The Mic Issue 43
with special thanks to The Committee Ceryn Morris (President) Lok Yee (Editor in Chief) Lucy Wharton (Marketing and Social Media) Archie Banks (Communications) Luke Barnard (Treasurer) Contributors Luke Matthews Archie Banks Lok Yee Ceryn Morris Lucy Wharton Musicians/Interviewees The Amazons Fickle Friends Tommy Farmyard TV Me Ventrelles Blancmange The Happy Mondays The Travelling Band Sponsors
And to all labels, venues, managers, promoters and PR companies who provided us with gig, interview and promotional opportunities. We look forward to meeting you all in Welcome Week! Our next magazine (Issue no. 44) is due for release in December. Join The Mic for just ÂŁ4 for the year! For any review, gig, or interview requests, email us at: themic@themicmagazine.co.uk
@themicnotts
@TheMicNotts
@themicnottingham
www.themicmagazine.co.uk
CONTENTS 24 Fickle Friends BBC Radio 1 mainstays and festival favourites ‘Fickle Friends’ have had an incredible 18 months, releasing a string of indie, synth-pop singles and announcing a headline tour. Turn to page 26 to read our interview with frontwoman Natti Shiner
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FRESHERS GUIDE TO NOTTS
Review: Wolf Alice We Are Manchester Ultimate Freshers Playlist The Songs They Wish They’d Wrote
FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
THAT’S A WRAP!
GIG GUIDE 6 Fresher’s Bucket List 8 Day by Day guide to Nottingham’s Best Nights Out 10 Spotlight Venues 12
Hockley Hustle The Maccabees: A History Review: Green Day Review: The Amazons FICKLE FRIENDS: INTERVIEW
16 18 20 22 24
Meet The Committee
28 30 32 34
35
Autumn ‘17 RoyalBlood NOTTINGHAM
MacDemarco ISLAND
Loyle carner
EYRE LLEW
LiamGallagher SundaraKarma J. COLE
Wolf Alice
M
T
My NuLeng & M8s
sleafordmods
London Grammar TomGRENNAN FrankCarter &The Rattlesnakes Bad Sounds
NOTHING BUT THIEVES TheAmazons CLEANCUTKID BLAENAVON
gig guide
September 25
th
Road Trip Denai Moore Rae Morris (Modern and Contemporary)
9th
Neck Deep The Art is Murder Flyte
Overwhelmed by the number of gigs in Notts? Never fear, the Mic’s Gig Guide is here to show you what’s happening when.
Howie Payne & The Band of The Sun b
22nd
4th
Y&T Bancmange Rusty Shackle
10th
Hurray for the Riff Raff Frankie Rose
Tom Grennan Anteros
11th
23rd
Von Hertzen Brothers Pinns
Machine Gun Kelly Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Living Colour Hoosiers
CHON J. Cole Inglorious Superfood
24th
Akala Nordic Giants
W.A.S.P In Hearts Wake INHEAVEN
26th
26th 29th
30th Sundara Karma BlessTheFall Xcerts
October 1
st
The Jesus and Mary Chain
2nd
SWMRS
3rd
New Found Glory The Kentucky Headhunters
4
th
The Alarm Citizen
5th
Sam Brookes
6th
Papa Roach The Amazons
7th
Hippo Campus Strange Bones Loyle Carner
12th
13th
14th
JP Cooper Little Mix Jehst
15th
Little Mix Baby In Vain
16th
Lethal Bizzle Frank Iero and the Paience Slotface
17th
Dizzee Rascal Jordan Rakei Pale Waves
18th
Kolars
7th
25th
Fickle Friends Slowcoaches London Grammar Skinny Living
27th
Slamboree Oddity Road
28th
Justin Currie & the Pallbearers Jane Weaver
29th
Kvelertak Mahalia
30th
Make Them Suffer Dodie Newmoon
31st Pixx
Arcane Roots Tom Robinson Band The Coronas
Francobollo
Gary Numan Focus Ft Thijs Van Leer The Chase My Nu Leng & M8s All Them Witches
Public Service Broadcasting
6
6th
November
20th
8th
Clean Cut Kid (Sandy) Alex G
Roddy Woomble The Eskies
19th
The Pigeon Detectives The Flatliners
21st
5th
1
st
2nd
Akon Henri Herbert & The Fury
3rd
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club The Smyths Kagoule
Ghostpoet Island
8th
Julia Jacklin CC Smugglers
9th
Sleaford Mods Employed to Serve
10th
Nothing but Thieves Eyre Llew Brix & The Extricated
11th
Ady Suleiman No-Hate Festival The John Hackett Band
12th
Cigarettes after Sex The Magic Band Itch
13th
The Cadillac Three My Vitriol John Joseph Brill
14th
J Hus Counterparts Bad Sounds
15th
Wolf Alice Every Time I Die Holy Moly & The Crackers
16th
Rock City Motorpoint Arena Rescue Rooms The Bodega Mr Big Stu Larsen
17th
Deaf Havana James Blunt Absolute Bowie Ezra Collective
18th
Billly Bragg Enter Shikari China Crisis Model Aeroplanes
19th
Opeth H.E.A.T. Bad Touch
20th
Mac Demarco
21st
Marika Hackman
22nd
Airbourne Phil Collins Single Mothers
23rd
The Lafontaines The Slow Readers Club Amusement Parks on Fire
24th
The Prince Experience The Kooks Quicksand
25th
Arse Full of Chips Royal Blood The Spitfires Emily Barker
26th
The Travelling Band
27th
James Arthur m Stick to our Guns Hunter & The Bear
28th
Good Charlotte
Steps Blaenavon Sweet Baboo
29th
The Charlatans Beans on Toast & Skinny Lister Son of Dave
30th Kllo
December 1st
Scouting for Girls Northlane
2nd
The Darkness Low Cut Connie
3rd
AEG present Nelly Electric Boys Lotto Boyzz
4th
Alex Cameron
5th
Mastodon Queen + Adam Lambert Santa Cruz
6th
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
7th
Party
15th
HIM DIIO Kallli Ashton
16th
Gogol Bordello Ashfields 19th Honeyblood 20th One Giant Causeway
free entry?
