Sample Journalism Portfolio

Ethel Cain Preacher s Daughter

a a , a a a

a a

C a a a A a T a ,

a b a Ca a aba , a

a A a a a a a

Ha a ' a a

A H N b a a a , a b a a

a

I Ha a a a a a a ,

a a G a a a a P a a , a a a a a

a A a T a a a F a

a a b , a a a b a , a a , a - a b a . H a

I a , I a a b a -

a a .

G b G a A a, La a D R a

a a a a A a a a a b a a .

S a , Ca a a a a , ba a a a a a b L a A

J , ' , I a P a

G , a a a a ab a

a a a a

Ha A a a a DIY a a ,

a a a A P a Da , a a

a a

I a E Ca , a a a a

b a , a a a a a a

Finding Solace In C ea ion: Alice Lo

In e ie ed

"The e ome hing abo he oce of making m ic ha make me feel hole..."

With uniquely melancholy, power driven vocals and over ten years musical experience under her belt, Alice Low is smashing expectations of genre and gender with her rollercoaster synth heavy ballads and is set to release her debut EP, Transatlantic Sugar, on May 9th. Wiping all of her previous releases from the algorithms and starting fresh with this new project, Low began by releasing ‘LadyDaddy in 2021, a gender-bending homage to 80 s synth chaos. Low has since released a myriad of diverse singles chronicling the tumult of the queer life and love.

Clash had the pleasure of chatting with Low to get a sense of her as a person, an artist and of course to pick her exceptional brains about the upcoming release. Despite answering the zoom call by telling Clash she s ‘sick as a dog , Low provides a strikingly articulate view of her hopes, fears and musical musings…

H A ce! L e ee .. Ca e e a e b ab ca bac g d eg. Whe d d f beg g a d ha e e e f f a ?

Oh wow, I ve never been asked that question, this is actually only my second interview Well… back when I was 14 my mum brought me out of school. I m autistic and I found it really really hard to focus and to play by the rules. I was really naughty and I d lash out for attention. So when she took me out of school, my brother had a guitar and pretty much immediately I could just write songs. They weren't good songs but I understood that language a lot more than I understood communicating with others.

Early on I was really inspired by all of those boys with guitars from the 2000s. I m 29 so when I was 14 that would have been 2008. I loved Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes were my favourite band in the world, I just thought they were so cool. Oh and loads of 80 s records like the Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen.

The c a e g e F ca e a e e ce a a d e a , ca a ab he a beh d he g?

Lyrics are important but I don't think of the job of a songwriter as being at all similar to the job of a poet, so I always just improvise my lyrics and usually then when I look back some pattern has emerged.

I think it means sometimes a whiffer (a ‘not good line) will get past the gate. All my songs have a few whiffers but I like the immediacy of improvisation. I m much more interested in the music-making process than the writing process because I think I write in order to communicate quickly, so editing lyrics is just not important.

I wrote Fruitcake maybe four or five months after I first came out. I don t want to give too much away but I suppose it s quite obvious. In it I'm just really scared, not just of my own prejudice but of other people s.

Before coming out, to the world I was just a cis, straight guy. I didn t have to worry about anyone's prejudice, and I acted with total privilege. I was blind to it in lots of ways because it was just normal, I d lived with it my whole life. Then all of a sudden lockdown happened, I came out and was faced with the reality that those things are going to go away It was interesting to me how bad that felt.

Wha ' e e g ha a g a a a d ff c h g, h ca a d e a , b a g de ha , a g he d a d e a he ca be ea ca .

Oh my god yeah, you summed it up!

That s a really hard question to answer because it s much easier to reflect on the way that other people s work moves you and the way that you see it interacting with your life. I think other people s music and art is a lot more altering than your own. I m not altered by my work, I'm altered by the process of it. There s only a few experiences in life that give me complete bliss, where I almost feel for a little moment like I'm neurotypical. In the studio, or in front of a piano or being with somebody that I really love intimately, those are the moments. I m searching for that feeling, maybe it s acceptance or even self-acceptance, feeling normal or feeling good at something. It s nice if what I make moves someone but to be honest I ve been doing it for over ten years now and we re still only at the point where a thousand or so people have heard the songs so that's obviously not the drive for me or I would have stopped when I was 21. There s something about the process of making music that makes me feel whole, makes me feel like I m finally functioning and I think the music reflects that.

We e beg g ee e a e e e a c, h ch a a g, h e e I'd ag e a d ff c be he gh a a a e gh . Wha a e e h g f d ace ?

Gosh. Yes it s hard. There s solace in simple things. If I have enough food in the house so that I don t have to leave that day. Then I don't have to worry about the war between passing and not passing and the way that changes how I approach people. In regards to music I feel solace when I see a trans woman and she's just being such a woman, which in my work is not something I m trying to necessarily achieve, it's a very different space for me. For example when you see Arca performing and she s no longer confronting the cognitive dissonance between the ‘what if , she s just doing her thing and it s just so womanly and beautiful. A lot of my support group has been cis women, and I remember a conversation with one such friend. I was saying maybe I don t wanna continue my transition, maybe I m nonbinary, because I don t wake up every day feeling like a woman. She said she and all of her friends feel like that all of the time, that s just a normal part of living under patriarchy and facing all these pressures to be constantly feminine and beautiful, whatever that means. Conversations like that, where you can see the gulf between what it means to be a trans woman and a cis woman is really not that wide. That also gives me solace.

I c ab he ce f a g c h e a g a f

c e a ce ha ca fac a e a e h ca a d e a cha ge .

