Nice People Issue 8

NRTH LASS | Joshua Pell | Blancmange Lounge | Jackie Moonbather | Spacey Basement Cult | Alex Golisti

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Nice one.

Welcome to Issue 8.

The January blues are over and the [slightly] longer evenings are helping it finally feel like a new start. It’s hard to feel motivated when the new year kicks off just as cold and dark as the month before; your bank balance is at all-time low, and a roast dinner just isn’t the same without that cranberry sauce. Luckily, the all-year-round nice people who are featured within these pages motivated us out of our post-Christmas slump.

We’re delighted to have Joshua Pell as the cover illustrator for this first magazine of 2020. You may recognise his gorgeously perceptive art style from pages he’s illustrated for us in the past, and we’re thrilled to have him on the cover in all his glory for this issue (p18-21).

We’re also excited to feature NRTH LASS Magazine (p22-25), who have been an inspiration to us since before we even started Nice People. The spotlight they’ve created for hardworking, entrepreneurial women in the North celebrates the graft and spirit of collaboration of Northern creatives and proves that you don’t have to move to London to excel in your chosen career.

We hope you enjoy this issue and find some respite from those niggling new year pressures.

Stay nice, Meg and Tom x Co-Founders

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

Front cover design by Hollie Fuller (@holliefuller_ )

The Nice Team behind Issue 8

Logo design: Julia Pomeroy (@j.uliapomeroy) Printed by Mortons Print

Editorial: Meg Firth Events: Tom Nixon

Writers Alex Wright Holly Allcott Isabel Armitage Joshua Zero Kieran Blyth Illustrators Aimèe Sullivan Joshua Pell Patricia Estrada

Music

04 | Nice gigs in The North 06 | Introducing: Jackie Moonbather

Photographers Hannah Willwood Jackson Swaby

07 | Introducing: Spacey Basement Cult 08 | Introducing: Alex Golisti 09 | Nice to meet you: Getting to know Blancmange Lounge Art

16 | Pull out poster by Ricky Butcher 18 | Behind the Cover: Joshua Pell Community

26 | NRTH LASS: The magazine that celebrates women grafting Up North 28 | A Guide to: The best veggie and vegan spots in Leeds Poetry

28 | Main St., Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, England, 2016 by Isabel Armitage 30 | I Saw by Joshua Zero

FIND US Facebook: Nice People Magazine Instagram: @allthesenicepeople Email: allthesenicepeople@gmail.com

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Follow Nice People Magazine on Spotify for playlists inspired by our gig listings.

Discover new music and get yourself to some nice gigs this month.

What’s your flavour?

Laid Back

Something New

Leeds

Hot and Sweaty

Vibey

Monday 24th February Nice People present: Orbrury Common + jellyskin Hyde Park Book Club For fans of: the weird and unpredictable

Saturday 8th February Peaness + Straight Girl Lending Room For fans of: Honeyblood, Girl Ray, Pip Blom…

Thursday 27th February Soul Food Festival HiFi Featuring: Otis Mensah, Shaniah Williams, Kamikwazi & Punto Sabor

Tuesday 11th February LSR Presents: Transmission 2020 Brudenell Social Club Featuring: jellyskin, Peakes, Jasmine & Arnold Ziff

Thursday 5th March Moses Boyd Headrow House For fans of: hypnotic elements of jazz fused with immersive trap beats

Saturday 15th February Dry Cleaning Hyde Park Book Club For fans of: DIY Magazine’s Hall of Fame and getting your clean clothes dirty

Friday 6th March Arlo Parks Headrow House For fans of: Pip Millet, Joy Crookes, ELIZA…

Saturday 15th February Shaku Album Launch Brudenell Social Club For fans of: the silly and unexpected

Friday 6th March Alfa Mist Brudenell Social Club For fans of: red wine and sinking into beanbags

Wednesday 19th February Black Midi Leeds Irish Centre For fans of: snarling guitar music that is thrillingly unclassifiable

Thursday 26th March The Golden Age of TV Oporto For fans of: big riffs and having a lot of fun

Wednesday 19th February Girl Ray Belgrave Music Hall For fans of: The Big Moon, Marika Hackman, Arlo Parks…

