Welcome to Circulation, revived and back from the dead!
An idea that was started over a year ago, has now become a real life tangible magazine that you can hold (and hopefully enjoy reading). The theme of this issue is ‘Changes’; how music has changed through time and is still changing currently in York. Blood, sweat and tears have gone into these pages, and I’m excited to introduce you to our chaotic, musical world that our contributors have created. You are now a part of the inner circle, welcome!
To get involved, please see our Instagram page (@circulationzine). To pitch an article for our next issue, please email our editors at circulationmagazine@yusu.org.
Heather Gosling (Editor in Chief)
Songs to listen to as you read:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 1&2 ----- Clubs in York through time by Holly Hughes
Page 3 & 4 ---- ‘essence of something new’ by Amber Loveridge What causes artists to switch genres? New Blue Sun by Andre 3000 by Maddi O’Meara
Page 5 & 6 ---- Bands in York through time by Lauren Wilson
Page 7 & 8 ---- Spotify Unwrapped by Edie Bell-Brown
Page 9 & 10 ---- Interviews with Cavegirl and the Neandergals and The Milk Lizards by Heather Gosling
Page 11 & 12 ---- Gig review: Renne Rapp at the O2 Apollo, Manchester by Amber Loveridge
Gig review: Declan Mckenna at The Wardrobe, Leeds by Emily Kirk
Page 13 & 14 ---- Interview with Bear Park by Tom Fordyce
Page 15 & 16 ---- Puzzles and credits
The Ardath Club in 1972 –2 stars
Apparently this was a club. Don’t judge a book by its cover, I guess?
CLUBS IN YORK
We’ve all heard about York’s rich history –but this doesn’t just extend to the Shambles. In the past few decades, a lot of the city’s clubs have drastically changed.
Read as I rate each one using my great taste and superior expertise...
Ziggy’s in 1983 – 2 stars
I don’t think Ziggy’s was popping off back then. The couple look a bit too civilised to be grooving to a guest DJ – and why is he holding the lamp like that? Furniture is cute but is probably just there to fill the empty space.
Kuda in 1988 – 4 stars
Kuda definitely had a classier vibe. The mirror design is a cheeky nod to Flares, whilst the carpeting makes for a comfier drunk stumble onto the floor. The barmaid is a bit off-putting –she’d definitely judge you for asking if they had blue shits.
THROUGH T I M E
Cats Whiskers in the 1970s – 4 stars
By Holly Hughes
The name alone puts the Fulford Arms to shame as York’s top music venue. How cool would you sound saying, “I’m on a bender to the Cats Whiskers,” on a Wednesday night?
The ‘dress informal’ sign is also super helpful – you’d never have to worry about what to wear with this clear code. Why this place no longer exists is beyond me.
Salvos in 2005 – 3 stars
Loving the orange-tone exterior and the contrasting purple interior – what a feast for the drunk eyes! With no queue, you don’t have to invest in a Platinum Card!
Popworld in 2008 – 1 star
Even when it was called Reflex, Popworld still looked rough. Points for the fancy blue lights but I can’t say it has the classy vibes of old Kuda.
Images: York Press archives
Andre 3000: What causes artists to switch genres?
By Maddi O’Meara
A five-decade-long build-up of Outkast fans’ generic expectations heavily rely on systematic racial stereotypes for marketing purposes. Joel Brown’s article ‘A New Blue Sun: A Celestial Shift in Creative Expression’ spells it out: ‘This move need not be framed as a departure from his hip-hop roots but is a profound statement of artistic freedom, breaking free from the often restrictive labels placed on artists based on race and cultural background.’ The way Outkast fans are left ‘waiting for the beat to drop’ mirrors how devoted Bob Dylan fans felt betrayed when their favourite dive bar divinity ‘turned electric’ in 1965, making an entire album with electric instruments. Though left confused, shocked and disappointed, Dylan’s process created a new genre: folk-rock. It seems the only way for music to expand is to have artists willing to break free from established genres and create new spaces.
While some blogs dismissed 3000’s new music as a ‘midlife crisis’, Brown said this was unfair. However Brown may be ignoring 3000’s life now as he is getting older; it may hold some truth. 3000 explained to GQ, ‘I’m 48 years old and, not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about, but in a way it does.’ He mocks the mundanities of middle-aged life; ‘What are you rapping about? ‘My eyesight is going bad?!’ Perhaps it really is that simple? Maybe a genre-switch only takes a few wrinkle lines and backache?
