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4 T H E M AC CA B E ES 7 C I T Y G U I D ES … M AT T M A LT ES E 8 CHILDHOOD 10 C H LO E H OW L 11 WA X A H ATC H E E 12 G L ASTO N BU RY 2017 20 BA D SO U N DS 22 T H U M P E RS 23 A DAY I N T H E L I F E O F… M I L K T E ET H 24 D O RK L I V E 25 BA N G E RS 26 CA L E N DA R 28 C O N N ECT I O N HYPE 30 F R A N C O BO L LO 31 SW I M M I N G G I RLS F E AT U RES 32 D EC L A N M C K E N N A 38 LU CY ROS E 40 B RO K E N SO C I A L SC E N E 42 M U R A M ASA 46 M R J U K ES 48 T H E AVA L A N C H ES REV I E WS 52 A RCA D E F I RE 53 DA N C RO L L 5 4 T H E D I ST RI CTS 5 6 D EC L A N M C K E N N A 58 HAIM 59 RO C K W E RC H T E R 6 0 PA R A M O RE 6 2 A LT-J A N Y OT H E R Q U EST I O N S ? 6 6 W I L L J OS E P H C O O K
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UPDATE IF IT’S NOT IN HERE, IT’S NOT HAPPENING. OR WE FORGOT ABOUT IT. ONE OR THE OTHER.
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et’s take a millennial testwhat do The Maccabees mean to you? Maybe you had your heart broken to ‘No Kind Words’, patched it back up with ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ or simply had an amazing summer pissing about with your mates to the sound of ‘About Your Dress’. Whatever the sentiment, something about the group’s wide-eyed depiction of youth captured hearts with a kindness and vulnerability most bands are afraid to express. Even while the music matured, the sentiment was always the same; this was a gang who’d make sure that you’d grow up alright. 14 years into their career, tonight’s final ever Maccabees show takes place at the fittingly epic Alexandra Palace, just shy of a year since they first announced the decision to pull things to a close. Whether it’s the time that has passed or the overwhelming turnout to the tour, the evening has an air of the all-or-nothing about it – there is simply no other option for both band and fan than to put every ounce of what they have into this final dance. As a result, The Maccabees have never sounded better. Opening with fan favourite ‘Wall Of Arms’, Brothers White thrash their guitars with ecstasy while Orlando lets every word linger in his delicate delivery, hanging onto the notes as if savouring how they taste in his mouth for one last time. Punctuated by only small murmurs of thanks and the roar of the crowd, it feels surreal to bid such familiar songs adieu one by one – ‘Latchmere’, ‘X-Ray’, ‘Precious Time’…even a spine-tinglingly rare outing of ‘Lego’ that sees Weeks’ jaw tremble during a particularly cruel lyric; ‘Cross the road and say goodbye/there wasn’t a dry eye’.
*SNIFF* *SNIFF*
FAREWELL SWEET PRINCES AND SO, BRITISH INDIE ROYALTY THE MACCABEES REACH THE END OF THE ROAD. JENESSA WILLIAMS TOOK TO LONDON’S ALEXANDRA PALACE FOR THEIR FINAL STAND. PHOTOS: TOM PULLEN.
We all have to grow up eventually, and as the evening draws to its unfortunate close, Felix takes upon the necessary speech, thanking ‘everybody who’s ever looked after us’ before beckoning some ‘special people who’ve joined us on this journey’ to the stage. Cue a trip right back to 2007 – Mystery Jets and Jack Peñate crowd on stage to bellow along to ‘Something Like Happiness’, a newer track but one that beautifully summarises tonight’s understanding that all good things must come to an end. It’s a euphoric closer to the main set, confetti cannons streaming as they visibly struggle to keep it together for the final stretch. The last leg is a thriller. A riotous take on ‘Marks To Prove It’ (featuring old pal Jamie T), an emotional double-header of ‘First Love’/’Toothpaste Kisses’ and the head rush of ‘Pelican’, and it’s suddenly all over. A thank you beams wide across the stage, bows are taken and then they are gone, the only remnant a sweat-drenched floor and the refrain of ‘Something Like Happiness’ picking up again for it’s final chorus, carried like a football chant across the city by the leaving hordes; ‘You just know when you know, you just know’. All in attendance have been gifted the fondest of farewells – Maccabees, you will be missed. P
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RADIOHEAD Radiohead, eh? More a box of chocolates than a jar of Marmite, the band are notorious at bucking tradition and doing whatever they want. Consequences be damned. Love it, loathe it or just think that a handful of their songs are alright, they’re both the most comfortable and the most outlandish headliner of the year. Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran never stray far from the centre of their own lanes, but Radiohead go their own way. Tonight is no different. Rather than changing opinion or pleasing crowds, this is a set of reinforcement and solidification. At times it’s genius. At others it feels like they might just be making it up as they go along, but it’s consistently evoking. Moments of blissful escape sweep into jarring crashes of electronics and guitar while Thom Yorke’s daydream vocals inspire beauty and crashing truths. There’s little interaction, but Radiohead have always been about creating little worlds to get lost in. Trying to inspire mass participation would shatter that fragile reality. The hits are delivered without ceremony, there are barbed comments about The Real World (“See you later Theresa. Just shut the door on the way out”) celebrations of the temporary reprieve from it, and self-aware laughter at how ridiculous this all is. How did we get here? The closing one-two of ‘Creep’ and ‘Karma Police’ is a fleeting glimpse into how glorious tonight could have been if they’d played to the mainstream, but they aren’t that band. Radiohead are one of a kind. Headlining Glastonbury for the third time, they light that fact up in neon blue, red and gold.
