Dork Festival Guide, August / September 2017

C O N T E N TS 04 BAST I L L E 13 YO U M E AT S I X 14 S U P E RFO O D 1 7 O H WO N D E R 18 C I RCA WAV ES 20 K I N G N U N 24 S H A M E 27 M A L LO RY K N OX 28 I N H E AV E N 29 PV RI S 30 S U N DA R A K A RM A 32 T H E S H I N S 34 W I L D B E ASTS 37 JA M I E T 3 8 JAWS 4 0 L I ST I N G S

DORK readdork.com

Editor: Stephen Ackroyd stephen@readdork.com Deputy Editor: Victoria Sinden viki@readdork.com Associate Editor: Ali Shutler ali@readdork.com Assistant Editor: Jamie Muir jamie@readdork.com Assistant Editor: Martyn Young martyn@readdork.com Events: Liam James Ward liam@readdork.com

Contributors: Corinne Cumming, Danny Payne, Jake Richardson, Jessica Goodman, Phil Smithies, Poppy Marriott, Sammy Maine, Sarah Louise Bennett 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. 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.

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

AU G U ST

TH 25 T H - 27

L ID AY BA N K H O T S U IS G U A A IN . & LEEDS E A D IN G Y E A R AG R F S O U N E O A Y E IM T M E ’L L R U N , W H IC H IT ’S T H AT PA G E S , W R OAC H E S P W P E F ON THE A T D X N HE NE G BA N DS T WEEKE IN R E AL. IT V C O X .

E AY OST ’S F E S T IV R M A E E H Y T O N IT S W F IS H S O M E O T O A P P E A R AT T H B Y T H E IR T H RO U G H O P L AY T E W S S E R R A A T S ER R E A D IN G WHO AT IC S U P FOR THE P L A N E T, M E Y D IN A C E E R AS E T.. . , TH F IR S T U P IN G T O GLE R. IL L E A R E T O S G A R B E , V S E E A LI SH UT .

W O RD S: O W N R U L TA G E A S T H E Y ’R E A RR IO TT PO PP Y M PH O TO S: M A IN S

B

astille are an odd band. Already this summer they’ve found themselves sandwiched between Run The Jewels and Frank Ocean at a festival in Denmark, shared a lineup with the likes of Rammstein and System of a Down in Germany and played before Rod Stewart at the Isle Of Wight Festival.

They started off as a DIY bedroom indie band but second album ‘Wild World’ is a little bit of everything; Tarantino films, genre shuffling mixtapes and real world reflection.

“We just felt quite liberated on this record to do whatever we wanted. That was the point,” Dan Smith explains.

“Whatever people’s perceptions of us are.

I feel like, in everything we do, there’s very much a sense of we love doing this.

We got to do kind of everything that we wanted to do.”

They are, in their own words, rubbish at being rock stars but there’s a devilish grin to everything. Their last headline run saw the band take their fake news company-slash-government department to the big screen, with a fictional politician overlooking the whole thing “in this sinister Big Brother way.”

In the build-up to the general election, it started to look a lot like Theresa May, and that was no accident. More recently, they stripped things down in a church, only to rebuild it with a gospel choir, a string section and some brass. “[It’s something] we’re going to do a concert hall tour of later in the year,” teases Dan with a smile. “We feel very

DAN ON...

“WE NEVER IN OUR

...STAG E

EXPECTED TO PLAY

.” lucky to be able to go between slightly different worlds and make the most of it. And have fun with it. It’s fun to mix stuff up.”

Their subheadline slot at Reading & Leeds is also a cocktail of different, outlandish ideas. It’s exciting, terrifying, a benchmark of just how far they’ve come and “so far outside of my frame of ambition, it’s very crazy.” It stands to bookend an adventure that started at last year’s Glastonbury and has run parallel to this wild world getting wilder.

Bastille are a pretty odd band but right now, isn’t that what we need?

“Yeah we’re very fucking weird,” starts Dan, all distracted glances and fierce focus. “We definitely get away with a lot of stuff. The nature of having one or two songs that did really well is that to a lot of people, that’s all we’ve done.

“If you scratch beneath the surface though, we’ve got some quite political music on this record, and our tour is visually quite on the nose and knifetwisting. We’re in the lucky position where we can do what we want and get away with it because maybe some people care, but a lot of people don’t.

“Kyle and I, in particular, have always had an issue with getting nervous and stage fright.

I don’t feel super comfortable onstage but because we’ve always toured so much, we started playing in toilet venues and pubs and it’s been a real gradual progression, there’s an element of having grown into it a bit. There was a point early on when we were starting out, I was behind the piano for a lot of songs, and there was a conscious decision to, this sounds so cheesy, but to pick up the mic, step forward and become a frontman. Or try and be one.

I’m a terrible frontman, I dance horribly, and jump around like there’s something wrong with me. It started as a form of distraction, I used to climb around a lot, get up on the PA, and run through the crowd, and I still do, and I think that came from a sense of denial, how can I distract myself? It’s become part of who we are.”

That’s a nice position to be in.”

It’s not a position that was given to them either. They’ve earned it, carved out their own space and fought for their right to party as they please.

“We never in our wildest dreams expected to play second from the top at Reading,” continues Dan. “I guess we’ve bumbled our way through the whole thing. Growing up I used to go

DA N O N . .. ...POLITICS

“It affects everybody. It affects everything. I think also people are realising, with this general election we just had, it shows that you’re not just shouting into the dark. Particularly for younger generations, you can make an impact. It’s this bizarre power struggle between the older generations, for whom this isn’t really going to effect as much and have a huge voting sway, and the kids, teenagers and twenty-somethings, for whom this is going to have a profound effect on their lives and the future. It’s so brilliant to see the voter turnout in younger people. And hopefully, it will actually effect some change.”

to Reading. Our first show there was in the very smallest tent, just after our first single ‘Overjoyed’ came out and we didn’t think anyone was going to come.”

But they did come, they sang along and that moment changed things. “That was the first big milestone memory at a festival,” explains Kyle Simmons. “It’s always nice to go back and see how things have changed.”

“I’m a bit of a pessimist,” laughs Dan. “Set your expectations incredibly low, then you’re almost always pleasantly surprised. We’re definitely the wrong two to speak to, about ambition,” he continues. “Neither of us really thought we’d be in bands so to make music every

day is fucking amazing.”

The dreams come from Will and Woody.

“Woody was the one saying, ‘Yeah, I want to play Wembley one day.’ In our heads, we were thinking ‘Fuck, if we get to play Shepherd’s Bush Empire, that’d be insane.’ I didn’t ever really think that far beyond that. We never had our sights set on playing the Main Stage at Reading, or any of these things.”

But that doesn’t mean they’re afraid of embracing the ridiculous, the crazy or the wild. “[Our music] is more narrative and storytelling but it’s filtered through experience,” continues Dan. “In writing the songs for this album, I tended to think of them all as stories or scenes. It’s as much about what they’re saying as how it sounds and the mood it creates.

There’s a lot of personal stuff in there, but we’re not a band who diarizes our experiences or our relationships.”

Their debut, ‘Bad Blood’ used pop culture, myths and history to help articulate things. ‘Wild World’ didn’t need the help. “It was 2016; you can’t not react to how mad the world seems when you turn on the TV. It became more grounded in reality, but then there are songs on the record about gangsters.

We’ll always have an element of fiction and fantasy in our music. That comes from making it in a tiny underground studio in South London, and in a laptop in a bedroom.

“There’s always been an element of wanting, and having, to use your imagination and thinking a little bit bigger than our situation.”

Like everything they do, ‘Wild World’ is a mix of lots of different things. “We

wanted to get this sense of modern anxiety, this sense of helplessness and not really knowing what was happening, but we also wanted to get this sense of friendship and positivity that runs through it across.”

There are songs like ‘The Currents’, “essentially a massive fuck you to divisive right-wing politicians,” that have become more relevant to the band as the past eighteen months have played out.