Join The Mic for £4 this year and get free guest-list entry to review and interview your favourite artists. Email themic@themicmagazine.co.uk and we’ll do the rest! Join The Mic Members Facebook group and follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date with the gigs that are available and to find people to go with. @themicnotts @TheMicNotts @themicnottingham
top picks: Tom Grennan Rescue Rooms 26/9
Sundara Karma Rock City 30/9
The Amazons Rescue Rooms 6/10
Jordan Rakei Rescue Rooms 17/10
8
Public Service Broadcasting
9th
Island
Stilllia th
Shed Seven Happy Mondays Broken Witt Rebels b
10
th
Liam Gallagher Normandie + Ryan Key
Rock City 21/10 The Bodega 7/11
Nothing but Thieves Rock City 10/11
Marika Hackman The Bodega 21/11
11
Royal Blood
12th
Jake Burns
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
14th
Liam Gallagher
th
Eliza Carthy & The Wayward
Tusk Christmas
Motorpoint Arena 25/11
Rock City 6/12 Motorpoint Arena 10/12
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the bucket list by Lok Yee
Here at The Mic we’ve decided to create a bucket list to help Freshers and Re(re)Freshers alike make the most of Nottingham.
Go all out for Ocean Baywatch
The famously sticky club Ocean will hold a very special place in your hearts from day one. Love it or hate it every student must take part in a frantic top whipping session to the Baywatch theme tune - just hold on to your clothes. Bonus points for getting a selfie with Andy Hoe.
Visit Rough Trade
Nottingham’s Rough Trade in Hockley is a treasure trove of music; from new releases to classic vinyl they have it all. They also host album signings and gigs so keep an eye out for their events. Make sure to use their photo-booth.
Visit the Nottingham Sign
Yes, it looks suspiciously like the Glastonbury sign and had one of its letters stolen but it’s a classic landmark of our beautiful campus, and offers great opportunities for squad photos.
Go to an Alternative Night Out
After a while you may want to venture beyond Crisis and The Big O. Why not try indie night Hockney at the Bodega? The night is every other Thursday and often hosts live bands before the night, which will leave you covered in a LOT of glitter. Try Hey Hey Hey at Rock City for your alternative bangers and for a pop punk party.
Enjoy an Open Mic Night at the Studio/Mooch
From BandSoc to Musicality, Mooch hosts a variety of open mic nights and showcases the best of UoN’s music. Enjoy the performance with a pint and a burger.
Go to a Gig in Nottingham (with The Mic)
From Capital Arena to the Bodega, there is a venue and band for everyone in Nottingham’s city centre. You could even go for free with The Mic and get a chance to review the gig!
Go to a Festival in Nottingham
Commit to the Nottingham music scene and go to a festival. Dot to Dot, Splendour and Detonate are just a few of the events that take place in the city. Why not volunteer and gain some experience while you’re at it.
Visit the Lakeside Arts
Take a trip to the art museum on campus and soak in the culture. They hold exhibitions and talks to fill your intellectual desires.
Go Boating on Highfields Lake
Be a romantic and take a boat out onto the lake. Our campus is famous for its greenery and scenic views - just avoid rowing over a duck.
Get Involved with The Mic
There are loads of areas you can get involved in in The Mic. From reviewing gigs to discussing new releases The Mic is a great place to meet new people with similar music tastes to you.
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The Mic’s
Mo n y r e By C
rris
There’s no denying we at The Mic love a good night out. Whether you want to drown in cheese, jump around to the latest indie tracks or cut some shapes to deep house, Notts has it all. Here are our top picks for a quality night out every day of the week.
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Monday
What to expect...
Acoustic Rooms
Rescue Rooms
Lemonade Mondays
Pryzm
One off Events: Caramello
Rock City
Cirque de Soul
Rock City
Gin & Juice
Stealth + Rescue
- Live acoustic artists and Happy Hour Prices - House, Garage & Grime, R’n’B & Hip Hop and the infamous retro room - Funk and Soul + so many wavy garms - Carnival vibes with a tonne of glitter - Old school Hip Hop
Tuesday Pressure
Rescue Rooms
Liquorice
Coco Tang
One off Events:
- D.I.D dj sets, RnB room and 241 drinks all night - Underground House and Garage
Stealth + Rescue Rooms
- The very best of Funk, Soul & Disco
Crisis
Rock City
Pub Quiz & Karaoke
Rescue Rooms
- The domain of UoN sports teams and Britain’s biggest student night. No student room is complete without a Carpe Noctum photobooth picture. - Don’t fancy Crisis? Test both your general knowl-
Soul Jam
Wednesday
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Thursday Hockney
The Bodega
Shapes
Market Bar
Club Tropicana
Rescue Rooms
- Indie/ Alternative hits and lots of glitter. Keep an eye out for special live events where upcoming bands perform before the club night kicks off - The finest House, Garage and Hip- Hop - Beachy, 80’s Disco vibes, including cocktails and a limbo.
Friday Ocean Friday
Ocean
The Pop Confessional
The Bodega
- Run by local legend Andy Hoe and the marmite of Notts’ student nights - you’ll either love it or hate it. Expect ALL. THE. CHEESE. - Pop hits from across the decades. Don’t forget to confess your sins for free shots.
