GEM A CUT ABOVE THE REST Issue 07 HIPPO CAMPUS A dive into the group‘s stellar new record and their excitedly awaited European tour PEACH PIT The indie group on the pandemic and their anticipated comeback to the stage BOYISH The NY-duo on the magic of lyricism and vulnerability and their plans for the future
CONTENTS HIPPO CAMPUS 04 PEACH PIT 10 MUSIC REVIEWS 16 LIVE REVIEWS 18 TAKEOVER LONDON 20 BOYISH 26 LET’S GET CULTURAL 32 HIDDEN GEMS 34 FUN STUFF 38
Other than that, this issue is yet again packed with various song and album reviews of our favourite recent releases, electric live reviews, a very special piece about Twenty One Pilots’ latest Takeover Tour in London - exclusive fan-insights included -, as well as interesting arts and culture write-ups. It’s an issue of celebration, fun and experiences and passions that we believe should be at the forefront this summer and it’s with great pride that I get to share it with all of you. Because, in the end, none of this would be possible without you - the readers, the music fans. It’s you who make the world for us go round, so I want to dedicate this very special issue to all of you. I truly hope you enjoy it. I’ll see you in the fields.
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Ah yes, summer is back, festivals are here, the sun is shining and a field of grass is everyone’s preferred place to be, which means our favourite time of the year has finally arrived. Like so many others, we’ve been spending most of our time jumping from one live show to the next, finding new, amazing music discoveries and getting to know some of the best artists and bands out there. For us at GEM, this is what life is truly about and I could not be prouder to finally share this amazing seventh issue with the world and you, our fantastic readers.
SOCIAL MEDIA founder and editor-in-chief
welcome
Team: Laura Weingrill, founder & editor-in-chief Benns Borgese, graphic designer Ine Vanvuchelen, staff writer Issy Todd, staff writer Vicky Madzak, staff writer Illustrations by Icons8.com facebook.com/readgemmagazinetwitter.com/readgemmagazinereadgemmagazine@gmail.cominstagram.com/gemmusicmag
Laura Weingrill
This time, we’re particularly leaning into the multi-layered world of indie music and shining a light on some of our most beloved acts. Firstly, there are the Minnesota-based indie-kings of Hippo Campus and their return to the stages in the UK and Europe. Next to them, we also had the honour of getting to sit down with the Canadian band Peach Pit, who after not just releasing one but two albums during the pandemic, have chosen the summery months for their official comeback. And last but definitely not least, we took a leap across the pond to talk to the New York-based duo Boyish, who, with their honest, heartfelt lyrics and soft-sounding songs, have slowly but surely taken over the indie scene by storm. Of course, we also want to use this opportunity to offer the spotlight to some of the phenomenal artists that are just on the uprising right now. For once, we’re proud to officially introduce the Londoner Tycho Jones to the world and our readership, who we already cannot wait to see blow up in the very near future (you heard it here first, folks). And secondly, there is the Dorsetraised singer-songwriter Valencia Grace, who has managed to become a household name on the musical side of TikTok.
YOUWELCOMESCAMPUSTHE
Sometimes, in order to grow, you need to take a step back. For Minnesota-born indie group Hippo Campus, the need to recenter themselves and move into a space of silence and calm came after many years of releasing music and touring non-stop. To put it short, they were simply burnt out. And then COVID 19 hit and forced the band to just stop for a second. Like many others, the quintet used the given time to work on music and find out who they really want to be and what they want to achieve as a musical act. Now, two years later, they are back, and not only with new music, but with a fresh sense of self.
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“It was a crazy time. It was actually Whistler’s birthday when we stopped working on the album. We were working on ‘LP3’ for the first couple of months of 2020, and then the cases kept climbing and we were like, “okay, we’ll just take it easy, we’ll take the weekend off and we’ll just finish the record on Monday, okay?”, remembers Zach Sutton, bassist of the American star quintet. “And then it turned out to be six months later that we ended up seeing each other again, all together in a room. You know, in Minneapolis there was a lot of social unrest as well, because of the George Floyd murder. So in our hometown, I felt like everything, like the whole world had been turned upside down. I mean it’s still upside down. But we found a way to keep going, with the music and with each other.”
Now, with the indie hitters returning back to the stages all over the globe – both in America and across the pond in the UK and Europe – the band was offered a massive payoff for their work with excited crowds celebrating the band’s new musical expertise in every city they visited. And with over two years in the making and more than 35 individual songs penned down for it, it is safe to say that ‘LP3’ is Hippo Campus’ most honest portrait of who they are yet – and what’s not to love about that. During their time off, each member took the time to really self-reflect, both on the level of Hippo Campus and a more individual one. What they gained was a better understanding of who they are as both individual bandmates and a musical group, and the ability to translate that into their new album, as Sutton reminisces: “I think each record asks the same question at the beginning of each process, like “what do we want to be?” Or “what kind of album do we want to make?” I think the process of making each album was an attempt of answering those questions. We’ve asked those questions at three separate times in our lives and we had three different answers each time. I think that’s the question that anyone is truly asking themselves when they make music, like, how do they extend themselves through music to express their human experiences? But it’s always a communal effort. It’s
While the pandemic was a tragic, dreadful time for the whole world, and hardly anyone’s preferred vision for the future back at the very beginning, it turned out to be somewhat of a very needed blessing in disguise for the group. The five-piece – made up of vocalists/guitarists Jake Luppen and Nathan Stocker, drummer Whistler Allen, the aforementioned Sutton and trumpeter DeCarlo Jackson –needed time away, both from the music industry and each other, to gain a new perspective on the present and future of Hippo Campus. And it gave them just that, including a heightened appreciation for their crew and everyone keeping the industry afloat while everything around them was sinking, as drummer Allen tells: “As artists, having the luxury and the privilege to be able to relax and not have to think too much, at least in our situation, was huge. But with our crew and all the other crews and bands that maybe struggled a bit more, it’s nice to know that they have the ability to now go back out and keep doing what they love. It’s heart-warming to see everybody back in action. Especially our crew, because that’s their livelihood.”
- Whistler Allen
Always based on the theme of camaraderie and walking through life, not by yourself, but supported by the people that mean the most to you, the group decided to involve one additional voice in their latest musical endeavour –long-time friend and collaborator and third person in the pot of the band’s experimental side project Baby Boys, Caleb Hinz. Seamlessly leaving his fingerprints all over the record’s production – for example through the distorted drums on ‘2 Young 2 Die’ or the drum kit on ‘Boys’ made up of literal garbage cans, pots, and pans – Hinz brought his unique touch to the album, while still letting the record be a true Hippo Campus release. One that came with a couple of updates and changes, as ‘LP3’ glistens with a more personal storytelling as opposed to their previous works, with the quintet taking an open-hearted dive into their experiences of the past few years, the highs and lows of growing up and trying to find their identity in adulthood and place in the world. “The new album set a change lyrically from the last two records in that it was less poetic prose, less like vague writing. Early on in the recording process, we realised that specificity can be universal and we wanted to start talking about our lives in a more tangible way,”, expresses bassist Sutton, while giving a bit of an insight into the backstories of some of the record‘s tracks.
“A lot of the LP deals with literal emotions that we were going through or just crazy days we wanted to write about. Obviously, Jake coming to terms with his sexuality takes up a large part of the lyrical content, especially on ‘Boys’. But “There’s a lot of uncertainty in a group of emotional humans that have to make something together. But that’s part of the magic, not knowing what’s going to happen next, while also knowing exactly how that person next to you might react and feel. That’s one of the more challenging aspects of being in a band, but in a good way.”
always a joining of all of our preferences and production aspirations, and hopefully, it comes out as good music in the Withend.”five guys huddled in one room, it wasn’t always easy to find common middle ground. But that’s where the time off helped massively, as all members of Hippo Campus are well into adulthood now, making their own experiences, owning houses and cats, and continuing to grow together, but also separate from each other. In a sense, ‘LP3’ serves as an enhanced amalgamation of their previous albums, with their signature earnestness but an improved sense of lived-in expertise. It’s been four long years since their sophomore album – with a brief EP titled ‘Good Dog, Bad Dream’ released last year – and it seems after all this time, the Minnesotan friends wanted to go back to their roots. “I think we wanted to tap a little bit back into the original version of us, this band that wrote all of their stuff in a room together. So we wanted to mesh that together with what we had done for ‘landmark’ and ‘Bambi’, where we worked with other producers. ‘Bambi’ was a lot of writing separately and coming together after and we didn’t really want to do that. The idea of collaboration was the goal and the thing to reach for,”, drummer Allen explains. “We’re an emotional group of dudes, so emotions can sometimes get in the way and are usually always there with us.”