Q&A: BLAENAVON
HEY BEN FROM BLAENAVON. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT YOUR GLASTONBURY SET? Yeah, it’ll be awesome. Our set here last year was one of our best performances of all time. This is the first festival we’ve done for a second time since the record, so we’ll see if it’s any different, but to be honest, it can’t be better than last year. Last year it was raining outside, and the tent was completely packed, and people were going mad. But this’ll be nice too. Last year was actually perfect. So, I’m just hoping to have a nice time. Often we’ll do gigs, and it’s all about the crowd and what’s going on, but the main thing is us having a nice time. ‘Have fun up there boys’, that’s what someone will say before we go onstage. ‘Stay hydrated!’ We should tell the audience that. ‘Audience stay hydrated’. But not too much, because otherwise, they’ll all leave. Do you think there’s a way we
FRANK CARTER Playing with actual fire, Frank
Carter is presented with an audience who, by large, don’t give a damn about his history (Gallows what?) but his evolution from hardcore revolutionary to something more fully-rounded takes another mighty leap forward today. Entertaining both the kids desperate for a most pit, and those waiting for ‘Mr. Brightside’, Frank’s ability to entertain is miraculous. All eyes on him, he dances, sings and talks of love, respect and new perspectives. There’s closing track ‘I Hate You’ that’s vicious with more than a hint of venom. There’s new album ‘Modern Ruin’ which is surprisingly observant and sweeping, And then there’s Frank’s hunger for more. “This weekend, I’ve seen some incredible bands. I’ve seen some incredible things. Now, it’s my turn.” Try and stand in his way, he dares. This is his time.
could ask everyone to leave right at the end and then come back in?
AND YOU’VE GOT A MASSIVE TOUR AT THE END OF THE YEAR. ANY WORRIES ABOUT THOSE BIG VENUES? No, I don’t even care. When they’re big, it’s fine. When they’re big, you can’t really see or get much reaction from the crowd because they’re so small and far away, and it doesn’t feel like people it just feels like an audience. When it’s a really tiny show, and it’s really personal, that’s when it could go either way. The gig I was most nervous about in my entire life, was playing guitar for Marika [Hackman]. I was playing like Christmas songs at St John’s, and it’s so quiet and intimate that if you slip up, you’re fucked. But big gigs, we know what we’re fucking doing. People are screaming along, and I’m not worried about playing guitar because everyone’s singing it for me as well. Shepherd’s Bush, I will be nervous, but not worried. P
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e wanted to go to the kids area this morning, but we never made it,” starts Jules The Big Moon. “We got lost around some mimes. Damn, I just wanted to go to the play area, but this mime was so interesting.” Anywhere else in the world, this would be an outlandish tale, but at Glastonbury, it’s just what happens. There’s a magic to the festival that’s tough to explain. Most people who try, end up encouraging others to just experience it for themselves. “Yeah, you’ll never know,” grins Ben Blaenavon. It seems arrogant, but really it’s the only way to properly get what Glastonbury is about. It’s not about what you see, what you do, it’s about the feeling that floats underneath it all. “It’s a strange place,” admits Marika Hackman. “It’s not something I think I would like if someone explained it to me. ‘This sounds like my idea of absolute hell.’” And she’s got a point. The festival “isn’t about the music”, tickets sell out long before any acts are announced, and you could happily spend all five days lost in its wilderness, avoiding the main stages, and still not see it all. It’s full name, The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, sounds like the middle ground between a self-important village fete and an outlandish art installation that’s meant to seem smarter than you. On paper, 13
E P Y H . W BANDS E N L A I T ESSEN
O L L O B O C N FRA LI V E LI FE ’, U M ‘L O N G D EB U T A LB R EI TH H W IT N TH E TO TA K E O RE RE A DY A O LL BO FR A N C O MAN. IC A G O O D RD S: JE SS O W D. RL WO
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e’re going to have a record on our merch stand!” frontman Simon Nilsson enthuses. “Up until now it’s only been crackers and glasses of water,” he laughs. “And some homemade cheese,” guitarist Petter Grevelius adds. Taking a break from shooting the video for recent single ‘Worried Times’ ahead of their debut album release this summer, Francobollo are in high spirits. They’ve every reason to be. Fresh from a tour with Marika Hackman and Our Girl, with their first album about to drop and a headline tour on the horizon, the future’s looking bright for the Sweden-via-London quartet. Seven years in the build-up, ‘Long Live Life’ is a chronicle of the ever-evolving cosmic energy that band and fans alike relish in. “One thing leads to another: you musically fall in love, then you start making music together,” Petter describes of what drew them to form the band. “It’s like making babies.” Relocating from Lund to London as they set about making a name for themselves, it wasn’t long before their music started to catch on further afield.