Saturday & Sunday Stealth vs Rescued
Stealth + Rescue Rooms
Climax
Trent SU
Industry Sundays
The Bowery Club
- Whatever you’re in to there’s a room here that provides it.. from Drum and Bass to Pop to Indie hits - Take a trip to the Dark Side for Chart, House, HipHop and RnB tunes. - Haven’t seshed enough during the week? Bowery 11
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spotlight on...
Nowhere else in the world can offer a venue with more personality. Rock City is the gem of the East Midlands, attracting the biggest names from pop to rock, indie and beyond. Since opening in the 80’s, Oasis, Blur, Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine are but a few of the eye-watering names to have christened the infamous stage - there’s no wonder why Kerrang! consistently award it ‘Venue of the Year’.
Notts really is a musician’s mecca. In our Spotlight Venues feature, we take a closer look at seven venues which have really made an impact on the face of Nottingham’s music scene.
spotlight venues by Luke Matthews
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spotlight on... Petite and quirky, what The Bodega may lack in capacity is more than made up for in both character and atmosphere. Regularly hosting the best in up and coming talent, it seems that over the years the venue has become a bit of a soft spot to return to for those musicians who hit the big time. Coupling this sensational venue with a gorgeous beer garden and alternate club nights have resulted in it being a favourite for students and locals alike.
spotlight on... Regularly welcoming DJ’s and producers from all over the world, you’ll frequently find the likes of Skream, Hannah Wants and others gracing Stealth’s stage. As the UK’s ‘dance Mecca’, week in week out crowds of music lovers will flood the venue ’til the early hours of the morning; proving why, for the last 4 years running, DJ Mag has pronounced Stealth as one of the Top 100 clubs in the world.
spotlight on...
BRICKWORKS
The Brickworks carefully selects and only allows the most intriguing and respected DJ’s through their doors. Popular record labels such as Wigflex and Detonate will showcase some of their best talent, with every ticket being seen as gold dust as each night sells out within minutes of going on sale. Expect to see the likes of Dusky, Tensnake and more as The Brickworks leaves it’s mark on Nottingham’s music scene.
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spotlight on... Rough Trade epitomises Nottingham’s nationwide reputation for epic music talent. As the only Rough Trade store outside of London and New York, the small venue will regularly host acoustic evenings, album signings and exclusive sets from some of the world’s most sought after acts; whilst also highlighting some of the region’s freshest musicians and giving those just emerging the recognition they deserve.
spotlight on... With over 100 gigs a year, Rescue Rooms has played host to a hefty catalogue of talent. The Killers, Bloc Party and The Libertines are just a taster of the standard of bands that you can expect to witness grace the 450 capacity venue. Consider Rescue Rooms as the venue that catches musicians just as they hit the big time, whilst also accommodating some of the best in up-and-coming talent.
spotlight on... By far Nottingham’s biggest venue, the Motorpoint Arena attracts the most star-studded of acts. A regular stop off for international artists, this arena boasts the perfect blend of jaw dropping performances and big bold sound whilst no seat is unfavourable. You must be organised however; expect each show to be a sell out as tickets are snapped up well in advance of each gig on the eye-watering calendar.
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by Ceryn Morris
Is there a better way to explore Nottingham’s vibrant Hockley area than through music? Join us on the 8th of October for the brilliant Hockley Hustle – a day filled with music all in the name of charity. Encompassing over 25 venues including Rough Trade, The Hockley Arts Club, Das Kino’s and Jam Café the area will play host to over 250 Nottingham acts, proving to be a day not to be missed. We caught up with the director himself, Tommy Farmyard ahead of the festival. How did the project start? It started when Adam Pickering founder of Sounddhism (now down in London running Archspace for Soundcrash in London) came up to me at a gig I was putting on and said he wanted to start a festival & would like some help. That was in 2006. He was 17 and I was 21. We put together a little 8 venue Hockley Hustle with our mates and it grew from there. We had two or three years off somewhere in the middle to recover sanity and focus on other projects. Considering the amount of talent in Nottingham, how do you curate such a diverse line up? With the help of a diverse bunch of promoters. Most of us have been involved in Notts music for years so we’re hopefully pretty clued up between us. This year we have 25 local promoters/labels/record shops etc helping us programme the fest which has got a really great community feel, as does Notts music scene, and Notts creative scenes in general. It’s is a very creative city and there is lots of collaboration, which we love. Everyone gets behind the Hustle, it makes us proud of Notts and the work we all do. Embarking on your 11th year, what can we expect from both this year’s and future Hustles?
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This year we’ve grown it a little bit with more venues involved. We’re adding to the street entertainment with more performers outside of venues, ranging from stilt walkers to live art to carnival troupes. Our street design team will deck the area out beautifully, and it’s being fully pedestrianised. We’re extending the silent disco (so much fun) and we’ve started a great project with Music Hub with a 60 piece orchestra including some of Notts best songwriters, Liam Bailey who’s been working with Gorillaz, sings Blind Faith with Chase and Status and generally makes me cry when he sings. Check out his Glastonbury vids. Harleighblu who’s just amazing, Rob Green who just performed at a sold out Albert Hall at the BBC Proms, and more. We’ve got great acts playing on all stages including The Invisible Orchestra, Congi, GEORGIE, Ronika, Daudi Matsiko over various ventures, the BBC Young Musician of the year, Celllist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason in the Spiegeltent in Market Square (yep we know it’s not in Hockley), alongside Nina Smith & Hackney Colliery Band Over 300 acts are performing across the fest. I could write a much much longer list than the above, Notts music is just, crackin. We’ve also started a young persons festival, Young Hustlers, for the younger generation of Notts featuring gigs, workshops with 4 x World DMC Champ, Mr Switch, arts, crafts, the writing of a Poem with Nottingham’s Young Poet Laureate which we’ll then install around Hockley and much more. Thanks to the arts council for supporting us. Future hustles, well, some very, very exciting projects. That’s all we can say for now. Could you tell us a bit about the process of selecting which charities the proceeds go to? We raise for local charities, over £120,000 to date. We’d like to support more charities and people than we can so if we may not be able to do it financially we aim to find other ways. We’ve seen where the money or support we give goes and how and who it helps. It means the world to us to be able to support people who really need it. I just wish we could do more! And finally, what are you looking forward to most this year? At the Hustle? Sheku, the orchestra project, the street ents, the silent disco, seeing as many bands as possible (I saw ten minutes of one act last year!), and the Detonate afterparty at Suede Bar, it’s going to be ace. .
