

The embodiment of the “dark” superhero movie, making an icon out of the late Heath Ledger.

our hero’s blood. The trailers look amazing, but then Zack Snyder trailers always do (remember the teaser for Steampunk rape fantasy ‘Sucker Punch’?). What makes us truly excited is Batguru Christopher Nolan on board as producer. WORLD WAR Z (21st June) Brad Pitt as UN crusader trying to stop a zombie apocalypse - what could possibly go wrong? Everything, if you’ve heard the rumours behind this adaptation of the Max Brooks

novel. The entire third act was scrapped, rewritten and reshot; the release was delayed by three months; there were reports of in-fighting amongst cast and crew, and of a plot that doesn’t make sense. All signs point to a very expensive car crash. THIS IS THE END (28th June) Hollywood’s favourite R-Rated comedy goofs unite as Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Jonah Hill attempt to survive the end of the world by hiding out in James Franco’s house.

SITH POOR! The Phantom Menace

(1999)

Trade treaties. Racist aliens. B-O-R-I-N-G.

CRAP-MAN AND BOBBINS! Batman & Robin (1997) Still the gold standard for piss-poor blockbusters.

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O N E S T O WAT CH

WAXAHATCHEE Thoughtful Alabama songstress transcends the hype with charm and powerful, heartbreaking songcraft... Words W ill F itzpatrick Photo S hane M c C auley

So how do you like your rock stars? Batshit weirdos? Soundbite-friendly media luvvies? Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield fulfils a different archetype. She’s the grounded, pensive sort who’ll still be around long after the hype’s died down. The type for whom there’s no greater reward than revelling in the creation of a good song. “I make records for myself,” she explains earnestly over the phone from Philadelphia, “and if people like them then that’s cool.” Any sign of the timehonoured ambition of wanting to be the biggest band in the world? Katie audibly shrugs at the phone. “Well, you can’t really control your success. There’s nothing that I can do to make Waxahatchee the biggest band in the world. The only thing I have any control over is what kind of records I make – for my own mental health and THE-FLY.CO.UK

stability I have to hang on to that.” Along with twin sister Allison, Katie has spent her entire adult life in bands, from adorably scruffy teens The Ackleys to the sugar-sweet DIY delights of PS Eliot. When the latter eventually broke up two years ago, Allison travelled the US with her own band Swearin’, while Katie immersed herself in home recordings. “I’ve always made solo music, but when PS Eliot broke up it became the main focus.” Naming her new project after her Alabama hometown of Waxahatchee Creek, Katie released ultra-lofi debut ‘American Weekend’ in 2011 before hitting the road. Eventually she found herself living in Philadelphia, where the seeds were sown for latest opus ‘Cerulean Salt’. It’s something of a triumph. “This record is about leaving childhood behind and becoming an adult. Your life becomes more complicated –

that’s an over-arching theme.” Fear not though – this is far from a tedious slog through the dreaded waters of maturity. Katie’s subtle wares are woven from the finest of power-pop threads, with ballads worthy of Tanya Donnelly and some of the most lyrical nostalgia this side of Ben Gibbard. It’s charmed the ears off everyone lucky enough to hear it thus far, including Tegan And Sara, who bring Waxahatchee to the UK as their tour support this month. “It’s gonna be strange,” Katie admits. “I’ve toured in the US for a long time, so it’ll be nice to do that somewhere else.” And what of ‘Cerulean Salt’? “It says what I want to say, and it came out how I wanted it to,” she sums up, matterof-factly. And on anyone’s terms, that’s a hell of an achievement. ‘Cerulean Salt’ is released on Wichita on 1st July.

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O N E S T O WAT CH

FAT WHITE FAMILY Squalid squat-dwellers are drunken, drugged, naked and hostile – but they make music too... Words R obert C ooke Photo L ouise H aywood -S chiefer

Fat White Family don’t seem to like people. “I’d like them to feel ashamed,” says singer Lias Saoudi (pictured, naked), “To feel the requisite guilt that they deny themselves in a quest of self-aggrandisement, to expose the sham of their apathy in the face of total abuse from above.” THE-FLY.CO.UK

It sounds like this charismatic grotbag has thought about it. But when did Lias realise the system was screwing society? “This morning. I woke up and Saul, our guitar player, looked at me and made this kind of strange face. It was just, smack. Absolute

realisation.” Right. Spawned from the ashes of south east London squat bands The Saudis and The Metros, Fat White Family stink, but it’s mostly of controversy. The day Margaret Thatcher died they dropped a banner from the Brixton pub-cum-squat they call home which declared: “THE WITCH IS DEAD”. “We’d been waiting for the day,” Lias explains, “We’d had the conversation before - the day that beast was finally dead, we’d celebrate. It wasn’t a photo opp. We were rejoicing, expressing our pure pleasure at this woman’s demise.” Regardless, it got them on

the cover of a national newspaper. But their music - for there are indeed songs underneath the squalor – is beginning to win column inches too. Their album ‘Champaign Holocaust’ is an assault of warped fantasies, weirdo blues, guttural garage and drug-addled deviance. But it remains to be seen whether their methods will lead to longevity. It’s certainly hard to image Lias’ mum approving of the mess he’s made with his brother Nathan (keyboard), Joe Pancucci (bass), Adam Harmer (guitar), Martin Dead (drummer) and the aforementioned muse Saul Adaczewski. “I think there’s a little bit of cause for concern,” he admits. “If it was my own flesh and blood that I’d watched grow from a beautiful young child into a narcotic mess, I’d be anxious. But somebody’s gotta do it.” Their digs don’t sound too healthy either - “We’ve got an abusive, neglectful landlord. He drags us out of bed and makes us do horrible things.” It’s hard to tell if he’s joking. “We just ended up with chambers here. Sometimes I love it, but some days you just want peace and quiet and it’s really not available. It creates a kind of stress, but it’s interesting.” Soon set to vacate their lodgings for a surely ridiculous and immune system-defying tour, Lias offers a final summation of Fat White Family’s environment. “It’s a co-op for terrible hedonists and acid casualties. It’s shit.”

DIRTY BEACHES Canadian songwriter bleeds fraught songwriting from emotional hardship... Words A lex D enney Photo D aniel B oud To make his new album, Alex Zhang Hungtai had to learn to stop giving a shit. Having won praise for 2011’s, ‘Badlands’, the Dirty Beaches mastermind envisioned a follow-up that would be at once more extreme and more pop than its predecessor. “It went in really extreme directions,” says Hungtai, “One was rejecting pop; it was very, very noisy, very experimental, and the other was very pop and didn’t have a lot of artistic integrity. But there was too much thinking involved, too much calculation.” Deciding enough was enough, Hungtai scrapped the lot and started from scratch. “I think it’s more refreshing to start anew instead of trying to keep a certain sound, because ultimately I think those are just aesthetics, they’re disposable.” For ‘Drifters / Love Is The Devil’, Hungtai wanted to recapture the “pure listening experience” of his high-school days. The results are far from a walk in the park, even for fans of Hungtai’s previous work. Light on the twisted doo-wop and rockabilly of ‘Badlands’, the album is a difficult, desolate beauty full of postpunk abstraction and ‘Low’-ish, alienated sentiment. Thematically, it offers two perspectives on the same story – one which speaks to the romantic myth of the touring musician, and the other which examines its realities: “failed relationships, not being able to see your family, being lost and in a different city on a daily basis”. You get the sense Hungtai’s had a tough two years, but he’s keeping his guard up: “The past two years were full of experiences, it wasn’t hard to let the music bleed out. But it was just me trying to survive, you know? Nothing glamorous.” ‘Drifters / Love Is The Devil’ is out now on Zoo Music

‘Champaign Holocaust’ is out now on Trashmouth Records.

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O N E S T O WAT CH

NEW ALBUM REPORT

WARM BRAINS Rory Attwell on animal sex, cake, old people and his melody-driven second album... Words B en H omewood Photo R obin C hristian THE-FLY.CO.UK

Rory Attwell has been busy. Since Warm Brains’ debut ‘Old Volcanoes’, he’s recorded a huge list of bands including Veronica Falls, Palma Violets and Childhood. But between knob-twiddling, he’s found time to write 30 songs of his own and pose in a Manchester City shirt with a

birthday cake. “I really like cake. That supermarket football is the best cheapo cake around,” Rory begins. “City are my family team, plus the shirt matches the icing.” Similarly, the titles of his new songs match his “Absurd, tongue-in-cheek and a lot less negative” description. ‘Pink Blackpool Rock’, ‘I Pedal Faster’ and ‘A Brain Inside A Jar’ boast comic lyrics and choppy guitars (there’s also a video idea featuring “an old people’s home and a torrid love triangle.”) “The lyrics on ‘Old Volcanoes’ were tortured in places, I didn’t feel I needed to go there again. It’s very guitar-y too, maybe it’s a veiled attempt to show people that guitars are the best and computers are fucking boring!” The songs are cleaner, with added space for guitars to dance rather than bump into one another. Rory seems more chilled out second time round. “I went on holiday for nearly two months recently after over three months with barely a day off. I needed to go for a wander.” Even after so long away (during which time he’s been impressed by Iceage’s angst and dismayed at people being too busy “watching videos of monkeys shagging frogs online” to be angry) Rory is looking forward to Warm Brains’ return. “We’re preparing for the album. I know it’s really good and I’m pretty certain people will be into it. If not, they’ll just need to try harder to like it!”