“Playing it live is so cathartic. Putting one toe in the waters of vaguely political pop music was potentially a risky enterprise. There was a feeling from us that we didn’t want to be preachy or didactic because that’s not our place, but that song is also about hearing people say stuff that you think is really shocking and abhorrent and wanting to get the fuck away. That could apply to anyone, I think.

“The other songs that touch on it are really just about watching the news and feeling slightly aghast, shocked and saddened and ordinary ways of coping with it all. Going and losing yourself in somebody physically, or hanging out with your friends, or talking about it.

“There’s obviously no right way to process, or deal with any of that stuff that’s been happening, but it’s been interesting having this record out over the past year we’ve had, against the landscape of politics, terrorism and everything that’s happening in the world.

“We only ever wanted to do it from a very, very normalised human perspective because we are four complete idiots, and we just wanted it to be reflective of the

narrative on the record, and it ends with ‘The Anchor’, which is the most positive song we’ve ever done. It’s about how somebody can be that thing you can latch onto, and it seems to make everything okay.” Somebody or some band.

“WE’RE

times we live in.”

.”

“It was about trying to find the contrast between existing in the world and feeling very small and disconnected, but also the importance and potency of one on one human relationships,” he continues.

“In our own stupid little way, we just wanted to get across the complexity of being an adult and being freaked out by the world, but also having to get up the next day and go to work.” The scale of it has shifted massively, but the soul of Bastille remains the same bloodied and bruised optimist. Persistent, aware and undeterred.

There is, as you’d expect, still a lot to discover in ‘Wild World. “It’s an odd record to talk about,” offers Dan. “There’s a song like ‘Two Evils’, and what it can mean metaphorically but also what it can mean really literally in a bar scenario, alongside a song like ‘Send Them Off!’, which is this ridiculous superhero theme tune slash overly pompous hip-hop record, with me singing about relationship guilt over the top of it.

“We tried to have this developing

Bastille wanted the themes of unity, community, togetherness and all our little similarities to shine. To have that message at the heart of a record, and then to take that record around the world, it’s powerful stuff.

“There’s a song called ‘Snakes’ which is about being a bit confused, overwhelmed and bogged down but then, just going out and having a nice time and knowing it’s not really solving anything but knowing that, that’s okay.

“Music and culture has a responsibility to reflect the times and to say what you think, but equally, it’s a space for escapism.” Somehow, Bastille offer both.

“It’s odd that since releasing it, some of the things we talk about have become more intense and more persistent. I can’t speak for anything grand, but for us alone, getting to play them out, it’s been really cathartic. So much has changed in two years, it’s fucking crazy.”

“There’s a huge history of politics and music, but it felt like until very recently, nobody in our world was talking about anything. It was quite weird and surreal.

“When we started this campaign a year ago, I was very cautious. I’m really aware, when I think of people in bands who are political, there’s an eye-rollingly clichéd thing about it. We didn’t want to be those guys, mainly because who the fuck are we to impose our opinions on

“WE CAN DO

that’s way more exciting. I’m saying this now,” he laughs. “It probably won’t come out for seven years. We’ve never really had a sound other than maybe my voice and our songwriting style. That makes everything we do sound like Bastille, but if you took my vocals away, it’s quite a bizarrely varied body of work.

AND

other people?

“But it’s interesting, as time’s rolled on, we’ve relaxed a bit about it. We have these songs saying these things; we may as well not hold back. It’s heartening that people now feel that they can say what they think.”

Since the release of ‘Wild World’, things have been hyper-intense and constantly shifting, but there’s also been a sense of relief for Bastille. “It’s nice to have got the second record done. We’re quite short term-ist. At one point we probably didn’t think we’d make a second record, but then we got to make a second album, and now I’ve realised I really want to make a third one. And maybe a fourth one too. It’s easier to think into the future a bit more now.”

What that future holds exactly is a potent question. The answer could be any one of limitless weird and wonderful outcomes. “We’ve just moved into a different studio in South London. It’s

.”

got a window, some natural light and some air-flow, which is a real luxury,” laughs Dan. “We’ve been holding off until the studio was done because we wanted to do it there but now we’re about to get properly into finishing new Bastille music. The record that we’re making, the one I want to make, is more concise. I like the idea, moving forward, of being able to have little phases of what is hopefully a career.

“Our first album was this slightly odd thing and the second one was this mad, sprawling, opinionated mess. I like the idea of looking back to people I admire, who had certain sounds and certain phases and getting to make a concise nine-track album that feels like its own little world. Then being able to draw a line under that and move onto something else.

“I like the idea of being able to release a record every year, year and a half. I think

“With the next thing, we want to set ourselves some rules, but really the only thing that matters are the songs. I feel like I want it to be an apocalyptic rave record. That final frame of Fight Club, where they’re holding hands and watching the city collapse, there’s something quite nice about that image.

It feels relevant to acknowledge that things are still completely mad, but to lean towards the positivity that can happen within your own life, in the context of a bigger, madder mess.” P Bastille play the Main Stage on Friday 25th August in Reading, and Saturday 26th August in Leeds.

DAN ON... ...CELEBRITY

“There are people who seem to forge a career out of slagging off other people and falling out of clubs and going to premieres and all that stuff, all of which I imagine is really fun, but we are lucky enough to tour so much that when we come home, I’d rather just go to the pub with my mates.

We’d rather just see our friends rather than spend all of our time at home going to stuff because it’s public.”

O R ST IF O LU TE W TH E A B S R IS T M A X E A B IT N U A G C S IX AL U M E AT A FE ST IV .

YO AT LE P. B G U A N R ’S B EA C A M PI W H AT M A K E IT ’T K N O W IS TI PS TO YO U D O N ER S U P H FF O ER Y H EL als, my tip hell at festiv r flow a tent can be ai in t ge ng u pi yo ee Sl , so roof part leave it open tle lit a ve ha would be to u the tent. If yo throughout . en , leave it op on your tent

If you are lik e me and wa nt to have fu festival, just n at a get as hamm er enjoy every minute so wh ed as possible and en it does co sleeping in me to a tent, you ju st pass out remember th and don’t e sleep at al l. Works like a treat!

TOP T

’S ENT TIPS!

The most important thin g is having tons of water stored, as you are most likely to be hungover, and the wea ther is gonna be good.

Being dehydrated in the morning is the worst.

taking a few soft mats, Some top tips would be d every morning. so your back isn’t destroye ing a wrecked back at a Nothing worse than hav fun. festival trying to have

SUP ERF OOD

THEY WENT AWAY. NOW THEY’RE BACK, READY TO BRING THEIR G ROOVE TO READING & LEEDS. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR.

F

estivals are about many things. Pints in the sun, hanging out with mates across a weekend full of memories you’ll be harking back to and talking about until next year’s season starts again and y’know - bands. It’s the perfect time to make a mark, but for Superfood it’s something even greater than that. It’s the glorious rebirth of a band who in 2017, are finally embracing who they’ve

always wanted to be.

“I think it’s just been a real kinda long time coming,” explains Dom Ganderton.

Sitting in a huge dressing room at The Great Escape, it could seem daunting for a band to re-emerge with a distinctly new sound, but for Superfood, it’s the start of something altogether more vital.

“I guess it just feels more like a relief that we’ve got this music to a place where we can get it out there, and it’s being played on the radio and everything that we were worried about before when

we were second-guessing ourselves has started to go away. Those times where we sat there in the studio thinking is this any good or are we just being fucking mental. People are enjoying it, and things are slowly building…”

Dom trails off as he turns to look at partner in crime and bandmate Ryan Malcolm. It’s a journey that has seen them grow up together and its results are nothing short of dazzling. “I mean, we’re pretty much starting from scratch again, and I’m really happy about that”

“WE’RE PRETTY MUCH STARTING FROM SCRATCH AGAIN.” continues Dom. “Like, the other night we played a set that was mostly all-new songs, and it was just like when we first started gigging. You can see people slowly starting to soak in the songs, and it takes time for people to truly get into it, but I’m just so up for putting the labour in again.”

