MØ.
Finding Neverland.
REA DDO RK. COM OCT OBE
R 20 18
YOU SAY I’M TOO MUCH I SAY YOU’RE NOT ENOUGH
THE DEBUT ALBUM 5TH OCTOBER ESTRONS.COM
October 2018 Issue 26
Ed’s letter.
Welcome to the final stretch. It may only feel like five minutes ago we were welcoming in 2018, but now Reading & Leeds has heralded the end of our summer festival season, it’s full steam ahead to Christmas from here. That means the big beasts are roaming - no more ferocious than this month’s poppermost coverstar, MØ. With a second album due imminently, she’s not alone in planning something big as the nights draw in. Elsewhere this month we’ve finally got our hands on Black Honey’s debut album, which they’re only too happy to delve deep into. Estrons have an equally fizz-popping first record to show, while Interpol provide a bit of experience. And then there’s Sports Team, dragging us all to Margate for a good old dance on one of the hottest days of the years. In some ways, summer never dies.
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
DORK
Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Events Liam James Ward Scribblers Abigail Firth, Ciaran Stweard, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jessie Atkinson, Jess Goodman, Josh Williams, Katie Pilbeam, Rob Mair, Steven Loftin Snappers Corinne Cumming, Frances Beach, Jamie MacMillan, Jennifer McCord, Lewis Robinson, Niall Lea, Patrick Gunning, Ryan Johnston, Sarah Louise Bennett Doodlers Russell Taysom Cover photo: Sarah Louise Bennett P U B L I S H E D F RO M
W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M U N I T 10, 23 G RA N G E RO A D, H A S T I N G S, T N34 2R L
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.
Index. UPDATE 4 READING 2018 5 BROCKHAMPTON 6 DUA LIPA 8 FALL OUT BOY 10 YONAKA 12 PANIC! AT THE DISCO 14 WOLF ALICE 16 THE WOMBATS 18 HIPPO CAMPUS 20 JOYCE MANOR 21 VILLAGERS 22 BLACK PEAKS 24 THE JOY FORMIDABLE 25 FATHERSON 26 AURORA HYPE 28 THE CANDESCENTS 31 GRAND PAX 32 THE ACES 33 LLOVERS 33 BAD SOUNDS FEATURES 34 MØ 40 BLACK HONEY 44 INTERPOL 46 SPORTS TEAM 50 ESTRONS INCOMING 54 PALE WAVES 56 JUNGLE 57 CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS 58 SUEDE 60 ALT-J GET OUT 64 GREEN MAN 2018 65 NEVERWORLD 2018 66 THE GUIDE BACK PAGE 70 KING NUN
On The Stereo few others could ever sound as fresh and essential as this.
MØ Forever Neverland
Cloud Nothings Last Building Burning
Given she’s on the cover of this month’s issue, you can guess what we think about MØ’s longanticipated second album. Pop perfection is a given, but
Previously, Cloud Nothings have always been in our favour for matching a glorious din with a genuine ear for a hook-filled banger. On their latest full-length, 3
DORK
RE AD D O RK. CO M
they’re turning the former up to full blast. That burning building may collapse under the weight before it goes out.
The 1975 That playlist we’ve made of all the songs from ‘A Brief Inquiry’ on a loop Come on, guys. You know what we’re like by now.
Turns out, if you loop ‘Give Yourself A Try’, ‘Love It If We Made It’ and ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’ several hundred times, it almost certainly results in The 1975 dropping a new track. Seriously. Have a go. Give it a month or so and we’ll sure it’ll happen. What do you mean ‘coincidence’?
If it’s not in here, it’s not happening. Or we forgot. One or the other.
Reading & Leeds aren’t simply music festivals - they’re the official end of the summer. A place where we can take the temperature of ‘the bands’ as they finish up on months of weekend shows in dusty fields, we pitched up to Reading to catch all the action. Over the next few pages, we’ll show you the very best of what we saw. And Kings of Leon.
Down THE ESSENTIAL REVIEW
with
Reading & Leeds isn’t about your tired old music tastes anymore, Grandad.
Boring
Words: Ali Shutler, Dillon Eastoe, Stephen Ackroyd, Steven Loftin. Photos: Corinne Cumming, Frances Beach, Jamie MacMillan, Ryan Johnston.
