Issuu

THIS MONTH DORK readdork.com

Editor: Stephen Ackroyd stephen@readdork.com Deputy Editor: Victoria Sinden viki@readdork.com Associate Editor: Ali Shutler ali@readdork.com Contributing Editors Jamie Muir jamie@readdork.com Martyn Young martyn@readdork.com

Contributors: Alex Bradley, Alex Thorp, Ben Jolley, Corinne Cumming, Eala MacAlister, Elliot Mcrae, Jake Hawkes, Jake Richardson, Jenessa Williams, Jessica Goodman, Josh Williams, Liam Konemann, Rob Mesure, Ryan Johnston, Phil Smithies, Poppy Waring, Sam Taylor, Sammy Maine, Sarah Louise Bennett, Steven Loftin P U B L I S H E D F RO M

THE BUNKER W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M

C O N T E N TS U P DAT E

04 FAT H E R J O H N M I ST Y 07 T H E M E PA RK 08 D EC E N T E X P OS U RE 0 9 A DAY I N T H E L I F E O F… F I C K L E F RI E N DS 10 G N A RWO LV ES 1 2 DAY WAV E 14 C IT Y GUI DES… EAT FAST 15 HALFNOISE 1 6 B N QT 1 7 BA N G E RS 1 8 SOA P BOX 20 D O RK L I V E 2 2 CA L E N DA R 24 C O N N ECT I O N HYPE 26 O F F B LO O M 2 8 VAG A BO N 2 9 T E N TO N N ES F E AT U RES 30 W I L L J OS E P H C O O K 36 P O N D 3 8 M AC D E M A RC O 42 C L E A N C U T K I D 46 F E I ST REV I E WS 4 8 G O RI L L A Z 49 S P L AS H H 5 0 H A P PY N ESS 5 1 M A X I M O PA RK 52 K ASA B I A N 53 D I RT Y H I T TO U R 56 MUNA A N Y OT H E R Q U EST I O N S ? 6 2 VA N T

E D I TO R’S N OT E SOMETIMES WE NEED A BIT OF CHEERING UP. That’s not to say that Will Joseph Cook is exclusively enthralled to the fixed smiles and day glo stylings of the relentlessly positive - but you can be sure that his debut album ‘Sweet Dreamer’ will put a smile on your face. And really, given the state of pretty much everything else going on in the world right now, that’s basically a super power, right? So, obviously, that’s why Will is on the cover of Dork this month. Because we’re doing the same thing. This month, we’re turning ten - ten issues deep (yes, already!), kicking against the cynical pricks and having a giggle. We’re already throwing up shows and festival stages around the country, launching whole new editions (keep your eyes open for the first issue of the Dork Festival Guide), and generally battling boring on all fronts. Together, we’ve got this. Stephen Ackroyd, Editor (@stephenackroyd)

ST U F F W E LOV E THIS MONTH Blood Red Shoes’ bangerrific first album, the impending promise of festival season 2017 (let’s come back to that come September, eh - Ed), Mark Kermode, the bit on the new Alt-J track ‘In Cold Blood’ that goes ‘la la la la la’, non-Brexit Toblerone, cheap non-denominational chocolate eggs, ‘Emotion Side B’, that Dirty Hit newsletter that suggested we might get some new Wolf Alice soon, the fact this is issue 10 of Dork (do we get to go to big school soon?), dogs on the internet (obv).

All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.

UPDATE Whyso serious? IF IT’S NOT IN HERE, IT’S NOT HAPPENING. OR WE FORGOT ABOUT IT. ONE OR THE OTHER.

EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ON FATHER JOHN MISTY, BUT JOSH TILLMAN IS EMBRACING THE MIRACLE. WORDS: LIAM KONEMANN. PHOTOS: GUY LOWNDES.

had this episode,” says Josh Tillman. “In Philadelphia.”

It’s a dreary, grey Saturday in Shoreditch and Josh – better known these days as his beardy, enigmatic alter-ego Father John Misty – is running the press gauntlet for his new record ‘Pure Comedy’. There’s a lot to get through. His third album is more political than his previous work, and its themes have been percolating for some time. While he started work on the album in 2015, he says that last year some of its lyrics “became very literal overnight.” So. Philadelphia. “It was the day after the Republican Convention, the day after Trump got the nomination,” he says. “I was horrified by that, and also horrified by the sneering, glib complacency I saw in my peers. I just thought, we’re fucked. If this is the way we react to things like this, then we’re fucked. Because what’s much worse than this? This is just about as bad and as tragically stupid of a thing as I can imagine happening. And we’re responding with more jokes.” He is, of course, describing the lead up to his appearance at New Jersey’s XPoNential Music Festival. He still seems baffled by the events of that week, and frustrated by many people’s refusal to take Donald Trump seriously. “When I got to this festival, it was like