When Superfood sparked into life back in 2014 with debut album ‘Don’t Say That’, it felt like the arrival of a band flowing with ideas and energy that could shake up a doorframe with the amount of buzz searing through their system. Once the feverish live shows and singalong moments had subsided though, the band found themselves at a crossroads - with an old label who no longer believed in them and a question mark over what came next. Uncertainty, however, led to freedom, and it was in that freedom where Dom and Ryan threw caution to the wind, not knowing if the sounds they were working on would ever make their way out into the world.

“For the first six months after, we were really bummed and were writing bits here and there,” recalls Dom. “But we got into the studio and thought fuck it; we can just do whatever we want - all these

crazy ideas and beats that we have on our laptop, let’s turn them into songs.

We didn’t see it being released anytime soon, or even at all, so we thought let’s at least make the music that we want to listen back to while drinking at fucking six o’clock in the morning while high-fiving each other. Whether anyone is going to listen to it or now, so it was really a blessing in that case.”

Ryan, festival season is the enthralling prelude to what’s ahead, and judging by the crowds they’ve seen swarming to the front so far, the word on what Superfood have up their sleeves is making its way around.

“This feels a lot more of a true identity for us,” notes Ryan. “The first album was that moment where we had just started writing songs together, hanging out a lot mostly at parties so we never really opened up about our true ideas. We thrashed out that album, which was fun and great, but living with each other and getting to know one another more has led to something more natural for us.”

“Yeah, it’s a weird one, it feels like we’re confusing people a bit at the moment - but I’m well into that, to be honest,” details Dom. “People go away from it thinking ‘Well, it definitely wasn’t shit, but I need to hear it again’. That thought of ‘What was that?’ is way better than someone not feeling anything. With festivals, we’ve been playing like seven new songs and one old one, and I think we’ve just got to be brave right now, we feel this music is our best and at festivals you’ve got a kinda open playing field to do whatever the hell you want.”

“And it’s changing people’s perceptions,” jumps Dom. “With this album, we could have sacked off the name Superfood, but we’ve put so much blood, sweat and tears into whatever Superfood is, that we’d be doing ourselves an injustice to scrap it all. At the moment when you say Superfood some people may think along the lines of auto indie-rock Britpopwannabees, so it’s a matter of getting this album out and letting people hear it through and realising, ‘Right, this is a different thing now’.”

What makes Superfood so undeniably infectious, is that there truly is no ceiling to their ambitions. They’re a duo who no longer feel confined to a box of expectations but instead have discovered a world of potential avenues that’ll continue to surprise and delight at every turn. If there’s one band hungry to open up festival season and grab the attention of thousands, it’s Superfood - laying out the moments you’ll be shouting ‘I Was There’ on a platter for all to sample.

Expressive and shimmering in its own stunning light, Superfood MK II is revelling in an ocean of styles, eras and flourishes. Tasters so far such as the sample-sliced ‘Double Dutch’ and the searing heights of ‘I Can’t See’ point to an album basked in the glories of summer wrapped in something undeniably special, full of fizz and ready to burst into glorious technicolour. For Dom and

It’s a bold step, but sometimes the most memorable nods are the ones that stand out from the bunch. “It’s just so easy to be safe and play it safe,” defines Dom. “But we’ll thank ourselves six months down the line if we just do it and get these songs out there.”

Your starter is in; Superfood is taking over the menu. P

OH ’S W O N D ER Y A N TH O N C U R AT ES CT H IS PE R FE AR ‘IN TH E C AY O N TH E W IN G TO R EA D ’ & LE ED S .

PL AY LI ST

READI

’S. PE. A T X I M S D NG & LEE

r d I remembe Reading, an t World’s lgrimage to Ea pi y m Jim em catching d nt to see th in my teens ing the Blee mer. We we weeks ey were tour screams sum ly inspired a couple of ow when th ite sh on fin nd de Lo s. ey in B ou CLU bum. Th at Heaven ded ginorm R CINEMA American al ite music. is song soun TWO DOO N WORK bands and wr back, and th G GOOD CA me to stay in th wi g in ay SOMETHIN pl G ASON 2 e pleasure of ’T NOTHIN IMALS - SE We’ve had th US festivals RNER - AIN GLASS AN nema Club at s, and their LOYLE CA 3 E to Two Door Ci D s ar ye EPISO ite record st couple of CHANGED ar some of of our favour ayed with over the pa away. They excited to he e This is one ally blows us We’re really m live. We’v . We have pl who bu to al nd t nd ba bu a ou live show re de ar US of ’s jump es at ct example r Loyle Carner t while we’ve so many tim s lo a al r, it im ve are the perfe e fresh music, and neve to An we s ng us Glas lla, ho mad been listeni really helps ding Coache has always road, and it their set, festivals, inclu r game. been on the the UK. anage to miss nt row at m in ck ys dropped thei ba wa al ’re we e fro feel like we e sure we ar AP ROCKY so we’ll mak SA AND A$ s.

RSELF MURA MA LOSE YOU ading & Leed Re em EMINEM y about Emin the g to the az in LOVE$ICK cr U ad s he YO wa e E be LIK out e we’ll Josephin d. She wrote on the - NEVER BE ki I can imagin is E a th M s U to wa n FL e te over so to lis when sh I) e ng over and Radio 1 tent ps do the (FEAT. KA lling up in th s to every so e could tting our hi sh ric pu le , ly d be 13 an y s , el ay wa lik e Sund e sh ing ne.

We’ll most s wide, blar at by the tim ngs word for word. I’m a massive tu th ow s nd It’ wi g. e in th lk ta his so bus, with live show is action, but I rap most of tune. Flume’s party trick in YTHING this festival crazy to. t to see this ight be the ING EVER ye go m s TH to / t Y ed R no Le ER TE le & EV ing WIN impossib SUMMER / feel like Read SPRING / t. ess big momen orld - Sweetn yearly DREAD song came Jimmy Eat W r when this to make my ed us I s, We remembe that it leaves you with ar For ye ing ly out; the feel quite literal r. The chorus lasts foreve

.

EEDS L & G N I D FOR REA Y D A E R E AR

T

here may not be a band more primed for this summer than Circa Waves. If you thought you knew exactly what they stood for, what they want to be and who they are - then ‘Different Creatures’ is about to change things up. Throwing off those summer-day restraints, it’s the counter-punch record that’ll catapult them up festival bills, send them back on the road to those live nights of joyous abandon and onto the biggest stages - but more than that, it’s one that means something.

With ‘Different Creatures’ there’s only one destination for Circa Waves.

“I’m so ambitious now,” exclaims Kieran, his face lighting up with pure adrenaline and passion when thinking of what’s ahead. “When I started it was very much like, ‘oh, this is really cool’ - but now, once you’ve reached that step, you just want more.

“I wanna be headlining Reading & Leeds. I wanna be headlining - why the fuck not! Kings Of Leon and The Killers can’t headline them forever, so bands like us need to step up - and with this record, I think we’ve got a point to prove that we are that next generation.

“And the record does that completely!

I’ve got massive confidence in it, and I think people will see that and believe in us.”

Just like the rest of the world, Circa Waves are restless, pissed off and ready to fight back. The summer’s here, and the climate’s about to take one hell of a swing. P

..

E N G IN TH A R U M B LI TH ER E’ S TH . A N EW W O R G D ER H. IN D IE U N A PP R O A C H ER O ES E ER H BA N D O F E ’R EY G N U N . TH M EE T K IN L. O C O N TR TO TA K E ER .

A LI S H U TL WO R D S :

..

“T

here’s a man running at us,” smiles a James with of cheery mix and excitement t. bemusemen He and the Kyus and Nun - Nath, rest of King iversity outside a un t sa e ar At Theo ve Li r ei th d of campus ahea boy, are an hour. And in t se s ed Le e’re really to be here. “W ys they happy sa ” , on as re e som excited for g that “the commentin Theo, before e people mes from th sunshine co interrupts an m e Th ” . in the north he really e band know f. King by letting th he’s of d an ic, us m likes their “What a cool ally swoon. d the Nun practic ve never ha “I’ . es m Ja .” guy,” nods at. Not ever th do to e confidenc Nun ur years, King A band for fo t of that time in tiny, os m t en sp have heming. arsal units sc to the smelly rehe en them take them se s ha ar ye This seen ve u’ yo If . ough they’re spotlight th exactly why live, you know excited. ere we’re on a stage wh anch “Performing n br ca we ns ea m welcome, it at’s exciting.