D fee a h gh c ha cha ged de e ed a de h h ce ?

It really changed things. I had a project before Alice Low, using my deadname. A lot of the records I made were very explicit in how I talked about gender and I thought it was some cosmic joke, thinking pronouns were a great tool of language and playing around with how I used them. As my music and my curiosity towards gender evolved, the music became very explicit. The last album before my coming out was written in the style of Elton John about internalised homophobia. I wrote from the perspective of a character who was trans, but couldn t accept it. And I thought that that was just an interesting subject… and a year later I m out.

Wh d e h gh ?

Now my transition takes up a lot of my creative focus, maybe because I m thinking about it all the time. It s also just a very fruitful story You can centre so many other ideas around a transition, there s other subtextual avenues that you can take. Just by talking about what it is to be trans, it can become universal in a way that the rest of the world hasn t quite caught up to yet.

I e ea . A e g f b , a cha ge, a e a h . Wha g ea ca a e a ! S e h g I a a ec a e ab d c g a h ha he e' ch a a ge d a ed be ee a Sh B e a d S d e , d g b e f e d e e e . A e he e a a c a c a e e a e e g g f a d?

That s nice of you to say! I love lots of things about making music, I love feeling like I m able to communicate. ‘Genre to me feels like another barrier to communication within the thing that makes me feel finally free.

I think people s styles within music are authentic but the idea of genre is just some leftover drudgery from capitalism trying to find a way to market musicians and put them in their lane.

I ve been working on a new album and I think it s a bit of everything. I suppose something new has come from my love of hardcore punk music. I listen to a lot of older proto-punk bands and also met some people in Cardiff who play in the DIY hardcore scene and just being around those people, seeing what they re doing and being like ‘oh those notes sound evil, I wanna use that.

I try to be mindful of being too appropriative of styles without doing due diligence though. That's why I took ‘sodomizer off of spotify. You make mistakes and learn from them and that s the beautiful part about being a human and being an artist.

S e e a e ca ead e a e e !

I e ee e bee d g e a fe e h ece , h ha e f d e f g he a e a e?

So in January I started having laser hair removal on my face and of all the decisions I made in my transitions aesthetically, that s been the most unbelievable improvement in my mental health, performing live and just my overall situation. I used to have a really full beard, if I didn t shave for like 12 hours it would be back fuller and darker than before.

I ve been doing shows with Aldous Harding and I promised her I would chill my show out and make it less rock, to be more appropriate for her lineup. What I found was when I pulled the energy down and still performed with my level of intensity, it suddenly felt a lot more powerful. Now because I m not afraid of my face…wow… I ll stand still on stage and lock eyes with one person for a whole verse, and then I ll shift to another. There s a tension that s happening between me and the audience that didn t exist when I was just going 110% straight out the gate. I ve actually fallen in love with performing. It s beautiful. And I hated it before.

F f g e 2021 be g he - deb EP be g e ea ed, ha ' e a e ! Wha ' bee he e ab e e e e f h ec fa ?

As a consequence of not just being just a lil DIY schlub (which I love) I ve been able to meet some people that to me, as a fan of music, these people were like higher beings to me because I saw them as their work. To meet and in some cases become friends or work with these people who I admire so much and for them to say they like what I m doing? I m an aquarius so I found it very validating and just in general helpful for my constant need for approval.

On the other hand the more official avenues of the music industry can be incredibly frustrating. They move slowly, they re encumbered by money, they rely on big groups of people coming together with a joint vision and executing it and it takes so long. Creatively I ve really struggled this time because I feel stifled by the pace of it. As a listener and an artist I m exclusively interested in albums, so to be releasing single after single is driving me mad. My enthusiasm for finishing a record is dwindling and I m so desperate now after working with my team for almost three years to start releasing and working on albums because I think it s where my work shines. So those are the goods and the bads. I love my team to death though, they are brilliant!

Wha e h g a e e ab c g EP?

The whole thing was written while watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I had my computer by the bed and I d just started taking oestrogen so I didn t really want to move.

I wrote the whole thing in a month, originally a double album actually but we re only getting 5 of those songs because of the answer to the last question. So I would sit in bed and I would watch Buffy and I had a little Spanish guitar which I ve lost now and I still feel grief for. You could really strum this guitar like an electric

so you could pump, you could get going but also you could finger-pick and it would resonate beautifully

But yes, Buffy was the instigator The sad ones were written when Willow s partner, Tara, gets shot. In the background of all the demos you can hear the show and when the theme song plays I would play along. In fact most of the EP is in the same key as the theme song because I wanted to be able to transition to it. So there you go!

A ce L deb EP T a a a c S ga .

W d b O he D g a -McC c

Live Report: Green Man 2022

S me hing f e e ne a Wale ' bigge and m eclec ic m ic and a eekende

Dri ing thro gh Aberga enn , e er thing looks peacef l, m ch hat o o ld e pect from a q iet co ntr to n Seeds of do bt begin to set in, are e in the right place? A fe short t rns later, bet een shockingl green hills, the tops of festi al tents begin to appear, and ith them the e citement begins to bre in o r bell as o anticipate hat lies ahead Gre clo ds filled the sk as Green Man rolled aro nd for its 20th Anni ersar , an e ent promising to sho er eager festi al goers ith a staggering selection of pcoming and established artists, comed , orkshops and talks, all commencing nder the atchf l e e of the Welsh mo ntains Coined the friendliest festi al on earth , the fo r da e perience has a lot to li e p to, and Clash rocked p ith the rest of the tent-carr ing p nters to ferret o t the ans er.