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The Maccabees: A History by Lok Yee
The Maccabees decided to call it a day after 14 years and rounded off their career with a farewell tour in June this year. After a few months of a Maccabee-less existence, we have had time to reflect, celebrate and mourn the loss of the indie legends. Here’s a look back at their fantastic musical progression in albums: Colour It In 2007 The Maccabees debut album, Colour It In, was a burst of fresh indie pop in 2007. In the height of noughties anthems, the album was an overwhelming success with each song having potential as a single. Filled with tales of lost love and the fumbling embarrassment of teenage years, The Maccabees managed to capture a nostalgia for youth in their album. Aside from the obvious (and probably the most famous) Toothpaste Kisses, songs such as About Your Dress are drenched in romance and the awkwardness of raging hormones. A darker song, X-Ray, carries the same frantic energy of the album but with a melancholic hopelessness and confusion. It is obvious that the band were bursting with new material, as the album came loaded with 6 extra non-album tracks. Colour It In was a first taste of The Maccabees power to make a whole crowd dance and leave them in careless euphoria. Stand out tracks: Toothpaste Kisses, Latchmere, First Love
Wall of Arms 2009 With a sudden popularity fuelling the band, it is no surprise that the second album was released so soon after with Wall of Arms’ release in 2009. The opener, Love You Better, is a sweetly sung longing A sign of change are Felix’s backing vocals on One Hand Holding which are almost choral-esque in tone, giving the song more depth than its predecessor. The following song Can You Give It builds slowly, whilst maintaining the daring edge and energy it needs to push it to its climax. Although similar in its fast pace, No Kind Words splits the album into two by marking the shift from optimistic to reflective with its emotional lyrics. By the end of the album, it’s almost as if the energy is bubbling over and cooling down as the band become more assured of their abilities and sound. Stand out tracks: Wall of Arms, Can You Give It, No Kind Words
Given to the Wild 2012 In some ways, Given to the Wild was a natural progression into the brooding territory the band had been heading in. However, they take a calmer approach to areas of the album with Ayla and Slowly One showing a more folk sound. Having outgrown the naivety of their teens and moved past the twee you get a sense of ageing. Pelican highlights this best as the anxiety of friends moving on around them show the progression but also isolation of being in a successful band. This awareness of time accumulates in We Grew Up at Midnight which is an ode to their childhood (before the stresses of the events in Colour It In), the sincerity is charming and their friendship is one that will outlive the band itself. Although the hits aren’t as instantaneous as their previous work, the album has cemented itself as a cinematic cult classic of their career. Stand out tracks: Pelican, We Grew Up at Midnight, Feel to Follow
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Marks to Prove It 2015 The racing guitars on the lead track, Marks To Prove It are sounds that you are sure to have heard in the summer of 2015. After a 3 year gap the band finally released their 4th album, to the delight of fans and was an instant hit. The alternating paces in the title track inspire a new, more controlled energy within the band. Melancholy floods the lyrics in Kamakura and Silence and is reflected in the heavy and slower pace of the songs, yet the vocals remain powerful. Spit It Out includes their most indulgent slow build yet with Orlando Weeks’ solemn lyrics and sparse piano rising to a fantastic crescendo as he questions ‘what are we doing now?’. In fact, intense choruses feature heavily in this album which makes for a brilliant live experience. At last the band are both at the height of their popularity and have captured their unique sound; it’s a shame but no surprise that they end on a high. Stand out tracks: Something Like Happiness, Marks to Prove it, Spit it Farewell Tour 2017 The final gig was a bittersweet affair and a showcase of the classic indie anthems the band have supplied us with. The support was the equally accomplished Mystery Jets; the nostalgia of the 00’s was heavy in the air as the two bands gained success at a similar time. The love and comradery between the bands was clear as lead singer Blaine Harrison reminisced about their first gig together in Manchester’s (now closed) Jabez Clegg. It was an endearing display of the journey they had come on together and their mutual respect. With their experience behind them, The Maccabees were musically seamless with lead singer Orlando Weeks’ hand gestures enrapturing the crowd. Near the end of the show, they lowered the overhead panel and dedicated Something Like Happiness to Mystery Jets and set off confetti canons in celebration, before leaving for the encore. Four of their most popular songs closed the personal gig, the crowd danced for the last time to Marks to Prove It and Pelican and got on shoulders for First Love and Toothpaste Kisses. As with any farewell show, emotions were running high and there was a bittersweet sense of pride and sadness. At one point, Felix allowed the crowd to boo at their decision to part, but insisted on the show continuing in happiness. The show ended with a screen with the words ‘Thank You!’, and the band revelled in unrelenting cheers for a while before leaving with an assurance that their heartfelt legacy would prevail.