FIRST ON 1.

1. Oliver Wilde 2.William Arcane by Vic Lentaigne 3.Traams 4. The Wytches 5. Salvia Plath

Weird, complicated, difficult to like but brain-busyingly exciting, Weird World Records newbie Salvia Plath is a prospect to invest in. LP ‘The Bardo Story’ is due in July. Abrasive on first listen, spending time with Puffer’s ‘Life’s A Cake’ is rewarding. Fearless, noisy and with freakish psychedelic tendencies, the London band’s first show on 30th of this month promises much. Facebook.com/ pufferband. Bristol’s Oliver Wilde releases an album through his home city’s Howling Owl (Towns) in July, and if the Bradford Cox (yes, really)

references on single ‘Flutter’ are anything to go by, it’ll be one not to miss. Facebook. com/oliver-wilde. They’re from Brighton, they like psych rock and noise and they look great. The Wytches might not be Microsoft Word-friendly, but their unapologetic racket is the perfect thing for kids to bother parents with and grown-ups to nod sagely to. Single ‘Beehive Queen’ is out this month on Hate Hate Hate. New on Peckham imprint Pictures, William Arcane makes emotional electronic pop music that’ll make you think of the 80s and New Order rather than

James Blake et al. ‘Permanence’ EP is out on 10th June. Supporting Hookworms a while ago, Fat Cat signings Traams were tight and bookish, but we fell for their swirling White Denimreferencing tunes and brave experimentalism.

NAMES T O WAT C H Rainer Great Ytene GAPS Hebronix BLESSA

Sponsored by

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S A V A G E S

Via empowerment,

humour & washing habits,

Savages explain that

thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only so much

you need to knowâ&#x20AC;Ś

Words B en H omewood Portraits T om O ldham

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SAVAGES Fay Milton opens the door of room 916 on the ninth floor of a Barcelona Travelodge. Backlit by afternoon sunshine and preparing to play Primavera festival, she looks surprised. “Oh, you’re here for the interview?” Savages’ drummer asks, “Meet us downstairs in a minute.” After treading a long, dimly-lit corridor and knocking on that door, the change in location is a relief. The idea of being confined to a hotel room with Savages wasn’t a pleasant one. As Fay admits later: “Our reputation precedes us.” The “reputation” to which she refers revolves around words like “hostile”, “awkward” and “angry”. Read the press and you could easily assume that Savages’ interview technique mirrors the dissonance that surges like lava through ‘Silence Yourself’, the lean, ferocious 11-song barrage of nowave, post-punk and metal that is their debut LP.

“SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE WORLD AND YOU WILL CREATE SOMETHING GOOD...” – JEHNNY BETH But it’s on stage that they betray emotion most. Their shows balance on a knife edge, quaking with unease. A gig in a tiny room in New York’s Lower East Side at last year’s CMJ is also on our mind in the hotel corridor. Not for the first time, Savages were frustrated with a sound engineer and it showed. The performance was spiky, threatening and over in a flash. But, upon turning away from room 916 towards the lift, guitarist Gemma Thompson is waiting with the first sign that, really, Savages are actually quite nice. Her outstretched hand and smile are comforting, as is our semi-awkward descent in the lift with teenage US punks The Bots. With his technicolor trousers, afro and almost star-struck giddiness, their excitable drummer THE-FLY.CO.UK

leaves Gemma lost for words, and we head across the lobby to join Jehnny Beth. Wearing sunglasses and rummaging in her rucksack, Savages’ singer (real name Camille Berthomier), who used to play in John & Jehn with boyfriend and Savages collaborator Johnny Hostile, greets us carefully. It’s impossible to gauge her feelings on an hourlong interview in this dull, wipe-clean hotel cafe. Fay, Gemma and bassist Ayse “Nixie” Hassan join us with hot drinks. Jehn asks how long I’ve been at The Fly, and how long the article will be. Fay jokingly suggests we fill this piece with one phrase. But, once the dictaphone’s red light is illuminated, it becomes clear that, with Savages, most of what colours other band features is secondary. Yes, Savages strive for control and accurate perception, but only in terms of their art. They don’t give a shit whether you think they’re nice or not. It’s hardship, self-discovery, the connection between life and art and, above all, the rampant songs, that matter - Jehn’s removal and replacement of her sunglasses, Ayse’s distant near-silence, Gemma’s eyesdown intensity and Fay’s curtness are immaterial. On the personal blog she started in May, Jehn posted the following: “[moments with journalists] can be painful but also we meet some pretty cool people. I believe an interview needs preparation - as much as the interviewer prepares his notes, does his research, I believe the interviewee must prepare too - that’s partly why I don’t like doing too many of them, because they eat too much of my time… It is a tough exercise for an artist but if you are ready for it, it can be an interesting part of your job.” Today, Savages appear to have prepared to underline the importance of power, self-discipline, self-belief and avoiding the unnecessary. They’re also keen to have a laugh. Conversation about their live show (the original reason Savages started) leads Gemma to say, “From the start, we had the idea of bass, drums, guitar and vocals. I like the idea of that as a constraint; you have to really push it.” “It’s good to work with constraints. Separate yourself from the world and you

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SAVAGES will create something good,” Jehn affirms, emphasising the similarities between the band’s self-imposed restrictions when preparing for their first live show and recording ‘Silence Yourself’. Call it superficial, but Savages don’t do the things other bands do. They don’t overshare. They don’t party (much). They’re hardly at the behest of music industry professionals (‘Silence Yourself’ was licensed to Matador but released on Jehn’s Pop Noire label). There’s an animalistic live show, a record that demands to be played loud, an image and an ethos. Nothing more. “The first reason you create anything is because you want to hear it, feel it and be there. That’s the ongoing reason, just doing what you want. Solely what you want,” Gemma says. Being likeable isn’t an issue for Savages. The artists they find affinity with pour their

“IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE WANT...” – JEHNNY BETH lives into art and see their craft as a project, a process – not fun. They’ve never considered what people might want from them, or sharing more than they do with fans. “What we’re doing is very instinctive. It’s not about what people want. It should be about what we believe we should give people, what we believe people need. If you think about what people want you’re not doing your job,” Jehn answers. “It’s a really egotistical thing to assume people want to know everything about you.” Gemma adds. “It’s interesting that people think us not doing that is strange. We’re just normal, the rest of the world is weird,” says Fay. Ayse speaks for the first time. “It happens because people think they have to conform to what people want.” “It’s a fear of isolation. A distraction from THE-FLY.CO.UK

the necessary,” Jehn says. “And it’s boring as hell,” Fay says wearily. Savages approach everything in the same primal, focused, fat-free way that they write their songs. The music dictates everything. “It’s about only using what’s necessary and having a focus. You have to apply that to everything that surrounds the music; the way people hear or know about you. You don’t want unnecessary things. There are so many things that are unnecessary to know,” explains a now-frustrated Gemma. If life in Savages sounds hard, the frustration is mostly self-imposed. They could give in and function like other bands, but they will always strive to maintain their original focus and intent. Jehn begins a monologue during which she lurches between resigned quiet and fierce enunciation. “It’s an effort. I understand why other bands don’t [do what we do], it’s more painful this way. It’s about realising you have the power. Do it or don’t, it’s as simple as that. Things are more simple than we believe. Considering what your decisions might mean in the future is really bullshit. A lot of people are frightened of their decisions. It’s tough, you need to trust your guts and be wellsurrounded. It takes years; I’ve been making music for eight. We have the power, but we had to take it. It’s quite rare for people to actually do that. Hopefully what I’m saying is inspiring. It’s a great feeling, taking real risks.” Savages move closer to the table, closing in around the singer. The feeling that they’re a gang is palpable. They won’t be bludgeoned into anything. Having changed management and PR, they’re able to curate their headline shows and do almost exactly as they want. They have the capacity to put everything into operating with pure intent and total control. Having striven to reach this position, they can’t understand why more bands don’t do it. Looking sick of it all, Jehn gathers her thoughts again. “That’s the fucking problem. There’s knowledge, it’s shared, but it’s just not taken. I can’t get why artists aren’t teaching each

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SAVAGES other how to protect themselves. When we started Savages, in my head we were gonna do music that would protect us, like an armour. Indestructible. Strong.” If anything is to protect Savages, it’s surely their music. Best described by their name itself, their songs feel alive and dangerous. They personify Savages; dictate their actions, their moods and, ultimately, their lives. No wonder it’s difficult dealing with something so powerful. This band is about self-discovery, confines and life itself. Headlines, quotes, tweets and pretty pictures are small beer. Aside from general touring discoveries (“Our washing habits are fine thank you”), Savages have discovered “personal things” about themselves. But Gemma hasn’t time for frivolity. “It’s amusing when people assume bands are just for fun. It’s not that. It’s about confines, pushing it to more than what it

envelops my shoulder. “Oh no! I just…” she says to shrieking laughter. Savages look like four girlfriends giggling. We see the same thing on stage later; when Gemma’s guitar issues prompt a few minutes’ improvisation from the others. Savages leave the table having explained themselves. They weren’t angry or awkward, just intent on unfettered expression. It’s their project and the music attached to it that they want you to focus on, not themselves as individuals. On reflection, maybe Fay’s idea of repeating one phrase throughout this piece was a good one - “There is just so much that’s unnecessary to know,” would’ve been perfect. ‘Silence Yourself’ is out now on Pop Noire/Matador.