Nici Eberl

The some hat gloom Th rsda e ening as kicked off b the ineffable Y es T mo r and It s Band, bringing a a e of effortless 70 s glam rock sit ated firml in modern da b their inno ati e song making. While their stage presence as strong, the m sic itself took on a certain one-note element at points, ho e er the still had the cro d reared p and read to go Keeping the infectio s energ going, Th rsda s headliners Metronom deli ered a set packed ith danceable electronic bangers and had a cro d ranging from mid 60 s to ide e ed babes p and groo ing (albeit some hat nsteadil ) to the m sic Classic indie electronics balanced ith incredible band s nerg made for an electric clima of the first night

Frida rolled aro nd ith s nshine soaking the co ntr side and the p nters rose for the first f ll da at Green Man Stalls stocking incredible food, clothing and trinkets lined the interior of the festi al and the bars ere stocked ith scr mptio s beers, ciders, spirits and cocktails (some bars e en pro iding delicio s mocktails to their sober c stomers) All drinks are locall so rced, the beer is e en bre ed in Wales, gi ing o a ell ro nded Welsh e perience

Immediatel it as clear that en ironmentalism is at Green Man s heart, ith meas res p t in place to completel c t o t disposable plastics incl ding re sable c ps and not a plastic fork to be seen The festi al itself is po ered b HVO, a non fossil f el alternati e to diesel and compost loos pro ide a ater and energ sa ing (and m ch less stink ) alternati e to the classic portaloo nightmare This ear the rolled o t trans incl si e omens rinals, hich rightf ll so, man ere absol tel thrilled b

Photo Credit:

An a , eno gh abo t the toilets, back to the m sic! Mdo Moctar as an incredible addition to the Frida afternoon main stage; A T areg born artist creating an a e-inspiring melting pot of rock, bl es and traditional T areg g itar m sic, often described as desert bl es Moctar and his band, dressed in signat re headscar es and flo ing kaftans, deli ered almost an ho r of non-stop shredding. The eager cro d atched mo ths open, not likel to forget that set an time soon

Ha ing missed their f ll set on Th rsda , this Clash riter h rried to Green Man Records (another great spot for catching pcoming talent and for grabbing o rself some q alit in ls) for a secret set b The Umla ts Aptl self described as o r a erage trans-E ropean, m lti-ling al, art-school, post-p nk, techno-inspired, ber-gro p/circ s-troop/diarresis , a mo thf l that all makes sense hen the begin b sting o t their sci-fi roster, armed ith deep dri ing s nths and ironicall cool shades

The Far O t stage pro ided some of the eekend's best alternati e picks, ith an appearance from Zamrock megastars Witch, ho despite retaining onl t o original members still kne ho to ork the cro d. S edish born garage p nks Viagra bo s follo ed ith an e plosi e performance dripping in sneers, s eat and black h mo r, Oscar Carls distorted sa ophone adding an neas energ as a shirtless and tin s nglasses clad Sebastian M rph detachedl held the a id moshers in the palm of his hand Far O t After Dark became a ha en of dance

Photo Credit: Patrick G nning

m sic from Frida on ards, ith incredible DJ sets from the likes of Bicep to Nia Archi es dra ing in cro ds from across the site.

As Sat rda descended into darkness, 3D glasses ere handed o t at the bar and the anticipation as high, for the main stage as abo t to be host to electronic m sic legends. The pioneering q artet Kraft erk took to the stage, standing stoic one b one b one, the s nths b ilt p in front of them resembling alien technolog and framed b lights, shapes and coded is als hich j mped o t of the screen hen one donned their glasses The fascinated cro d s a ed and sho ted along as m sic, non-stop echoed o t o er the trees

Photo Credit: Parri Thomas

The Chai Wallas tent q ickl became e er one s old reliable, coffee chai and reggae b da and cocktails, beers and high energ bands into DJ sets b night. Open e er night ntil 4am, o d be hard pressed to find a better all ro nder en e at an festi al

The npredictable eather did little to deter the attendees, and as a rain Sat rda rolled thro gh and hango ers became a little more intense, the majorit ere still p and chipper, read to greet a da of more m sic, man e en starting the s ddenl s nn afternoon ith Green Man s er o n Pride Parade

Photo Credit: Parri Thomas

Sat rda s roster as again chock f ll of m sical goodness, and sa some stellar performances from the likes of Ps chedelic Porn Cr mpets, A stralian s rf rock that as relentless in it s gain hea g itars and long hair hipping ildl , as ell as T ne Yards ith their lo-fi indie bops and incredible ocal hooks

When headliners Beach Ho se took to the stage the spectators and the silent trees joined in tandem, s a ing in the ind in time ith the dream s nth pop, the onlookers holding each other thro gh the saddest of songs.

The a the festi al architects made se of the land as notabl brilliant, ith the Mo ntain Stage ha ing se eral la ered hills s rro nding it for people to either stand or rela and atch the acts nfold The site as ell laid o t, e er thing eas to find and signposted from end to end the arena takes onl aro nd 10/15 min tes to na igate, especiall sef l for the parents trailing their sleeping little ones aro nd in blanket laiden carts.