4
DORK
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
INTRODUCING...
Brockhampton
BBC RADIO 1 STAGE, SATURDAY, 3:25PM
Brockhampton
The World’s Greatest Boyband N KEVIN ABSTRACT
N DOM MCLENNON
prove Reading will never be the same again
The leader of the group, Kevin Abstract created Brockhampton by asking if anyone wanted to start a band on fan forum KanyeToThe back in 2010. Kevin handles most of the hooks and the catchy chorus-y bits, but raps as well – a standout verse of his being on ‘JUNKY’. Best verse: ‘JUNKY’, ‘BOOGIE’
Arguably the best rapper in Brockhampton, Dom McLennon is a technical powerhouse. He’s super clever with his verses and is fantastically skilled – so much so that it’s nearly impossible to pick a highlight. His standout moment comes on ‘GOLD’. Best verse: ‘GOLD’, ‘BOOGIE’, ‘SWEET’
N MATT CHAMPION
N MERLYN WOOD
Probably the most consistent member of the group, Matt Champion opens a good portion of Brockhampton’s discography. He’s got a really unique voice when rapping, but also takes on some of the band’s softest moments – see: his lil’ singing part on ‘RENTAL’. Best Verse: ‘RENTAL’, ‘GOLD’, ‘JUNKY’
And in case you’re confused, that’s a Very Good Thing Indeed.
T
here’s been much said about the musical evolution of Reading Festival - some of it looking at the event like it should live in some kind of cultural vacuum, refusing to acknowledge the ebb and flow of styles and genres. Reading is a rock festival, the mantra goes, like it’s a viable or relevant concern to keep catering exclusively to hairy men and people who willingly wear bucket hats.
Merlyn Wood delivers some of Brockhampton’s most memorable lines (hello ‘SWEET’). He’s so much fun to listen to (and watch), but of course, he has a softer side too, taking a really emotional opening verse on ‘MILK’. Best verse: SWEET, MILK
Out in the real world, it’s not like that. Categories, cliques and musical subcultures are far from dead, but those that stay in their lane and refuse to cross the streams seem dated and stale. It’s no surprise that the biggest crowds of Reading 2018 seem to have been reserved for the acts that don’t fit the festival’s traditional template. None of them, though, can match the reaction to Brockhampton. Be clear. This is a moment. A cultural shift in the attitude one of the most important events on the planet that will carry forwards. For a few years, now, there’s been a drive to diversify the acts playing the event beyond a token dance tent and the odd outlier in a Main Stage afternoon slot. More than most, the BBC Radio 1 tent has pushed in directions that better reflect the musical landscape, but the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest boyband” are far more than just a bit of fiddling around the edges. They’re the most exciting act of the weekend. That’s not us slapping an unwanted tag on them - though we
N BEARFACE
N JOBA
Brockhampton bangers
JOBA is extremely versatile. He raps in a million different styles, and generally looks a bit mental when he’ doing it (the best example is in ‘SWEET’). Much like Matt, JOBA sings a few hooks, most notably the really sweet chorus on ‘FACE’. Best verse: ‘SWEET’, ‘FACE’
Bearface isn’t a rapper. He sings bits here and there, and takes the final track on each ‘Saturation’ album, and it’ll all make you a bit weepy. Best song: ‘SUMMER’
Catch up with everything Brockhampton via our beginner’s guide on readdork.com now! S
BOOGIE Listen to this one first. This track is literally so much fun. Like, I dare you to not boogie to it. This song never ever drops off.
JUNKY No song better
OFFICIAL EMOJI RATING
The Big Moment
exemplifies Brockhampton’s whole ethos than ‘JUNKY’. Kevin’s verse about being gay and Matt’s verse about rape culture are possibly two of the most important verses in hip hop this side of the 5
millennium.