Nath. “And th ce out,” smiles to an audien te la re to Being able ry exciting. ve is e tim for the first express doing this to it’s We started audience so an to in s buy our ourselve meone can so at th us ridiculo is a great n to it. That our shit and liste ete joy that pl m co a d gift an tened to.” lis be n ca music

“And have people take you seriously,” adds James. “It’s really nice to be able to work.”

The band are currently sat on “too many” songs. “We’re not going to give you a figure, but it’s a lot. It took us a while to release ‘Tulip’, and that’s a really early song, but we want to be proud of what we’re doing. We don’t want to take too long and kill the energy of the moment. We want to capture the energy and get it right. We’ve waited

too long to rush anything.

It wouldn’t make sense. If you’ve waited three and a bit years for your first release, to cock it up from there isn’t great. We need to be as hungry as we were when we did ‘Tulip’. We have to see if we can get a unifying bond with the songs before we bring them out.”

“When we were putting out ‘Tulip’ and ‘Speakerface’, it was a choice of three songs that we were going to record and the third song - every

“ D O N OT A D J U S T YO U R T E L E V IS IO N S E T. W E ’V E G OT G O O D S H IT.” .

time I think about it, I get this intense cringe,” explains James. “‘Headrush’ just makes me curl up into a little paper ball. Every time I get impatient about releasing something, I think back to that and think, yeah, it’s worth putting in the effort to get it right.”

King Nun have only released a handful of songs but “they’ve become proper zeitgeists. They feel like the moment they were written in, and I think that spills out when people that don’t even know us listen to it, so we’ve got to be careful that that’s always present.”

“It’s when you grow up, you discover music, and it feels like an entire new world,” offers Theo. “It becomes this spine that you walk around with. It becomes a purpose and a passion, and we want to create the sort of music that will just relate to people and give them that same inspiration that we had.”

“To translate that new world that you feel when you

find a band that you like, to inspire as strongly and as passionately as possible, that’s what we’re gunning for,” offers James.

With only a few songs, King Nun have already spread their sound around. From ‘Sponge’, all melodic romps and nineties swagger to the grimy march of ‘Hung Around’, the band aren’t retracing any steps. “That was very much on purpose,” explains Theo “We’re much broader than our singles represent currently, but that will change. We’ve

got stuff coming out that will fill in those gaps. I know we’re going to want to keep branching. We’ve done it so much already, within the time we had. There is something that guides it all together, which is us and how we write and how we perform, that’s the guiding form, that’s going to stay with us, but there’s another thing. I know it’s going to shift and change.”

“We don’t want to release ten different versions of the same song. We want to show the spectrum,” adds

Nath. “There’s going to be heavier stuff; there’s going to be softer stuff, we’re not just one thing.” That said, the band aren’t going to be different, just to be different.

There’s a very real connection between art and artist. Their personality bleeds into everything the release and everything they say. “It would be wrong for us to be doing the same thing repetitively.

It’s not what we’re about.”

“The intention will always be the same, but the song may change,” muses Theo before

standing up in triumph. “Did you hear that quote I just said? I’m well chuffed with that,” he exclaims, practically dancing about as the others give him one of those looks.

“There’s a release idea that we’ve got coming together and I’m really excited for it,” he continues. “We all have a lot of passion for it. It’s going to be something very true and very special, so I would say stay with us people. Do not just adjust your television set. If you’re reading this, don’t leave. We’ve got good

shit.”

From touring with labelmates Superfood and Pale Waves to making a connection that can be felt at festivals across the country and on the streets outside, King Nun are demanding a reaction.

“It’s nice to be, I don’t want to say be a part of something because that feels wanky and pretentious, but it’s good to meet people and speak to them about what you’re into,” offers Nath, before James reasons: “It feels like something is happening.” P

E M A SH

U CA N .

W H IL E YO C H TH EM AT C D N T. RO U BA N DS A E B EN N ET EW LI V E A H LO U IS E B ES T N O TO : SA R TH PH F .

O IR E U N M RE O JA M IE SHAME A WO R D S :

C

an we just note that our manager is standing two feet away right now, so there’s going to be a lack of complaints and a lack of truth,” jokes Shame frontman, Charlie Steen.

The band erupt into laughter, as they gather in a nearby pub for another night in another city that makes up their unstoppable 2017 so far. “I mean, we’ve been banned from a few countries, and haven’t been turning up for shows actually!” continues Steen, providing an insight into the humour, spills and fun that the South Londoners are currently rolling through, as arguably one of the must-see attractions of this year’s festival season. And there’s a clear reason why.

After making a name for themselves in the pubs and function rooms scattered around London, one of the best-kept

secrets in live music are finally having that moment where heads are a-turning at a staggering pace. With the menacing yet undeniably fixating presence of Steen, Shame are leading a new brigade of bands, one that may centre around South London but whose influence is set to be felt not only across the UK but Europe too.

“Yeah, the other day our manager went to see a show in France, and there was someone there in a Shame shirt,” exclaims drummer Charlie Forbes. “It’s been nice to see an actual progression of things, you can tell you’re getting tighter when you’re playing, and it’s been nice going between doing these live shows and then off recording.”

“You can see a progression with the audience too,” notes guitarist Eddie Green, sitting back in-between swigs of his pint. “There are people coming back every time we play in certain cities, and then there’s going to places we’ve only been before when supporting someone,

and now doing headline shows.”

“It’s been nice to see people at shows that are there to see Shame rather than just playing support slots to people waiting for the headline band after,” continues Forbes. And it’s those crowds that have been continuously growing over the past 12 months, flocking to a live sensation that doesn’t just whip you along for the ride but forces you to stare into every word and every sound. Seeing Shame live isn’t just about catching a glimpse of a new band playing a few songs, it’s an experience of exactly what live music is all about. A tangible feeling that this band, in this room, can take on the world - and progression and journey that truly kicked off right at the start of last year’s festival season.

“It all kinda started at The Great Escape last year,” reflects Forbes. “We did it, and the show really kicked off and was great, and from that, we got picked up and noticed by so many people for this summer. It led us to play Pitchfork Paris,

and it’s just spiralled from there.”

Frontman Charlie Steen sees the summer as a starting point for the journey that comes ahead, one where their ambitions aren’t restrained, whether that’s a huge crowd in a field or a tiny gathering in a back room, Shame will make it their own. “In the last year it was necessary to do certain specific festivals, and now this year is our proper first run on the festival circuit. At our core, we’re a live band, and we want to play as much as possible. Wherever that may be, we’re really not fussy!”

“I don’t think we’ve ever approached a gig differently, whether we were playing to two people or two hundred people or two thousand people because we’ve never wanted to go about it in that way,” continues Steen. “We’ve never wanted to be so up our own arses that we strop about, that isn’t the way any person in any band should ever think. We played for so long to seven people each night that when we played Pitchfork to seven thousand, it wasn’t a case of it being different, but just embracing it. We always want to create some form of intimacy, and being able to communicate that to a large crowd is something we definitely want to achieve.”

Playing as much as possible is an understatement for what Shame have in store. By the end of the summer, they’ll have clocked in over 40 stops across Europe, festivals of all shapes and sizes.

It comes with a change that they’ve noticed in their shows, growing and expanding as each one goes by, yet still holding close that visceral intensity that only they could deliver with such potent force. It’s a long way from those early shows making their way across a variety

“WE’VE NEVER WANTED TO BE UP OUR OWN ARSES.” of South London establishments and comes with a realisation that people are longing to see them.

“Before,” begins Forbes, “when we were doing our first European shows or even our first out of London nights, we’d always be on the way and thinking, ‘Shit, will anyone be there?’ whereas this year the shows have consistently been great.”

“And that’s it,” notes Charlie Steen. “We don’t want to target one audience in South London, we want to be able to do the whole of London, and the whole of the UK, and the whole of Europe and then the whole of America. Which is going to take years of touring and playing and getting better, but it’s just allowing ourselves not to stop.”