this thing had happened and nothing had changed. People were sitting in lawn chairs drinking wine coolers and watching folk-rock. It was like-” He makes a resigned face and turns his palms out towards the ceiling, indicating the invisible masses. “- this is the left.” When he got onstage, Josh didn’t play his set. Instead, he made a speech about the evils of Trump, halfperformed two songs, and walked off. The backlash was harsh, but half a year down the line and the decision still makes sense to him. “If this is not enough of a reason to disrupt the regularly scheduled programming, then I don’t know what is,” he says. For a lot of people, that moment saw Father John Misty become a parody of himself. Josh Tillman has made a career from his sense of humour, entwining it with genuine songwriting ability and borderline obscene hip shaking to create a persona that is at once startlingly observant and frequently absurd. Father John Misty is enigmatic almost to a fault. Which makes it difficult to make a serious point, sometimes. Josh Tillman: the boy who cried satire. Since Trump’s election, the writers of South Park (of all people) have suggested that in the reality where a Wotsit-tanned former reality show host can rule the most powerful nation in the Western world, we are finally beyond satire. Josh has set up an entire persona around irony, more

or less, so you’d think the absurd pitch reality has taken would rain on the Father John Misty parade. But he seems at peace with it. “I mean, I think that satire is a luxury in a sane world, you know?” he considers. “But it is very strange. I think that satire was imbued with a potential for social change in the Bush era, and we’re seeing that it does not have the world-changing properties that certain middle-class liberals would have liked. It makes me think of ‘‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’. It’s not gonna happen that way. But I don’t think anyone thought that something quite this radically stupid was possible.” “There was a time that when people were repulsed by something, it meant that they didn’t want to see it. Now, when you put something that’s horrible or scary on TV people want to see more and more because we’ve come to – tragically- view those horrible things as having entertainment value. Because we’ve just become numb and sort of desensitised. People are waking up going-” he leans over the table, mimicking the mania of someone who’s rolled out of bed to stare into the pale glow of a computer screen “Oh god I wonder what terrible thing Donald Trump said or did last night, I can’t wait to see. I’m going to eat my carrot muffin and see what horrible thing daddy said yesterday.” If the western entertainment machine is part of the problem, then as an artist and performer where

does Father John Misty fit in? “Well, I’ll say this – if I had made an album about heartbreak and recreational drug use, I’m not sure I would be able to go out and perform. I don’t think I could bring myself to do it. But the fact that I have an album that does directly address these issues, I feel like I can,” he says. ‘Pure Comedy’ is different to his other records. On 2015’s ‘I Love You, Honeybear’, ‘The Ideal Husband’ - a tongue-in-cheek song about wedding (and possibly bedding) Julian Assange – was about as political as Josh got. ‘Pure Comedy’, on the other hand, goes deeper into Serious Grown-Up territory. Lead single ‘Two Wildly Different Perspectives’ has seen Josh compared to Elton John, thanks to its gentle piano melody and ‘Your Song’ style vocal. Set it next to everything else he has released as Father John Misty and the instinct is to look for the joke. But it never comes. The track’s closing lines are “and everyone ends up with less, on both sides”. A simple conclusion, sure, but you wouldn’t have heard it from the Father John Misty of ‘Fear Fun’ or ‘I Love You, Honeybear’. He thinks now’s the time. “I think artists are due up for a reevaluation,” he says. “That’s part of the communal human experience, every once in a while we have to make big reassessments. What do we want out of music? I remember in 2008 there was this flood of indie rock that was sort of about nothing. And the culture was saying ‘there’s something

THIS THIS IS THIS IS THIS IS THISIS IS HAPPENING HAPPENING HAPPENING HAPPENING HAPPENING

D OT D OT D OT Dot to Dot Festival has announced a bunch more names for their May Bank Holiday bash. Dork faves The Big Moon lead the additions alongside the incredible Pixx, Slow Club, Miya Folick and To Kill a King. They join headliners Sundara Karma as the festival takes in three cities in three days.

COMING HOME Broken Social Scene have returned with their first track in seven years. ‘Halfway Home’ comes with the news that the band will return to the UK in May for two huge headline shows in Manchester and London.

O H , O H WO N D E R

“I don’t think anyone thought that something quite this

radically stupid

was possible.”

Dropping their first new music since 2015’s self-titled debut album, Oh Wonder have burst back into frame with the dazzling ‘Ultralife’. It’s believed to feature on Oh Wonder’s much anticipated second album, and is sure to sound massive during their packed summer of live shows around the globe (which include a couple of UK appearances at this year’s Reading & Leeds).

CALIFORNIA DREAMS When bands release that ‘deluxe edition’ of their album, they generally just add a couple of tracks they had hanging around and leave it at that. Not blink-182 though. When they drop their reissued version of last year’s ‘California’ on 19th May, it’ll feature a whole eleven new tracks. That’s basically a whole other album!

HYPE B ESSENTIAL NEW BANDS

OFF BLOOM

FO LLOW I N G M ASSI VE SUPP ORT SLOTS WITH BOTH LAN Y AN D DUA L IPA, OF F BLOOM ARE HEAD I NG OUT ON THEI R OWN. WORDS: B E N JOL L EY.

ased between Copenhagen and London, Anglo-Danish trio Off Bloom create some of the most inventive electronic pop out there: Mads, Alex and vocalist Mette write and produce anthemic songs with beautiful melodies that sound like nothing else. They’ve just finished a string of UK shows with LANY and, despite having only been together for two or three years, are about to head on a huge European tour with one of the hottest names in pop, Dua Lipa. When they started out, though, Alex and Mads were producers going it alone, heavily inspired by electronic experimentalists like Cashmere Cat and the Lucky Me crew.