Friday 21st February DIIV Leeds University Stylus For fans of: The Cure, Joy Division, Sonic Youth…

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

Manchester Friday 7th February Yazmin Lacey YES For fans of: music to fall in love to and to dance to

LSR Presents:

Transmission

Saturday 8th February Kele YES For fans of: Bloc Party but with a bit more oomph

Tues 11th Feb 2020 Brudenell Social Club 7pm - Late

Friday 14th February Joe Armon-Jones Soup Kitchen For fans of: uncompromising, free-flowing jazz and soul Tuesday 18th February Moonchild Band on the Wall For fans of: Charlotte Dos Santos, Lava La Rue, Yazmin Lacey Tuesday 18th February Twin Peaks Gorilla For fans of: leaving your worries at the door and getting sweaty in a mosh Wednesday 19th February King Nun Soup Kitchen For fans of: VANT, Marsicans, Darlia…

Lineup: JASMINE PEAKES Jellyskin Arnold Ziff Cosmic Slop (DJ set)

Tickets: £5 in advance £6 on the door @thisisLSR

Fundraising for:

Going out out?

Spectrum presents:

Groove Arcade presents:

SP:MC (DJ Set) + RSD

Kontra + Baba & Ganoush

Captain Over, Grip B2B Hedroom + Mndset B2B Kwaliya

Kristo B2B Jasper + Tristan Fay

When: Saturday 7thth March, 11pm-4am Where: The Old Red Bus Station, 104 Vicar Lane, LS2 7NL

When: Friday 21st February, 11pm-4am Where: The Old Red Bus Station, 104 Vicar Lane, LS2 7NL

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

Image: Jackson Swaby

Introducing...

Sheffield is well known for its great music scene, but not everyone fits into the preexisting scene of a city.

Jackie decided to make music for himself and his world, and thus created a new staple scene within the city with his friends in the Blancmange Lounge collective.

You’re also part of ‘Katie Pham and The Moonbathers’, is that how your name and this project begin?

Moonbathers came from some kind of hypothetical joke band that an old college friend and I used to speak of amongst the nonsensical ramblings of really stoned teenagers. Then, years down the line when Katie, Oliver and I started this band, ‘Moonbathers’ seemed to sit right. I decided to carry on that name for my new solo project; a fresh start so I could kinda leave my old stuff behind on secret Soundcloud that you will never find.

have room to breathe here and do whatever we want, whether there’s a scene for it or not.

Has being a DJ as well as an artist affected how you write your music?

I don’t think so. I first started DJing at a pub my friend was managing, because he knew I collected records. I’ve been a DJ for last 4 years now, but I really make music for people chillin’ in their room.

Stoners and lovers and them. I’ve been told its good to drive to as well, but I dunno, I can’t drive.

What are your biggest inspirations Do you have any big plans for 2020? as an artist and how do they influence your music?

I think Sheffield’s mark on me is independence. It’s a very DIY city and a good base for any artist. We

Yeah, big plans all the time.I’m working on a new project, but taking my time with it. It’s gonna sound quite different from the

previous ones. In the meantime, I wanna collaborate, do some features and produce for other artists. 2020 is gonna be a lot of time in the studio I think.

What other artists would you recommend checking out?

Right here in Sheff, we have Otis Mensah, but he goes without saying right? Yusuf Yellow too, he’s next up for sure. You gotta check out Jaydonclover, an R&B singer from Birmingham. Her song ‘I Wish You’ is one of my favourites of last year. Way out west, Kevin Holliday is making incredible moves from Brooklyn, NY. Also Eliy Orcko, from Ohio. He’s a great MC with an ear for really cool Lo-fi beats. I have to shoutout some people from the Leeds scene too.

B-ahwe, Kashu, Nix Northwest and Hannah Willwood are my faves, I wanna work with them all. The music in Leeds is poppin’.

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Image: Hannah Willwood

Introducing...

This new two-piece started as many Leeds projects do, in the depths of a kooky Hyde Park basement.

Spacey Basement Cult have arisen from the deep with a set of incredible lo-fi collaborations with their fellow musicians in from the scene.

How did this project begin?

George: Although this is a new project, the process for this music began in September 2018 when I moved into a house in Hyde Park with a basement. For the first time, I had my own space get lost in; I started recording odd tunes with no goal in mind, just for the pleasure of making music.

