Dork, July 2022 by Dork

DOWN WITH BORING.

ISSUE 67 · JULY 2022 · READDORK.COM

Inside beabadoobee’s magical world.

THE NEW ALBUM OUT 17TH JUNE

Index. Issue 67 | July 2022 | readdork.com | Down With Boring

WHAT'S ON THE STEREO? MAGGIE ROGERS

Surrender Review next issue, but - are we allowed to say Album of the Year? Between this and Muna, there's two super strong contenders arriving in the same of a month or so. Alt-pop has never sounded so good.

COURTING

Guitar Music Courting's debut album is on the way. If you were hoping for something as vibrant and mad as the band have always seemed capable of, you're in luck. It's coming in September.

PALE WAVES

Unwanted The pop punk album of the year? Pale Waves have gone full Avril, and it's absolutely bloody brilliant. It's coming in August.

SPORTS TEAM

Gulp! Sports Team's new album is exactly what was ordered, in all its variants. Anyone fancy a chart battle this summer?

HARRY STYLES

Harry's House Yes, 'Music For A Sushi Restaurant' is a total bop. Yes, it does also sound like the music from a Jet2holidays ad. Wanna make something of it?

EDITOR'S LETTER

MUSICIANS ONLY GET one debut album. One first chance to introduce themselves to the world, set their stall out and cement their musical universe. Initial impressions mean everything, right? Well, sort of. There's always an exception to the rule. As amazing as her first full-length 'Fake It Flowers' may have been - all scuzzy, fuzzy modern classics beabadoobee's second album 'Beatopia' feels like we're finally getting to know the real Bea. Diverse, eclectic and utterly captivating, it's a magical kingdom that we're delighted to delve into for this month's cover feature. She's not got a monopoly on amazing new albums this summer, though. One listen to MUNA's self-titled third record will prove that. Both the coolest and, quite probably, the best band on the planet right now, they explain why the relationship that binds the trio together is the fuel for their bright new dawn. Course, there's an elephant in the room. At the time of press, The 1975 have sparked back into life. There's something happening on 7th July, posters in the wild, a social media rebirth and all kinds of teasers. Anyone who was around at the start of their 'A Brief Inquiry...' album campaign will know how this one goes. Keep your eyes locked to readdork.com and our socials, and we'll try to give you the inside line - or at least piss you off with batshit theories along the way. It'll be fun! No, really! "I'M BACK!"

‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd

readdork.com The 1975 5 Seconds of Summer

3 12

Mallrat

MUNA

18, 40, 58

Mura Masa

mxmtoon

Abbie Ozard

Alfie Templeman

Baby Queen

My Chemical Romance

Bad Waitress

NiNE8 Collective

Banji

NOAHFINNCE

Bartees Strange beabadoobee

50, 59 16, 24, 30

Nova Twins

6, 16

14, 57

Nuha Ruby Ra

Blossoms

Pale Waves

Bob Vylan

Phoebe Bridgers

Caroline Polachek

12, 24

piri & tommy

Cavetown

12, 24

Pixey

Charlotte Sands

Porridge Radio

CMAT

Priya Ragu

Rachel Chinouriri

Regressive Left

Declan McKenna

The Regrettes

Dua Lipa

Rina Sawayama

Courting The Cribs

Easy Life Foals

16, 21

6, 16, 24 24, 56, 66

Scalping Sinead O'Brien

Gag Salon

SIPHO

Girl in Red

Sky Ferreira

Griff

Soccer Mommy

Holly Humberstone

IDLES

JayWood

Just Wondering

KEG

Kendrick Lamar

KennyHoopla

KHARTOUM

Kills Birds

Lava La Rue

Lauran Hibberd

Let's Eat Grandma

Lime Garden

Lynks

Mac Wetha

Maggie Rogers

16, 24

24 8, 16, 24 23 19, 52, 59 16 38, 57 22

Sorry

Spector

spill tab

17, 19 16

Stella Donnelly

Strabe

Swim School

Thomas Headon

TV Priest

Unschooling

Vlure

Will Joseph Cook Willow Kayne Working Men's Club

Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Down With Boring Heavy Mailbag History Editor Jake Hawkes Scribblers Andrew Wescott, Connor Fenton, Finlay Holden, Jack Press, Jasleen Dhindsa, Neive McCarthy, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Charlotte Rudd, Derek Bremner, Em Marcovecchio, Frances Beach, Indy Brewer, Luke Piotrowski, Patrick Gunning, Sarah Louise Bennett, Sophie Hur

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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.

46, 57 19 21

Yard Act

Maisie Peters

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Malady

Yungblud

Magi Merlin

Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden

Softcult

Sports Team

Editor Stephen Ackroyd

10, 19, 24

GET EARLY ACCESS, OUR DIGITAL LIBRARY, EVERY ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE *AND* HELP SUPPORT OUR QUEST FOR MAXIMUM POP NONSENSE!