“OUR WASHING HABITS ARE FINE, THANK YOU…” – JEHNNY BETH is. Art is discovering your limits within the contemporary world.” If they come across as angry and anti-everything, it’s because Savages is a brutal enterprise. But that’s an unfortunate misconception. As our interview finishes, Jehn says their jokes are sometimes misunderstood, but they’re not angry at being misinterpreted in interviews “You’re saying it like press is important”. We laugh at the idea of bands and journalists swapping roles and enthusiastic radio DJs coming up against Savages’ abruptness and Fay makes her remark about reputation, adding, “This is us on a good day! It’s not because we’re horrible, we’re just not full of shit. We’re not here to have fun.” “Obviously there’s truth to our reputation too,” Jehn whispers. Fay stands up and there’s a pause. She bends down to hug me and her bare armpit THE-FLY.CO.UK

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THESE

NEW

Puritans Featuring criminally-underused instrumentation (Thai nipple gongs, anyone?) These New Puritans’ latest is a chorus-less, cinematic behemoth. Jack and George Barnett explain themselves... Words A lex D enney Portraits T om O ldham

At some point listening to their new opus ‘Field Of Reeds’, a thought pops up unannounced: what are These New Puritans for? That’s not to criticise the Thames estuary band as wilfully awkward or obscure – on the contrary, our first impressions are that the record charts a natural and relatively serene progress from the revelatory, scorched-earth soundscapes of ‘Hidden’. But let’s consider a few facts about ‘Field Of Reeds’’ highly regarded predecessor, shall we? Showered with five-star reviews on its release in January 2010, ‘Hidden’ was revealed as NME’s surprise album of the year come December. The commercial charts, however, were less forgiving: the record stalled at #100 on the UK hit parade, and - to the bafflement of many industry observers - it was omitted from the shortlist for that year’s

Mercury Music Prize. Not only that, but with its orchestral overtures and cavernous, taiko drum-thumping sense of scale, ‘Hidden’ would prove a nightmare to tour. So what’s a band to do? First, These New Puritans needed to get free of the label they felt had failed to throw their weight behind ‘Hidden’. In January 2012, the band inked a deal with Infectious, who bought them out of their existing contract at no little expense. Next, they made an even less commercially viable record which, aside from having more to do with modern classical music than it does anything sprung from the popular imagination, might also (in frontman Jack Barnett’s estimation) have been “the most expensive album of the decade”, had they not been able to score ‘mates’ rates’ off admiring musicians. THE-FLY.CO.UK

THESE NEW PURITANS That’s quite mad though, isn’t it? “We’re not doing this for financial reward,” says Jack sarcastically, eyeing his brother, George, drummer in the band and successful model on the side. After Sophie Sleigh Harris’ departure from the group in 2012, George and bassist Thomas Hein are the only other fullyfledged Puritans at the present moment. “If we were, we’d be doing – actually, what would we be doing?” “Not this, that’s for sure,” says George, chuckling. Two other facts about George: one, when we first met him some two years previous, he cheerily let rip while I was interviewing his brother and looked over at me expectantly for a laugh, and two, he thinks the new record is properly funny (“there are hilarious bits in there”). Despite being the sort of thing you suspect would come out in a rash if it got within a conductor’s baton-waving distance of a proper

“THE WHOLE WHISTLING A TUNE THING DOESN’T APPEAL TO ME...” chorus, ‘Field Of Reeds’ really is excellent. Calm and contemplative where its predecessor was dark and stormy, it’s quietly mysterious like early-morning fog hanging over the meadows. Despite the unorthodox presentation, it might also be their most direct album to date. Shunning the usual lyrics about numerology, underground rivers and the like, Jack says the album covers “basic stuff” like “love, despair, hope... that kind of thing”. And believe it or not, the first track on the record (‘Way I Do’) is inspired by the masters of elegant schmaltz, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, whose track ‘This Guy’s In Love With You’ Jack recorded George singing out of tune one day (they would end up having to change the words and music when a complaint was lodged with Universal). Ultimately, though, whatever your take on the album, you’d be hard-pushed to deny the sheer bloody-minded commitment These New THE-FLY.CO.UK

Puritans have made to their craft. “The whole whistling a tune thing doesn’t appeal to me,” says Jack. “I’d much rather get into every minute detail on a record. I think the kind of culture of rock musicians is you learn three chords and you never learn anything else again in your life, it’s just about your personality coming through in your music. Whereas I feel we’re more like tradesmen or something - we’re actually learning to do stuff, there are a lot of people with different skills involved.” The album’s credits include magnetic resonator piano, Thai nipple gongs and Portugese Fado singing from honourary new member Elisa Rodrigues, along with the by-now-expected ranks of horns, violins, vibraphones and children’s choirs. But again, who exactly is any of this for? Is it meant to be heard in classical halls? Rock venues? Shouldn’t the people who liked their postpunk-inspired first record go back to listening to Foals and classical fans stick with Benjamin Britten? It’s not a question the band can afford to contemplate, though perhaps, if a grinning George is to be believed, things could have worked out differently. “I feel like after we make these albums I always say we’re gonna make a pop record,” he says. “And then once we get started it’s like, ‘What happened?’.” “We said that after ‘Hidden’, didn’t we?” says Jack. “There was loads of good pop going on for a while, all that post-Timbaland stuff had such amazing production and rhythms. Whereas now it’s dire. It’s been David Guettaified. There’s nothing there for me anymore, so we just retreated back into ourselves.” It’s exactly how These New Puritans sound on ‘Field Of Reeds’: more completely themselves than they have been, and to hell with who this music is for. That’s for other, lesser mortals to consider. “I don’t feel like we have any contemporaries,” sighs Jack when pressed on the topic. “It’d be great to have them, for better or for worse. But there just aren’t any there.” ‘Field Of Reeds’ is released on Infectious on 10th June.

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E V E RY T H I N G

E V E RY T H I N G Everything Everything have got it all. Their album is selling well, their festival schedule is packed and they’ve just been given free shoes. Surely that’s enough, isn’t it? Perhaps not... Words D aniel R oss Portraits T om O ldham Everything Everything have been given a new pair of shoes each. As they amble down the road from the Hoxton Hotel, where they’ve been doing a photoshoot (hence the shoes), they look every inch the lauded young indie band. It’s unfortunate that they’ve been given shoes for two reasons. Firstly, they don’t like them (drummer Mike offers his to The Fly, we gracefully decline). Secondly, it makes them look like a band that might possibly be concerned with receiving free shoes, which they quite clearly are not. However, they have* been given free shoes. And they supported Snow Patrol and Muse on massive stadium tours in 2012. And their second album landed at no. 5 in the charts… While three-quarters of the band are convivial and enthusiastic about our encounter, singer Jonathan Higgs so far hasn’t said a word and walks slightly behind the rest of his band. We eschew a stiff drink in favour of sushi and kick off with the uncomfortable suggestion that Everything Everything are now “a famous band”. “It would be false modesty to say we don’t think we’re bigger,” concedes curly-quiffed bassist Jeremy. Has the makeup of your audience changed with that? Mike narrows the additions down to two groups: “Younger people. Women.”

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EVERYTHING EVERYTHING With the dust settling around their second album ‘Arc’ (it came out in January), it’s far easier to make sense of what that whirlwind of publicity and various degrees of acclaim has meant for them in the long-run. Reading the reviews back now (it’s worth noting that the band have an almost-encyclopaedic knowledge of their star ratings), it’s bizarre to think that the main gripes the critics had were ‘Arc’’s rather bleak worldview and how annoying Jonathan’s piercing falsetto apparently is. Alex, leather-jacketed and wiry guitarist, answers the first point. “Really, there is a high amount of emotion and we do struggle with things in the band and outside of it. It’s a dark record. But the other life that we have is…” he struggles before settling on the perfect summation of Everything Everything’s pop persona: “…Nick Grimshaw’s record of the week.”