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Green Day’s Homecoming
By Arhie Banks
After 31 years, 12 studio albums, broken guitars and too many spectacular headline shows to count, the Californian punk-rock legends brought down the house in their biggest show to date, returning to their hometown of Oakland to play a phenomenal headline set at the Oakland Coliseum baseball ground to thousands of adoring fans, many of whom had clearly followed the band since their early days. The gig had everything; a dancing drunken pink rabbit, a word-perfect crowd-led rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, tributes to George Michael, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Operation Ivy, fans on guitar and vocals and, most of all, emotional thank yous and tributes to their hometown they were clearly so proud to be back in. Opening up the show were a band definitely more well-known to us over in the UK as opposed to our trans-Atlantic cousins, Catfish and the Bottlemen, led by charismatic frontman Van McCann. Only allocated a 5-song set, the band seemed to not take themselves too seriously, and gave as carefree a performance as I personally have ever seen from them. It clearly left an impact on the crowd; many of the Americans in attendance had never heard of the group, but left impressed. Opening with ‘Cocoon’, Van led the band through frenetic renditions of three singles from second album ‘The Ride’ in ‘7’, ‘Soundcheck’, and ‘Twice’, before customarily finishing with an elongated version of ‘Tyrants’. There will be more to come from the Llandudno lads, and a big future in America may not be inconceivable given the impression they seemed to leave on the crowd. This night, however, belonged to Billie-Joe Armstrong and co. Emerging onto the stage after a pre-gig show consisting of a stunning crowd rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and a giant pink bunny dancing to ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ (yes, really), the band soaked up the ovatio before bursting into ‘Know Your Enemy’, including the first instance of the evening of inviting a fan on stage, on this occasion to sing the final verse of the song. The frenetic pace didn’t let up, with the eponymous single from their latest record ‘Revolution Radio’, coupled with album tracks from 2004’s ‘American Idiot’ ‘Holiday’ (featuring a proclamation of ‘The representative from Oakland, California has the floor’) and ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ (which was one of the highlights of the night as the crowd in its entirety sang every word back at the band) all making it into the set early on, the crowd didn’t have much time to pause for breath! Every lyric was sung back, even most of the guitar solos were chanted to, as the crowd lapped up everything the band threw at them. The band have a worldwide reputation for the political nature of their shows and this was no different; with American and LGBT flags draped around Armstrong’s shoulders at various points, and a speech in which he proclaimed ‘No Donald Trump’ to rapturous approval.
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It is difficult to pick out specific highlights as the mammoth 2 and a half hour show proceeded. ‘Revolution Radio’ album track ‘Youngblood’ seemed to be one of the most underrated Green Day songs, as a lyrically brilliant song providing Billie-Joe with what appeared to be something he had been waiting for: the ability to sing the line ‘Are you restless? She said f**k you I’m from Oakland!’, to an Oakland crowd (it should be noted he got the response he was looking for! ) ‘When I Come Around’ generated a feverish response from the adoring faithful, as did tracks from 1994’s ‘Dookie’ ‘Welcome to Paradise’ and ‘Basket Case’. The band even went further back than that; ‘2000 Light Years Away’ was released in 1991! Exiting the stage after 22 songs, the band were not finished there, and returned for the politically charged ‘American Idiot’ and a 10 minute rendition of 2004’s ‘Jesus of Suburbia’. Even after this, Armstrong found time for acoustic versions of ‘21 Guns’ and ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ by way of closing the show. With the sound of the final acoustic chord fading into the night and as a spectacular fireworks display lit up the dark Californian sky, the show concluded; a show which it had been a privilege to attend, and a show which will go down in history in the Bay Area, for those local folk that Green Day are so proud to represent.
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The Amazons: Live @ BBK By Archie Banks There are worse places to be on a Friday afternoon than in the sun in Bilbao surrounded by stages and bars preparing for an evening of live music. Oh, and there is worse company to have than two members of new band on the block The Amazons. Frontman Matt Thomson and bassist Elliot Briggs were as laid back as it gets considering their show that evening was to be their first ever in Spain, opening up ahead of a headline slot from little-known Las Vegas band ‘The Killers’.. ‘We’ve got absolutely no idea what to expect’ laughed Thomson. ‘But that’s one of the great things about festival season, being able to come out to cool places like this and play to loads of people, and let’s hope they like it’. Following the release earlier in the year of their eponymous debut album, which reached a high of #18 in the British iTunes charts, it cannot be denied that their schedule has been, and continues to be, unrelenting. At the time of the interview the lads were right in the middle of festival season, and they don’t seem to have stopped right up until this tour! Thomson used Glastonbury as the example: ‘Straight afterwards we were straight off for a Live Lounge session for Radio 1, so it didn’t really sink in till afterwards’, with Elliot nodding in confirmation. ‘We did stick around for the whole weekend though, we saw all the main headliners, Lorde, London Grammar who were insane’. As it turned out, their show at BBK Live went down a storm amongst the collection of Spanish, Basque and English who littered the crowd as the evening got underway, with what seemed to be a band fanclub at the front and the number of people there increasing as the set progressed. Highlights, which are sure to be present in the setlist on their upcoming UK tour, were without question ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Junk Food Forever’ - although the set in general certainly gave the impression that The Amazons are a band on the up. Whether it’s festivals or headline shows, or future material to come, the band who set fire to their own tour bus (no word of a lie!) certainly seem to have a bright future. Keep an eye out on our twitter (@TheMicNotts) for our review of the gig in Nottingham! 22
Dates for your Diary: 5/10/17 Hockney live presents.. The Amazons DJ set 6/10/17 The Amazons live at Rescue Rooms
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In Conversation....