2023’s controversial album, Mac Demarco’s ‘One Wayne G’, made me question the simplicity of all this though: What would push someone to do such a thing? Was he trying to make a statement or piss people off? Was it all just a joke? At a level of success, artists are free to do as they please for no reason other than ‘for the fun of it’. There is no denying André 3000 reached such a point long ago, and his own idea of fun was adoring Caltrain and finding peace in his Mayan flute. 3000 told GQ, ‘If it don’t feel right to me… I don’t do it. The song is more important. Music is more important.’ Redditors may battle about whether he is just doing a ninety-minute attention grab or a soul-transcending subversion of genre convention, but we can all appreciate his musical devotion. After all, it is unlikely hip-hop fans would have paid any attention to ambient-jazz flute before this album. This is something to remember when Ariana Grande begins to dabble in dub techno, or when Kate Bush returns with an east-coast hip-hop album. Ultimately, music is more important.
BANDS IN YORK
By Lauren Wilson
1960s
John Barry Prendergast OBE, born in York in 1933. He composed music for two James Bond movies: ‘From Russia with Love’ (1963) and ‘Goldfinger’ (1964).
Angel Pavement (1967-1970)
Named after the J.B. Priestley novel, Angel Pavement had quite a large following in York. Songs such as ‘When Will I See June Again’ have a dreamy, psychedelic element that reminded me of The Doors, and The Hollies and The Zombies.
Image: Barnaby Fairley
THROUGH T I M E
York has a great local music scene, but I was surprised at just how many bands originated in this small city. I’ve chosen only a few bands here, so check out the Circulation playlist for a full discography!
Mostly Autumn (1995-present)
Mostly Autumn are a progressive/hard rock band with a celtic influence. If you’re a fan of 70’s prog rock and psychedelia, make sure to check this band out. They have been compared to Pink Floyd and even praised by Rick Wright.
Shed Seven (1990-present)
Shed Seven are one of the biggest bands to come out of York. Their Britpop, guitar driven sound can be heard on hits such as ‘Chasing Rainbows’ and ‘On Standby.’ Despite splitting in 2003, the band have since regrouped – 2024 marks their thirtieth year. In January, they released their latest album A Matter of Time, and are playing at the York Museum Gardens this summer.
Image:Mostly Autumn records, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Seahorses
(1996-1999)
One of John Squire’s post Stone Roses projects, The Seahorses formed when Squire spotted singer Chris Helme busking in York, and recruited Stuart Fletcher at a open mic night in York. Squire showcases some of his best guitar work ‘Blinded By The Sun,’ to the moody Britpop sound of ‘Love Me And Leave Me.’ The name is allegedly an anagram of ‘he hates roses,’ a nod to Squire’s former Manchester band.
SPOTIFY
By Edie Bell-Brown
“Is Spotify Wrapped no longer a way to connect but instead a way to judge others?”
Edie Bell-Brown asks...
The day Spotify Wrapped drops is one of the most highly anticipated days for music-lovers globally (if you have the app… and subscribe… and have been listening for over a year). Context for you weird Apple Music users: Spotify analyses your listening habits, provides statistics on your top five songs and artists, as well as your total minutes spent listening to music over the past year.
In 2023, Spotify reported they ‘brought more to users than ever before’ including new features such as Sound Town, attributing a location to your music taste. Even our very own York was a popular location. Last year, Spotify tracked the listening statistics of 574 million users. Every year since its conception, the general public swarm to boast (and hide) their guilty pleasures.
Wrapped is not only a place to track our individual listening habits, but it builds a community (for better or worse). Spotify introduced the new ‘Me in 2023’ which selects an archetype for you based on your music taste. For example, if you are the ‘Vampire’, you tend to listen to more ‘emotional music with a little darkness’ (very edgy). These archetypes are the new horoscopes of music, providing not only a figure to identify with (for the music Van Helsings), but something to post on those stories we all skip through restlessly.
Music is intimately tied to our identity. Now, instead of buying a Nirvana t-shirt, our true tastes are laid bare (if only they sold ‘10 hours of continuous rain merch!). Many music fans want their taste to boast a sense of individuality for fear of being perceived as ‘basic’ or ‘an awful human.’ This raises the question: is Spotify Wrapped no longer a way to connect but instead a way to judge others?