“We felt like we wanted to start something for ourselves,” Mads remembers, having met the band’s vocalist, Mette, at a theatre school in Denmark. “We just hit if off and had so much fun; then we went into the studio, and it worked perfectly.” “We became a band soon after that - quite naturally,” Alex adds, having previously been in “more controlled” groups with Mads since they were teenagers. “I met Mette through Mads because we both had this impromptu show that we were going to play, but we wanted to start a whole new project. So we wrote all of the music and rehearsed everything in two weeks and got Mette onboard.” Having grown up with aspirations of becoming

“We don’t know

what the we’re fuck doing.”

an actress, Mette never imagined that music would become her career. “My parents didn’t do anything musically,” she says of her upbringing. “I had never even tried to write a song before the guys invited me to,” she considers, “and then it was just so fucking fun and really, really great. It was a world full of freedom.” For their first concert, the trio made some “really experimental electronic music using a lot of organic instruments, then I came along in the middle of it doing a Brandy cover,” Mette laughs. After that first show, when they started working together properly, it was about merging those worlds. When they were signed, Off Bloom already had an army of songs. “Maybe 32 that we like, and 1,000 that we hate,” Mads jokes. “It feels more stressful than it is because we’re just making music,” he considers. “We have so many songs now; it’s just about figuring out which ones fit… If we’re going to make an EP, it’s because we want to tell a story.” Regarding their influences, the band shares a love of “beautiful pop melodies whether they be Rihanna’s, David Bowie’s, Sade’s,

Britney’s or Nick Cave’s,” Mads suggests. When they first met each other, they would inspire one another to listen to “a lot of new shit”. But the one album that inspired them most, because of its originality and creativity, was Hudson Mohawke’s debut record, ‘Butter’. “We were totally stoked and floored when we heard it,” Mads enthuses. That album, in particular, inspired them to try and mess around with structure in music - “just combining beautiful melodies with really experimental electronic sounds is a huge thing for us”, they agree. The result is a sound that’s impossible to define, though creating something that sounds completely new isn’t necessarily their intention. “It’s not like we want to make something that’s never been done before,” Mads explains. “It just has to feel fresh.” Listening to their tracks ‘Love To Hate It’ and ‘Falcon Eye’, it’s clear that they like to use instruments in unusual ways. “We use organic but unique sounds to make something that cannot be recorded by somebody else; all our sounds are something we’ve made out of a vocal

KEEP YOUR EYES ON...

RE X O R A N G E COU NT Y

or a knock on a door,” Mads says. “Or a flute, a piece of wood or whatever, and then mess about with it.” Having such creative freedom is the driving force behind Off Bloom. “That’s been the whole thing for all of us I think,” Mads begins, “is that we’ve been together in bands before where it feels almost nonfree, where you’re numb in a way because everything is so controlled. Whereas with this project, it’s completely different. When we first went into the studio with Mette, it just felt natural.” But also because, as Alex puts it, “we don’t know what the fuck we’re doing… we’re discovering this whole thing together. Although Mads and I have been playing music for ages, it’s new territory– learning how to produce from scratch and getting it into a new style of music and finding our way through that. We’ve had to learn how to not cram everything in there. In the beginning, we would just load a song up with everything we like, but now it’s a bit more refined.” While their songs are produced in an upbeat, energetic way, Mette thinks the lyrics show a different side to Off Bloom. “As long as they feel something, it’s good,” Mads considers. “If

South London is so-hot-right-now, and it’s only getting hotter with the debut single from Moondude. A perfect mix of introspective shoegaze and dreamy pop titled ‘Displaced’, the five-piece’s debut single aired first on readork.com. After carving his own space in the sun-kissed world of 2017 with previous tracks ‘UNO’ and

they feel the urge to dance, that’s cool, or if they feel the urge to cry, that’s cool. I don’t really care, as long as it gives them some kind of feeling or energy - because that’s what we’ve put into it, and honesty.” In terms of their “energetic” live shows, they want their audience to feel like they’re part of something. “I think our music is understood better, or even better, when it’s seen live,” vocalist Mette enthuses. “There’s some energy and almost fucking Rage Against The Machine vibe...” One of the most important things for the trio is that “we’re not standing there like a unit without the audience,” Mette says; they want to minimise that divide. One way of involving the crowd comes from Mette being a part of it for half of the set. “It’s really about trying to talk to the people and listen to what they are saying. Just looking them in the eyes, telling them the stories of the songs and dancing with them: doing everything we can to make it a team thing rather than just a show on a stage.” P Off Bloom play Live at Leeds (29th April); Pickle Factory, London (16th May); The Great Escape (20th).

‘Best Friend’ – Rex Orange County has laid his intentions right on the table with bristling jazz-soaked new one, ‘Sunflower’. It’s pretty clear that Artificial Pleasure are stealing hearts, but now they’re stealing romance with the new video for ‘All I Got’. Showing just what happens when you decide to take a date out to a chippy to propose, it’s full of off-the-wall extravagance; and there are plenty of moves we’ll be taking with us when heading out on the town this weekend.

ON ON THE THE GRAPEVINE GRAPEVINE E EZ- E H D O ES I T

Cabbage have taken the ‘special guests’ slot on Kasabian’s ‘intimate’ spring tour, visiting a handful of venues up and down the country, including three nights at London’s Forum on 18th, 19th and 20th April.