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Two years on from releasing their single ‘Swim’ Brighton based Fickle Friends have only grown in both success and sound. Through their shared love of Friendly Fires, Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix, Natti Shiner, Chris Hall, Sam Morris, Harry Herrington and Jack Wilson began their musical project. Fickle Friends have created a hybrid sound of indie and pop with its imperfect melodies and whimsical, addictive hooks. We managed to grab Natti for a quick phone call ahead of their upcoming headline tour. So how did the band form? We all met while at uni in Brighton where we still reside. We were part of a music school and then we started the band. We seemed to do alright and the school was paying us to do some promo for them which then payed for us to record… and then we just sort of fobbed it off and went on tour and became really bad students. That sounds like every students dream! How did you find your sound? It’s been a progressive thing, it never started out how it is now and it was all a bit of a mess. We were really confused as to what our sound was and as time has gone on we’ve kind of honed it a little bit. It’s then been pretty consistent in the past few years, but I think we were just like everyone else. No one starts a band like ‘this is what we sound like, this is what we’re always gonna sound like’. Your interests change and that changes what you’re writing. What was the inspiration behind the name Fickle Friends? We didn’t come up with the name, I had to write a band name for this like school showcase we were playing and my friend was like ‘oh this would be a cool band name’ and I basically borrowed it from them and never gave it back. Can you tell us a bit about the artwork behind the EPs? We have an artist involved, he’s done all of our artwork over the past year, including the faceless girl which is kind of the running theme. It’s a guy called Mat Maitland and I can’t believe he’s working with us, he’s just so incredible. He’s done artwork for Michael Jackson and Basement Jaxx. His thing is doing really arty collages, so yeah we’ve been working with him for a year now. Can we ask when the album is due to be released? I want to say the first quarter of next year but I hate to say it as things always get pushed back, I remember saying in an interview last year ‘yeah it’s coming out in September’ and we’re in September now and there’s no album. It’s really difficult to say but I guess it’s the same for most bands.
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Has it been a fluid project? It’s been fluid but things get pushed back and then you write something new, and it’s basically the inability to make decisions which is the root of the problem most of the time. We’re also perfectionists, we want things to be right so that means you have to take a song you thought was finished and rewrite the whole thing again and that’s kind of been what’s going on. So, you still live in Brighton, do you see the band remaining there in the future? I dunno, I’ve been here for 6 years now and I’ve never reallystayed in one place for that long. But it’s a really cool and chilled place and you can kind of exist here, especially as a creative. It’s a cool place to live. I do love London but I would get carried away with spending loads of money and like, today I just walked around to Jack’s house and we’re gonna work on a song, but in London it wouldn’t be that easy cause you’d have to call and know what time you’re working until, where here we can work late and we can work whenever. Also all of our friends from uni are here and the music scene is very cool. What bands have inspired you? We’re inspired by so much stuff. In the beginning when we started out we were inspired by so much stuff like Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, Justice, and then all the stuff we were listening to as teenagers like Friendly Fires and Two Door and Phoenix. Even now we find inspiration in our peers and people we’re mates with, like we’ll write a song and we’ll want it to sound more like Honne or that Will Joseph Cook song, like anything I make playlists from. And modern pop music as well like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Like forward thinking pop music that we want to infuse our own indie music with so it’s kind of hybrid. Do you have a favourite band/ song at the moment? I’m super super into this girl called Amber Mark, I’m obsessed with her, she’s only had a couple songs out but she’s from New York and she has this really kind of proper cool like African inspired pop music which I think is super cool.
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There’s also a French girl called Jain who does a similar kind of thing. I dunno there’s so much stuff out at the moment that I absolutely love. Do you find yourself drawn to other female artists? I’m not necessarily drawn to other female artists, like I’m equally drawn to both female and male artists and bands, I’m not like ‘I love indie music and that is gospel’. It’s just that I’m more interested in a song and an album, like I listened to the whole Nothing but Thieves album this morning and I love it, and that’s kind of like Rock music with loads of pop melodies. You had a pretty busy festival season this year, how did it go? Festival season is so great but it’s kind of stop start. It’s just weekends as opposed to going on tour for a full month. It’s only knackering cause it’s like crazy highs and you come home and you’ve got loads of work to do and then you’ve got to build yourself back up to do a festival on the weekend. It’s very up and down, up and down. It’s quite like burning the candle at both ends. But there’s nothing like it, I love festival season and I get really sad when it’s all over.