During the production of their record, each member of the five-piece also took some time out to pursue their own solo projects – something the group had been nurturing and supporting from the beginning. Frontman Luppen became experimental act Lupin, guitarist Stocker became Brotherkenzie, and the pair released an album with the aforementioned Hinz as Baby Boys, while drummer Allen, bassist Sutton and trumpeter Jackson each produced their own music and started collaborating with other bands. And while separating might seem like a risky move to some, it actually allowed the indie rockers to explore their individual roots and express their creativity in their own unique ways, before they got back together as Hippo Campus. “With each solo project, it feels like a really healthy outlet for the types of music that we naturally make as individuals, but which don’t quite have a home in Hippo Campus. We all love what we make, but there’s always a compromise, always a collaboration.
For a band that seems to constantly reinvent itself with each release they decide to bless the world with, it comes as no surprise that sailing the ship of growth and creative expansion has always been the five-piece’s move of choice. Just like their music, each member has gone through vast waves of change, while the signature fundamentals have prevailed over time and made them stronger as a whole. But at the end of the day, it’s an appreciation, understanding, openness and honesty for and with each other that has taken them where they are now, as Allen reflects: “How we grow together is the special question because we can’t grow the same way as each other, even if we want to. But a lot of therapy, a lot of hanging out, and a lot of communication can help. It’s a hard one to make sure of because there’s a lot of uncertainty in a group of emotional humans that have to make something together. But that’s part of the magic, not knowing what’s going to happen next, while also knowing exactly how that person next to you might react and feel. That’s one of the more challenging aspects of being in a band, but in a good way.”
At the end of the day, that feeling of friendship and togetherness has managed to push Hippo Campus to the forefront of today’s indie scene. Pairing swishes of electro synths to their signature indie pop stock, mixed with often sweet, always sincere lyrics and top-of-theranks instrumentals, they’ve forged their own path that has ultimately led them to a space of ease and sense of self. And it’s this way of wearing their hearts on their sleeves and being their truest forms that seem to capture their dedicated fans year after year. But even when laid bare away from all the success, it’s the sheer love for music that brings the young friends together and provides their music with its special glow, as Sutton concludes: “I think we’re lucky enough to have music as a place of catharsis as well as a place of work. Music is always, first and foremost, an answer to people who just want to express themselves or have fun. But we’re lucky that that has graduated to being our job. The place it occupies is pretty much 90% of my life, whether it’s work, catharsis, or just writing something down – music is always a part of it all. So, the only areas that it’s not a part of is eating and sleeping.”
it is just a more personal look at our daily lives and the ebbs and flows of what specificity can feel like.”
One person’s artistic saying can’t really define the whole direction of the band, so that’s how all these solo projects turned into really cathartic places to go,”, tells Sutton, before delving into the benefits the separation had on the overall production of their latest LP. “I think having those outlets before making this album made the process a lot easier and healthier, because we didn’t get hurt or offended when a song didn’t work out. For example, if I brought in a song, I wouldn’t be hurt if it didn’t work out because I know there’s another home for it somewhere. And I know that Hippo Campus isn’t the full extent of my identity or anyone’s identity. It’s a place where we go to work and collaborate.”
Written by Laura Weingrill Photography by Tonje Thilesen “I felt like everything, like the whole world had been turned upside down. I mean it‘s still upside down. But we found a way to keep going, with the music and with each other.”
- Zach Sutton
PEACH PIT
Witty, sometimes happy, often dark lyrics paired with satirical storytelling of themes like love, heartbreak, friendship and loss, held up by soft vocals, effervescent electric guitar solos and dynamic drum rhythms. This classic yet unique take on the globally treasured genre of indiepop, with a bit of self-deprecating humour and sarcastic memes, has put the Canadian group Peach Pit at the quintessence of the alternative music scene ever since their emergence and the release of their debut EP in 2016. Since then, it’s been a rumbly ride for the enthralling four-piece, one that got even windier when the music industry got put on a sudden hold and the pandemic had an unfortunate series of plans for the band. But in true Peach Pit-fashion, there was no thought of ever settling down or putting their feet up. Two albums and two years later, the world has finally calmed down and the happy Canadians are back on the road. And how they missed it. And we them. “I feel like our albums are like time markers in a way. They serve as a time capsule of memories from specific parts of our lives. So when I think about ‘From 2 to 3’, I think about the time when we released our second record ‘You and Your Friends’, how we were unable to tour it, and then how we worked on a third one and released it just like that. That’s the pandemic for me. The album is a way of saying COVID 19. In an artsy way,”, states lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy when thinking about the band’s last couple of years. Compared to other musical acts out there, it seems like a berserk thing to do, to release an album at the beginning of a global pandemic and then another one right after, without ever being able to perform the first one live. Looking at the Vancouver-based group’s stage presence now, it’s easy to tell how happy they are to be back playing in front of live crowds across the world – they were one of the first groups to put on a livestream gig back in 2020. Playing live has always been an essential part of being artists to the quartet. So how did it feel to go without it for such a long time? “We recorded our second album ‘You and Your Friends’ and released it right after the pandemic hit. We had just been writing for a while already, so we naturally got into writing the third record,”, tells vocalist and frontman Neil Smith about the early days of the pandemic, before continuing on, “I think when you’re making a record, the gratification process that you feel off releasing the music is so slow because you make it and it feels good, but then you don’t get to share it for a while. And by the time you do get to share it with everyone, it doesn’t mean what it meant to you right after you wrote it. And when we go and play on stage, it’s like you play a song and there’s this immediate
reaction. And that is so much more satisfying and feels so good rather than this long delay waiting to be able to get the music out.”
This made for an intimate, unique touch to the stellar record made up of eleven heartfelt tracks that stun with yet another well-balanced combination of playful guitar riffs and thoughtful lyrics trailed by Neil Smith’s wispy yet wistful vocals that trace through stories of life, love and loss. It’s an album that makes you stop and listen for a second, also thanks to its small surprises, as guitarist Vanderkooy tells: “With our song ‘Last Days “I feel like our albums are like time markers. ‘From 2 to 3’ is a way of saying COVID 19. In an artsy way.”
- Christopher Vanderkooy
Consisting of bassist Peter Wilton and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi, as well as the aforementioned Smith and Vanderkooy, the four friends have all known each other long before the inception of Peach Pit. Thus, it’s unsurprising that being together, and letting their energies and ideas bounce off each other, has always been an integral part of how the band functions and upholds. One aspect that got especially enforced during the pandemic, as singer Smith remembers: “For the newest album, we had more of a vision for what we wanted the record to sound like. We were listening to a lot of oldies and went into it with the plan of not adding tons of crazy guitar and vocal effects to it. We wanted it to sound like it was just us playing in a room together. That was our main goal. And so it was really fun to make the record because it was actually just us playing in a room together. We recorded the whole album live right there and then together in the studio.”
But with the lockdown and global uncertainty allowing close to no estimate as to when touring would be possible again, the band had to find other ways of making the process of creating music more fun and interesting.
Listening to the record, Peach Pit’s signature, always opposing, contrasting take on indie-pop shines brighter than ever – catchy, sometimes sombre, but never anything but addictive sounds parked against often melancholic, thoughtful lyrics that give their music its special something that frequently makes it worth going back to time and time again. Just like the quartet, their music is both chill and easy-going, while also relatable and inspiring. It’s easy to tell that their songs are commonly held up by real stories, real people and real experiences the band has made.
Names of friends appear as song titles, drunken nights and ugly mornings get discussed openly and complex relationships are given a tender ending. “We’re big on breakups. There’s a song called ‘Everything About You’ on the album, which is the first true love song that I ever wrote for somebody,”, expresses vocalist Smith about his inspirations behind the record’s tracks. “The whole album is about everything leading up to the pandemic and then what it was like being locked up inside. When I was writing the lyrics, I was thinking a lot about all the people in my life that mean a lot to me. About how crummy it is to not be able to see people on a daily basis and really connect with them the same way that “It was really fun to make the record because it was just us playing in a room together. We recorded it live there and then in the studio.” - Neil Smith
of Lonesome’, at the end of the last chorus, when we’re about to go into the outro, I started picking the strings hard to remind the guys to not forget about the outro. And then that was the take that ended up in the final version of the song, but it wasn’t even supposed to be there. You can actually hear that instrument trying to pull the rest in. Those are the little things that make the album so special.”