Theo: George mentioned that he’d been quietly working on some music that he wanted me to listen to. That first night we ended up finishing a track together. Then every week, I’d go round to his and he’d show me a beat or an idea he’d been working on and I would add vocals or guitar, probably just improvising and messing around.

Most of the time we’d just be trying to make each other laugh. Then we were sitting on loads of music and we were like, “I guess this is a band now?”

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What artists influenced the

Your name is an interesting one;

project in its infancy?

how did it come about?

George: Theo and I both grew up with Mac Demarco and Radiohead which has inevitably influenced us.

At the start, I was maybe trying to recreate Homeshake, but I was just so inept that it ended up definitely not being Homeshake. I have an ultimate love for disco so I always try to let it sneak in.

George: Random band name generator. Some of the alternatives it gave us were ‘The Weird Astronaut Club’, ‘The Spacey Heroes of Leeds’, ‘Spacey Readymeals of the Blue’ and ‘Basementback’. I think we chose the best one.

Theo: Lyrics and songcraft has always been a really important part of my life. When I started going into the basement with George I was listening to a ridiculous amount of Andy Shauf, whilst also loving the pop aesthetics of Tyler, The Creator and Kali Uchis. I think they were the main things in my brain at the time. We both have played lots of jazz as well, so most of the experimentation we do is rooted in that language.

What is the plan for the next year?

Theo: That was good night. Tears were had.

George: Our first EP ‘George Eats’ is coming out on 22/2. We have amounted a large collection of experiments over the last year; with many of our friends contributing.

Theo: We also have big plans for the live band. It will involve some of the amazing friends and musicians that have lent their chops to The Cult.

Nice People Magazine February 2020

Introducing...

Deep velvety vocal lines weave around a wandering folk guitar. Alex Golisti is a refreshing break from the loud band driven Leeds music community.

How long have you been working on your solo project?

This current thing, like a year and a bit.

What are your biggest inspirations as an artist and how do they influence your music?

The normal kinda stuff inspire me: like people I bump into, or when I’m driving around in my mate’s car. Vonnegut, he’s got a lot to answer for. Anything that pulls my head out my arse.

Have you found that music scenes differ between where you’ve lived before and Leeds?

There’s a lot more jazz-based stuff going on here, which is neat to be around. There’s a broader range of stuff, but its a bigger place, so

you expect that I guess. There’s a lot more interesting stuff going on here than where I used to live.

It was too safe; in a way, there wasn’t like a sense of risk. It was a bit placid; your mind just turns to mush. I’ve been pretty fortunate; I’ve fallen in with a good bunch here and I greatly appreciate that.

But in essence, they don’t work much differently. ‘Scenes’ are often taken too seriously and they become like ever decreasing circles. The world gets smaller, too familiar and fatally repetitive. So it kinda suffocates itself with its own identity and self-awareness? Or something. Just best to just keep it in perspective. I dunno, I sound daft as. I just don’t think people need to get their knickers in a twist about ‘scenes’, it’s here for a little and then it’ll be something else. Or maybe I’m missing the point entirely, so more fool me.

Since moving to Leeds who have your favourite bands been?

I was gonna say Van Houten, but then I read that they’re on the same line-up as [this Issue’s] launch gig [3/2/20]. I should probably avoid some circle jerking, but I’m not; they’re on point, pretty close to a sound I’ve had in my head for a while now but not quite reached yet. There’s a bunch who play tunes down at Cardigan Arms who are a good laugh.

They’re good unprompted nights.

Book were great to see, their keys player is annoyingly tasteful. I always enjoy catching Hannah Willwood’s gigs as well as James Shakeshaft’s shows. Anyway, I won’t start a list just so I get invited to the right parties.

Though, I would still like to be invited to these parties (good to have something to do between sandwiches).

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BL ANCMANGE LOUNGE

BL ANCMANGE LOUN

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Nice to meet you : Getting to know Blancmange Lounge Interview by Tom Nixon

Nice People Magazine February 2020

NGE BL ANCMANGE LO S

heffield’s ‘Blancmange Lounge’ is a collective

everyone working together and lending a hand to

of musicians who together have carved out

whatever is going on.

their own scene within the city. With DIY values

Are there many opportunities for new bands to

at heart, they release music, put on events

get involved in the scene?

and champion new artists emerging out of the city. With 2020 promising new music from all

Yeah, just show up, make a noise, bang down

the bands, as well as the collective’s first vinyl

the door or something. That’s how Joey Mojito

release, Blancmange Lounge are one to keep an

entered the scene and now he is a legend.

eye on.