“No one starts a band like ‘this is what we sound like, this is what we’re always gonna sound like’”
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What was your favourite festival of the summer? I mean Reading was out of this world, Boardmasters as well. It’s just based on how we enjoyed the show and what the response was. Community Festival too… um I really don’t have a favourite festival. We also headlined our first festival which was a tiny festival called Field View. Mayby Reading? I really don’t know. Have you had a decent break before you embark on your upcoming headline tour? We did Ibiza Rocks last week which was mental so we’ve just come back from that and we’re basically trying to finish some album stuff. We’re off to some sort of uni freshers next week then something in York and then it’s just kind of rehearsals/ finishing album songs and then we’re on tour. We’re just mad busy, but that’s the way I like it, I’ll have one day off and then I’ll be like ‘I’m bored’. Finally, if you could headline any festival in the world alongside any band who/ where would it be? It’d have to be Glastonbury, we’ve never played it and we’d love to as it’s just the best festival. And then the headliners… um I’d have to go with Friendly Fires, they’re our fave band in the whole world and we absolutely love them. We did some writing with their department which blew my mind and I know that they’re coming back, there’s been all this buzz in the past couple days with DIY and things. So, yeah it would have to be Glastonbury with Friendly Fires. Catch Fickle Friends in Rescue Rooms on the 25h of October
By Ceryn Morris
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Review: Wolf Alice @ The Venue, Derby Arriving too late to catch the support band, we wait excitedly for Wolf Alice to hit the stage, the atmosphere – and the heat – steadily building as the time nears 9:30. The fans vary in age – the front row consisting of both glitter-adorned teens and fans of an older generation; who are certainly not afraid to get amongst the rowdy cluster of bodies in order to get a good view of the London four-piece. The band opens with one of their new releases – ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ – lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell looking as cool and nonchalant as ever in low-rise jeans and hair styled in a slickedback low bun. The ethereal, electronic sound of the track captivates the crowd and though it perhaps isn’t the liveliest track to kick off the gig with, it certainly shows off Rowsell’s stunning vocal range. The crowd surges into life as the familiar sound of the band’s arguably most well-known track, ‘Bros’, emanates from the stage, and is followed by the punchy punk record, ‘You’re a Germ’ which is met with a swarm of excitement. By this point, the cosy venue is swelteringly hot and those in the front row seem to decide, in an almost synchronous fashion, to embrace the sweat and get stuck in. Before the band play tracks fresh off their new album, bassist Theo Ellis advises the crowd to watch the gig with their eyes rather than through their phones and people certainly seem to listen, pocketing their devices in unanimous agreement with his sentiment. Short but not so sweet; the fierce and spluttering ‘Yuk Foo’ is a hit with the sell-out crowd, who almost breathe a sigh of relief when the soft, silvery melodies of ‘Lisbon’ and ‘Blush’ arrive to bring a touch of calm to the sweaty room. Another brand new track, ‘Beautifully Unconventional’, is played, following its premiere on Radio 1 as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record, just the night before the gig.
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Dates for your diary: 29/9/17 Visions of a Life 15/11/17 Live at Rock City
The pop-funk track injects a fresh and very different energy into the crowd – its sound sta nding in direct contrast to that of ‘Yuk Foo’ and ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ – which perhaps raises some questions about the cohesiveness of this new album. Having starred in the trailer and soundtrack for T2 Trainspotting, the epic ‘Silk’ is lapped up by the crowd and murmurs of ‘trainspotting’ can be heard as the first riffs of the song are instantly recognised. Rowsell’s voice is accompanied beautifully by the vocals of the guitarist, Joff Oddie, and the drummer, Joel Amey, but it is her individual talent that has everyone hooked. Wolf Alice ensures that every member of the crowd is thoroughly drenched in sweat by the end of the performance by thrashing out some of their most punk-influenced classics – ‘Fluffy’, ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ and the brilliant ‘Giant Peach’ as the encore. Rowsell’s ability to shift from angelic vocals to earth-shattering screeches is impressive, and the energy of the entire band does not relent until The Venue’s main lights are switched on (revealing a horde of extremely sweaty and exhilarated people). The band has told their Twitter followers that they are ‘immensely proud of this album’ and Ellis’ remark about living in the moment as they revealed snippets of ‘Visions of a Life’ certainly reflects this feeling. In a slight lean away from the Indie rock style of their debut album, their second album promises invigorating, psychedelic music. Personally, I feel their development will receive praise as fans are allowed to see the full extent of the band’s raw and exciting talent. Their album release and European tour are sure to reinstate their prominence on the alternative music scene and I have a feeling that their following is set to increase as more people fall in love with the effortlessly cool sound of Wolf Alice.
By Lucy Wharton
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A Show that Defined a City: We Are Manchester By Archie Banks ‘On the 9th of September 2017, 110 days on from the terror attack which shocked the country and claimed the lives of 22 innocent men, women and children, the Manchester Arena reopened its doors for the first time since that fateful night for a show which served as a resounding display of remembrance, defiance and celebration. It was, perhaps, a show that defined a city, as a people turned out in their thousands to descend on the arena for a show celebrating Manchester’s array of musical talent coupled with special guests galore. The two combined to make a fitting, special night both in terms of remembering the past and looking forward to the future The show opened up with an address from city mayor Andy Burnham and a reading of the poem ‘This Is The Place’ by Tony Walsh, which became famous in the aftermath of the tragedy. The tone of the night was set as, rather than a minute of silence in it’s wake, a minute of raucous noise followed from the crowd. This night was not for sadness, but for a display of defiance and an unwillingness to be silenced. The night was not without its strange moments. The inclusion on the bill of Pixie Lott and Nadine Coyle, neither Mancunian, was a little odd, although both put on a show and received a good reception. Rick Astley’s set was a mixed bag - covering Everlong by the Foo Fighters may well be the strangest cover of the year anywhere in the world - but the closing of
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his set with crowd favourite ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ was sung back by the whole crowd - many of whom will not have been born when the song was first released! It was after Astley’s set that the show really began to take off. Stockport-based rockers Blossoms brought the house down with a superb 5 song set, even bringing out their producer and lead singer of The Coral, James Skelly, to perform a cover of the Liverpudlian psychedelic-rock band’s acclaimed hit ‘Dreaming Of You’, to a rapturous ovation. At Most A Kiss, Getaway, Honey Sweet and their biggest hit to date Charlemagne made up the rest of the set, with Tom Ogden and co looking right at home on the Arena stage. Expect them to be back as gig headliners before too long at the venue. A brief set from local grime act Bugzy Malone followed, who brought out Tom Grennan for his final song, before it was the turn of local heroes The Courteeners. Their set, lasting 8 songs, really summed up what the whole show was about. Liam Fray even managed to lose some of his customary arrogance, instead focusing on bringing the house down with a phenomenal set that brought back memories, albeit shorter in length, of the two arena headline shows the band played in 2012 and 2013. The night clearly meant a lot to the band, and ‘The Opener’, including the perfectly put lyric ‘My heart is here, here to stay’, could not have been a more appropriate song to include in the set (they played it 3rd, incidentally.
