DOWN WITH BORING.
Georgia
ISSUE 79 ·AUGUST 2023 · READDORK.COM
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Issue 79 | August 2023 | readdork.com | Down With Boring
Hiya, Dear Reader. We’ve all heard of the concept of the bucket list, right? A selection of things to do before you die - long-held ambitions, wild hopes, the real top-drawer experiences you need to hit before it’s too late. While you shouldn’t worry that your beloved Dork is on death’s door (fighting fit and able, thanks), this month sees us ticking off one of those big moments. At least, as far as its megalomaniac editor (it’s me, hi!) is concerned. Professional objectivity cast aside, blur are the greatest British band of their generation. Hell, some probably aren’t ready to hear it yet, but I’m pretty sure they’ll give anyone from any era a good game. And now, they’re on the cover of Dork. Fucking hell. While many of their peers have just leaned in to the nostalgia circuit, or are too busy having ‘family drama’ to get back on stage, blur are still proving they’ve got that magic spark. I’m writing this right after seeing them deliver quite probably the best stadium-level show I’ve ever seen at Wembley (more on that next issue), and just a couple of weeks before their ninth studio album ‘The Ballad of Darren’ hits. A record comfortable in its own skin, embracing the passage of time but still offering up something genuinely impactful - even into their fourth decade as a going concern, blur mean something. For now, though, we’ve got that bucket list to complete. Can someone get us Taylor, please? Thanks.
‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd
readdork.com Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Scribblers Abigail Firth, Finlay Holden, Jamie MacMillan, Jessica Goodman, Melissa Darragh, Neive McCarthy, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Christina Choi, Derek Bremner, Em Marcovecchio, Finlay Holden, Frances Beach, Jennifer McCord, Jono White, Lloyd Wakefield, Nicole Busch, Olli Appleyard, Patrick Gunning, Pedro Becerra, Phoebe Fox, Reuben Bastienne Lewis, Sarah Louise Bennett, Scarlet Page, Tom Pallant PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM
Intro. 04 08 10 11 12 14 16 18
YARD ACT NELL MESCAL WALLICE A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... TEN TONNES SUNDARA KARMA LOCAL NATIVES SEA GIRLS COURTING
Hype. 20 22
PICTURE PARLOUR ELLIE DIXON
23 24
BLUSHER JAMES MARRIOTT
Features. 26 34 40 46 52
Get Out. 60 65 65 66 66 68
GLASTONBURY L DEVINE PULP HARRY STYLES SZA THE JAPANESE HOUSE SIGUR ROS SAM FENDER BLACKPINK
54 56
BLUR MAHALIA GEORGIA PEACE BETHANY COSENTINO STATIC DRESS OSCAR LANG
Incoming.
Backpage.
58
REVIEWS
70
68 68 69
SWIM SCHOOL
UNIT 10, 23 GRANGE ROAD, HASTINGS, TN34 2RL
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.
INTRO. THE BEATING HEART OF POP NONSENSE.
A chart battle, sold out shows - YARD ACT’s debut album was a genuine sensation. As they return with their first new material since, it’s time to head to ‘The Trench Coat Museum’... Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Patrick Gunning.
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BEST DAYS COVER STORY
by Jamie MacMillan
photography by Reuben Bastienne Lewis
live photography by Phoebe Fox, Tom Pallant
Some bands exist outside of the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day noise. With their latest big return, BLUR aren’t just sailing the breeze on the nostalgia circuit, though. With a run of chaotically brilliant tiny shows under their belt, plus a pair of massive headline dates at London’s Wembley Stadium, they’re about to drop their ninth album, ‘The Ballad of Darren’. Sounding the best they have in a decade or more, there’s life in the old dogs yet. 26. DORK
HE RUMOURS HAD BEEN SWIRLING AROUND FOR A WHILE, but a fair amount
of The Internet Has Broken still greeted blur’s ‘surprise’ announcement of their return towards the end of 2022. When frontman Damon Albarn hinted in an interview a few months back that “2023 is my year”, maybe we could have guessed that he was talking about more than the confirmation of a huge Wembley show or two. However, the news of a ninth studio album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, was altogether more surprising and threw up one of the most important questions of our time… who the hell is Darren? We’ve been here before, of course. This latest return is the third ‘surprise, we’re back!’ moment of the last few decades. But this time feels different. Their comeback single ‘The Narcissist’ revealed a band fully at ease with themselves, their age and their place in the world. But as the handful of warm-up shows they played in relatively tiny venues showed, this would be far from a simple trip down memory lane or a money-grabbing exercise. This was A Proper Band Again, enjoying each other’s company amidst the grime and sweat of playing in small rooms once more. Grinning and laughing throughout each show, it’s apparent that being back together on stage
means much more than you would expect with a band this far along a career not short on high points. Being in blur meant being in the full glare of paparazzi flashlights and on the front pages of every newspaper. Even the serious ‘grown-up’ ones. Think your current favourite band has a lot to deal with? These guys ended up on every TV news programme in the country just because they released a single in the same week as a rival band. Why, though, Dear Reader, should you care that blur are back? The last few years have seen the Nostalgia Train billowing out smoke like never before, and they’re not the only ones to return from the Age Of Britpop. Jarvis Cocker has been wiggling his hips all over the big stages with Pulp for a few weeks now, another band that soundtracked an entire generation before seeming to disappear as quickly as they entered the national consciousness. Meanwhile, the rumours and shadow of an Oasis reunion have been hanging over us ever since they first fell out at least until Liam opens his mouth on Twitter to provoke another ‘nope’ from Noel in an unending cycle of brotherly ‘love’. That brief period of music and culture in the mid-90s has become almost a tiresome cliché, such is the frequency those who lived to see it (and
BLUR
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COVER STORY
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photography by Jennifer McCord
by Martyn Young
Embarking on an introspective journey, MAHALIA’s triumphant return with ‘IRL’ reveals her evolution as an artist, navigating challenges, embracing authenticity, and leaving an indelible mark on the British R&B scene.