Is there a good relationship and support TN: What is Blancmange Lounge and what is

between venues and bands in Sheffield?

your ethos within the collective?

Yeah, the DIY spaces as mentioned before.

JM: We’re a group of friends, playing music

There’s also Yellow Arch and Picture House Social

together. Each of us makes songs and we’re all

providing a really good platform for the city.

in each other’s bands. We started out recording ourselves and putting on our own shows, but

Do you think Leeds and Sheffield have good

more recently we have started releasing other

connections musically?

people’s music and running events with bands we like.

Yep, Pink Wafer has the Leeds scene on a conveyor belt, coming through and playing at

You guys are an important part of the scene in

Peddler market every month. I think Leeds is the

Sheffield. What are your favourite things about

vanguard for northern Jazz and it’s spreading.

the scene?

We love the ‘do it yourself’ attitude in Sheffield.

Delicious Clam Records (@delicious_clam), Hatch (@hatch_sheffield), Foodhall (@foodhall_ sheffield), Plot 22 and Gut Level all just take the city’s culture into their own hands and provide space for it to flourish. Then there are people like Pink Wafer (https://pinkwafer.club/), really listening and putting the word out about what’s going on. I like the collaboration as well,

“Leeds is the vanguard for northern Jazz and it’s spreading...”

Jackie Moonbather, Blancmage Lounge

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Music

Who are your favourite acts coming out of Leeds at the moment?

Van Houten, Noya Rao, Gotts Street Park and B.ahwe are all incredible, but there are loads.

What plans does the collective have in the coming year?

Eliy Orcko

New music from all of us. Rosey PM up first with a single coming this month with some froggy artwork from Alice Seed. We’re releasing another of Ohio based rapper Eliy Orcko’s projects digitally.

I think we’re gonna put out our first vinyl release later in the year with the new Katie Pham & The Moonbathers tracks. We’re doing it all ourselves, so it’s bound to be a busy one.

If you want to keep up with what Blancmange Lounge are up to you can follow them on Instagram (@blancmangelounge) or give them a like on Facebook to see new releases and what exciting events they have coming up.

Rosie PM

Tom Nixon

Alice Seed

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

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11/03

DARK ARTS 2020: PIP BLOM LIFE / TALK SHOW + MANY MORE

LOUIS COLE

11/03

SINK YA TEETH JESSY LANZA JEHST

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

BEN WATT

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

HEADROW HOUSE

19/03 20/03 23/03

PRINCESS NOKIA

HEADROW HOUSE

LEEDS UNI STYLUS 23/03

LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION

SLØTFACE

BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB

KEDR LIVANSKY

01/04

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

HEADROW HOUSE

LITANY

NIGHTMARES ON WAX

HEADROW HOUSE

LEEDS TOWN HALL 26/04

01/03 04/03

ANDREYA TRIANA

HEADROW HOUSE

12/03

JOE ARMON-JONES

FRANC MOODY

DIIV

FOLAMOUR

HEADROW HOUSE

MOSES BOYD

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

13/03

10/02

YACHT

HYDE PARK BOOK CLUB

05/03

HEADROW HOUSE

21/02

10/02

TWEN

HEADROW HOUSE

WILLIAM DOYLE

JESSE MALIN

07/03

HEADROW HOUSE

22/02

07/02

KING NUN

11/02

HEADROW HOUSE

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

THE STAVES

09/03

PI’ERRE BOURNE

21/02

JACQUES GREENE

GIRL RAY

27/02

05/02

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

14/02

ANNA MEREDITH

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

19/02

01/02

D DOUBLE E

BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

ROSIE LOWE

HEADROW HOUSE

18/02

31/01

THEO PARRISH

HEADROW HOUSE

19/02

20/01

COMMON HOLLY

03/02

JANUARY/ APRIL 2020

DARWIN DEEZ BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

HEADROW HOUSE

HEADROW HOUSE

Open House Arts · Crafts · Music · Food

Free Entry 11am onwards 25th January, 29th February & 28th March

Nice People Magazine Presents:

