NOVEMBER 2015 ISSUE 32 // FREE
METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTS
METROPOLIS MUSIC BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE AGENCY GROUP PRESENTS
plus
THE NEW PROJECT FROM
DAN AUERBACH OF THE BLACK KEYS PLUS GUESTS
MARIACHI FLOR DE TOLOACHE
TUESDAY 10 NOVEMBER • SCALA
ticketweb.co.uk | gigsandtours.com | thisisthemilk.com /thisisthemilk
WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER
THE FORUM
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAA
NEW ALBUM YOURS, DREAMILY, OUT NOW THEARCS.COM
In association with Metropolis Music and Sound Track Agency presents
Into The Wild
NOVEMBER TOUR 2015
WEDNESDAY 2 DECEMBER
MT . WOLF WHYTE HORSES MY GREY HORSE
OSLO
Thursday 19 November
DEBUT ALBUM ‘ONE’ OUT FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER KATEBOY.COM
gigsandtours.com ticketweb.co.uk
GIGSANDTOURS.COM / TICKETWEB.CO.UK
Bush Hall
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL
P R I O R I T Y B O O K I N GS
WELCOME
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
Welcome to our November issue! We've been on an adventure this last month: heading to New York for the madness that is CMJ, running around Canada and learning what a real Thanksgiving is all about. Finally getting to see some of our favourite new bands live (shout out to Diet Cig and The Prettiots) has got us really thinking about 2016, and which bands we're really excited to see do new, brilliant things. We've got our planning hats on, so watch this space. DAUGHTER
This month we have the brilliant Oneohtrix Point Never on the cover, we chat to him about his brain-destroyingin-the-best-way new album Garden of Delete and his fascination with pop music. So get stuck in. November is so awash with incredible gigs and festivals, we’re struggling to keep up.
STAFF ON REPEAT the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: DAUGHTER - DOING THE RIGHT THING DAVE: THE MAGNETTES - BONES LOKI: ROB BRAVERY - BROOM CUPBOARD DANNY: CHAIRLIFT - CH-CHING GEMMA: BEACH BABY - LIMOUSINE JACK: METZ - ERASER LiS 03
Goldenvoice Presents METZ
LUCY ROSE
01.11.15 SCALA
18.11.15 FORUM
BROKEN HANDS
KYLA LA GRANGE
+ PROTOMARTYR & SPRING KING
03.11.15 OSLO HACKNEY
RIVRS 04.11.15 BARFLY
ROME FORTUNE + JAMZ SUPERNOVA
04.11.15 LONDON FIELDS BREWERY
ALGIERS
+ TWEAKS & JUPITER C
ISLAND
+ FLYTE & C DUNCAN
+ OTZEKI
08.12.15 THE VICTORIA DALSTON
19.11.15 OVAL SPACE
ALABAMA SHAKES + MICHAEL KIWANUKA
18.11.15 T LD OU BRIXTONSO02 ACADEMY 19.11.15 T LD OU BRIXTONSO02 ACADEMY
JOHN NEWMAN 23.11.15 KOKO
EKKAH
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
10.11.15 THE COURTYARD
SAN FERMIN + FARAO
13.11.15 UNION CHAPEL
RYAN O’REILLY + JONNY P TAYLOR 16.11.15 SEBRIGHT ARMS
YAK
+ ABATTOIR BLUES & SWEDISH DEATH CANDY 17.11.15 MOTH CLUB HACKNEY
JASON ISBELL
+ JOHN MORELAND 22.01.16 02 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
THE LIBERTINES
30.01.16 THE O2
11.02.16 O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
LION BABE 24.11.15 HEAVEN
LEO KALYAN
14.12.15 THE LEXINGTON
VILLAGERS
OUT SOLD
09.11.15 THE LEXINGTON 10.11.15 MOTH CLUB HACKNEY
MEADOWLARK
+ FRÁNÇOIS AND THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS 29.11.15 BRIXTON 02 ACADEMY
AUTOBAHN
MARIBOU STATE 17.02.16 KOKO
WOLF ALICE 27.03.16 FORUM
ELLIE GOULDING 24.03.16 THE O2
01.12.15 SEBRIGHT ARMS
YEARS & YEARS
DISCLOSURE
+ EATS EVERYTHING 01.12.15 OUT SOLD PALACE ALEXANDRA 02.12.15 OUT SOLD PALACE ALEXANDRA 03.12.15 ALEXANDRA PALACE
08.04.16 THE SSE ARENA WEMBLEY
FATHER JOHN MISTY 18.05.16 THE ROUNDHOUSE
goldenvoiceuk
NOV-MAY
CONTENTS 08. ON THE STEREO
LONDON IN STEREO IS:
13. NEW SOUNDS
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
17. TALES FROM THE CITY
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
20. KATE BOY 26. ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER 32. ALBUM REVIEWS 40. EVENTS
Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk Staff Writers: Danny Wright Gemma Samways Jack Urwin Photography: OPN: Mike Massaro (mikemassaro.co.uk)
45. GIGS OF THE MONTH 48. LIVE LISTINGS 67. INTO THE NIGHT 69. IN LONDON 70. LIVE REVIEWS 73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Contributors: Tom Walters, Merlin Jobst, Simone Scott Warren, Nick Mee, Henry Wilkinson, Tim Hakki, Geoff Cowart, Thomas Hannan, Francesca Baker, Natalie Archer, Woodrow Whyte, Hayley Scott, Grant Bailey, George O’Brien.
KATE BOY
londoninstereo.com
@LondonInStereo
/londoninstereo
/london-in-stereo
londoninstereo LiS 05
SAMM HENSHAW
BROLIN
ALESSIA CARA
CLEAN CUT KID
RADKEY
CARGO TUE 03 NOV
BLONDE
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND WED 04 NOV
WILL JOSEPH COOK CONCRETE THU 05 NOV
ACE HOTEL MIRANDA TUE 03 NOV
HOXTON SQUARE BAR AND KITCHEN WED 04 NOV
VINCE STAPLES CARGO THU 05 NOV
FIDLAR
KINS
O 2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN SAT 14 NOV
BIRTHDAYS FRI 04 DEC
@LNSou rce
JOHN GRANT
EVENTIM APOLLO HAMMERSMITH THU 12 NOV
NOVEMBER 3RD, 4TH & 5TH 2015 LONDON
ANDY ALLO
THE 100 CLUB THU 19 NOV
THE DOME THU 05 NOV
A THREE DAY AND NIGHT MUSIC FESTIVAL
SEBRIGHT ARMS WED 18 NOV
THE STRUTS
DINGWALLS TUE 03 NOV
RAT BOY • PRETTY VICIOUS • ZIBRA ANTEROS • SUNSET SONS • THE BEACH COMMUNIONS • FEWS • HACKTIVIST PETITE MELLER • VERITE • BORNS ELIOT SUMNER + MANY MORE
Tic ke t s | E xc lu sive s | Win | live n ati on.co. uk
FIVE DAY FORECAST POSTILJONEN
LEGENDS OF COUNTRY
‘Go!’ continues to encompass the Stockholm based trio’s beautifully constructed nostalgic heartache with the soaring vocals of Mia Brox and deft production of Daniel Sjörs and Joel Nyström Holm. Having sold out The Lexington earlier this year to an enraptured audience, Postiljonen manage to fuse their expansive sound with gloriously hypnotic visuals - truly coming into their own in a live setting. Bittersweet, euphoric and cinematic: Postiljonen’s brand of dream-pop is a very special kind.
Fusing the country-tinged schmaltz of Christopher Owens with the observational wit of Jonathan Richman, Legends Of Country is the brainchild of Jof Owens from indie-folk charmers The Boy Least Likely To. Inspired by an unapologetic love of country music, debut album Talk About Country is a concept record of sorts - honing in on small-town success and the failure that often follows, about finding love late in life and looking back on what might have been.
GO!
JELLY AND JAM
POSTILJONEN
Best Fit’s ‘Five Day Forecast’ residency at The Lexington takes place between January 11-15th 2016. A week-long pass costs £25, whilst individual show tickets are priced at just £6 each. Tickets are on sale now at DICE, Songkick and Billetto. Acts confirmed so far include Oscar, Postiljonen, Pumarosa, Natali Felicia, Sabella, EERA, Iiris, Smash Williams, Inheaven, Legends Of Country, Saltwater Sun and Francis Lung.
SALTWATER SUN
SALTWATER SUN
INHEAVEN
MAKING EYES
BITTER TOWN
‘Making Eyes’ is riff-heavy and charming - it follows a similar path to Wolf Alice's fuzzy rock noises - but rather than bursts of angst and anger, Saltwater Sun make sounds poised to soundtrack sunset revelry. It’s prickly and propulsive, and has all the ingredients for 'festival singalong' - it might be a bit late for this year, but with quality this high, it’ll probably still be ringing in our ears come next summer.
A rampaging escapade through 90s fuzz and fantastical textures, London newcomers INHEAVEN summon euphoria with apparent ease on the wonderful ‘Bitter Town’. As capable of all-out thrashing riffs as they are of brooding melancholy, we’re champing at the bit to see how these guys develop over the next twelve months.
PUMAROSA PRIESTESS The most alluringly addictive band we’ve come across in some time, Pumarosa’s debut single ‘Priestess’ is a masterclass in tension and release. A beastly seven-minute long opus, the Dan Carey (Bat For Lashes, TOY) produced track scurries in the sonic undergrowth like a rattlesnake and attacks the senses with an uncompromising intensity. Easily one of the debuts of the year.