UN
WRAPPED
Maybe the guy who posted that he was in Radiohead’s 0.001% of top listeners secretly listens to Nicki Minaj in the shower incognito?
Our listening patterns have become easy to alter through Spotify’s ‘incognito mode’ where, if turned on, any music you listen to does not count towards your Wrapped stats and can’t be seen by others. Maybe the guy who posted on his Instagram story that he was in Radiohead’s 0.001% of top listeners secretly listens to Nicki Minaj in the shower incognito, or on Apple Music?
Spotify exploits the idea that your music taste socially categorises you. As we know, Wrapped blends music taste with personality, and breeds stereotypes. For instance, male manipulators listen to The Smiths, drink Stella, and hate women… simply not true (you’re only fourteen, Dylan). As TikTok culture dictates, the Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey listeners’ Wrapped are not something to boast about, but shamefully hide. Cultivating an ‘edgy’ music taste has become deliberate. Has Spotify Wrapped transformed music, a personal retreat, into a public spectacle? Or, should we, as a global community, realise that nobody actually looks at your story.
CAVEGIRL AND THE NEANDERGALS
Images: Heather Gosling
By Heather Gosling
Circulation had the pleasure of interviewing Cavegirl and the Neandergals. A leopard print wearing all-female Rockabilly band from Leeds and Manchester, with a musical force like no other. During my chat with them, they shared exciting details about their upcoming EP and how the captivating genres of psychobilly, blues, and rock influence them. Their journey started with unique inspiration, as Cavegirl explained:
“The idea came about from my surname, which is Cave, so I’ve always wanted a cave girlthemed band. During lockdown I started learning double bass, that’s when I met Ruby and we started busking together. I told her my idea for the cave girl theme and she went for it.”
Despite the challenges of being an all-female band in a male-dominated rock music scene, they’ve received a phenomenal response. Cavegirl said:
“Don’t get me wrong, we always get some old bloke that comes up to us and has to make a comment… Our favourite ever comment was when someone came up to us and said he liked us… except from that one, pointing at me. He said, “She’s got too much attitude.”
And I said,
“What do you mean?”
“You know what you were doing, riling all the women up.” So I said,
“YES, that’s what I want to do!”. Ruby added:
“When we were playing in Leeds, someone told me that after the gig that we were alright but I was playing the wrong guitar … he just didn’t like the guitar I had and wanted me to have a different one…”.
We’re eagerly looking forward to Cavegirl and the Neandergals playing live gigs in the future, including one in New York and Psychobilly festivals! Look out for their upcoming EP, which will be six tracks of originals and is set to be released with a label soon.
THE MILK LIZARDS
By Heather Gosling
The Milk Lizards are a Surf Rock band consisting of three members from Sunderland. They have been performing together since 2014. During their recent gig at The Fulford Arms, I had the opportunity to interview John and Stevie about their band and their album, titled, ‘Warm’.
Q) Could you tell me a bit about your band?
John: “For people who don’t know what surf rock music is, it’s like a Tarantino soundtrack, it’s that kind of thing. It’s nice to keep surf rock alive, but with a modern twist. And because we don’t sing, lots of people don’t even realise that.”
Q) How are you feeling about the gig tonight? Have you played with Cavegirl and the Neandergals before?
John: “We’ve played here about five or six times. We love it here. We haven’t played with Cavegirl before, but we followed her on Instagram when she first started up with her band. She came to our surf rock bonanza in Newcastle in 2022, which is something we put on every year, so she came to that and we gave her a free t-shirt and she wore it in one of her viral videos.”
Stevie: “When we first started, we were a surf rock cover band. All the songs were written, and there are no lyrics, so all the hard bits were done.”
Q) What are your key musical influences?
Stevie: “I grew up liking Bon Jovi and Guns and Roses, so big stadium bands, and also alternative and metal and I can see those influences in our songs. I think the essence of our songs has a real DIY punk element. I’m all about DIY, I would rather record our own stuff and take our own photos than pay someone to do it.”
Q) What’s your songwriting process like?
John: “Sometimes you’ll have an idea for a riff in the shower or something and you’ve got to get it down. I always wanted a song that started with playing an open string on a Fender strat on a tremolo, and we all chipped in with the song but it started from that one idea.”
Q) Do you view social media as essential for breaking into the music industry?