ING V A H F O D A STE “IT’S LIKE IN TH E G N I N N I W O N E SPERM HEM!” T F O E V L E ’S TW CONTEST, IT
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“We played in London for ages,” Petter recalls. “You start noticing that the crowds are quite different in certain places,” Simon adds. “In Scandinavia for example, and in Norway, no one wants to be the first one to clap in the room. “No one’s ever excited to the point of them not caring about social rules and structures,” he laughs. It’s through these live shows that Francobollo sparked their reputation. Armed with a galactic sonic pallet, a whirlwind of energy, and an engaging sense of humour, the outfit have taken their time to build up something spectacular. Now, with an album made up from twelve of their strongest songs about to see release, the group couldn’t be more proud.
“It’s kind of like instead of having one sperm winning the contest, it’s twelve of them,” Simon describes of the record. “Like if you had twelve kids at the same time.” Rather them than us, but the group are quick to roll with the analogy. “They all came out at the same time, but were made in different times,” Simon illustrates. “That’s kind of the ‘Long Live Life’ concept,” he laughs. “It’s got a really naive sense to it,” Petter offers of the title. “’Long Live Life’ sounds like ‘YAY! We’re musketeers! We’re fighting dragons!’” he cheers. “Life is long, and you live it, and you walk it,” Simon counters. “It’s weird – kind of like Francobollo’s music. You can’t really decide what it is that you’re feeling.” Described by the group as being “kind of like a greatest hits up until now,” ‘Long Live Life’ incorporates everything from thunderous garage rock through cruising synth pop and stripped back harmonies to indie at its most anthemic – sometimes all within the space of one song. Evading description by being a little bit of everything they want to be, with their debut record Francobollo present a world that’s thrillingly freewheeling in its chaos. “The album is all over the place,” the frontman describes. “Every second it changes. It’s just an explosion! And life is kind of like an explosion. That’s
why ‘Long Live Life’ feels good.” With a title that sounds celebratory and melancholy in equal measure, on their debut album, Francobollo offer a condensed and ever dynamic taste of everything they’ve grown to be. “It seems like the better we get as musicians, the more the songs change into different things,” Petter expresses. “The way we recorded was very much to capture the moment in time that we were playing, so the songs were all kind of fresh and new to us as well.” Addictively raw at the same time as being deliciously smooth, the album seems to live and breathe, thriving and flourishing as if by instinct alone. “I saw this interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park,” Petter states. “They never thought that they would be able to continue doing what they were doing so they were always trying to outdo everything.” Such a process isn’t too dissimilar from what has driven Francobollo this far. “We just want it to work so we can do it again but in different ways,” Petter expands. “We’ve been doing it for so long now that we want to be able to continue doing it because we really love doing it.” “And do another one, and do another one, and do another one…” Simon adds. “We’re actually working on our second album already,” he enthuses. “Jamming, coming up with ideas, recording it on our phones,
and then dreaming about it. That’s kind of almost done.” Having spent seven years building up to a debut record, and now with a second album almost ready before the first is even released, Francobollo have their foot on the pedal ready to speed wherever the future may take them. “What I’m most looking forward to is looking at everyone else in the band and seeing how they react to it,” Petter enthuses of their upcoming headline shows. “It’s going to be really funny to see the excitement.” “It would be really good to be able to make music and then through that explore other kinds of art and other kinds of expression and just get completely free hand to do that,” he adds, looking forwards. “We want to be realistic too, but that would be the dream for me.” “I think our dream is to have our own studio somewhere on a big piece of land, with a river flowing behind it, and a little boat, and you grow your own tomatoes,” Simon counters. “Somewhere we can sit on the porch and record our country album, playing the banjo, and smoking a pipe,” he laughs. “That’s kind of the dream: just living an easy life through music,” while Petter affirms, “as long as there’s a wheat straw in my mouth when I come home, I’m happy.” P Francobollo’s album ‘Long Live Life’ is out now.