COURTNEY BARNETT
INHEAVEN
LiS 09
COMMUNION PRESENTS SUN 1 NOVEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT MON 2 NOVEMBER KOKO AMBER RUN MON 2 NOVEMBER THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB EMILIE & OGDEN TUE 3 NOVEMBER THE ISLINGTON DAN OWEN & JACK WATTS WED 4 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE JACK GARRATT THU 5 NOVEMBER DINGWALLS BOY & BEAR MON 9 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE THE STAVES TUE 10 NOVEMBER ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH THE WAINWRIGHT SISTERS WED 11 NOVEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL PATRICK WATSON WED 11 NOVEMBER HOXTON HALL DAN CROLL WED 11 NOVEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS MIKE WATERS FRI 13 NOVEMBER ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH JUNIUS MEYVANT TUE 17 NOVEMBER THE WAITING ROOM CAUSES WED 18 NOVEMBER THE WAITING ROOM CHI THU 19 NOVEMBER ST JOHN’S AT HACKNEY DAUGHTER TUE 24 NOVEMBER ELECTRIC BRIXTON MATT CORBY TUE 24 NOVEMBER THE PICKLE FACTORY GEORGE COSBY
WED 25 NOVEMBER ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH
NEW FACES THOMAS DYBDAHL THU 26 NOVEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS A.O.S.O.O.N TUE 1 DECEMBER BUSH HALL CHATHAM COUNTY LINE WED 2 DECEMBER THE LEXINGTON MEGAN WASHINGTON SUN 6 DECEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT MON 7 DECEMBER THE WAITING ROOM PIXEL FIX WED 9 DECEMBER SEBRIGHT ARMS TENTERHOOK WED 27 JANUARY THE SOCIAL RUKHSANA MERRISE THU 28 JANUARY O2 FORUM DAUGHTER FRI 29 JANUARY ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL THE LONE BELLOW WED 17 FEBRUARY O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS THU 18 FEBRUARY UNION CHAPEL FRANCES WED 23 MARCH ROUNDHOUSE HALF MOON RUN TUE 29, WED 30 & THU 31 MARCH EVENTIM APOLLO JAMES BAY FRI 15 APRIL O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON JACK GARRATT THU 26 NOVEMBER ST GILES-IN-THE-FIELDS
TIC K ETS F R OM W WW.CO MMU N IO N MU SIC.CO.U K
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PALMA VIOLETS (22 & 23 NOVEMBER)
SUNFLOWER BEAN PRETTY VICIOUS THE BIG MOON
(22 & 23 NOVEMBER)
(26 NOVEMBER)
(26 NOVEMBER)
T SUNDAY 22 MONDAY 23 THURSDAY 26 SOLD OU
NOVEMBER
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
TICKETWEB.CO.UK GIGSANDTOURS.COM STARGREEN.COM
THEVACCINES.COM /THEVACCINES NEW ALBUM ‘ENGLISH GRAFFITI’ OUT NOW A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA
NEW SOUNDS by Gemma Samways
photo: Gem Harris
THE BIG MOON
There’s a brilliant moment during The Big Moon’s debut track, ‘Eureka Moment’, where Juliette Jackson rues, “You could’ve been the voice of your generation, but then you never had the nerve.” It’s brilliant because it rings true: how many of us have resolved to make our mark, only to subsequently abandon those outlandish ambitions for the comforting embrace of anonymity? Jackson isn’t judging us; she’s suffered the same crises of confidence too. It took years of lingering in the shadows - playing in friends’ bands and working as a session musician - before Jackson experienced her own “eureka moment”. After seeing Palma Violets and Fat White Family play live, she suddenly realised that the desire to perform her own material significantly outweighed the trepidation she felt in putting her work up for scrutiny. Jackson began writing immediately, and then recruited
guitarist Soph Nathan, bassist Celia Archer and drummer Fern Ford to form The Moon. One year and one minor name change later, the London-based quartet are currently being billed as one of the most exciting new bands in the country. Quite right too. From the careering, fuzz-flecked indie-punk of ‘Eureka Moment’ to the insouciant alt-rock grooves of ‘Sucker’ and ‘The Road’, their output to date has displayed the ideal balance of melody and muscle. Most excitingly, Jackson’s compositions ooze so much effortless confidence, she makes taking the plunge to follow a dream seem easy. LISTEN TO: The Road ONLINE: soundcloud.com/commoonicate // @commoonicate // facebook.com/commoonicate LIVE: Brixton Academy, supporting Of Monsters and Men, November 24th. Brixton Academy, supporting The Vaccines, November 26th LiS 13
Goldenvoice Presents
TUESDAY 24th NOVEMBER f/LIONBABEMUSIC t@LIONBABE
AXS.COM
goldenvoice.co.uk
THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER
OVAL SPACE axs.com | seetickets.com | songkick.com www.kylalagrange.com
LIVE SHOWS
PLUS SPECIAL GUEST
FARAO
FRIDAY 13 NOVEMBER
LONDON UNION CHAPEL AXS.COM | SEETICKETS.COM | SONGKICK .COM
WEDNESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2016
KO KO Seetickets.com | Axs.com Portraits out now via counter records mariboustate.com
Upcoming London Shows UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
Presents
COSMO SILENT HOLLY SHELDRAKE HILL: LIVE FIST CITLE1F HERNDON Y ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
XOYO Shoreditch
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
The Nest Dalston
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
SONGHOY MICACHU & RESTORATIONS THE SHAPES BLUES Lexington Islington
The Laundry
Sebright Arms
Oval Space
KOKO
Oval Space
Sun 01 Nov.
Mon 02 Nov.
Weds 04 Nov.
Weds 04 Nov.
Thurs 05 Nov.
Thursday 2nd July
Wednesday 8th July
Thursday 18th July
VISIONS PISSED PAINS OF ARTHUR RUSSELL THE MYKKI A BEING PURE FESTIVALMARIK INSTRUMENTALS JEANS HACKMAN BL ANCO AT HEART
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
TITUS ANDRONICUS
Venues across London Fields Saturday 8th Sep
Oval Space
1OO Club Soho
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
JOSH T. PEARSON
Village Underground Union Chapel
The Laundry
Oval Space
St. John at Hackney
Thurs 05 Nov.
Fri 06 Nov.
Fri 06 Nov.
Sat 07 Nov.
JACCO
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
Fri 06 Nov.
Monday 10th September
Thu 18 & Fri 19 Aug
ILLUMINATIONS PRESENTS
ZOL A ONEOHTRIX MICHAEL ALVVAYS GARDNER POINT NEVER RAULT JESUS Dingwalls Camden
ALEL A BILL RYDER CAYUCAS DIANE JONES
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Sebright Arms Bethnal Green The Lexington Bush Hall 14th September Monday
The September Victoria Village Underground Islington Assembly Friday 11th Thursday 3rd September Hall Sat 07 Nov.
Tues 10 Nov.
Sun 08 Nov.
UNKNOWN MORTAL BY THE SEA WITH: BY THE SEA WITH: GIRLPOOL ORCHESTRA THE ORB HOT CHIP FOALS Scala Kings Cross
Weds 11 Nov.
Weds 11 Nov.
CHASTITY
MAJICAL BELT CLOUDZ
LOS CAMPESINOS
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire The Victoria Dalston
SCALA at Bethnal Dreamland, Margate St John Dreamland, Margate Oval Space15th September Wednesday 23rd Sep Tuesday Thursday 15th October Fri 13 Nov.
Fri 13 Nov.
Sat 14 Nov.
FATHER SONGHOY MELT MEAT BLUES YOURSELF JOHN MISTY
THUMPERS WAVE DOWN O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Koko Camden
Green Weds 18 Nov. Sun 22 Nov.
TITUS
SUNFLOWER FLO ANDRONICUS BEAN MORRISSEY Village Underground
Bush Hall Club Bussey Building The Victoria The Victoria Wed 28th & Thur 29th Oct Wednesday Thursday 5th November 4th November Moth Weds 25 Nov.
MARIKA
Thurs 26 Nov.
Thurs 26 Nov.
WILLIS CHRISTOPHER THE ORB HACKMAN OWENS Oval Space EARL BEAL Islington CHEATAHS Union Chapel Hackney
Mon 30 Nov.
Weds 02 Dec.
NATALIE
DU PRASS BLONDE Koko Camden
SONGHOY BLUES
FridayGreen 6th November Friday 13th November Monday 30th November Roundhouse Bethnal Village Underground XOYO St John at Bethnal Working Men’s Club Green Thur 03 Dec. Tues 19 Jan. Sat 21 May. Weds 24 Feb. Thurs 03 Dec.tickets and full info at: www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com Get
Get tickets and full info at www.rockfeedbackconcer ts.com
TALES FROM THE CITY by Naytronix
It might sound crazy, but my favorite thing about London is the food. My personal favorite is the Punjabi spice at Tayyabs in the East End. This level of spice might be too intense for some. I was shocked my first time to say the least. It all happened when our tour manager Fitz took me there after a soundcheck back in 2010. I had never tasted anything like it before. The spice went deep inside my bones and knocked me out of my chair as I burst into tears. I was sweating, crying, and snot was flying out of my nose onto the ground and into Fitz’s beard. Somehow I kicked off my shoes and started stumbling around trying to find the bathroom. In my state of confusion I wandered into the kitchen and got blasted with another batch of spice from the grill. Fitz finally grabbed me and dragged me into the bathroom and held my head under the sink trying to resuscitate me. Suddenly I bounced back to life and ran straight to the table for more lamb chops. I often think of that as my greatest victory. Somehow I managed to beat the spice that day. When I got back to the venue everyone’s eyes started watering. We soon realized that the spice had gotten into my wool sweater and was following me around like tear gas. I had to put the sweater in the van or else the show would have surely been cancelled. A few days later our van got broken into in Amsterdam but luckily the sweater was still there. The spice must have forced the thief to flee since all our gear was still there too. Now whenever I’m in London I make it a point to go back to Tayyabs, for more magic in my mouth and through my bones.