John: “It’s essential, yeah. We got this gig through social media, and that’s just the way of the world now. We had never had anything on Spotify before, Steve’s quite old school and believes in CDs and stuff like that whereas I’m quite a big streamer. We’ve now set up an Instagram account, reluctantly. For a while, we tried to keep it old school, but realised that we had to get on social media. We had to change our mentality.”
Reneé Rapp at Manchester O2 Apollo
By Amber Loveridge
Fresh from her acclaimed role as Regina George in the ‘Mean Girls’ reboot and an unforgettable SNL appearance where she notoriously referred to herself as ‘mother,’ Reneé Rapp took to the O2 Apollo’s stage with confidence and charm.
Opening with the rock-pop anthem ‘Talk Too Much,’ she uplifted the audience with an unrivalled, lively burst of energy. Rapp even followed on from this song with an eager claim that she was excited to lose her ‘Manchester virginity.’ It’s fair to say the crowd were just as overjoyed about this as she was. From head-banging and encouraging crowd participation to the likes of ‘Poison Poison’ and ‘Pretty Girls’, Rapp rocked baggy Y2K attire onstage. Performing the acoustic, vulnerable track ‘I Wish’ alongside her brother, her stage presence was dynamic and immersive.
A standout moment came when she invited a fan onstage to perform Megan Thee Stallion’s rap verse from her hit ‘Not My Fault,’ a TikTok viral track that gained traction due to Rapp’s iconic choreography performed live on SNL. This empowering anthem was perfectly positioned mid-way through the setlist, vitally rejuvenating those who had fallen victim to her heart-wrenching performances of soul-destroying break-up tracks ‘Gemini Moon’ and ‘Tummy Hurts.’ However, the raw emotion behind her finishing song, ‘Snow Angel,’ truly captivated the crowd. With haunting vocals, Rapp delivered a poignant performance that left a lasting impression. As the night came to an end, it was evident that Reneé Rapp’s future as a singer-songwriter is as promising as it is exciting.
Image: Amber Loveridge
Image: Emily Kirk
Declan McKenna at The Wardrobe, Leeds
By Emily Kirk
Declan Mckenna played a series of ‘Intimate Album Launch Shows’ to celebrate the release of his latest album ‘What Happened to the Beach?’. Much like the album, released a few days before, the show did not disappoint. The venue was fuller than I’ve ever seen it, as the ticket promised it was a prompt start – no support act, just Mckenna.
Mckenna opened with a few singles released ahead of the album: ‘Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine’, ‘Elevator Hum’, ‘Nothing Works’ and ‘Sympathy’. There was a natural flow between the softer melodies and songs that got the crowd jumping. His album takes a new direction, incorporating more experimental tunes and synth sounds.
This being the latter of two shows at the venue, Mckenna joked nostalgically about the last time he played The Wardrobe (the 7:00 show only a few hours before, which sold out in a matter of hours). He started playing ‘It’s an act’, ‘WOBBLE’ and ‘The Phantom Buzz (Kick In).’ Mckenna also played the hits ‘Brazil’ and ‘British Bombs’, never failing to get the crowd singing along. In a ‘pick your own story’ end to the evening, Mckenna returned for an encore, giving the crowd the choice between ‘Listen to your friends’ and ‘The Key to Life on Earth’. Of course, ‘Listen to your Friends’ prevailed. These intimate shows are the lead-up to his bigger UK and Ireland Tour of 2024. If this is only a taster, his upcoming tour promises to be nothing short of amazing.
BY
TOM FORDYCE
BEAR PARK A CHAT WITH
With their first single, ‘Betty’, released in 2023 under The Libertines’ Gary Powell (25 Hour Convenience Store) and a slew of recent gigs, Bear Park are the North East’s band t o watch out for in 2024. I caught up with Shay and Guy from the band on recording their upcoming album, their musical influences, and their biggest shows yet.
“A lot of people just have names in their songs. I can name four songs with the name Danny,” Guy claims when I ask about who Betty is. Clearly Betty isn’t a real person, just a girl on one of Shay’s t-shirts, but for him it represents “a day-to-day kind of person that might not realise they need your help”. On the shirt, Betty is “crying with a cigarette in her mouth,” an apt image for Shay’s lyrics.