“WHEN THINGS ARE AT THE TOP FOR A BAND, IT’S NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME UNDERNEATH...” But Jonathan’s voice. To say it’s annoying is ludicrous. How can you level criticism at something over which someone has no control? Perhaps the constant sniping was brought on by just how starkly songs like ‘Torso Of The Week’ showcase it, or how the chorus of ‘Kemosabe’ uses it as an aural buzzsaw to the brain. Either way, we’re twelve minutes into this interview and Jonathan hasn’t said a word until now. “There was a bigger focus on the reality of my ability on this record. With this one, it’s more do-able. It’s not some alien thing.” Cheeringly, when he does open up in interview, it seems all our worries were unfounded – it’s obvious now that he’s painfully shy and horribly tired. “If you find Jonathan’s voice annoying, THE-FLY.CO.UK

then, well…” Mike trails off, a second away from saying “you’ll never like us.” ‘Arc’ will soon spawn its fourth single, the album’s closing track ‘Don’t Try’, and the impression is that as a creative period in the band’s career it’s beginning to wind down. So how long until the money runs out? “We talk about this a lot,” Jeremy happily admits. “We’re alright for the time being. Maybe another 18 weeks.” It’s a timely reminder that just because you’ve got an album in the shops, it doesn’t mean you’re safe. “We finished the album in the summer and had to wait six months to release it. We didn’t do any festivals, so we didn’t have much money,” says Mike. Their salvation? “Thank goodness we supported Snow Patrol.” Alex recalls the moment when ‘Arc’ went to no. 5: “Me and Jon just had no money. ‘You’re no. 5, how does it feel?’ Well, it’s good, but I can’t go to the pub.” He laughs, but the bleakness is heartfelt. “When things are at the top for a band, it’s not necessarily the same underneath.” “Success is nothing to do with wealth,” says Jeremy, plainly. “We just want to be able to survive. Or maybe slightly more than survive.” But there’s more to it than that, surely? With so little money around, is it realistic to think that you’ll survive without whoring yourselves just a little bit? “I resent it, but it’s totally realistic. I fucking hate money, I want nothing to do with it and yet, of course we do. That’s what the whole music industry is. Of course it is.” So much of this bleakness has informed Everything Everything’s music, all while the world thought they were just glitchy-beated geeks with kooky song titles. The yearning for change in the music relents. In conclusion – everything’s fucked, but at least there’s music. Jonathan, in typically few words, captures it: “Music has no actual effect. That’s what’s so magical about it. When you’ve sorted your country and your economy out, what’s left? You’ve got shagging, music, food, wine… Music isn’t anything. Music’s weird.” ‘Arc’ is out now. ‘Don’t Try’ is released on RCA Victor on 16th June.

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F E S T I VA L D I R E C T O RY 2O13 TRAIPSING OFF TO A FESTIVAL THIS SUMMER? LET OUR PANEL OF ARTISTS GET YOUR JUICES GOING... Tim Burgess, Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham, Ghostpoet, Jagwar Ma and comedian Josh Widdicombe share tales of Paul McCartney thumbs-upping, Iggy Pop giving nuggies (then running away), and a man who took so much acid that he now thinks he’s a tomato... Alongside their memories, advice and horror stories, we’ve listed the best these shores (and, er, the Isle Of Wight) have to offer between now and September...

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Isle Of Wight Festival What: Big bands on a small island. When: 28th-30th June. Where: Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle Of Wight. Headliners: Stone Roses, The Killers, Bon Jovi. Other Acts: Bloc Party, The Maccabees, Bastille, The Script, Paloma Faith, Paul Weller, Emeli Sande, Everything Everything, Laura Mvula, Jake Bugg. Tickets: Adult weekend: £185 isleofwightfestival.com

Glastonbur y What: Legendary temporary music metropolis in the Somerset countryside. When: 28th-30th June. Where: Worthy Farm, Pilton. Headliners: Arctic Monkeys, The Rolling Stones, Mumford & Sons. Other Acts: Primal Scream, Ben Howard, Vampire Weekend, Billy Bragg, Jake Bugg, The Vaccines, Savages, Miles Kane, Tyler, The Creator. Tickets: Sold Out! glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/

Latitude What: Woodland and lake-flanked idyll, with Technicolor sheep. When: 18th–21st July 2013. Where: Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk.

DAMIAN “PINK EYES” ABRAHAM, FUCKED UP Playing: Beacons. What kind of guy are you like to hang out with at a festival? “Well, y’know, generally I switched to medicinal marijuana from anti-anxiety pills two years ago. So now I’m a lot more calm, more of a zen, Buddha-hippie type rather than a medication type.” Has your festival experience changed since you’ve been in a band? “I like to think I’m still there for the music. I have to admit though, as time has gone on, I’ve become more and more jaded by it all. This means that I end up only watching two or three bands and spend most of my time eating catering and enjoying the pretentious rockstar life. As for the rest of the time, I’m just trying to meet famous people!” What’s your best festival memory? “At Primavera – one of the first things we did. I was only gone for a day but it was totally nerve-wracking and stressful. Next thing I knew I was standing in the VIP section talking to Kevin Shields and Sonic Boom [Pete Kember of Spaceman 3] and people are coming up to them asking for photos and I’m there inadvertently photobombing them all. It was weird. But great.”

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FESTIVAL DIRECTORY 2013

GHOSTPOET Playing: Wilderness, Beacons, Bestival. Are you looking forward to this year’s festivals? Yes, I’m rather intrigued! I’ve heard a lot about [Wilderness] and only good things, so looking forward to it. It’s a cool line-up. I’m really looking forward to seeing Rodriguez, King Krule, Lucy Rose and London Grammar. What kind of guy are you like to hang around at a festival with? A respectable gentlemen who sometimes lets his inner pirate out to drink rum! Do you like to stay back stage or go out into the festival? I like a mixture of the two really – it’s nice to stay backstage sometimes and catch up with musical mates but it’s also lovely to get out and about and hear live music. Do you keep yourself in check or just let go? Depends but I try to stay sensible regardless. Have you ever been covered in mud? LOL, yes! I took part in Tough Mudder [12 mile-long obsctacle courses designed by the Special Forces] a few weeks back... What do you think is the ultimate festival cliché? Hmmm... that everyone loves mud?! What do you think of people who take an acoustic guitar to a festival? My hat goes off to them... What’s your number one festival tip? Wellies! Just in case, just in case...

Headliners: Bloc Party, Kraftwerk, Foals. Other Acts: Jessie Ware, James Blake, Cat Power, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Local Natives, Disclosure, Daughter. Tickets: Adult day: £84.50 / Adult weekend: £190.50. latitudefestival.com

Lovebox What: Soul, funk and danceminded urban festival. When: 19th-21st July. Where: Victoria Park, London. Headliners: Azealia Banks, Plan B, Goldfrapp. Other Acts: Jurassic 5, D’Angelo, Hurts, Jamie Jones, Seb Chew, Mark Ronson, Lil Kim, AlunaGeorge, Gold Panda, Purity Ring, MS MR. Tickets: Adult day: £35. mamacolive.com/lovebox

Kendal Calling What: Mayhem in a deer park in Cumbria. When: 26th–28th July 2013. Where: Lowther Deer Park, The Lake District. Headliners: Primal Scream, Basement Jaxx, The Charlatans, Public Enemy. Other Acts: Ash, Mystery Jets, I Am Kloot, Lightning Seeds, British Sea Power, Drenge, Seasick THE-FLY.CO.UK

Steve, Johnny Marr. Tickets: Adult weekend: £115 (inc. camping). kendalcalling.co.uk

GAB WINTERFIELD, JAGWAR MA

Wilderness What: Hippie nirvana in country-house surrounds. When: 8th-11th August 2013. Where: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. Headliners: Empire Of The Sun, Noah & The Whale, Rodriguez. Other Acts: Ghostpoet, Tom Odell, Tribes, King Krule, Lucy Rose. Tickets: Adult weekend: £146.50. wildernessfestival.com

Green Man What: Welsh mountain retreat where it’s advisable to avoid the hogweed (it’ll give you a rash).

Playing: Glastonbur y, Latitude, Reading & Leeds. What’s the best festival performance you’ve ever seen? “Death Grips. I was really excited to see them play because I’m a bit of a tragic when it comes to hip hop and stuff - it just blew me away. [frontman] MC Ride had this bottle of water and he ran up and kicked it as hard as he could - it exploded in time with one of the beats and then the lights came on and illuminated all the water droplets. It was just this amazing thing.” What’s been your best festival experience? “My best festival experience was probably going to this one called Playground Weekender in Australia. I don’t even think I watched any bands. I was this 17-year-old indie kid, it was 45 degrees and I was walking round in the skinniest jeans in the world. As it got hotter and hotter I was like “these clothes have got to go” so I ended up walking round in my boxer shorts. When I looked round I saw everyone doing the same as me. I think we were all sun-drunk.” What’s your #1 festival tip? “Don’t rely on a phone. In fact, leave your phone at home. Just fuck your phone for a day or two. Don’t be one of those people who’s trying to get reception or worrying about their battery – just forget it, don’t worry about it. Even if you lose your friends, you’re gonna make some more.” What’s your best bit of festival folklore? “There’s a story about a guy who put tabs of acid on his back and he now thinks he’s a tomato. He waters himself and can’t watch someone cutting a tomato because it’s like he’s witnessing murder.”