S nda , the final da ! Festi al goers rose sleepil to make the most of the time the had left

An lefto er cash as q ickl spent in the market tents, p rchasing clothes, books, records, badges, herbs and an thing o co ld imagine and the less h ngo er attended oga classes and orkshops on e er thing from ine making to m shroom gro ing. Toddlers pla ed in the little folk area and teens gathered in the Some here tent, getting creati e ith the friends the d made thro gho t the eekend

Photo Credit: Parri Thomas

Jenn H al graced the Mo ntain Stage in late afternoon ith her bea tif ll concept hea , ethereal t nes H al bantered in an endearingl a k ard fashion ith the cro d, ch ckling at her o n fascination ith death and ampires, before settling into each song ith an ease onl afforded to the people ho eat, sleep and breathe m sic.

The Rising stage as host to Green Man s list of p and comers in m sic, t cked a a o er a tin stream, the hooded dome of the tent al a s had some ne , e citing so nd emerging onto the field To f ll enjo the set, it as cr cial to get p and personal ith the stage and e en then the so nd as left anting. This did little to deter cro ds from flocking there ho e er and this stage as host to one of the clear eekend highlights in the form of Joe and the Shitbo s Self-described bise al egan p nks from the Faroe Islands, the dominated the stage; hilario sl short hardcore bangers ere deli ered ith tong e and cheek confidence, t rning a slightl orse for ear cro d into a ball of hea ing bodies ithin min tes For once the mosh pit as filled ith a jo o s ariet of ages and genders and Joe ended the set b la nching himself into the s eat cro d and emphaticall embracing as man people as possible

Photo Credit: Parri Thomas

E er one gathered aro nd the Green Man for the end ceremon , some aiting in their spots all da to g arantee a good ie . Once the sho started, e all nderstood h . A large l mino s balloon floated abo e the cro d, a tin performer hanging from strings nderneath, flipping t irling and gliding and looking like she as abo t to sail off into the clo ds at an min te Shortl after, fire orks e ploded from atop the Green Man sc lpt re, eng lfing it in flames as more and more fire orks shot into the sk The spectators atched, mo ths open, a sense of comm nal childlike onder spreading thro gh the cro d.

Photo Credit: Patrick G nning

All in all, an incredibl eclectic and heart arming e perience It is clear from the organisers to the performers to the bar staff, e er one in ol ed is happ to be a part of this onderf l e ent.

A refreshing shift in energ from the chaos of man UK festi als, Green Man is a time to rela , atch some great m sicians, disco er ne things and of co rse ha e a good old boogie

A fe top Green Man tips:

1 Keep in mind there ma be more than meets the e e hile o ander the site, a secret drag bar hides do n a c rtained corridor, ser ing special cocktails as o itness all kinds of bea t and deba cher .

2 For m sic nerds, or an one ho lo es a good p b q i , head to the ann al Green Man Q i in Babbling Tong es at 12 noon on the Sat rda for some absol te brain-scratchers

3. Check behind the alled garden for some incredible art.

4. Before o hit the ha on Sat rda , make s re o head p to the Green Man icker sc lpt re and lea e a ish tied to one of its branches Yo ne er kno , it might come tr e

Photo Credit: Kirst McLachlen

Words B : Oshen Do glas-McCormick

Li e Repo : Iceland Ai a e 2022

As a non Iceland native, the excitement of touching down on this island of natural wonders and supreme hotdogs sends me into a bit of a frenzy and I have to stifle a small scream as the wheels hit the runway Not that you ever need an excuse to hop on a plane to Iceland but this renowned four day music extravaganza provides the perfect motivation to pack your fluffiest coat and rush posts-haste to the culture packed capital

After two Covid ridden years, the return of the yearly showcase festival is widely anticipated and Reykjavík is practically bubbling with creative energy and new music dying to be shared with our eager ears.

The onslaught of music begins each day around 8pm, giving attendees plenty of time to explore the quietly bustling Reykjavík by day, its kitschy colourful high street packed with bars, coffee shops, vintage stores and food spots all lit by winter sun

As the evening sets in, the city becomes something entirely new, lights twinkle in cosy doorways and pumping music drifts from windows of bars lining the streets When you pay for a beer, do yourself a favour and don t google the conversion rate and you ll have a whale of a time!

In spite of some high prices, Reykjavík is a perfect city for such a festival, the majority of the venues are a two to ten minute walk from each other and a well devised program provides a wealth of genres all within walking distance each evening.

Among the first to open the festival, Amyl and the sniffers take to the stage with clear purpose and within seconds the immobile crowd come alive, imbued with the unmistakably aussie-punk spirit that drips off of each member of the mullet-clad Sniffers Amyl, all chainmail bra and attitude, takes control of the stage as they move through their well known roster, with crowd favourites such as ‘Security , ‘Guided by Angels and ‘Got You causing the jostling onlookers to spit their lyrics back at them ferociously

The band slam their respective instruments in perfect chaotic time with one another and in the middle of it all, tongue flailing, muscle flexing, eyes blazing Amyl is a powerfully poignant figure of alternative femininity. “This is for my ladies, this is for my trans and non binary friends ” She shouts, the crowd cheering enthusiastically back as the band launches into ‘Knifey , a hard hitting anthem against assault ‘All I ever wanted was to walk by the park, all I ever wanted was to walk by the river, see the stars.”