Naytronix’s second album, Mister Divine, is out now via City Slang Live: Shacklewell Arms, November 28th. Online: naytronix.com // @naytronix // facebook.com/naytronix LiS 17
fabric November 2015
Craig Richards Terry Francis Ă‚me (DJ set) Caleb Calloway Carl Craig Daniel Bell Dantiez Saunderson Dixon DVS1 Heidi Jonas Kopp Jus-Ed Kevin Saunderson KiNK (Live)
www.fabriclondon.com
Kyle Hall Loco Dice Luke Hess Mathew Jonson (Live) Octave One (Live) Point G (Live) Regis Ryan Elliott Sammy Dee Subb-an tINI Zenker Brothers Plus Many More...
NOVEMBER 2015
LEVELZ LOUISAHHH!!! MARCUS INTALEX MATT WALSH NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS ROMAN FLÜGEL SERIAL KILLAZ SHUT UP AND DANCE SKEPTICAL STEPHANE GHENACIA TC TOM SHORTERZ VOYEUR XTRAH B2B DLR PLUS MANY MORE...
www.fabriclondon.com
AMY BECKER BARELY LEGAL DANIEL AVERY DJ HYPE DJ W!LD DJ RIOT DUB PHIZIX & STRATEGY FRISCO GENERAL LEVI HANNAH WANTS HAZARD IN AETERNAM VALE (LIVE) JEROME SYDENHAM KERRI CHANDLER KÖLSCH (DJ SET)
words: Simone scott warren “Maybe we've taken so long with the first record, the second one will be a piece of cake...” Kate Akhurst, the antipodean frontwoman of Aussie / Scandinavian electro-pop outfit Kate Boy, is attempting to plead a case for the band. It's been three long years since the band initially broke into public consciousness by way of early single 'Northern Lights', a track so delicious that it had the likes of infamous blogger Perez Hilton salivating over how ruddy amazing they are. Three long years. We're not going to lie, we're here to give them a bit of a telling off. In the case for the band's defence, the origins of Kate Boy were probably the very definition of the word 'overnight', so maybe it's not that surprising that they've taken this long to get around to releasing their debut long player; One. Australian born and bred Akhurst had been living in London, but hankering over a visit to the home of her ancestors in Sweden. During her first visit to Stockholm, she met bandmate Markus Dextegen on a night out and there were, as Kate describes it, 'instant sparks'. “We just got along so well that we wanted to get into the studio straight away and just try out some ideas,” she reminisces, “And the way that we worked together was really unique and special. I think because we've come from songwriter backgrounds; before meeting each other we had written songs for other people, and all that experience of writing with hundreds of different people kind of made us realise that we'd found a collaboration that was really, really special. We didn't want to be a band, we didn't plan to be a band...” “No, we started writing music with no real agenda behind it,” Markus quickly agrees, “It could have easily gone to someone else,
the thought of being a band only started creeping up the next couple of months afterwards.” After sorting out her visa for a permanent move to the Swedish capital, the following years have been spent in a flurry of touring; playing festivals and shows all over the world. “We originally just put 'Northern Lights' out for ourselves. We've made a song! Let's put it on YouTube and make a video for it! Just do it for fun.” Kate chuckles, “And then that had a life of its own that made us go, oh my gosh, we have to write more songs to be able to play live, because now we have show offers, we should get on the road! We've done 200 shows since then. It's been amazing having to balance touring at the same time as writing. I think we've been so inspired by that, unknowingly. When we went into it, I don't think we expected so much inspiration to come from travelling so much. And I think that's why we got addicted to it, a bit. Maybe did it more than writing...” It's easy to see how the years of playing shows have influenced One; it's a record that immediately sounds like it will be
“We’ve learnt a lot of lessons, and we won’t make those mistakes again, but... we did it. And we didn’t need help.” - Kate Akhurst
massive live, you're guaranteed to be wearing new holes in your dancing shoes in a sticky venue. The band confess that they're eager now to see the reaction when the audience finally knows the words to sing back at them. “That's one of the most exciting things about releasing the album; finally people will have heard what we're playing and performing live, whereas before people had maybe heard two, three songs, and there's like 45 minutes of music that they'd never heard before.” Markus admits. “Which is awesome because there's something really special that happens when you play someone music for the first time. But we have to turn the chapter now. We've been doing two years of shows like that, so now it'll be fun to actually play in front of people who've actually heard it before and now are able to experience it live instead.” “Yeah, definitely!” Kate readily agrees, “That's one thing that we learnt from touring. Singing the same songs every night, whether it be any of the songs that people knew, when you got that experience of all singing together... that's what inspired us, we really wanted to have a connection with our live audience, like we're all singing this now, we're all equal. There's just this euphoria that happens in that moment...” That desire for equality and unity followed them into the studio, to the point where they felt that adding a producer to the mix would dilute the Kate Boy experience for them. Despite those early rumours that The Knife's Olof Dreijer was perched quietly behind the mixing desk, the truth is that Kate Boy didn't even contemplate working with a producer for One.
“We'd probably get another band member before we do that,” Dextegen stresses. “Scheduling to work for a month in a studio with a producer, that's just a massive gamble. No matter how good they are, like... the best producer in the world, you might end up being best friends and hanging out all the time, but that does not necessarily mean you'll make music that everyone's happy with. It's almost like a marriage. You've got to find the right person.” Maybe, we suggest quietly, the point of the producer might be to tell you when a song is finished? “That's what we need help with, can we have one of those then?” Kate laughs. “But then, you know what, it's so rewarding now. We've learnt a lot of lessons, and we won't make those mistakes again, but... we did it. And we didn't need help.” “And on the bright side,” Markus interjects, “we have a lot of songs that we didn't put on the album because they didn't fit it, so we're close to album number two.” “Yeah, there you go,” Kate chuckles, “album number two comes in a month! No, no, who knows? Our next conversation you won't be telling us off. Hopefully...” One is released November 6th via Fiction Records. Live: Oslo, London, December 2nd. Online: @KATEBOYofficial // facebook.com/kateboyofficial
Nov – Dec Listings
MONDAY 09 NOVEMBER HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
+ DESERT MOUNTAIN TRIBE TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER THE BORDERLINE, LONDON
— 03.11.15 Nova Twins (Upstairs at The Garage)
— 18.11.15 Lyger — 01.12.15 The Half Earth
— 08.12.15 Sister Gracie — 17.12.15 Gorgeous George
Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen /newcrushhq @newcrushhq
FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
PLUS
LEOGUN BARE HUNTER
SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER THE BARFLY CAMDEN
FRIDAY 11 DECEMBER HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
BOOK TICKETS NOW FROM TICKETWEB .CO.UK | TICKETMASTER .CO.UK | MAMAPRESENTS.COM
HOXTON SQUARE BAR AND KITCHEN GIG LISTINGS MON 14 NOV 7.30PM 18+ £8
THU 29 OCT 8PM 18+ £7
HOOTON TENNIS CLUB SPECIAL GUESTS
LEON OF ATHENS SPECIAL GUESTS TUE 17 NOV 8PM 18+ FREE ENTRY
HAWK DIOS MIO
FRI 30 OCT 7.30PM 18+ £8
NIALL JAMES HOLOHAN ANTZ IN THE JAM DJ
WED 18 NOV 8PM 18+ FREE ENTRY
NEW CRUSH W/ LYGER COLD OCEAN LIES
SAT 31 OCT 7PM 18+ £7
FEELGOOD CULTURE + FELLA
+ LOS & THE DEADLINE
THU 19 NOV 8PM 18+ £15
CHRISTIAN DEATH SPECIAL GUESTS
MON 02 NOV 8PM 18+ £8.50
ZELLA DAY SPECIAL GUESTS
FRI 20 NOV 7.30PM 18+ £6.50
TUE 3, WED 4, THU 5 NOV 8PM 16+ £9
COMMUNITY WITH RATBOY, CLEAN CUT KID,
SAT 21 NOV 7.30PM 18+ £8
ELIOT SUMNER + MORE!