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FESTIVAL DIRECTORY 2013

JOSH WIDDICOMBE Playing: Green Man, Latitude. Being a west country lad, you’ve been to Glastonbury a lot. Was it weird to change from being a punter to being a performer? “Yes. I played at Glastonbury about 2 years ago and I was on at the same time as Radiohead on The Park stage. Subsequently, they had about 2,000 people and I had about 80. I had no respect towards the 80. I was thinking ‘You shouldn’t be here! If I was you I wouldn’t be here! I’d be watching Morrissey or Radiohead – what are you doing with your life? You’ve made a massive mistake!’ What’s your favourite festival memory? “It’s things like Paul McCartney at Glastonbury which are the best. I mean yeah, I’m a massive fan of the Beatles and obviously with McCartney you have to take him with a pinch of salt - he sang about wellies at one point. I saw David Bowie there as well in 1999 which was unbelievable.” Do you change your set for a festival crowd? “No. The main way I would change it is I do have a bit of material about tents. Normally it doesn’t go that well... but at a festival it’ll go much better! It’s like doing a normal gig in a strange venue really. I think at Green Man I’m on really late but at Latitude, Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, you’re always on in the middle of the day so as the comedy sort of runs midday till 6pm, people tend to be hungover more than anything. I imagine it’s going to be filled with heckles for 45 minutes and then leaving.” Is there a difference in quality between festival heckling and normal heckling? “Well, you can’t hear heckling at festivals, so it’s okay.”

When: 15th–18th August. Where: Black Mountains, Wales. Headliners: Kings Of Convenience, Band Of Horses, Ben Howard. Other Acts: Allah-Las, The Horrors, Local Natives, Parquet Courts, Villagers, Girls Names, British Sea Power, Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Tickets: Adult weekend: £145.00 (+ booking fee). greenman.net

Beacons What: Hipster enclave just off the A59. When: 16th–18th August. Where: Heslaker Farm, Skipton. Artists: Django Django, Local Natives, Bonobo, Solange, Gold Panda, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Stealing Sheep, Splashh. Tickets: Adult weekend: £99.50 (+ booking fee). greetingsfrombeacons.com

Reading & Leeds What: Grubby grebo wonderland(s)... When: 23rd-25th August 2013. Where: Richfield Avenue, Reading/Braham Park, Leeds. Headliners: Biffy Clyro, Green Day, Eminem. Other Acts: Chvrches, Mø, Drenge, Swim Deep, Lucy Rose, THE-FLY.CO.UK

Britsh Sea Power, Parquet Courts, California X. Tickets: Adult weekend: £210.50. readingfestival.com / leedsfestival.com

TIM BURGESS

End Of The Road What: Hot cider, peacocks and outdoor pianos. When: 30th August – 1st September. Where: Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset. Headliners: Sigur Ros, Belle And Sebastian, David Byrne & St Vincent, EELS. Other Acts: Warpaint, The Walkmen, Frightened Rabbit, Wolf Alice, Parquet Courts, Palma Violets. Tickets: Adult weekend: £175. endoftheroadfestival.com

Bestival What: Fancy-dress madness on the Isle Of Wight. When: 5th-8th September. Where: Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight. Headliners: Elton John and His Band, Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim. Other Acts: Jessie Ware, Peace, Savages, Tom Odell, Jagwar Ma, The Child Of Lov, Parquet Courts, Ruen Brothers, Dog Is Dead. Tickets: Adult weekend: £190.00. bestival.net

Playing: Kendal Calling (w/ The Charlatans), Isle Of Wight, Latitude and Reading (solo). What’s the most amazing festival set you’ve ever seen? “The first one that comes into my head is Reading 1992 when Nirvana headlined – but I’m not thinking of Nirvana, I’m thinking of the Beastie Boys. It was round about the time of ‘Check Your Head’ – their third album. I really love that album. Just seeing their performance was incredible, it was all about the music and that record meant a lot to me at the time.” What’s been your worst festival experience? “Well, being a positive person I kind of look back on things – like even if you had a bad acid trip – I think it’s quite a good experience because it’s something memorable.” Ever been covered in mud? “I don’t like being covered in mud that much but, y’know, being fortunate enough to be in a band means I can get carried. Like when Eminem had those white trainers, remember?” What’s been your best festival experience? “One of the first ones we did was a festival called A Gathering Of The Tribes in California in 1990. It really influenced Lollapalooza and was organised by this guy called Ian Astbury [of The Cult]. He wanted a Manchester band and he chose The Charlatans. On the bill was [his band] The Cult, Public Enemy, Ice T, Iggy Pop – it kinda had a folk thing, a Manchester thing, a hip-hop thing, a hard rock thing and a metal thing all on the same bill. Iggy Pop sat down next to me and gave me a knuckle rub on my head – kind of in a fun way – and then he got up, pulled a shape and ran off.” Everything Everything

THE-FLY.CO.UK

ALBUM OF

THE

MONTH

Queens Of The Stone Age ‘...Like Clockwork’

HHHH

(Matador)

Timely sixth outing shows surprising tenderness between the riffs...

Across their 18-year career, Queens Of The Stone Age have become practically peerless. A riffing, heavy rock monster that indie kids fawn over; a seductive bunch of sexpots that the Download crowds welcome with devil-horns aloft, Josh Homme and co tread a sacred middle ground that’s almost entirely their own. Six years after last album ‘Era Vulgaris’ (and three years after a widely-reported incident where Josh Homme “died” during routine knee surgery), QOTSA come armed with a record featuring cameos from Dave Grohl (obvs), Alex Turner (yep), Trent Reznor (aye), Nick Oliveri (oh!), Jake Shears (ha!) and Sir Elton John (eh?), ostensibly making their appeal broader than ever. THE-FLY.CO.UK

Impressively, given the diversity of its supporting cast, ‘...Like Clockwork’ sounds like no-one else but Queens Of The Stone Age. From the apocalyptic rumble of ‘Keep Your Eyes Peeled’ via the inimitable guitar phrasings of ‘I Sat By The Ocean’ and behemoth of a single ‘My God Is The Sun’, it’s a familiar sonic assault. But Queens aren’t playing it safe. Between Homme’s purring assertions that he “wants to suck” and “wants to lick” lie some of the group’s quietest moments yet. ‘The Vampyre Of Time And Memory’ is a melancholy, selfquestioning piano lament, whilst the title track closes in crippling fashion: “Most of what you see my dear is purely for show,” Homme coos sadly over sombre keys; if there’s one thing that truly unites the record it’s a surprising sense of self-doubt. However, the real magic here is that, despite expanding their sonic remit further than ever, Queens Of The Stone Age are still the same peerless band, indebted only to themselves. LISA WRIGHT Download: ‘Keep Your Eyes Peeled’, ‘Kalopsia’, ‘My God Is The Sun’

Not up for Josh-ing. QOTSA L to R: Michael Shuman, Troy Van Leeuwen, Jon Theodore, Josh Homme, Dean Fertita.

THE-FLY.CO.UK

“Fancy the most serious hi-five ever?” Mike, left, and Marcus hang out.

Boards Of Canada ‘Tomorrow’s Har vest’

HHHH

(Warp)

Bleak future visions from reclusive Edinburgh pair... Daft Punk aren’t the only electro-duo to have their new album hyped beyond all sense. However, when you’re as secretive as Boards Of Canada, you can’t splash snippets all over Twitter. Instead, the pair – reclusive Edinburgh-born brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin – created a buzz by stealth, posting cryptic notes on messageboards ahead of their fourth album’s release. Where debut ‘Music Has The Right To Children’ wistfully recalled childhood memories, they’re now preoccupied with adult themes like, for instance, brooding over the fate of humanity. The album’s THE-FLY.CO.UK

desolate futuristic vision is similar to that of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: all savage-beauty and gunmetal landscapes of a post-apocalyptic world – see the mechanical churn of ‘Jacquard Causeway’ and the aptly-titled dystopia of ‘Cold Earth.’ However, it’s as much a rock record as it is an ambient one. The metallic mood-rock pieces of ‘New Seeds’ and ‘Come To Dust’, in particular, recalling Radiohead at their most mardy. Meanwhile, the eerie ‘Reach For The Dead’ sounds like recovered Super-8 footage of a forgotten weekend on Mars. Far from Daft,‘Tomorrow’s Harvest’ is a psychospiritual stormer. JAMIE SKEY Download: ‘Jacquard Causeway,’ ‘New Seeds’.

ALBUM REVIEWS

Austra

Beady Eye

Big Deal

CSS

‘Olympia’

‘BE’

‘June Gloom’

‘Planta’

HHHH

HHH

HHHHn

(Domino Recording Co.)