GOLD One of the first singles from the ‘Saturation’ trilogy, ‘GOLD’ is another one that showcases ‘best’ ‘bits’ from Dom and Matt, as well as the
DORK
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
will if asked twice. It’s the reaction of the massed crowd that demands such billings. From the second they hit the stage, it’s madness. Opener ‘1998 TRUMAN’ starts an avalanche that refuses to come down throughout the extended set - all for an act that are hardly regular daytime fodder for the kind of radio station from which the stage takes its name. What follows is the kind of set that stops passers-by in their tracks. Each and every song results in deafening sing-a-longs, chants and whoops. The whole centre of the cacophonous tent, from front to back, is heaving - jumping, waving arms, responding to every command. Bigger, more established acts have played the same stage this weekend and not come close to the reaction Brockhampton command - all their sales figures, bill topping slots and so-called-status counting for nothing in the face of good oldfashioned hysteria. As older or more traditional acts play other stages, it feels like the energy a festival needs to thrive is focused directly on Brockhampton. Whether it’s them emitting it, their fans feeding it to them, or a mixture of the two - it’s honestly hard to tell, but it’s a wake-up call to a legion of tired traditionalists. The program has changed. Reading has evolved. Get with it, or die - it’s their choice. P
catchiest hook in the world.
chorus.
SWEET
If you want a taste of Brockhampton’s softer side, but don’t want to lose out on the catchiness, have a listen to ‘BLEACH’.
Another really fun track, ‘SWEET’ has highlights from a bunch of the members, and a dead catchy instrumental and
BLEACH
READING 2018 THE ESSENTIAL REVIEW
Dua gets the whole of Reading dancing to her beat
N BLOXX
is top of the pops
Bloxx’s Ophelia Booth apologises for losing her voice singing along to another band’s set the previous night, but she needn’t bother, she’s sounding great. Her bandmates anchor their fuzzy toe-tappers with guitars that let Booth’s dreamlike melodies float along on the midday breeze. N LIZZO
OFFICIAL EMOJI RATING
Smash Hits!
MAIN STAGE, SATURDAY, 5:15PM
Minnesota artist Lizzo is all kinds of everything. Dancing between, gospel, funk and trip-hop, her presence and voice turn the Saturday afternoon of Reading into a carnival. With a homemade outfit, and her dancers The Big GRRRLS emulating every firing line that she conjures. Lizzo has the antidote to all your woes. N SUNFLOWER BEAN
Bringing a little taste of their New York style to Reading, Sunflower Bean own every inch of the Festival Republic stage. As bassist Julia Cumming and guitarist Jacob Faber both split the singing duties, the band bounce and thrive off each other, each moment studiously crafted but also charmingly organic.
Dua Lipa
sets Reading’s new rules on the Main Stage It’s pop hits central on the Main Stage, with a festival exclusive set.
R
eading has had eclectic lineups before, but the past few years have seen that evolution supercharged. Everything has always been welcome at Reading & Leeds but for whatever reason, true pop music hasn’t always fit at the top table.
It only seems right that Dua Lipa be the artist to change that. She’s broken records, provided a soundtrack for the past two years and become one of the biggest artists in the world, with songs about self-belief, self-love and standing up for yourself. Today she 6
DORK
kicks down the door to the Main Stage. “I want you to be yourself. Be your authentic and true self. Lose all your inhibitions. Be your most unapologetic you and never listen to anyone who tells you otherwise,” promises the introduction. From the moment Dua sprints onto the stage and blows the festival a kiss, she lives that message. ‘Blow Your Mind’ is confident and assured, full of swagger with no time for the doubt, ‘Dreams/No Lie’ sparkles with synchronicity and ‘One Kiss’ instigates dancing mosh pits. The forty-five minutes fly by with hit after hit landing true. ‘Be The One’ and ‘Hotter Than Hell’ overflow with jubilance and
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
BBC RADIO 1 STAGE, SATURDAY, 4:35PM Big things can come in small packages, and there’s a wistful, cinematic quality to everything Sigrid touches; her dreamy, pop banger soundtrack all part of the scene setting. Thunderous applause greets her as she bounces about the Reading stage, having an enviable amount of fun. Her ascension to this moment itself is remarkable, but as soon as turbo banger ‘Strangers’ kicks into gear it all makes perfect sense. P
sparkle, ‘Scared To Be Lonely’ flashes quiet and vulnerable before thrashing through. A final one-two of ‘IDGAF’ and ‘New Rules’ underline this as a moment. In years to come it’ll been heralded as ground-breaking. Right now, Dua will have to make do with ground-shaking as she gets the whole of Reading dancing to her beat. P
READING 2018 THE ESSENTIAL REVIEW Save rock ‘n’ roll
MAIN STAGE, FRIDAY, 9:45PM
N STARCRAWLER
Fall Out Boy are
the headlining glue that holds Reading & Leeds together Starcrawler’s Arrow de Wilde has been going through Justin Hawkins’ bins and found some of his old catsuits. The good news is that their glammed up retro punk has a sight more snarl and attitude. OFFICIAL EMOJI RATING
N BLACK PEAKS
No band better reflects the two contrasting sides of Reading than Fall Out Boy.