ON ON THE THE GRAPEVINE GRAPEVINE
IN DEMAND
INHEAVEN have announced the supports for their upcoming UK tour. Joining the band on the autumn run, which kicks off on 30th September in Newcastle, are King Nun, Bloxx, Otherkin and Paris Youth Foundation. M O RE O F M U N A
MUNA have announced a London show later this year. The trio, who released their debut album ‘About U’ earlier this year, will play Heaven on Halloween, 31st October. They’re fitting the date into their support run with Harry Styles, ‘FYI’.
SWIMMING GIRLS Introduce your band - who’s in it, and what do you all do? How did you get together? So we have Vanessa on lead vocals, Jay on electric guitar, Roo on synths and Max on drums! We met at uni in Bath - drawn to each other from day one. We were all obsessed with sounds/visuals from the same eras (80s and 90s pop culture). I think we all have an inner darkness as well… You’ve just launched your first track, ‘Tastes Like Money’ - how did you go about creating it? ‘Tastes Like Money’ is a funny one, because the truth is none of us can really remember how the process went. We do know it started with Jay bringing the raw instrumental guitar track and the lyrics: “sweetness drips from your lips in a kiss”. The rest simply happened, lol. Instrumentally the song suggests alternative 80s bands such as The Cure or Cocteau Twins, while melodically and vocally, poppier
VANESSA, JAY, ROO AN D MAX TE AM U P TO SPILL THE BEANS ON EVERYTH IN G YOU N E E D TO KNOW ABOUT SWI MMIN G G IRLS AN D TH E IR SMASHI NG RETRO POP.
acts of the same era come to mind. Lyrically the song explores the idea that all love comes at a price (no, not prostitution). What is it about 80s and 90s pop culture that you find so alluring? Nostalgia? Escapism? 80s and 90s pop culture is alluring because it feels like a different world
now. Artistically these last eras before digital feel so stylistically defined in their very being that any image or sound from them feels like art. A lot of people, ourselves included, look to the pop culture of these times as escapism from the ever-blurring genre-saturated digital culture of today. Also, there are so many bangerzz!
What do you guys like doing outside of band life? Outside of band life, we’re all film fans, especially work that pushes boundaries. David Lynch is someone we’re constantly fascinated with. Overwhelmed that Twin Peaks is back baby!! Photography’s also a particular interest to us. P 31
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UT DEB HIS ING. G R I N WA I T LIVE IN Y D E S TA R L L F I N A S U P E R T. S I T A A RRI O ENN K OF M C K E WO R P PY M A AN H O L T P C I K E OTO S : , DE DS L H C KS TRA T SOUN UNG. P T N I O A Y I T L U N RI L Y, B RT Y O F B U I ETL : MA R I N G E R I T Q WO R D S T S ER A WHISP AFT
ALB
UM.
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eclan McKenna always knew he was going to make something of himself. Back when he was a little kid, he had his whole pop star future pegged. “Dec, what do you think about the car, d’you like it?’ asks his sister in the home video snippet that opens his debut fulllength, to which our future indie icon replies: “I think it’s really good and now I’m going to sing my new album.” From there Declan’s path was set. Sitting in a dressing room in Glasgow’s famous King Tuts on his latest sold-out tour, Dec is enjoying every minute of his rise. “Meteoric!” he jokingly cries when asked to describe the last couple of years. In a room adorned with gifts from fans, it’s clear that a lot of people are interested in Declan. He’s now officially A Very Big Deal. “Perhaps they can start again, and replace the names with mine when I become Bowie mk 2,” he laughs, talking about the venue’s famous staircase listing all the illustrious names that have graced their stage. He’s not there yet, but give him time. Just as easily able to laugh at himself as he is write whip-smart indie pop songs, Declan is on the cusp of something big.