(Columbia)

(Mute)

(SQE Music)

Liam Gallagher says he’ll pack in this music lark if the new Beady Eye album gets panned. And from a man who claims to have been haunted by the ghost of John Lennon more than Mark sodding Chapman, it’s true that inspiration was in weirdly short supply on 2011 debut ‘Different Gear, Still Speeding’. Smartly produced by Dave Sitek, this follow-up has its share of the usual “spread your wings and learn to FLAIIIIEE” hokum, but also moments – the lazily imperious ‘Flick Of The Finger’ and ‘Iz Rite’ among them – that remind us how we’d miss him if he went. ALEX DENNEY

2011’s ‘Lights Out’ framed London-based duo Big Deal as masters of detail. Their delicate songs were sparse musically, but left enough unsaid to be powerful vignettes. As ‘Golden Light’ gently opens their second album, it momentarily seems that nothing has changed - until halfway through when, startlingly and suddenly, searing grunge riffs and battling drums blast all preconceptions out of the way. It’s not just a one-off either, all that follows keeps up the blistering intensity, only breaking for the softer ‘Pristine’ and ‘Little Dipper’ along the way. This is Big Deal 2.0 - loud, fierce and brilliantly dissonant. RHIAN DALY

The last thing a band with the exuberance of CSS should make you feel is glum. However, the Brazilians’ fourth is a tuneless, tiresome rabble of a record that does just that. Worse, it feels like an expensive attempt at career-salvage: TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek produces, while the honking mess of ‘Hangover’ is, implausibly, a collaboration with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, its video choreographed by 80s legend Toni Basil (of ‘Mickey’ fame) whose credits include Talking Heads videos and David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs tour. Still, that roster can’t salve the irritant that is Lovefoxxx’s favela shriek. Sigh. What’s the point? JJ DUNNING

Download: ‘Golden Light’

Download: ‘Hangover’

Billed as a more collaborative affair between the six members of Austra, you still feel that people’s enjoyment of ‘Olympia’ – the follow-up to 2010’s ‘Feel It Break’ – will hinge on singer Katie Stelmanis’ vocal style. Most of the songs here start like slowburn opener ‘What We Done?’, with Stelmanis’ constantly tremulous voice surrounded by ever-increasing layers of synths, padded beats and distant percussion. If you can get past it, however, there’s much to enjoy, not least on the despairing, rave-tinged ‘Home’ (“you know it hurts me when you stay away all night”) and the yearning ‘Forgive Me’. MICHAEL CRAGG Download: ‘Home’

Download: ‘Flick Of The Finger’

THE-FLY.CO.UK

ALBUM REVIEWS

Daughn Gibson

Gold Panda

‘Me Moan’

‘Half Of Where You Live’

HHHH (Sub Pop)

HHH

‘The Days Run Away’

HHHHn

(NOTOWN)

Daughn Gibson (Josh Martin to his pals) spliced country and dubstep on his debut ‘All Hell’. But while that record was one of last year’s most consistent – its cut’n’shut styles enhanced by Martin’s compelling, ominous and from-the-boots baritone – this nearlyperfect follow-up is occasionally waylaid by its aim to make bad instruments sound good. ‘Kissin On The Blacktop’ makes liberal use of pedal steel guitar. ‘Mad Ocean’ uses bagpipes. ‘Into The Sea’ has flourishes of loungey brass swiped straight out of an 80s wine bar. Our gripe is petty, but ‘Me Moan’ just doesn’t sound effortless enough. JJ DUNNING

The weight of expectation must be weighing heavy on this little panda. The Berlinbased Peckham boy has waited two years to release a follow-up to the much-lauded ‘Lucky Shiner’ LP. Presented as a city album, ‘Half Of Where You Live’ offers up some sprawling soundscapes, but Gold Panda’s strength has always lain in those twinkling high-hats and glittering non-Western moments. There are flickers of this globallyminded outlook on this solid second effort (‘Junk City II’, in particular), but nothing that rivals the unadulterated glitter-bomb of his debut. CLARE CONSIDINE

Download: ‘The Pisgee Nest’

Download: ‘Junk City II’

THE-FLY.CO.UK

Frankie & The Heartstrings

Hooded Fang ‘Gravez’

HHHH (Full Time Hobby)

Mackem quintet Frankie & The Heartstrings’ debut turned them into unlikely commercial heroes. Though single ‘Hunger’ made it onto a Dominos advert, their Orange Juice-indebted indie pop has always been more independently-minded. ‘The Days Run Away’ continues down this path. Though there are more textures present second time round (the Smiths-y guitars of ‘She Will Say Goodbye’ are a marked progression), the likes of ‘That Girl, That Scene’ and ‘Invitation’ prove the boys can still do playfully irreverent with lovable panache. In short, this is – ahem – a great advert for the north east. LISA WRIGHT

Every surf band knows that brevity’s a virtue, but at 23 minutes long, Hooded Fang’s ‘Tosta Mista’ was slightbordering-cadaverous. The Canadian band clock up just seven added minutes on follow-up ‘Gravez’, but it’s a half-hour packed with ideas and wonky ambition. Not-quite-titletrack ‘Graves’ flares out the traps with thrashy abandon, but the record quickly slaloms off-piste - funky Kraut excursion ‘Genes’ is surprisingly evolved, while guitarist Lane Halley lends a jittery psych edge to ‘Ode To Subterranea’ and the wonderfully drunk-sounding ‘Trasher’. A treat. ALEX DENNEY

Download: ‘Everybody Looks Better (In The Right Light)’

Download: ‘Ode To Subterrania’

(Wichita)

Tom Oldham

Barnett pair: George, left, and Jack.

These New Puritans ‘Field Of Reeds’ HHHHH n(Infectious) A suite surrender to dreams of Essex islands... Picture the scene: 2010, a banner year for These New Puritans, sees ‘Hidden’ gain bountiful acclaim. It is, if we must, the decade’s first masterpiece. Jack Barnett, however, is out of frame, already conceiving the heir to its artistic fortune: a musical suite devoted to the islands of Essex, his home county. Sound promising? Well, perhaps not, but that’s the thing with These New Puritans: even when mumbling esoterically about “swimming between the islands,” they bathe in aural ambrosia. Where some squirmed at ‘Hidden’’s medieval austerity,

‘Field Of Reeds’ strips down for a spacious, pianoled symphony that will pacify and unsettle, evoking the notion of a haunted poppy field sprung from war soil. Despite long instrumental passages - think ‘In Rainbows’ getting lost in Iceland - it’s a relentless listen. Portuguese Fado vocalist Elisa Rodrigues lends friction on the album’s two unqualified masterpieces, ‘The Light In Your Name’ and ‘V (Island Song)’. Sequenced back-to-back, they’re a staggeringly emotional gut-punch. In passing - just for a moment - ‘Field Of Reeds’ makes ‘Hidden’ sound improvable. Hold a spot on your albums of the decade list, ’cause just maybe... JAZZ MONROE Download: ‘The Light In Your Name’, ‘V (Island Song)’.

THE-FLY.CO.UK

Scrawls out for summer: Guy, left, and Howard Lawrence.

Disclosure ‘Settle’ HHHHn (PMR Records) Dance duo’s debut is destined for chart supremacy... Perhaps the most surprising thing about sibling duo Disclosure is that they’ve already had three massive chart successes. Not just on Hype Machine, but in the actual UK Top 40. Given that the hype cycle seems to throw up diverting buzz tracks that amount to little, it was exciting when the excellent ‘White Noise’ followed the excellent ‘Latch’ into the charts at Number 2– all the blogging had actually connected to a wider audience. That was because, like the similarly chart-bothering Katy B, Howard and Guy Lawrence know their way around a good pop song. The majority of the

songs here feature guest vocalists who anchor their intricately layered productions – touching on 90s garage, house and UK funky – by helping songs to build carefully and then explode at just the right moment, as on the electronic sheen of the Jessie Ware collaboration, ‘Confess To Me’. Disclosure are consistently able to stamp their own identity on the songs, even making Jamie Woon and Eliza Doolittle interesting on the twitchy ‘January’ and the garage shuffle of ‘You & Me’ respectively. It’s not perfect – ‘Grab Her’ and ‘Stimulation’ both outstay their welcome and the glitchy ‘Second Chance’ feels like it’s from a different album – but it’s a consistently thrilling debut. MICHAEL CRAGG Download: ‘White Noise’, ‘Latch’, ‘Confess To Me’

THE-FLY.CO.UK

ALBUM REVIEWS

Jon Hopkins ‘Immunity’

HHH (Domino Recording Co.) Elusive producer Jon Hopkins is lesserknown for his solo works, which largely get overshadowed by collaborations with Brian Eno and Coldplay, not to mention his Mercury-nominated partnership with King Creosote in 2011. That’s no bother - it allows Hopkins to quietly crack on developing his own sound and style. On ‘Immunity,’ he continues his line of droning, organic electronica. This time, inspired by the arc of an epic night out, the album glides between wide-eyed hypnotics and sullen ballads, peaking with nine-minute techno beast ‘Collider.’ JAMIE SKEY Download: ‘Collider’

iamamiwhoami

Jagwar Ma

Miles Kane

‘Howlin’

‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’

HHHHn

‘bounty’

(Marathon Artists)

HHHHn

HH (Columbia)

Swedish enigma iamamiwhoami’s second album ‘bounty’ (she hates capital letters) actually predates her 2012 debut, ‘kin’. Confused? That’s how she likes it. Released in 2010 as a series of unsettling videos, it’s nice to hear the songs again without being distracted by images of people wrapped in cellophane (‘b’) or trying to escape a mountain of cardboard boxes (‘u-2’). In fact, the impenetrable ‘u-1’ aside, it is surprisingly straightforward, especially the sleek double-whammy of ‘john’ and ‘clump’ that closes the album in a rush of pogoing, Knifeesque synthpop. MICHAEL CRAGG