After releasing debut numbers ‘The Lick’ and ‘Gold Hole’ towards the end of last year, Shame have continued unveiling their rich sonic sounds in-between slots opening for the likes of Warpaint amongst others. Recent cut ‘Tasteless’ captures Shame perfectly, a menacing yet instant hit to the system that rattles cages yet coats them also with a wall of sound that captures the urgency and rawness of a new band in full fighting

flight.

“I think with those recordings; you can really hear us grow between ‘Gold Hole’ and ‘Tasteless’ for example,” details bassist Josh Finerty. Sessions are continuing throughout the summer, working with a range of producers and learning how to become a recorded band after such a heavy time focusing on the live show. It’s a process which started off as “quite disheartening” after a few unsuccessful sessions, but now has found Shame hitting their stride and working towards a complete collection that’s bound to lay a statement in the years ahead.

“We didn’t want to rely on ourselves just as a live band,” notes frontman Charlie. “We want people to be able to differentiate between us as a live band and us as a recorded band. We were told by so many producers to ‘capture our live sound’ and after trying it just didn’t work for us. We were so inexperienced and young that it took a while, but after meeting with Dan, Nathan and Sean - who’ve produced what we’ve been working on - it helped direct us to what we wanted to sound like.”

Conversations continue about their time spent on the road, full of memories that spring to mind at the drop of a dime, fans turning up with Shame tattoos, bands they love at the moment and much more. It’s an eye into a band fully embracing the whirlwind that’s stirring around them, and a journey that began in late-night pub gigs and now is set on stealing every festival they play. As they all finish their pints and get set to steal yet another night, one feeling is clear.

Shame aren’t just playing games; they own them. P

PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

s BOOTS y the heaven e for that da ir Gotta prepar bringing a pa ly on et gr re me open & you you. It took shoes with before of trainers/ ing festivals nd te at es 3 or 4 tim and I’ve not nt my lesson I finally lear . ce sin ck looked ba ES SUNGLASS s with the sun shining help g Obviously, it you’re tryin t ur face when directly in yo your favourite bands, bu e of evitable bags to watch on in e th up r cove e it also helps two when th eyes on day under your . in cks hangover ki enjoy TINNIES tter way to list. What be few a ng vi First on my ha an ite bands th your favour e lads. th th wi es nice cold on G O IN G TO A LWAY S TH ER E’ S U FO R G ET YO H IN G B E S O M ET TO A U W IT H YO O RY TO TA K E ILY, M A LL K C LU L. S FE ST IVA M D O U G LA A S T IS SS K N OX B A W IT H H IS P EL H IS H ER E TO ES .

U ST-H AV LI ST O F M

’S. LIST. G N I K C A P FESTIVAL

POO ents DRY SHAM lives in mom own to save se and lack ea It’s been kn gr e th ion when of desperat much. become too of showers NT ral, DEODORA r life, in gene y essential fo me in hand An absolute co so al n ca . But e to be honest our from th when the od too much as a weapon es m co be u nd yo people arou ndle. for you to ha

S ’ N E V A E H N I READING &FIXLEEERD! S CLASH

IN G TO E ARE GO K E TH ER A BAS H LO O K S LI E Y D AV H EA H EAV EN U T IT A LR Y EA R . IN T ’ Y ET, B ED S TH IS EN ’T ‘O U EF IE LD .

IN G & LE IN TI M ES A R D M L EA IA ES R H IC LA S N S AT TH E O FF G H TH E C D EC IS IO U O LT R U C TH FI D IF R WAY BE SOME IN G TH EI AT W O R K

FRIDAY, READING / SATURDAY, LEEDS THE MAGIC GANG VS. THE AMAZONS How can you do this to us, Dork? That’s a tough one, but we have to say The Amazons! Just saw them at Glasto and they blew the roof off the John Peel Stage.

DECLAN MCKENNA VS. RAT BOY Declan McKenna. He’s probably the best young male artist around.

KASABIAN VS. YOU ME AT SIX I’m on FIRREEEE. Kasabian.

SATURDAY, READING / SUNDAY, LEEDS GET INUIT VS. HONEYBLOOD VS. BLAENAVON Our boys Blaenavon… and then you can stick around as we are playing straight after them in the Radio 1 / NME tent.

PVRIS VS. MARMOZETS VS. THE JAPANESE HOUSE The Japanese House, we are going straight to Amber’s set after we play.

AT THE DRIVE IN VS. SUNDARA KARMA VS. BLACK HONEY SO HARD because we love all of these bands. But we have to say Black Honey because you won’t see another show like it at Reading this year. They will bring the drama. We love ‘em.

SUNDAY, READING / FRIDAY, LEEDS PINS VS. FICKLE FRIENDS VS. TEN TONNES Pins, please.

HALSEY VS. CHARLI XCX It has to be Charli XCX as she has all the tunes you are going to need for a Sunday afternoon party.

MUSE VS. HAIM Haim are legends, and you cannot beat a sister rhythm section. P

PVRIS

I

THE MAIN STAG E AWAITS!

t’s been two years since PVRIS last played Reading & Leeds. Their set on The Pit was filled with the sort of magic, intensity and excitement that defines a band. “It felt so incredible,” explained Lynn moments after coming offstage. “It was a very intense emotional release for myself.

We had no idea what to expect and we were blown away.”

This go around, PVRIS take to the Main Stage. With time spent supporting Muse and Fall Out Boy in big ol’ American venues, and with the new world of ‘All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell’ to draw from, it’s an appearance that cannot be missed. “Last time was absolutely insane! We are humbled to be making the step up, and we are beyond excited,” Lynn enthuses. Already ‘Heaven’ and ‘What’s Wrong’ have shown

us the band have returned with more weapons in their arsenal and it’s set to keep things fun.

“There are a billion doors in this record. I think there will be a lot of cool moments in the live show. Well, I don’t think, I know.”

“We never really think about it, but the next record is going to translate live well,” she continues. “That’s something completely unintentional, it just happened with the bigger studio space. If you’re just honest with yourself, and you’re real with yourself, that’ll translate to other people. The biggest thing a lot of us learned this year is that being vulnerable is okay.

Being emotional and being transparent about that is okay.

It’s much more important than closing things off, putting on a face and pretending it doesn’t mean anything. It feels good to share and release.” P

PHOTO: PHIL SMITHIES.

’S HOMETOWN GUIDE TO READING FESTIVAL LESSON 1

KNOW YOUR COLOURS:

Our first Reading was back in 2k11, and local knowledge guided us toward the prime camping spot, Yellow. Yellow is for the legends, Purple for the wannabes, White is miles away and more for families etc., Green is gross, Orange is closest to Tesco’s. It’s been a few years so the chi might’ve changed slightly - some people say Yellow is where you camp if you wanna camp with 16-year-olds trying ket for the first time... Maybe your safest bet is Purple or Orange, unless you’re 16 in which case most certainly Yellow.

LESSON 2

PICK YOUR MOMENTS:

Everyone ultimately leaves Reading with another batch of debauched stories. The goal of any festival is to make sure that you get through the weekend without someone gramming too much of your shame. A little shame is healthy. But you don’t what the internet filing the moment you drank piss out of a welly or when you did a line off your ex’s forehead.

LESSON 3

TESCOS:

The third lesson, perhaps the most important, is to know where Tesco is and all your access points. Tesco becomes the Shangri-La for the grumbly boys and girls. It might be worth mentioning that there are two: one’s at the petrol station, and one’s the Tesco Extra which is a bit further away and more of a mission, but the perfect place to get a job lot of bananas. P

THE

S N I SH AT EN D A STA G E E IN D LI N IN G O N STA G ’ IL LS , H EA S B M L R A O IV TW ST OF V E U P FE U M ‘H EA R , AS O N E O LB ED M A R TL EI ET EW S N RE A K E TH IA L FR O M E. T TL E M O ER S H IN S M LI IN E AT A A M M K TH Y G C W ’R E B A : SA M M D EB U TI N 20 16 SA . WO R D S EA R TH EY OA D A N D EE N M A N S . TH IS Y O F TH E R O U SA N D N S AT G R O TH TI F C O A T AT TR FR O N TH E M A IN

I

‘m a little bit hungover today,” apologises James Mercer. It’s early morning, and he’s a bit groggy. “I went out and saw The Lemon Twigs and Savoy Motel last night, and it was a great show. I really enjoyed it. I had a little too much fun, maybe.”

