** PLUS **
ST. VINCENT
LYNKS
DOWN WITH BORING
PORIJ
TOMORROW X TOGETHER
KAMAL.
KENYA GRACE
GOOD NEIGHBOURS
+ LOADS MORE
ISSUE 87 · MAY 2024 · READDORK.COM
Djo THE
END
OF
THE
BEGINNING
A. G. Cook
SNAP, AND
A
CRACKLE BRITPOP
English Teacher CLASS
ACT
Luke Hemmings BOY
BIG
DIVISION
Willow FEELINGS
English Teacher ThisEnglish CouldTeacher Be Texas The New Album This Could Be Texas Out Now
DIY
9/10
Loud and Quiet
NME
9/10
Uncut
Record Collector
Rolling Stone UK
Rough Trade “Album Of The Month”
Sunday Times “Album Of The Week”
Jo Whiley BBC Radio 2 “The fantastic and the everyday collide on this landmark debut - an adventure in sound and words”
INDEX.
BACK ISSUES! Want to complete your collection and grab Dork covers with all your faves? Get ‘online’ and head on over to shop.readdork.com and find our complete back catalogue, available while they last.
Issue 87 | May 2024 | readdork.com | Down With Boring
Hiya, Dear Reader.
As the seasons shift and the vibrant hues of spring emerge, so too does this May’s issue of Dork, bringing a fresh collection of musical mavericks to our cover. A.G. Cook stands at the forefront of musical innovation, crafting sounds that blur the lines between the digital and the human, reshaping pop music with his production mastery. He’s not just about pushing boundaries though — they are being erased altogether. So why, exactly, is his latest project called ‘Britpop’ - a cultural movement and relic of the past? As you’d expect, there’s more to it than some Dodgy tunes (ask your dad, etc). Djo, the creative persona of Joe Keery, infuses our cover with a dose of his uniquely psychedelic vision. His work weaves nostalgia and futurism into a tapestry that feels both familiar and utterly new. With ‘End Of Beginning’ going viral to the point where we cannot really remember any other TikTok sounds now, Djo is certainly way more than an actor’s side project. English Teacher have not only burst onto the scene but done so with a debut album that’s already being hailed as one of the year’s best. Their music combines incisive lyrics with robust, engaging soundscapes. Not only are they making a compelling case for the enduring power and relevance of indie-rock, they do it while scribbling outside the lines with a fearsome purpose. 5SOS ledge Luke Hemmings shares his journey of musical exploration on this month’s cover, stepping into a solo spotlight that illuminates his depth and versatility as an artist. His contributions delve into personal growth and artistic courage, challenging listeners to consider the paths less travelled. WILLOW, meanwhile, continues to capture the essence of artistic evolution, seamlessly integrating alternative pop with introspective lyrics to explore new realms of expression. Her commitment to evolving encourages us all to embrace our own transformations. This issue is a celebration of artists who are not just participating in the music industry but actively shaping its future. Dive in and get ready to be challenged, inspired and celebrate their true originality.
readdork.com Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jake Hawkes, Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Scribblers Abigail Firth, Alex Ingle, Alexander Bradley, Ciaran Picker, Dan Harrison, Finlay Holden, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Neive McCarthy, Rebecca Kesteven, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin
Top Ten.
Features.
4. 6. 7.
KAMAL. ONE STEP CLOSER HOPE TALA
8. 12. 14. 16. 18.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER PILLOW QUEENS STONE TEENAGE KICKS: KATE NASH A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... HOME COUNTIES
30. 36. 42. 46. 52. 58. 60. 66.
ENGLISH TEACHER DJO ST. VINCENT A. G. COOK WILLOW LYNKS LUKE HEMMINGS PORIJ
68. 69. 70. 71.
ENGLISH TEACHER MAGGIE ROGERS RACHEL CHINOURIRI NIA ARCHIVES
72. 73. 74. 74. 75.
RENÉE RAPP PANIC SHACK LAUFEY DECLAN MCKENNA BLEACHERS
78.
NELL MESCAL
Intro.
Festivals. 20. 21. 22.
DOT TO DOT LIVE AT LEEDS THE GREAT ESCAPE
24. 26. 27. 28. 29.
LIZZIE ESAU BLUE BENDY GGLUM MEG ELSIER OVERPASS
Hype. Stephen Ackroyd ‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd
Incoming. Get Out.
Backpage.
Snappers Bighit Music, Frances Beach, Guido Gazzilli, Jacqueline Justice, Jesse Glazzard, Mars Washington, Patrick Gunning, Richard Mukuze, Salomé Gomis-Trezise, Sarah Louise Bennett, Sinna Nasseri, Zachary Gray PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM
UNIT 10, 23 GRANGE ROAD, HASTINGS, TN34 2RL
All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.
INTRO. THE BEATING HEART OF POP NONSENSE.
DEJA TOMORROW X TOGETHER return with their
sixth mini-album ‘minisode 3: TOMORROW’. Both a throwback and a leap forward, It’s an exciting blend of nostalgia and innovation. by ABIGAIL FIRTH. photography by BIGHIT MUSIC.
8. DORK
INTRO
“IT’S SUPPOSED TO SYMBOLISE THE FUTURE THAT WE ARE GOING TO BUILD TOGETHER” HUENINGKAI
T
o be a fan these days is a long-term investment, and for those who’ve chosen to follow TOMORROW X TOGETHER, the payoff will be immense. Five years after the South Korean five-piece debuted, they’re returning with their sixth mini-album, the almost-eponymous ‘minisode 3: TOMORROW’ and picking up the Easter eggs they’ve dropped in that time. TXT’s story began in 2019, emerging as the first group to debut from Big Hit Entertainment since BTS (heard of ‘em?), with the peppy electro bop ‘CROWN’ that hides darker lyrics, as its Korean title translates to “One day, a horn grew from my head”. A perfect scene-setter with its balance of light and shade, it laid the foundations for a discography that’d bring very real experiences of adolescence into a fictional world worthy of its own Netflix series.
READDORK.COM 9.