REVO LU T I O N RO C K

New single ‘Revolution‘ is another shade of excitement from pop chameleon Rat Boy and is backed by the electro riot of ‘I H8 U‘. Have a listen on readdork.com. Still no word on that debut album but there is a tour this April and May, so y’know.

O U R SA D G I RL F U Z Z

Not just content with slaying things around in The Big Moon, Soph Nathan’s other project Our Girl have well and truly carved out their own path – with the trio now delivering a swaggering cover of Ty Segall’s ‘Sad Fuzz’. The track forms a part of a recent Flying Vinyl subscription bundle. C L EV E R T H I N G S

Brighton’s Clever Thing have aired their latest single, squealing stomper ‘Fixer Upper’, first on Dork; it’s due out proper on 28th April via Be Pacific. Citing influence from Billie Holiday and Black Flag, the band, fronted by Rich Fownes and Daisy Coburn, features former members of 80s Matchbox, Bad For Lazarus, Pink Lizards and more.

Sweet Dreamer SOMETIMES, BEING ENTHUSIASTIC CAN GET CONFUSED FOR BEING MISINFORMED. IT’S NOT “COOL” TO BE

PASSIONATE OR JUMP ABOARD WHEN WE SEE A GAME-CHANGER COMING OVER THE HILLS. IN WILL JOSEPH COOK, THAT IDEA HAS BEEN LAUNCHED FIRMLY OUT THE WINDOW, WITH THE HOOKS AND STYLE TO BACK IT ALL UP. POP WITH PERSONALITY IS BACK, AND THERE’S ONLY ONE NAME WHO CAN TELL YOU WHAT’S AHEAD. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

I L L J OS E P H C O O K H AS HAD AN I N T E REST I N G M O RN I N G . Waking up a tad late, he jumped into a cab with the sort of cabbie that you only see in the movies, the ones who’ve met the famous, dealt with the tricky ones and have a stacked number of interesting twists and tales from a lifetime of doing the job they love. “He commutes in from Ireland every week!” exclaims Will, delving into a 25-minute ride that he’ll be talking about for the rest of the day - that is if you discount the packed bag full of clothes he’s taking around with him, the quickfire ideas that keep coming about future videos and live set-ups and the fact that he’ll be out on the road once again tomorrow. There’s many a shining light in the life of Will Joseph Cook, and he’s only just getting started.

pretentious in the sense that you had to listen to it five times to get it. It’s unabashed, it’s exciting, the music is sick, and you can hear that they’re having a great time making it rather than seeing it as some sure-fire way to success.

This all tends to happen when you’re sitting on the cusp of releasing a debut album, which in Will’s case bursts with a full deck of ideas, captivating hooks and feverish excitement - a modern day guide to pristine pop with indisputable charm. ‘Sweet Dreamer’ isn’t just another glistening moment in the sun, but a stamp in the ground for a generation’s pop maestro. A culmination of everything Will has listened to and loved across his 19 years on the planet; it’s a journey through classic 60s songwriting, modern 00s indie in full flight and a generation born on delectable bites of effortless euphoria. Pop with personality is once again leading the charge, and the skies have never looked clearer because of it.

G ROW I N G U P I N T U N B RI D G E W E L LS is a pretty defining feature. Nestled in the shadows of London’s frantic commuter diary and Brighton’s more flamboyant coastal breezes, it’s the sort of town where everybody knows everybody. A contained retreat from the harsher pressures the world can throw at people and a natural surrounding for a childhood caressed by musical tastes and flavours.

“Pop’s a bit of a weird word, isn’t it?” points out Will. “Like the bands that I was really into and grabbed my attention were just the classic or defining indie bands of that time, so Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Phoenix - all of that stuff I still love dearly. They all had this mass appeal and were just good; they weren’t about being

“I think that’s been lacking a bit in music. I don’t really like stuff that’s one-dimensional or sombre or serious, because you wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who’s like that in real life, would you?” There’s no doubt who you’d want to be hanging out with at that party, and Will’s got a big enough table for everyone. Trading in glacial-smooth harmonies and dazzling portraits of life shot through a larger than life filter - Will Joseph Cook knows all about unparalleled blizzards of fun, something that he’s bore witness and jumped into since the very beginning.

Those early memories continue to stand out for Will, as diverse and encompassing as the collection of beats and sounds that ripple through his own moves today. “I had Neil Young and Joni Mitchell played to me while I was still in the womb,” explains Will. “My mum’s really into that classic songwriter stuff, and I remember clearly her singing Joni Mitchell to me in the car when I was younger. Then there’s this memory of me dancing to ‘Gangster Trippin’’ by Fatboy Slim, and my dad playing Eels for the first time. It’s a track called ‘Lucky Day In Hell’, and I was super young when listening to it.”