F
Black Peaks are an ever-evolving band. With their upcoming second album looking set to propel them to Main Stage contenders, the future of Reading Festival’s rock contingency is safe in their capable hands. Black Peaks feel as exciting as they do ready to take on the world.
all Out Boy didn’t become Reading’s new unofficial house band by default. Sure, My Chemical Romance’s departure right before they could inherit the throne left a vacancy, but in an era where Foo Fighters’ meat and potato FM radio rock no longer plays to anyone under the age of 30, the usual parade of one-dimensional pretenders were never going to fit.
N DEAF HAVANA
Deaf Havana have gone through different forms, and arrive at Reading having released ‘Rituals’, a well-executed pop reinvention. Backed today by a choir as on the new record, the Hunstanton rockers take nothing for granted. N SPRING KING
Spring King’s new album promises ‘A Better Life’ - it’s something the four piece are offering in spades at Reading 2018, dishing out rocket charged bangers like they’re going out of style. They’re not. They’re great.
Oi Pete, what do you want Fall Out Boy to mean to people in 2018? “Man, I remember going to school when [Metallica’s] ‘Enter Sandman’ was big and being like, damn, my band is on the radio - this isn’t you guys’ fucking band, you guys listen to MC Hammer or whatever. This one is mine. I wanna be that band for kids. There’s so much music out there, and it wouldn’t have been for me, and I want to fit that sweet spot for those kids.”
8
DORK
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
Since returning from their early grave, they’re a band who have constantly played with expectation. Their pop-punk roots have given fruit to albums that draw just as much influence from a mainstream landscape where rock has receded, giving way to hip-hop and electronic music. It’s an experiment that doesn’t always sit comfortably - but crucially refuses to stay still and rest on the expected. That said, the fact the band quite happily drop their biggest payload four songs into their set still feels like a surprise. ‘Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down’ may be an echo to Fall Out Boy’s old world, but it’s part of the foundations on which Reading is built upon. While more timid bands would take that energy and feed it with a parade of ‘classic’ greatest hits, they instead push down the accelerator and blast through a run largely consisting of v2.0 bombast. From the triumphant ‘Immortals’ to the batshit ‘Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea’, the pulp fiction of ‘Uma Thurman’ and the epic ‘Save Rock and Roll’, it shows an understanding of where alternative music really stands in 2018. That’s not to say they’re a band denying the classics. From the zombie disco of ‘Dance, Dance’ to ‘This Ain’t A Scene…’, each song feels like a commandment from on high. Whether they’re leading the way or following the trends, Reading’s biggest slot is where Fall Out Boy belong. P
“N
MAIN STAGE, FRIDAY, 12:55PM
o regrets”, sang Robbie Williams, “they don’t work”. Robbie Williams isn’t at Reading Festival trying to make laboured introductions to so-buzzyright-now pop rockers The Regrettes (see what we did there?! - Ed), though, so what does he know?
N KATE NASH
Combining her back catalogue of preppy indie tunes with a homage to her Netflix show GLOW, Kate Nash’s set on the Festival Republic stage sees WWE star Jetta appear out of nowhere, launching into a tirade at our Kate. As fast as lightning, Pro Wrestling EVE’s Erin Angel comes to her defence, with Kate then body slamming Jetta. Given this rush of excitement, it’s quite something to then be renditioned with Kate’s beautiful, jagged tunings. She’s a survivor of an era that’s chewed up and spat out many an artist, but Kate Nash is still out here doing whatever the fuck she wants. P
The
Regrettes come through The buzzy upstarts grasp their early Main Stage slot with both hands, then shake it into submission.