SAT 07 NOV 7.30PM 18+ FREE ENTRY
NORMANTON STREET + HALF CROWN MON 09 NOV 8PM 18+ £9
TOUNDRA LOST IN THE RIOTS
SUMMER HEART SPECIAL GUESTS EVVOL RACKET 808 DJS
+ SPECIAL GUESTS WED 25 NOV 8PM 18+ £14
MALTED MILK & TONI GREEN SPECIAL GUESTS FRI 27 NOV 7.30PM 18+ £8
WED 11 NOV 8PM 18+ £10.50
JENNY HVAL SPECIAL GUESTS
SUBCULTURE SAGE ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY SPECIAL GUESTS
THU 12 NOV 8PM 18+ £6
MON 30 NOV 8PM 18+ £7
FRI 13 NOV 7.30PM 18+ £5
THU 03 DEC 8PM 18+ £6.50
ADY SULEIMAN SPECIAL GUESTS MACHWEO BRUNO BELISSIMO + CATALANO
MANSIONAIR DEPRESNO BIRDPEN SPECIAL GUESTS
DJS EVERY WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY UNTIL LATE Hoxtonsquarebar
@HoxtonHQ
@HoxtonSquareBar
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HOXTON SQUARE BAR AND KITCHEN Sat 7 november Main room With Special Guest Plus and
Jamie Rodigan DJ Longers Ras Kwame Jet Lets
(Bang Radio) (Capital Xtra)
on rotation
Bar
Gues
&S
DEMI tes James anPduelenoo D
ts
Mr Silk x Pivot ASANTE JAZZCOOL DJ TYE
pecial
9pm – 2am £4 advance + bf £5 on the door ticketweb.co.uk
E Suvendrayy 12-11pm
free b 3pm efore
Opening: 25th Oct 2015
5 Queue Jump guestlistkindlichspirit@gmail.com or Resident Advisor Hoxtonsquarebar
@HoxtonHQ
@HoxtonSquareBar
2-4 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NU Tickets from hoxtonsquarebar.com and ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 847 2316 (24hr)
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words: tom walters photography: mike massaro
Twelve, fourteen, sixteen hour days these are the shifts pulled by Oneohtrix Point Never and his crew at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York in order to bring his mesmerising new record Garden of Delete to life in show form. It might sound gruelling, but Garden of Delete is every bit as hard-hitting and brutal as those hours themselves, and besides Daniel Lopatin (the man behind the mask) has experience here anyway. It’s the same place he built a multimedia monolith of a show for his previous album, R Plus 7, but that isn’t to say things are going to be any more straightforward this time. In fact, like all things Lopatin puts his mind to, it’s resoundingly different - vocals and instruments will be performed live, it’ll be less cinematic and “much more striking”, and there’ll be so-called “obelisks” too. “We’ve been really lucky in that we get to calibrate a set that isn’t too unlike the sorts of places where we’re going to be performing,” he says while on a quick and well-deserved break. “This [show] is going to be quite different. The show we did around R Plus 7 was quite a traditional one - theatre style, with projected images behind us. This time, we wanted to do more.” More certainly seems to be the word here - Lopatin is highly enthusiastic as he lists off his uses of equipment, his vision vividly coming to life as he explains the attention to detail in positioning screens in just the right places, calibrating it all flawlessly in order to bring negative space effectively to the stage. It’s all very exciting to say the least.
Garden of Delete is just as thrilling in album form too. A deeply dark and twisted odyssey of introverted personality and, well, aliens - it fluctuates, pulses, and pretty much breathes like a living, organic being. Yet it’s also one of Lopatin’s most accessible and straightforward works in years - erratic, sure - but with deep pop roots and danceable undertones. Lopatin describes it as “energetic”, but ‘pumping a small child full of blue Smarties and letting him wreak havoc on a collection of otherworldly instruments’ might be more accurate. “I’m always trying to proceed through my life in a state of self-analysis - I really like focusing on how the sort of ups and downs that I’ve experienced with music,” he explains. “It’s interesting that [music] has this formal shape to it. This indulgence. This excitement aspect. This phase of just getting into it. I have a kind of very physical relationship with music pop music especially.” For Lopatin, he “gets into pop music” before “finding it disgusting” and needing to look away. He’s someone who’s able to analyse and digest the songs we hear every day in unique and idiosyncratic ways, breaking down sugar-coated melodies and bubblegum productions into divisive, repulsive, gross concoctions that he jokingly says “make him hate society”. “There are a lot of things going on when you really think about [pop music],” he says. “I wanna hook up with industry arrangers and beat makers and hook writers and kind of talk to them and see what their process is like. What their worlds are like and what
“I have a kind of very physical relationship with music - pop music especially.”
they’re after and what they do.” Though he wasn’t successful in doing this, what he’s created in Garden of Delete is his own interpretation - a world light-years away from our own that takes the grossness of it all and makes it into something even bleaker, yet also even more fun. Tracks like the thunderous ‘Sticky Drama’, the sprawling, fidgety ‘Mutant Standard’ and the inexplicably catchy ‘I Bite Through It’ are all prime examples of Lopatin’s glorious alternate pop reality. There’s nothing else like the entirety of Garden of Delete around at the moment and these songs in particular do well in both isolating the listener and drawing them into Lopatin’s world (the entire album was recorded in “pretty much a janitor’s closet” in the basement of a residential building). A lot of this world-building stems from Lopatin’s youth
- he was born in the ‘80s and was exposed to a lot of RPGs and adventure games, a period of his life that he describes as “a certain kind of trauma”. “It’s all one big entangled mess of ideas,” he says when asked about the relationship between his music and video games. A lot of songs on Garden of Delete sound like an early ‘90s PlayStation demo disc simultaneously crashing whilst trying to escape the console, and it’s no surprise - he has a deep psychological relationship with games. “Video games become more than just winning or losing at something. It becomes like some kind of weird addiction you know?” He says of his experiences. “They have this kind of weird quality to them. They’re very strange. They’ve kind of just traumatised me. This feeling I can’t really shake. There are things about them I really love and things about them that just freak me
out. They gave me this comfort too - I could come back and there would be this thing, this place. It was kind of a private world. I think it just left its mark on me pretty hard.” Breaking down the complex Garden of Delete isn’t just about the music though. There’s the matter of Ezra, the alien friend that Lopatin has interwoven into the album’s surrounding press narrative and into the record itself. “It wasn’t really a huge revelation, it’s just my personality,” he says on the mysterious, X-Files style story that overshadows much of the record. “Really that’s the same thing I’ve been doing since I was ten years old, but just done in a different way. There’s a piece of music on the album called ‘Ezra’. There’s a sample I found and it sounds like [someone saying] ‘Ezra’, and I thought okay - that’s a good name. I wanted to give these samples I was finding more life - to put them in a landscape; to put them in the universe and cast out these weird ideas and just have fun with it.” Fun Garden of Delete most certainly is, and some of that seems to have stemmed from Lopatin’s time touring with Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden just before its inception - or at least some of that heaviness at the forefront of the record anyway. There was no tour bus or easy route for Lopatin to take - he’d be up at 5:30 every morning, hitting the road from wherever he’d wake up before driving through “bleak American landscapes” where “you have all day to think about what you’re there to do and what you want to do as an artist, and what you’re going to do when you get back”. It all left a lasting impression on him. “Nine Inch Nails are as good as I’ve ever heard live music in terms of the intersection of electronic music and rock - to me like some of the best,” he recalls fondly. “It brought up all these questions and got me really, really excited about aggressive music. I try to absorb these things and get into it, and appreciate it and learn from it as opposed to injecting it. I would’ve never imagined that I would’ve ever been on this path that I ended up on, and that’s amazing.” Garden of Delete is released November 13th via Warp Live: Illuminations Festival, Village Underground, November 8th Online: pointnever.com // @0PN // facebook.com/oneohtrix
PRESENTS
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ALBUMS
RECORD OF THE MONTH JOANNA NEWSOM DIVERS
The press release for Divers is something to behold. It talks of ‘a wheeling circuit of sci-fi sea-shanties and cavalier ballads’, of ‘circadian invasions and avian irruptions and strange loops of Shepard-toned resonant-frequencies’ and ‘martial lullabies, blazing in sorrow and horseplay and love.’ That’s not to say this record isn’t full of those things, it’s just that… boy is that a mouthful. Yet one listen to the record and it’s clear that sometimes plain, simple English just won’t allow you to get anywhere near to describing the unique and beautiful world that Newsom creates. Divers is a record which highlights a wildly creative imagination, provides deft musical touches and deals in dense symbolism and references. She pushes and teases new ideas, plays with metaphors and allusion, dazzles with her creative spirit. The result is an astonishing set of Drag City Records songs which weave grand themes together with the Out now minutiae of life. And it’s all delivered in her compelling, Stand Out Tracks: distinctive voice. Sapokanikan You would need to write an essay to decode and untangle The Things I Say just the lyrics to stunning first single ‘Sapokanikan’, (the Divers Lenape Native American tribe name for an area where Time, As A Symptom Greenwich Village now stands): the song’s themes jump Live: November 9th from the civilisational changes, the role of an artist within this, myriad obscure references and Shelley’s ‘Ozymandias’, Eventim Apollo all told over brass fanfare and twinkling piano. It’s the sound of an artist deconstructing themselves, as she boldly asserts her intelligence and her singular vision. It feels familiar at times only because it sounds like her. Yet the intellect never gets in the way of the heart. The title track draws the themes of the album together: of time and choices and journeys; love and the “infinite divides”, while on closer ‘Time, As A Symptom’ she attests “Time is just a symptom of love” before it swells and grows and comes to life. “Time moves both ways” she sings, as the passage of time, and the past’s relationship with the present, pulses through the album. And, amid all the harps and orchestral flourishes, there’s the simple 2 minutes and 35 seconds of ‘The Things I Say’: sat in the middle of this sea of arrangements and the countless layers of meaning, we hear just a piano and that voice. Sometimes you don’t need anything more. Danny Wright