vital young voice. With that, though, comes a greater responsibility. In the middle of the storm, it’s important to keep perspective. “You see so much written that you have to distance yourself a little bit,” he says. “You have to form your own opinion about yourself and ignore any other. The written word can be toxic whether it’s positive or negative. I look at that stuff less and less. Recently on social media, I’ve tried to ignore any opinion on me because you either end up with an ego or just feeling like shit.” Declan’s switched on enough to recognise the pitfalls of being active online, as well as the opportunity to connect with fans. “It’s so silly; people can just be so mean and horrible.” He laughs as he recalls an incident of some abuse prompted by a typical Declan on stage prank. “The other day at a Manchester gig I wrote Marry Me on my shirt as a Morrissey tribute and people were like, ‘Oh, you’re just a rubbish Morrissey! Who are you!
to be, ‘THIS is the Declan McKenna album’. Now, I’ve experimented a lot, and there’s a mixture of sounds. I’m not too fussed to say – this is what a Declan McKenna song sounds like. It’s an album, but it’s not the be all and end all of what sonically makes Declan McKenna.” Declan refers to himself in the third person a lot. Not because he’s got an inflated opinion of himself, but more because he’s aware of Declan McKenna, the creative personality. Declan McKenna, the performer. One of the best things about his growth has been the emergence of a genuine character with a reluctance to conform to expectations. He’ll always do things his way. This confidence in his own skin, though, is at odds with some of the songs on the album. While knocking it out of the park on the banger scale, they’re cloaked in uncertainty and doubt - a doubt that matches these uncertain times.
that I loved, and it never appeared on an album, I’d be annoyed cos it was difficult to get. It’s important to have them on there, even if my voice is different on the later songs.” The songs Declan has been writing more recently highlight the different elements of his personality. “The album is about me being playful and positive about not necessarily happy topics,” he says. “That’s what I’m like as a character. I try not to be too distant from serious topics as well. The two go together.” “I’ve talked about loads of things in songs,” he expands. “When you’re in a world surrounded by mad shit happening, it’s hard to ignore if you’re an artist. A lot of art is inherently political. It’s hard to avoid when you’re looking at the world around you, and you see injustice. It’s easy to let it out into art. It’s even more important now I’ve got a platform to talk about certain subjects and get people engaged in making their own art and doing things themselves. It’s always been a part of what I’ve wanted to do as an artist.
“WHEN YOU’RE IN A WORLD SURROUNDED BY MAD SHIT HAPPENING, IT’S HARD TO IGNORE.”
“It’s happened really quickly compared to artists who have been doing things for years and years,” he explains, recalling that the journey began with him releasing his debut single ‘Brazil’ to almost instant global recognition. “I got signed when I was 16. Things picked up relatively quickly. The rise of my career is like when you haven’t seen your aunt for a while, and she’s like, ‘Oh, haven’t you grown! That was quick!’ You see yourself grow every day, so you maybe don’t notice it as much as everyone else.” With each new release, Declan has established an identity as an artist unafraid to deal with big themes. From ‘Paracetamol’’s examination of transgender misrepresentation in the media to ‘Isombard’’s lamenting of police brutality and right-wing news, a strong theme of social responsibility runs through his work. A key part of Declan McKenna’s rise has been establishing himself as a
You’re shit!’ It was just a joke! If you talk about something people are quite passionate about like politics, it’s much more than just ‘You’re a shit Morrissey’ - people actually hate you.” Still, if Declan is winding up grumpy old Morrissey fans, then he’s almost certainly doing something right. That sort of playfulness is at the heart of everything Declan does. He’s an artist who has a gift for being socially engaged but silly and playful at the same time. Take the album title for example. There was no way Declan was going to go for the tired old self-titled debut. ‘What Do You Think About The Car?’ is a very Declan title. Add in the striking artwork (either a homage to Mark Owen circa 1993 or the Monster Energy logo, if you believe Declan), and you have an altogether distinctive package. “I like interesting album names, and I wanted to do something that had a story behind it,” he begins. “If I were to self-title an album, it would have
“There’s a lot of questions on the album,” he explains. “Two of the song titles are questions. There aren’t many considered themes. It wasn’t going to be a concept album in any way. What I have noticed is that the more I look at the songs, there are more questions than answers, especially to a lot of the stuff regarding my personal life and the stuff based on politics. A lot of confusion, questioning and a lack of certainty. It’s encompassed within the two or three years that I put these songs together.” All the songs on the album were written over a three-year period. Despite his songwriting development though, it’s still important for him to have those older songs on the album. “I prefer the songs I write now compared to ‘Brazil’ that I wrote when I was 15,” he says. “But it’s my biggest song and loads of people found me through it. If I was a fan of a band and they had a massive song