This Month. #67. JULY 2022.

Intro. 06 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

After years away, and then a prolonged delay due to a global pandemic, My Chemical Romance have finally made it back to our shores. It was more than worth the wait. We head to glamorous Milton Keynes to grab a piece of the action.

YARD ACT

It's been a mad, breakout year so far for Yard Act. With a chart bothering debut album and a rep as one of the best live acts on the planet, we reconvened to check in on what's gone down.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... NOAHFINNCE

You know what’s easier than following around your fave pop stars, day in, day out, to see what they’re up to right that minute? Asking them. Here’s what NOAHFINNCE‘s day looks like.

NOVA TWINS

Nova Twins aren't just the future of rock, they're the present too - and with their new album 'Supernova', they're here to prove it.

BANGERS

The best of the latest new tracks, featuring spill tab, Rina Sawayama, Sky Ferreira, Maggie Rogers and ‘loads more’.

Festivals. 18

THE GREAT ESCAPE

Hundreds of acts, countless venues and three solid days of shows. With so much choice, finding the best of the bunch is a challenge. We sent our team of intrepid experts out to track them down.

O CANADA!

Canada is packed with musical talent - as shown at this year's The Great Escape when Music Export Canada brought their magnificant Canada House to the Green Door Store. We profile some of the best stuff.

50 BARTEES STRANGE

Most people don't start their second album before their first is even properly out, but Bartees Strange isn't most people.

FESTIVAL PREVIEWS

What to see at Standon Calling, Latitude, Barn on the Farm, Y Not and 2000trees.

Hype.

26 PIRI & TOMMY

Partners both in life and in pop, piri & tommy have already kicked up a viral storm, and they're only just getting started.

Incoming. 56 REVIEWS

The new releases you need to hear - and some you definitely don’t.

KHARTOUM

Having already picked up comparisons to Wolf Alice and Sunflower Bean, London three-piece KHARTOUM guarantee a nice time with their warm guitar-pop tunes.

CHARLOTTE SANDS

Supporting My Chemical Romance on their UK return run? That's no big deal for Charlotte Sands.

SINEAD O'BRIEN

Turns out, poetry can be punk, but - as she releases her debut album - there's much more to Sinead O'Brien than simple labels.

ARTIST’S GUIDE: ABBIE OZARD

Swimming caps on, as Abbie runs us through her latest brilliant EP, 'Water Based Lullabies'.

59 ARTIST’S GUIDE: MAC WETHA

Multi-talented up-and-comer Mac Wetha delves into the ins and outs of his new EP.

Features.

Get Out.

30 BEABADOOBEE

60 DECLAN MCKENNA

With her debut album 'Fake It Flowers', beabadoobee made a splash. With its follow-up, she's making her own unique world.

38 SOCCER MOMMY

Battling conflicting emotions through the medium of music, Soccer Mommy's latest album sees Sophie Allison ascend to a new level.

40 MUNA

For most bands, leaving their label while the world battles a global pandemic would be disaster. With their best album yet, Muna aren't most bands.

46 WILL JOSEPH COOK

A viral hit, a sense of global community and a new record finds Will Joseph Cook more assured than ever before.

4. DORK

Royal Albert Hall, London, 2nd May 2022

62 62

DUA LIPA

The O2, London, 3rd May 2022

DECENT EXPOSURE

The best live photography, featuring Girl In Red.

Backpage. 66 ANY OTHER QUESTIONS... FOALS

Yes, Dear Reader. We enjoy those ‘in depth’ interviews as much as anyone else. But - BUT - we also enjoy the lighter side of music, too. We simply cannot go on any longer without knowing that Jack Bevan from Foals would choose to be a domestic ferret, if he had to.

THE BEATING HEART OF POP.

The back! back!! back!!! parade After years away, and then a prolonged delay due to a global pandemic, My Chemical Romance have finally made it back to our shores. It was more than worth the wait. We head to glamorous Milton Keynes to grab a piece of the action. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

6. DORK

‘FYI’ THE MUSIC NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW.

EASY LIFE

Easy Life have announced their second album, 'Maybe In Another Life'. Set to drop on 12th August, they've previewed it with another new track. 'DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY' is streaming now, and features Brockhampton's Kevin Abstract. You can read more about it in Bangers on page 16. Off you pop!