Don’t judge a song by its title, clearly!). What ‘The Courteeners’ gave to the evening, in essence, was 8 songs of dancing, jumping, singing and general exhilaration amongst the crowd, many of whom will have been veterans of Courteeners gigs in the past. Finishing with ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ followed by ‘What Took You So Long’ and including their usual snippet of ‘Tomorrow’ by fellow Manc band ‘James’, their performance was befitting of the evening, and enough superlatives do not exist to do the description of the show justice. And that wasn’t it. Headliner Noel Gallagher was introduced by Northern funnyman Peter Kay, with the line ‘Mr Manchester himself, all the way from London, Noel Gallagher!’ to much amusement amongst the crowd. If The Courteeners had been frenetic, Gallagher’s set was far more laid back, opening with his solo track ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ and including Oasis songs such as ‘Half The World Away’, ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Little by Little’ and ‘Wonderwall’. By far the most tender, emotional moment of the night was, of course, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, which became an anthem of defiance, spirit and togetherness in the tragedy’s aftermath. ‘Every time you sing this song, we win’, Noel said, and there is a part of that which is so true. Everyone in that crowd sang the anthem with passion, pride and respect, a moment never to be forgotten by anyone present. The final word on this unforgettable night must go to Peter Kay, whose emotional speech must be remembered as much as all the fantastic acts that performed such a fitting tribute on such a difficult evening for many: ‘There’s been a lot of joy in this room over the years, including on the night of the 22nd May, right up until the terrorist attack. These last four months have been very painful, horrendous is putting it mildly.. But that’s why you’re here, because we cannot let terrorists win… We move forward with love, not hate. That’s how we win’.
May the 22 innocent victims Rest In Peace. They will never be forgotten
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The Mic’s Ultimate Fresher’s Playlist Chosen by Lok Yee …Ready For It? - Taylor Swift She’s back and love or hate her you’ll probably hear this on the radio/ in the clubs, so get used to T-Swizzle’s return. Although it isn’t as catchy as her older material, her angst-y vocals and heavy bass drops are just the thing to get you pumped for the mayhem of welcome week. New Rules – Dua Lipa Pop has paved way for a new Queen this summer as Dua Lipa has topped the charts with her sassy New Rules. We could all learn a few things from Dua and luckily, they come in the form of an infectious and super cool club track. Despacito Remix – Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber Who doesn’t want to relive their holidays with a classic case of Euro Pop and Bieber? You’re probably a bit sick of it now but it was undeniably the song of the summer. Bonus points if you know the lyrics.
Fickle Friends – Glue An indie pop tune that you can really dance to with a happy and carefree vibe. This is a brilliant getting ready song to get you hyped for those 9ams. Catch them at Rescue Rooms in Notts on the 25th of October. 32
Yuk Foo – Wolf Alice As we prepare for the release of their second album, Visions of a Life, on the 29th September, we can enjoy a snippet of it in their first single. Yuk Foo is by far the angriest and heaviest song that Wolf Alice have made and has a punky edge. A good song for raging about the mess in your new flat that you didn’t make. How Soon The Dawn – Jake Bugg A Nottingham born lad, Jake Bugg’s How Soon The Dawn is a relaxed and sweet love song. From his new album, Hearts That Strain, the song is a change of pace and mood for Bugg as he enjoys the happiness of love.
Oh Woman Oh Man – London Grammar London Grammar are a band were formed whilst studying at UoN (anything can happen) and have just released their second album Truth Is A Beautiful Thing. With a brooding and intense style, it’s a great atmospheric tune to lose yourself in.
Baywatch Theme Tune Learn it quickly freshers or you’ll be left behind when you ride the Ocean waves and Baywatch drops. It’s a song that will never leave you, just make sure you hold onto your tops… 33
We asked some of our interviewees if they had to pick any song from any genre they wish they had written, what would it be. from beethoven to springsteen see below what they had to say....
Elliot Briggs – ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles/’Gimme Shelter’ by The Rolling Stones (THE AMAZONS)
Rowetta - ‘Colony’ by Joy Division (HAPPY MONDAYS)
Thomas McConnell - ‘Coming Up’ by Paul McCartney (TV ME)
Jo Dudderidge - ‘The Best of the Beatles’ by The Beatles (THE TRAVELLING BAND)
Phil Ventrelle - ‘Oliver’s Army’ by Elvis Costello (VENTRELLES)
Matt Thomson – ‘Born To Run’ by Bruce Springsteen (THE AMAZONS) Neil Arthur - ‘Ode To Joy’ by Beethoven (BLANCMANGE)
The Songs they wish they’d written... 34
meet the committee!
Ceryn Morris President Favourite Artist: Frank Turner Favourite Festival: Green Man Favourite Night Out: The Pop Confessional
Luke Barnard Treasurer Favourite Artist: Arctic Monkeys Favourite Festival: Leeds Favourite Night Out: Tuned Thursday
Lok Yee Editor in Chief Favourite Artist: Foals Favourite Festival: Glastonbury Favourite Night Out: Ocean
Archie Banks Communications Favourite Artist: The Beatles Favourite Festival: Leeds/ BBK Live Favourite Night Out: Stealth vs Rescued
Lucy Wharton Marketing Favourite Artist: The Killers Favourite Festival: Y Not Favourite Night Out: Stealth vs Rescued
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