A key song on the album is ‘The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home’. It’s one that defines Declan, influenced by the light-hearted and the dark and heavy. Ending on a recording of his manager’s kids running riot in the studio, blowing raspberries into producer James Ford’s fancy eight grand mics, it’s a song that took Declan to the next level. “I thought, why don’t I write a song like Pulp?” he chuckles. Lofty heights indeed. The song went through a few stages, beginning when he was ill at a festival in Somerset, but finally coming together while Declan was in Paris on the night of the Bataclan attacks. “I was in Paris the day of the attacks, and I was very close. It was pretty scary. On the train home, I was trying to distract myself. I was confused and shook up. All that confusion and fear went into ‘The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home’ and I ended up finishing it that day. It all came together to finish the song. “It was a statement against a lot of preconceptions about young people, trying to stand up against things that are happening in the world. It’s a serious song but is tackled in ways that are quite childish. Like, you don’t wanna come home if you’re playing outside after school. That’s what it
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O N E F RO M T H E V E RY I S O W N . I W D E K R WO F H N I F E S TO O R S , W H O ’S ND-COME IS HERE WITH A MA -A P U D N A IN-DEM A M ASA P ’S M O S T A R N , M U R Words: Ben Jolley O N E O F P OX C X T O D A M O N A L B CHARLI
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SINCE THEY LEFT US... FAV E S I N K YO U R I F YO U T H N G T I M E TA K E A L O R E C O R D S , BETWEEN FUL THEY B E T H A N K E AS LO N G D O N ’ T TA K A L A N C H E S . A S T H E AVT S E C O N D W I T H T H A A L LY H E R E , A L B U M F I NU T I F T H E Y W E F I N D OO D O I N G I T A L L FEEL UP T IN. OV E R AG A Muir Words: Jamie Cumming Photos: Corinne
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o, is this normal?” asks Tony Di Blasi, pointing towards the scorching hot summer’s day currently falling across West London. It’s one of those days where no matter what direction you turn to face, the heat continues to shine in, coating you in a glaze of sun-kissed emotion that brings out the stunning sights you’d only see come those sort of days. Those are the days that are sewn into the very fabric of The Avalanches, and their arrival into town is surely no coincidence. It’s been almost a year to the day since the now-duo of Tony Di Blasi and Robbie Chater burst back into frame with ‘Wildflower’, an album that many thought would never come across an almost 16-year wait. It’s an album that came at the end of an extensive period where band members changed; personal health rose to the forefront and the simple fact of following up such a defining debut statement that is ‘Since I Left You’ with another bold and undeniable collection. Yet all of that feels like a distant memory, as Tony and Robbie sit and soak in the breezes of a glorious day in the city - and it’s a position they’re loving being in. “It’s nice to be an active band again,” notes Robbie, “because for a long time we weren’t, aside from what we had going on in our heads. It’s been amazing like meeting so many people who love ‘Since I Left You’ and ‘Wildflower’ at the shows we’re doing, and connecting with people through the music because it’s like… In a lot of ways we don’t feel like The Avalanches music is us really, it’s sort of a celebration in the room. We’re there; people are there - it’s just so much fun.” They’ve got every right to be basking in the love and adoration that’s been flying their way. The Avalanches are a band like no other, like a capsule from another planet bursting and shimmering with joyous vibes and handpicked blooming moments - their legend only growing bigger in the years spent away from the spotlight, and now emerging into a brave new world. Morphing out of the Melbourne punk rock scene in Australia towards the tail end of the last millennium, The Avalanches were focused on creating something out of the rich tapestry music has laid out for generations and in the cocktail formed from their blending of samples, The Avalanches tap onto a sensation undeniably pure in music. It’s all about a feeling, a capturing of a time and a place - and in ‘Wildflower’, their grand return has been nothing short of dazzling. Over a year later, it remains a go-to play for those longing for an escape. “I mean, I still haven’t really listened to it, to be honest,” confesses Tony. “It seems, even as time passes that people are really finding a lot in it, and there’s a lot there. There’s been a lot of love for it over the past year, and it’s been great getting it out”. “The thing is when making a record,” elaborates Robbie, sitting back in his chair as he reflects back on a process that spanned over 16 years. “Is that you know when it’s right and when a record has found itself. When that happens, it really is undeniable. You can’t put