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Hailing from the depths of Canada, Peach Pit have been making waves with their chill indie-rock-pop musings ever since their first EP and have since then become a household name in any indie kid’s favourite playlists. Unapologetically themselves with clever lyricisms and infectious guitar and bass lines, the band’s eclectic history is now three full-length records strong, having survived the pandemic and come out of it on the better end. Despite their huge global success and sold-out shows all around the world, the four friends have never lost their down-to-earthness and gratitude for whatever (positive) surprise comes their way. Quite the opposite – Peach Pit know who they are, are never afraid to share it with the world and show no signs of slowing down any time soon, as Smith outlines: “We’re definitely less serious and less afraid. You know, when we recorded our second album, it was our first time working with a major label. And I feel like we put all this pressure on ourselves like it was either going to be the end of the world and nobody was ever going to listen to our band again, or we were going to become the biggest superstars in the world. Neither of those things happened. Some people listened to the record and some people still come to our shows. And I think after that happened, we realised that it actually wasn’t such a big deal. So now all we have to do is have a good time. And any of the extra stuff that happens around it is just a bonus.”
we could before. And then also the only other thing that was really heavy on my mind was stopping drinking a few years before.”
It seems that from start to finish, ‘From 2 to 3’ is settled very close to Smith’s heart, with one of his best friends even receiving her own track on the album: “I was hanging out with my friend Vicky and she told me how she had dated lots of musicians in the past, but nobody had ever written a song about her. So I got the hint. Her birthday was coming up, so I thought, “I’m going to write a song for her birthday”. She absolutely loves it now.” Even the overlying theme and the record’s title are upheld by Smith’s experiences, with many songs having the nighttime as an overarching theme and the title being inspired by the singer waking up at 2 am one night after a nightmare and staying up for an hour. Back then, he just noted it down as an idea, but as the artist states, “once the title is written down somewhere, you have to stick to it”. It wasn’t until later that the Vancouver-born group discovered that the album was also their move from their second to the third fulllength release, with vocalist Smith laughing, “I flip flop back and forth on whether it‘s a little bit too clever for me or Besidesnot”.their fun, yet thought-provoking musical endeavours, Peach Pit have made a true name for themselves thanks to their unique online presence and carefree humour. Discussing the importance of social media for the group and the music industry in general nowadays, they all agree that it’s a kind of necessary evil that turned out as a silver lining in the dark clouds once they had found their distinctive image and way of working with it. It’s authenticity without limits and a realness that has given their dedicated fanbase a true way of interacting with the group and relating to their experiences and music. They never take themselves too seriously, which, according to frontman Smith, has been a constant aim for the band: “I think in the earlier days, we took a lot of inspiration from Mac DeMarco. He was just this dude being completely himself on stage, and we realised that we don’t need to pretend to be anything that we’re not, you know? We can just have fun and be ourselves. I think people like it when you have that sort of integrity where you’re being real, and not taking it too seriously. Don’t take yourself too seriously, that’s definitely an important thing for us.” There seems to be a communal agreement on this, as guitarist Vanderkooy continues: “I think we’re all good at keeping each other in check over it. As time has gone on, we’ve learned to let go of the preciousness of what we think we’re doing. It is kind of like its own entity at this point that we’re all working on. But I think we’re only getting less serious about it as the time goes on.”
Written by Laura Weingrill Photography by Mackenzie Walker
“We don’t need to pretend to be anything that we’re not, you know? We can just have fun and be ourselves.” - Neil Smith
Written by Laura Weingrill CARPENTER CAN’T
Written by Benedetta Borgese Southampton-based four-piece indie-rock outfit Wild Front have returned to the surface with a new, eponymous EP promising the perfect soundtrack to our summer evenings. Glistening with their signature dreamy blend of sleek, ambient pop and soft indie sounds, the record boasts five different tracks, one more inviting than the other. Kicking things off with a very literal ‘Intro’, we seamlessly move over to the stellar ‘Never End’, which offers frontman Jack Williams the ideal blank canvas to show off his sublime vocals.
SABRINA
BOYISH - MY FRIEND MICA Written by Laura Weingrill Hitting send on all her drafts, Sabrina Carpenter recently shared her fifth long-form project ‘emails i can’t send’. The album – the first under new label Island Records – is a personal, very intimate collection of Carpenter’s thoughts and feelings drawn from a series of emails she wrote to both herself and the people in her life during the past year and a half. Its conversational tone conveys the common thread of the project, one that reads like a page off her private journal when songs such as ‘Tornado Warnings’, ‘decode’, and title track ‘emails i can’t send’ are on rotation; still, it leaves room for more lighthearted moments with tracks like ‘Already Over’, ‘Read your Mind’, and the seemingly adlibbed ‘Nonsense’. All in all, ‘emails i can’t send’ proves to be an intelligent and the singer’s most mature piece of work to date that showcases both her vocal range and her attention to detail through its lyricism and melodic choices. A true stepping stone to Carpenter’s own spotlight within the pop charts.
Being in your 20s is tough. There’s falling in love with the wrong person, growing apart from the people you used to call your best friends and the task of deciding what you want to do with your life. This and so much more are the themes covered in Boyish’s latest EP ‘My Friend Mica’, a heartfelt release that in some parts hits almost too close to home, but always offers a shoulder to cry on when needed. Born out of a home studio in Brooklyn, the EP serves as a bow to the group of friends of the duo, made up of singer India Shore and guitarist Claire Altendahl. Starting off with the bouncy ‘You Wanna Hurt Me’, and moving over to the addictive ‘Congratulations’, up until the modern ‘Legs’, the EP marks the duo’s next greatest step and serves as a testament to their immense talents. Having lived through a pandemic and coming out of it on the better end, the group has made it their trademark to turn growing up and everyday life with all its ups and downs into little pieces of musical art. And with ‘My Friend Mica’, they might have just hit that nail perfectly on its head.
Follow-ups ‘Wasting Time’ and ‘Two Cousins’, the latter featuring indie-pop singer Jerry Williams, couldn’t fit into the group’s discography any better with melodic, feel-good soundscapes and heartfelt lyrics, but it isn’t until the outstanding closer ‘Mind Keeps Running’ that the EP reaches its high. With a runtime of almost six minutes, the track takes the listener on a dazzling journey full of a multitude of sounds and emotions, before peaking in a rocky mashup of electric guitars and vibey bass lines. From start to finish, it’s Wild Front at their best.
- EMAILS I
SEND WILD FRONT - WILD FRONT 16
ALBUM REVIEWS
byNARCISSISTLauraWeingrillbyBethBayesbyIssyTodd
After making their anticipated comeback with their first single ‘Part of the Band’ of their fifth studio album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, The 1975 dropped their single ‘Happiness’, along with a music video that perfectly encapsulates the feeling. Compared to the album’s lead single, ‘Happiness’ might have repetitive lyrics but sounds more poppy and also more like The 1975 than anything they’ve put out in a long while, especially with a saxophone solo which reminds of their very first fan favourites.
Indie-stars Two Door Cinema Club have returned with yet another shimmering release, their glossy second single ‘Lucky’. A testament to times changing and the urge to stop and reflect, the melodically upbeat track is held up by sweet guitar lines and addictive rhythms that lend themselves to the band’s past. It’s a summery hit not to be missed at any festival this year and a strong taster for what is to come with the Northern Irish trio’s fifth studio album ‘Keep On Smiling’, set to be released on September 2nd.
MODERNLOVE - TAKE MY HEAD
LAUREN SPENCER SMITH -
The rising quartet modernlove. celebrate the release of their most recent EP ‘Oh My Mind’, an amalgamation of indie-goodness, soft vocals and captivating instrumentals. Standing proud as a highlight of the record, the electric ‘Take My Head’ rushes through beats and distorted vocals that pay homage to some of The 1975’s latest hits. Originally from Drogheda in Ireland, the aspiring group is now gearing up for their UK tour later this year, with their new EP as a testament for their talents.