TEETH OF THE SEA
HIGHLY DEADLY BLACK TARANTULA Rocket Recordings // November 6th For nine years, Teeth of the Sea have made excellent experimental rock that’s largely crept under the radar. Occasionally however, they’re asked to do something like play a gig at CERN. Whoever was responsible for that was certainly feeling lucky, because if anything’s going to open a portal to hell, it’s the juxtaposition of music this bizarre next to the Large Hadron Collider. Teeth of the Sea have thrown us so many curveballs over their previous three albums that it’s no surprise Highly Deadly Black Tarantula, their splendid fourth, is yet another barrage of them. It’s electronic drone metal for the dancefloor, with trumpets. It’s the soundtrack to a non-existent film about contracting STDs from tantric sex with robots. It’s terrifying. Listen to it, now. Thomas Hannan
CHORUSGIRL
CHORUSGIRL Fortuna POP! // November 13th Sparkling with bright rhythms and jangling pop, Chorusgirl provide the easy entertainment that those original dancing ladies did, but with hints of something shadier, bittersweet and more potent. On their self-titled debut, Silvi Wersing and her London band perform with zest and fizz: tight drumming cavorts with meandering guitar lines, all enveloped by hazy chords and bustling dynamism. Like skittles scattered across the grey pavement of a northern town, there’s a sugary brightness scattered across depictions of life, love and death, with gritty subjects sounding fresh but never diminished. In some ways it could be on a Best of the 90s compilation – jangly guitars, Britpop simplicity and grungey sheen – but as is often the way, it’s so much better than the sum of those parts. Francesca Baker
BROLIN
THE DELTA Megastomo // November 6th Just as London shifts its seasonal gear stick to grim, masked singer/producer Brolin is here to offer up an often pained but rejuvenating escape on his debut album. Over driving house beats and meticulously arranged synths and strings, Brolin makes the case for why he is the most underrated pop artist in the country. Titles like ‘Kingston’, ‘Reykjavik’ and ‘Barcelona’ suggest escape is at the front of Brolin's mind, with the latter track being a standout, a hazy mirage of rolling tomtoms and skittish arrangements. Sleeper hit single ‘Swim Deep’ still sounds as urgent and intimate as it did a year ago. Every song here is rich with detail and emotion, and Brolin’s raw, elysian vocal style never loses its mystical value. A stunning debut. Woodrow Whyte LiS 33
TRAAMS
MODERN DANCING FatCat Records // November 13th Though billed by the band as a “more positive”, “brighter” and “happier” album than its 2013 predecessor, TRAAMS’ second album is far from motivational-montage fodder. Rather, Modern Dancing is the sound of a band achieving catharsis; an admission that, yes, sometimes life is pretty shit, and the process of venting those frustrations can produce its own euphoria. Singer Stuart Hopkins’ flat-out refusal to internalise grievances results in some fantastic one-liners. On ‘Sister’ he tells the song’s unnamed subject that, “Of all the things I do regret, you’re number one,” while on ‘Bite Mark’ he turns the scorn on himself, wondering, “Did I drink through all my best years?” before succumbing to “another night on the ropes, just to see what it takes to really mean it.” Best of all is the eminently pogo-able, breakneck punk of ‘Succulent Thunder Anthem’, which comes with a fantastically passive-aggressive middle-eight, juxtaposing the ragged howl of, “You know there‘s ice on the road,” with, “Please don’t slip and break your neck.” For all Hopkins’ black humour, Modern Dancing ultimately emerges as a more hopeful and accessible set than Grin, thanks to a sharpened melodic focus, the perfect amount of scuzzy distortion, and some truly stellar songwriting. Alongside ‘Succulent Thunder Anthem’, the loose groove of the title-track - redolent of Modern Life Is Rubbish-era Blur - is an instant standout. In truth, naming highlights is a losing game; there’s not a dud track amongst the eleven. Gemma Samways
FLOATING POINTS ELAENIA
Pluto // November 6th Sometimes you get the impression that an artist is just showing off. Listening to the new Floating Points record with the press release in front of you is certainly one of those moments, and it does nothing for your self-esteem. Neuroscientist, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Sam Shepherd finally releases his five-years-in-the-making opus Elaenia, and it doesn’t disappoint. The shift from laptop to expansive instrumental sound is at first subtle; opening track ‘Nespole’ sprouts from sparse beginnings, but before you know it you’re in an epic ten-minute experimental jazz piece called ‘Silhouettes I, II & III’. Marimba notes dance over a krautrock rhythm section before the layers build seamlessly into Miles Davis’ futuristic dream-vision. By the time the full-on string section waltzes in it’s clear that this is an album with grand pretensions, aiming at something profound and aspirational: a soundtrack for human achievement. In both the title track and ‘Thin Air’ there is a stillness and compression as if this is actually sound art; a totally cerebral cosmic mash of electronic music devouring its classical predecessors to give a beautiful, monochrome future. While you probably need to be a jazz aficionado to identity many of the influences churned up in Floating Points’ cogs, you don’t have to be to enjoy the end product. Shepherd has produced a sort of time capsule obituary and poured every one of his considerable talents into it. Henry Wilkinson
KATE BOY ONE
Fiction Records // November 6th Guess what? Sweden’s making progressive, yet entirely infectious pop music. Nothing new then. Except that Stockholm-based Kate Boy are a hybrid, punch-packing duo: Aussie, Kate Akhurst, brings aggro-tinged melody to Markus Dextegen’s undeniably Scandi, industrial production. Inspired in part by a legendary late-70s synthesizer, ONE sees the pair create a potent cocktail of unceasingly industrial, foot-stomping electro-pop with boundless kinetic energy to fire-up the ‘Human Engine’. Day one Kate Boy fans will be very pleased to see the appearance of eye-opening, addictive favourites ‘Northern Lights’ and ‘The Way We Are’, somehow still possessing all the same vigour of the first listen. These old friends are joined by equally uplifting, rambunctious numbers throughout, embodied by ‘Higher’, which climbs to a cacophony of wonderfully mind-bending factory-esque rumblings. ONE listen won’t be nearly enough. George O’Brien
FUFANU
MARK MCGUIRE
One Little Indian // November 27th
Dead Oceans // November 13th
The foreboding post-punk rumble of ‘Now’ powers up Fufanu’s debut album, one that seldom wavers in mood till its cycle is run. Dense electro-industrial sonics underpin vocalist Kaktus Einarsson’s melancholic Icelandic inflections, while the flicker of an FX pedal or passing harmonic bleep provide the glint in the granite. Skittering, almost jazzy drum patterns offer a humanising outlet, and when Fufanu loosen the bolts and grease the wheels a little – as on the rowdy garage-rock of ‘Blinking’ or the percussive shuffle counteracting thick chordal stabs on ‘Northern Gannet’ – Einarsson seems to loosen up too. On the quirky ‘Plastic People’, discordant arpeggios and a fine slackened beat help to unspool Fufanu’s mechanised modus operandi, and the band sound more engaging for it. Nick Mee
Friday the 13th will be unlucky for some. I’m thinking of the unlucky few shelling out for guitar impresario Mark McGuire’s dreadful soft rock solo album. And no, there’s not been a mix up at the Steely Dan pressing plant. It’s just that these songs ‘are not just music; they’re statements’ his label claims. Yet wait! Just what exactly are the goofball jam and limp synthesizers of opener ‘The Naacals’ saying? It’s a mystery. And a big shame because McGuire of Emeralds fame can shred with the best of them – even if he can’t sing for toffee. He eventually lets his axe loose on the Tortoise-apeing and cringey-titled ‘The Past Presents the Future’ but it can’t stop the album assuming its warning label: Beyond Belief. Geoff Cowart
FEW MORE DAYS TO GO
BEYOND BELIEF
LiS 35
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD
PAPER MACHÉ DREAM BALLOON Heavenly Recordings // November 13th Already seven albums into their five-year career, seven-piece Aussie psych minstrels King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard know a thing or two about being prolific. Recorded entirely on acoustic instruments, latest album Paper Maché Dream Balloon is a country mile away from the doom-laden electric blues of their 2014 breakout I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. Opener ‘Sense’ is bursting with sneaky clarinet lines and chilled lounge bar melodies while ‘The Bitter Boogie’ is a brilliant update of Canned Heat’s ‘On The Road’. Elsewhere, the seraphic fluting of ‘Dirt’ evokes earlier single ‘Hot Water’. Clearly King Gizzard aren’t interested in being made to pace themselves, their independent ethos shows this. This is their folk album, and mostly it reveals a band bursting with great music. Tim Hakki
LAGS
PILOT To Lose La Track Records // November 6th The world is a darker place than it was in 1997. It’s hard to imagine the riot rock of Rage Against The Machine, which burned so brightly in the late 90s, having the same impact were the genre to experience a revival today. Rome’s Lags are such revivalists, capturing the incendiary spirit and sinewy delivery of Refused and At The Drive-In, while lacking the clarity and conviction that elevates the best message metal records. ‘A Push and a Rush’, ‘War Was Over’, ‘Fear, Control, Mothers’ – all serviceable rock tracks with a tech edge, engineered to get fists raised on rock club dancefloors. The “fuck the system!” attitude of Pilot is inherently satisfying, even if the sentiment feels twee when viewed through 2015’s apathetic eye. Grant Bailey
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS WHY?