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REVIEWS
ARCADE FIRE ARE SOMETHING ALL TOGETHER MORE IMPORTANT
Arcade Fire
I
Everything Now
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f someone was making a list of sexy topics to base an album around, content probably wouldn’t make the list. A passionless, beige word that defines the majority of modern life, over the last decade it’s become the standard diet - consumed constantly through a plethora of beeping, glowing, chirping devices, all demanding attention immediately. But beneath the weary surface of total content immersion comes a strand of thought that’s dominating more and more of our world. Content isn’t a thing, anymore - in so much as everything
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is content. Art, music, politics, even what we have for dinner - it’s all being farmed into shareable, likeable, retweetable digital snippets, glanced at once before moving on to the next. That’s the juxtaposition that sits at the heart of Arcade Fire’s fifth album. Even the most ostrich-like fans can’t have helped but notice their overarching ‘Everything Now Co’ construct - a running dramatisation of a band selling out completely to a corporate entity exploiting them for every dollar. From videos packed with ‘ads’ to forced Twitter banter, they’ve definitely gone all in. But actually, when it comes down to it, Arcade Fire are the huge band it’s hard to ever feel are totally at the
trough. Even though, let’s face it, they’ve done their fair share of cashing in, this soulless world of forced interaction and constant contact feels the complete opposite to Win and co’s organic, textured world. Maybe that’s the point. So while they touch upon the subject matter at hand - the constant demands of title track ‘Everything Now’, the fame hungry ‘Creature Comfort’ and the ohso-pertinent ‘Infinite Content’ - they do it in a way which feels a world apart from the filtered viewpoint they look to spike. And that’s no bad thing. Previous album ‘Reflektor’ had its high points, but it felt like it probably needed a good edit to bring it into line. There’s no such problem with ‘Everything Now’. Across 13 tracks - three of which are
effectively added value extras to the album’s cornerstone moments - each one is there for a reason. The fat is trimmed, the formula refined. That doesn’t mean they always reach for the epic though. ‘Chemistry’ is a horn led stomp that could probably start its own ministry of silly walks, while ‘Electric Blue’ is content to shimmer and shine, dripping with Regine’s pitch perfect falsetto. If anything, that attitude to stripping back the excess has run through to Arcade Fire’s base sound itself. More ‘of the night’, the disco stabs and neon edges makes ‘Everything Now’ a more claustrophobic, concentrated affair. For all of it’s titletracks sky high thinking, ‘Put Your Money On Me’ is a basement club strut with chest hair on show. Though they may be living in a world where every living moment is concentrated down into an easily consumed nugget, the truth is emotion is virtually impossible to contain within a digital realm. Some things can’t be defined by algorithm alone. If content is king, Arcade Fire are something all together more important. Stephen Ackroyd
Dan Croll Emerging Adulthood Communion
e e ee The follow-up to his 2014 debut ‘Sweet Disarray’, ‘Emerging Adulthood’ sees just that, Dan Croll breaking through in a mature fashion yet not forgetting the youthful pop edge that drew us to him to begin with. Soft Beach Boys vibes immediately come in on ‘One of Us’, with layered vocals that sing out “Heard you can’t beat the rush, give in and be one of us”, a calling card for an album that doesn’t quite live up to the introduction it gives itself. Starting off incredibly strong with the one-two of ‘One of Us’ and ‘Bad Boy’, ‘January’ has a hidden power in its chorus, while ‘Educate’ brings a sporadic glow with its pulsating attack. The gems are littered deep throughout which makes ‘Emerging Adulthood’ a listen-through kind of album. You hear Croll’s emergence into his own adulthood, taking stock of the little things that make the bigger picture more interesting. Steven Loftin
Hiya,
Dan Croll A NEW ALBUM AND A NEW PLANT, IT’S ALL GOING ON FOR DAN CROLL. What’ve you been up to since ‘Sweet Disarray’? Had any big life changes since then? After the ‘Sweet Disarray’ campaign had come to an end, it all went a bit mad, so I had to take quite a bit of time out to sort myself out. Thankfully I managed to bounce back and get myself together to record another album. Now I’m here, and it all feels like yesterday. Apart from that, I bought a plant for my living room. Your new album’s called ‘Emerging Adulthood’ what’s it about? Do you feel as though you’re a grown up now? I bought a plant for my living room; I feel very grown up. The album is me reflecting on where I’ve been, what I’m doing, and what I’m heading for. Since the first album, there’s been an overwhelming amount of opportunities and possibilities, so much so that I crumbled a bit and didn’t really know what do to. So I guess this album was a way of coping and expressing myself, trying to see the light through the trees and all of that.