Paired with a guitar riff reminiscent of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Queens Of The Stoneage, ‘DEEP CUTS’ is a promising first taste of what’s to come.
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB - LUCKY by Laura Weingrill You Me At Six are back with an almighty bang. ‘DEEP CUTS’, the lead track from their upcoming eighth studio album, is already set to be a fan favourite with many excitedly comparing it to their earlier work. Vocalist Josh Franceschi sings and later screams lyrics full of pain and frustration at seeing someone you love stay with someone who’s bad for them.
THE 1975 - HAPPINESS
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YOU MET AT SIX - DEEP CUTS
Minneapolis-based producer and songwriter Brotherkenzie, aka Nathan Stocker, also known as the lead guitarist of the stellar indie-rock quintet Hippo Campus, has blessed the world once more with a piano-driven, ethereal wonder of a song titled ‘Bike No More’. Highlighted by a blazing production, dishevelled lyrics and Stocker’s melancholic, deepsounding vocals, it’s yet another enthralling hit from the artist’s upcoming album ‘NATHAN’, set to be released at the end of August, that leaves us yearning for more.
BROTHERKENZIE - BIKE NO MORE by Laura Weingrill Having taken the world by storm since the release of her breakout single ‘Fingers Crossed’ in January this year, singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith has released yet another extraordinary pop ballad called ‘Narcissist’. Pulling on the heartstrings, the 18-year-old has cultivated one more relatable song, full of magical melodies, and ready for listeners to sing at the top of their lungs as a therapeutic release of their emotions. by Vicky Madzak
Harry Styles live in Vienna
Another highlight of the night was when Styles spotted yet another sign held up by a girl, asking for break-up advice. For context: she wanted to get back with her ex-boyfriend – which led not only Styles but the whole venue to become invested and discuss the relationship loudly. “What is happening??!! This is a concert!!!!”, Styles jokingly yelled into the microphone before giving the best and most poetic advice: “Follow your gut, always. Trust yourself. Take care of you first. Fill up your own cup and let them fall in love with the overflow. And if he is the one, he will love the overflow.”
Halfway through the concert, there was one specific sign that caught his eye – “Harry please help me come out”. Styles proceeded to ask the girl holding it up for her name, grabbed a rainbow flag that was thrown on stage and announced that she will officially be outed once he lifted the rainbow flag over his head. Seconds later, it was done, tears of happiness streaming down the girl’s face that was projected onto the backdrop of the stage.
LIVE REVIEWS
Written by Vicky Madzak / photography by Anthony Pham 18
July 16th marked the day of Harry Styles’ first ever solo concert in Austria’s capital Vienna. On the arrival in front of the venue, fans – some of them had already been camping there for two days or more – made sure you could already tell who was performing, as not just Styles himself loves to dress up but so does his fandom, with bright colours, big hair, glitter makeup, feather boas and fruit patterns everywhere. But despite that, the venue was filled with a diverse audience of not just teenage girls, but young women that grew up with him, young men that wish to be as cool as him, people that found comfort in their identity and sexuality because of him, middle-aged mums and dads that enjoy his music even if their kids don’t, and grandmas that love to compare his eccentricity to Elton John and his dance moves to Mick Jagger. With ‘Music For A Sushi Restaurant’, Styles couldn’t have picked a better song to introduce himself to the already hyped-up crowd. From the first moment he stepped onto the stage, the venue was filled with his showstopping live presence that convinced everyone present that he was born to do this. Styles – famous for his interactions with fans during his shows –immediately made himself familiar with his audience for the night, glancing at people’s faces in the first few rows, waving and blowing kisses to people in the seats.
Throughout the concert, there was not a single moment where Styles or his audience seemed unhappy or underwhelmed as he managed to create a loving and safe environment for everyone involved, no matter where they come from or what they might be going through. Some people might argue about his skills as a musician because of where he came from but it’s the fact that he is very well aware of his roots and the power of his fandom that unarguably turns him into a one-ofa-kind performer and an artist that means so much to a lot of people all over the world.
Firstly planned to take place in January, the singer had successfully made his way across the pond and stood before his excited fans with the air of an amazing gig to go Jumpingdown.into the set with fan-favourite ‘Bottle Rocket’, the night is off to a phenomenal start, and it’s not long before other hits of the young musician follow, for example, ‘It’s Still Cool If You Don’t’, ‘Deep Sea Diver’, ‘Rollercoaster’ and many more. From the first note onwards, it’s instantly clear why the singer is standing on the stage, with his outstanding voice filling up the packed room and twirling in a mix of sounds together with the electric screams of his passionate crowd. But it’s not just the energy that makes the night unforgettable, but also the little additions to the gig. From asking the audience to take one deep breath in and out with the band to doing a few yoga stretches and beautifying the stage with some real sunflowers, it feels like the American musician has found a way to create a safe space for everyone and anyone, no matter where his journey takes him.
Briston Maroney live in London
Founded by Stefan Blair and aforementioned Parsons, Good Morning have grown to the band they are now over the course of many high school years, excited EP and album releases and, after a long time of nothingness, unique live shows that feel more like watching a group of friends jam in a living room than anything else. There is a strong sense of happiness and carelessness in the air of Hackney’s Oslo, with the band standing around multiple instruments in a circle, always switching between them and never really settling for one. No matter where you look, there are smiles all around, while the band trails through fan favourites like ‘Warned You’, ‘You’, and ‘$10’, while keeping up the joke of the travelling fedora, a hat that had been bought by the band the morning before the show and was handed from one member to the next throughout the night.
It’s been five long years since the Melbourne-based now indie five-piece Good Morning set foot on a stage in London. And even after the ups and downs brought to the world by Covid, the group didn’t have an easy start after their arrival in the UK. “He nearly died,”, tells frontman Liam Parsons to the crowd after pointing out bassist James MacLeod, who had been very ill the past days, for wearing his Homerton Hospital gown as a shirt. From thereon, MacLeod turned into a somewhat star of the show, a fun start to a light-hearted gig straight out of every indie kid‘s dream.
Closing the set with his ultra-hit ‘Freakin’ Out on the Interstate’ and the cherished ‘Caroline’ as an encore, it’s clear that this was a show that won’t be forgotten for a long time. Dynamic and captivating, Maroney managed to build a sense of community and liberation that is sure to leave a lasting impression with everyone exiting the venue with happy looks on their faces.
Written by Laura Weingrill / photography by Nick Mckk Written by Laura Weingrill / photography by Angelina Castillo
Taking their trademark chilled indie-rock to London, it’s an enthusiastic chant of “one more song” by the crowd that draws the Australian quintet back to the stage for an encore of their beloved ‘Matthew Newton’. It’s then that Parsons jokes, “see you in another five years”, before the group takes their final steps off the stage, leaving behind an afterglow and a wish for more. It was a good evening when Nashville-based singersongwriter Briston Maroney took the stage of London’s infamous venue The Garage on a warm Thursday night. Not only because you always know you’re in for a treat whenever you get the chance to see the indie star perform live, but also because it had been a long and stony road that led to this show finally happening.
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Good Morning live in London
T A K E O V E R
It’s not often that a band settles down in a city for more than a show or two during their tour. Unsurprisingly, Twenty One Pilots setting up camp in the UK’s capital for a total of four gigs, spread across multiple venues over the whole city, starting with a 200-capacity room up to the stellar Wembley Arena, was a cause for celebration for their dedicated fans and casual listeners alike. After years of planning and waiting for Covid restrictions to trickle by, the Ohio-based duo was finally ready to take over London – and sooner than later, the town was painted in light blue, pink and yellow.