n a c u o Y n a h c tea g o d d ol new tricks M OV IN G FR O M N EW YO RK TO BU Y UP, D O ES N ’T IT ? M AC A N D RE N O VATE A HO D EM A RC O ’S US E IN LA SO C UR RE N T O TO C RE AT E UN DS AW FU UT PU T SE ES A SO UN D TH LLY G ROW HI M C O M PE AT ’S UN C HA N TI N G W IT H RT ED POW ER SA WOR DS : JA TE RR ITO RY WS KE HAW KE FO R HI M . S. PH OTOS

n the few years since Mac DeMarco’s last full-length ‘Salad Days’, he’s toured extensively, moved from New York to LA and released minialbum ‘Another One’. Now it’s time for album number three, ‘This Old Dog’, and nursing a hangover and clutching a cup of coffee ahead of a tiny preview show at London pub Nambucca - he’s characteristically unfazed. “There was a point, maybe around spring 2016, I wrote some new songs and then thought, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll make a new record!’ Then I was like, ‘Eh, maybe not right now’. We went back on tour for a while, and then I moved to Los Angeles. I

: PO PPY WAR IN G.

was just making songs, and they just sat for a while, and the label was like, ‘Look, if you wanna put something out in 2017, it’ll have to be done soon’.

that. I’m able to do it because I’ve been on tour for years now and I have money sitting there, but that reservoir is gonna run out at some point.”

“I wrote 12 or 14 songs in a week and a half in the spring, and then when the deadline finally came I was like, ‘Oh shit, I’ve only got a month left!’ So then I just worked every day. It’s the same vibe I usually have, all it took was maybe a month and a half jammed in, and then I completely wasn’t thinking about it for the rest of the time.”

Not that he worries too much about money - or anything else, for that matter. “I think I’m adaptable, I’m a cheap son of a bitch,” he laughs while lighting a Marlboro Red (it’s hard to get Viceroy, his favourite brand, in the UK apparently). “I don’t buy new clothes or new cars or anything. I’ve never had the opportunity to spend any money. I’ve never been in the position where I have time; we’ve always been touring.” He pauses with a grin. “I have bought a house, that was weird! And then when we got it, it was really fucked up, the renovations are still going on actually. It’s kinda funny, if

“Not having anything to do just drives me crazy eventually,” he explains. “I do like to relax, and a lot of being in LA for the last few months has just been taking it easy. But there’s also this fear because then I get used to doing

they turn on a power saw when I’m recording my guitar will make this weird high pitched noise; doing vocal takes with a bandsaw going is kind of difficult too, but hey, it’s not so bad.” Despite the move and the different environment that the new album was recorded in, Mac was keen to make sure it didn’t stray too far from his established sound. “When I put out a record, I like it to make sense. Especially with this one I’m putting out right now, I think it completes this triangle of albums. ‘Another One’ and [2012 mini-album] ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightclub’ are in there too, but there’s this triangle of full-length releases. The format on this new one is a little bit different; the sound is a little bit different, the whole vibe is a little bit different. But

DANCE

YRSELF

CLEAN E

CLEAN CUT KID’S ORIGIN STORY IS LIKE SOMETHING FROM A MOVIE - FROM FRIEND SET-UPS TO ALMOST-MISSED CONNECTIONS TO LITERALLY BECOMING FAMILY... IT’S BEEN ONE HELL OF A RIDE.

veryone loves a big weekend. Y’know, the ones that are crammed full of memories waiting to happen at every turn and the sense that anything’s possible. For Evelyn Halls, as she sits in her childhood bedroom preparing for a right ‘ol “knees up”, that weekend might be extending far beyond the one that lies in the coming days - in fact, the sense of a big weekend perfectly wraps everything essential about Clean Cut Kid into a universal nugget. Whether it’s the group singalongs, the delicate latenight realisations or the infectious swagger in every pore of their being, Clean Cut Kid are setting course for something special - a welcome crack of joy to dive right on into. It’s a journey that lives and breathes through the streets of Liverpool, built upon friendship, heartbreak and above all else, a bloody great time. As can be imagined, the vodka jellies are coming in thick and fast. “Most people I’ve spoken to have said it feels like it’s announcing a baby,” notes Evelyn. That baby is Clean Cut Kid’s debut album ‘Felt’, a fuzz-coated trip into a world of skittle-flavoured hooks laid over crushing tales of broken hearts and head over heels love. Shimmering at every moment, it’s the

WORDS: JAMIE MUIR.

sort of record that transcends a certain moment in time and delivers with each sweeping harmony, a trip into Tom Petty sunsets with a lightning bolt rawness. “Until a couple of years ago we all still would have thought that this all was just a crazy pipe-dream, which would be amazing to do but the chance of it ever happening was small - we just feel so, so lucky that we’ve done it.” Built around the core harmonies of Evelyn and frontman/husband Mike Halls, Clean Cut Kid are a band that simply couldn’t come from any other city, any other time or from any other minds. Cracking smiles and triggering feverish reactions wherever they go, they’re the sort of band that you’d want to organise your birthday party, guaranteed to bring the bells and whistles to make it an unforgettable night - and that’s something they’ve been delivering for years now. In 2016, the band played 91 shows, 31 different festivals across five countries - a feat that could only be dreamed of in Evelyn’s mind as she grew up with music encompassing all around. “I wanted to be in bands from whenever I can remember. I dunno I just always wanted to do it,” Evelyn muses, gazing around the room at the origins of where she stands today. “I remember being in school and just grabbing people in my class and saying ‘You’re in my band now’, and just formed them in the school playground