Nice People Magazine February 2020

©Ricky Butcher @whereidraw

Behind the cover: Joshua Pell

I

f you’ve ever stood people-watching at the back a gig, or looked across the busy tables in your favourite Leeds coffee shop, you might have noticed Joshua Pell. Sat cross-legged and hunched over a weathered sketchbook, the Cambridge School of Art graduate becomes part of the furniture as he silently sketches the nuances and quirks of the environment around him. With intricacy and thoughtful perception, Pell’s observational illustration captures the subtle character and colour of the scenes evolving around him.

Grounded in reality, Joshua’s illustrations often radiate a sense of calm within the movement and energy of everyday life. With a sense of clarity, his bold, overlapping lines perfectly capture the vibrancy that Leeds is all about. His lines are messy yet precise, all weaving together a narrative out of subtle day-to-day interactions that Pell notices as he draws.

Like many illustrators, Joshua can’t remember a time where he wasn’t drawing.

Forever curious and with a pencil in his hand, Pell has always been fascinated by illustration. One early memory is of his uncle drawing him a car, which sparked a curiosity to learn more. “I absolutely loved that drawing,” reminisces Pell. “I just tried to repeat it over and over again. That in a small way sort of kicked off my obsession with drawing.”

Words by Meg Firth All illustrations © Joshua Pell

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Now, Pell tries to reintroduce that childlike innocence back into his drawing, embracing imagination and the ambiguities that come along with it. “When you’re

Nice People Magazine February 2020

Behind the cover...

Hyde Park Jazz Club, scanned from Pell’s sketchbook

“I constantly make little mistakes... but they often enrich a drawing. It becomes a life of its own.” really small, you just draw from your imagination,” Joshua muses. “You draw your family and they’re all just circles with sticks coming out of them, but to a child that’s exactly right. I spent a lot of time trying to forget everything I’d been taught and try and recapture that sort of childlike innocence about it. Kids know how to draw.”

atmosphere of a scene with a nostalgic sensibility. His drawings resemble a memory that you recall all at once; faces blend into other faces, colours weave into one another and lines are formed with both a carefree instinct and effortless precision. In a way, they encourage you to appreciate the nuances and charm of the world around you.

With soft shading and subtly blended tones, Pell perfectly captures the

“There are people constantly passing by and things happening

that you wouldn’t otherwise notice,” Joshua explains. “I constantly make little mistakes and what could be considered inaccuracies, but they often enrich it. It becomes a life of its own instead of being a totally accurate depiction, like a photograph.”

Asking where his favourite place to draw is, Joshua answers without hesitation: The Armouries. “I’ve got one sketchbook specifically for

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Art

The Armouries,” Joshua laughs. “I feel so comfortable there and I find it endlessly inspiring. I don’t know why. I find the precious way that the armour has been constructed really interesting and I love to indulge in it through drawing.”

Originally from Hull, Joshua went on to study at Cambridge School of Art before moving to Leeds. “I do love being in the city, as much as it can get tiring sometimes,” admits Joshua.

It can often feel overwhelming in the city, especially when we often feel pressured to be achieving and working hard all of the time. Despite being a city boy, Pell enjoys escaping the constant buzz now and again.

“The good thing about Leeds though it that it doesn’t take you very long to get out of town. You can go down the Meanwood Valley Trail and you feel completely in the countryside sat amongst the pigs. It’s so peaceful.”

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Take one look at Pell’s portfolio of observational sketches and you’ll quickly appreciate how much he admires Leeds. From simple, quiet streets to busy Friday nights down at Brudenell, Pell’s sketches are a love note to the city. “When I’m on the streets drawing, it’s a constant inspiration. It’s just enriching and inspiring when you get to know the characteristics of a place.”

No one captures the vibrancy of Leeds and its people quite like Joshua Pell. With sketchbooks filled with over two years worth of street drawings, it’s clear that he knows and understands the city well. Exploring is something that Pell recommends for any aspiring creative wanting to find inspiration: “Just constantly go to things and explore - even if you’re on your own, which is hard to do at first. I still

find it quite hard to drag my self to something, but if you’re constantly going to stuff then you’ll meet people and find things that lead to other opportunities.”