Sheer Mag
It’s quite a varied album, were there any new things you tried that you’re especially pleased about? The whole approach to this album was quite a new thing for me, I had gone from doing the first album in a school gym with friends, and quite a DIY feel, to flying over to Atlanta and playing all of the instruments in quite a clinical studio atmosphere. If you had to fill out your own ‘for fans of’ for this album, what would you put? Who’s going to enjoy it most? It’s still definitely for fans of the previous album; there have been no drastic changes, I just think the whole thing has become a lot more immediate. For fans of music that is straight to the point. Where do you most enjoy writing music, and what does it bring to the process? Writing here at home in my studio is my ideal place, there’s a certain comfort to knowing your surroundings and makes the process a lot smoother. Plus you are your own boss, no one else around to impress or sway, just you making music you enjoy. You recently launched your own agony uncle line, Dial Dan - what’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever given someone? To be honest, it’s less advice and more reassurance, a lot of people who ring me just want a bit of reassurance that everything is going to be fine from someone other than their mum, dad, or teacher. Music aside, what else are you really enjoying at the moment? Boxing, keeps you fit and lets you vent all of those music industry frustrations, win win! P
Static Shock Records
Broken Social Scene
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Bella Union
Need To Feel Your Love
If Sheer Mag’s first few 7”s appeared to have been recorded on an ancient tape machine, possibly in someone’s house, it’s probably because they were. But there was more to this fivepiece than raw, gritty production and passionate, charged messages. Here were punks who loved Fleetwood Mac; hard rockers who dug disco. And all those things that made the EPs so vital are here; sharpened, refined even, but losing little of their DIY ethos or rough edges. Selfrespect, righteous anger and getting organised can all be part of Sheer Mag’s message of love. Rob Mesure
Mura Masa Mura Masa
Polydor / Interscope
eeee e Picture this. Latenight inner-city life, where the bustling clubs are swarmed with a community of people engulfed in a melting pot of culture, beats and styles. That exact image is the one painted across Mura Masa’s self-titled debut - an infectious voyage through jubilation that lays itself out as a jukebox for which thousands will fall in love and dance together to. Varied, diverse and never sitting in one place for too long, it’s a defining statement for who Mura Musa wants to be, and in turn, marks itself as an album that we’ll look back on as one that not only soundtracks 2017 but defines it as a snapshot of a fresh sound.
Hug Of Thunder
eeee The return of Broken Social Scene has been more than worth the wait. Celebrated by the band as a way of bringing their positivity into the world, you can’t argue with the result. The idea that over nineteen (!!) people came together to create this album may give you the idea that it might sound bloated or convoluted, but it instead lends itself to the intricacies, each layer reveals something new, and you find yourself picking up new moments with each listen. Steven Loftin
The roll-call of names and voices involved all had their own unique twist to proceedings - whether it’s the hands-in-the-air pop bounce of Charli XCX on ‘One Night’, the visceral kicks of Desiigner on ‘All Around The World’, the hypnotic chimes and flicks of Christine & The Queens on ‘Second 2 None’ or the overflowing chills of Damon Albarn on closer ‘Blu’. Yet the star attraction above all of them is Mura Masa’s captivating corners and backdrops - managing to tow that line between sweet pop hooks and daring electronica in effortless fashion. It’s the type of record that in five years time, other artists will be pointing to as a direct influence on what they do. Until then, get yourself ready and prepare to step out - the dancefloors are a-waiting, and Mura Masa is only just getting the party started. Jamie Muir 53
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“We know who you are. You’re the same as us.”
REVIEWS
WORDS: ALI SHUTLER PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.
Setlist...
Told You So That’s What Yo u Get Brick by Borin g Brick Still Into You Caught in the Middle Turn It Off Decode I Caught Mysel f Hate to See Yo ur Heart Break Fake Happy Everywhere (F leetwood Mac cover) Rose-Colored Boy Playing God Ain’t It Fun Misery Busines s Encore: Forgiveness Scooby’s in th e Back (HalfN oise cover) Hard Times 61