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So there I was, standing outside Brixton Academy at half past 1 am at night, pink tape wrapped around my legs as a means of extravagant decoration, a plate of blueberries in my hand and excited fans surrounding me. What was I doing there, you ask? Like many others, at that point of the night, I did not really know any more for certainty, but it would later turn out that I was actually waiting to meet my favourite band and take a carefully planned group picture with them, one that would soon become my phone’s new lock screen and a memory to be cherished forever. It was just one of many crazy events that happened while Twenty One Pilots touched down in London after a year of counting down from the official sale in 2021 – one that saw all concerts sell out within minutes, first and foremost the smaller shows set for Camden’s Assembly and Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
For the American duo, the trip to the UK was just one of many stops on their European tour stacked with multiple festival outings, and a final end to their Takeover Tour to celebrate the release of their latest enthralling record ‘Scaled And Icy’. Working their way up from the smallest venue to the biggest one, it felt like a trip down memory lane, with Camden Assembly serving as the site of their first-ever London show all the way back in 2013. It was a special walk down the band’s history, one that would turn out to become part of the best week of the lives of many fans, including my own. But let me explain why. It’s certainly rare nowadays that the band from Columbus, Ohio, takes their usually very impressive and grand show production back to a very, very small room that allows just enough space for singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun to walk a couple of steps around their instruments and maybe even do the one or other jump without the risk of hitting their heads on the ceiling. Thus, it’s to no surprise that even days before the official night of the gig, fans started lining up the streets in Camden, busily writing numbers on their wrists and securing their spots right at the front for a venue of the size of a common living room. One might refer to those fans as the universe’s favourites, and even if so, there wouldn’t be any arguments thrown against it. To my own greatest sadness, I wasn’t one of those very lucky few, so I find myself standing outside the venue on the very same Tuesday evening, trying to listen to the show through the walls and the occasional opening of the pub’s doors. I’m not the only fan that has gathered around the tiny location in hopes of either miraculously making it into the show last minute, or just getting a few audial glimpses of songs that have long been taken off the band’s usual setlist. And while people would commonly think of this as a rather strange way of spending one’s free evening, it is then that Twenty One Pilots and their fandom, the clique, truly show their greatness. There are fans around me making friends with others, exchanging social media handles and getting excited about hearing vocalist Joseph’s screams to the oldies, but goldies ‘Ode To Sleep’, ‘SemiAutomatic’ and ‘Goner’. Crew members of the group line up outside the venue, striking up conversations with the waiting fans, with Dun’s drum technician Father John Meyers even letting them listen to what’s going on inside through his own in-ears and surprising a very lucky few with Dun’s drumsticks a short while later (a prized possession for every member of the clique, one that has now proudly been framed by myself). At some point, Joseph’s wife Jenna Black walks past and gleefully greets the small crowd outside, while their photographer Ashley Osborn stumbles down the stairs to catch some fresh air (a clear indicator of the state of the room Itinside).allfeels very homely and intimate, standing there, knowing exactly that everyone around me has come to this place for the very same reason, fuelled by the love for the very same band. While the ceiling of the Camden Assembly shakes ferociously due to the crowd jumping inside, I’m having just as much fun under the night’s sky, taking everything in and feeling like I’m part of a community that is so much more than just a fandom. And at the end, while watching the crew pack everything away, joking with them about their gear and even getting to sign one of the wardrobe’s transport boxes, Tyler and Josh make their way past the now highly increased number of people waiting for them outside after the show, happily waving at everyone and marking the end of their first night of four in London.
tour L O N D O N21
The next day, I find myself sitting on yet again another piece of concrete, but this time it’s eleven o’clock in the morning and I’m outside the famous Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
Brixton Academy comes and goes in a whirlwind of chaotic queues, racing colours, happy tears and exuberant screams. It’s a special venue for the Columbus-based group, standing proud as the place where they first ever performed new material from their fifth studio album ‘Trench’. And it’s hard not to get a sense of magic in the air that night, with singer Tyler calling the show something “out of his dreams” and him later taking a seat on his trusty piano while presenting an award to the crowd won earlier that day – the Kerrang award for ‘Best Live Act’. Exhilarated chants fill up even the smallest of creaks in the venue, with Tyler thanking the fanbase once more and stating that they should have all been there at the award’s show because, at the end of the day, they are the biggest and most important part of their concerts. It’s an intimate moment between the fans and the band, one that further underlines the unique
The hours go by quickly, even despite the (surprisingly) gleaming midday sun tearing at everyone’s nerves and water supplies. And then it’s finally time for the doors to be opened and within seconds you can feel the ecstasy rise. It took seven years for the American duo to finally return to the elegant intimacy of Shepherd’s Bush Empire and even while they might have since then outgrown the venue in terms of their popularity and their show’s production, Tyler and Josh manage to captivate the crowd and take up the small room with the simplest of ease. Jumping into the set with the bubbly ‘Good Day’ before quickly following with the haunting ‘No Chances’, the duo pushes the energy levels very close to breaking point, with the audience shouting even the smallest of syllables right back at them. While some things might have changed since 2015, like the very new and welcome addition of a band and the inclusion of less emo-ish songs from their latest record, at the basis of it all, Twenty One Pilots are still the great performers everyone fell in love with in the first place – Tyler still plays on the same piano he once started his career off and never ceases to use it as a jumpstart point, Josh still likes to be held up by the crowd on a small drum island while he, as frontman Tyler likes to say, “puts the kids to bed” (meaning the drums), and ‘Trees’ is still the emotional closer of the show as it always has been, leaving many fans teary-eyed. And while I, like so many others, hug my friends and claw at the remaining specs of blue, yellow and pink confetti on the floor, I’m once more reminded why Twenty One Pilots might just be the biggest mostunknown band on the planet. And they’ve got the whole of London right at their feet, for very good reasons.
After a fan hurriedly runs after me to write a number on my hand, I realise that even despite the early hours, I’m anything but that, with a clear “201” written in black sharpie glaring at me from my wrist. There are pillows and newly bought duvets lying on the sides of the venue, with excited fans already lined up perfectly in their exact order. And it all works, because, besides their undying devotion, this is what the clique is best known for – the number system for camping. Some fans have been sleeping outside the venue for days, to a point where even the venue’s staff gladly accept the order and they themselves check for anyone sneaking in or breaking the system. For outsiders, it all may look very strange, but for the Twenty One Pilots fandom, this is just the daily bread.
relationship the duo has always had with the clique, one that is unlike any other. And even later, while one of the venue’s staff, lovingly referred to as Mr O, is invited on stage after the band had heard that he had been entertaining the patient campers waiting in line all day, the night becomes even more special. Ever played “head, shoulders, knees & toes” with your favourite band? No? Well, I have, and it’s just as fun and weird as you’d expect it to be. Standing there, mushed in-between sweaty bodies, I start to take it all in. The movements of the crowd, the small jokes between Tyler and Josh and their band, the cautious looks of the band’s crew and security looking over the masses, always making sure that everyone stays safe in the boiling venue. It’s a night of small details, at least the ones that I take note of while I scream out the lyrics to tracks like fan-favourite ‘Holding On To You’, the energetic ‘Jumpsuit’, the surprising ‘Migraine’ and the evergreen ‘Car Radio’. I must have heard all of these songs hundreds of times already, and still, they bring my heart almost to a burst. And when ‘Trees’ ends and I’m yet again engulfed by a sea of confetti while the emotions wash over me, I’m grateful to be in this space, sharing such a special experience with my favourite band. It feels like home to me, and it very much is. And this is where we come to the opener of this story because unlike so many other people, I refuse to let concerts end, even after the band has left the stage and the venue’s staff has practically shoved me outside. So there I am, standing outside Brixton Academy in the middle of the night with twenty-or-so other fans, waiting for two American guys to come out and basically wave at us. At some point, one of the security guards brings out a bunch of food, and while munching on raw carrots and a handful of blueberries was definitely not part of my plan for the night, as a Twenty One Pilots fan, you learn to accept what you get and laugh about any situation, no matter how crazy it is. And in the end, it’s all worth it, as my phone’s lock screen can now prove to the world.
Saturday yet again paints the town in vibrant colours (pun very much intended), not only because it is the last stop on the Takeover Tour, but also because it’s the biggest show yet, with Twenty One Pilots taking over the newly named OVO Wembley Arena. It’s as busy inside as it is outside, with global star Ed Sheeran playing just a few meters away at the famous Wembley Stadium next door. And while fandoms mix and mingle, you can sense everyone gathering their last bits of energy for this very last time.