Carrying through the theme of the powerful feminine, Daughters of Reykjavik emerge to their headline spot at Reykjavík s Art Museum stage to a clearly adoring fanbase A group formed of eight hip-hop artists, you might be sceptical on how they might deliver a cohesive show Sure enough however, their nine years performing together has created an incredible synergy between the group and each song is punctuated with choreographed pop excellence

Accompanied by driving bass hooks, the Daughters take turns in delivering a mix of light-hearted and deeply politicised verses, pumping up the already ecstatic crowd. In support of the women of Iran, the group each cut a lock of hair and have the hundreds of onlookers chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom”, a powerful sight

Photo by Julie Van Den Bergh

It s already apparent the festival harbour a focus on gender diversity, with over 50% of artists involved identifying as female, and while much more can be done on the fronts of venue accessibility and racial diversity, the atmosphere in each show and venue is consistently welcoming of all

Vancouver-based collective Crack Cloud round off the evening with truly a performance to behold, propelling such impassioned chaos with their energetic art-punk that most of us are glued to the spot wide-eyed throughout. The band seem to almost forget the crowd are there, lost in their pursuit, screeching saxophone collides with erratic drums and barking, David Byrne like vocals creating a vacuum of sound centre stage

An explosive first day for sure; many crawl back to their beds while the enthusiastic few party into the morning hours

Photo by Keira Lindgren

Friday rolls through with a sense of excitement hanging in the icy air as punters gear up for another evening of music By Friday, we all know our way around a little better and to combat the hangovers many people headed out the city s various public pools for a steam, bubble and dip, emerging back into the afternoon like swaddled babies ready to soak up more musical discovery

While the big names on the lineup are of course worth the watch, Airwaves prides itself on showcasing fresh talent, so make sure to scour the list for smaller or off venue shows spanned across the afternoon as well as the official evening shows Many bands play two or even three sets across the weekend, giving festival-goers plenty of opportunity to catch them.

Photo by Alexander Matukhno

Supersport! are one such band, delivering a heartwarming roster at a student union bar just outside of town It s instantly clear why Supersport! are a crowd favourite, a sweet artsy bunch who s no frills indie-pop performance is driven by an honest love of music and each other. Weaving their way through Beatle-esque sing-song vocals to heavier instrumentals, the sound rings satisfyingly full with the calculated vocal and instrumental harmonies, the subject matter covering everything from platonic love and radical community to “leaving your iPhone charger in a house you have no business going back for”

A few other favourites of the evening come in the form of Kóboykex, a Faroese rootin-tootin cowboy themed five piece, Chiiild with their experimental soul soothing the crowd of Gamla Bíó and Gróa, a young Icelandic punk band who bring a uniquely defiant energy to the murky upstairs at Gaukurrin, flashing their ‘granny pants and smashing their instruments with reckless skill

Photo by Florian Trykowski

As the last day of the festival dawns, many seize their last chance for excursions outside of town, strolls along the waterfront, soaks in the steaming blue lagoon, or maybe just inhaling a few more hotdogs from the famous stand downtown

A far cry from the delicious chaos of Amyl and the Sniffers, more intimate sets can be found in Fríkirkjan, a small church just off the beaten path of the main street Quiet onlookers fill the pews as the sweeping acoustics and candlelit altar bare witness to some incredible performances

Rounding off the Saturday, Arooj Aftab and accompanying guitarist Gyan Riley are the perfect choice for this cinematic setting Described as a marriage of jazz and neo-Sufi styles, Aftab lulls the crowd into a trance with her powerfully lilting notes and compelling presence

The symbiosis between Aftab and Riley is astounding, jaws drop as he plucks the electro acoustic strings with staggering skill, weaving notes in tandem with Arooj s reverb soaked voice As she performs, Aftab plucks roses from a vase and hands them out to the crowd

The sombre atmosphere is offset by Aftab s dry humour, as she tells us “People think this music is a very sad lament and about the tragedies of the eastern world but actually it s about getting drunk and failing at love ”

Headliner Arlo Parks delivers a sweetly sun-soaked set, with the smoothest voice you re ever likely to hear echoing through the museum s hall. The band groove along to each song with a familial synchronicity and it s impossible not to be swept up in the infectious emotion radiating from the stage as she sings “Won t hurt so much forever ”

Last special mention goes to Inspector Spacetime, a groove ridden electronic three-piece who had the late night crowd bouncing off Hurra s sweaty walls

Don t fret, the fun doesn t end with the last act; DJ s, pubs, bars and even kebab shops pumping with hits wait to greet you on the outside and it s many hours before Reykjavík s streets empty of music lovers.

Now that you ve been bombarded with all that, hopefully you d like to see for yourself! Early Bird Tickets for Iceland Airwaves are already on sale here, grab yourself one now!

Words by: Oshen Douglas-McCormick

Photo by Alexander Matukhno

Joe and he Shi bo a Seb igh A m - Li e Re o

Bi e al egan hi p nk; if ha o nd p o r alle hen Joe and he Shi bo are he band for o ! The ra co fo r piece are e er hing o o ld e pec from a p nk band; lo d, obno io , confron a ional b ha r l e hem apar i an abili o rn of ne in o a reng h. Hailing from he mall, con er a i e comm ni ie of he Faroe I land , he band are becoming kno n for pro iding an nmi akable mi of jo , rage and hree chord madne here er he go

An na ming Th r da roll aro nd, and cro d ga her o ide Ea London Sebrigh

Arm De pi e he dri le, p nk lo er of all age appear in force o i ne he band ha been hro ing in l and fla hing nipple from he Faroe I land o he leng h of E rope on heir hilario l coined Man preada o r

In he ppor lo , Co bo bring a energ comple el of heir o n, i h a rh hm ec ion ha make o r head pin and a ocali ho dra l ociall a are poe r hro gh he mic o he c rio onlooker

Af er a hor break, Joe and he Shi bo a emble roll-call le on age, Joe por ing hi igna re red lipp and he hi bo clad in bl e d ngaree

Thro ing him elf abo he age and mo ing hro gh he cro d, Joe i a na ral performer, he chari ma dripping from him almo a empha icall a he ea dripping from he ba emen ceiling. He ban er a agel i h he cro d, ch cking jibe lef , righ and cen re and in he ame brea h elling he ea mo her ho f cking bea if l he look onigh . I a confron a ion roo ed in comrader , he ha a a of making feel a ho gh e re in i oge her. F ck e er bod ! We all cream in nc i h he band, a ca har ic relea e.