WHEN YOU’VE BEEN AWAY FOR A FEW YEARS AS AN ARTIST, you’re always
looking for the perfect way to return. How can you reassert yourself and shake things up? As far as comebacks in 2023 go, there’s nothing more powerful than Mahalia’s ‘Terms & Conditions’. “I wanted to burst out of the gate,” she explains excitedly. “The first single is very hard to choose, but you can either ease in or burst out, and I just wanted to say: I’m here. I’m back. It’s coming.” What’s coming is her stunning second album ‘IRL’, and it’s a record that establishes Mahalia firmly at the top table of British R&B. Full of confidence, ambition and a desire to create a true legacy for herself and her music, she’s making a statement on her own terms. Everyone has known for a very long time that Mahalia was something special. Even going back to when she was first signed to Asylum/Atlantic Records as a precocious 13-year-old talent in Leicester, she was destined for greatness. Indeed, the accolades and the achievements of her first burst of fame and creativity culminating in 2019’s critically acclaimed debut ‘Love and Compromise’ make for impressive reading. There are the Grammy and BRIT Award nominations, the two MOBO wins for Best
Female Act and Best R&B/Soul Act, as well as the huge festival shows and playing with the likes of actual Adele. Rarified company, indeed. It’s the reality of her journey so far and how Mahalia has the power to shape her destiny that characterises ‘IRL’ and shows us a new side to the supremely talented singer. “Very simply, it’s been a fucking uphill climb,” she exhales as she tries to contextualise her rise. “At times, it’s felt like I’ve been running a marathon. I didn’t have the overnight success trajectory. That wasn’t really on the cards for me. Everything that I’ve done and every gig that I’ve done has gotten me to this point. Starting as a 13-year-old kid in Leicester, going to school and picking my GCSEs, to becoming a signed artist. From busking in the streets to playing open mics and playing shows.” Hard work and passion were the things that drove Mahalia through her teenage years, and now, aged 25, she’s able to look back fondly on that period despite the struggles. “It’s funny when people talk about the grind because I feel like for a lot of people now it’s quick,” she says. “You might have a song that’s doing really well on TikTok or has a viral moment online, and everything goes crazy. READDORK.COM 35.
COVER STORY
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GEORGIA
by Martyn Young
photography by Derek Bremner
From intimate beginnings to global stages, GEORGIA’s ‘Euphoric’ chronicles her journey of selfexploration, delivering a captivating fusion of dance, vulnerability, and musical innovation.
“SOMETHING HAPPENED TO US ON THAT STAGE...” Georgia has just come off after performing at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Dundee, and she’s a little bit excited. Her set was the first time she had played live with her new band, Charlene on drums and Cat on bass, marking the beginning of Georgia’s new era as a pioneering pop innovator moulding the transcendent power of dance music through her own singular songwriting vision. Also, quite the occasion for your first show together - in front of thousands of people at a festival. In many ways, it sums her up, though. Fearless and ambitious, with her third album ‘Euphoric’ Georgia is setting out on another dance adventure. Still giddy from the high of performing and with the hubbub of actual current pop
legends like Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi backstage, it’s a special moment. It’s clear that the rush of the experience will take a minute to process. “All the prep you can do can never really prepare you for it,” she says. “There’s something quite magical between us three that feels very natural. It feels really good and exciting.” These kinds of experiences are what Georgia lives for, and they provide the spirit that runs through all of her music. The world as it is in summer 2023, though, is a distinctly different place than back in January 2019 when Georgia released her epic club culture odyssey of a second album ‘Seeking Thrills’. Back then, the future seemed one of hedonism and blissful relief. ‘Seeking Thills’ is not only a brilliant album, but it now stands immortalised as one of the last released when things were normal. Unknowingly, it transpired that Georgia lit the touch paper for an explosion in dance music reacting against the grim READDORK.COM 41.