With all the stresses and mundanities of day-to-day life, it’s easy for us to get caught up in our heads and forget to appreciate the character and beauty of the area around us.

Pell’s sketches observe the beautiful simplicity and tranquillity that everyday life offers, if one only remembers to stop and look.

Meg Firth

Nice People Magazine February 2020

Behind the cover...

All images used with kind permission from the artist Š Joshua Pell (@pelltopsy)

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Community

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

Bringing together designers, illustrators, photographers and writers across the region, NRTH

LASS proves that it’s not so grim up North. Holly Allcott talks to co-founders Jenna Campbell and Jessica Howell about why the North is so special.

W

ith a passion for northern charm, Jenna Campbell and Jessica Howell conceived NRTH LASS in an office kitchen back in 2017 with the focus of celebrating women across the North of England. From the metropolitan hubs of Leeds and Manchester to smaller towns and villages, the magazine promotes women in business, art, literature, travel, and start-ups across the region.

Jenna: Being from the North means not taking yourself too seriously and making sure [to] look after one another because it is the community that you build around you and immerse yourself in that counts and will serve you well in the future.

HA: What was it that made you think: ‘you know what, let’s create a publication’?

Jess: We know how bloody great the North is! To the rest of the UK, we’re often stereotyped or there’s generally a lack of knowledge regarding the North. We can use that to reconstruct ourselves with the time, energy and talent of northerners and challenge how we’re represented to the rest of the UK.

Jenna: We thought about the art and cultural sectors in the North and how [they weren’t] getting the same coverage as other parts of the country. It became a platform rather quickly because I think a lot of Northern women felt the same way and wanted to speak about how you can be successful in the North and not have to relocate your life to achieve your goals.

What does being from the North mean to you?

Jess: The values and modesty of Northern people always come to mind. We have a long history of grafters. We work hard, but we don’t do it for recognition or to overturn the opinions of those from outside areas.

What is something uniquely special about the North?

Jenna: For me, the North is the embodiment of community spirit and grit. There is an inbuilt moral compass if you will. People are so forthcoming to lend a hand and offer their support, whatever the request may be. I think being from the North has taught me never to get too big for my boots because there is always someone doing something better or more noble than you.

Feature illustration: Patricia Estrada @pssstrada

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Community

Is there anything you do outside of NRTH LASS that carries a similar inspiration?

Jenna: In my day job, I am a writer and editor of a a food, beverage and hospitality publication called Supper. I come into contact with so many inspiring people who have devoted themselves to their craft and becoming leaders in their field. I must also mention that I am addicted to podcasts, they are a constant source of inspiration. Listen to Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail; it is amazing.

Jess: I’ve recently started photographing for startups and small businesses. I’ve primarily worked with Northern businesses and female founders which has been a huge inspiration to me; seeing women taking the leap into developing their passions keeps me working toward my own goals and strengthening my skills in order to help them achieve theirs.

Is there an article that you’ve read recently that really inspired you?

Jenna: In a recent issue of Elle, the journalist and former Editor of Refinery29 UK, Sarah Raphael, seemingly had it all in terms of a high-flying media career [at 27]. However, [the impact of] this success caused her to rethink her entire professional life and eventually step away from this world. I think it was a reminder that social media is merely a curated show reel of best bits and what looks like an amazing life on the surface is only one element of someone’s reality.

Jess: I’ve been following the photographer Karen Staniland-Platt of @withpassionandpurpose for a while and she recently wrote a blog article on how to turn your passion into your career. She works primarily with women and her work showcases the strength in building each other up. It was so valuable to hear the early struggles and advice from such an established creative and it really gave me the encouragement I needed to keep pushing forward in my own projects.

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What does female empowerment mean to you?

Jenna: For a woman to feel truly empowered I believe she has to feel like the gap between men and women does not exist. For this to happen - to exist in world where we are hired, respected and rewarded based on our talent, not our gender - I think the conversation has to meaningfully involve all of us, not just women.