Zigg Shi , Ollie Shi and Harr Shi lam heir in r men ferocio l , in clear bro herl nchronici and he cro d ma ch he energ in an l . The Shi bo mo e hro gh heir e h rricane- le, relen le l earing from one ocial and poli ical i e o he ne i h no able i le ch a Dr g R 4 Kid , Sa e The Plane , Yo D mb Shi and Clo e ed HomoFObe , he poorl mi ed o nd onl adding o he p rpo el jank o po ring of noi e (i i hi p nk af er all)

No hold barred hra h p nk gi e a o danceable groo e , one min e e re hro n abo he room, he ne e gi e Shakira hip a r n for heir mone

From man preader o carni ore , no one i afe from he Shi bo , e no abl heir ho feel like ome of he mo incl i e p nk gig e e een in ear Ac i el enco raging he cro d o ing along o e er ong, Joe i p rpo ef l in hi cro d par icipa ion, eeming o priori i e non-men in he cro d a he hand o he mic The mo hpi , for once, i chock f ll of ario i e and gender a oppo ed o he al picio l iolen hi e d de demographic ha freq en man UK p nk ho

A he Shi bo Theme come o a clo e, mile pla er he face of he ogg cro d and e all rai e o r middle finger o he k a Joe ell Thank o , F ck Yo , Goodnigh !

A m ch a Joe and he Shi bo find heir roo in h mo r, he lea e i h a di inc feeling ha here i ome hing impor an bre ing here, ome hing ha pi in he face of radi ional ma c lini , capi ali m, di crimina ion and e er one ho phold he e em .

Thi i he onl kind of ma c lini ha ha a place in 2022, he kind ha cream EAT ASS YOU FUCKING COWARDS.

Pho o Credi : Pa rick G nning

Link : Spo if :

h p ://open. po if .com/ar i /1LQe0AlqV1e2GD3R 1UFTg?a opla = r e& o rce applica ion= google a i an

Yo T be:

h p :// . o be.com/channel/UCg 0 c8kE cT9UNLkcXJIdg?fea re=g kp ar i &fea r

e=g kp ar i

In agram: h p :// in agram com/joeand he hi po /?hl=en

LYNKS On Rob n s Transformative Po er, And Finding Your Voice In The Queer Scene

Catching p ith the masked bandit...

Watching LYNKS (formally LYNKS Afrikka) perform is unlike anything else you are likely to experience, with stunning avant-garde costumes always complete with a full mask, dancers synchroni ing to blasting electronic beats and a heavy dose of both hilarity and politicism.

An uncompromising artist who inhabits the DIY spirit with vigour, the entity of LYNKS was conceived at a house party when an impromptu performance changed their musical direction from Elliot Smith to Peaches in one swift blow. They have since released EP s Smash Hits 1 and 2, as well as their latest installment Men , expanding on the satiristic portrayal of straight male culture that they tackle so well. On the second day of The Great Escape, the London based powerhouse leapt onto the stage at 12pm raising the crowd from any hungover stupor they may have found themselves in and giving the festival goers a what for. Afterwards, Clash sat down with them to dig a little deeper under the mask..

So I ha e o a k, ho a e o finding The G ea E ca e o fa ?

It s been fun, though so far all I ve done is get a wristband, performed for 20 minutes, and now I m here!

A e o looking fo a d o eeing an o he ac ?

Yes, I am, definitely MUNA. Also PVA, Katy J Pearson, Cassyette. I have a lot of mates who are playing so I m gonna be doing the loyal friend thing where you go to a music festival with hundreds of new artists and just watch all my friends' sets.

Yo go a o o ma e ! I a o e fo mance hi mo ning, ho gh i a b illian , o m ch ene g and I lo ed he mo e in Sill Bo ! Do o ha e a fa o i e ong o e fo m?

At the moment it probably is Silly Boy ! It s probably my favorite song I ve got out so far. I always say, when I m trying to write a LYNKS song, there s three things I want to do. Number one: banging, heavy dance beat. Number two: make it funny and three: have some kind of deeper message about the world. If I can do any two of those I m happy but I feel like Silly Boy is one of the few songs I ve managed all three. It s so satisfying performing it and being like fuck you annoying straight boys! And dance you crowd of

monkeys! And then also people are laughing so it s the perfect mix of food groups that make up LYNKS.

I imagine eeing o e fo m fo he fi ime co ld be i e a fo ma i e e e ience, i he e an a i ha made o feel ha a hen o fi a hem li e?

Yes absolutely. Do you know Robyn? So I feel like in the last six or seven years there s been this new wave of poptimism , but when Robyn was big, pop music was so not cool. If you were into music you would not admit that you liked pop. You d be like this is trash. Now there s stuff like Grimes Artangels , Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX pop is a lot more respected.

When Robyn released Body Talk I remember being so obsessed with those songs but also thinking, this is so bad, why do I like this?! Then when I was at Latitude when I was 17, all my friends went to see the headliner, Damon Albarn, and I snuck off to see Robyn. Every queer or queer adjacent person who was at the festival was in that crowd and all the straights were at Damon Albarn and the vibe was just ama ing. That was when I realised oh, maybe pop music is good! Maybe this is what I love. It was just one of the best gigs ever and maybe one of the best nights of my life.