Lojinx // November 27th It’s been 30 years since Johns Linnell and Flansburgh formed They Might Be Giants, and 21 since they converted their two-man accordion-guitar-MIDI operation into a multiinstrument group. Nineteen albums later, Why? sounds as good as anything they’ve done, yet there’s a sense that this band are still taken for granted. This record is incredibly accomplished, epsecially for a band who’ve already released an album this year, and you’ve got to wonder how they do it. Judging by the songs here, it’s no doubt down to their eternal creativity, and wild, child-like imagination. Opener ‘Oh You Did’ is a cohesive hybrid of nursery rhymelike simplicity and indie pop innocence. Elsewhere, the quirky, alt-pop demeanour of ‘Omnicorn’ has the facets of TMBG that we all know and love, and there are hints of that all over this record. They Might Be Giants might be the only band who can make music for both children and adults without sounding pathetically quaint. Hayley Scott
EVENTS
a selection of new stuff we’re excited about: COMMUNITY FESTIVAL Where’s the best place in the dying days of the year 2015 to see the freshest bands of 2016? Good thing you asked, because the folks behind the new Community festival have the answer – and it’s to be found on eleven stages in Shoreditch and Hoxton. More than 60 acts are scheduled to play East London as part of the forward-looking festival’s veritable Who’s Who guide to new musical talent. From hip hop and grime to indie, rock and electro pop, it’s sure to be going off somewhere near you. We’re also pleased to announce we’re presenting three brilliant new acts to play our very own London in Stereo stage at Red Gallery. Starring The Magic Gang, INHEAVEN and Day Wave, fun times are pretty much guaranteed. One glance at the Community site demonstrates all the other riches on offer, so get glancing, and then get dancing. November 3rd-5th. Various venues, East London. communityldn.com // @communityLDN // facebook.com/CommunityLon All shows are ticketed individually.
WINTERVILLE We had an absolute blast at the inaugural Winterville winter town last year, so we’re thrilled it’s returning to our favourite east London park. Offering a palatable alternative to other festive parks, Winterville just feels like a good place to be: the drinks are top-quality, the food is from some of the best street traders around (see you there, Mother Clucker), and this year there’s a bunch of new events to complement last year’s ice-rink, fairground and more. Including a cinema showing seasonal classics (Elf is playing, obviously) and crazy golf. We love crazy golf! Wrap up warm, drink hot booze; Winterville makes you feel less humbug, and that’s pretty priceless. November 26th-December 23rd. Victoria Park, E9. winterville.co.uk @WintervilleLDN // facebook.com/WintervilleLDN Entry is free, with some events requiring tickets. LiS 40
LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL Believe it or not, the EFG London Jazz Festival is London's biggest pan-city music festival, taking over venues from Shepherd’s Bush to Hackney via Camden and Stamford Bridge. Started in 1992, and emerging from what once was Camden Jazz Week, its aim today remains the same as back then: "celebrating the place of jazz in a city which is at ease with its rich cultural diversity". With so many events, venues and incredible acts to explore you might just find a new love for this expansive and varied genre. November 13th-22nd, Various venues. efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk // @LondonJazzFest
photo: Emile Holba (@emileholba)
THE END FESTIVAL Bringing together some of the best underground bands from home and abroad to the criminally under-celebrated Crouch End, The End Festival returns again. With The Wave Pictures, Lowpines, The Oreilles and more playing, there’s tons to discover and plenty of venues to fall in love with. This year sees them partner with BIMM London to bring some of the freshest talent to the stage. Tickets for everything are very limited so grab yours now. Nov’ 12th-23rd, various venues, Crouch End, N8. theendfestival.tv // @theendfestival // facebook.com/theendfest Weekend, day and individual show tickets available.
Lowpines
INDEPENDENT LABEL MARKET Returning to Old Spitalfield’s Market, our favourite kind of shopping experience is back to provide record collection-boosting rarities, and invaluable early Christmas present shopping opportunities (because, yes, your family members do want a The Japanese House 7”- they’ll thank you one day). With a selection of exciting new labels joining the established mainstays there’s bound to be treasures on every stall. And, with the London Brewers’ Market running in conjunction, a couple of beers might just inspire even more purchases. November 28th, Old Spitalfields Market, E1 6EW independentlabelmarket.com // @IndieLabelMkt
photo: Abi Dainton (@AreYouOkAbi) LiS 41
— TUE 03 NOV —
— TUE 03 NOV — HOLY ESQUE HOLY FIELD STUDIESESQUE + BOO SEEKA
— M O N 2 3 N O V [18 +] — — M O N 2 3 N O V [18 +] —
— WED 04 NOV — — WED 04 NOV —
HINDSIGHTS HINDSIGHTS & APOLOGIES, &I HAVE APOLOGIES, NONE I HAVE LOSINGNONE SLEEP
— F R I 0 6 N O V [ [1188++]] — — FRI 06 NOV —
— WED 25 NOV — — WED 25 NOV —
FIELD STUDIES + BOO SEEKA
RIVRS RIVRS
LOSING SLEEP
TIGERCUB TIGERCUB YOUTH MAN
ELECTRIC RIVER ELECTRIC RIVER COLT 45 + FROZEN RAIN
YOUTH MAN
COLT 45 + FROZEN RAIN
—— TTHHUU 2266NNOOVV——
SSUUNN1155 NNOOVV ——
HIGHTYDE TYDE HIGH
LIGHT YOU LIGHT YOU UP UP WSTR + BEAUMONT WSTR + BEAUMONT
—— SSUUNN 2299NNOOVV——
——WWEEDD1188 NNOOVV ——
TAX THE THEHEAT HEAT TAX LEOGUN
——TTHHUU1199 NNOOVV ——
WEEDD 0022DDEECC—— —— W
BETHAN BETHANLEADLEY LEADLEY HASSLE HASSLERECORDS RECORDS LABEL LABELNIGHT NIGHT FEAT FEAT MAXRAPTOR RAPTOR MAX
LEOGUN
GLASSCAVES CAVES GLASS
PASSPORTTO TOSTOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM+ +DELAMERE DELAMERE PASSPORT
—— TTHHUU 0033DDEECC——
JAWS JAWS
ELEGIES++CHEAP CHEAPMEAT MEAT ELEGIES SWEDISHDEATH DEATHCANDY CANDY ++ SWEDISH
— —F FRRI I2200NNOOVV [ [1188++]] ——
NAI NAIHARVEST HARVEST
—— FFRRII 0044 DDEECC[ 1[81 8+ ]+ ]— —
VYNCE VYNCE PLEASURE HOUSE
BUSTER SHUFFLE BUSTER SHUFFLE RENATTA JANE
— E VE RY FRIDAY — — E VE RY F R IDAY —
— EV ERY SATURDAY — — E VE RY SATURDAY —
PLEASURE HOUSE
RENATTA JANE
LIVE BANDS UPSTAIRS, LIVECLASSICS BANDS UPSTAIRS, INDIE DOWNSTAIRS INDIE CLASSICS DOWNSTAIRS
/THEBARFLYLONDON /THEBARFLYLONDON
AN UNMISSABLE AN UNMISSABLE NIGHT OF MUSIC NIGHT OF MUSIC
FOLLOW US FOLLOW US @THEBARFLYHQ @THEBARFLYHQ
@BARFLYCAMDEN @BARFLYCAMDEN
THEBARFLYLONDON.COM THEBARFLYLONDON.COM 49 Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, London NW1 8AN Tickets49 available fromRoad, thebarflylondon.com 0844 847 Chalk Farm Camden Town, or London NW12424 8AN(24hr)
Orange Yard, off Manette St, London W1D 4JB Follow us @theborderline and facebook.com/theborderline Tickets from theborderlinelondon.com or 0844 847 2465 (24hr) SUN 01 NOV 2.30 PM 14+ 15 ADV
REFUGEE ROCK FEAT. THE WEDDING PRESENT USA NAILS + MOTHLITE + MOWER + TWIN GRAVES + SCANDINAVIA + MORE TBC
MON 02 NOV 7.15PM 14+ £10 ADV
MARK PONTIN GROUP (‘TEXTURES’ ALBUM LAUNCH)
MON 09 NOV 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
RYAN SHERIDAN & THE HAMILTONS MON 16 NOV 7PM 14+ £13 ADV
CHARLIE WORSHAM + FRANKIE DAVIES
TUE 17 NOV 7PM 14+ £13 ADV
MANDOLIN ORANGE SUN 22 NOV 7PM 14+ £20 ADV
THE QUIREBOYS – UNPLUGGED IN THE UK
THE TROY REDFERN BAND + THE MOONBIRDS
MON 23 NOV 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
WED 04 NOV 7PM 18+ £12 ADV
+ SPECIAL GUESTS
THE LONDON FOLK & ROOTS FESTIVAL WITH THE GRAHAMS RUARRI JOSEPH
FRI 06 NOV 7PM 14+ 14 ADV
BOBBY LONG
MOTHXR
FRI 27 NOV 7PM 14+ 16.50 ADV
JOHN OTWAY BIG BAND
SAT 05 DEC 7PM 14+ £14. ADV
DAN PATLANSKY
SPECIAL GUEST AARON KEYLOCK
EVERY THURSDAY
EVERY FRIDAY
Grab your goodies and get your freak on
There ain’t no party like our 90s party
EVERY WEDNESDAY 11pm – 3am A mix of pop punk, rock, indie and party hits!
11pm – 4am Classic Indie, Rock & Brit Pop
— W E D 2 8 O CT —
— SAT 21 NOV
DAVE DOBBYN
[18+]
DODGY
SPECIAL GUESTS
—
(NOW TOUR 2015) KISSIN KIPPERS FISHIN CLUB + COMPERE MATT ABBOTT + STAR SHAPED AFTER PARTY
— T U E 0 3 NOV —
HOP ALONG
— MO N 23 NOV —
SPECIAL GUESTS
PSYCHIC TV
— W E D 0 4 NOV —
BULLY
TOY + CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. DJS
— M O N 1 0 NOV —
— TH U 26 NOV [18+] — FRED PERRY SUB SONIC LIVE PRESENT HEAVENLY RECORDINGS 25TH ANNIVERSARY FT.