MURA MASA

Mura Masa has returned with a new track, and news of a third album. ‘blessing me’ features Pa Salieu and Skillibeng, and previews new full-length ‘demon time’, which is set for release on 16th September via Polydor. It’s the third track to be revealed that will feature on the record, following up on February’s ‘bbycakes’ with PinkPantheress, Shygirl and Lil Uzi Vert, and last year’s ‘2gether’.

e're five shows into My Chemical Romance's reunion tour, and already the band have set the internet ablaze. What is Gerard Way's obsession with rats? Is 'Swarm' the name of the new album? Are the backdrops rebuilding themselves? And just what the hell is MetaMan, Gerard's new blood-soaked alter ego with the Facebook parent company's logo Sharpied on his forehead? It's almost like the band have never been away. But as Gerard explains during one of his many rambling, off-the-cuff speeches, these shows feel different to any My Chemical Romance have ever played. Sure, there are the obvious differences. This sold-out 30,000 capacity stadium is bigger than any previous headline show, and their audience - while still mostly made up of angsty, angry and confused teenagers looking for some semblance of comfort – is now peppered with an awful lot of 30-somethings who are just as in need of community. But more than that, "it feels like something is happening," Gerard tells the crowd. "This feels alive." On a different night, he explains how touring with My Chem used to be a "white knuckle ride", where they were always concerned about what was coming next and how to preserve what they already had. This run of shows? The band don't give a fuck about any of that. All they care about is having a good time and making sure everyone else does as well. The 21-song setlist pulls from across My Chemical Romance's eclectic back catalogue. There's the lo-fi arena punk of 'Boy Division' from scrapped album 'Conventional Weapons', and the flailing hardcore of 'Mastas Of Ravencroft', taken from 'Danger Days' accompaniment 'The Mad Gear And Missile Kid' - but there's an emphasis on energy, rather than simply wheeling out the greatest hits. Moody new single 'Foundations Of Decay', a track about rebelling against inaction and fear of failure, opens the show; the band performing in front of a derelict cityscape. It looks like an extension of the post-apocalyptic world they introduced us to on 'Danger Days', just without the cartoonish colour. Then the band kick into party-starting garage rock anthem 'Na Na Na', and all thoughts about hidden meanings are washed

readdork.com 7.

Festivals. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS FESTIVAL SEASON.

MUNA → THERE’S A GIDDY sense of anticipation around MUNA‘s appearance, and just why they’re the talk of the festival is proven from note one of their takeover at The Beach. ‘Number One Fan’ and ‘Stayaway’ usher in a set that makes The Great Escape feel like their own headline gig. Massive singalong and pogoing bodies greet every moment as the entire room becomes a joyous nightclub of feel-good release. In just 30 minutes, they steal the show, running from new disco-banger ‘Home By Now’ and ‘Anyone But Me’ to the frankly ridiculous heights of ‘I Know A Place’ and ‘Silk Chiffon’. The set of the festival? It’s hard to argue against it – just get to a MUNA show as soon as you can. JAMIE MUIR

18. DORK

↓↓↓ FESTIVAL REPORT ↓↓↓

Sinead O'Brien → SINEAD O’BRIEN is a master in control of a set that grabs the mood in the room and turns it into one of her very own. At times hypnotic, at times overflowing with energy, and at times ready to pull you into another world – it’s a statement of intent from an artist truly in a lane of her own. Cuts like ‘Kid Stuff’ and latest number ‘There Are Good Times Coming’ blend those shuffling worlds together, serving through a set that feels special simply being there. Emotionally, spiritually and sonically – Sinead O’Brien proves why her every word is so vital right now. JAMIE MUIR

NEIGHBOURHOOD

2 0 2

2 F E

A L S

PHOTOS: EM MARCOVECCHIO, INDY BREWER, PATRICK GUNNING.

‘FYI’ T I V

Hundreds of acts, countless venues and three solid days of shows. With so much choice, finding the best of the bunch is a challenge. We sent our team of intrepid experts out to track them down.

FESTIVAL

Here's the best of what we saw at The Great Escape 2022

THE GREAT ESCAPE 12TH-14TH MAY 2022 BRIGHTON, UK

Willow Kayne → IT’S A BUSTLING Coalition that welcomes Willow Kayne, and for a Friday night, there’s arguably no better soundtrack. Razor-sharp PC pop smashes into electro-rap at every turn, feeling like an artist perfectly suited to soundtrack the late nights and electric club vibes. It’s a genre-smashing jukebox, all party and all vibes. New tracks (including ‘Final Notice’ that arrived but a few days ago) and cuts from ‘Playground Antics’ flow perfectly, from an artist that could be put into any situation and start a celebration. Looking for the sound of the future? Willow Kayne shows it and more at The Great Escape. JAMIE MUIR

Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival has announced its return with a line up featuring the likes of Everything Everything, The Snuts, Sundara Karma and Alfie Templeman (pictured). Hitting Manchester city centre on 1st October, it’ll also feature Dork faves including Baby Queen, Lauran Hibberd, Dylan, Rachel Chinouriri, The Goa Express, Anorak Patch, Courting, English Teacher, L’objectif, Priestgate and more.Held across multiple venues, shows will take place at the Albert Hall, Gorilla, O2 Ritz and more. Tickets for the festival are on sale now, with more acts to be announced in the near future.