To the casual listener, the concert feels like any of the others before (taking away the difference in the venues’ various capacities), but for someone who has been lucky enough to follow the band for the whole tour, it’s easy to understand that Twenty One Pilots are made for arenas. The visuals are bigger, the lights shine brighter, and Tyler makes use of the increased space to rush into the roaring crowd not only once but twice during the energetic performance of their hit ‘Ride’, not forgetting his climbing debut of the week during ‘Car Radio’, in which the singer is known to clamber up various towers and buildings (he only recently took on the 23 meters high top of the main stage’s scaffolding at Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium). Setlist-wise, there aren’t many changes, besides a surprising mashup of old favourites during the show’s campfire section, throughout which the duo and their backup band gather around a literal campfire to acoustically perform some of their earlier hits and a few covers (special nod to trumpet and accordion player Dr Blum who manages to be the star of this with absolute ease). It’s a perfect night for the band and the fans alike, with big smiles plastered on everyone’s faces and jokes being thrown into any silence that appears. And when the crowd
erupts one last time and Tyler asks us to have them back soon, it marks the end of a perfect show in a perfect week. Of course, I yet again find myself sitting outside the venue late at night after the concert, this time really not waiting for anything in particular. The pavement isn’t comfortable and the temperature could be higher, but I’m surrounded by the same people I’ve been with all week, all of who I’ve met and now made friends with thanks to the talented duo from Ohio. And as we sit there, joking with the crew, reminiscing about the show that just ended mere hours ago, it becomes very clear to me that this is what the week and what Twenty One Pilots are all about – connecting people and sharing your passion and love for something with the world around you. I’m not the only person happily referring to the space the group has created as my home, and that is for a very good reason. It’s simply because that’s what it feels like for so many. It’s a safe place where you can just be yourself and no matter if you follow Tyler and Josh around the globe, camp outside venues, or turn up right before the curtain falls and jump around at the back, you’re part of the community this band has shaped. And I know for a fact, that no matter how long it will take them to come back to London, the city will be waiting for them. And so will we. Written by Laura Weingrill Photography by Ashley Osborn
B O Y
Sometimes it’s okay to not know what you want to do with your life or who you are supposed to be. Who you are meant to be with. Or maybe even just what you want to have for breakfast. At least that’s what the American indie-rock duo Boyish are here to tell you. Through their melodic bedroom-pop landscape highlighted by piercing vocals and dreamily electric instrumentals, the group has made a name for itself as the band that understands what being young is like nobody else. Born out of a home studio in New York, what once started in 2016, has now turned into an international phenomenon, and with heart-wrenching and relatable songs as backup and the one or another surprise up their sleeves, one thing is clear – Boyish have come to stay and they’re just getting started.
I H S
From any outsider’s perspective, the indie-duo Boyish are living the perfect band dream. Mingled together with their friends in an apartment in Brooklyn, their manager just a flight of stairs away and all of their friends and fellow musicians quite literally next door, they’ve created a hub for creativity and collaboration. One that other uprising groups can mostly only dream of. But controversy to how it seems now, the duo’s roots aren’t quite as fairytale-like. “We both went to Berkely College of Music together in Boston, and I needed a guitarist for an audition. My roommate knew Claire and so we met up and played a couple songs together and did this audition, which we totally didn’t get. But they were like, “you guys should really keep making music together”. So we would meet up in a practice room and work on songs together, but not speak at all. We weren’t friends, we were strictly business partners. But then we would just do that more and more frequently until one day we actually hung out,”, tells India Shore, singer of the effervescent group, with a laugh, before guitarist and second half Claire Altendahl continues, “We were both intimidated by the other person. But then we realised very early on that we had the exact same music taste, which was rare. I had never really run into someone that was on the same page. Anytime India would send “That was one of my biggest goals, to make something that I was just so genuinely excited about and something that really felt like us and like a projection of who we are.” Altendahl
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- Claire
me a song, I would be like, “oh, I love this song”, and it just continued back and forth. It turned out to be a perfect pairing.”
But, of course, with just about every uprising group with only the biggest ambitions above all, the Coronavirus put a hold on their many plans and gave them a few more ideas and problems to ponder upon, with some turning out to be actual blessings in disguise, as singer Shore remembers: “I feel like everyone was in a lot of denial when it first happened. We had just started to take this seriously, we wanted to release an album and had a bunch of shows lined up and a mini college tour. But then everything got cancelled, and we didn’t know for how long. So we just focused on making more music. And I think that’s when we actually took the time to figure out what we wanted to sound like because we had nothing but time. It’s the time when we wrote some of my favourite songs.” But do they miss the masses of free time compared to their now busy schedule of touring and playing gigs in front of actual crowds? “God no, I’m happy to know that playing live is my favourite thing to do and I can’t wait for more. I’m very happy. We do not stay in our apartment at all,”, the vocalist continues with a laugh. The end of the pandemic also marked a massive new leap in the group’s rollercoaster ride story, with their latest EP ‘My friend Mica’ getting put into the hands of their patiently waiting fanbase at the beginning of May. Drenched in soft vocals, addictive guitar lines and lyrics telling tales of wrong loves, old friends and new beginnings – “the main themes are growing up and being gay and sad” -, the completely self-produced record serves as the duo’s turn to a new page filled with heartfelt stories and moments of truth and vulnerability. Front to back, the EP and all of its six songs offer a peek into Boyish’s world and their adventures of living together with their friends in one of the arguably best cities in the
Now, a few years down the line, a band name change later – their beginnings actually lie in the more college-y place, basement gigs and Friday night college house shows included - and a global pandemic behind them, the duo has settled in a place of friendship and pride, with a new set of goals that probably many bands know all too well. “It is so hard to make music that you actually enjoy,”, exclaims guitarist Altendahl. “I don’t think anyone really talks about it, but it’s such a big task. I think that was one of my biggest goals, to make something that I was just so genuinely excited about and something that really felt like us and like a projection of who we are.”
world. “I was in Minnesota with my parents, India was in New York, and we just decided to move in together and to put this band first. And once we moved out here, it was just one of the most amazing experiences, being surrounded by these creative artists and people that have so much love in them,”, guitarist Claire explains, before delving into the importance of one particular friend who stands as the inspiration behind the title track ‘My friend Mica’ and who also had a massive impact on the artist on a more personal level. “Mica is one of the first friends in the trans community I had. When I first moved here, I was using they/ she pronouns, because I felt afraid to make the full jump to they/them, which I wanted to do. But I was very sensitive to other people’s reactions. I would get really embarrassed when people misgendered me and I, for some reason, felt like it was my problem, when it was really theirs. And I think just being around Mika made me so brave, made me so firm in who I was and really changed my entire life. I don’t think they realise how much it means to me to have them as a friend and as an idol. So naming the EP after them was me trying to say thank you for everything.”
But it wasn’t just the lyrics that offered the Brooklyn-based pair a feeling of empowerment that can only come from boundless creativity, but also the production process itself. Specifically during the pandemic, with lots of time on their hands, Shore and Altendahl decided to try their luck at producing – something that has now made it possible for them to not only work completely independently but to also step into an up until now rather male-dominated part of the music industry. “I think there’s something to be said about allowing other people into the process. I feel like it’s a great skill to have, especially for people who aren’t men,”, young singer India remarks, before shining a light on her first experiences from earlier times. “Before I knew what I was doing, I definitely felt like nobody was listening to me when I stepped into a recording studio, just because I’m not a man. So I think it’s nice now that I know the language and have the skills to say what I do and don’t want. I feel like that has been a huge game changer for me.”
Together, the striking indie risers have always walked on a thin line of sharing only their most honest selves with their listeners without laying themselves completely bare at everyone’s feet. It’s an endless discussion – what can you truly share and what should be kept private? Where does authenticity begin and where does it end? And what even is authentic in a world that is governed by social media quick fixes and TikTok trends that are popular today and gone tomorrow? “Nobody is like me and India, you know, like the way we write our sound, the combination of the two of us. You always have those trends in music, but in the time you take to chase them, they’re gone already. So you need to create something that feels like you, because otherwise if you’re just chasing something, you’re already behind it,”, states Altendahl with a tone of true certainty. And looking through their discography and realising that so many of their lyrics are inspired by very personal moments, one might think that the group would sometimes shy away from giving so much of themselves over to their listenership. But not so Boyish. Through all the ups and downs of the past years, the pair has come to a place of self-awareness and honesty that has made it possible for them to voice what it feels like to grow up, to fall in and out of love, to find and lose people, to be young and free, and sad and nostalgic. It’s turned them into the stand-out band they are now, one that it seems so many people needed so very dearly. Their magic comes from just being themselves, and proving that, in reality, that is more than enough. “I actually had this thought the other day at a friend’s poetry reading. I thought to myself, “what if I stood up there and read our lyrics?”, but that would feel so intrusive and vulnerable. I’m still not sure why it doesn’t feel like that when it’s with music, but for some reason, it’s not that scary when it’s with the songs. I think in the past when we were writing stuff that didn’t come from a personal, real experience, it was scarier to release it because it felt inauthentic. So now it is like, this is me, this is who I am. These are my greatest fears, you can hear my anxiety. The more I hide, the more I feel like I’m not being real. And that scares me much, much more.” Written by Laura Weingrill Photography by Boyish
“Before I knew what I was doing, I definitely felt like nobody was listening to me when I stepped into a recording studio, just because I‘m not a man.” - India Shore
“In the past when we were writing stuff that didn‘t come from a personal, real experience, it was scarier to release it because it felt inauthentic. So now it is like, this is me, this is who I am. The more I hide, the more I feel like I‘m not being real. And that scares me much more.” - Claire Altendahl
Entering the over two-hour-long movie, you could be forgiven for thinking you are about to be subjected to a glorified Netflix original movie, but on the big screen; after all big name actors in place of credible writing and cinematography is the new way of making movies. However, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to know that despite its (secret) star-studded cast, Bullet Train’s story and writing take the centre stage. Character arches are earnt and memorable, and even have a stylistic effect on each fight, with characters’ personalities radiating through their varied fighting styles.