and stuff. It’s funny looking back at how seriously I took it, I remember getting some boys in my school, this is in like Year 5 by the way, and I was like, right you can be the manager, and you can be the agent. I didn’t even know what an agent was; I think I’d picked it up from watching Spiceworld! “And Mike always tells the story that his parents say - when he was around three or four, whenever a theme tune for a TV show came on the telly, he’d like, scoot across the room and put his ear to the speaker, he was only interested in hearing that. They’d put headphones on him, and he’d wear out the Beatles tapes he had on his Walkman. “We’ve all honestly never toyed with the idea of doing anything else.” Burgeoning out from the playground into studio time, shows and practice rooms around the city and the country as a whole, both Evelyn and Mike spent their formative years pursuing that dream, creating sounds and bands in various incarnations. Those first steps into making music and all that it comes with took them across Liverpool - laying a path to one fateful day at Hyde Park where Clean Cut Kid and ultimately, Evelyn and Mike’s future became one in a connection that goes above and beyond simply just music. “We’d both been doing all this bouncing around between different

projects, and for me, one of them involved a guy we both knew who’d asked me to come down and play with him at those Olympic-themed shows that were going on at Hyde Park,” elaborates Evelyn. “As a thank you, we managed to get tickets to the final night where Blur played - and in that space of time between playing and the Blur gig, the guy had planted the seed to set Mike and me up. Mike had been writing and playing guitar with him, so it all came about that way - and it was funny because we’d both been at uni together a couple of years earlier and didn’t know each other then.” “After the first date at Blur, we’d spend quite a time apart, as I was living in London at that time and Mike up in Liverpool - but in-between that time from our first date and our second, Mike had written a song for me. The first thing he did when he came down was play me that song - and I was just balling my eyes out, it was so cool.” Connecting over a shared love and passion for music, Evelyn and Mike quickly started playing together, forming the foundations of what would become Clean Cut Kid. Growing out of their flat and shared sessions together, it became clear that the music they were creating was destined to be heard by far more than simply just them, and at that very moment, Clean Cut Kid were destined to hit the biggest stages. “Mike had always had this idea of

REVIEWS

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE SURREAL AND THE SINCERE

Gorillaz Humanz

‘HUMANZ’ IS PACKED WITH A-LIST COLLABORATORS. HERE’S JUST A FEW OF THEM.

eeeee

or a virtual band with an ever evolving list of collaborators, the possibilities of which direction to turn in next are endless. When they released their self-titled debut the group challenged the notion of what a band should - and indeed, could - be. Soaring towards a heavenly climax, ‘Demon Days’ demonstrated them at their most euphoric. Creating an entire island for their own exploration, ‘Plastic Beach’ showcased the collective at their most immersive. On ‘The Fall’ technology sat front and centre. With ‘Humanz’ Gorillaz arrive at their most expansive yet. From the moment Vince Staples introduces us all to the next phase the band have created for themselves, you know you’re on to something spectacular. Ever the innovators, Gorillaz have banded together a group of collaborators to draw from seemingly every music genre ever to create

something entirely their own. But this is something the outfit have always been known for. Where ‘Humanz’ finds new strength is in making every moment - be it cinematic, pop, rap, or rock, soulful, indie, or hip hop - feel like one and the same. ‘Stroblite’ is a keytar led disco jam of the most contagious kind. On ‘Momentz’ long time collaborators De La Soul are at the helm, strutting their way through a celebration of here and now with a rallying sense of occasion. ‘Busted And Blue’ offers a moment of stratospheric contemplation. “Through the echo chambers to other worlds I went,” Damon Albarn sings, one foot in a daydream and another rooted in the realisation of the moment. Sure, the album also has claim to its share of surreal moments - ‘Charger’ sees Albarn adopt a vocal delivery that’s perplexing at best - but Gorillaz have never been about finesse. Where

they excel is in creating music that can instantly transport you to somewhere new. What makes ‘Humanz’ different from their previous records is that instead of whisking the listener away, they’re bringing that world direct to you. ‘Let Me Out’ is an instant standout, the double whammy of Mavis Staples and Pusha T as elating as it is energising. On album closer ‘We Got The Power’ the group (with the help of Jehnny Beth, Noel Gallagher, and Jean-Michel Jarre) take that energy to the next level, passing the capability to create and to change straight from their hands to yours. Bridging the gap between the surreal and the sincere with an innate dexterity, ‘Humanz’ is essentially Gorillaz at their most, well, human. Rejoicing in every ounce of spectacle they make, the collective stand with their world at their feet, giving voice to the belief that you can do the same. Jessica Goodman

NOEL GALLAGHER Mr Potato might be the last one you’d expect to see turning up alongside Damon on a Gorillaz album, but here we are - the two kings of Britpop reunited on one of the least Britpop songs possible. And it works. JEHNNY BETH In fact, it’s probably down to the intervention of Savages’ firebrand leader that it does. With Jehnny on board, ‘We Got The Power’ becomes a euphoric, near religious experience. GRAHAM COXON It’s a measure of just how comfortable the Blur bandmates are that Coxon might show up on a Gorillaz album. There’s no mistaking his mad, buzzsaw like guitar work.