Tha o nd onde f l. If o had an endle b dge and endle ime a e he e an d eam ojec o o ld like o e lo e?

I have literally infinite ideas one is having a stage entirely covered in scaffolding and then basing it off of the Cell Block Tango from Chicago where I have like 30 dancers choreographed to move differently on the different levels. Maybe with some stripper poles and gau e so the shadows could be projected larger than life. You know when you re a kid and you dream about headlining Glastonbury? Yeah that s what I would do for it. I remember watching videos of some of Kanye s mad stage setups and dreaming about having that budget. When it gets to the point of being a high budget theater set,

that s where I wanna be. But right now all I have budget for is two dancers and a table, which is still good!

Inco o a ing cho eog a h and co me in o e defini el eem o aid he na al o elling of he m ic. Did he LYNKS cha ac e de elo a an e en ion of o elf?

I don t know how much of a character or persona there even is anymore, I feel like me and LYNKS are really quite similar, LYNKS is just a bit more unhinged.

I suppose the character actually used to be quite consciously all of the nasty, insecure, under-the-surface parts of myself that I held back in day to day life. I didn t really say that openly but that s what I thought to myself. In the music I would write all the stuff I was scared or insecure about but through the process of doing that I realised all those things weren t actually that bad and could be seen as good aspects of my personality I think that my personality has grown closer to LYNKS and LYNKS s has grown closer to me to the point where we ve met somewhere in the middle. It s definitely helped me be more comfortable with all my eccentricities.

So yeah, not so much of a character, more just me on stage and me offstage, me in costume and me out of costume.

I hink co me can be a e o e f l a of allo ing o o le go of inhibi ion . I he e a a ic la e fo mance ha ill go do n a a co e memo ?

Loads! But Latitude mainstage definitely stands out because it was the first performance after lockdown and still the biggest stage I ve ever played on. We didn t expect anyone to be there but there was a massive crowd which was unbelievable. Heaven in London was also insane because we thought we might get 600 people but it ended up being almost full and the crowd was acting like I was Harry Styles or something; rabidly

screaming like ombies and they all had cra y makeup on for the queer night so actually like a pack of glittery ombies. It was lowkey terrifying but ama ing. There was also a performance I did early on with not a single person there, which I ll also always remember as quite a formative experience because we just had so much fun with it regardless, running around the whole venue going mad.

Song like S 8 Ac ing a e deli e ed i e in a h mo o fa hion b c ea e an em o e ing me age a he ame ime, can o alk abo o oce in c ea ing he ong ?

So I used to write music before LYNKS that had much more traditional lyrics and I think I was used to artists writing lyrics that didn t sound how people sound when they re speaking. People don t speak without telling jokes, that s how our language works and for me when I started writing as LYNKS I realised I didn t have to use some slightly bullshity poetic voice, I could just write how I speak; full of jokes and chatting shit and swearing. I realised that was so much easier and fun, just saying what came into my mind and being more unfiltered. Obviously that wouldn't work for all types of music but it definitely works with my songs.

Did he co me and he mo emen hen de elo a o nd ho e con e a ional l ic ?

I think when I started, a question I would always ask myself was: what s more entertaining and then I would follow that. So I thought are we gonna have dancers and choreography? Yes. Sparkly costumes? Yes. A silly table to put the laptop on? Yes. Because they all make it more fun. Are we gonna have instruments? Does that make it more entertaining? No. No one cares. This might be controversial (I hope not!), but I ve often thought, should I do the thing that a lot of production heavy artists do where they have a skeleton band, a drummer with some launch pads and part of a backing track and I decided that I c ld, but literally why? I d just be trying to recreate the backing track but doing it a bit shit. Seems like a lot of work for something the audience really

don t care about and as an audience member I think I d rather see a stage being fully used by the dancing and performing rather than someone whacking pads that make noises that are already in the backing track.

To all , o ake he age i h o mo emen al ead . I d a he nchine of he m ic fo ce he li ene o hea he me age, a hi a con cio deci ion?

I think it was Robyn or someone that worked with Robyn (I m obsessed with Robyn as you can probably tell at this point), they talked about writing the Body Talk album with a process where they would take a song that they d been writing and then methodically go through everything and take out any parts that didn t feel necessary to the song which you can really hear when you listen to it. I do add a lot of random sound effects for no reason but I also realise with dance music you don t want to swamp the listener with a wall of sound so I want to make sure the beat and the lyrics have their exact place and everything is super crispy. That s why I never put reverb on anything. So yes, conscious but not in a deep way I just think it makes it more fun to listen to!

Yo e omeone ho ha i e la ge comm ni ie i h o he ee a i and c ea o , ha o ld o a o omeone ing o find hei oice i hin ha cene?

I think more than most scenes, within the queer scene I think there s the capacity for you to really go for whatever you wanna do. We re all quite used to no one including us in anything so we re very conscious of inclusivity. This of course applies to some spaces more than others, especially within larger cities, you can normally find some kind of night, however small, that will let you try your material out even if you re totally new If you have t got mates in the queer community yet which is often the case for younger queers, I genuinly think if you go into a queer venue and you don t know anyone and you go up to a stranger and say hi, unlike straight spaces you normally get a really nice response. So it s also about unlearning what you ve learnt throughout the rest of the

world and realising it s going to be a lot more accepting than other spaces. So really you just have to bite the bullet and do it.