Jess: When women embrace their struggles, I think it makes us all stronger. I think it takes an extremely strong woman to admit when they’re struggling and to share that with others. As women, we’ve been conditioned to ‘plow on’ and yet in a room full of women, if we admitted one struggle, it’s guaranteed that at least one other person in that room will have experienced the same situation. That’s how we start to connect and build each other up; even better, we get to do it together.

You’ve achieved so much in two years, where do you see the magazine in the next two?

Jenna: Personally, I would like to see our platform act as a vehicle for social change in the North.

Whether this be supporting issues like ending period poverty or educating young women on potential career paths and shaping their own futures. To cover and report on even more women and help those who might not know how to, reach their goals and receive the support and encouragement they need to get there.

Jess: We need to take smaller steps to make NRTH LASS open as more of a community of Northern women and to really refine who we are - whether that’s a magazine, a blog, event hosts, or a combination of platforms. It would be really interesting to work with young women, using our experiences in building a venture outside of London and outside of the traditional routes to show that there are alternative options for a fulfilling career.

Nice People Magazine February 2020

Above: Issue Two featuring filmmaker Hannah Maia Right Above: Issue

Two in

Magma, Manchester

Right Below: Issue One featuring Chef Elizabeth Cottam

To end on a note that could only scream NRTH LASS, is there a female at the moment that you want to shout out and celebrate?

Jenna: I absolutely love Jacqui McAssey who founded [the project and zine] GIRLFANS. It exists to give female football supporters visibility and a sense of belonging in football culture. I think it is a brilliant way of changing the narrative around women and sport and Jacqui is just a lovely person who has really captured the essence of the current mood around representation.

Jess: Kiera and Aimee from Feel Good Club are making such big steps to bring people closer to their best and happiest selves. Not only are they bringing about change through an online shop full of feel good items, they work closely with freelancers and fellow entrepreneurs to encourage collaborations and form a movement of better mental wellbeing.

Interview by Holly Allcott Feature Illustration by Patricia Estrada

Visit www.nrthlass.com to learn more and discover many inspirational women hustling up North.

Instagram: @nrthlass Twitter: @NRTHLASS Email: info@nrthlass.com

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Guide

Ey up, what’s that? :

The Best Veggie and Vegan spots in Leeds

Whether you’re a plant-based veteran or just looking for more ways to spend your meatless Mondays, you’re in

luck: Leeds offers a banquet of vegetarian and vegan menus. From cosy sit-down meals to junk food takeaways, there’s a plethora of choices in the city.

Friday Night Favourites Knaves Kitchen Oporto, 31 Call Lane, LS1 7BT Everyone knows Call Lane for the bars, but hiding on the strip is a haven for vegan junk food in the city. The ever popular bar, Oporto, is home to Knave’s Kitchen, who have mastered the art of seitan. Without a falafel or lentil in sight, the team serves up naughty offerings of loaded ‘cheese’ fries, dirty burgers, jerked jackfruit, buffalo bites, ‘chicken’ goujons and more.

Words by Kieran Blyth, Alex Wright and Meg Firth

JJ’s Vish and Chips 402a Kirkstall Rd, LS4 2QD Fed up of only being able to eat mushy peas and chips at your local fish & chip shop? JJ’s Vish & Chips has you covered. To simply reduce JJ’s to a plant-based alternative would pay a disservice to its quality.

The food here is not just an option for vegans and vegetarians to reminisce over forgotten flavours, but it is a strong rival against the traditional fish & chip shop. Owner Jessica Jones is transforming the landscape of this British delicacy by proving the same classics can be enjoyed plant-based. The shop’s colourful artwork reads a lasting heart-warming thought: “Thanks to you, there’s now plenty more fish in the sea.”

Feature Illustration by Aimèe Sullivan (@aimeeisokay)

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

Your new favourite Lunch Spots OWT Kirkgate Market, LS2 7HF

Nestled between the butchers and fishmongers, this small yet ambitious eatery is serving up innovative and wholesome plates. Sourcing all their produce from the market itself, partners Esther and James serve delicious handmade meals with their signature flavours, inspired by the changing seasons and the traders around them. The weekly changing menu always offers a tasty vegan special that isn’t to be missed, along with a meat and fish special to keep omnivores happy.

Along with breakfast (until 12), all-day cheese toasties, homemade cakes and complimentary coffee on offer, OWT is a small foodie haven to spend your lunch break.