SPLASHH ARE THE REAL DEAL

Hi there,

Splashh SASHA FRANTZ CARLSON AND CO. HAVE TAKEN THEIR TIME WITH SECOND ALBUM, ‘WAITING A LIFETIME’. So Sasha, you’re back with a new album - how are you guys at the moment? Good, We are anxious & excited to get the new record out now, Been a long time coming for us - Sitting with these songs and what not. Mostly excited to tour the new songs and get in front of people again that’s what’s important to us. What was your frame of mind like when you started work on ‘Waiting A Lifetime’? It was full on. New York is crazy in general which added to our frame of mind I think, but we were focused on pushing it in the studio. How did you hit on ‘Waiting A Lifetime’’s sound, did you experiment much during its creation? We had some of the songs since 2014, so they had been through a lot of changes but when we got to the studio all that kind of went out the window. We definitely experimented with this record. Recording in New York sounds awfully glam what drew you to Brooklyn? We always wanted to work with Nicolas Vernhas going back to when we started the band even. We are huge fans of his work (Deerhunter, Animal Collective, etc.), so that was a huge draw card. It’s lucky that we have spent the last few years there back and forth, so we have like a second home vibe going on. The nightlife is quite glam I do admit. What’s your favourite thing about the new album? I think for me its diverse and hasn’t stuck to one particular sound. Lots of melody. The songs seem a little deeper that the precious LP Is there anything you really hope listeners ‘get’ about the release? I just hope it draws some reaction out of the listener whatever it may be. Whether it makes you feel sad, happy or angry, etc. Just some reaction What are you most looking forward to happening or doing this year? Touring again is pretty much on the top of that list, Travelling you know, Being with friends doing this is a great thing. P

Splashh Waiting A Lifetime

Cinematic Music Group

eeee For Splashh, ‘Waiting A Lifetime’ is an important record. After creating their own carved out universe off the back of debut album ‘Comfort’, this is the moment where a band confirms what they’re about, and doing it in style cements who they are. On their new full-length, Splashh not only confirm the ambition of their debut, but build pillars upon it. Drenched in neo-pop glory yet surrounded in a fuzzy psychedelic packaging, ‘Waiting A Lifetime’ is a record that stands firmly on its own two feet. ‘See Through’ is a spiralling yet decadent dive into a hazy wonderland, a feeling that carries throughout, breathing at every moment through tracks such as ‘Come Back’ and the decadent pulls of ‘Honey and Salt’. Fuzzing and dipping through electric portraits of punk, psych and pop, it’s the seeds of something stunning that’s only going to blossom further. Splashh are no longer the support act; they’re the real deal. Jamie Muir

Little Dragon

Clean Cut Kid

At The Drive In

Because Music

Polydor Records

Rise Records

Season High

eeee Little Dragon’s fifth album, ‘Season High’ finds them going ever deeper into the sort of emotion-filled clubready bangers that have become their calling card. They’re a band who’ve always been out on their own, carrying on with their own blissful path. Here, they again showcase an immaculate gift for dynamics, and the stunning vocals of Yukimi Nagano; it’s her star power and vocal charisma that give pop hits like ‘Sweet’ and ‘Strobe Light’ their bounce. There’s nothing understated about ‘Season High’ - Little Dragon are right at the top of their game. Martyn Young

Day Wave

The Days We Had Fiction Records

eeeee “There’s something here,” proclaims Jackson Phillips on opening track ‘Something Here’. And it’s not just an obvious refrain, either. There’s a measure of magic to Day Wave’s debut album. That quiet confidence of an act that has found a groove that’s both productive and consistently good. While it may result in things feeling a little comfortable, it’s always in a welcome way. ‘Home’ sparkles, but with an underlying impression of hope, while ‘Wasting Time’ does anything but. As the nights grow shorter, ‘The Days We Had’ are welcome to hang around. Stephen Ackroyd

Felt

in·ter a·li·a

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Love and heartache have never sounded as fuzzed up and wrapped in harmonious ease as ‘Felt’, an album that glints with feverish excitement and playfulness in a way that makes you jump aboard the Clean Cut Kid wagon with such sharpness, that there are knives sitting green in envy. What makes it such a rip-roaring success is the important ingredient that rings throughout: fun, an invitation to no longer feel alone. Love can cause some extreme reactions, but Clean Cut Kid will have your back no matter what. Jamie Muir

Like sodium hitting water, At the Drive In burned brightly, fiercely - emitting furious waves of scissorkicking fever - and briefly, on hiatus since just after 2000’s taut, inventive ‘Relationship of Command’. Now the band are back, and, calming any concerns following the departure of co-founder Jim Ward, ‘In•ter a•li•a’ is an ear-splitting success. Claws and hooks exposed, opener ‘No Wolf Like The Present’ thrusts itself in your face, snarling and spitting, at a pace which seldom slackens; they sound as passionate as they did during their first, dazzling burst of activity. It’s a wild, blistering return. Rob Mesure

Theme Park

Johnny Lloyd

Is This How It Starts? Recreation Records

e e ee e Remember the heady days of 2011? The laid-back cool of debut ‘Wax’ marked Theme Park out as something a little more luxe than your average guitar outfit. Six years on and subtly-subverted pop is where they’re at their best - the squelchy rhythm of ‘Something Good’ feels fun and modern, while ‘I’ll Do Anything’ tells a charming tale. Occasionally, though, their genrehopping quest goes a little too far; ‘Is This How It Starts?’ is a mixed bag of a record. Jenessa Williams