Words by Oshen Douglas-McCormick

L e Re : Ph ebe B dge O2 Acade B , L d

A night of isceral adoration...

B , e a e dea ; P ebe B dge a - ed a d e f-de eca g a e ad e a b e e a f a c a S d g e g f 2020 P e a b , P ebe B dge a bec e f c ea g e e a e ca d c c a g g e g e e.

A ead a d e- c a e e-COVID, e a de c a a c a fa ba e b e -f d a d e ba d f a c e e e- -e e ad g fa e g a c a ed

Re

O e ec d g f a f a B O2 Acade , C a e g f eage fa c a g f a ace

P ebe B dge a c a c e a ba d f a e e c ee a d D bed e

D W T e S c e a e e ba d age a g c ea f

a a a a ! A P ebe e e , e c d e , f e ed b e - e a b a g g e ea e b d b ed b e e e a c c ed edd g fa ea

B dge d c g a T e e a ce a ad a e a d P ebe, c ad e g a e e e age , acce a d ec ca e a e c f de ce.

T e c d c ea a g e e g; f c e c ! , I a e , I d d a g a e . Y ca a ee a e B dge e e a e a d e ce a e c bac a e T d g e a f e a d, e f e g e e , de a g e f a ge , , ea b ea a d e e ce a d d g de ace f fea , d ffe e ce a d . T e ba d e g a d c ea fa a affec f e a e ca e e a g c, d f g be ee e ac c e a d c e a d g e , JJ K a c f e add g a c e a c a F e d a d e d eac e a d a e .

B dge ce a e g f a ed b a e a , W d a d ce e g e a a ed ce e e e aga a bac d f e a a a L d e e ee a g e g a d be ee g , B dge ca a e f-a a e e e f a e ba e ab e c d, fa g e e e eed be. Rec g a f a c a d e ce e be a ed a e e f R e Wade, e c a e f e e d be ab e ge a ab f e a a ea e ge e f c . T e c d e de a ag eeab e c ee . T e def a e a f ee b e a e e a ed e be c ec

I K T e E d g f d ff e g cac f e a c a a d c ea , ec ed f a e e g f g e e T e a d e ce e c ea f e a d dde e ba d a d bec e e a e f e ca a c e ea e.

W e e e c e c e , P ebe a d a g a I fee ec a , e e c e c f de a d f e f e ce e e ed f age, e c d d c ea e c bac , ead a g g e e d

W d b O he D gla -McC ick

Ph ebe G ee L c Me

A revealing pan-genre song cycle...

Becoming known for her uniquely sincere style, Phoebe Green embraces change and the darkest parts of herself in the midst of a slew of industrial synth in upcoming album ‘Lucky Me’. In Green’s sophomore album, she makes it her mission to hold nothing back, interrogating herself, playing prisoner, good cop and bad cop all at once throughout the thirteen track strong release ‘Lucky Me’ (a phrase Green even has tattooed across her hand in bold) stages herself

as the anti-hero of her own story, dealing with the nuances of social anxiety, attachment and trust issues, among other hot takes all huddled under the existentialist umbrella so reasonably present within Phoebe's generation After floating on the edge of the music world since 2016, Green now takes the dive, shedding the scales of an indie artist and embracing a brave new genre-defying fusion ranging from new romantic to echoes of hip-hop to the darker, industrial sides of synth pop

’Lucky Me’ is the title track for a reason; sparsely placed high-hats suddenly give way to heavy Tame Impala-esque bass, encompassing the sound with such intent that it’s almost guaranteed to make you bust out your bass-face. Green’s diverse vocals shift between wry gothic tones and soft emotive calls of “I’m such a lucky girl ” , echoing over the chorus with an intense melancholic power that recalls something of Bjork’s ‘Army Of Me’ Phoebe Green’s emotive vocals are purposely centered within the record, with layers of harmonies, rounds, whispers and shouts weaved throughout Green finds her voice in ‘Lucky Me’, figuratively and literally.

We’ve all had a night out where it all suddenly turns a bit existential Green manages to capture the feeling with unnerving accuracy with ‘Crying In The Club’. Providing us with some Lily Allen-esque British pop realism with spoken style lyrics, Green dryly reels out lists of contradictions and observations of monotony; ‘Nothing changes if nothing changes if nothing changes’ rings out over incessantly dizzying synth. With each new track, Green confides in us in new ways, hoping to be understood, hoping to provide comfort and a palpable catharsis to those that do

Green’s guitar led sound that fuelled her 2016 debut ‘02:00AM’ is moulded, reshaped and presented as something entirely new, a web of intricately produced sounds that provides the framework for Green’s self-dissection The trusty guitar sound is not abandoned though, making an appearance on ‘Clean’, a lofi sad bop dripping in reverb and careful vulnerability

‘DieDieDie’ possesses another, darker kind of vulnerability, uneasy synth arpeggios running underneath a Billie Eilish style darkness and soft vocal vibrato; “try to keep out the creeping dread, every time I feel quietly content ” A feeling many of us know far too well.

Phoebe Green explores and elevates her creative visions with ‘Lucky Me’, with helping hands by some of pop’s most innovative producers; Kaines and Tom A.D as well as lead producer for the album, Dave McCracken whose work history includes music legends The Stone Roses, Depeche Mode, Florence & The Machine, a roster that aligns too perfectly with Phoebe’s genre blend It’s clear how much (and I quote) “blood sweat and vomit” Green poured into this album, an impressively laid bare creation that finds strength in its own vulnerability and encourages us as the listeners to do the same.

Rating: 8/10

Words by Oshen Douglas-McCormick