Betty is the lead single for the album they started recording in Margate, Kent. “When you’re away, you’re forced to think a different way…we’re all living together, recording is the only thing you’re thinking about,” Shay tells me. The rest of the album was recorded back in Newcastle. “They both feel very different,” he says. Living together in Margate was clearly an experience. They tell me about how during recording they left their hotel only once. “[It was] January in Kent, on the coast. It was so cold. We walked along the beach for fifteen minutes and then turned back!”
On musical influences, neither Shay nor Guy think the Libertines have intentionally influenced their new work, but according to Guy they’ve accidentally rewritten their 2004 hit ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ while working on this album. Nonetheless, Shay’s biggest influences come from the other side of the pond, particularly US indie rock band Wallows whom he “takes a lot from, musically”. Recent performances with Shay and Guy “harmonising and sharing mics, which is what Pete (Doherty) and Carl (Barat) are known for,” suggest maybe they have been influenced. When asked about meeting the Libertines in Stockton, Shay makes it clear that “they’re just blokes”. Pete was “in his dressing room, playing guitar” with “his dog Gladys” according to Shay. It doesn’t seem like they’re out-of-reach rockstars for the band, more like colleagues: “you meet your heroes and realise they’re just people’’.
Bear Park has spent a lot of time with Gary in their recording process, drawing from his experience. His musical repertoire, especially as a DJ beyond his indie rock reputation, has made an impact on their taste. Their drummer Adam has been working with drum grooves influenced by funk, hip-hop and reggae, including a prominent “reggae bit” on their upcoming album. Guy hints that they have a cover song from “one of Gary’s favourite 90s bands” coming out after the album.
The band seems to be changing lyrically as well as physically. To Shay, their new album is about “running away and getting out somewhere”. It also contrasts home with their experience of “all our friends moving to uni, away from the North East and us staying here”. This appears on the album differently than you’d expect. Guy explains there are “lots of references to other cultures, like Japan, just showing how much of the world we want to explore”. Their second album single, ‘Keep on Smiling’, is no different; “it’s about getting away with a partner, away from this place,” Shay explains. “It’s just as catchy as Betty, but a lot punchier and less melancholic,” Guy adds.
Perhaps the theme of running away is linked to the ongoing travels of the band, playing gigs across the country? A strong run of supporting sets has set them up well for future gigs. Their new album will be supported in a Newcastle headline, as a release show. Shay tells me they also have “a lot of stuff planned for a headline tour, going to some other cities”. Guy has his eyes on the Roundhouse in Camden after visiting London recently, and Shay is aiming for The Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow. They certainly both still want to stay at home too, as like most people in Newcastle, they both want to play St James’ Park and City Hall.
In the near future, they have several festival sets lined up for the summer, including Hardwick Live and CoastFest. With the arrival of bigger gigs and a new album, Bear Park is only getting stronger in 2024.
Across:
2. Rihanna covered this indie musician on her 2016 album ANTI (10).
4. The rapper behind “Changes”, which famously samples Bruce Hornsby’s 1986 hit “The Way It Is” (5).
5. Ed Sheeran reminisces about his lost childhood through this ______ on a hill (6).
6. Song by the Beatles about the changing relationship of a couple (6).
9. American _______, 90s 2nd wave emo pioneers named after the sport of the Super
Down:
1. Famous composer behind violin concerti The Four Seasons (7).
3. MF DOOM and Madlib song named after an bellowed instrument (9).
7. 2013 self-titled album that changed weekly album releases from Tuesday to Friday (7).
8. Thom Yorke teaches you how to completely in this 2000 Radiohead song (9).
10. Kanye West song; underwent over 20 complete changes before release in 2021 (9).
12. Song by pop-punk band Neck Deep, named after a winter month (8).
S • P U Z Z L E S • P U Z Z L E S • P U -Z
CREDITS
Committee:
Editor in Chief: Heather Gosling
Editor in Chief: Jack Cattle
Secretary: Tom Fordyce
Treasurer: Will Brooks
Press & Publicity: Holly Hughes
Equality & Diversity: Dan
Gordon-Potts
Writers:
Edie Bell-Brown, Will Brooks, Jack Cattle, Tom Fordyce, Heather Gosling, Holly Hughes, Emily Kirk, Amber Loveridge, Maddi O’Meara, Lauren Wilson.
Design:
Designers: Heather Gosling, Tom Fordyce. Front cover design: Josh Brown