Eden EP Xtra Mile

e e ee When Johnny Lloyd, The Maccabees’ Hugo White and Mike Crossey (The 1975, Wolf Alice) unite, what you end up with is one hell of an EP. ‘Running Wild’’s indie pop fully embraces life-affirming lyrics, while ‘Kanaval’ brings a groove that will get your feet moving and ’Traffic’’s a bit more focused and serious. Closer ‘Eden’ strips everything away leaving Johnny and an acoustic guitar to convey a yearning for his perfect someone; his Eden. This is an EP to nurture and savour. Steven Loftin 49

REVIEWS

VANT ARE A BAND FULLY REALISED. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

VANT stand up to be counted at London’s Electric Ballroom VANT’s debut album is a sprawling listen. A collection of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and hopes. It’s a reflection of the times and presents countless rabbit holes to tumble down and threads to pull at. Live, there’s less discovery and more adventure. With the excitement dialled up and everything making a more direct sense on stage, VANT are a band fully realised as they headline London’s Electric Ballroom. Onstage for a little over an hour, the band burn through their set with an intense desire to make each pointed moment or reckless abandon count for something. It quickly adds up to blistering and jaw dropping. With the album out and their cards on the table, it feels like everything has come together in glorious harmony. You can almost hear the click as the pieces fall into place. “The fact that this many people give a fuck, gives me hope,” beams frontman Mattie in a pause from the wonderful chaos. “Right now, we need to imagine we’re in the sixties,” he explains before ‘Mess Around’s laid back escape. Elsewhere, the message of ‘Peace & Love’ extends far beyond the track’s call to arms. From warning about crowdsurfing, “please be considerate of the small people at the front. If you’re too big to crowdsurf, don’t do it” to telling the room that anyone asking what’s the point of International Woman’s Day is a fucking idiot through the rainbow lights that soundtrack the declaration of “we’re all the same” in ‘Put Down Your Gun’, VANT are a band standing up. It’s not a passive demonstration either. Tonight’s gig is an exercise in expression and being heard. Their songs are designed to be sung, screamed and shouted about the room and there’s a power in being vocal. “We are a sleeping generation,” Mattie repeats. “What you’re showing now is that you can use your voice. Turn them into the real world.” Tonight that message feels real. It feels believable. It is attainable. VANT have been charging forward for months now but they’re finally at a point with people backing them. It’s a force to be reckoned with. “Dumb Blood. It’s time to wake up.” P

WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTO: CORINNE CUMMING.

You can bank on Banks being great at The Roundhouse

anks is an artist with a vision. Tonight, at London’s Roundhouse, she brings it to life. There’s no compromise or painting it as something else as she takes to the iconic and very sold-out venue. Instead, every moment forms a brush stroke in a world that’s been meticulously put together. Any questions about the sort of show this is going to be are answered instantly. As the layered ‘Poltergeist’ rings out, Banks’ admission of “I started all the wars” rings true. The inwards bounce of ‘Fuck With Myself’ is angular and devastating before an early airing of ‘Gemini Feed’, Banks’ most well-known

cut, underlines the fact that tonight isn’t usual or expected. Deliberate and choreographed, every movement from Banks and her two dancers comes with a purpose. It’s all been carefully planned, examined and run through but it never feels contrived. There’s emotion to be felt in the words, sure, but there’s more to it than that. The abrasive movement conjures a beauty all of its own and sometimes the English language isn’t complex enough to convey the emotions of the heart. It’s powerful, poignant and expressive. “This song changed my life when I wrote it,” Banks explains before ‘Mother

Earth’. “I wasn’t allowing myself to be as powerful as I could be.” And there’s a feeling of empowerment, of betterment, of taking control and doing things your own way in the air tonight. Banks is in complete control and she doesn’t even bother need the spotlight to make it clear. Drenched in red lights and lit from behind to enhance the movements, even when she’s at her most vulnerable, she finds a power within that honesty. There’s a vision to tonight, it’s fully formed and glorious to behold, but it’s entertaining, interactive and with a purpose. Banks is operating on a level reserved for others, and that’s kinda the point. P

On the road

Get your diary out - you won’t want to miss these bands on tour.

George Ezra 26th May - 7th June

George is back on the road this May and June, playing some ‘top secret’ shows. That he’s told everyone about. Silly George. Belfast (26th May), Derry (27th) Dublin (29th), Limerick (30th), Rhyl (1st June), Cardiff (3rd), Barnstaple (5th), Exeter (6th), Bath (7th).

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes 1st - 8th December

Frank’s rise continues apace, with an end of year run climaxing at Brixton Academy! Bristol (1st December), Birmingham (2nd), Manchester (3rd), Glasgow (5th), Nottingham (6th), Norwich (7th), London (8th).

Loyle Carner

Weezer

Loyle’s going big, playing Brixton on his birthday! Dublin (27th September), Glasgow (28th), Liverpool (30th), Leeds (1st October), Birmingham (3rd), Bristol (4th), London (6th), Portsmouth (7th), Norwich (8th), Exeter (10th), Nottingham (11th), Manchester (12th).

Weezer never do ‘proper’ UK tours, right? After what seems like an age, California’s finest hit our shores in October to give it a proper go. Maybe with a new album in tow? Leeds (23rd October), Glasgow (24th), Manchester (25th), Birmingham (27th), London (28th).

27th September 1st October

23rd - 28th October