The words “summer blockbuster action movie starring Brad Pitt” definitely don’t have the same effect that they did in the early 2000s, however, “satisfying summer sizzler, with great character development, a soundtrack for the ages and the wit of the Deadpool movies” sounds like a perfect treat for movie lovers everywhere.
BULLET
TRAIN
LET'S GET CULTURAL
Whilst the action of this film is far from the hand-to-hand greatness of John Wick or The Raid, Pitt’s latest outing can comfortably say it sits among the better action films to have been released in the past decade, with its action often feeling real and painful. Bullet Train is a perfect way to kill two hours, it’s an enjoyable popcorn action movie like we know and love, and who knows, maybe it might spawn a renaissance of enjoyable, funny, action movies to follow.
Directed by David Leitch, Bullet Train is remarkably impressive for a thematically modest film. The story is simple, without being basic, the characters follow clear archetypes but evolve and are given enough backstory that the motivations of every character are relatable, and the action, whilst for the most part not delving into grandiosity, manages to find a line between exciting and humourous simultaneously.
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Written by Mason Meyers
The conversational style of Other People’s Lives challenges judgement and humanizes the absurd. Of course, listeners will walk away with their own opinion –which may remain unchanged – but the show does what initial judgment can’t: provide insight into the minds of strangers.
Emily Henry has done it again: she has written the perfect romance novel that will have you dreaming away during the summer months. She leaned on the “enemies-tolovers” trope for Book Lovers, a trope that is well-liked by romance readers and that also served as the foundation for her popular adult novel debut, Beach Read (2020).
Written by Ine Vanvuchelen Written by Bernice Santos
Nora Stephens, obsessed with books and working as a literary agent, takes – slightly against her will – a trip to North Carolina with her sister Libby. As a born-andraised New Yorker, finding her jam in the small town of Sunshine Falls turns out to be challenging. That is, until she unexpectedly rekindles with Charlie Lastra, a former foe from the publishing industry back in New York City. Unable to avoid each other in this tiny town, the two book lovers keep running in to each other. As native of Sunshine Falls, Charlie starts showing her around the place he grew up and slowly but surely opens up to Nora.
BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES
Nora’s a relatable protagonist - she is a girl boss who knows what she wants but struggles with putting herself first sometimes. She is focused on her career, loves her family, and is devoted to the city that never sleeps, New York. The chemistry with Charlie is subtle and fascinating, which makes this book an absolute page-turner. Henry is amazing at what she does and makes our summers better and better every year.
While the book is certainly a textbook example of a Hallmark movie story, Henry has put her own spin on it with some witty humour and well-crafted characters.
CULTURAL
If you’ve ever been intrigued by the untold stories and secrets belonging to the other passengers on the train or even your next-door neighbours, there may be a way to indulge in that curiosity. Other People’s Lives is a podcast that operates on two things: the unconventional and the inevitable curiosity that comes with it.
Each week, hosts Joe Santagato and Greg Dybec interview an anonymous guest who have stories, lifestyles, or interests that would initially be met with shock, ridicule, or even disdain. However, Santagato and Dybec reserve judgment for the listeners. The duo does their best to remain objective and empathetic (to a certain degree for particular topics) and give their guests the opportunity to tell their stories openly. The titles of the episodes warrant a double-take, and the diverse subject matters will bring listeners to every part of the emotional spectrum. Some episodes will trigger bone-chilling discomfort – such as “I Was Part of a Child Pornography Ring” – and others will have listeners pausing the episode to laugh, such as “Meet the Famous Artist who Paints with His Penis.” Other notable episodes include: “I Think My Dad Killed My Sister,” and “I Survived a Plane Crash that Killed 151 People.”
Written by Laura Weingrill Photography by Tycho Jones / Globe Town Records
TYCHO JONES
Now a couple of years down the line since his official discovery by the Hoxton-based independent record label and management company, the artist has been dripfeeding his ever-growing fanbase his musical artistry in form of multiple singles as well as a mixtape titled ‘Tychonaut’, yet another record released in the chaotic times of the pandemic. But unlike many other musicians who were hit by the global tragedy, Jones feels that it was the right decision to release the mixtape during the lockdown, as, in his opinion, it gave his songs, with many discussing themes of anxiety, loneliness and uncertainty, an ever deeper meaning that could then be understood in a more general sense: “It was essentially my first body of work. To me, it felt like it gave my songs a bit of a context having the lockdown happen because I‘d already been feeling those emotions of existential dread and doubt. So when the pandemic happened, I felt like everyone got put in the same boat and it gave my music a relevance that people could understand.”
It’s those introspective themes that have long weaved themselves through Jones’ music and releases and that have made them so relatable for his listeners. Vulnerability, honesty to a level that others would often shy away from, and an openness with your own feelings and the people around you are just a few of the many parts that make Tycho Jones stand out amongst the masses of aspiring artists out there right now. To simply put it, his music is quite special, as Jones describes it: “I would say it’s quite thoughtful in terms of the lyrics and it addresses a lot of feelings of anxiety and emotions. But then in terms of what I‘m talking about, it‘s more of a London narrative, but still universal feelings that we all know. It’s uplifting and chill, but also melancholic as well.”
It’s not often that in a big city like London, an artist gets so ingrained in the place he comes from, that his heritage and artistry automatically go hand in hand. But that is exactly the case for indie-riser Tycho Jones, an up-and-coming musician from Hackney who has slowly but surely taken over the scene by storm, even far beyond the borders of the UK capital. Despite still being a relatively new name for most, the now 20-year-old singer has already planted his feet firmly into the eclectic world of DIY indie music, the kind that famously always starts off back in someone’s bedroom with a few handy tools, a laptop and a guitar. It’s no surprise that this is also where Tycho Jones’ story once began: “My musical career probably started when I put my first song ‘Serotonin’ on SoundCloud when I was about 16 or 17. I didn‘t see it as a full-blown career back then, but I definitely knew what I wanted to do. I was never really interested in life at school and what my peers were doing, they were all focusing on exams and universities and things like that. So that was the start of me deciding that I wanted to work on music and do nothing else. And the time my career started was probably when Globe Town Records found that song.”
Long gone are the times when artists were confined to the area they live and grew up in, with social media nowadays offering everyone an almost global reach. But Jones has taken advantage of both, the option of being known on an international level, but still embedding his music in the stories and experiences he’s made in the UK capital: “I think people in London can relate to my narrative, like my experiences and stuff. I’m a London artist in that sense because I feel like the themes that I address are a bit more universal, I like to talk about things that we can all relate to. It’s got context from what I’ve seen and the people around me, but I think ultimately it’s expanding beyond London as I grow up.”
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Hearing all those stories and paying closer attention to Jones’ lyrics and the ways he creates and lets his musical talents flow and grow, it comes as no surprise that the Londoner has been gaining more and more traction over the past year. It’s not often that you find a young artist who has, first and foremost, become part of the industry to share his experiences with the world and to let the music be his ultimate outlet, while never telling people what to feel or think when they listen to his songs. Of course, creative freedom can come and go at its own will, but it feels like the formidable indie wizard has found his place of ease and a sense of self that cannot be shaken. Looking into the future, be it the next couple of weeks – “stay tuned for more music to come soon,”, as he teases – or the unknown times that are a long way ahead, Jones stays as grounded and humble as ever when thinking about the peak he ultimately wants to reach in his career and the how-tos: “I want to stay happy. To honestly love yourself is the main way to grow. As an artist, the best way I can grow is just by staying transient and by letting the world flow over me and not affect me so much. And just cherishing the people that you have around you and playing into their strengths as well. As a musician, you have to be able to get the most out of the people you’re creatively collaborating with while not being too ego about it. You just gotta let it flow, that’s what it’s all about.”