The third track on Jagwar Ma’s debut sounds like package holiday disco gone baggy. However, ‘Howlin’’s memorable hooks and motifs make sure that, on the whole, it’s (marginally) more than mere 90s revivalism. Psych, pop, baggy and Britpop coalesce shamelessly (and fashionably) on seven minuter ‘The Throw’, while a relentless gurning glee pervades the whole album. It’s a happiness the Sydney duo get away with by virtue of reflective moments like ‘Did You Have To’, the romance of which tempers what would otherwise be a onedimensional debut. KEVIN SMITH

Miles Kane lives in a world where John Lydon never became Johnny Rotten, where David Bowie never met Brian Eno and where Krautrock kept itself confined to the continent. From Neu to Nirvana, the last forty years of musical progress is entirely ignored on ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’. If you can accept such a parallel universe – and don’t mind being clobbered with 60s riffs - then this record has its moments: ‘Out Of Control’, in particular, is brash and bombastic enough to be stimulating. In short, ‘Don’t Forget...’ is just possible to enjoy. But only in mod-eration, of course. KEVIN SMITH

Download: ‘clump’

Download: ‘Did You Have To’

Download: ‘Out Of Control’

(Co-Operative Music)

THE-FLY.CO.UK

ALBUM REVIEWS

Majical Cloudz ‘Impersonator’

HHHHn

Sean Nicholas Savage ‘Other Life’

Spectrals ‘Sob Stor y’

HHHH (Wichita)

Slick as hell and earnest as vicars, Majical Cloudz make the soul music of desperation. The duo’s Matador debut is a relentlessly lucid thing. What’s impressive is that, for all its hymnal melodramatics, ‘Impersonator’ somehow bypasses insufferability. Yes, songs like ‘Notebook’ and ‘Bugs Don’t Buzz’ practically spray pomp from their cuff-links, but they wear it well, sedate chords rippling in the wings as Devon Welsh’s charming confessionals soar centre-stage. “I don’t think about dying alone,” Welsh wails on ‘Silver Rings’. With that silvery croon, he needn’t fret. JAZZ MONROE

Like his label-mate Majical Cloudz, Sean Nicholas Savage taps into a more tender side of cult Montreal label Arbutus. No skittering samples or hallucinogenic atmospherics here, just a smooth unfolding of emotions that’s striking in its minimalism. ‘Other Life’ is a record that proves, despite Savage’s renowned prolific streak, he’s far from run out of ideas. ‘Like A Baby’ finds the singer cooing “I want to know you from the inside out” whilst ‘It’s Real’ finds him whispering over a Gallic backing. Still inventive, still haunting, still magic. RHIAN DALY

In some kind of glorious alternate universe, Ben Howard works at Shoeworld and an ‘Olly Murs’ is slang for a particularly regrettable sex act. In this universe, Louis Jones – aka Spectrals – is Britain’s premier male soloist and, trust us, it is a far, far better world indeed. Following the nostalgia-soaked love songs of his debut with an album that ups the radio-friendly factor without compromising any emotion, the likes of ‘Milky Way’ or ‘Keep Your Magic Out Of My House’ pit simple, sweetened melodies with Jones’ Northern lilt and wide-eyed sentimentality. This is the kind of guy we should really be getting behind. LISA WRIGHT

Download: ‘Silver Rings’

Download: ‘It’s Real’

Download: ‘Milky Way’

(Matador)

THE-FLY.CO.UK

HHHH (Arbutus)

Wild Nothing ‘Empty Estate’

HHHHn (Bella Union) ‘Empty Estate’ follows hot on the heels of last year’s ‘Nocturne’, but don’t be fooled: this is an album in EP’s clothing, hatched, according to its maker Jack Tatum, as a way of giving expectation the slip: “You can do whatever you want with [an EP],” he says of the seven-track release, “like it’s a free pass.” It’s a nifty slight-of-hand that frees up the Virginia musician to explore some stylistic detours, with Brian Eno’s early solo work and Berlinera Bowie both obvious touchstones. While not exactly revelatory, Tatum’s sure songwriting touch means it’s never less than a pleasure. ALEX DENNEY Download: ‘Ocean Repeating (Big-Eyed Girl)’

Triple denim: Smith Westerns L to R: Cameron Omori, Cullen Omori, Max Kakacek.

Smith Westerns ‘Soft Will’

HHHH

(Co-Op/Mom + Pop)

Romance, glitz and glamour on Chicago trio’s third effort... Just one chorus is enough. ‘Varsity’, the heart-crushing closer on Smith Westerns’ third album, is amorous, relatable and danceable enough to warrant the word ‘perfect’. It waltzes in after nine progressive tracks charting love, hardship, frustration and growth. ‘Soft Will’ represents a huge step towards the shiny, glamorous indie-pop sound this Chicago band have always hankered after. ‘3AM Spiritual’ builds patiently, waiting three whole minutes before dropping Queen-tinged piano and Max Kakacek’s first solo. ‘Idol’ demonstrates similar

restraint, Cullen Omori’s vocals swimming in stately clarity before ‘Glossed’ builds on the insouciance of 2011’s ‘Dye It Blonde’, tossing tremendous guitar lines aside like cigarette butts. There lies Smith Westerns’ main asset - prodigal talent for crafting insatiable pop music, amidst cool disinterest. After epic instrumental ‘XXIII’, ‘Fool Proof’’s twinkle and ‘White Oath’’s glitzy soloing, the final three songs hammer home Smith Westerns’ awesome musical and emotional dexterity. ‘Best Friend’ is like reading your first love letter. One chorus may be enough, but ‘Soft Will’ is studded with so much more. BEN HOMEWOOD Download: ‘Varsity’, ‘Best Friend’, ‘Cheer Up’

THE-FLY.CO.UK

Yeah Yeah Yeahs By Danny Payne

LIVE REVIEWS

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Apollo, Manchester 01/05/2013

Four years on from their last UK tour, O & Co. remain as incendiar y as ever...

We’re barely two songs into tonight’s show when the first glitter bomb detonates. ‘Black Tongue’ reaches its glorious coda and a sea of hands reach deliriously towards Karen O. Sassily, she shrugs: “Boy, you’re just a stupid bitch / And girl, you’re just a no-good dick”. Suddenly the room is filled with glistening spangles, kaleidoscopic flashes of metallic luminosity that dazzle and hang in the air before slowly falling all around us. Some bands favour flashing lights, some prefer fireworks… for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs it’s all about colour. Is it really four years since they last graced these shores? That’s what a typicallyanimated Karen tells us, and the band attack their set with gusto, seemingly determined to make up for lost time. Latest album ‘Mosquito’ may have garnered somewhat middling reviews compared to previous efforts, but tonight these songs really come alive – the gospel choirs of opener ‘Sacrilege’ (so needlessly saccharine on

record) lend verve and swagger via the separation effect of a sampler, while the title track’s B-movie schlock is cartoonishly brilliant. Most curious are the tense atmospherics of ‘Subway’, where Brian Chase’s train-track rhythms rattle ominously below sub-zero electronic textures. It’s compellingly addictive stuff. Inevitably though, it’s the older material that really gets the crowd going. There are frenzied sing-a-longs to ‘Zero’ and ‘Gold Lion’, whilst an unexpected thrash through the eleven-year-old ‘Art Star’ sees Karen wrenching earsplitting screams from underneath a towel. The subtly effervescent ‘Maps’ forms the crux of a rapturously-received encore, before they send us home with the skronked-out stomp of ‘Date With The Night’. The venerable building bounces along; the room a tempestuous sea of bodies as Nick Zinner teases jagged scorches of sonic lightning from his guitar, while his bandmates conduct the storm magnificently. Truly, wonderfully explosive. WILL FITZPATRICK THE-FLY.CO.UK

THE-FLY.CO.UK

King Krule By Jim Eyre

LIVE REVIEWS

The Great Escape Various Venues, Brighton 16-18/05/2013

ft. King Krule, UMO and Allah-Las, plus the best of the rest from three days at the seaside... On Thursday, after a misunderstanding at the hotel about who brought the small soaps (turns out they’re complimentary), Brighton is our oyster. First, we catch Mac DeMarco for a video session in his van (check our website!), then we head to Coalition (The Fly’s stage for all three nights) to see Wolf Alice and Childhood, the former a grunge delight, the latter a supreme slice of kaleidoscopic pop. Headlining is King Krule – ever the human embodiment of a Quentin Blake illustration – whose boot-shaking baritone makes for a sensational foil to the jazz-flecked sounds of his equally-whelpish backing band. Altogether, there’s a pervading sense of witnessing something special. Friday’s arrival is as inevitable as the hangover it crashes down on. By day, we blearily spy Keira Knightley arm-in-arm with Klaxon (and new husband) James Righton. By night we catch Skaters being rowdy at the Prince Albert, while Unknown Mortal Orchestra is found headlining a heaving Coalition. Later still, Merchandise and Palma Violets

justify and nullify their respective hype with late sets at The Haunt. On Saturday at Digital, CHVRCHES meld kitsch 80s pop with unsubtle Duplo-block beats. Meanwhile, back at The Fly stage, Allah-Las’ stand-in headline set is diametrically opposed to the performance Eighties Matchbox (who split up a week ago) would have delivered. The four supercool guys in dreadful Hawaiian shirts deliver pitch-perfect hippie throwback music, transforming the venue into one of those black-and-white newsreels you see about the “sexual explosion” (titter) of the 60s. Suddenly the room is full of girls with helmet-shaped bobs doing approximations of The Twist with dorky looking guys who reek of pomade and mothballs. As the room undulates gawkily to the Zombies-like strains of ‘Busman’s Holiday’, it’s like we’ve stumbled into a Scooby Doo interlude. Truly fantastic, and a brilliant, time-warpy ending to a weekend where we’ve seen some of the best bands of tomorow. JJ DUNNING & ALEX DENNEY THE-FLY.CO.UK