Despite his sore head, The Shins frontman sounds excited to be discussing the band’s new LP. Their first full-length in five years, ‘Heartworms’ also marks their fifth album. “It feels like a completion to me, in a weird way,” he says of the milestone. “In a strange way, it seems like a completion of a circle; I don’t mean anything permanent by that, it’s just the way it feels to me – it feels good. It was another long stretch of writing and recording, and it’s crazy to have completed it now.”

The band first debuted songs from ‘Heartworms’ at last year’s End of the Road – ‘Dead or Alive’ and ‘Rubber Ballz’ – with the appearance also marking the first time The Shins had headlined a night at a festival. It was the first performance with the new lineup, and James says that jumping in at the deep end was probably the best way to introduce the LP. “I remember being super nervous because there had been a couple of lineup changes, so we were a new band really, y’know? And that was our very first show, so it was kind of crazy to have your first show be a big festival like that,” he explains. “But it worked out great, and we really got into it, and I think the crowd got into it too.

I remember coming away and feeling pretty high on life.”

Although ‘Heartworms’ has the typical, lovely tones of just about every album from The Shins, these new members have also injected a certain pizzazz. “Jon [Sortland], our new drummer, brings a sort of swing to his playing,” James explains. “So some of the older songs have a new life to them.” In the past, he’s described The Shins as having a ‘palette’ – “there are chordal structures and movements that I enjoy” – but more notably, The Shins have always had a sort of confessional, nostalgic aspect that many seem to relate to.

‘Heartworms’ feels closer to the core than ever before, as James speaks of his fears – “Where are they now? The money and the crowd?” on ‘Fantasy Island’ – or the frightening reality of the world today – “Monuments for awful events, I float by in a daze on the freeway” on ‘Dead Alive’ – which he still ascribes to being nervous about The Shins’ output. “On ‘Fantasy Island’ I was honestly feeling like, ‘Is anyone going to like this shit? Is this it? Is it going to be any good?’

“There are moments, of course, you have doubts,” he says. “I capitalised on that self-doubt and elaborated on it and created this character who’s some sort of performer – I guess I thought he was a stunt pilot or something. I’ve always had this romantic vision of a person who has to travel the world and can never really settle down because that’s how they’re making their living; it’s like people who work in the show business as roadies.

“You see them ten years later, and you’re like, ‘Man, you’re still out here doing it, fuck.’” P Green Man takes place from 17th-20th August.

LK O A W A E K TA

N TH E

SIDE

E S TS W ER W IL D B EA Y, N A M E O N E O F TH OF H LI G H TS M A N Y H IG LI ER R EA ED S LI V E AT LE IS TH D N R, A TH IS Y EA B AC K E ’R EY TH A U G U ST EF ES T. E FO R LE O N STA G ER .

TL A LI S H U WO R D S :

HAD A S. YOU’VE ILD BEAST TO BE W EL M O FE FR IT M OES HELLO TO 17, HOW D 20 TO RT QUIET STA iet but last STAGE? ’ve been qu BACK ON ths where we it should be. You on m w fe a We’ve had full on, which it was released ally fucking nuary, year was re made it in Ja road the whole time. we , rd co re the on release a re nice we d then we e water. It’s in August, an ng the whale back in th el differently fe tti nd ge ba ’re e Now we bers of th real part of the fferent mem like I leave to be out. Di the petty always feel l I t al r bu fo is, e lv th about lease va That’s the re re I found it me onstage. e, that’s whe lif of s re su pres ON OK BACK NCE TO LO KE A CHA TA U YO DID would ’?

I thought it ‘BOY KING visive than ing an e idea of be a lot more di Th as . w ep it , st s ah Ye viou e we t it was an ob never felt lik it e us ca be be, I though ed, wanted thankfully di ies, but we rit ila sim d indie band ha rd we had viously, we it was a reco were that. Ob es obvious, intellectual nc t, re ha ffe w di r ex of to make ou e’ was the ap final fuck ns r Te ou t of en d es soun to make. ‘Pr one was the cord to re is th tic d ar an th ic ca and synth mus gained a hugely fun d as an w ns It . fa ay w flying aw ’ve lost a fe do. We can’t k maybe we you’ ve got to make, I thin that’s what ppen. t ha bu t , n’ rs ca he s’. That some ot ‘Two Dancer e or m e fiv make G TO THE SHOCKIN EM MORE SE E ALL THE T SE H ’T IG IT M DON B? ‘COS THEY K YOU FROM A TO E C N IE D O AU ment when S THAT TO dg EP ju ST ap sn LE a LITT cord is ddenly that that re ions, and su It’s a fallacy ally y micro-decis roducer] brut ndreds of tin [p hu n s to it’ le ly, ng al ld Co re is thing. John and that’s what we shou th t go ve u’ , yo ents e e arrangem all that tim d en sp we simplified th d yway, why di the record is have done an e really delicate parts, hich is a thes asonings w se d an r composing ita s, gu um dr ls, ca . rs basically vo band like ou sh air for a breath of fre . HAS THAT TO BE FUN ESIGNED D ?

W RD O O C SH IT’S A RE THE LIVE ted out OVER INTO stures, it star All the ge CARRIED r ita gu of stupid e cathar tic.

We do a lot turned mor irror and heek, but it ing in the m ok lo tongue-in-c e ar es ing live, stur ay ge pl r e ita lik gu s el it fe e macho That’s what stures and th lf. ge se er ur yo gg g bi hatin those ase, and all le re a is e ther

OTHER LEEFEST HIGHLIGHTS...

PHOTO: DANNY PAYNE

FICKLE FRIENDS PUMAROSA GEORGIA SHAME SUPERFOOD BAD SOUNDS MILK TEETH KAGOULE CATHOLIC ACTION

shitstorm that Chris is kicking up on the drums, it feels like we’re actually expressing what the record is about, that self-loathing and self-flagellation, but it is fun. It is a sunset strip record in a lot of ways. Lads from the north of England, going to America and making a processed rock record, that’s what it is. It is a lot of fun to play live, and I do think we’re the best we’ve been. We’ve hopefully taken our experience and married it to a new impetus. Rather than standing onstage and playing the songs, something is happening.

AND WHERE DO YOU TAKE IT FROM HERE? I feel like we’ve cracked something open that we’re yet to explore fully. That sense of aggression and the new sounds, I guess you’d call this an unlearning. I can do all the intricate finger picking, or I can go smash, and that’s what we’re trying to do. You have to be encouraged, you have to be dragged kicking and

screaming into relevance, and that’s the job. We’re very fortunate to do what we’re able to do and that requires constant vigilance not to disappear up your own arse.

I’m past thirty now, and I’ve been doing this longer than most of our peers. It’s still fun. I feel like we’ve just made our best record, there’s still stuff ahead, and I want to feel like that for a lot longer, but it does require constant vigilance and a constant attention to what you’re doing. It’s important not to second guess yourself or have anxiety about what you’re trying to do. Think about it and trust your instincts but don’t try and play to the cheap seats either. Keep revolving.

HAVE YOU STILL GOT THINGS YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE? As a musician, always. I love songwriting, it’s a big part of all our lives, and also new things arise, certainly ‘Present Tense’ was about getting into midi

and programming, and this has been, ‘How does that Van Halen song go?’

I think if you’re a good band, you can make a good record on a mobile phone.

It’s the ideas people are listening to.

Production, sonics, fucking forget it. It’s a method of cooking, you still need to grow the vegetables, and that’s what I’m interested in. I like production, but that’s not music. The core idea is music.

I’m still playing with that in my head, but commercially with the band, we’ve already done way more than I expected to do when I was 18. You always want more, but this isn’t terrible.