SPECIAL GUESTS
HOT 8 BRASS BAND — T HU 1 2 NOV —
THE WYTCHES
NOTS + BRITAIN + BOBBY GILLESPIE/ANDREW INNESAND (PRIMAL SCREAM) DJ SET + BOB STANLEY/PETE WIGGS (ST ETIENNE) DJ SET
JESUS JONES EAT
— TH U 0 3 DEC —
— W ED 1 8 NOV —
LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS
PURE YOUTH SPECIAL GUESTS
SERIOUS SAM BARRETT
— TH U 1 0 DEC —
— T HU 1 9 NOV —
THE PETEBOX
(NOAH & THE WHALE/ LITTLE MAMMOTHS) PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
— TH U 1 0 DEC —
MATT OWENS
TOO MANY T’S
MOON HOOCH
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT
— E V E RY LAST FRIDAY —
— EVERY FI RST SATURDAY —
— F RI 2 0 NOV —
PERHAPS CONTRAPTION
SPECIAL GUESTS
OLD SCHOOL R’ N ’B & HIP HOP JAMS
A MONTHLY BRITPOP PARTY
FO LLOW US THEGARAGEHIGHBURY
THEGARAGEHQ
THEGARAGELONDON
THEGARAGEHIGHBURY.COM 20-22 Highbury Corner, London, N5 1RD, United Kingdom. Tickets available from ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 847 2424 (24hr)
GIGS OF THE MONTH
OUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN NOVEMBER
THE BARFLY
19/11/15 £6adv @TheBarflyHQ
MAX RAPTOR // ELEGIES // CHEAP MEAT + MORE Hassle records take over the Barfly for a whirlwind of brilliant noisy fun.
CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN
SHACKLEWELL ARMS
BUSH HALL
Threatening to bring giant inflatable palm trees with them, Johnny Foreigner return to London to delve into their back catalogue and treat us to some new music.
MT. Wolf have returned and we're over the moon, sway to their beautiful sounds at Bush Hall this month.
JOHNNY FOREIGNER // DOE // NUDES
13/11/15 £9adv @Shacklewell Arms
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
MT. WOLF // MY GREY HORSE // WHYTE-HORSES
19/11/15 £10 @Bushhallmusic
SHEPHERD’S BUSH
BRIXTON WINDMILL
MEATRAFFLE // TETINE Trashmouth records present the frenetic energy of Meatraffle as they celebrate their album release. 13/11/15 £4adv @windmillbrixton
BRIXTON
THE LEXINGTON
MOURN // RATS ON RAFTS Spanish 4-piece Mourn bring the influences of Patti Smith and Sebadoh together mixed with a huge dose of energy and invention. MOURN
05/11/15 £9adv @thelexington
ANGEL
THE GARAGE BULLY
LiS favourites Bully head to London once again,bringing their impossibly catchy, brilliantly fun grungey sound.
04/11/15 £12adv @TheGarageHQ HIGHBURY AND ISLINGTON LiS 45
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE GOOD SHIP
Pop at its finest; FVC channels a Madonna meets Blondie sound full of hooks. These tracks will be stuck in your head for days.
A night of brilliant unsigned bands, and it's all for charity, enjoy new music and raise money for Bloodwise.
19/11/15 £5adv @ServantJazz
28/11/15 £7.50adv @thegoodshipNW6
FVC
THE RARE + CONVAL KID
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
BORDERLINE MOTHXR
Brooklyn-based Mothxr head back to the UK displaying their mix of synth and guitar based pop tracks.
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY
JENNY HVAL
Let the soft, heartfelt tracks of Alex G wash over you, It'll sell out, so get tickets quick. ANGEL
Jenny Hval shows are quite the spectacle, not just about the music, she embraces the whole idea of performance, promising to have you transfixed. 11/11/15 £10.50adv @HoxtonHQ
NEW CROSS INN
RUMOUR CUBES // OBE // THEO A line-up of swirling time signatures, thunderous breakdowns and cosmic excellence. 22/11/15 £4adv @NewCrossInn
23/11/15 £12adv @theborderline TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
HOXTON BAR AND KITCHEN
ALEX G
12/11/15 £12.50adv @O2Islington
KILBURN
OLD STREET
OSLO
YACHT
NEW CROSS / NEW CROSS GATE
The madness of Yacht is quite something to behold. Bold, brilliant and unusual ideas executed with precision.
DINOSAUR PILE-UP
16/11/15 £12.50adv @OsloHackney
HACKNEY CENTRAL
THE DOME
DINOSAUR PILE-UP Dinosaur Pile-Up's new album is described as "Stronger & more destructively powerful" in our review. We can't wait for it to knock our socks off live. 11/11/15 £9.50adv @DomeTufnellPark LiS 46
TUFNELL PARK
FABRIC
ROMAN FLUGEL // DANIEL AVERY // IN AETERNAM VALE Daniel Avery takes over Fabric for his Divided Love night, this time bringing Roman Flugel and In Aeternam Vale. 13/11/15 £19adv @fabriclondon
FARRINGDON
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
‘Beat The Champ’ is one of our favourite 2015 albums, so no need to say we’re really excited to see these guys again. 19/11/15 £23adv @o2sbe
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
SHEPHERD’S BUSH
THE FINSBURY
LIFECYCLE // RAD FRU // WHIG WHAMS Lifecycle bring a bunch of excellent new bands with them to celebrate the release of their latest EP.
06/11/15 FREE @TheFinPub MANOR HOUSE
BEDROOM BAR
WAITING ROOM
Throwing Hands present a night of fresh new music headlined by the acoustic sounds of Bear Paw.
Shifting from delicate beginnings to chorus drenched Marr-esque riffing, McCool's tracks are gripping throughout. A new talent not to be missed.
BEAR PAW // ANDY BROWN + MORE
05/11/15 FREE @Bedroom_Bar
OLD STREET
THE LOCK TAVERN
LOVE BUZZARD // GHOST CAR Viral Nights curate another great line-up of ace new bands, headlined by the thrashing psych-rock of Love Buzzard. 13/11/15 FREE @thelocktavern
CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN
NATALIE MCCOOL // BIG TEARS
03/11/15 £6adv @WaitingRoomN16
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
100 CLUB
MISTY MILLER Fearsomely good, Misty Miller moves up to The 100 Club, bringing her odd-pop and party of a show to central London. 11/11/15 £8adv @10 0clubLondon
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD LiS 47
MITSKI TUES 3 NOV DALSTON VICTORIA NATALIE MCCOOL TUES 3 NOV THE WAITING ROOM DEWY SINATRA WED 4 NOV THE WAITING ROOM THE GARDEN WED 4 NOV DINGWALLS BEAU MON 9 NOV THE WAITING ROOM JOANNA NEWSOM MON 9 NOV T SOLD OU EVENTIM APOLLO JOHN JOSEPH BRILL MON 9 NOV DALSTON VICTORIA MONEY TUES 10 NOV THE LEXINGTON BO ROCHA WED 11 NOV THE WAITING ROOM
LORD HURON + RADICAL FACE WED 11 NOV O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE MISTY MILLER WED 11 NOV 100 CLUB SOLOMON GREY WED 11 NOV THE BREWHOUSE
WOVOKA GENTLE MON 23 NOV ELECTROWERKZ
LONDON O’CONNOR MON 30 NOV THE WAITING ROOM
ELVIS PERKINS TUES 24 NOV DALSTON VICTORIA
LOWLY TUES 1 DEC SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
KAGOULE WED 25 & THURS 26 NOV POWER LUNCHES
MO KOLOURS THURS 12 NOV PICKLE FACTORY
HILANG CHILD WED 25 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
CAR SEAT HEADREST TUES 17 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THIS IS THE KIT WED 25 NOV SCALA
MONIKA TUES 17 NOV COURTYARD THEATRE ASTRONAUTALIS WED 18 NOV SCALA FVC THURS 19 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
MARTHA FFION FRI 27 NOV THE WAITING ROOM O EMPEROR MON 30 NOV SHACKLEWELL ARMS PLASTIC MERMAIDS MON 30 NOV ELECTROWERKZ
DEMOB HAPPY THURS 10 DEC 100 CLUB DILLY DALLY THURS 7 JAN DALSTON VICTORIA THE DRINK TUES 26 JAN SHACKLEWELL ARMS HINDS THURS 18 FEB KOKO ROSIE LOWE THURS 25 FEB OSLO HACKNEY GIRL BAND MON 29 FEB VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
SUNDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
MONDAY 9TH NOVEMBER
TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER
WEDNESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER
THURSDAY 12TH NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 13TH NOVEMBER
SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER
MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
SUNDAY 15TH NOVEMBER
TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER
WEDNESDAY 18TH NOVEMBER
THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER
SATURDAY 21ST NOVEMBER
SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER
TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER
MONDAY 23RD NOVEMBER
WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER
THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 27TH NOVEMBER
MONDAY 30TH NOVEMBER
SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER
SURFER BLOOD
SUNDAY 29TH NOVEMBER
FOR THE LATEST LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM
– In this month’s column Alan Miller, of the The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), looks at the prospect of London finally getting a 24-hour transport system, and how it will benefit nightlife culture and business alike –
INTO THE NIGHT
UP ALL NIGHT, CAN WE HANDLE A 24-HOUR CITY? The night tube, when it arrives, will make a fantastic and much-needed contribution to London; any city wishing to be truly modern must enable its population to have mobility. In Britain we have suffered from a somewhat low-horizon outlook with regard to massive large-scale infrastructure projects – whether that be in transport or housing – and the night tube from TFL will, simply put, make London better. When thinking about whether we can ‘handle’ a 24-hour city the question we are really asking is: what kind of country, what kind of world, do we want to live in? In Marshall Berman’s All That Is Solid Melts In To Air we are taken on a historic and political journey through various cities that experience enormous modernising changes: from Amsterdam and the canals, to Paris with Haussmann’s boulevards, which went onto inform the city planners of New York City and Central Park designers such as Olmstead and Law. Modern cities should provide a place for people from around the globe to come and dream and make their visions a reality. Being able to navigate them with an advanced transport system is imperative. Being able to shape our days, around increasingly flexible working hours, is vital. If you work in an ad agency, corresponding with Beijing and São Paulo across the hours, why can we not in London – as one currently can in Paris and Barcelona – come out and have a croissant and glass of wine at five in the morning? What is suspected about British citizens and our visitors that suggests we cannot be trusted, or allowed to have that freedom? The combination of licensing limitations imposed on so many London venues, and the increasing restrictions on security, entrance
and monitoring, has been resulting in people voting with their feet every weekend and heading to Berlin and Barcelona to enjoy the more relaxed and less regulated atmosphere there. Having just been at Amsterdam Dance Festival on a panel, it was impressive to note that the entire city gets behind the huge contribution of the night time industries and economy. Even when I landed at Schiphol Airport they were tweeting and welcoming delegates to the event and city. This is a smart approach to an enormously creative and innovative sector that, in Britain, we have very little of – it pays back massive economic and cultural dividends to the city and citizens alike. Having a 24-hour culture, with professionally run venues and a host of businesses makes city life better, easier and more enjoyable. I’m always impressed when in parts of Asia, or in NYC, when all types of workers, businesses and visitors can participate fully in the city around the clock. We definitely need this in London. However, there are some extremely difficult issues we have to deal with, ranging from local councils who hold on to an old script that night time = noise, nuisance and crime. In fact, we believe the opposite. The night time industry = economic benefits and enormous cultural value. Here’s to TFL and the unions working out their agreement speedily so that London can take the place it deserves as a strong and vibrant 24-hour city, where people can go dancing, clubbing, to the hairdresser, gymnasium, museum or simply enjoy a quiet cup of tea – at any time of day and night.