VISIONS Visions Festival has announced a final set of acts for this year’s event. The likes of Home Counties, HighSchool, Nukuluk, Jessica Winter, Sam Akpro, Ailbhe Reddy and more will play the Hackney festival, which takes place across multiple venues on Saturday, 23rd July.They join a bill that already includes Black Country, New Road, Miso Extra and Yumi Zouma, among others

LIVE AT LEEDS IN THE CITY

CMAT → THE GREAT ESCAPE often plays hosts to rough-around-the-edges new bands who haven’t quite nailed their live show yet, but make up for it with bags of potential. CMAT, on the other hand, knows exactly what she’s doing. What she’s doing happens to be kneeling down on stage to simulate a trapdoor due to a lack of production budget, but our point still stands. As soon as the first notes of ‘I Don’t Really Care 4 U’ get played, the crowd are singing along to every word. They’re so enthusiastic that a moshpit opens up to ‘No More Virgos’, which may be the only time a pop-country banger about bad romantic choices has caused people to leap around so much they spill half their drink. Between songs CMAT is chatting to the crowd and throwing shapes like she’s in a photo booth. “I pose when I need to catch my breath but still want people to cheer for me.” she jokes before launching into unreleased track ‘Rent’. As the set finishes, it’s easy to forget you’re at a festival and not a headline show. “I’m a country music aficionado, but I’m secretly a pop star,” she says at one point. After today’s set, that’s a claim we’re more than willing to verify JAKE HAWKES

Yard Act recommend... CMAT's incredible. The first time I saw her, I remembered the songs instantly, and the band were super great; you can tell they're so in sync with each other. Just seeing someone who fucking knows their craft inside out and writes good songs, that's all I care about, and CMAT had it the first time I saw her. Anyone who can write songs so good that you remember them after seeing them once that's all you want in a band. - JAMES SMITH, YARD ACT

Spill Tab → “IS ANYONE HERE super lactose intolerant, but also eats cheese?” spill tab‘s between-song chatter might be on the weird side, but that’s only to balance out how wonderful the rest is. A half-full The Arch early on the first evening of the first edition of The Great Escape in three full years might lack the kind of sweatbox atmosphere for an exciting new artist to buzz off, but there’s no denying she’s a genuine star. Both ‘Grade A’ and ‘Velcro’ rank up with the best bops Brighton will hear all weekend, too – so much so, we’ll let her off the slowed down, acoustically delivered Kelly Clarkson cover we’re so ideologically opposed to. STEPHEN ACKROYD

Pale Waves, Thomas Headon, Working Men’s Club, Baby Queen and more are set to play this year’s edition of Live at Leeds in the City. The multi-venue, inner city event will take place on Saturday 15th October, following up on June's Live at Leeds in the Park. Other names on the initial bill include Sea Power, Palace, Will Joseph Cook, Prima Queen, Sprints, The Queen’s Head and more.

BST HYDE PARK A batch of new names have been announced for Elton John‘s BST Hyde Park show, including Rina Sawayama, Let’s Eat Grandma and Thomas Headon. Taking place as part of Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road – The Final Tour dates, it’ll take place on 24th June. Other new names on the bill for the sold out show include the likes of Berwyn, Gabriels, Tom a Smith and Juanita Euka.

readdork.com 19.

COVER STORY

Welcome to

With her debut album 'Fake It Flowers', beabadoobee made a splash. With its follow-up, she's making her own unique world. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: DEREK BREMNER.

30. DORK

BEABADOOBEE

readdork.com 31.

FEATURES

For most bands, leaving their label while the world battles a global pandemic would be disaster. With their best album yet, Muna aren't most bands. WORDS: MARTYN YOUNG. PHOTOS: EM MARCOVECCHIO.

40. DORK

MUNA

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FEATURES

A viral hit, a sense of global community and a new record finds Will Joseph Cook more assured than ever before. WORDS: NEIVE MCCARTHY. PHOTOS: INDY BREWER.

46. DORK

WILL JOSEPH COOK

readdork.com 47.

FEATURES

Time f ys Turns out, poetry can be punk, but - as she releases her debut album - there's much more to Sinead O'Brien than simple labels. WORDS: CONNOR FENTON PHOTOS: PATRICK GUNNING.

52. DORK

SINEAD O'BRIEN

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the new album - out 15th july

pre-order now

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