AND HOW’S THE REST OF THE YEAR LOOKING? A busy summer. It’s going to be good.

It feels like there are things with this record we haven’t done yet, in terms of getting it out to people so we’ll be doing the usual suspects and I think it’s going to be great. I don’t have anything intelligent to say about it other than I really like playing this record live. P LeeFest takes place from 10th-12th August.

“I ’M R EA LLY EX C IT ED ABOUT B ES TI VA L! ”

N TH E G ET IN O WA N TS TO D A N D D R AW T IE M S . JA AN N EE D E H IM A H N CY D R ES R . IF YO U EA R ! G IV B IT O F FA E T W IT TE H AT TO W LOV ES A ER W L TH A W V O AT TI N B ES N ’T K K O N TH E K N O WS H E D O ES UR! EA D D O R EV ERYO N LLY ), B U T P TO @ R E IS C O LO D A SNA (N O , R EA R ’S TH EM EN S EA Y EN IS A C TI O N TH , TH , IT N TF IO U AT O R E IN S PI H IM A N IC

S R U O B H G I NE

EEDS G N Y D O B Y EV E R

OOD

T L IS A LL FE S TI VA O M IN G P-A N D -C E B ES T U A B O U T TH , IN H EAV EN AT B OY, BA N DS : R , N N ES , TE N TO ES TR O N S LL ES …

TH E O R IE TI PS O N E TH EI R IV JAW S G N D -U P. TH E U P-A S TAY O N H O W TO

N EI G H B O

URHOOD

fficult dustry is a di he music in . Having built te ga vi na world to droom up from a be , themselves across the UK l al ed ur to are project, albums, Jaws ed as le re lfand se sures that s to the pres ning no stranger e’re still lear “W it. d un never surro rks – we’ve wo it w ho t abou s. se Geach expres ve split ummer Eddy en a band ha gripes. stopped,” dr ld any times wh m fie so ho Sc en or be “There’s ntman Conn or loads months,” fro g in London gi a up after six t go t n’ doesn’t you have u? That shit “So what if ing to get yo ose songs try th ’t en ite ar wr ts to ough of agen talented en will come.” e It u’r it. yo th If wi r. stick matte e e shows, then November, th leased last and play thos rather than nd album re it co e se ak r m ei th to With on how their advice band share it. k ea br th a coming up wi before even music right, y. rit Ed: Get your io d your main pr hidden in the terms an name. That’s at’s t be shit. Th Connor: Don’ e bottom in small print. th nd makes conditions at es. Every ba . But they make mistak aking them m t no Ed: You will of y wa no e’s er Th mistakes. n’t learn t so much.

And if you do help you ou from them. n ar le u Yo Connor: an idiot. then you’re from them, w sh. ru vice to a ne no e’s er to sum up ad Ed: Th d cliché, an e’s one word y er ge th in If cr : or Conn sounds so to carry on. tience. This band, it’s pa You just need n’t give up. . ca nd st ju ba a u yo in but EN jo until you’re b. Save up. TH Ed: Get a jo u’re sixteen yo en wh b a jo n, on the Connor: Get ic in betwee to ty. Write mus l that money en al e tw t us ou ty ab en g hen you’re tw en to makin op be e, tic weekends. W ac your band. Pr If you do all of this, pump it into e. nc ty-six. d have patie e you’re twen mistakes, an s by the tim of ou m rth fa e wo u’r s’ ar hopefully yo sted four ye u’ve just wa If not then yo can start again… P u yo t money. Bu tober. ace on 7th Oc ood takes pl Neighbourh

3RD-5TH AUGUST 2017

4TH-6TH AUGUST 2017

9TH-16TH AUGUST 2017

VIANA DO CASTELO, PORTUGAL Who’s playing?: Kraftwerk, Moderat How much is it?: €75 + booking fee neopopfestival.com

KATOWICE, POLAND Who’s playing?: Beak>, PJ Harvey, Shellac, Silver Apples, Swans, Feist How much is it?: 270 zł + booking fee off-festival.pl

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY Who’s playing?: Kasabian, Major Lazer, Alt-J, PJ Harvey, Two Door Cinema Club, George Ezra, Pink, Glass Animals How much is it?: €325 + booking fee szigetfestival.com

NEOPOP

3RD-6TH AUGUST 2017

REBELLION

BLACKPOOL, UK Who’s playing?: Pennywise, Slaves, Sham 69, Louise Distras, Bad Religion, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Petrol Girls, Youth Man How much is it?: £160 + booking fee rebellionfestivals.com 3RD-6TH AUGUST 2017

WILDERNESS

OXFORDSHIRE, UK Who’s playing?: Two Door Cinema Club, Grace Jones, Bonobo (live), First Aid Kit, Michael Kiwanuka, Sigrid How much is it?: £168.50 + booking fee wildernessfestival.com

OFF

5TH AUGUST 2017

VISIONS

LONDON, UK Who’s playing?: Frankie Cosmos, Sophie, Shame, Blanck Mass, Goat Girl, Ider, Liars, Jenny Hval, Kero Kero Bonito, Matt Maltese, Sorry How much is it?: £30 + booking fee visionsfestival.com 8TH-12TH AUGUST 2017

ØYA

OSLO, NORWAY Who’s playing?: Lana Del Rey, The xx, Pixies, Chance The Rapper, Ryan Adams, Beth Ditto, Sigrid How much is it?: 2684 NOK oyafestivalen.no

4TH-6TH AUGUST 2017

9TH - 13TH AUGUST 2017

BEDFORDSHIRE, UK Who’s playing?: Fort Hope, Grumble Bee, Forever Still, Rolo Tomassi, Pulled Apart By Horses, Tigress, Seasons How much is it?: £65 + booking fee fortfest.uk

CORNWALL, UK Who’s playing?: Two Door Cinema Club, Jamiroquai, Alt-J, The Flaming Lips, The Vaccines, Stormzy How much is it?: £184 + booking fee boardmasters.co.uk

FORT FEST

BOARDMASTERS

SZIGET

DORK PRESENTS...

10TH-12TH AUGUST 2017

LEEFEST

KENT, UK LeeFest returns to celebrate 11 years.

Who’s playing?: Jake Bugg, Wild Beasts, Kate Tempest, Fickle Friends, Kagoule, Fish, Shame, Catholic Action, Bad Sounds, Strong Asian Mothers How much is it?: £99 + booking fee leefest.org 10TH-12TH AUGUST 2017

WAY OUT WEST

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN Who’s playing?: The xx, Chance the Rapper, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey How much is it?: 2195 kronor + booking fee wayoutwest.se 10TH-13TH AUGUST 2017

BLOODSTOCK

DERBYSHIRE, UK Who’s playing?: Amon Amarth, Kreator, Megadeth, Skindred, Ghost

How much is it?: £139 + booking fee bloodstock.uk.com

How much is it?: £165 + booking fee laroutedurock.com

11TH-13TH AUGUST 2017

17TH-20TH AUGUST 2017

HELSINKI, FINLAND Who’s playing?: Lana Del Rey, The xx, Frank Ocean, Aphex Twin, Ryan Adams How much is it?: €185 + booking fee flowfestival.com

BRECON BEACONS, UK Who’s playing?: PJ Harvey, Ryan Adams, Future Islands, The Shins, Kate Tempest, Angel Olsen, Conor Oberst, Liars, Pumarosa, The Big Moon How much is it?: £180 + booking fee greenman.net

FLOW

10TH-13TH AUGUST 2017

HOUGHTON

NORFOLK, UK Who’s playing?: Nicolas Jaar, Ricardo Villalabos, Floating Points, Seth Troxler, Hercules & Love Affair How much is it?: £150 + booking fee houghtonfestival.co.uk 16TH-19TH AUGUST 2017

PUKKELPOP

HASSELT, BELGIUM Who’s playing?: Mumford & Sons, Billy Talent, PJ Harvey, First Aid Kit How much is it?: €199 + booking fee pukkelpop.be 17TH-19TH AUGUST 2017

ARCTANGENT

BRISTOL, UK Who’s playing?: Explosions in the Sky, Tesseract, Converge, Sikth, Defeater How much is it?: £173 + booking fee arctangent.co.uk 17TH-20TH AUGUST 2017