For more information and to become a member of the NTIA visit: ntia.co.uk online: @wearethentia // facebook.com/wearethentia
LiS 67
...IN LONDON with
WARM BRAINS Why do you live in London? Well firstly, proximity is a big factor, I grew up in the suburbs and it was only a short train ride into central London so it’s always been a big influence and was the obvious choice to move into town when I moved out of my folks’ place. I’ve been living here for aaaaages now though so it’s testament to London that it’s kept me interested for so long. As soon as I think I’m sick of the place something comes along to reaffirm my faith in it. Where do you like to eat and drink? I’ve just moved to Peckham and there’s a whole new load of things I’m stumbling across. I just ate the best Chinese I’ve ever had at a place called Silk Road in Camberwell. In Peckham/East Dulwich there’s a great pub called The Gowlett, back up north, Tayyabs on a small backstreet in Whitechapel is a classic. You gotta get some of the lamb chops. Also if you’re less inclined to that meaty prospect you should try Bonnington’s in Vauxhall, it’s a vegan restaurant which is a bit like being in someone’s living room with different chefs every day, it’s really good value and bring your own booze! Now it’s getting cold out, where are your favourite places in London to keep warm? The pub obviously is a good shout, London’s the best place for old pubs in the world, and hopefully it’ll stay that way (it’d help if people could stop turning them into swanky flats and new residents to areas shutting them down due to noise pollution!) so find yourself a nice old pub with a fire, seems obvious. What’s the perfect way to spend the day? Well it’s my day off today, I’m going to make poached eggs on toast, top up the electricity meter, get the back wheel on my bike fixed and go down to Sydenham Hill
Woods for a poke around. Also today it’s the special deal at Balti Spice Club round the back of our flat, it’s two mains, two starters, two sides, rice and a naan for £12.99 (no seafood) and it’s utterly delicious so that should cap things off nicely. Might even go to Peckhamplex to watch a film after, it’s only a fiver!! Sounds like a pretty good day out to me. Favourite gig venue? This is a tricky one as all my favourites keep getting shut down! At least that means new things keep opening up though. Some friends of mine have just opened up a venue/record shop/cooperatively run social centre called DIY Space For London near South Bermondsey. That’s a great venue and community centre, it’s an excellent, positive addition to the neighbourhood so people should go down and have a look. Does London ever influence the music you write? I’d say the majority of the time yes, I’ve lived here for a long time so it can’t help but influence a lot of what I do. I have travelled to a lot of different unusual places the last couple of years, Central America, Cuba, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Morocco and going to some reasonably far flung places in different continents has almost made me write about London more as when I’ve been away and start writing it’s given me a juxtaposition between where I live and the odd place that I happen to be in at the time. Warm Brains release Big Wow November 6th via Milk Milk Lemonade Records. Live: The Lexington, November 7th Online: @warmbrains // facebook.com/warmbrains
LiS 69
LIVE
photography: Sebastian Barros
CHASTITY BELT The Victoria, Dalston. October 15th
Rewind to 2013: four college students cross paths in Walla Walla Washington, start a band for jokes, playing party tunes to drunk eighteen year olds. Skip ahead to 2015, to the Victoria in Dalston to be exact, and they play a more lyrically and technically sophisticated set to less drunk onlookers (probably) with two albums under their belt. I'm talking about Chastity Belt, by the way. The Seattle based Hardly Art foursome acquired a healthy fan base from the get-go and one which continues to grow with each record they put out. This was evident stood in the midst of a sold-out crowd at their very first London show. Chastity Belt instantly give off a nonchalant chilled out vibe and not just because the lead singer has her hair in braids and donned a backwards flat peak. Their moody guitar-based rock songs, especially those off the recent record Time To Go Home, make you want to plank a bed and have nostalgic daydreams. It's only when you listen to their words do you realise the complexity beneath the surface. Lead singer and guitarist Julia Shapiro belts out the chorus of 'Drone', their first song choice of the evening, and I immediately think of failed romantic conquests, negative male encounters and how annoying mansplaining is. There's something so awesome about a band that you can relate to and
Chastity Belt have nailed writing songs about things from a female perspective. They don't favour constantly being referred to as a "girl band". However, I think it's necessary to note that they're a band consisting of four women, especially when their music reeks of grrrl power. 'Cool slut' seemed to be the crowd favourite, with boys and girls alike screaming, "It's okay to be slutty". The way they've wrapped delicate topics in beautiful melodies is extremely clever and cater to those who just want to dance to a good song as well as those who want to feel empowered by one. It's sometimes hard to see a band as individuals but every member of Chastity Belt had their own presence on stage. You could tell they were all close friends, frequently turning to each other and smiling like there was an inside joke we just weren’t involved in. The undertones of “fuck you” throughout their discography are wonderfully at odds with their chosen name, and it’s this sense of humour that clearly attracts people to their music. Watching them on stage, it was obvious they have grown in order to produce the goods to back up their collectively big personality. When their set ended, cheers and claps filled the dark enclosed back room of The Victoria. Chastity Belt smile and bow as they walk off stage and I wish it wasn’t Time To Go Home. Natalie Archer LiS 71
PRESENTS
FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER UNDERWORLD gnarwolves.com f/Gnarwolves
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
by Merlin Jobst Albums are doomed to become attached to those people that we most deeply experienced them with. As modern relationships grow more disposable, though no less intense, breaking up with albums because they’re bound to humans with whom we once were very close – perhaps even in love – is pretty much something we expect to have to do a few times. The funny thing about the tradition of abandoning beloved art with each emotional apocalypse is that everybody seems to gain some satisfaction from the (forgive me) martyrdom of it. When somebody plays, oh, I don’t know, the American Football album, Taylor’s Red, or Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love, there’s always a touch of pride in the voice that sighs, “This reminds me so much of my ex.” Perhaps this is because the best thing about the stinking, stubbed-out end of a once-burning relationship is that what it leaves us is the mental equivalent of a box of love-letters under a loose floorboard; a secret nook in our hearts (or wherever we keep this stuff) full of catastrophically arresting emotions that can flood us into total submission – all at the press of a play button. Anyway, I assume that’s what it’s like, because I’ve been single (by choice, honest) for my entire adult life. Save for an album of obscenely morose acoustic singer-songwriter nonsense (teenage boys are awful) that takes me back to falling asleep next to my one serious partner, I have no music that plunges me deep into sensory memory. And, frankly, that sucks, because from the way in which you all bang on about romantically inflammatory albums – whether they’re the ones that defined your relationships or the ones you played over and over again when they came to an end – that experience sounds like exactly what great pop music is written for. LiS 73
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SJM CONCERTS PRESENT
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
23 NOV – THE ISLINGTON
26 JAN – HEAVEN
B I G S CARY PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
07 DEC – HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN 08 DEC – LEXINGTON
12 + 13 FEB – ALEXANDRA PALACE
PLUS THE SKINTS + BABY STRANGE
PLUS EVERYTHING EVERYTHING + PEACE DJ SET
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
17 DEC – O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
16 FEB – THE SSE ARENA
OH WONDER PLUS ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
19 DEC – O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
17 MAR 2016 – O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
B AT T L E S
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
18+19 DEC SOLD OUT / 20 DEC EXTRA DATE THE FORUM
0844 811 0051
f t Y p
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
24 MAR 2016 – O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE