Dork, March 2023 (Shame cover)

DOWN WITH BORING.

ISSUE 74 · MARCH 2023 · READDORK.COM

Shame Gorillaz

INDEX.

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Issue 74 | March 2023 | readdork.com | Down With Boring

What’s more Dork than interviewing a bunch of cartoon characters and refusing to ever break ‘the bit’? Probably not much. That deep dive into the mad world of Gorillaz is just one of the quite frankly iconic looks we’re serving this issue, complete with an exclusive Jamie Hewlett illustrated cover, no less. Beyond the cult confessions and character-driven mayhem, their new album ‘Cracker Island’ is one of the best modern pop records you’ll hear all year.

And no, Murdoc hasn’t bribed us to say that. He couldn’t afford us.

But if we’re talking iconic, you won’t go far wrong with Gracie Abrams, either. With a much-anticipated, practically-begged-for new album recorded alongside The National’s Aaron Dessner at Long Pond studios, it’s very easy to draw the lines to show exactly why this is one to get us more than a little excited. It delivers too, big time.

And then you’ve our third cover stars. Shame remain one of the most brilliantly sharp bands the UK has produced in years. With their third album ‘Food For Worms’, they’re as vibrant and exciting as ever. And that’s before we start talking about the Phoebe Bridgers feature they assure us is definitely real. Honest it is.

Now, if you excuse us, we’re off to ask Matty Healy why Lewis Capaldi can play ‘Antichrist’ at a 1975 show, but he can’t. He better have a good excuse. The state of it.

‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd

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Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden

#74. MARCH 2023.

Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Scribblers Abigail Firth, Connor Fenton, Finlay Holden, Jack Press, Jake Hawkes, Jamie MacMillan, Jessica Goodman, Melissa Darragh, Neive McCarthy, Sam Taylor Snappers Eddie Whelan, Jamie Macmillan, Jordan Curtis Hughes, Lewis Vorn, Patrick Gunning, Rory Barnes, Sarah Louis Bennett PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM

UNIT 10, 23 GRANGE ROAD, HASTINGS, TN34 2RL

INTRO.

20 22

04 08 10 12 14 16 17

FEATURES.

THE 1975 MATT MALTESE THE GOA EXPRESS SWIM SCHOOL ALEXANDER 23 BANGERS A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... MALADY

24 32 40 44 52

SHE’S IN PARTIES HEARTWORMS

GORILLAZ GRACIE ABRAMS JOCKSTRAP SHAME WESLEY JOSEPH

54 55 56

PARAMORE MASTER PEACE INHALER

GET OUT. 58 59 60 60

LEWIS CAPALDI ROCKAWAY BEACH WALLOWS COACH PARTY

HYPE.

INCOMING.

BACKPAGE.

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54

62

3COLLECT COVERS THEM ALL

JESSICA WINTER

REVIEWS

CAITY BASER

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.

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INTRO. THE BEATING HEART OF POP NONSENSE.

4. DORK

THE 1975 kick off their UK tour in Brighton with their biggest swing yet.

WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: JORDAN CURTIS HUGHES.

READDORK.COM 5.

INTRO

→ The 1975 have always chased big. With each studio album, the fourpiece have gotten broader and more experimental to the point that their recent ‘Music For Cars’ era saw them release thirty-seven vastly different tracks over two records – 2018’s ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ and 2020’s ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’. At the same time, their live shows have pushed the boundaries of gigantic technical spectacle and community.

By contrast, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ was something of a reset. A back-to-basics record that saw the band shrug off political grandstanding and generational worries and replace them with the occasional dick joke. It was direct, but never simple. Likewise, their At Their Very Best world tour sees The 1975 turn left instead of seeing how much bigger they can grow things.

Split into two acts, the first is a surprisingly nuanced showcase of their new album, played out like a West End play. Set in a big townhouse, complete with staircase, numerous televisions and a sofa, The 1975 are expanded to an eightpiece band tonight in Brighton for the first date of their UK tour and each member is introduced like the audience is watching a sitcom.

During the first hour of the show, there are some not-so-subtle nods to American Psycho as vocalist Matty Healy channels his inner Patrick Bateman and mocks outdated ideas of masculinity by eating a fistful of steak, touching himself on the

6. DORK

sofa (yes, Denise Welch is at the show) and doing push-ups in front of a screen that shows images of Prince Andrew, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Andrew Tate, before he climbs through the screen itself.

“Men are confused,” he explains later. “If you’re on the left, it’s confusing because the right are a lot better at adopting that floundering sense of masculinity. It’s twelve rules of how to be a dude,” he continues before admitting, “all I do is watch shit and wank.” It’s hard to know how seriously to take him, though. Earlier in the show, he started a sincere speech about method acting

before someone yelled cut, and an army of labcoat-wearing stagehands appeared to adjust everyone’s hair, makeup and position. “If you make a show that’s essentially about your life, are you acting?” he questions, further tumbling down the meta rabbit hole.

It sounds outrageous and complicated, but for the most part, the first chunk of The 1975’s show is dominated by visceral emotion. From self-referential, apologetic opener ‘The 1975’ to the gooey ‘Oh Caroline’ and stunning ‘I’m In Love With You’, the nine tracks aired from ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ couldn’t

be more direct. Peppered with the more vulnerable songs from their back catalogue (‘fallingforyou’, ‘I Like America & America Likes Me’, ‘I Couldn’t Be More In Love’), it’s a powerful 60 minutes that makes you question everything you thought you knew about The 1975, soundtracked by some of their finest work.

A switch is flipped for the second half, for an expanded run-through of their greatest hits that acts as an impossibleto-ignore statement of why The 1975 are so adored and how they made it this far.

Polished, pristine and giddy, the likes of ‘The Sound’, ‘If You’re Too Shy’, and ‘Give Yourself A Try’ are as euphoric as ever while Matty makes an impassioned, pro-strike speech before a fiery ‘Love It If We Made It’. “Being anti-Tory isn’t a hot take,” he offers.

For the longest time, the takeaway message from a The 1975 show was that they were the biggest and best band in the world. This tour is different, though.

Yes, The 1975 are still utterly brilliant, and they’ve got no shame in admitting it either, but tonight asks more questions than it answers. As Matty explains, “it’s definitely not a festival set”, but it’s not inaccessible either. It is “a show about a show” that’s also just a fantastic rock show. Constantly evolving (it’s already very different to the US leg of the tour), it’s impossible to predict where the band and the gigs will go next, but it’s already a must-see event. At Their Very Best feels like The 1975’s biggest swing yet. ■

24.03 BEDFORD 25.03 NORWICH 26.03 BIRMINGHAM 28.03 EXETER 29.03 BRISTOL 31.03 BRIGHTON 01.04 NOTTINGHAM

SATURDAY 25TH MARCH 2023

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02.04 SHEFFIELD 04.04 MANCHESTER 05.04 NEWCASTLE 06.04 GLASGOW 08.04 LIVERPOOL 09.04 STOKE 11.04 SOUTHEND 12.04 LONDON

FOUNDRY GORILLA UNIVERSITY CLASSIC GRAND DISTRICT SUGARMILL CHINNERYS KOKO

ALASKALASKA • Athens 04 • Baba Ali • BENZO QUEEN Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard • CIEL • Cloth • Ead Wood Egyptian Blue • Gold Baby • Heavy Lungs • Japanese Television Jerkcurb • Jemima Coulter • JOHN • Kiran Leonard • Lifter Lime Garden • Maruja • Melin Melyn • Milo’s Planes • Naima Bock Pale Blue Eyes • Panic Shack • Pem • Preen • Rozi Plain

Scalping • Sniffany And The Nits • Tapir! • The Orielles The RothmansTry Me • Tummyache •

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Biped • Mermaid Chunky • Robbie & Mona • Tony Njoku Algernon Cornelius • BUFFEE • Me, Charles • Irish Mellow

SWX • Rough Trade • Strange Brew • Dareshack ritual-union.co.uk PLUS MORE ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED

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MATT MALTESE is back with news of a brand new album.

→ Matt Maltese’s fourth full-length, ‘Driving Just To Drive’ is out on 28th April. It follows on from a big few years, during which Matt has been racking up streams, picking up name-y TikTok fans (Doja Cat! BTS’ Kim Taehyung!), and co-writing with the likes of Joy Crookes and Celeste.

“I think getting older and busier, you can sometimes create a rewards-system in your brain, where every action needs to have a reason for doing that action,” he says of the release. “But there’s also a whole new fresh load of doom out there that sometimes can put our obsession with personal ‘growth’ into perspective. I often live in a buildingblock mindset where I need to do this thing so I can do that thing and that means I’ll have a chance at that other thing. In the meantime, there are all these uncontrollable (and maybe even unchangeable) realities, like a wealth-bias financial system and an exponentially heating world, that could render all the productivity pointless.”

He continues: “I thought a lot back to being younger and how much more I used to do things just to do them. Playing on a playground as a kid or just going for a drive and listening to music in the car.

I used to love stuff with no sense of an outcome, with no sense of self-imposed necessity. I think it’s important to have some of that in our lives.”

Because we’re inquisitive types, we got hold of Matt to ask a bit more about the record.

Hi Matt! How’s it going?

Hello! I’m well, thank you. I just finished White Lotus, so I’m a bit shaken up and in love with Jennifer Coolidge.

Have you given up on your New Year’s resolutions yet?

For the first time ever, I didn’t make any!

So no giving up this time.

Congrats on announcing a new album – what was the timeline like for working on this one? When did you start, what happened in the middle bit, when did you finish?

Thank you. I started Christmas of 2021 and then made it last summer. The middle bit was as gruesome and rewarding as it usually is. But good. I don’t feel normal til it’s finished, and then I start writing the next one and don’t feel normal all over again.

What was your headspace like during that time?

Not so hot, really. A breakup, moving house to somewhere I didn’t like, and just generally basking in the swamp of misery that the world sometimes is. But, you know, I’m lucky in so many ways, and

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It was hard letting go in moments and trusting other people with the songs” M AT T M A LT E S E

I do try and channel that into my work and make good of it all. It’s important for me to do that – I’m constantly reminded how ridiculously fortunate I am to do something that has meaning to me and that sometimes brings meaning to others. In a way, I want to honour that all the time by making more and not wallowing too much.

Did you hit upon any unexpected challenges pulling the album together?

To be honest, not hugely. I made it with a wonderful collaborator Josh Scarbrow, and it was very nice to share the experience, a lot more than I have in a while. It was hard letting go in moments and trusting other people with the songs. But some other people are actually very good and much better than me.

What’s the album about?

There’s a lot about home in it – my childhood home, Reading – and my relationship with it. There are songs about lots of things, though, to be honest – it’s no concept album.

Losing love, finding it, my parents, seeing the theatre in everyday life, the silliness of it all. And

the seriousness!

which is writing the song.

Do you have a favourite song on it?

I think ‘irony would have it’ will always have a spot for me. It just felt very easy to write. I don’t think it’s my favourite, but I don’t really have a favourite. I have the best relationship with it cause it wasn’t such a lovely horrid process to write like the others. It’s like the sweet, quiet child amongst a litter of problem children. Bad analogy?

Where do you hope this album will take you?

Not too many expectations, but I’m very proud of it, and I hope people will like it.

And that there’ll be enough listeners to justify making the one after it!

You’ve been doing a lot of co-writing lately too, right? Can you tell us a bit about that?

Yes! I started a few years ago, and it’s just been great. I’ve been able to be a part of a lot of amazing people’s work.

And I get to do my favourite bit more,

How do you like to spend your time off at the mo?

Not to sound like one of those, but I don’t take much time off. When I do, I keep up the friendships in my life, go to the cinema, walk, try and finally read a book again. And fall in love with Jennifer Coolidge. ■ Matt Maltese’s album ‘Driving Just To Drive’ is out 28th April.

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THE CAT EMPIRE

asphalt meadows tour

- UK TOUR 2023 -

- uk/ie 2023 -

with special guest

slow pulp march sat 18 sun 19 tue 21 wed 22 thu 23 sat 25 mon 27

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roundhouse

wed 29

london

royal albert hall

extra show added

Mar 28 CAMBRIDGE Junction O2 Forum Kentish Town MarMar 29 28LONDON CAMBRIDGE Junction LONDON O2 Forum Kentish Town O2 Academy MarMar 30 29BOURNEMOUTH BOURNEMOUTH O2Factory Academy Mar 30BRISTOL SOLD Marble AprOUT 01 SOLD AprOUT 01 BRISTOL Marble Factory Empire AprApr 02 02COVENTRY COVENTRY HMV HMV Empire Apr 04 LEEDS Beckett Students Union QMU Apr 05 GLASGOW Thecatempire.com Ticketmaster.co.uk . Seetickets.com O2 Ritz Apr 06 MANCHESTER by arrangement with UTA

by arrangement with caa

uk tour 2023

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

HECTOR GANNET •

MANDRAKE HANDSHAKE A

reschedulded tour original tickets valid

new date

05 July 06 July 08 July 09 July 10 July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 17 July 18 July 19 July 21 July 22 July

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new date

UK TOUR 2023 02 Feb 03 Feb 04 Feb SOLD OUT 07 Feb 08 Feb 09 Feb 10 Feb 11 Feb 12 Feb 15 Feb 16 Feb SOLD OUT 17 Feb 18 Feb 25 Mar

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INTRO

THE GOA EXPRESS are in a proper Netflix film, dontcha know?

→ A film about a guy trying to set up a community bank might not scream ‘band cameo’, but Netflix’s Bank Of Dave features local up-and-comers The Goa Express performing at Burnley’s Turf Moor, meaning now they’re both official movie stars, and stadium rockers. We pinned down now-legit-movie-star, frontman James Douglas Clarke to find out more about their time on screen, and you know, their music ‘and stuff’.

Hi James, how’s it going? What are you up to today?

Yo. Just in the studio now with the fire on, listening to a click track over and over again and drinking a honey, lemon and ginger tea. Not feeling so well. We will all be in the live room recording some stuff soon.

So, you’re in a Netflix film now. How does it feel to be movie stars?

It feels pretty good to be in the movies, but now we can’t really go out in public.

All jokes aside, it will be quite funny to see where our 5 minutes of fame really take us to. The Hollywood Hills, no less.

Now you’ve performed at Turf Moor, are you officially stadium rock? Is it next stop Wembley?

Funny that nobody else drew the stadium rock comparison before. I mean, the songs were all obviously written with Turf Moor in mind. Hmmm, Wembley, maybe, but probably for the release of album number two.

Are any of you Burnley supporters?

Yep, a few of us are Burnley supporters and have all had season tickets in the past.

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The songs were all obviously written with Turf Moor in mind” JAMES DOUGLAS CLARKE Top of the league at the moment.

How did getting the gig come about, exactly?

Our manager rang us up one day and was like, ‘yo boys, do you want to be in a film?’

And we were like, yeah, I guess so, why not.

There wasn’t much more to it than that. All of a sudden, we were on a film set, eating fish and chips.

You’re from Burnley - what was it like growing up as a band there? You’re surrounded by bigger cities with huge musical heritage, obviously. Was there any one place you gravitated to?

When we started hanging out, we were all too young to go anywhere in the city, so we usually just hung around the town centre and did our best to stay out of trouble.

House parties were a big thing back then.

You’re a band that seemed to start breaking through during the pandemic - now we’re back in a relatively more normal place, how do you look back on that period? Do you feel it slowed down the route to a debut album, or did you

learn more being able to take the time to put out singles and build?

It didn’t really bother us so much. We knew that at some point we were going to release an album and that at some point we were going to play shows and that at some point we were going to get out of it and do our own thing.

Apparently you ↑ The Goa Express in Netflix’s Bank of Dave. played over 100 gigs last year. Did getting to yourself; being able to work through your that much time on the road under your feelings, and trying to make sense of them. belt after such a long stint without live Growing up is both really fun and really not. music result in any evolution for the band?

You’ve just signed to Communion - are Definitely - playing that many shows last we all-systems-go for that debut album year was super important, but it also wiped now? When can we expect to hear more? us out as we got accustomed to late nights Our debut album might be incoming! and early mornings. We are now much, We are in the studio just now for three much tighter than before but rougher than weeks. There will be plenty more shows to ever. announce and plenty more singles to be released before the big release.

‘Portrait’ is brilliant, but also quite a short, sharp two and a bit minutes. Do What else are you up to? you prefer short songs to long ones?

Generally, just trying to get ourselves back Long songs take too long to write and too into good health and, right now, recording. long to listen to. Does anyone really have Somewhat hibernating. The cold months an attention span these days? are the worst, and we can’t wait to get back out into the sun. ■ What do you most enjoy writing about at the moment, are there any themes you You can find Bank of Dave on Netflix. find yourselves returning to?

The Goa Express’ single ‘Portrait’ is also The best thing about writing music is having all the time and space in the world out now.

PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM

INTRO

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“ EN

SWIM SCHOOL are getting mad at the pricks with their new rager.

→ Sometimes, you’ve just got to get really, really cross with people. That’s the spirit that runs through swim school’s just dropped new track ‘Delirious’. Documenting vocalist Alice Johnson’s experiences with misogyny within the music industry, it goes harder than a half brick thrown at full pelt into tool infested custard. It’s part of a new EP, coming this June, titled ‘Duality’ - half angry ragers, half loved up fuzz.

Given how we love a band with range, we dropped a line to Alice to find out more about what’s coming up.

Hi Alice, how’s it going? What are you up to today?

I’m doing good, I hope you are too. I had a day full of rehearsals with the boys preparing for our tour that starts next week, which was a lot of fun!

You’ve just released your new single ‘Delirious’, about misogyny - what is it that drew you to putting those experiences into a song?

We had a busy festival season last year, so we were constantly working with new sound engineers and people who work in music, and I had more bad experiences than good. I encountered a lot of sexism, rude comments and lack of respect from the men we worked with. As a woman in the music industry, I have experienced misogyny before but never so consistently over a short space of time.

When we would show up for festivals, I would feel so excited yet so anxious about how I was going to be treated each time.

Constantly being disrespected and talked down to started to have an effect on me - it got to the point in which I felt like I wasn’t good enough.

The turning point was when I was in the

hotel room with the boys after one of our festival sets and just feeling so angry - I had had enough. I knew that I deserved to be on that stage as much as the boys in my band, so I said to them, “I want to write a really angry, heavy song about misogyny so I can channel all my anger into it. I also want to put my guitar down and just be on the microphone, as that would be a statement.” And, of course, they were keen, so we started writing when we got back to Scotland the next day.

Was it important for you to tackle the issue head-on? Now at least you have something to play in soundcheck if someone is being a dick, right?

For me, it is so important to tackle these issues that affect me because I know that they affect others. There is something comforting in hearing that someone else is and has gone through what you are going through. I truly believe that sharing your experiences can help others overcome similar experiences. When it comes to sexism and misogyny, there is no easy way to avoid it. I noticed at times, these men would come up to me when the boys weren’t close so they could make their comments whilst I’m alone and in a vulnerable situation.

It is never a nice experience; at first, you feel like crying, then you have this anger, but also the moment’s passed, so there’s not much you can do. The sad thing is that it felt like a routine for me - but now I have a song to show for it and to show that they will never stop me from doing what I love.

It’s funny because now if we ever have a bad experience with a sound engineer during soundcheck, I turn to the boys and say that, “’Delirious’ is going to go off tonight”. A positive in getting pissed off before playing that song live is that it makes the performance even more energetic and angry - it feels therapeutic. It also feels good to take a bad experience and channel it into something productive rather than letting it destroy you and your confidence.

Are there any songs by other artists that tackle similar issues that have resonated with you?

I actually think writing ‘Delirious’ was the first time I didn’t have a song that I wanted to use as reference - all I knew is that I wanted big guitars, big drums and heavy

Words: Sam Taylor.

Photo: Rory Barnes.

“I’D HAD NOUGH”

INTRO

What are the other songs about?

‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ is about falling for someone but being unsure if they feel the same way. You’ve been hurt before, and you are scared of being hurt again. As I said, it’s about the feeling of being vulnerable and open at the risk of being hurt or let down.

‘Kill You’ is about the safety you feel while being in love. You can feel the warmth, the fuzzy feeling of being in love through the instrumentation and the lyrics. It’s our summer festival song in which everyone gets up on their mate’s shoulders, the sun is shining in a field, and everyone is so happy and steaming - we want that to happen this festival season.

‘Over Now’ is the complete opposite of both those songs - it’s about a toxic relationship being over. It’s about someone who has been in your life for a while, you once had a relationship with, yet you were blind to their toxic traits. They promised you the world but did nothing but constantly disappoint you, and it’s not until you take a step back, you see how harmful they truly were. The relief you feel when you are no longer involved with them is freeing, and you can finally move on.

I knew that I deserved to be on that stage as much as the boys in my band”

synths. The fact I had all this anger built up already meant we wrote the song so How did you find the quickly. I wrote all the process of putting this EP lyrics in the space together compared to your of 10 minutes - they first? came so naturally.

In between our debut EP, One song that I ‘Making Sense Of It All’, and could have taken our new EP, ‘Dualtility’, we inspiration from have toured, played loads of A L I C E J O H N S O N would be ‘Rebel Girl’ shows and festivals all over

by Bikini Kill when the UK and experienced a lot it comes to the song’s energy, anger and - you can hear how much we have matured passion. The song is about the support and between both EP’s. Working with a producer inspiration you feel from other women, and as professional as Iain gave us so much that is an aspect I want to include in the confidence. music we write.

I have never felt so confident as a vocalist.

Iain somehow brought out this trust in my It’s from your new EP, ‘Duality’ - how voice that I had never felt before when long have you been working on it for? recording my vocals. When recording What was the timeline like?

“Delirious”, Iain turned the studio lights I actually wrote the chords and lyrics to red and took the microphone off the stand our first single from the EP, ‘Kill You’, in and said I was going to record the vocals my bedroom last February. I showed it to whilst pacing around the room, which was the boys, and they loved it, so we finished so much fun. writing it together with the plan to release Lewis was in guitar pedal heaven. He and it as a single. We then started writing Iain worked together to create electric and more songs, and before we knew it, we fuzzy guitar tones. Lewis’ tones and parts on had a body of work that we loved, so we the whole EP complement my lyrics and the decided to postpone the release of ‘kill songs’ meanings so well, showing his skills. you’ and record the EP. When it came to recording Billy’s drum parts, We created it with producer Iain Berryman him and Iain produced these incredible - we can’t put into words how amazing drum parts, which showed how talented and talented Iain is. He brought out a Billy is. I hardly pay attention to drums when new side of swim school’s sound, and we I listen to music, but when we got the mixes can’t thank him enough. We recorded the back, I was blown away by the sound of whole EP in London which felt so surreal Billy’s drums. for us and felt like a massive step up we honestly loved every second of the What else are you up to at the moment? experience, and now we can’t wait for it Should we start whispering about an to be out. album yet?

We would love to record an album - when we You’ve got two angry songs and two love were recording in London, we were saying songs on the EP Which do you find easier how much we would love to lock ourselves to write? away for a while to do a full album, but we Definitely the angry ones. ‘Kill You’ was the aren’t ready yet. That’s not to say we can’t first love song I had ever written, and then make a start at writing for it, though.

I wrote ‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ after. Both We have a busy year planned - lots of tours these love songs share the aspect of feeling and festivals coming up, so we are going vulnerable whilst being and falling in love, to spend the majority of the year touring yet I feel so vulnerable releasing songs and playing our new EP and growing as about being vulnerable. I get embarrassed musicians. Then we can start thinking about writing about love songs, yet I find it so easy an album. ■ to write about mental health - I’m not sure why, haha. swim school’s EP ‘Duality’ is out 2nd June.

READDORK.COM 13.

“IT ISN’T AB ANYTHING, IT’S ABOUT EVERYTHING” INTRO

I am the best driver in Los Angeles…

I fear no parking spot” A L E X A N D E R 23

→ How do you celebrate your birthday? Cake?

Presents? Drop a new song? That’s what Alexander 23 did with his latest offering ‘How to Drive’. Described as a bookend to a chapter, and a start of a new phase, it’s a release worth marking.

To celebrate, we decided not to go with party bags and little cardboard hats, and instead grabbed hold of Alexander for a quick catch up.

Hi Alexander 23! Happy Birthday!

How’s it going? Are you having a good 2023 so far?

Yeah! Been drinking a lot of smoothies

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mostly which has been cool.

You’ve just dropped a new single, ‘How To Drive’ – where did it come from? It’s pretty heavy lyrically, isn’t it.

‘How to Drive’ isn’t about anything; it’s about everything. Life can be nuanced, and life can be simple and it can get real hard to tell between beauty and pain. Even that last sentence, like, is that insightful or just bullshit. I don’t know. ‘How to Drive’ is about not knowing, I think.

Did the song go through a lengthy evolution, or did it come to you fairly fully-formed?

I wrote it pretty quickly before my last tour started, but just didn’t have time to record it before I left. I booked Electric Lady in NYC on an off day and was able to put the whole thing down in a day. For a song so emotionally complex, I wanted the recording process to have as many limitations as possible.

You’ve teased it a bit live and online – what’s the reaction been like? Has it been connecting with people?

It’s been so beautiful to see people connect so strongly with the song before it’s even out. Sometimes that can be scary because I’m like, damn well, I hope they like the actual song lol.

But this one feels different. There are so many little hidden gems in the actual recording that I can’t wait for people to hear.

Do you know how to drive?

I am the best driver in Los Angeles… I fear no parking spot.

It feels like you’ve got on with new material super quickly after releasing your recent album, are you feeling particularly inspired or are you always a fast worker?

I am certainly feeling inspired, but also the writing of my last album was done so long ago. I have so many new feelings and experiences to write about, and I just finally have the time

now post-tour to dive in. I think I’m the same as everyone really, fast when it’s easy, slow when it’s hard. It just happens to feel easy right now.

What else are you up to at the moment? Do you have any other exciting projects you can tell us about?

This morning I made three fried eggs and then heated up a leftover yellow curry from last night, and then combined them. It was unimaginably good; I would legitimately pay $18.57 at a restaurant for what I just ate. Also been producing a lot of music for other artists.

Do you get any time off at all? How do you spend it?

If I retired today, how I spend my time wouldn’t really even change that much.

Actually, maybe I’d be in Hawaii; I’ve never been there. ■ Alexander 23’s single ‘How To Drive’ is out now.

BOUT

INTRO

” READDORK.COM 15.

THE BEST NEW TRACKS YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS MONTH.

Maisie Peters Body Better

→ Billed as the launch of a whole new era, Maisie Peters is stepping up with her latest single ‘Body Better’. The first cut from her upcoming, soon to be announced album, it’s a super relatable bop that’s both sad in a feeling insecure because you’ve been chucked by someone who’s probably a shit anyway way written after a break-up, obvs but also pop of the highest, catchiest order. “It’s a song about insecurity and vulnerability,” Maisie explains, “about giving a lot of yourself away to someone who decides they don’t want it anymore and knowing where to go from there.” At least you’ve got a great single out of it, Mais.

CMAT Mayday

→ Leeds’ English Teacher have long been a new band worth keeping an eye on. Hype List alumni, they’ve ticked off another quality check box on their way to the top, dropping a new single on the iconic Speedy Wunderground.

Described by the band as “a pop song about doing chores instead of doing someone else”, it’s called ‘Song About Love’.

We quizzed them to find out more.

Hi guys! How’s it going? Are you having a good 2023 so far?

Hiya Dork, it’s been a while. 2023

16. DORK

has been very communal; we all moved in together on the 1st.

You’ve just dropped a new single, ‘Song About Love’ - where did it come from?

What was the initial spark of inspiration?

Lily: I was sat in my mum’s house with my tiny nylon guitar I got when I was 5-ish, playing two notes back and forth while overthinking people calling my writing ‘all kitchen sink’. That’s when I came up with the verse hook.

You’ve got a bit of a chores theme going on - which member of the band is the least likely to do the washing up?

Lewis: Hi, I will be honest: it’s me.

Did the song go through much of an evolution, or did it come to you fully formed?

Doug and Lily created the first full-length version of the track on his old, old Casio piano with

a sort of Fat With Family’s ‘Surf’s Up’ thing going on. It changed soon after and then changed Song About Love again when we got into the studio with Dan. Hopefully for the better. → It’s no surprise to anyone that English Teacher have been a bubbling pot of potential long How does it compare to the on the Dork radar, but there’s other songs you’ve been something about their latest working on lately? effort - Speedy Wunderground It’s a bit of an outlier; that’s why single ‘Song About Love’ - that we decided it should be the one to take into the studio with Dan. sets out a stall for something even more engaging. A Do you have a lot of new meta-level discussion on the material done and ready to go? emotional prominence of We have a number of new songs, matters of the heart when it but they won’t be released for a comes to subject matter, it’s while yet, so you’ll have to come described by the band as “a down to our tour if you want to pop song about doing chores hear them. instead of doing someone else”.

Clattering and clanging with an What else have you got coming almost hypnotic verve, it builds up? to an echoing, repeating cry We’re off to the US in March that scratches every sonic itch. for New Colossus Festival in More songs about ‘unblocking’ Brooklyn and SXSW in Austin. ‘plugs’, please.

Otherwise, we’re just focussing on making music.

English Teacher

→ CMAT’s first new material since (excellent) debut album ‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’, ‘Mayday’ sees her lamenting her boyfriend not spending enough time with her. And also, the world is ending. You know, standard post-2019 fare. “I wanted to bring it back down to something pretty mundane and quite funny,” she explains. “Like the musical equivalent of a Coronation Street episode about fracking.”

Zara Larsson Can’t Tame Her

→ Zara Larsson’s latest is one of those singles that encourages bold proclamations like ‘best song of the year so far’, which... given we’re only a few weeks in, doesn’t really do it justice, but you get the idea.

‘Can’t Tame Her’ is a great big 80s-inspired smash that sounds

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

Stone cover shoot, but in 2023 could the trio actually the band we need? On the strength of the three singles from their debut album ‘the record’ they dropped on its announce - yeah, absolutely they are. Taking everything that made that first EP so exceptional and building upon it, we expect no less than one of the year’s defining records.

MALADY.

Olivia Dean UFO

like it should be soundtracking an epic dance battle on Stranger Things. #teamsteveandrobin

STONE I Let Go

→ All Liverpool bunch STONE want is to stay in and have a quiet evening with a jigsaw puzzle, followed by a warm milk and an early night. Unfortunately, their pals keep showing up and they can’t not go out with them, right?

That would be rude, right??

Guys??? Their exuberant new single, ‘I Let Go’ sees the up-andcomers ignoring what they ‘should’ be doing in favour of, you know, having some fun.

boygenius

$20 / Emily I’m Sorry / True Blue → The return of Phoebe, Lucy and Julien’s boygenius feels like something big. Maybe it’s the big Nirvana-themed Rolling

→ Olivia Dean’s latest is best described as ‘really lovely’.

The first cut from her upcoming debut album, it’s quirky and intimate and just an all-around effortlessly charming drop. “’UFO’ was born out of a conversation over a cup of tea with Matt Hales (co-writer and producer),” she explains. “We were joking about how love is a “sexy problem” to have and thought it would be funny to try and put it in a song. I wanted it to feel intimate and existential and so we kept it simple with guitar and a vocoder.

It’s a shy love song, thoughts I would normally keep to myself but am learning to share.”

Arlo Parks Weightless

→ With her debut album, Arlo Parks couldn’t have garnered more critical acclaim.

The sparkly awards and industry nods all followed - but the problem with a lightning strike of a first fulllength is it needs a follow-up. On the strength of comeback track ‘Weightless’, that’s something that nobody need worry about too much. With everything that came before wrapped up and concentrated into a perfect slice of modern, smart pop music, as a preview of forthcoming second album ‘My Soft Machine’ it’s impossible exciting.

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. This month, MALADY’s Percy Junior Cobbinah lets us in on what he’s up to.

just in time for a 9:30 work call, brush teeth.

8:30AM → Wake up at a lady friend’s house.

5:30PM → Get to a pub in Whitechapel, meet the rest of the boys and the director for a drink and a chat through

9:30AM → Make it back home

10:00AM → Work call finishes, make myself some breakfast - porridge with blueberries and scrambled egg on toast, washed down with some green tea and vit c water.

10:45AM → Various workrelated activities, forget to have lunch, have a shower.

4:15PM → Get ready to leave the gaff for a meeting with a very cool director who we’ll be working with.

some ideas.

6:30PM → Leave the pub and head towards another pub near Finsbury Park to watch the Arsenal match and order a pizza.

8:00PM → Arsenal match starts, pizza delivered.

10:00PM → Arsenal lost but not too fussed as there are bigger priorities (#14), head to Dalston to meet a few other people in a bar.

3:30AM → Home sweet home.

Malady’s debut EP ‘All Pressure, No Diamonds’ is out now.

READDORK.COM 17.

J YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BEST NEW NAMES.

18. DORK

JESSICA WINTER With her influence already spread far and wide among some of the best new acts in the country, and her own music kicking up a deserved fuss, Jessica Winter is a future star in waiting.

→ “I think if you’ve ever written even one song, you should be able to go into Abbey Road and have a full orchestra play one of your songs.” It’s an overcast day in Hoxton, and Jessica Winter is contemplating the future. More specifically, she’s contemplating what she’d like to do with it. Even more specifically, she’s contemplating how to get an orchestra involved. “I just love orchestras,” she laughs, open and enthusiastic. “I would love to experience an orchestra playing a song I wrote at some point.”

Listen to her music, and you get the very real sense that she’s capable of bringing to life anything she puts her mind to. Over the past few years, she’s not only found a dedicated following through the release of her celebrated ‘Sad Music’ and ‘More Sad Music’ EPs, all while cementing herself as one of the best new live performers on the planet. She’s also written and produced with the likes of The Big Moon, Phoebe Green, Sundara Karma, and Walt Disco.

Jessica Winter is your favourite artist’s favourite artist. Even Robert Smith has voiced his approval. It’s taken her a long time to get here, time spent trying on a variety of styles in a variety of bands. Now she’s striving for success on her own terms, under her own name, as the musician she’s always wanted to be, and the music she’s making is nothing short of magical.

The magic she possesses is never more apparent than when she performs. Dancing under the stage lights at her live shows, singing and spinning in the rain in the music video for ‘Choreograph’, pulling shapes against a stormy sky in the music video for ‘Clutter’, it’s when she’s breathing fresh life into her songs that Jessica shines the brightest.

“I just live for that, actually,” she enthuses of performing. Forging the unique kind of catharsis that comes from dancing away your demons in the dark, her live shows are an exploration of gleefully freewheeling abandon. “It’s a craft, for sure,” she describes. “I feel like I’m at a point now where I’ve felt the audience change with me.”

Having spent more than half a decade cutting her teeth in bands – from the punk stylings of Rotten Luck when she was 16, through turns as Hall Of Mirrors, Glass, and Pregoblin – before starting out as a solo artist, her live show is something she’s reinvented several times over. “You’re always trying to get people’s attention,” she contemplates. “That’s what you’re

Words: Jessica Goodman. Photos: Patrick Gunning.

I’m singing from the heart. And hopefully, people will feel that" J E S S I CA W I N T E R doing. You’re going out, and you’re going ‘these are my songs! Listen!’”

Her innate understanding of who she is as an artist and how to express that to an audience has been hard-won. “I remember looking around just thinking, ‘I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore’,” she recalls of a band she was in back in 2017. “I remember just thinking, ‘do I even like doing this? Do I even like music?’” While she was fronting her own project at the time, writing and performing her own music, she felt disillusioned with where she found herself. More particularly, she felt disillusioned with the industry she found herself in. “It’s like the Wild West,” she describes. It was a moment like this one that prompted the decision to release and perform music under her own name. “What you realise is

that you just don’t like the industry,” she clarifies. “Music is healing.”

Music has been a force of healing for Jessica for a very long time. Diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia at an early age, the consequent surgeries and corrective brace she wore while recovering from them meant that one of the only places in her home she could sit comfortably was a piano bench. Spending time with the instrument started out as a practical choice – “that way, I wouldn’t be able to get into trouble,” she recalls, grinning – but it became so much more than a means of entertainment or escape.

Initially a way to keep her comfortable and out of mischief, the piano turned out to be an introduction to a passion that’s lasted her whole life. “It was this magical device that gave me a lot

of joy,” she describes. Some of her earliest memories are of spending time with the instrument. A gateway into a world of possibilities, it kickstarted a love of music that’s seen her experiment with punk, synthpop, indie, self-termed ‘crance’ (that’s music you can both cry and dance to), and more besides.

“The common denominator through all of that was that I was writing songs,” she says of her previous projects. “So why not try and just write them as me?” Natural though the progression felt, it wasn’t without its difficulties. “Once you’re you, you can’t go back on it,” she states. The decision to create and perform as a solo artist brought with it no uncertain amount of soulsearching questions.

“Who am I, actually?” Jessica asks. “After all of those outfits and different names and bands, who am I? What do I like? What people do I want to surround myself with?

What sounds am I into?” If those questions sound daunting, it’s because they are. The answers, ever-evolving as they are, don’t come easily. “You can get so lost,” she continues. “One day, you can wake up and go, ‘I’m going to be a goth’. The next day you can wake up and say something else.”

Her third EP, ‘Limerence’, bears no crisis of confidence on its sleeve.

This is the sound of an artist who knows exactly who they are and what they’re doing, a collection of shimmering pop bangers purposebuilt for dancing in dark rooms

while strobe lights make the rest of the world look like it’s in slow motion.

“I’m obsessed with the juxtaposition of light and dark,” Jessica enthuses of her songwriting. It’s something you can hear in every song she makes.

Take recent single ‘Funk This Up’, for example: with its sledgehammer of a beat and glimmering chorus cry of “we can be different,” the track takes the guise of a rallying call to the dancefloor, while the lyrics tell a tale of bad habits and addiction. “That’s what the beauty of pop music is, for me. It’s having the boundary and then trying to push as far as you can go within the boundary.”

Playing with elements of light and dark, of directness and poetry, one thing Jessica’s committed to is not holding back. “I’m always trying to find the perfect balance between saying something as directly as possible in the most poetic way,” she describes of her writing process. For her, making music is less about pinning down the direction you’re going in, and more about understanding where you’re creating from. “I think it’s about going back to why you do it in the first place, and not thinking about what you need to do to get somewhere,” she conveys. “It’s trying to find out why you love music and what makes you want to make music and what makes you want to write songs. Once you get focused on that, everything else falls into place.”

And fall into place it has done.

‘Limerence’ has just been released, she’s just wrapped up a UK tour with Rebecca Black, she’s got her first US performances ahead of her at SXSW, and she refuses to slow down any time soon. “This is the beginning now, and I’m not gonna stop putting stuff out for a long time,” Jessica enthuses, “hopefully.”

With promises of “a larger body of work” in progress (*cough* debut album *cough*), the alt-pop world is hers for the taking.

“I’m still writing everything at the moment. I haven’t gone into the production stage yet,” she details, before continuing with the magic words, “but I really feel quite confident with a few bangers that I’ve got now.” This, dear reader, is exactly what we’re here for. As for how the new music’s shaping up, it’s early days yet, but her goals are simple ones. “I’m singing from the heart. And hopefully, people will feel that.” ■ READDORK.COM 19.

SHE’S IN PARTIES Up-and-coming Essex based four-piece She’s In Parties are positively dreamy...

Words: Jack Press. Photos: Patrick Gunning.

→ When your options every day feel to be studying at college or staring out your window waiting for a global pandemic to go away, starting a band seems like a dream scenario. Why stop there, though? Why not leave this messy world behind and hop in a time machine to the late eighties/early nineties? That’s exactly (almost) what shoegaze newcomers She’s In Parties have done.

So, long story short - vocalist Katie Dillon woke up one day wanting to start a band, so she roped in guitarist Herbie Wiseman who she knew from school.

Someone in her college music class suggested bassist Charlie Johnson, who she didn’t know and was in the class across the hall. Then their drummer went off to uni, so a friend of a friend from skating saw them bring in drummer Matt Carman. They hung out, they jammed, they made demos… then the world fell apart.

“We’d just formed, and then Covid hit. We were still getting to know each other, so that was a difficult point where we didn’t know each other and what we wanted,” remembers Katie, huddled up with her bandmates in their poorly lit rehearsal space.

“As soon as we were able to practice again, that’s where the collaborations started to happen with us; we started going out to the pub and actually getting to know each other. It’s a weird experience, but it’s good now we’re out of it.”

If it wasn’t for the pandemic, though, She’s In Parties wouldn’t sound like they do. Imagine Wolf Alice wandering through the Cotswolds with The Cure, listening to NewDad, Slowdive, and The Cranberries. That’s their vibe - so far, anyways.

“You’re in a dream state where you don’t know if you’re dreaming or if you’re in reality, and you’re taken on this ride with different stories,” beams Katie when asked what She’s In Parties sounds like to them. “This is what She’s In Parties do; we create different stories and different sounds for you to listen to and relate to, or just escape to. We like to take you on an adventure.”

She’s In Parties are as picturesque as it gets, with glimmering guitars and honeysoaked vocals dripping through your eardrums. But ask Katie’s bandmates, and it’s a collision

20. DORK

If you lucid dream or like weed, then you’ll like this band" HERBIE WISEMAN

course of experiences.

“It’s just a wall of sound,” asserts Charlie, as Herbie declares: “If you lucid dream or like weed, then you’ll like this band.” Before long, they’re pitching billboards and t-shirts and collaborations with Snoop Dogg. Don’t worry, readers, no matter how you hear it, it all boils down to escaping reality.

“I think escapism is very much something we all relate to,” says Herbie on their approach to writing music. “We formed as a band, and then Covid hit, so every time we wrote a song, we’d be like, this is great, taking us out of that shitty scenario.”

History has taught us well that shitty scenarios send us the greatest songs. But with just four to their name – ‘Mess’, ‘Angelic’, ‘I Follow You’ and ‘Cherish’ – they’re still a band going through growing pains. So, while they’re riding the shoegaze wave, are they planning on surfing to different islands?

“We’re finding it quite difficult because we had a lot of music, so we just put it out, and people started listening to it. We’re still developing as a band, and with Covid as well, we had all that time where we couldn’t do a lot of the shit we wanted to do, and now we’ve come out of it, we’re something completely different.”

With a backlog of songs building up more quickly than the country’s debt and their debut EP on its way sometime this year, what exactly are we in for as She’s In Parties announce themselves?

“I would say it’s very 80s coming of age, like The Breakfast Club,” Katie pitches, all smiles and sunshine for their next steps.

“Imagine all these 80s comingof-age films you’ve watched, and we’ve written songs that put you in the feels for that.”

They’re all on the same page for the future, too. Charlie says it’s “80s coming-of-age mixed with nineties shoegaze,” while Herbie’s convinced it’s even deeper than that. “If you listen to the music and you watch a video, we want it to be like you’re watching one of those films.”

They reckon it makes sense cause they’re all “coming of age” “except Matt,” they all shout, “he’s of age!” There are few moments in our time together where there’s not a wry smile or bursts of manic laughter, their youthful exuberance tie-dying their band’s timeless sounds. And then there’s their name.

Named after goth-rock pioneers Bauhaus’ final single, She’s In Parties weren’t spiritually resurrecting the cult act as much

as they were proffering playlist suggestions. So, why this name, why this song?

“We should change our fucking name,” grumbles Herbie, like an old man telling us to get off his lawn. But it’s not all bad; Katie connects the dots. “Because it’s from the eighties, it’s us making

an instant homage because our music is quite reminiscent of that time and the music in that era, so having that instant ‘okay, Bauhaus, they’re from the eighties, so they must have an 80s flair’ is a big reason”.

They were previously called Velveteen before another band

S

THE LAST OF THE GANG

→ Remember Hype List stars

The Dinner Party? Yeah. No you don’t. It seems that after realising they weren’t the only Dinner Party in town, the gang have made a name change to The Last Dinner Party. So now you know.

slid into their DMs threatening cease and desists, but it’s worked for the best; they’ve got a band name fans have fumbled with – “it’s really hard to get people to say She’s In Parties, we’ve had ‘Cheese and Panties’ before.” In the end, Katie came to it. “I just went through songs I had on my playlist, and luckily that one’s an eighties song; it all just worked.”

While Herbie’s convinced it’s gone so far, they “might have to walk out to that song at gigs” like a darts player approaching the Oche, their music and their message goes far beyond

eighties movies and nineties vibes. There’s a method to the madness. Take the upliftingly spirited shoegaze-injected indie anthem ‘Angelic’, a call-to-arms aimed at the world’s men to stand up and respect women.

“I don’t like confrontation, but if you’ve got a platform, you should always absolutely say something because if someone can’t be heard, be that voice for them,” Katie declares when reflecting on the song’s meaning. “I get a bit torn because sometimes I just like to escape myself, and I write songs to escape into, but it’s important

HEAD BANGER

→ Nia Archives has announced

a new EP, ‘Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall’. Out on 10th March, it follows a successful year that saw her receive a BRITs Rising Star nomination, a MOBO for Best Electronic/Dance Act, and a 3rd place slot in the BBC Sound Of poll.

having songs like ‘Angelic ‘and using art as that voice for people. It’s a mix of escaping and forgetting about all those things, all the shit that goes on in the world, but also being like, ‘oh yeah, we should talk about this’, because you can always change someone’s perspective.”

She’s In Parties won’t shy away from saying how they feel, but at the same time, they’re still figuring things out. With ‘Cherish’, the song they feel resembles their next chapter the most, it’s all a little simpler. With everything falling apart outside, they’re making safe spaces to

write soundtracks to.

“It does depend on the situation you’re in when you’re writing the song, but positivity is very important right now, especially in the fucking world that we’re in that’s absolutely nuts,” says Katie as she thinks about their overall mission statement. “So, for someone to have a bit of positivity and take that on and embrace it is great, but I do myself like more mellow, more chilled out songs.”

She’s In Parties are bringing the positivity party to a scene swimming in melancholy. And quite frankly, we’re here for it.

CRYING LIGHTNING

→ Sad Boys Club have

announced their debut album, ‘Lullabies From The Lightning Tree’. The band’s first full-length, it will be released on 5th May via Modern Sky, preceded by new single ‘To Heal Without a Scar (Is a Waste Of a Good Wound)’ and accompanied by a UK tour.

FIRST ON.↓ LAUREN SPENCER SMITH

→ Lauren Spencer Smith is an

English-born, Canadian-raised artist whose vibrant music has been captivating fans ‘around’ the ‘world’.

Her powerful voice has earned her millions of listeners on Spotify and ‘ver Tok, with her latest single ‘Best Friend Breakup’ just dropped.

In 2020, she gained even more attention from her appearance on American Idol with performances at Wembley Stadium, MTV VMA’s, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon following. Her upcoming debut album will be released later this year.

CUCAMARAS → Cucamaras have been tearing up

Nottingham with their rambunctious live shows. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, their sound is a thrilling new interpretation of postpunk. Blending intense emotion with a pounding and captivating rhythm, their sound is a prime example of riotousness - which is why we invited them to join our Dork Hype List Tour this year. If that’s not a sign of approval, we don’t know what is.

CRUSHED

→ Crushed’s sound defines dream pop, with a pleasingly crunchy 90s twist. Combining stadium riffs, swing-laden drum beats and otherworldly textures, Bre Morell’s vocals provide the perfect accompaniment to Shaun Durkan’s cacophonous wall of sound. With singles ‘Coil’ and ‘Waterlily’, they have crafted anthemic cuts of dream pop that will leave you in a trance.

READDORK.COM 21.

HEARTW

22. DORK

WORMS South London’s Heartworms creates tunes that are unshakeable, powerfully dark and always in control.

Word & photos: Jamie MacMillan.

→ It’s hard to tell whose idea it was now, but Dork and Jojo Orme, the artist much better known as Heartworms, have popped to a graveyard in Streatham for a quick photoshoot while a squirrel is stalking us from the branches above. All a very normal situation for a Hype chat with one of the scene’s most exciting new artists, then. She may only have a couple of tracks out so far, but Jojo has been making ears prick up all over town with a live show that burns brightly with a dark intensity of sound and a stage presence that is both magnetic and captivating. On the cusp of her Dan Carey-produced debut EP, it was high time we caught up with her properly then.

Dripping with atmosphere, the four tracks on ‘A Comforting Notion’ make for a confident statement of intent. ‘Consistent Dedication’ is a slow-burning gothic beast of a track, erupting from the shadows as Jojo bursts into furious screams.

Meanwhile, ‘Retributions Of An Awful Life’ leans more into an electro world and splashes vibrant colours over its jet-black heart.

Elsewhere, influences from as varied forms as computer games and The Communist Manifesto are liberally sprinkled into a heady and intoxicating mix. It’s all pretty exciting really, and makes for a huge leap out of the ‘four lads with guitars who like a bit of The Fall, cheers’ sub-genre of post-punk that has dominated over the last few years.

“The bands you get in post-punk are a bit samey, yeah”, Jojo agrees, “And with this, there is so much of my soul in it, different inspirations from so many different styles. But also very gothic, which I love.”

With control over everything, from all aspects of the music through to the black-and-white colour aesthetic, Heartworms is very much a solo project for Jojo (the name was taken from the title of a record from The Shins). “I’m a solo artist,” she says. “I have my band, and they’re all close friends. Because I like it that way and we respect each other. But I want it to be solo for as long as possible because I enjoy it really, and I know that I can do it.” She laughs as she describes previous projects, including one called, wait for it, ‘Gloomy’. “Oh my god!” she remembers. “It’s so embarrassing, but when you’re young, you’re just like, ‘oh I want to be something cool’.” The name Heartworms jumped out at her, she says, a perfect name for something that could be both fun and dark.

Pretty spot on, then.

Jojo has spoken in previous interviews about her experience at college in Stroud, where she studied Production and Performance.

Today, she describes that time in her life as a form of “a systemic kind of sexism”, one where she

I want it to be exceptional, and I want to be me” JOJO ORME

was undervalued by the men on her course. “Coming from a small town, there wasn’t a lot of understanding or respect,” she explains, “I don’t blame anyone for it, but to experience it was very annoying because I knew what I was capable of, the music I could write.” Thankfully her tutors could see the potential too, and she was eventually awarded Student of the Year. “That was crazy because all of the guys were like…” she says with a side-eye before laughing. “If I can’t get something, then I make sure I fully get it, no matter how painful it is.”

Looking back on it now, she says that it trained her “not to depend on anything or anyone around me when it comes to reaching my goal”, an attitude that she still carries with her today. Eventually, London came calling as she describes waking up one morning and just knowing that it was time to move out of the smalltown world.

Inevitably finding herself spinning around the South London scene, The Windmill in Brixton soon reared into view. “I remember going there for the first time and meeting Declan McKenna there,” she grins.

“I used to listen to him all the time going to work on my bike, and there he was just pissed out of his face. I was like, The Windmill is SICK!” That first gig, with The Murder Capital and Italia 90 on display, lit a fire.

“The South London scene got close to me, and I got closer and closer to South London,” she says. “And from then on, I was just obsessed with all the new music that was coming out.”

Writing the EP began just after lockdown ended, a period where anything and everything was poured into song. For example, ‘Consistent Dedication’ has a Rottweiler barking over a snare drum, to add some ‘bark’ to the song - Dork is trusting that this actually happened and isn’t a ‘and then Phoebe Bridgers walked into Shame’s studio’ type scenario. The

title track began life as a poem that was itself inspired by the Communist Manifesto.

“Not that I believe in it,” she states quickly as she explains where inspiration strikes from. “The original guitar line to ‘Retributions’ reminded me of a weird Playstation game called ‘Dynasty Warriors’,” she says. “But the songs themselves are all from my personal life and then things like historical metaphors. I do want to grow from the kind of military attire that I wear, though.

I love it, I’m obsessed, but it can cause problems…”

Jojo’s love of all things militaryhistory (she volunteers at RAF Hendon to look after vintage aircraft) extends to her stage outfits, where she will often wear a beret or Scottish Glengarry cap. Obviously, this sort of thing ‘forces’ Guys On The Internet to voice their opinions.

“As a female wearing that, well, men find it quite an easy target,” she says. “They don’t really understand why I’m wearing it, or they say they find it disrespectful that I’m wearing it. I’m doing it because I love it! The uniforms are beautiful, and I’m not spitting on anything, am I?” Whether these Guys On The Internet were similarly outraged when male-only bands like The Libertines regularly wore military jackets is unknown, obviously.

“It’s just way too early for me to be dealing with this kind of stuff right now,” she says. “So I might just stick with the songs and tone it down with the military, maybe. I’m quite a sensitive person, and I know when it comes to being exposed to the world, there’s always gonna be people pointing, and I keep forgetting that that’s a thing that happens.”

Her posts on TikTok have also been gaining the attention of Guys On The Internet. “Guys don’t own subjects,” she says at one point.

“They think they do, but they don’t.

I think at the moment, I just want a chill growth, but I guess it was very

rare for that to happen, especially when you’re a female in some of these areas. The world can be very cruel sometimes.”

As we move on, she talks about how inspiration can strike at all times, describing it at one point as like a sensory overload. She is about to move to the seaside for a writing period, so can we expect some peaceful beachside vibes to the next Heartworms material?

The happy sound of a carousel, perhaps? “Yeah!” she nods. “But with someone screaming on it. And it’s going really fast!” Oh. Already inching towards her debut album, plans are slowly forming. As we chat, she brainstorms out loud to nobody in particular what she wants the record to sound, to feel like (classy, black and white, clean, but also messy - if you’re interested, which you very much should be).

That mix of clean and messy is the perfect example of the contradiction that makes Heartworms so exciting.

It’s present in how Jojo laughs her entire way through our chat (and later, the photoshoot), before instantly turning into the fearsome stage presence that has lit up so many shows (and again, the photoshoot). Taking her lead from people like Black Honey’s Izzy and Aldous Harding, it is a conscious act of making “the crowd feel something they wouldn’t feel if they met me for real.”

There’s a desire for a theatrical edge that your boys in The 1975 have been delivering on these latest shows. “Matty is incredible and also insane,” she says with a grin. “I saw a lot of myself in him. In that, he’s so aware of what he does, but he is also doing really stupid things. It’s great because it’s him, and it’s authentic, and that’s exactly what I want to do. I want it to be exceptional, and I want to be me. And I want to make people feel how I want them to feel.”

She laughs again as she describes the sort of intro music she wants from these next shows and starts to manifest a riot at her own show. “Something quite boomy, a low drone, something scary. I want it to be so intense that when I come on stage, people are like throwing… No, no, actually, please don’t throw anything at me.” She is so passionate at this stage that words come rolling out at high speed. “I want to keep making it better,” she states. “I don’t just want it to be artists making music; I want it to BE everything. It’s the thing that I have in my life that I put my whole soul into. I want to plan everything and make it beautiful. And bring in the right fans who actually see me for me. I don’t want to lose myself.

My main thing is just to go hard.”

Prepare yourselves; you have been warned. ■ Heartworms’ debut EP ‘A Comforting Notion’ is out 24th March.

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COVER STORY

We’ve heard of cult bands before, but with their new album ‘Cracker Island’, GORILLAZ are taking it to extremes.

WORDS: JESSICA GOODMAN. ILLUSTRATION: JAMIE HEWLETT.

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GORILLAZ

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“Feel free to remove your blindfold now ” Blinking into the daylight to be faced with a green-skinned, self-proclaimed supreme overlord shirtless and smirking in a hot tub sounds like something ripped out of a fever dream. In the context of spending time with Gorillaz, it’s actually a pretty standard day.

Pampered and skin slightly pruned from his time spent lounging in the water, selfconfessed mastermind Murdoc Niccals is in his element. With a bottle of communion wine in hand, he gestures towards the edge of the balcony we find him on and grins. “Welcome to the inner sanctum.”

Located somewhere in Silver Lake, Los Angeles (whether they’re keeping its exact location hidden to retain their privacy or for other, more ominous reasons remains unknown), the mansion Gorillaz have been living and working in for the past year is as rich in character as you’d expect from a group who’ve previously based themselves on the site of a disused cemetery and an island made entirely out of landfill.

This balcony-abundant abode and its lavish garden has been home to the band – completed by Stuart ‘2-D’ Pot, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle – since early last year. Following a brief period of time spent travelling in Murdoc’s Winnebago, the group settled in LA after a demonic sinkhole opened up beneath their previous base of West London Kong Studios (an event Noodle describes as

“a timely reminder that the earth wants to swallow you up, so don’t stay still too long in one place”).

With Kong Studios still in the process of being restored by the London Sewage Department, the band left the big smoke behind for pastures new, settling in the golden state after finding their new home on a suspiciously cheap rental site. A little over twelve months on, with a new album about to be released, it seems like their time in Tinseltown has been treating them well.

Waving a hand dismissively as he sips from the wine glass he just topped up, Murdoc readily affirms this. “Yeah, we’re all doing great, aren’t

The genesis of our movement goes way back, probably to the dawn of the universe" MURDOC NICCALS 26. DORK

we, Gorillaz?”

His question is met by silence.

From her sprawled-out position on a towel in the garden below, Noodle doesn’t even look up from the magazine she’s reading. Russel is similarly occupied, staring intently into the flickering static of a TV screen. Not much of 2-D can be seen beyond his head, immersed in digging a deep hole in the ground. Smacking his lips and raising his glass with a satisfied sigh, Murdoc remains unconcerned by his bandmates’ actions (or lack of). Surreal as it might seem, this looks like business as usual at Casa del Gorillaz – or as usual as it gets around here, at least.

This is where the band crafted ‘Cracker Island’, an album full of shimmering, starstudded, psych-tinged bangers that glitters with A-list cool in the effortless way that only a Gorillaz album can. Featuring the likes of Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks, and Bad Bunny, as well as return collaborations with Beck and Bootie Brown (who featured on ‘The Valley of the Pagans’ and ‘Dirty Harry’ respectively), Gorillaz’ eighth record is either “the sound of change” or the “soundtrack [to] our collective ascension into the new dimension,” depending on who you ask.

Not ones to do things by halves, when the band shared title-track and lead single ‘Cracker Island’ last summer, they weren’t just gearing up to release a new record. They were also kick-starting a brand new movement.

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GORILLAZ

I believe we can make a better world, but one person can’t do it alone" NOODLE READDORK.COM 29.

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I’ve consulted the charts and I’m very satisfied with what this record is achieving in the future" MURDOC NICCALS

Against all pods Here at Dork, we love a good podcast. Not to brag too much, but we even have our own. And we’re not the only ones. Inspired

by Down With Boring (we don’t know for definite that this isn’t true – Ed), 2-D has started his own podcast, aptly named the Stuart Potcast. So, one successful podcaster to another, we got the lowdown on the tips and tricks of the trade.

How did you get started making your own podcast?

I got one of them dictator phone gizmos with the small tapes inside.

It’s pretty high-tech. Murdoc said I should go round recording the first days of the Last Cult, so that’s what I did, although I missed the first few days as I forgot to press record.

How’d you know what makes a good podcast?

I like to have a little think in a quiet spot like a cupboard or at the bottom of a deep, dark hole cos when it’s dark, it’s easier to see the light.

What are your podcasting essentials?

Comfy shoes like flip-flops and a hat in case it rains when you’re podcasting outside.

Do you have any recording tips?

Drink plenty of water, wear a seatbelt, and try to get a good night’s sleep, like fifteen hours or something.

What advice can you give to anybody wanting to give podcasting a go?

Other people’s advice can be confusing, so my advice is to listen to my own advice. That would be my advice.

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spends as Great Leader.

“Personally, I go by various titles,” he explains, ever-humbly, of his position in The Last Cult. “Anointed Beacon, He-Who-ShallNot-Be-Gazed-Upon, etcetera, but if it helps, think of my role as a kind of celestial CEO. I’m Steve Jobs in a Pope-mobile. Even launched my own line of holy water,” he boasts, puffing out his chest and hiding a mutter of “safety certificate pending” behind a swig from his wine. “Chose the name ‘cos ours is the last cult the world will ever need, the cult to end all cults.”

If that all sounds a little bit competitive, that’s because there’s a high likelihood it might be. Turns out, LA is a hotspot for cult activity. There are seven in the band’s zip code alone. If the rumours are to be believed, The Last Cult was actually started as a way to impress the group’s neighbour. When he’s asked about this, Murdoc rolls his eyes and groans a few curses before dismissing, “we’ve got the same taste in garden ornaments, so what?”

Before we can respond, his criticisms start to gain steam. “The fact that my obelisk is – was, before it fell over,” he scoffs, gesturing towards where the stone column 2-D painted pink now lies on the ground, “at least a foot taller than hers is just a coincidence. Why would I need to impress someone who calls herself ‘Moon Flower’? Pity, more like. As for her so-called cult, more like a yoga retreat. Do they really need to all hug each other every five seconds? Nauseating.”

His bandmates don’t seem to share his hatred for their neighbours. 2-D, much to Murdoc’s disdain, has been spending more and more time with them. “They’re a pretty good cult I reckon,” he states. Taking a break from digging, he makes no effort to remove himself from the man-sized hole he’s in, simply wiping his brow and leaning on his shovel as he talks. “Moon Flower is a much nicer cult leader than Murdoc,” he describes, softly. “Smells better too, like sun tan lotion and mince pies.”

A high priestess of The Forever Cult, Moon Flower has developed quite the close relationship The Last Cult’s Chosen One, even sending him gifts. “She gave me a picture of a creepy eyeball with fire and blood coming out of it which I stuck up over my bed so it can watch me sleep,” 2-D beams. And they say romance is dead.

Offering a respite to the endless chores Murdoc assigns him, it’s no surprise to anyone (except maybe Murdoc) that he’s moving in with them. “When you join a cult your name gets rubbed out along with your memories when your brain gets washed,” he recalls of what the self-declared Great Leader

said about labels when he named him The Chosen One. We try to tell him we don’t think that’s true, but he just shrugs and carries on digging. The sooner he finishes, the sooner he can head next door.

The whole time we’ve been talking to his bandmates, Russel barely seems to have moved a muscle, still staring intently into the static on an old-fashioned television set powered by a long extension cable from the house. His role in The Last Cult is Seeker Of Truth, tasked with searching through the static for the keys to the promised land.

Asked what he’s found, there’s a moment of silence when he doesn’t appear to have heard before he starts to speak, unblinking gaze still pinned to the TV set at his side.

“Found a trail that leads all the way to nowhere. Lost and found. And lost again.

Clues are in the static. Trail of breadcrumbs that leads all the way to Cracker Island. Only a matter of time. What’s that? Oh, thought you said something. Lot of interference in the…”

An eerie moment of quiet follows his sentence trailing off. The only sounds that can be heard are the echo of 2-Ds shovel as he digs and the faint bubble of Murdoc’s hot tub on the balcony above. When nothing more seems forthcoming, we decide to try digging a little deeper. Russel’s words are a lot to take in, but they seem to refer to the events that took place in the band’s music video for ‘Cracker Island’.

The result of a complex time-loop anomaly, the video is a glimpse into the future. In it, we see 2-D and Noodle being questioned by the police, Russel in some kind of unshakable trance, and Murdoc in full Last Cult regalia getting amorous with a woman who ages before everyone’s eyes. All the while, a news broadcast playing in the background reports on a major incident under the Hollywood sign where police have intervened to stop an occult ceremony.

Asked for clarity (because, honestly, who knows what all of that adds up to?), Russel’s response is characteristically cryptic. “Who knows what we’re seeing?” he shrugs, gaze still pinned to his TV screen. “Time is a loop, not a line. Around and around, head eats itself. The future now will later be past. What gets old can be made new again. Like Cracker Island.”

As for how the time-loop anomaly happened in the first place, Russel says it’s “not in my power to speak to that.”

Doesn’t seem like clarity is coming quite yet. That said, the insight he does offer is certainly intriguing. “What I can say is that something strange is going on in Silver Lake.

Interference. Static in the air, on the airwaves.

Comes and goes, like a voice in the wind.

Some kind of prophecy, or warning, or wake up call. Don’t know which. Just got to keep watching.”

While we’ve no answers as to what happened (or will happen? Time loops are complicated – Ed) with the band on the night we see in the ‘Cracker Island’ video, whatever happens (or happened? Goddamnit – Ed) under the Hollywood sign seems tied to Russel’s own prophecy of a supernatural event he dubbed The Rupture believed to result in a gateway to the promised land. It was predicted to happen on New Year’s Eve, and while that didn’t turn out to be true, the sense that there’s something more yet to come still rings true.

Despite its near-apocalyptic name, Russel insists The Rapture is nothing to be concerned about. “Don’t fear the Rupture, my friend,” he reassures. “It’s all good. Think of it as just a means of transition. From this place to the promised land. Cracker Island.

All you gotta do is look to the sky. And maybe pack some supplies, too.” What does he recommend to have ready in the case of The Rupture? “Sleeping roll, duct tape, meds, food rations. Oh, and get some Cheezos. Flamin’ hot flavour. Time is nigh.”

With that, his focus is fully absorbed by the TV in front of him. It doesn’t exactly clear things up, but if what we’ve seen so far is any real indication, the answers will make themselves known soon enough. For now, the band are happy to live in the moment.

“If you look at what is next you lose focus on what is now,” Noodle contemplates of what might happen next. “But in time, I guess we will leave this town. Hopefully not in a highspeed chase, which unfortunately is usually how we leave places we’ve been in too long.”

Doesn’t seem like a caveat she should have to make, but after they’ve been chased by zombie gorillas, attack helicopters, and the boogieman himself, honestly it’d be more surprising if there isn’t a chase involved in the band end of their time here. Having made her peace with what they’ve been through together, Noodle just shrugs. “Blame Murdoc.”

The culprit in question is happy exactly where he is: sat in a hot tub, sipping communion wine, ready to ride the whirlwind of success that is his band’s new album.

“Hope is for mortals, mate,” he scoffs of what’s to come following the release of ‘Cracker Island’. “I’ve consulted the charts and the astral bodies and I’m very satisfied with what this record is achieving in the future.

Already working on my awards speeches. I have already massively over-achieved. Not much left, really. Immortality is in the bag.” ■ Gorillaz’ album ‘Cracker Island’ is out 24th February.

GORILLAZ

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Where do

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GRACIE ABRAMS

GRACIE ABRAMS’ debut album ‘Good Riddance’ is the story of a young artist finding her way to the top of the mountain on a journey of selfdiscovery, healing and brilliant potential fully realised.

WORDS: NEIVE MCCARTHY. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT. PHOTO ASSISTANT: PATRICK GUNNING HAIR: KEI TREADS @ JULIAN WATSON AGENCY MAKE UP: CELIA BURTON @ CLM AGENCY

we go now?

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estled in the Hudson Valley, there’s a mystical, secluded place called Long Pond Studios. The pride and joy of The National’s Aaron Dessner, it’s amongst those ethereal trees that a certain kind of musical magic has happened time and time again. This time around, it’s the debut album of Gracie Abrams – an alchemic, mist-hazed journey through learning to understand yourself and your emotions through every peak and trough. There’s something specific about the music nurtured in the respite of Long Pond, and ‘Good Riddance’ is that embodied: a tender, open wound, slowly closing up by the enchanting nature of that environment.

“Working in the bubble that we did, in the middle of nowhere, removed from everything and everyone that I felt had sometimes hindered my ability to completely focus on writing the best songs that I could,” Gracie Abrams muses over Zoom, fresh from a chaotic week at Paris Fashion Week and having just dropped ‘Where do we go now?’, the second snippet of her album thus far.

“I think being in such a far-removed space, it wasn’t like either of us felt super actively conscious of anything other than each other and making the album that we wanted to make. It was really like discovering and moulding the sound in real-time was just part of it.”

Gracie’s second EP, ‘This Is What It Feels Like’, dropped at the tail end of 2021 and saw her dive deep into her true emotions, feelings and experiences. It seemed, at the time, like there was no holding back. And yet, with ‘Good Riddance’, Gracie invites you to inspect every truth – each flaw, each mistake, each sage decision that was unbelievably difficult to make. Here is an artist who has truly laid her cards on the table, and she invites you to do a reading.

“I feel super grounded in what I know the album already gave me in my personal life,” Gracie explains. “That is what songwriting

has always been about for me. I think to feel it on all sides, and at this stage in my life with this album means something different to me. I definitely wanted to have a more transparent element of accountability in myself. It’s super easy, often easier, I’ve found, to blame others in a relationship when something starts to feel off or wrong. Instead of looking at yourself really hard in the mirror and identifying your own faults, I feel like the quicker cop-out is to point fingers. That’s definitely a quality I’ve desperately tried to crawl my way out of doing. I’ve just found that all that does is leave me feeling: a. embarrassed for having that instinct, and b. equally as stuck because you’re not doing the work on yourself to get to a place that will be fairer to somebody else

Choosing brutal honesty for the sake of connection with others is an okay thing to do" G R AC I E A B R A M S 34. DORK

in any kind of relationship that you enter.”

Even from the first track, ‘Best’, Gracie doesn’t hesitate to scatter those harsh truths – self-isolation, little white lies, selfdestructive tendencies. “I never was the best to you,” she admits, gracefully taking the blame. There’s a resounding sense that she is putting herself on full display here, a warts and all examination of the self that can only come with a willingness to work through these things as carefully as possible. “I think there were lots of instances though with the songs where in the middle of writing them, I would finish a verse and look at Aaron and say: ‘I can’t ever fucking release this. I’ve never said these things to this person that I’m writing about’. But it was my side, this whole time. Fear and embarrassment would get in the way sometimes, and they’re all things I wrote about. But Aaron’s constant reminder to me was of the importance of acknowledging it all and doing it not only for yourself, but the people who choose to spend their time and energy listening to the music. How all of my favourite artists that I’ve ever admired, in their writing they’ve probably asked themselves the same question. Choosing brutal honesty for the sake of connection with others is an okay thing to do. I love Aaron for pushing that on me.”

By leaning into those unspoken words, Gracie managed to carefully craft a narrative throughout the course of ‘Good Riddance’. We meet her dejected, unsettled, and mentally sorting through how things went sour so

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This whole album feels like the deepest, darkest version of honesty sometimes, but also the most light and free" G R AC I E A B R A M S quickly. That trajectory continues for the album’s first half. ‘Full Machine’ sees her dwell on all the ways that differences can cause things to not work out, though, amidst the track’s steady drumbeat, there’s a yearning that never quite disappears. Latest single, ‘Where do we go now?’ continues to navigate that uncertainty after a loss – it’s all nostalgia and regret rippling under deliciously pensive pop. Slowly, however, as the album plays out, there’s a levity that grows under the gracious care Gracie allows herself.

With the space to learn and discover these things about herself, Gracie unlocks a newfound hopefulness that occupies the album’s latter half.

“That was very much a priority in some ways,” Gracie recalls.

“Whenever I’m writing anything, I feel very present with it, so it’s nice to have those moments with each song but to then look at the big picture and be very intentional about it. This was the first time I went into the studio knowing that we were making an album, start to finish. It mattered so much to both myself and to Aaron that we tried to go for something that would feel like the kind of thing you’d be intentional about when it comes out – going home and putting in your headphones and listening to it, or getting in the car and driving for an hour, listening to it in order.

That matters to me a lot. I love the collection of songs as a whole so much, and I think because this storytelling element of music is my first love, really, in this world, I definitely was very thoughtful about the arc. Even sonically, it does something that I really love.

The bookends of the album mean a lot to me, and so I think and I hope that anyone who chooses to listen – which, thank you – but I also hope that it’s in order.”

Even from just the two tracks released ahead of the album, Gracie demands the full attention of her

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listeners; both ‘Difficult’ and ‘Where do we go now?’ utilise her signature stop-in-your-tracks lyricism that means you cannot help but give them your all in return. It’s only fair, after all, given the vulnerability with which Gracie shares her thoughts.

Though that could be daunting, however, she finds some power in unleashing them on the world.

“I felt so fulfilled by finishing all of this music, just the two of us, that it’s such a joy and a gift to see other people feeling the same way we do about it. It was us crossing

our fingers that would happen, but also already feeling deeply satisfied with the work that we’ve done, just in terms of the way it helped me get through what I was writing about.

I think it’s been really sweet to sit back a little bit and start to see it exist in places other than my phone, Aaron’s computer and my journal.”

It’s likely that a great deal of that gratification from creating these tracks, which cascade so easily into a line-up, is because their conception stays true to Gracie’s style. Her career began through a

series of covers posted from her bedroom floor, and whilst ‘Good Riddance’ sees her ambitions launch skyward, there’s still a stripped-back quality that feels akin to those early days. Here, Gracie has stepped into a new, powerful version of herself, but it’s a truthful, rooted one.

“It’s the honest version, and that’s the way I make music still,” Gracie affirms. “I think that’s why working at Long Pond was one of the reasons it was so seamless. It feels so ground up, coming from a feeling and going from there. I write by myself all the time in any room that I’m in. I’m in Paris right now, and I have my guitar, and in the jetlagged hours of the night, I’m doing the exact same thing. Nothing’s different; it’s just fun and lucky to have more resources now than I had before in terms of exploring versions of everything.

And having a greater imagination and ambition for doing it. There’s less fear, for sure, and weirdly zero anxiety in the way that I knew anxiety before.

“Only quite recently did that change as a result of many, many hours of working through the shit that I needed to with a medical professional and getting real tools.

I feel so grateful that I had access to that when I needed it. It’s such a privilege to have access to that.

Even being in a place now where I have significantly less anxiety around all of this, the underlying feeling is just such deep gratitude for that. It’s so lucky to be able to tap into the kind of help that I needed when I did, so now I’m just deeply grateful that I am where I am. This was not meant to be some therapy thing, but I think it’s the best thing that a person can do for themselves even if they don’t think they need it; it’s so helpful. It helped me a lot, and I’m not a doctor obviously, but I loved it.”

In making the time and effort in her personal life to get to the bottom of who she is and find those

GRACIE ABRAMS

stable structures to lean upon, Gracie unlocked a whole new potential in her artistry. The Gracie we meet on ‘Good Riddance’ is incomprehensibly more assured than before – braver, more confident, bolder. She’s not afraid to say what she feels, make what she wants and push herself to the limits.

From the quiet ache of ‘Amelie’ to the outrage of ‘I Should Hate You’, she creates a new sonic world that establishes her as on the cusp of becoming the artist she has always longed to be.

“I grew up being addicted to folk music and these acoustic elements that made me feel so close to the person who was playing and singing and telling their stories. The intimacy there is something I was so attracted to growing up,” Gracie reflects. “At the same time, I love pop music with my whole heart and have not ever until this album really felt like I got to a place with the music where the ‘pop music’ I was making was like my version of it, and not trying to do someone else a little bit.

“I think that came with the confidence of having been in therapy for a couple of years, choosing myself over relationships that maybe felt like they weren’t working anymore, meeting Aaron and having space that was so free to explore every version of myself and every outcome of a situation. The sounds are so indicative of the kind of music that I love, and to really say that and feel that about my own stuff at this point means a lot to me. It feels like the kind of development I could have only dreamed of on a personal level.”

Those particular shades of pop are formidable. While she’s often had bedroom pop tendencies, the sonic sphere here is more slick, more considered. She captures that tightly wound feeling of overthinking, mind helplessly jumping from thought to thought over dramatic bridges, reeling you in with every softly spoken opening line. It’s sporadic, at times upbeat and elsewhere desolate – the kind of pop that lets you sink into it and feel it with each beat.

Along this journey of selfdiscovery and new artistry, there has been one vital safety net for Gracie. Every risk has been infinitely easier with the knowledge that whatever the outcome, she has a legion of supportive, empathetic and understanding listeners to fall back on. “Having had a year of touring and meeting everyone for the first time in person, especially after having what I consider such close and genuine relationships through social media years prior, seeing all of us in community, all processing all of our unique experiences with the songs has allowed me to have a much greater imagination for the reception of the music in general,” Gracie shares, her adoration for those fans evident.

“I think, especially this time around, I’ve seen how generous the people who come to my shows have been with their energy with me. It’s often the songs that I had, in a good way, the hardest time writing and putting out because of whatever the content was,

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I love pop music with my whole heart" G R AC I E A B R A M S

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that I feel most connected to my audience through at the shows.

“This whole album feels like the deepest, darkest version of honesty sometimes, but also the most light and free because it just happened. It was so natural that I can imagine at the shows, which I’m so desperately excited to play, I can imagine all of the songs taking on a new life because of how kind and open the crowds are. There’s such a vulnerability that they give me back that makes it feel okay for me to just lay it all out there. I really owe it to them, I think, too, for even having the courage to begin to write. While Aaron and I obviously had very little going on in our heads except how do we: a. Have the best time doing this, and b. Make an album that will make both of us feel creatively fulfilled. At the same time, in the back of your head, you know that’s happening, and of course, someday we’re going to hopefully put this stuff out. Being aware of both things at once, but having such a kind group of people that I know exist and that I’ve hugged and talked to and cried with and all the things, it’s nice that it’s them, and I’m really grateful that it’s them that I know are on the other end of the release.”

Between Aaron Dessner’s gentle challenging and the unwavering belief of her listeners, Gracie has found herself with the perfect foundation to create an album that both stays true to the purest version of who she is, as a person and an artist and seeks to find new avenues to explore that. As the album reaches its conclusion, there’s a major shift, one that Gracie seems to have been waiting to happen completely. The final few songs see a new perspective – she’s acknowledged her faults, accepted when she is to blame, and learnt a lot. By the time ‘The Blue’ rolls around, there’s a tinge of hopefulness to her voice that would’ve been

remiss earlier in the album. In surety, there is a newfound anticipation and eagerness for all the good that might come next.

The closing track on the album, ‘Right Now’, has a tremulous sense of finality.

After an album of anxious pacing, slouching deflated at kitchen tables, distractedly driving around in search of answers, the final track finds Gracie on a cliff edge of sorts – overlooking the future, ghosts from the past lingering over each shoulder. “I’m so high / but can’t look down,” she whisper-sings, aware of the new place she has arrived at but bound with fear of what she might leave behind. And yet, though her voice trembles and it takes a gigantic leap into the unknown to do it, Gracie finds what she has been searching for this entire time. “I feel like myself right now,” she breathes. Connected, grounded, returned.

“That felt a bit like the thesis of it at the end of the day. Despite the many songs about different relationships and everything, it really brought me to a place of feeling in my own body and happy about it, genuinely happy about it. There’s definitely a lot of what I felt was falling apart at the time; in hindsight, I think it was these structures that were falling apart because I was internally so badly asking for something new. In real-time, it felt terrifying and devastating often to realise the losses, sometimes. So, now it feels clear to me that a lot had to go away in order for me to honour myself and my truth and my gut; I think we can, for a billion reasons, make ourselves feel crazy for having certain instincts that I feel are actually often the right ones.

“A handful of factors including the therapy, my best friends, my family – having these safe spaces to lean against as I was working through these bigger questions was the greatest gift of my life. If I hadn’t had support systems that were so solid in their actual love for me as a person and investment in my being okay, I don’t know what I would have done. I’m very grateful for all of them and also for this album. It feels, looking back, like a tangible example of a lot of the change that allowed me to get to the place that I am now. Of course, there will be billions of ups and downs if I’m lucky as I continue to grow up, and I have no expectation that this solid footing I have right now is permanent – nothing is permanent. But there are these sustainable tools that I feel lucky to have that I intend to continue to implement.”

At its core, ‘Good Riddance’ is a tale of healing. It’s unlearning and learning; it’s understanding and dissecting and analysing.

A mature foray into a debut, by the final notes of ‘Good Riddance’, there is no doubt that the Gracie Abrams that emerges from the wake of that turmoiled and treacherous journey is the strongest we have ever seen. An arsenal of coping mechanisms, a newfound understanding of herself and the belief that what she has created is truly the most authentic representation of who she can be all combine to craft a tender, delicate debut album with the formidability of someone whose next steps might cause tremors. She has a support slot on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to look forward to – something she says was always “outside the realm of my wildest dreams” – and as she prepares to embark on her own headline tour, it seems Gracie has successfully cleared that mist that lingered around the album’s opening. The haze has lifted, and what comes next looks unbelievably bright.

■ Gracie Abrams’ album ‘Good Riddance’ is out 24th February.

GRACIE ABRAMS

READDORK.COM 39.

FEATURE

40. DORK

JOCKSTRAP

Although this eclectic duo have risen from obscurity to boast one of the most highlypraised albums of 2022, Georgia Ellery shares that, to her, JOCKSTRAP will always just be two people making music in their bedrooms.

WORDS: FINLAY HOLDEN. PHOTOS: EDDIE WHELAN.

READDORK.COM 41.

FEATURE

We’re both here for the ride, wherever it takes us” GEORGIA ELLERY

42. DORK

n September 2022, five years after Georgia Ellery first asked Taylor Skye to form their weird and wonderful band, Londonbased duo Jockstrap dropped their highly-anticipated debut LP, ‘I Love You Jennifer B’.

Following a series of EP and single releases, their first long-form project knitted a patchwork of thoughts and feelings experienced over the course of three years; uniquely jarring and subtly charming above all, the result was immediately praised and quickly rose to the top of many albums of the year lists.

“That feels really good,” Georgia shares, the joy of her creative output flourishing still very much present. “We kept the music to ourselves for so long, not really showing anyone, and now anyone can hear it. Just seeing how far it’s reached globally… we couldn’t imagine that beforehand; it’s amazing. We’ve somehow become a popular top choice which is great to see.”

Seeing such niche artistry go on to receive widespread acclaim is something to be celebrated, and part of that appeal is Jockstrap’s complete absence of fear when it comes to exploring new territories.

Although she would summarise their style as “alternative pop”, and there is certainly a strong melodic draw to their tracks, Georgia is quick to explain that they never try to be just one thing.

“On the album, one of the main features is that we’re constantly trying on different genres,” she elaborates. “It’s very clear when you’re listening to it that we’re not just one thing, but putting us under an alternative pop umbrella… well, it’s a very large umbrella. It’s not rock, it’s not just all dance music pop is a large category, and we do fit somewhere inside that.”

When it comes down to it, the only true defining characteristic of the group is the combined skillset of Georgia and Taylor. The former succeeds at weaving deft vocal lines and spinning intricate lyrical details; meanwhile, the latter bolsters this bold showing with an equally formidable production backing, which soon becomes a character in its own right.

This intoxicating combination is born from a fusion of two contrasting backgrounds, as the worlds of jazz and electronic collided during time served at London’s coveted Guildhall Music School. From the day he discovered GarageBand, Taylor spent a decade mastering music production on his laptop and his drive to create aligned perfectly with Georgia’s own artistic awakening.

Recalling her roots, she reminisces: “I’d sung growing up in

small folk bands, amateur dramatic things, and always felt confident singing. When you don’t study something, there’s more freedom to it. I never had singing lessons, but it was always a great tool.

Because I’ve not formally trained, I do run into problems sometimes, and it is what it is; that’s my approach to my voice. It works, and I’m not too precious about it being manipulated.”

“Growing up playing the violin, I was always playing other people’s music,” she continues. “The natural progression to do something a bit different was jazz – you get to play the notes that you choose, but it is still someone else’s music, so I was starting to edge away from that and write my own.”

“It only became a possibility when my drive encouraged me to ask Taylor if he wanted to be in a band,” Georgia recalls.

“We were definitely very hungry to do something, in music and in London. In college, we were meeting producers, musicians, and songwriters our age for the first time who were all making crazy pop music. It made me quickly realise: wow, I want to be involved.

I was inspired.”

Bonding over shared tastes – the pair both continue to rave about early work from the likes of James Blake, Disclosure, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – quickly led to an inherently electronic leaning. “When we spoke about our influences from home, it was clear we were both into dance music too.

When [Taylor] put some clips on Facebook, I could hear all the things I loved in what he was making. There was a very immediate draw to work with him.”

From then on, the many worlds of Jockstrap were crafted in various London-based bedrooms; this modern activity might try to simulate the complex studio environment, but no potency was lost here. In fact, ‘I Love You Jennifer B’ specifically is an example of how humble technology can truly be pushed to its limits. “I’m on the fence as to whether it’ll age really badly or like a fine wine,” Georgia admits.

“Maybe we can come back to this and have a review discussion in ten years.”

Jumping over boundaries is a dangerous and exciting game, and one that this duo have been at for a while now, but from the moment lead single ‘50/50’ was dropped, it became clear to many that Jockstrap were on their way towards something special. For Georgia, this realisation struck upon hearing the first of this batch of songs, ‘Concrete Over Water’. “It came very naturally, and we knew we were onto something. We used

the Beyonce-type beat backing – we both love Beyonce – and that was the return of the big dance energy, going back to the stuff that we’d always loved and initially bonded over.”

When ‘50/50’ followed a few months later as a result of a new melody-driven collaborative approach (“it was the most successful I felt we’d ever been”) and the hits just kept coming, it became clear that a rich sonic tapestry was forming; one that would be hard to match visually.

“How could we choose one picture to sum up so many different emotions and parts of ourselves?”

Georgia asks. “We wanted to make a statement, just like we chose our name to be a statement. To me, our grey album gives away nothing about the music; you don’t know what to expect, and so you shouldn’t.”

Contained within those monochrome walls is a documentation of several years that she finds it hard to find perspective on just yet, but the key principle driving listeners through it all is feeling. “We’re quite emotional people, and we like it when we can put that into our music and it can make us feel something, or it can give the same feeling that we’re trying to express,” she says. “We’re both here for the ride, wherever it takes us.”

One of the many reactions evoked is one of pure surprise, and these ten tracks refuse to settle into any predictable pattern, much to the listener’s delight and, indeed, the group’s own. “The bits I always connect to are the things that knock me off guard and catch me when I’m ready to feel something,” Georgia considers, adding that, “that’s what I love about what [Taylor] does, and about music in general. You’re connected to it, and it can unlock all sorts of emotions when you least expect them. When we’re making music, we all strive to create those moments. The people who are listening… I think they get it too.”

Accessible but potent, melodic and appealing but also an ambitious whirlwind, hardhitting and yet bizarrely charming; it’s hard to put a finger on what exactly it is about this record and group that’s managed to capture the world’s attention.

“We’re doing this because we love music and making music, and we want to say what we want to say via music,” Georgia concludes.

“To me, it’s just me and Taylor making music.” Perhaps it’s just as simple as that. ■ Jockstrap’s album ‘I Love You Jennifer B’ is out now; they tour the UK from 7th February.

JOCKSTRAP

READDORK.COM 43.

COVER STORY

From the pubs of South London to the big leagues, Shame have come a long way. Now with their upcoming release, ‘Food For Worms’, they’re honing their sound, playing with humour and promising there really is a cameo from Phoebe Bridgers. Honest.

WORDS: JAKE HAWKES. PHOTOS: PATRICK GUNNING.

44. DORK

SHAME

READDORK.COM 45.

COVER STORY

46. DORK

SHAME

FOOD FOR WORMS e’ve come a long way from the days when the new wave of shouty bands were referred to as the ‘South London Scene’.

And for good reason: it’s a name that doesn’t exactly stand up to scrutiny when groups from across the UK get in on the action. Post-punk may not be a perfect moniker, but it makes more sense than referring to bands like Fontaines DC as if they come from Streatham.

One band the original name does make sense for are Shame. Growing up in the capital and cutting their teeth in The Queen’s Head, a pub so close to Brixton Academy that you can pretty much see it out the window, South London is in the band’s blood.

A lot has changed in the years since then, with the five-piece releasing two critically acclaimed albums, one of which hit the Top 10, and playing pretty much every country in the world. One thing that hasn’t changed is that The Queen’s Head still puts on regular live music – something we found out as we sat down there for a chat with frontman Charlie Steen and guitarist Eddie Green and were promptly drowned out by a soundcheck taking place 15ft away.

“God, there’s not a band on, is there?”

Charlie says with a grin. “Still, could be the next Shame, I suppose.” We decamp to the beer garden and shiver under a broken patio heater as the mercury hits -1C. Not exactly a glamorous start, but an excuse for Charlie to show off his new Shame scarf, on sale now in all good stores.

The scarf (and the interview) are tied to the band’s upcoming third album ‘Food For Worms’. It’s their most accomplished work yet, mixing the ferocious, snarling hits of their debut ‘Songs of Praise’ with the more meandering and emotionally mature work of follow-up ‘Drunk Tank Pink’.

“It definitely takes from both of the albums that came before,” says Charlie as he rolls a cigarette. “’Songs of Praise’ had these direct melodies, but ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ was a much more musically confident album, so we’ve landed somewhere that combines both aspects, and adds a few more.”

“A lot of it is to do with that confidence,” agrees Eddie. “We had the confidence on this record to appreciate space a little bit more.

Particularly on ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, I think we’d

If you’re going to name your album ‘Food for Worms’, you’d better be able to feed the little buggers a balanced diet. But what is a balanced diet for an earthworm? Shame weigh in: Eddie: Well, they like mud, rummaging around in the mud for minerals. They don’t like water; they’re always in danger when it rains, so it’d have to be mineral-rich but also dry.

Charlie: Just feed them Weetabix; that’d do it.

see a bit of space in a song and instantly look for ways to fill it, but we’ve realised that actually isn’t necessary. ‘Food for Worms’ is an album where we didn’t overcomplicate things – maybe that’s conditioned by the circumstances under which we wrote it, but for me, it just feels like a completely honest Shame record.”

Despite the band’s increased musical confidence, the album wasn’t an easy one to write. After touring album two, Shame found themselves struggling to write and lacking in direction until their management booked them two shows at the Windmill, another iconic Brixton pub which they’ve played

Friendship has all the same themes as love or a breakup; it’s just a feeling that doesn’t end as abruptly. Friendship is still romantic" CHARLIE STEEN

“about a hundred times” according to Eddie, who also used to work there pulling pints (long-term and loyal readers may remember that Eddie left our last cover chat early for a shift there – Ed).

The enforced deadline of an upcoming performance shook the musical cobwebs loose, and what followed was an intense period of work forming the skeleton of album three. “We definitely tweaked stuff after the Windmill show,” says Eddie. “but the pressure allowed us to hone in on how we make a song good, or good to our collective mind anyway. We write, and then we finesse things on stage; it’s always been a big part of what we do. Those shows were the catalyst and helped us work out which songs we wanted on the album, but we didn’t go straight into the studio afterwards. We tinkered, we gave things colour.”

That tinkering included extending ‘Adderall’ beyond its original two-minute length and giving ‘Six-Pack’ a proper ending.

“We played those songs and realised they needed to be longer,” explains Eddie. “You just get that immediate feedback playing live – it genuinely feels like co-writing with the crowd.”

This ethos of angling everything towards the live show isn’t surprising from a band who have had a reputation for being phenomenal in concert since their first days as a band.

It’s an approach that has seen each of their tours get bigger than the last, but it’s not something Shame have tried to apply to the recording process before. That changed READDORK.COM 47.

COVER STORY

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SHAME

on ‘Food for Worms’, with all of the album being recorded live in the studio save the melancholic and introspective ‘Orchid’.

“Doing a record live is something we’ve wanted to do for a while,” says Eddie. “I think part of that was this romantic view of plugging in, playing a song and fucking off home, but it turns out it’s actually a very, very labour-intensive way of recording, which is probably why nobody else bothers doing it!”

“It’s a lot more chaotic, but it worked out… hopefully,” adds Charlie. “As a continuation of the Windmill gigs, it helped us tighten up the album even more. We went into those gigs playing the songs so roughly, and by the end of them and the recording process, it felt like we had them completely nailed.

“Most guitar bands write their first album in the same way we did this one,” he continues. “You write a song because there’s a gig coming up, and you need something to play at it, or you’ll look stupid.

Then you play the song and try to make sure nobody heads to the bar when you’re halfway through.”

“Or in the case of the Windmill, if you aren’t in danger of getting a monitor to the head, then it’s probably not a great track.” laughs Eddie.

“I think also it’s worth remembering that we didn’t know we were going to get an album out of the songs we were writing,” says Charlie. “Anything you write can be dismissed or not work out, so thematically, it’s only cohesive because we did it all in one three-month period. The way I feel in January is different to the way I feel in November, but this is a really clear snapshot of how we all felt in that very condensed timeframe.

“Not to keep contrasting it with ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, but where that album was really insular, this one is based around stories of friendship. Some of my favourite films – ‘Withnail and I’, ‘In Bruges’, they’re written about friendships. Your best friend is your priest and your therapist, and you’re theirs, so that was what I was thinking about at the time and what hopefully comes through on the album. Friendship has all the same themes as love or a breakup; it’s just a feeling that doesn’t end as abruptly.

Friendship is still romantic.”

Tales of friendship and openness are a long, long way from Shame’s early material, with their satirical stories of sugar daddies (‘Gold Hole’) and send-ups of the Tory party (‘Visa Vulture’), but expansion and growth is to be expected from a band who hit the spotlight in their late teens and have weathered an entire pandemic together.

As for specifically aiming at big topics or wading into politics with intent, they’d rather not.

“I really don’t want to write about anything that becomes clickbait,” says Charlie with a grimace. “At the end of the day, we have to go on stage and sing these songs forever, so it has to have some truth to it and some feeling behind it. I don’t stay up by candlelight with a quill going over my lyrics, but I also don’t want to do things just because I feel like it’s expected.”

To be fair to the band, we’re not sure they could ever be accused of just doing what’s expected. From a live video where a topless Charlie gets greased up between songs to a twelve-hour livestream to promote ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ which devolved into bassist Josh Finerty beatboxing (“the quality did take a dip at that point,” admits Eddie with a smile), they’ve always been a band who are willing

to have a bit of Dadaist fun. Case in point: the video to recent single ‘Six-Pack’, which features a low-resolution CGI Napoleon Bonaparte taking steroids and pumping iron to get ready for world domination.

“Ah, Napoleon,” begins Charlie, with the air of someone reminiscing about an old colleague. “We really wanted to focus more on videos for this album run, because it’s something we’ve neglected a bit in the past. The hard part is that it tends to be more atmospheric songs that have better videos, and we aren’t exactly Mount Kimbie.

The solution was obviously for Gilbert Bannerman to make us an animated video about Napoleon in the gym. We basically had nothing to do with the planning or execution of that, but it’s one of my favourite music videos.”

‘Six-Pack’ itself is a perfect encapsulation of the way Shame play with humour in their music. An absurdist video and the repeated refrain “now you’ve got a six-pack!” grab your attention immediately, but the lyrics themselves are actually a perfectly aimed smirk at the type of people who may have got a bit too comfortable during the Covid19 lockdown.

“I wrote that when Covid eased and we were all allowed outside again,” says Charlie.

“And most people were so happy to be back out in the world, but obviously, at the start of lockdown, everyone was saying they’d learn to play the flute and speak Arabic and get a six-pack. In your room, you can control what you’re going to eat, when you’re going to sleep, even the weather by using your thermostat. Then you step outside, and you miss your bus, or you step in a puddle.

It’s just about that constant need for the delusion of what you could achieve if you stayed in.”

At the other end of the album’s range is ‘Adderall’, a contemplative exploration of addiction and its impact on those around you. It’s not autobiographical, with Adderall itself standing in for “anything you can lean on as an addiction,” explains Charlie. “There are a couple of people from America that I’ve met who were prescribed Adderall at a young age, and it’s had lasting impacts, so that is a part of it, but it’s not something I’ve experienced myself to any major degree.”

Eddie laughs at the last part and casts a glance at Charlie, who grins. “Ok, I do have one experience with it,” he says. “I once took five of them in one night and did six months of art homework in six hours.”

“It’s not marketed as Adderall over here, but it’s a specific type of amphetamine,” explains Eddie. “So basically, Charlie took four grams of speed to do his homework.”

“Yeah, not very smart, some would say,” admits Charlie. “I stayed up all night doing art homework, went straight to school and drank so much tea and coffee that I couldn’t taste anything for a week. My art teacher had scheduled a meeting with me and my mum to discuss how I hadn’t done six months of homework, and she was just flicking through 40 pages of work like ‘….how?’

“But anyway, that isn’t what the song is about, and the important thing is that Phoebe Bridgers did some vocals on it which are so buried that I will give you a thousand pounds if you can hear them.”

Now we at Dork are no Pulitzer-prizewinning journalists (yet), but a band with a reputation for silliness revealing that Absolutely Massive Pop Star Phoebe Bridgers is on their new album but is impossible to hear seems more than a little bit fishy to us. “It’s true!” protests Eddie.

Look, I know people think we’re trying to be clever with this, but Phoebe’s actually just really nice and did us a favour…”

EDDIE GREEN

2FOR 1

Shame recently did a co-headline tour with Viagra Boys. Using all of our investigative journalism skills, we asked them – what was it like?

Eddie: It was very full on, but those guys are the sweetest. They do their job well, but they also party very well. Charlie tried to keep up once; it didn’t end well.

Charlie: I had a bad night in Denver.

Eddie: We had to wait for two hours in the car park of a Target for him the next morning, then do a thirteen-hour drive which he did not enjoy. Nice to have a bit of competition, though, isn’t it? [Viagra Boys lead singer] Seb started doing press-ups on stage to compete with us.

Charlie: He managed one on the first night and threw up quite a lot.

He was up to four by the end of the tour, but still vomiting straight afterwards.

Eddie: Impressive to work your way up though. He wasn’t exactly living clean and working out in the interim.

READDORK.COM 49.

COVER STORY

I don’t stay up by candlelight with a quill going over my lyrics” CHARLIE STEEN

50. DORK

“She’s got a performance credit and everything, I promise.” We’re still dubious, but a postinterview credits list is duly emailed to us, and the verdict is in: Shame really did manage to convince Phoebe Bridgers to sing for them.

“We’re on the same label as her, so it’s not totally random,” says Eddie. “She was in the same building as us recording some Boygenius stuff, and our producer was like, ‘we could really use another layer to these vocals’, and she agreed instantly. Was in the room for maybe eleven minutes and said it was in a range where she had to sing really quietly, which is why it’s… completely inaudible.”

The deal wasn’t totally one-sided, though.

“Josh played tambourine on a Boygenius track in return, so I think he gets a credit for shaking his hand about.” Eddie pauses, before adding.

“Look, I know people think we’re trying to be clever with this, but Phoebe’s actually just

really nice and did us a favour… plus we’re actually all big shots.” He tries (and fails) to maintain a straight face as he says the last part.

“We went to a party at Phoebe’s mum’s house,” adds Charlie. “We were the only people to get in the pool, which is incredibly British, and Paul Mescal told Eddie to fuck off.”

“He did not!” shouts Eddie, only just stopping short of kicking Charlie under the table.

Parties at Phoebe Bridgers’ house are a pretty big step away from tiny pub shows in London, but with their biggest tour ever planned to support the new album, their showbiz ambitions don’t just stay in their personal lives. “We’re gonna get the cast of Cirque de Soleil up on stage with us to ramp up the live show,” jokes Charlie (well, we think he’s joking). “We’re getting to a point where the tours are getting bigger and bigger, and we want our input to match that.

“We’ve relied on the live gig being the selling point for a long time, but touring in America with Viagra Boys, it really kicked in that we can’t get complacent. It’s easy to get on stage and do the same thing every night, especially when it’s a long tour and you start to get tired, but it’s those unpredictable moments which are most exciting. I might even play guitar for a couple of songs – not that I think that’ll sell any tickets.”

“This tour is the moment when we’re going to make the show a lot more of something to be a part of. A lot of bands can come on stage and play the hits forever, but we want the spectacle; we want our live output to match the size of the venue.”

The venues this time around might be the biggest indoor gigs the band have ever played, but it’s hard to imagine their festival billings getting any better than 2021’s Wide Awake Festival, a celebration of everything the ‘South London Scene’ had become, held a stone’s throw from the Windmill and with a main stage named after the venue. The headliner? It could only be Shame.

“That was bizarre,” says Eddie, shaking his head. “I assumed it was going to be a boutique festival, then I turned up, and it was fucking enormous – it even had a Ferris wheel!”

“We used to go to that park all the time as kids, so it felt like a real homecoming,” adds Charlie. “I was so nervous on the day, and I barely remember the set, but it was my favourite show I’ve ever done. I just got the bus home afterwards, completely content.”

With bigger shows come longer sets, and by album three, it’s no longer a case of ‘play all the hits, then play everything else’. “The setlist debate before a gig is always a fucking nightmare,” admits Eddie. “And whatever you choose, you won’t be able to please everyone.

We recently went back to playing ‘Angie’, which I’ve always loved as a song, and people keep screaming for it at gigs, or commenting ‘why the FUCK didn’t you play ‘Angie’?!’ on our Instagram posts. But we’ve generally been lucky that the songs we’d pick to play are the ones which have resonated with people, and even prior to the new album’s release, people are picking up on songs and loving them, which is gratifying.

“It will be a nightmare in a few years’ time, though – we’re already doing 90-minute sets and not fitting it all in.”

“Oh god, don’t say that!” Charlie cuts in.

“People might not come if we play too long. It is a weird one, though; different countries expect different set lengths. The UK doesn’t want us to play for three hours – they’d come over and tell us they had a train to catch or leave halfway through. The last thing you want is for someone to be chatting to you afterwards and say, ‘wow, you played for a long time’. I tell you what, say we only play for four minutes – then people will see anything else as a bonus.” ■ Shame’s album ‘Food for Worms’ is out 24th February.

SHAME

READDORK.COM 51.

FEATURE

52. DORK

WESLEY JOESEPH

WESLEY JOSEPH has carefully cultivated a universe of boundery-free creativity with his Really Very Good new project, ‘GLOW’.

WORDS: NEIVE MCCARTHY. PHOTO: LEWIS VORN. esley Joseph is in talks about a plane. “I’m going a bit crazy sorting this next video. It’s been back-to-back Zoom calls from the moment I woke up – that’s been my life this week. If the video looks like how it is in my head, it’ll be worth it.” Here, on another Zoom call, Wesley takes a break from weighing up different skyward options to talk about his latest project, ‘GLOW’.

The follow-up to ‘ULTRAMARINE’ and his first release with Secretly Canadian, it’s a body of work of such immense scope that a video involving him onboard a plane doesn’t even scratch the surface of the sheer scale of it.

‘ULTRAMARINE’ solidified Wesley as one of the most ambitious players in the game – ‘GLOW’ sees him put that ambition to work. “It feels like a progression in my artistry,” Wesley decides. “I’m more comfortable, but I’m still trying to tread new ground, but in the boots I made on ‘ULTRAMARINE’. It’s the same feet, but next steps and new ground.”

A shifting mass of creativity, ‘GLOW’ is a full-throttle exploit that sees Wesley assume his usual multi-hyphenate roles. Songwriter, producer, performer, director – there is no end to his talent, but there is also no end to his output and, of course, no slowing down.

“I think sometimes you only really know how far you’ve come when you look backward. I’m always looking forwards, my head is always working, and sometimes you don’t really realise the ground you’ve covered. It’s important to appreciate the journey. I actually struggle with doing that a lot, which is probably why in some songs, I make a point to do it because in my life, a lot of the time, I’m always on the go. I don’t have time to reflect in life. When I make music, it’s my time to reflect.

It’s like writing a diary, almost.”

As a result, much of his newest project is deeply introspective and a means of checking in with himself. This doesn’t always mean his current situation, however.

Latest single ‘HIATUS’ sees him make conversation with his sixteen-year-old self, having found the part-written lyrics to the track, penned back in Walsall.

“It’s quite an intense song,” Wesley laughs. It traces the roots of that restless determination Wesley still possesses now – part fraught rap, part slick falsettos, it’s a sage glance at how he reached this point.

Recently debuting the track on his first-ever COLORS show performance, you might assume that it was the most representative track of the project

as a whole. And while mindsetwise, it seems to pretty much epitomise Wesley’s ceaseless grind, on ‘GLOW’, he shows a capacity far beyond that. He opens the project with the titletrack, and it feels something like a portal opening to this new world he has carved. Spectral and questioning, it allows Wesley’s potential to unfold at his own pace, stretching open amongst those expansive beats.

“All bets are off. You can go anywhere from here,” Wesley assures. “It’s so broad and open, and it’s almost like a statement in its simplicity. It opens you up to go really intense and rap your arse off afterwards, but people still wouldn’t think it was a rap record. You don’t really know the genre of ‘GLOW’ as a song. It feels like a start or an end. I think that’s a perfect way to start a record because you just want to start it again from that point. It’s a unique entry point – if that was the first chapter of the book, you’d feel a lot, and you wouldn’t really know what it is. So you’d carry on.”

From there, he maintains this ability to keep you on your toes throughout. The following track, ‘MONSOON’, lends its thoughtful, deep-diving bars to a lighter, late summer evening style track. ‘COLD SUMMER’ chooses unsettled strings and dark beats as Wesley adopts a supervillain point of view. No two tracks in the collection are the same, and Wesley seems to revamp his entire self with every play button pressed – it’s mystifying to watch unfold.

“One thing I always want in my music is for people to expect the unexpected,” clarifies Wesley. “But also, because it’s coming from the same human and the same soul, I want it to feel familiar to me and almost nowhere else. I’ve always wanted it to make sense that I could make a soul ballad, then a hard rap song or a dance tune or whatever, and it makes complete sense. All of those are part of me, and I have never wanted to be pigeonholed as a guy who makes boom rap or hip-hop or just things in that style. I want all of the parts of me to exist in my bodies of work and for it to feel concise but true to itself. Something you can expect the unexpected in, but it makes sense at the same time; it doesn’t feel wrong. That’s the main thing. If I was making a screamo song then going into hard classical, it would just be a mess. But I think all of the things that make me who I am are quite nuanced in the way that they exist together, but they are different.”

Ambiguous and arguably undefinable, ‘GLOW’ relishes in a curveball, in launching into something entirely different. It could well be symptomatic of the seemingly bottomless well of

I’m making things for the test of time. I’m not looking at trends” WESLEY JOSEPH creativity Wesley has to tap in.

Deeply in tune with the world of film and with his mind constantly abuzz with ideas, it seems like Wesley is oft at a fork in the road. Not the kind where you’re forced to choose a path and stick to it, per se, but the kind of fork where the wealth of possibilities and potential veer off in any which direction, and at the end of each road may come another incomparable idea.

“This whole thing would be way less fun for me if I couldn’t jump across different parallels. It would be way less exciting. When I finish the music, it’s really exciting. Then I get this huge adrenaline rush with the idea of making a video for the song. It helps move things along, but it’s more because it’s another way for me to be excited – all of this really is about me feeling excited and not feeling like you’re over things. The best songs I could’ve made in some people’s opinions, there were periods where I wasn’t excited about them – then I came up with a video idea for them, and I’m excited about it again.” “’BLOOM’, I came up with a video for that which we didn’t end up doing,” he continues. “But the fact that I had this video idea for it was gassing me up so much about the song. To this day, the video is still in my head when I play the song, and I’m energised by that.

The video is like the difference

between a sketch in a book and then the final portrait in the gallery. You can see the potential of where it will end up, and that’s way more exciting for me than it ending as just sounds. Even though some songs I don’t think should have videos, the ones that do have videos, the idea of them having a visual gives the whole thing more energy. It helps me in ways that I probably don’t even realise.”

In blending the tracks with these immersive, inspired visuals, Wesley essentially creates a world for ‘GLOW’. It’s unlike anything anyone else in the industry is doing, it feels like – it takes a rare talent to employ such precision and acute detail into a journey like Wesley has done. From the DEAN featuring kick beats of ‘SUGAR DIVE’ to the haunting vocals on closing track ‘LIGHT LIGHT’, this is a collection of tracks steeped in care and born from someone who seems fated to create. “For this video, we’re shooting for ‘SUGAR DIVE’, I had to come up with three different video ideas for this back to back,” Wesley recalls. “When I did it, I was most happy with the one that I’d done last out of all three. I just remember I was very thankful that I could listen to the music and just see new things. That’s something I’m very appreciative of because I don’t know why it happens. I’m always

looking at things and getting inspired, trying to be as wide-eyed as possible in life. At the same time, a lot of the time, I’ll hear music and literal things just pop in my head, and that’s something I feel not all people have.”

Somewhere at the intersection of predestined and stemming from an immense amount of graft, Wesley’s talent emerges. That unique combination undoubtedly makes his output increasingly more distinct – it is boundaries being broken, revolutionary tracks being made and a star shining brighter by the day. ‘GLOW’ has that sense of permanent brilliance that Wesley has been aiming for the entirety of his career.

“The last thing I’d ever want is to be ‘successful’, but I don’t even really rate what I’m doing,” he explains. “For me, all that really mattered was that I could be a reference point for people that make real art, for people that care. I’ve always cared and worked really hard in a detailed, meticulous way so that the art can just be the most true to me. When I first put out ‘ULTRAMARINE’, I remember saying to my manager, ‘If this doesn’t do well, I won’t care’.

I know the value in what this is, and I know how true this is to what I wanted it to be. If people don’t get it – and I actually thought people wouldn’t, I thought people would think it’s a band, they won’t be sure if I rap, some people will think it’s all over the place – I was expecting all this stuff, but I just didn’t care. I was going to carry on going anyway, and one day it will make sense.

“Luckily, I guess because of those decisions now, more and more people understand it for what it is. I’m always making things for the test of time. I’m not looking at trends; I’m not looking at what’s popping. I’m just making original music that can stand the test of time and be relevant and as poignant in twenty years as it is now. I’m inspired by what’s around me and what’s current in many ways, but I’m not looking left and right. I’m focused on making the best thing that I can make.”

As he prepares to shift his focus to the long-awaited debut album, Wesley is already one step ahead of ‘GLOW’. While the future hangs over everything he does and how things will play out, his focus is on the present moment, in the studio, sorting videos. He heads out on tour with Loyle Carner soon, after featuring on his third album ‘hugo’, but he hasn’t thought much of it yet – he’ll get too carried away and lose focus. His mind, regardless of how quickly it races, is firmly on what’s in front of him right now. Whatever that may be, he knows it will be special. ■ Wesley Joseph’s project ‘GLOW’ is out 17th February.

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INCOMING ALL THE NEW RELEASES YOU NEED TO KNOW

WHAT DO THE SCORES MEAN? ★ Rubbish ★★ Not Great ★★★ Fair ★★★★ Good ★★★★★ Amazing

Paramore

This Is Why ★★★★★

Released: Out now. → Never stand still. That’s been the Paramore way for the last decade. From their self-titled fourth album - a broadening of horizons that catapulted them into new, exciting spaces they’ve rarely been a band to look backwards or remain predictable in their music. 2017’s ‘After Laughter’ set them up as one of alternative pop’s most vibrant, empowering forces - a sparkling juxtaposition of sounds to make the feet move and lyrics to pierce the soul - but even that isn’t enough to nail them down.

The Paramore of ‘This Is Why’ is wound tighter than a guitar string. Mired in the sleazy shimmer of mid-00s indie rock, it’s a record of paranoia, anxiety and a lack of trust in the world from a band who genuinely care but aren’t scared to take their pound of flesh from those who deserve it. Its opening title-track and lead single sets the stage - a refusal to leave safe surroundings for very good reasons. ‘The News’ deals with our second-hand relationship with the horrors of the world around us - “I worry and I give money, and I feel useless behind this computer”, sticking a dart in the complexities of trying to do the right thing as atrocities are beamed directly into our eye sockets 24/7.

The warm tones of ‘Big Man, Little Dignity’ are quickly cut through with shards of vengeful thoughts (“No offence, but you’ve got no integrity”), while ‘You First’ goes more directly for the throat (“Karma’s gonna come for all of us, and I just hope she comes for you first”). ‘Figure 8’ recalls the best of indie sleaze’s underground cool - like Bloc Party’s siren call guitars and Pretty Girls Make Graves’ effortless cool drawn into an even tighter, high-definition focus - but it’s the twinkling honesty of ‘Liar’ that stands out amongst the sharp edges. A slow-burning respite that cuts through the noise, full of genuinely impactful emotion, it proves that Paramore are a band that have always had it in them to emotionally lacerate at more than one speed.

Finally consolidated into a stable trio after line-up changes that have followed their output for well over a decade, every member brings something unique to the mix. From Hayley Williams’ confessional lyricism, breaking and swelling hearts often within the same verse, to Taylor York’s wild, expressive creativity that has so inspired their last few records, Zac Farro’s return to the fold continues to pin down the mast with a musical empathy that always perfectly understands the assignment. With genuine love, knowledge and appreciation of the influences they pull from, this isn’t Paramore finding a way to hop on a trending musical topic. Far from it, it’s a band who can read the zeitgeist before it truly hits, understanding why that postmillennium glamour and gritty tension might be the best tool to carve open the complex, brutal reality of an anxious new world of culture wars and unkindness. Both an evolution and a revolution true to who they are, that constant motion never fails to hit the spot. STEPHEN ACKROYD

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G. Rose Gray

Higher Than The Sun EP ★★★★ Out now.

→ Born from a lifelong love of 90s dance, Rose Gray’s latest sees her join her formidable pop vocals with a healthy dose of rave classic beats and brew up a distinctly Rose Gray cocktail. From the first notes of the release-chasing ‘Ecstasy’, Rose makes it clear that she is hear to bring back the true club anthem.‘Sun Comes Up’ is a more lowkey version of her sound, while ‘Prettier Than You’ has tongue-in-cheek delivery and shuffling beats. The feeling she’s been reaching for finally arrives on final track, ‘Promise Me’. Her powerhouse vocals are at their finest, and her dizzying hybrid of disco, rave and pop take her to completely new heights. There’s no telling which dancefloor she will command next. NEIVE MCCARTHY

Wesley Joseph

GLOW ★★★★

Released 17th February. → Wesley Joseph is nothing short of a visionary – from the detailed, meticulous approach he takes to his sound, to the innovative tracks themselves and their equally intense music videos, with every corner of his artistry he shakes the game up. On ‘GLOW’, his latest project, he revitalises himself once again, bringing a new energy, new experience and new creativity to the table.

The result? A deliciously distinct and slick collection of eight tracks, cementing Wesley Joseph as one of the most exciting artists around right now. As the last notes of ‘LIGHT LIGHT’ echo out, there’s a lingering feeling that this is only brushing the surface of what Wesley Joseph is capable of – whatever comes next will no doubt be even more explosive. NEIVE MCCARTHY

ARTIST’S GUIDE RECOMMENDED RELEASES. The Murder Capital

Gigi’s Recovery ★★★★

→ If their debut was about the love that endures between friends in the hardest, blackest times imaginable, ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ bursts to life in the grey areas that follow, revealing a deeply impressive record full of shades and flourishes that open themselves out more on each listen. Not just recovered, but even stronger then.

MASTER PEACE PEACE OF MIND EP

Master Peace talks us through his brand new EP, track by track.

INCOMING

Priestgate

One Shade Darker EP ★★★★★ Released 3rd March.

→ With their second EP, Dork Hype List stars Priestgate are setting down yet another marker for why they might just be one of the best new hopes for the UK’s vibrant alternative scene. While their first collection was impressive stuff, ‘One Shade Darker’ does what it says on the label.

With a brooding doomy hue beneath the surface, opening track ‘Some Things Never Change’ feels like classic indie writ large, while ‘Into The Blue’ shimmers with a hint of the iconic. Seriously, seriously impressive stuff. STEPHEN ACKROYD

Kelela

RAVEN ★★★★

The 1975

Released 3rd February.

Being Funny in a Foreign Language ★★★★★

→ Kelela has always straddled two worlds, the R&B she grew up on and the electronic dance she made a name for herself with. On her second album, ‘Raven’, she perfects their integration.

Born out of feeling alone as a Black femme in the dance community, ‘Raven’ plays out like a DJ mix – much like Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ did last year, but if Bey’s record was the best party of your life, ‘Raven’ is the hours where the comedown starts kicking in. It’s a long-awaited reminder she’s electronic music’s supreme. ABIGAIL FIRTH

→ The 1975 writing their name in big, bold type, it’s a brilliant edit of everything that came before, cast in the selfrealisation and not-soquiet confidence of just how good they can be.

That tour poster tells no lies. ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ is The 1975 at their very best.

Little Simz

No Thank You ★★★★★

→ Little Simz might just be the most prolific and important artist of our generation. ‘No Thank You’ is yet another example of the greatness of someone who just never misses. 10 songs. Direct and assured. There’s not an inch of wasted energy here. ‘Gorilla’ is bold and inspiring with its orchestral stabs and gospel flourishes, while ‘Heart On Fire’ brims with fevered tension that encapsulates modern life and it all ends with touching piano-led ‘Control’: a beautiful moment of hope.

Combining the best of Simz’ peerless storytelling and sonic exploration ‘No Thank You’ is yet another triumph.

COUNTRY LIFE ‘Country Life’ is a record that comes from the frustration of feeling underrated and feeling unseen in the world of indie, I’d say. It also covers the bases of stereotypes and the realisation that being you is the best thing to be no matter what people say, and I think it finally helped me own my positioning in music. It was the first record we wrote for the EP, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

ACHILLES HEEL ‘Achilles Heel’ came from feeling like things don’t work out in relationships of any sort, but love wins at the end of the day, and it points out the shortcomings of each person in a relationship based on the circumstances. The riff was inspired by old-school Police records, and the sharp, hard-hitting drums have an essence of ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ (The Ordinary Boys). It’s another song that I truly believed in and fell in love with immediately.

You try and fight how you feel, but you end up behaving like a 5-yearold when they take a hit of candy.

It’s had a lot of tongue and cheek in it, and it really gets straight to the point.

GROUNDHOG DAY ‘Groundhog Day’ is a conversation with myself realising my fears of love and connection and why I never live in the moment with things - I’m always worrying about what could go wrong instead of just being in it and living for that moment.

It’s a self-awareness record that makes me feel like I should be easy on myself when it comes to love because it’s a complicated thing.

KALEIDOSCOPE ‘Kaleidoscope’ is the final record on the EP, which is like a therapy session with myself; about how far I’ve come from my adolescent age, how I see my future, and about being proud of who I am and where I’m from and what I stand for and the people I stand for. It’s as real as VERONICA it gets… “I don’t wanna be like you ‘Veronica’ is a personal favourite. if you wanna be like me” really hits The themes cover lust & that home and is one of my favourite butterfly feeling of meeting lyrics on there. I don’t want my fans someone and falling in love instantly to wanna be like me cause I’m only because you feel like you like the human, and I ain’t a role model; I’m idea of them and what they are truly just Peace trying to go through life about, and you wanna know more… like everybody else.

Master Peace

Peace of Mind EP ★★★★

Released 24th February. → Master Peace is in the mood to shake things up and make some noise on his thrilling new EP, ‘Peace Of Mind’. He’s always been capable of handling lots of different styles and sounds, but here it feels like a defining statement. Bold and uncompromising, everything is turned up to 11, razor sharp and focused to provide a platform for Peace’s direct resonate storytelling. The music here is more abrasive at times like on the discordant punk of ‘Groundhog Day’, but it all helps in bolstering Peace’s credentials in taking on the lineage of classic UK indie and shaping it in a new way with bags of attitude and huge pop hooks. It’s a hugely impressive return. MARTYN YOUNG

Caity Baser

Thanks For Nothing, See You Never EP ★★★★ Released 3rd February.

→ Personality defines the very best pop stars and Caity Baser has it in bucketfuls.

Every single second of her new EP ‘Thanks For Nothing, See You Never’ is brimming with exuberant, brash energy from a 20-year-old who’s ready to both define a generation and pick it up, tip it upside down, shake it all about and shove a custard pie in its face. Chaos, essentially. Pop chaos in the best tradition. Of course, all of this would be nothing without the songs and chops to back up the attitude, and thankfully Caity has that in abundance.

MARTYN YOUNG

READDORK.COM 55.

INCOMING

Shame

Food For Worms ★★★★★

Released: 24th February. → Album number three is often that point where you can see whether an artist is going to sit in their comfort zone forever more and take

the easy money or take a risk and evolve. And with ‘Food For Worms’, Shame have chosen to go for it big time. ‘Fingers Of Steel’ and ‘Six-Pack’ you already know of course, the former dressed in its favourite beer-stained Cribs t-shirt while the latter brings forth some juicy math rock vibes. That’s only the start of what they’ve dug up here. ‘Yankees’ begins as pure slacker rock, and then bubbles and builds and expands in unexpected directions. The blissful and wistful ‘Adderall’ is a real highlight, building into a crashing crescendo reminiscent of Pavement at

their best, helped all the way by those vocals that Phoebe DEFINITELY DID. Meanwhile, tracks like ‘Alibis’ and’ The Fall Of Paul’ show that the band have lost none of the danger and thunder. Change is in the air, with 2023 already seeing two of the post-punk big hitters switching up their sound. And just like The Murder Capital did, Shame have come up with something special here. Proper lightning in a bottle stuff, its lack of polish and abrasive edges capture the energy and excitement from one of the country’s best live bands.

JAMIE MACMILLAN

→ Some bands take a little while to find their feet, but it feels like Inhaler were instead born at a sprint and are still refusing to slow down. It’s

only been a minute since they smashed their way to a Number 1 album, and, wearing those cuts and bruises from the album title like badges of honour, album two sees them keep that momentum going and then some.

Effortlessly catchy from the off, ‘Just To Keep You Satisfied’ is as much of a triumphant opening as you get - the band once again proving that they are one of the best in the game at crafting those uplifting guitar pop anthems.

Early singles ‘Love Will Get You There’ and ‘These Are The Days’ ride the same wave that have swept Sam Fender

to sold out stadiums, while (inescapably) sounding like U2 in their pomp - though Elijah has clearly inherited the skill of Knowing How To Make A Top Bop as much as anything else from his old man. Elsewhere, it only takes a couple of listens to tracks like ‘So Far So Good’ to fully engage those ear-worms and get them happily burrowing away under your skin.

There is more than enough to show that this is still just the beginning for Inhaler. What they’ll get up to when they’ve got time to breathe, that’s the exciting stuff right there.

JAMIE MACMILLAN

U.S Girls

Algiers

Nuha Ruby Ra

Inhaler

Cuts & Bruises ★★★★

Released: 17th February.

Bless This Mess ★★★★

Shook ★★★

Machine Like Me EP ★★★★

→ ‘Bless This Mess’ is all-round musical whizz Meg Remy’s eighth U.S Girls album and continues her exploration into combining bright, funky pop with just enough weirdness to make it compelling. Opening track ‘Only Daedalus’ has a strut that immediately hooks you in followed by fuzzy scuzzy and electro on ‘Futures Bet’ before really showing off on the brilliant 6 minute space disco odyssey of ‘Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo)’, which sounds like Kylie. Always a very good thing.

‘Bless This Mess’ is another hit from an artist who goes slightly under the radar, but delivers every time. MARTYN YOUNG

→ As epic as it is soulful, Algiers’ fourth full-length offering ‘Shook’ sees the band continue to evolve, playing with song structures and genre with a slick ease. Featuring some ambitious moments - plus a wide array of collaborators, including Samuel T. Herring from Future Islands, Big Rube, and Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine - the album is hugely successful in embarking on a journey of mood and genre, exploring race, community, and identity through what is a brilliantly bold celebration of their hometown of Atlanta. MELISSA DARRAGH

→ Known for her abrasive, intense live shows, there is sometimes a hurdle for artists like Nuha Ruby Ra when it comes to transferring what is captivating in the flesh onto record. ‘Machine Like Me’, Nuha’s hugely ambitious second EP, shrugs that worry off however with a series of captivating tracks that drill down into the intensity of her performances and craft something special. It’s unlike anything else out there right now. A late night, after-hours’ creature of the night’ type of listen, one that’s eye-opening and ear-rattling in all the best ways. JAMIE MACMILLAN

Released 17th February.

Gracie Abrams

Good Riddance ★★★★★

Released: 24th February. → Gracie Abrams’ longawaited debut album is a stunner. A masterclass

56. DORK

in intimate and evocative songwriting from an artist who has already established their own universe and is filling it with supremely detailed vignettes that combine youthful desire, winsome charm and a yearning escapism to heartstopping effect.

‘Good Riddance’ is an emotional rollercoaster.

Rooted in the most simple and resonant feelings and amplified by Gracie’s knack for a piercing image that details every precise detail of a moment in time, it’s an album with incredible depth for someone so young and

possesses an atmosphere and charm all of its own.

Sonically every track seems to begin delicately before swelling to quietly epic proportions.

The heart of the album is in its hushed super quiet moments where the beauty of Gracie’s songs and voice are most keenly felt complemented by Aaron Dessner’s sympathetic production. Distilling everything into its purest form, It’s a debut that perfectly illustrates the transcendent quality of very special songwriting.

MARTYN YOUNG

Released 24th February.

Released 3rd March.

→ Welcome to Cracker Island, the newfound home of Gorillaz.

In search of a singular truth, Noodle, Murdoc, 2-D and Russel Hobbs have decided to

start a cult. The Last Cult, in fact. They’ve recruited a cast of pals – Thundercat, Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala to name a few – and as they unleash ‘Cracker Island’ onto the world, they are laughingly safe in the knowledge many others will join their cause.

In a way, ‘Cracker Island’ is classic Gorillaz – conceptually rich (and some would argue wacky) and filled with unpredictable bangers. And though it may be characteristic of the group, part of their typical release is maintaining innovation, and ‘Cracker Island’ does exactly that. From the tightly-woven vocals of Stevie

Nicks on ‘Oil’ to the lullaby piano notes of the Bad Bunny featuring ‘Tormenta’, each track pushes a musical boundary in a new way, as we have no doubt come to expect from them.

It’s the higher tempo moments on the album that shine brightest – ‘Skinny Ape’ is giddy with release, while ‘New Gold’ with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown is arguably one of the best tracks in their extensive arsenal. Gorillaz are now over twenty years in the game, but ‘Cracker Island’ proves their capacity for reinvention and genius has not waned, nor does it look likely to. NEIVE MCCARTHY

Malady

Andy Shauf

Tungz

Gorillaz

Cracker Island ★★★★

Released: 24th February.

All Pressure, No Diamonds EP ★★★ Out now.

→ London four-piece Malady bring a fresh take on electroindie fusion with their new EP, ‘All Pressure, No Diamonds’.

There’s a strong sense of melancholy embedded within each track as they tackle dark themes of depression and (unsurprisingly, clue’s in the title) life’s pressures. It’s packed full of head-bopping earworms and hooks, though, with warm vocals and brilliantly hypeworthy atmospheric production.

Bringing together the worlds of indie and post-rave, their stylish experiments with genre make for a promising debut.

MELISSA DARRAGH

Norm ★★★★

A Good Dream ★★★★

→ Andy Shauf’s ‘Norm’ is an immaculately-crafted and delicate collection of soft, lilting songs from a songwriter who excels in the gentle and understated with its quiet charms unveiling themselves with repeated listens. ‘Norm’ is the Canadian singersongwriter’s eighth album and it’s clear that longevity is down to both his ability as a nimble storyteller and musical dexterity, as he self-produces and self-records the whole thing, from guitar to piano to copious amounts of woodwind.