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Looking through the artist’s discography, it’s become clear over the years that his music has and always will be a matter of personal thoughts and feelings. Firstly, there is the bouncy ‘Serotonin’, the one song that gave the young musician his first push into the spotlight, which was then later followed up by now fan-favourites ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ and the melodic ‘Level Head’ as part of his mixtape, amongst many others. But even throughout the pandemic and the pressures of today’s music industry, Jones has kept a hold of the freedom of creating whatever he feels like, which can be particularly felt in the release of his latest single ‘Clouds’. Carried by a highly-addictive bass line, airy vocals and a radically danceable rhythm, the track is musically a shot away from his earlier records but still stays very close to the emotive depth of his previous hits, as Jones explains: “The reason I called it ‘Clouds’ is because people can be like the clouds sometimes, they’re here today and gone tomorrow. So the theme of the song is about the transients of life. It’s about the fact that it’s okay to fall in love with people and enjoy your time with them, but not to feel a sense of ownership over them.”
Written by Issy Todd Photography by Joe Magowan
GEMS
Having begun to “write prolifically during the first lockdown”, exciting newcomer Valencia Grace has emerged into the music scene, with beautiful, rich vocals, authentic lyrics and an inspiring drive to reach her goals. In spite of not setting out with the intention of becoming an artist, but using writing more so as a way to guide herself through the challenges she was facing at the time, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter found that “writing really helped me compartmentalise all my trauma, sadness and confusion. Turning instances from my past or present into art and something beautiful helped me a lot”. The honesty and vulnerability that are infused in Grace’s work have allowed many listeners to resonate closely with her work, therefore leaving the young virtuoso with the immense potential to become an exciting household name. Despite being a relatively new name in the industry, this talented gem has already supported industry staple Sam Fender at his Los Angeles show this month, performed at the UK festival Barn On The Farm, and amassed over 2.6 million followers on TikTok due to her relatable content that allows her fanbase to feel supported, seen and connected to her. However, when reflecting upon her incredible journey of growth and discovery to date in order to cultivate the success she already has. “I honestly wouldn’t even visit my younger self. I wouldn’t even say a single thing to her. Every mistake that I’ve made has led me to the person I am right now,”, the up-and-coming talent admits without any hesitation, before going on to explain, “everything I’ve suffered through, everything that I’ve experienced, and every joy and every tear have led me to thinking the way I do right now so I wouldn’t give myself any advice - just keep doing your thing!”
Furthermore, with live music being a special part of an artist’s role and having almost hit the “double digits” with the number of live shows she has played to date, the 19-year-old has an exciting run of shows lined up later this year as she is supporting ‘renforshort’ on her European leg of the “dear amelia, tour”: “I get a little bit nervous at first when I play live because I care so much about making sure that people have a good time and understand what I’m saying but as soon as I get into singing the songs, it’s just so magical and I feel the most myself on stage and so Lookingpowerful!”ahead to her first “actual round of shows” and the experience of the “act of touring” with eagerness, curiosity and excitement, the artist explains: “I recently played Barn on the Farm and then the next day, I had another little gig. But for that show, there was no microphone, no
Pondering for a moment of reflection over the greatest lesson that she has taken away from this exhilarating transitional period in her life, the London-based star wisely expresses: “Things take time. If you love what you’re doing, you need to remember to reward yourself for the little things. It’s very easy to pigeonhole yourself and think you’re not making enough progress. I’ve got a four-year-old sister and I don’t see her grow up until it has been a while and I’m like… oh my god! You’re bigger now! So, I think you need to give your life a bird’s eye view and just appreciate what you’ve done and the little steps it takes to get to your goals.”
VALENCIA GRACE
Having only released two studio tracks to date but yet accumulated a fanbase desperate for new content from this rising superstar, Grace is eager to please with her stunning new single ‘What A Shame’. “To me, this track is about fear of failure and of letting yourself down. I wrote this one very early on. I had no demos but needed them, so I got a producer in a studio for 16 days so that I could record all of my work, and this is one of them. The vocal has stayed the same since then because it’s in its purest form and really special.” Moreover, with wisdom beyond her years, the singer goes on to explain: “I will always resonate with this song because it just reminds me that there is a lot that is going to happen in life, and you are allowed to have goals and you are allowed to want to achieve and push yourself towards them. I think the main undertone is don’t fear failure, fear regret and always stay true to “Acceptance,yourself!”growth and truth,”, concludes the rising star as she describes what is to come from her. “I just want to be happy and proud of myself. I just want to feel like I’ve done and am going to continue to do everything I possibly can. All the cheesy sayings are true… you only have one life, and so if this is my destiny and what I’ve chosen to do with my life, I’m going to do it to my fullest!” With plenty of projects in the work already, it’s safe to say that this genuinely is only the beginning for the incredible Valencia Grace, and we cannot wait to see what is next.
GEMS amps, no anything, so normally that’s horrifying… I had no microphone to hide behind. Although, I found that because I had just done the festival before, the next day was really easy, so I’m excited to see my confidence grow as an artist on stage.” Chuckling, she goes on to express: “I feel like by the end of the tour, I’m going to be doing cartwheels and crowd-surfing to my sad ballads!”
Ingredients (for one cup of milk): 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 4 peach pits from freestone peaches
Steeped in almond milk, peach pits transform a seemingly simple-looking glass of non-dairy milk into something very special. Drink it straight, pour it over your granola, muesli, or oatmeal, or use it to make your peach smoothie even peachier. PIT
Of course, there are enough peach recipes out there for whichever cuisine the heart desires, however, why not change it up and use the whole fruit, their stone centres included? So, instead of throwing the pits, those nubby, hard-as-rock things, into the trash or compost pile, try out this recipe and turn them into a refreshing, summery, plant-based drink.
It‘s summer, so one fruit - and coincidentally band - we cannot get enough of are peaches, and Peach Pit(s).
2. Cover, remove from the heat, and set aside for 30 minutes.
1. Bring the milk and peach pits to a simmer over medium heat in a small pot.
WHERE THE FUN STUFF HAPPENS 38 HIWGNIKOOCT PEACH
3. Place the whole pot in the refrigerator and steep overnight.
4. In the morning, remove the pits, pour the milk into a glass, and enjoy.
followMacy on Instagramat@thealphaloft 39
MedranoCamilobyPhotography/WeingrillLaurabyWritten
Over the past years, Macy has found ease in her process, while never losing sight of what makes her job so special, whether that is the chance of being creative every day or interacting with her customers and everyone who is supporting her work. “I love hearing stories from people about products they’ve bought as birthday gifts or anniversary gifts or tattoos they’ve commissioned me to design to commemorate an important event in their lives. Being a part of these special moments is an honour to me, and I’m forever grateful that I get to do this.”
Born out of the love for Taylor Swift’s album ‘folklore’, Macy’s store has now turned into an established business and a complete rollercoaster ride. “I’ve had rough moments - be it feeling completely burned, out or out of inspiration, and I’ve had some insane things happen like being featured on BuzzFeed or having Rachel Ziegler wear one of my designs. I could have never predicted any of those things, and I’ve kind of learned that I never really know what’s going to happen.” Looking into the future, the 23-year-old artist is hoping to further expand her work and knowledge, and we already cannot wait to see where her path will take her.
ART OF THE MOMENT
The vast world of Etsy can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for aspiring artists and creatives. Especially nowadays, it’s not always easy to successfully turn your passion into a career. Macy Bar Lev is one of the lucky ones who has managed to take the leap and have her hobby become her main source of income as The Alpha Loft: “I run a full-time art business that specialises in creating subtle art inspired by pop culture, which includes embroidered clothes, wall art and fine line tattoo designs. Everything I create is inspired by songs or books that I feel personally connected to. It’s important to me to create something that can stand, on its own as a piece of art regardless of the context, but can also be viewed differently with the pop culture context it was originally created in.”