LA ROUTE DU ROCK

BRITTANY, FRANCE Who’s playing?: PJ Harvey, Interpol, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Mac DeMarco

GREEN MAN

17TH-20TH AUGUST 2017

LOWLANDS

BIDDINGHUIZEN, THE NETHERLANDS Who’s playing?: Mumford & Sons, The xx, Editors, Alt-J, Bastille, London Grammar, Halsey, Solange, At The Drive In How much is it?: €175 + booking fee lowlands.nl 18TH-20TH AUGUST 2017

DOUNE THE RABBIT HOLE

Eyre, Emeli Sande, Stormzy, The Vamps How much is it?: £189 + booking fee vfestival.com 24TH-27TH AUGUST 2017

CREAMFIELDS

CHESHIRE, UK Who’s playing?: deadmau5, Annie Mac, Diplo, Sigma, Stormzy, Tiesto How much is it?: £220 + booking fee creamfields.com 24TH-27TH AUGUST 2017

READING & LEEDS

READING + LEEDS, UK Who’s playing?: Muse, Kasabian, Eminem, Haim, Charli XCX, PVRIS, Frank Carter, Bastille, Circa Waves, Freak, Liam Gallagher, At The Drive In, Mura Masa, Fickle Friends, Declan McKenna, The Magic Gang How much is it?: £205 + booking fee readingfestival.com leedsfestival.com 25TH-26TH AUGUST 2017

SEA CHANGE

STIRLINGSHIRE, UK Who’s playing?: Songhoy Blues, Liars, Jenny Hval, Roddy Woomble, Ulrika Spacek, Paws, Big Thief, Holy Fuck How much is it?: £129.50 + booking fee dounetherabbithole.co.uk

TOTNES, UK Who’s playing?: Temples, Blanck Mass, Amber Arcades, Girl Ray, The Orielles How much is it?: From £55 + booking fee seachangefestival.co.uk

19TH-20TH AUGUST 2017

ROCK EN SEINE

V FESTIVAL

CHELMSFORD + STAFFORDSHIRE, UK Who’s playing?: Pink, Jay Z, Rudimental, Craig David, Ellie Goulding, Busted, George Ezra, Betsy, Clean Bandit, Ella

25TH-27TH AUGUST 2017

PARIS, FRANCE Who’s playing?: The xx, PJ Harvey, Flume, Franz Ferdinand, At The Drive In, The Kills, Mac DeMarco How much is it?: €119 + booking fee rockenseine.com

25TH-27TH AUGUST 2017

VICTORIOUS

PORTSMOUTH, UK Who’s playing?: Madness, Stereophonics, Elbow, Franz Ferdinand, Sundara Karma, Will Joseph Cook, TOY How much is it?: From £25 + booking fee victoriousfestival.co.uk 26TH-27TH AUGUST 2017

SW4

LONDON, UK Who’s playing?: Pendulum, Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Sigma, Knife Party How much is it?: £102.50 + booking fee. southwestfour.com 31ST AUGUST-3RD SEPTEMBER 2017

END OF THE ROAD

LARMER TREE GARDENS, UK Who’s playing?: Father John Misty, Mac DeMarco, The Shins, Band of Horses, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Ty Segall, Perfume Genius How much is it?: £179 + booking fee. southwestfour.com 1ST-2ND SEPTEMBER 2017

ELECTRIC FIELDS

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY, UK Who’s playing?: Frightened Rabbit, Dizzee Rascal, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Band Of Horses, Glass Animals How much is it?: £95 + booking fee electricfieldsfestival.com 1ST-3RD SEPTEMBER 2017

ELECTRIC PICNIC CO LAOIS, IRELAND Who’s playing?: The xx, A Tribe Called

Quest, Interpol, Run the Jewels, Father John Misty, London Grammar How much is it?: Sold Out electricpicnic.ie 7TH-10TH SEPTEMBER 2017

BESTIVAL

ISLE OF WIGHT, UK Who’s playing?: The xx, A Tribe Called Quest, Pet Shop Boys, Dizzee Rascal, Rag’N’Bone Man, Loyle Carter, Circa Waves, Jamie T, Twin Atlantic, Blossoms, Honeyblood, The Magic Gang How much is it?: £170 + booking fee bestival.net 7TH-10TH SEPTEMBER 2017

FESTIVAL NO.6

PORTMEIRION, UK Who’s playing?: Bloc Party, The Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Wild Beasts, The Cribs, TOY, Honeyblood, Palace How much is it?: £205 + booking fee festivalnumber6.com 8TH-10TH SEPTEMBER 2017

ALWAYS THE SUN GUILDFORD, UK Who’s playing?: Public Service Broadcasting, Lucy Rose, IDLES, INHEAVEN, Trudy and the Romance How much is it?: £55 + booking fee alwaysthesunfestival.co.uk 23RD 24TH SEPTEMBER 2017

UNDERGROUND

GLOUCESTER, UK Who’s playing?: Jaws, Happyness, Allusondrugs, Get Inuit, HAUS, Island, Twin Wild How much is it?: £18 weekend / £12 day + booking fee underground17.co.uk

29TH-30TH SEPTEMBER 2017

BY THE SEA

MARGATE, UK Who’s playing?: Everything Everything, Metronomy, The Libertines, Marika Hackman, HMLTD, Dream Wife, British Sea Power, Girl Ray How much is it?: £60 + booking fee bytheseafestival.com 7TH OCTOBER 2017

NEIGHBOURHOOD

MANCHESTER, UK Who’s playing?: Peace, Rat Boy, Black Honey, Jaws, Superfood, The Amazons, Bad Sounds, Ten Tonnes, The Orioles, Demob Happy, INHEAVEN How much is it?: £30 + booking fee neighbourhoodfestival.co.uk 21ST OCTOBER 2017

SIMPLE THINGS

BRISTOL, UK Who’s playing?: Metronomy, IDLES, Alex G, Daphni, Juan Atkins, Nadina Shah, Clark, The Bug ft Miss Red, Jane Weaver, Juan Atkins How much is it?: £35 + booking fee simplethingsfestival.co.uk 1ST-5TH NOVEMBER 2017

ICELAND AIRWAVES

REYKJAVÍK + AKUREYRI, ICELAND Who’s playing?: Fleet Foxes, Billy Bragg, Sigrid, Benjamin Clementine, Childhood, Shame, Michael Kiwanuka, Mura Masa, Songhoy Blues How much is it?: 8.900 - 21.900 kr. + booking fee icelandairwaves.is

“THE ULTIMATE PARTY” NME

“A FANTASTIC UNPRETENTIOUS PARTY VIBE” THE GUARDIAN

“LEE'S STORY HAS BEEN COMPARED TO THAT OF GLASTONBURY’S MICHAEL EAVIS ” BBC RADIO 1

( dj set ) Crazy P (Live) / Moxie / oxide & neutrino Strong Asian Mothers / Makeness / krywald & farrer hosts: Percolate / Regression Sessions / Wonderland Real Beach Parties / Tiki Bar / Opulance Spa & Wood Fired Hot tubs Glitter Wrestling / Chill out Cinema / wild Drag Shows

RD THIR THIRD head l iner To Be Announced

Kagoule / Shame /Valera / Valerass / Fish Catholic Action / Indian Queens Graceland / Lady bird / Operation Kino Tor / Hunters Loaf / tunbridge wells forum

Tom Grennan / Fickle Friends / id ider Keston Cobblers Club / Hannah Peel Bad Sounds / The Bay Rays / Bokito Weirdo++ Co / SuperGlu / Childcare Weirdo Ambient forest / Hidden Venues Natural Lake / Arts and Crafts Workshops / Kids Activity Camp

Burlesque, Cabaret, Circus Sideshows Retro Gaming / Arcade /Jolly Roger Casino / night Goldmine Rave

Never Grow Old 10/11/12 august

£99 weekend ticket

tunbridge wells - Kent

www.leefest.org

10% Discount. use code “DORKNEVERLAND” at checkout. www.leefest.org