THE-FLY.CO.UK

Deerhunter By Louise HaywoodSchiefer

LIVE REVIEWS

Primavera Parc Del Forum, Barcelona, Spain 22-26/05/2013

With an amazing and eclectic line-up, the Barcelona festival might just obliterate your memor y... Piecing together the memories from the 13th edition of Primavera Sound is like trying to collect the thousands of empty beer cups strewn across its hulking site blindfolded. The beachside Parc Del Forum was a constant mess. So was everyone inside it. Parquet Courts started the wreckage on the opening night. Their set was the best we’ve seen them play. Crowdsurfing, a stage invasion and Andrew Savage’s miracle gro ‘fro made for a seismic start. Happening across Poolside’s aptly-named grooves meant that Thursday began well, before Savages’ thrilling (albeit interrupted) set of squealing power was brilliantly at odds with the bright sunshine behind them. A trail of METZ, Chris Cohen and Jessie Ware led to an all night odyssey bookended by Deerhunter – Bradford Cox and Lockett Pundt dovetailed to devastating effect – and John Talabot, who mashed a mass of already impaired minds into a an unruly pulp. The debris was remarkable.

Adults were weeing on a grass bank. The air was infused with positivity, and the multilingual search for another party outside was pleasantly ridiculous. Somehow Friday and Saturday went ahead as planned. Blur were triumphant, The Jesus & Mary Chain codgers who’ve still got it, Wu-Tang ill-informed (“Thank you Barcelonia!”) but impressive, My Bloody Valentine excruciating. The Pitchfork and Vice stages were relentless, Solange and Daughn Gibson disappointed, but Disclosure, Mac DeMarco, King Tuff, The Babies and Melody’s Echo Chamber emphatically did the opposite. Elsewhere Goat, The Oh Sees and particularly the befuddling and awesome Swans rendered chin-stroking cooler than the twilight Barcelona breeze. But our lasting memory is being stuck motionless at the ferris wheel’s highest point at 3am watching Omar Souleyman’s ferocious weirdness. It sums up this wonderful festival more than adequately. BEN HOMEWOOD THE-FLY.CO.UK

1. Temples by Karen Toftera, 2. Lana Del Rey, 3. Vampire Weekend, 4. Splashh Live At Leeds by Danny Payne

Temples The Lexington, London 29/04/2013 Throwbacks? Maybe, but Kettering’s Temples are inarguably adept at rehashing the past. Tonight, they bring their exhilarating retro sounds to a sold out Lexington crowd. Hovering in the corner is Noel Gallagher, a vocal supporter of the group, but if James Bagshaw and co are aware of his presence, they make no allusion to it in words or demeanour. Opening with ‘The Golden Throne’, Temples appear the very definition of composure. Save for a technical issue later in the set (“Does anyone know anything about guitars? Because I don’t,” quips James) they are flawless; their glittering neo-psych flows with effervescent ease. New single ‘Colours To Life’ sounds world-beatingly brilliant, a sublime and mysterious float through serene kaleidoscopics, whilst ‘Keep In The Dark’ and ‘Prisms’ are as anthemic as always. Ending on a killer double whammy of ‘Shelter Song’ and ‘Sun Structures’, tonight THE-FLY.CO.UK

Temples prove the love pouring their way - from legends and mortals - is completely and utterly justified. RHIAN DALY

Lana Del Rey Hammersmith Apollo, London 20/05/2013 Since Lana Del Rey’s disastrous fall from grace on Saturday Night Live at the turn of 2012, it feels like she’s been boxed away by her label bosses. Other than the odd gig/ festival, it’s taken her 18 months to finally get her act together and do some shows over here. Now that she is here (3.5 million album sales and counting) however, is she really worth the wait? Well yes and no. There’s no doubt Lana’s time in training has vastly improved her stage presence; she swoons seductively onto stage (which, by the way, resembles Jay Gatsby’s boudoir) every sultry inch the movie star. She has a swing in her step too, sweeping up flowers and posing for

pictures with her fans. Unfortunately the voice is still only middling. At times she hits the high notes beautifully - on ‘Body Electric’ and ‘Blue Jeans’ - but all too often, she lazily croons when she should be blasting the hairs off the back of our necks. Only on Gatsby-soundtracking ‘Young & Beautiful’ and ‘Ride’ do we finally witness the height of her haunting powers. Lana’s clearly mastered her stage prowess post Saturday Night Live-gate. Now she just needs to master her voice. DAMIAN JONES

Vampire Weekend The Troxy, London 02/05/2013 Vampire Weekend may be associated with the more intellectual end of the guitar music spectrum, but their audience’s reaction tonight is anything but cerebral. From the moment they take the stage, galloping through the blisteringly speedy ‘Cousins’, the floor of the Troxy becomes a mass of colliding bodies

and the atmosphere remains on the verge of hysteria throughout. Recent single ‘Diane Young’ is dropped early on, its unrestrained 50s flavour evoking Eddie Cochran and proving the perfect fit for these spectacular art deco surroundings. ‘Unbelievers’, meanwhile, could be Buddy Holly if only he’d lived to invent garage rock. But most of the new material is less bombastic; ‘Obvious Bicycle’ and ‘Step’ steadily boil down to the sound of Koenig’s voice backed with the barest of musical bones. It’s thrillingly intimate. They delve into their back catalogue to ensure there’s no dip in momentum. Nearly the whole of their eponymous debut gets an airing, while ‘Contra’ provides highlights in the form of ‘White Sky’, ‘Holiday’ and ‘Diplomat’s Son’. Still refusing to fit into any convenient pigeon-(or button)-hole, Vampire Weekend’s return is just the shot in the arm – or is that bite in the neck – the assembled crowd were banking on. BEN WILLMOTT

LIVE REVIEWS

Live At Leeds Various venues, Leeds 04/05/2013 Renowned for its new band-centric line-ups, Live At Leeds returns this year stronger than ever. From the much-hyped to the guaranteed next big things, it feels as if everyone worth seeing

is here - an impression that doesn’t fade. Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs make for a spectacular start at The Refectory, playing songs from their debut album ‘Clarietta’ and filling the room with an irresistible psychindie glamour. Over at Holy Trinity Church, meanwhile, Fryars takes things down a notch with his emotionallycharged falsetto-pop

whilst King Krule fails to connect as strongly as his predecessor. However, things really kick up a gear with London-based, lo-fi heroes Splashh. Just back from a US tour a couple of days beforehand, there’s no sign of fatigue setting in to their set as they tear through the choicest bits of debut album ‘Comfort’, ending on a hypnotizing extended

version of ‘Need It’. The Cockpit is the place to be as the night draws to a close, with Swim Deep putting in a triumphantly euphoric performance, Unknown Mortal Orchestra showing why second album ‘II’ is already one of the highlights of 2013 and Peace bringing the whole thing to a heart-swellingly magnificent end. RHIAN DALY THE-FLY.CO.UK

S I X S H O T S

Who: King Krule When: 16/05/2013 Where: The Fly Stage at Great Escape, Coalition, Brighton Photography by J im E yre

Editor: JJ Dunning Deputy Editor: Ben Homewood Associate Editor (Online): Alex Denney Live Editor: Lisa Wright Art Editor: Russ Moorcroft Staff Photographer: Tom Oldham Staff Writers: Daniel Ross, Michael Cragg, Rob Cooke Photographers: Tom Andrew, Tom Bunning, Shari Denson, Jim Eyre, Louise HaywoodSchiefer, Sakura Henderson, Gideon Marshall, Layla Smethurst.

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Advertising: Laura Akam Marketing and Distribution: Laura Astley Publisher: Debbie Ward/Lucinda Brown Contributors: Clare Considine, Rhian Daly, Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Euan L Davidson, Will Fitzpatrick, Matt Glass, John Kerrison, Nick Levine, James Luxford, Emily Mackay, Jazz Monroe, James West. Thanks To: Laura Eley.

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New Bands: Get A Head Start With The Fly! Sign up to Sonic Bids for the chance to perform at one of our live events... If you’re in a new band and looking for a head start, The Fly is here to help. The Fly magazine is Britain’s biggest new music-centric monthly. It’s available in pubs, clubs, venues and record stores, and is consulted by the industry for its on-the-money new bands section, OnesToWatch. This year, the title is offering the chance to give new bands a bigger break. Sign up to Sonic Bids www.sonicbids.com/theflymagazine as a new artist and have your music heard by editorial staff, as well as MAMA & Company’s team of promoters, who book venues nationwide. Each month, one band will be selected to perform first on the bill at one of our OnesToWatch nights at The Garage in London. For full terms and conditions visit www.sonicbids.com/terms-and-conditions-of-use