FEATURE
Peace
“We’re
by Jamie Muir
portraits by Patrick Gunning
and we’re back”
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e
PEACE
They’re back! PEACE have a new album - one you can already listen to, if you buy a ticket to a show. We’re willing to go a couple of steps further, and join them for an entire mini-tour. What could go wrong?
→ A SERVICE STATION ON THE M4. 9:30AM. Harrison Koisser is draped in a gleaming yellow jacket emblazoned with the name Joe, sunglasses firmly on (“I just love the fact it says Joe,” he later remarks) as Peace embark on their first run of shows in nearly four years. “Come have a look at this,” he smiles, ushering Dork towards a bold black van. In the back is a Tetris-stacked array of boxes, bags, wires and equipment - it’s fit to burst. “Yeah, probably should have got the bigger one,” he laughs. Welcome to Peace 2023. A band with ambition and feverish dreaming, still driven by that core of what made them special from the very beginning. When people ask why, they ask why not? Three dates in four days is the sort of lightning-bolt shot of adrenaline Peace have become synonymous with. That bright fever of excitement and lush showmanship has set them apart as one of Britain’s defining guitar bands of the 21st century, and now, it’s time for a new era. Perched outside Bristol’s The Louisiana as the sun coats the venue in scorching Bank Holiday rays, Harry’s got his approach nailed down and ready to go. Nerves, right? “Honestly, because what we’re doing on stage is so complex… I think I’m just in a state of shock,” he cracks. “Fate has a way of punching at you, so if I just wish for the thing I don’t want, I’ll get the opposite. Best result? Everything breaks.” Tour has truly begun. Peace make chucking the rulebook out the window seem like an everyday thing. Bold, bright and maverick in nature, they’ve continued to throw technicolour paint over naysayers and cynics, all with a wink and smile, basking in the jubilant chaos of it all. Nestled in the tiny confines of a venue they last played almost 10 years ago, their latest evolution may just be their greatest to date. “It’s starting to feel real now,” reflects Harry later, perched alongside brother and bandmate Sam in the hotel-room-esque dressing room. “I have no idea how people are going to react to it. Like, is it music to dance to? Is it music for people to observe? Is it music to rock out to in the way that it’s put together? We’re about to find that out in a very real way.” If things sound different, then you’re right. The wall-of-sound production that now comes with Peace live is quite the setup. A vibrant mix of monitors, speakers, electronics, drum pedals and sample-soaked twists, it’s all stemmed from the creations and time spent together in a place simply known as The Rectory. Almost mythical in nature, it birthed ‘Utopia’ - Peace’s fourth full-length which is both out now for fans who’ve bought a ticket for this run of shows, but also not yet officially released. With longtime members Doug and Dom stepping away from the band (on very amicable and friendly terms), it saw Peace starting something different. “Creativity always comes at its best when there’s a catalyst,” explains Harry. “Something which forces you to do something a certain way. When Dom and Doug left, it was like, well, let’s make music with what we have here. We have all this equipment that was made for big live rock shows with big amps and big… stuff. It was like, let’s not bin them but use them.” The result is a show unlike any other, with Harry and Sam firmly in the middle, wrapped in all-encompassing sound. “Growing up, I used to spend a lot of time not only at gigs with bands, but in Fabric and The Rainbow in Birmingham, which was very techno, minimal and house in terms of dance music. This setup is kinda both of them simultaneously -
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GET OUT. LIVE MUSIC, FROM THE FRONT
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DOWN ON THE FARM
GET OUT
Words: Ali Shutler, Jamie Muir. Photos: Patrick Gunning, Scarlet Page
Surprise guests, buzzy newcomers, and a familiar dose of chaos - here’s what went down at GLASTONBURY 2023.
FOO FIGHTERS
Pyramid Stage, Friday
→ Yes, The ChurnUps were the Foo Fighters all along. Surprise? Not really. But with a crowd that ranks up there with Worthy Farm’s most impressive, they’re a band on a mission. It might not go down well with some to suggest it, but giving Dave Grohl and co a tight hour to smash out some hits is a triumph. There’s no time to overly extend those iconic songs when you’ve
got a lot of material to fit into a much shorter timeframe. It creates an urgency and emotion that feels like a release. While the Foos have played live since the passing of Taylor Hawkins, including some seriously emotional tribute shows, Glastonbury’s magic ground always adds an extra significance, even for a band from the other side of the pond. They’ll be back, Dave promises. Soon too. While he pushes a 2024 tour, you can read the subtext.
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