This is a record for soft chill out vibes on a cold night. Lovely stuff. MARTYN YOUNG

→ Bristol-based bopsmiths Tungz have bolted straight from the stalls with their debut, ‘A Good Dream’. The quartet have clearly studied the annals of electropop history in great detail, making for a heavily nostalgic sound that’s infused with an unmistakably fresh sense of fun. Fronted by the falsetto stylings of co-vocalists Nicky Green and Jamie Maier, each track is brought to life with an innumerable amount of instrumental layers and absurdly catchy moments. Any followers of the psych-pop genre will surely have their eyes set squarely on Tungz.

CONNOR FENTON

Out now.

Released 17th February.

LIVE MUSIC, FROM THE FRONT.

Utilita Arena, Newcastle 21st January 2023

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Words: Finlay Holden. Photos: Rory Barnes.

LEWIS CAPALDI SETS HIS OWN HEARTBREAK ABLAZE

→ The last time Glasweigan jokester-slash-popstar Lewis Capaldi headlined a gig in Newcastle, it was months before his debut album would catch fire on a global scale. Five years later, he returns with a sold-out arena show that capitalises on the proven spectacle of his dramatic songwriting.

Having recently dethroned her from a chart-topping position, he first gives a platform to British singer-songwriter RAYE. Although the name might only recently be becoming familiar to some, she quickly reminds those who need a catch up of her understated omnipresence in the UK dance scene with her own versions of ‘BED’ and ‘Secrets’. It’s the reclamation of creative control on her own tracks, though, such as the smash hit ‘Escapsim.’, that paves the path forward for an artist putting her own impressive voice at the forefront.

A cuboid LCD screen soon dominates the stage, visually unpacking the themes of Capaldi’s upcoming second record, ‘Broken

By Desire to be Heavenly Sent’ – a project which still lies months ahead and yet has already made its presence very much known to the world. After rising from the grand floor and summoning his four-piece live outfit, lead single ‘Forget Me’ proves a refreshing alt-pop spin on his signature power balled and re-establishes the momentous cultural relevance of a singer whose high-reaching talent never fails to impress.

2023’s new setlist is used to preview several other album two cuts, including future stand-out ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ which details the pressures of following up global success in a bluntly-titled but intricately delivered reveal of chinks in a pop star’s well-polished armour.

Otherwise brushing over his own turmoil with extended stand-up segments, Capaldi goes as far as to contrast a song about his dead aunt (‘Before You Go’) with talk of genital fluids. His own existence is certainly one of constant juxtaposition.

Mounting a 20-foot tall digital staircase for a brutal rendition of his very first single ‘Bruises’, his delicate tones pull an 11,000-strong crowd into his intimate world, stunning them into silence for a quivering three minutes and leaving their exposed heartstrings decidedly plucked. Immediately afterwards, he admits to “shitting himself” at the prolonged heights; Capaldi’s arena show is one of fluctuating laughter and tears.

A dynamic display of monochrome exuberance enhances those joyous highs and selfrelinquishing lows, but it is of course the communal catharsis of his big hitters that make for the most memorable moments. ‘Forever’, ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ and ‘Pointless’ prelude the UK’s all-time most streamed track which is the inevitable closer, but far from an isolated peak; with future number ones currently peeking out the cusp of Capaldi’s sleeve, who knows where the next five years will take him? ■

GET OUT

Butlins, Bognor Regis 5th-7th January 2023

Words: Jake Hawkes, Jamie Muir. Photos: Jamie MacMillan.

ROCKAWAY BEACH 2023 IS A RIOTOUS RUN THROUGH EVERYTHING ALTERNATIVE CULTURE DOES WELL

→ While the world creeps into 2023 like a nervous cat, things are a little different on the South Coast.

Returning once again to the holiday camp shine of Butlin’s in Bognor Regis, Rockaway Beach has been firmly set on quietly becoming a true talkedabout gem of the UK festival calendar.

Bringing together legendary figures, trail-blazing modern titans, and some of the most talked-about new artists on the planet, its celebration of alternative culture and genre-pushing live celebrations can only be defined in one word: unmissable. Yet after its past two editions have skipped around the pandemic, 2023 at Rockaway Beach is undeniably the festival’s boldest and most brilliant edition to date – capturing the magic that comes from the sheer nonsense of a weekend at the seaside where arcade machines, pub quizzes, DJ sets, buffets, bowling and defining moments all are a part of one irresistible cocktail. Nothing comes close.

Immediately setting a tone of individuality and discovery, deep tan are a perfect opening welcome to the weekend ahead. Combining infectious grooves and cutting turns, they’re a band who excite, whether at their most explosive or at their most spacious.

Continuing to push their sound into bold new terrains, their show is a refreshing and invigorating rush of alternative culture and razor-sharp coolness. deep tan make you want to be in a band. (JM) After having to pull out of the festival last year, LIFE take to the stage with two years of pent up ferocity. New album ‘North East Coastal Town’ rounds the band out – less the abrasive punk band they once were and more a fully formed live act who can stand with the best of them. Singer (and ex-Dork Podcast Host, btw – Ed) Mez is getting shoulder rides from crowd members and pacing the stage like a caged animal, amping up the crowd in between songs and just generally making their main stage debut seem as natural as if they’d played there 20 times before. (JH) “Full Season Of Taskmaster When?”

It’s the repeated statement tiled on screen as Self Esteem takes to the stage at Rockaway Beach, and that superstar level of an artist who can easily claim that spot as the most talked about name of the past 12 months is

palpable in the air. Acclaimed not only for a jaw-dropping second album that has taken Rebecca around the world but also for a cathartic live show that pulls the idea of a pop spectacular right up to the modern day – her rise to festival headliner status is nothing short of joyous. Within the relatively intimate confines of Rockaway Beach’s Centre Stage, that slick pop powerhouse show rings loud. An all-encompassing theatre production with the spirit of being surrounded by your best mates down the pub, it’s stunning. ‘Fucking Wizardry’ and ‘How Can I Help You’ are electric in their potent power, while ‘Girl Crush’, ‘The 345’ and ‘John Elton’ whisk the Rockaway crowd across a show that demands to be paid attention to. Rich, warm and exciting, it’s an intoxicating mix from an artist speaking truth and power into a modern world full of shapeshifting unknowns. ‘I Do This All The Time’ and ‘The Best’ round out a show that’s a proper treat to kickstart the year. If it feels like Self Esteem is on another level, it’s because she is. (JM) For The Goa Express, the future is now. Taking to the Reds stage with the sort of confidence that comes when a band firmly knows their sound and presence, what follows is a pictureperfect example of how to stamp your place in the minds of new music lovers. Jumping across British guitar touchstones and blending them all into one, it’s a formidable set that feels effortlessly natural and never daunting for a new gang ready to reach the biggest of moments. ‘Second Time’ is a wide-eyed summer romance akin to The La’s, while singalong refrains pour from the jubilant ‘Everybody In The UK’.

It comes together for a set that feels like you’re getting a glimpse at a band before they become the talk of the town and people’s new favourite band. The Goa Express prove that and more, from a band not just content in becoming a liked new name but a sensation, fans up and down the land will be screaming lyrics back in no time. Get ready. (JM) You can’t fault Yard Act’s work ethic. At a time of the year when most bands don’t have much booked in, they arrive for their Rockaway headline slot straight from an in-store performance at Banquet Records. Despite the tight schedule, everything seems to run

smoothly, with the only pre-show drama being a missing cowbell (Personal Trainer come to the rescue with a short-term cowbell loan and disaster is averted). The band get exactly the reception you’d expect from a festival so steeped in BBC 6 Music playlists that Steve Lamacq’s DJ set is a permanent fixture, and frontman James leans into the chaos of playing a seaside resort in mid-winter admirably. “It’s the first week of January, why are we here?!” he shouts with a grin before the band dive into ‘Dead Horse’. It’s easy to forget that Yard Act’s debut album came out less than a year ago, especially when the crowd receives every song like an old favourite. A headline set after such a short time is a tall order, especially when Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, playing one room over at the same time, have sold over 40 million records.

Despite this, Yard Act play to a packed room and incite more crowdsurfing than we see across the rest of the weekend combined. “Bognor, do you feel alive?” asks James at one point. Judging by the deafening response, they most certainly do. (JH) Rockaway Beach thrives on the sort of carefully created showstoppers that flip the script on everything around them. Scalping don’t flip the script; they pick it up, douse it in petrol, set fire to it and then dance around its embers.

Bulldozing Reds with a heavyweight world of industrial-electro, they’re a band who refuse to do half measures.

Drenched in darkness, it’s impossible to resist their surging euphoric sound.

Tracks switch and morph into one another with ease, never pausing for breath in a full-throttle takeover that Rockaway Beach hasn’t seen in quite some time. It lays out why Scalping must be seen live, and one whose refusal to compromise makes them a party ready to put its arms in the air whether the world burns around them or not. (JM) They help define Rockaway Beach 2023 as a riotous run through everything alternative culture does well.

Melding together nostalgia and the new in the best possible way, you can see its success in the atmosphere that gathers from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. Both thrilling and ludicrously fun in equal measure, there’s no festival experience quite like it. ■

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Words + photos: Jamie MacMillan.

WALLOWS DELIVER TENDER ANTHEMS OF NOSTALGIA FOR A FASTMOVING GENERATION

Eventim Apollo, London 18th January 2023

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→ Wallows cut through to the joy of being a band. Of feeling like you can take on the world in three minutes or less, and it’s what has taken them to this moment – one of grand stages and adoring crowds. Tonight isn’t just a reward for every step they’ve made but a natural eventuality; they’re a phenomenon born to thrive in every second of fun.

If you’re looking for a future pop takeover, however, then MAY-A is your go-to. Dropping the sort of feel-good alt-pop anthems that lodge straight in your brain, ‘Apricots’ is met with swaying hands and revelling joy while ‘Central Station’ blends worlds into soaring indie-rock sizes. It’s bold and overflowing with fun – throw in a Cheap Trick cover and closing pandemonium with Flume collaboration ‘Say Nothing’, and you’ve an artist bringing all their anticipated hype to life.

The screams that meet Wallows’ arrival sum it all up. Nearly three years since their last headline stamp on the capital, and the opening burst through ‘I Don’t Want To Talk’, ‘These Days’ and ‘Especially You’ are worth the wait – a sugar rush of buzz and punch. ‘Treacherous Doctor’ shifts gears, while ‘Pictures of You’ sees drowned-out singalongs and pogoing pits in equal measure and ‘1980s Horror Film’ has people shouting back every word. As Dylan Minnette acknowledges, Wallows are firmly fixed on allowing themselves to live in the moment – and what a moment it is.

With their second album, ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’, Wallows have bulked up to become a band with searing ambition, and it shows tonight when the likes of ‘Marvellous’ and the sky-high stadium rock of ‘Guitar Romantic Search Adventure’ let rip – spinning new stories and avenues that the trio are just dying to head down. It’s a complete package of a show – tender anthems of nostalgia for a fastmoving generation that feel ripped straight from the soundtracks of US high school movies.

As riffs are screamed along to (‘Remember When’) and even more memories are made (‘Are We Bored Yet?’ rounding out the evening with a deafening singalong of the highest order), it all captures just why Wallows are a sensation that continues to grow. Putting voice to feeling, they’re turning buzz into the big time. ■

→ Welcome to 2023. Yes, we know it’s been a few weeks, and yes, we know Quite A Bit has happened already, but there’s an undeniable feeling this we’re truly getting into something special. Don’t believe us?

Well, the return of Dork’s Night Out for our first show of the year is all the indicator you need, following on from a euphoric Xmas Party headlined by The Amazons, with three of our favourite new bands giving a slice of what’s to come in the months ahead. Now, that’s how you do it.

As queues stream out of London’s Colours Hoxon, deep tan open proceedings with the sort of slick and all-encompassing set that forces you to stop in your tracks and pay attention. A mesmerising mix that plays with the quiet moments just as much as the roaring loud ones, tunes cut through the jam-packed room and force everyone to fall under their spell. The trio are tighter than ever - pushing against boundaries and revelling in just how far they can go.

Favourites like ‘diamond horsetail’ are dazzling in every jolt and cut they make, for a show that immediately sets their stall for what’s next for them.

When you witness a band click into an era undeniably their own and perfectly placed for the ambition they’ve teased to this point, it’s nothing short of brilliant.

Sad Boys Club click in a way that leaves no doubt they’re set to become a lot of people’s favourite new discovery. Led by the feverish energy and star presence of frontman Jacob Wheldon, their set tonight points squarely at what’s to come from their upcoming debut album.

Brooding alt-rock, emo and indie-pop blend together for an appetising cocktail of tender vulnerability transported in a rocket of anthemic release. Lead single ‘To Heal Without A Scar (Is A Waste Of A Good Wound)’ is a prime example; furious breakdowns and dream-pop rip across Colours Hoxton to capture a set that lays their marker firmly in the ground. Ambition brought to life, Sad Boys Club are born for grandstand stages.

If you think you know Coach Party, then think again. A bonafide favourite ever since sliding into frame with track after track of sizzling indie-rock perfection, their 2022 focused on jumping every opportunity possible. Countless shows, tours, support slots and more not only meant they earnt a little rest time, but evolution has taken flight. The Coach Party stepping on stage to crown a celebratory evening is a different beast. Bigger. Bolder. Brighter.

Better. What follows is an unstoppable tearing apart of what you’ve come to expect and a defining statement of intent.

Triggering pogoing masses, singalongs, and wide-eyed joy as the stacked room bears witness to a tidal wave of rips, riffs and runs - it’s a non-stop showcase of just how ready Coach Party are to truly take over. That’s evident from the moment they walk out to a mash-up of Rage Against The Machine and Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles’, of course.

‘Lola’, ‘Everybody Hates Me’, and ‘Shit TV’ are met with jubilant grins while ‘Can’t Talk Won’t’ rips the roof off Colours Hoxton and plays around in the debris left over. Like a perfect encapsulation of where Coach Party find themselves at the start of 2023, tonight feels like a grand unveiling to an exciting new chapter.

More than anything, it’s Coach Party proving just how ready they are to scorch through the year to come. Finding a sweet new era with them pulling no punches and swinging for the highest heights possible, it’s a show that already feels primed to burst onto the biggest stages. An indie secret no more. Welcome to 2023, indeed. ■

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Words: Jamie Muir. Photo: Patrick Gunning.

COACH PARTY, SAD BOYS CLUB AND DEEP TAN SET DORK’S NIGHT OUT OFF WITH A BIG BANG Colours Hoxton, London 27th January 2023

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WITH...

CAITY BASER 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 Caity Baser has a crush on Scooby-Doo. When’s your birthday?

7th July 2002.

possession?

My dog, Gus. National sweetheart.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

I ate a zebra burger once; it was delicious. Couldn’t stop thinking about Marty from Madagascar tho.

What did you last dream about?

Evil Baked beans ruling the world.

What’s the best invention you’ve thought up, but didn’t develop?

Disco shoes. When everyone says, ‘I don’t wanna go out blah blah’, I always say we’ll I got my disco shoes on, so GET UP! I’d make some actual disco shoes for people to go out and dance in.

What strength Nandos sauce do you order?

Medium usually, but sometimes I like it hawt.

If you had to have one word tattooed on your face, what word would you have?

Slay.

What’s the naughtiest thing you did at school?

I told my secondary school PE teacher to fuck himself in front of the whole class. Felt so amazing.

What is the most irrational superstition you have?

Don’t u EVER ever ever EVERRR walk on three drains.

You’re picking a 5-item breakfast.

What’s in it?

Bacon, scrambled eggs, beans, hash browns and more bacon. Extra crispy.

What was the last thing you broke?

My back from carrying all the good genes in my family. HA. What’s your biggest fear?

The dark. 100%.

What’s the most impressive thing you can cook?

Philadelphia pasta.

Have you ever won anything?

I once won a £50 Argos voucher from completing a word search at my local community centre. Was banging, I went wild.

What is your earliest memory?

Falling off my bike near where I used to live. Hurt like a mother fucker as well.

Are any of your lyrics secretly rude?

Nah, all my lyrics are probably too honest, ahaha. You’ll deffo know if I’m being rude!

What is your most treasured

62. DORK

What’s the best way to cook a potato?

Mash it all up.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?

Megaladons hellllll yeah.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

Watch four horror movies in a row, then try to sleep in a big house alone.

Very bad idea.

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?

Nah I haven’t, actually. Although people say I remind them of Florence Pugh, which I will take cuz I love her.

Which supermarket do you shop at?

Asda all day errrryday.

What’s the stupidest lie you’ve ever told?

I once told everyone that I was a mermaid when I was like 5. I was so convincing that everyone believed me.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?

I used to work in a pub, and one time

I spilled a whole load of drinks and food on a customer. Ahahahah.

What’s your worst habit?

Clicking my knuckles.

Have you ever seen a ghost?

YES 10000%. I was sleeping at my mate’s house, and me and my other mate slept in her brother’s room.

During the night I woke up sweating and sat upright and looked at the end of the bed, and I SWEAR ON MY LIFE I saw an old man standing there looking at me. And my mate didn’t have any old people at her house. The weirdest thing is my friend who was sleeping with me said the exact same thing in the morning. SPOOKY BREV. How punk are you out of ten?

On a normal day about a 2, on a fun

day about a 7.

Who’s your favourite pop star?

Katy Perry.

If you could have a super power of your choosing, what would it be?

Be able to fly.

Have you ever been thrown out of somewhere?

Yeah, there’s this pub in Brighton and me, and my friend got kicked out for going to the toilet together.

Stupid lady.

What’s your favourite sandwich filling?

I love a chicken club. The ones from Upper Crust mmmmmmm yeah.

If we gave you £10, what would you

spend it on?

Probably a meal deal and some lipgloss.

What is your favourite time of day?

Bedtime.

What do you always have in your refrigerator?

Philadelphia.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Scooby-Doo. He’s funny, okay!!?

What’s your poison?

Literally anything. But absolutely under NO circumstances, tequila.

Caity Baser’s EP ’Thanks For Nothing, See You Never’ is out 17th February.