Kanassa Kirkgate Market, LS2 7HF Inspired by the arepa stands, tejo bars, and rich flavours of Columbia, sisters Beth and Anna serve up big Columbian cuisine without the meat. You can’t miss their colourful stall in Kirkgate Market, or resist the wafts of coconut, sweet plantain and smokey chipotle that lure you towards their vibrant kitchen. Tuck in to a plate of Kanassa and the bustle of Kirkgate Market transforms into the colourful, warm rush of Columbia.

Grub & Grog 3 Sheaf Street, LS10 1HD

Temple Coffee & Donuts 3 Burley Place, LS4 2AR Donuts as big as your head? Pink lattes? And all 100% vegan? There’s nothing better than a quick sugary pick me up from this cosy cafe. Whether you like a pumpkin pie doughnut with a “Black Sabbath” coffee, or you’re a fan of a simple classic glaze, Temple is your new go-to place.

PUNK 82 Brudenell Road, LS6 1EG In the heart of Hyde Park, newcomer PUNK is packed with food good for the soul. The menu is 100% vegan, but even omnivores will salivate over the spectacular food on offer; choose from a range of pizzas, burgers, wraps, salad bowls and desserts.

An added bonus is that the menu is completely handmade, so you can guarantee that everything will be made with its own unique PUNK twist. With their distinctive take on familiar favourites, PUNK is your dependable friend for all plant-based needs.

Grub and Grog has one of the best names and one of the best menus.

A quaint little cafe near the docks, G&G can be found in the middle of Sheaf Street Cafeteria and serves breakfast and lunch all through the week, with a fantastic range of veggie and vegan dinner options on a Friday and Saturday. Everything is fresh, wholesome and healthy, whether you’re a fan of sandwiches, salads or brunch.

Not-so-naughty Takeaways Friends of Food 12 Hyde Park Corner, LS6 1AF Amongst the takeaway strip of Hyde Park Corner, there is a new kid on the block. Behind this new takeaway are the masterminds Dom, Lucas and Shaz, who are on a mission to make ‘food without compromise’. Showing that vegan food is anything but boring, they are striving to make plant-based options more accessible and familiar to vegans and carnivores alike. Priding themselves on delicious food with an emphasis on sustainability (the restaurant is completely plastic-free and all their packaging is fully recyclable), Friends of Food is certainly a refreshing mark on the Hyde Park takeaway scene and is a name to be remembered.

27

Poetry

Main St, Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, England - 2016

by Isabel Armitage Illustration by Joshua Pell (@pelltopsy)

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

When moving forward, we hide, behind a remaining state of mind.

Static in a century that’s lost in time, The men File In. They all drink landlord as though it hasn’t changed in taste, “Cask not keg and by eck don’t come near me wi’ those poncey gins”.

Because when seeing change they run behind, the steak and ale pie, the braised belly pork, or gammon steak.

“Cause’ vegetables are for the weak and I Am A Man” They come here day after day demanding the same glass, looking at my body as though part of their platter.

“I’ll av fish n’ chips n’ you ont’ side” This Is the countryside.

Not rolling hills or soft skies, with foxes fleeting through burrows for scraps.

These pubs are lost in hills but trapped in time, with derogatory terms and sexist slants, That glug God’s slow tap.

“Av you got Guinness ont’ draft, “Don’t worry love you keep change” Because you spend your money in the same place anyway, Day After Day “And I love boris And hate taxes But I’ll tip you a fiver just to stare at you a bit longer”.

They burn the heather then shed blood for meat, then come in to eat more slanderous beef.

Sunday’s are special, Gods day of rest.

BANG BANG BANG! “That’s it son you got that one rite ont’ the ed’”

29

Poetry

Illustration by Joshua Zero

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Nice People Magazine February 2020

I Saw

I looked into his mouth and saw a fucked up row of sharks teeth row after row in permanent rotation amazing smile pearly whites I looked into her eyes and saw a moon kissed silver starstream spots of light on the leopard dappled fur beauty gazing baby greys I looked into the megalopolis and saw the flickering furnace of liquid heaven an unopened book an unwatched film 5000 adverts dressed in silken gowns full of crowns full of frowns full of sound

by Joshua Zero

31

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