Bollocks all, it turns out. From the opening blast of ‘I Don’t Like You’, The Regrettes are a band undeterred by the sheer scale of Reading’s biggest platform. Early slots to sparse crowds have sunk far more experienced bands in the past, but with basement punk rattle in full flow, they’re more than capable of turning a huge field into a tiny dive bar. That is until ‘Come Through’ takes hold. Spinning on a wave of raw energy, there’s band claps and dancing aplenty. The kind of legit banger that a set turns on, The Regrettes are suddenly a different proposition. In your face, they’re the antidote to a male dominated Main Stage bill. As the audience grows, so does the momentum. Soon there’s a request for “an all lady pit” for ‘A Living Human Girl’, followed by the high kicking frenzy of ‘Red Light’. There’s even the confidence to try out new material in the form of fresh cut ‘California Friend’, all call and response and high flying handclaps. A quick proclamation that Reading is “the best”, a thrash through a cover of ‘Ballroom Blitz’, and they’re away. Those Regrettes might just work after all, Rob. P
How was that for you? Natti: It was super fun. Can you unwind now for a bit, or is it party time tomorrow after Leeds? Natti: It’s party time tonight! Are you staying over? Natti: We’re leaving at 1am. Sam: We’re gonna be hanging at the Lock Up stage. Jack: Underoath! Sam: And The Used, as well. Natti: I’m gonna see Bad Sounds, that’ll be super fun. What have you got planned after tomorrow, then? Sam: The following weekend is our bass player [Harry]’s wedding. Are you the wedding band? Natti: No. [Jack’s] the best man, [Sam’s] the groomsman. We can’t play. We’re gonna be drunk. Jack: He’s doing a Silent Disco instead. Natti: And a bouncy castle. After the wedding? Natti: After the honeymoon, we’re touring America for three weeks and then another couple of weeks touring the UK. The new EP is coming out over the course of those shows. And then, we are onto Album two, baby! P
With a debut album now in tow, Fickle Friends are the real pop deal.
A
year ago, Fickle Friends took on the BBC Radio 1 Stage at Reading without so much as a full-length to their name. Now they’re back - twelve months older, wiser and packing that all important album.
Life’s a beach for
It’s not that the 2017 vintage had any holes to fill - they were doubtlessly one of the festival’s highlights - but the extra confidence that comes with a Top 10 record is easy to see. Potential fulfilled, they fizz with raw pop energy. Stalking around the palms littering the stage, Natty refuses to stand still for even a second, yet remains note perfect at all times. From the bubbling swagger of ‘Glue’ to the raw honesty of ‘Hard To Be Myself’, they might be following a surprise set from one of 2019’s potential headliners, but it’s Fickle Friends who feel like the real deal. P 9
DORK
RE AD D O RK. CO M
BBC RADIO 1 STAGE, FRIDAY, 3:25PM
Fickle Friends OFFICIAL EMOJI RATING
Hype. ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC.
New Dirty Hit signings The Candescents only have a handful of songs ‘out there’, but their infectious, sugary pop hits will have you hooked from the very first listen. Words: Jamie Muir.
T
he Strokes. Paul McCartney. Daniel Caesar. Put those influences together, and you have a band not content with playing it safe, but going straight to the heartstrings as all great bands should. It’s about big-time
The
Candescents are new
your favourite band
hooks, sugar sweet singalongs and all the fun you can throw at it - and it’s why The Candescents are about to be a whole lot of people’s new favourite band. “Y’know,” starts frontman Alex Harris, “you have all these expectations of what it’s going to be like, from watching documentaries or whatever, but I’m just a big fan of people liking what we do. It’s confirmation that we haven’t been wasting these past four years.” Through determination, passion and an insatiable knack for writing the sort of choruses primed to be bellowed back in fields and venues all over the world, The Candescents have built on the first strings struck in an Ohio dorm room. “I was going to another college at the time,” Alex recalls, “but I was visiting a friend one weekend who was like, ‘Hey, you should meet this guy I know also called Alex’, and I was like, sure! “We met and chatted, we sat down, and I played him two songs on an electric guitar, and he played me this mixtape of all these instrumental beats. I was in a band at the time, but slowly he stole me away from them.” The rest is well, now. The Candescents did things the storybook way. We’re not talking about lucky breaks here and there, no cheeky talent show wins or anything like that. It was countless hours playing, recording and growing up together - evolving into the sort of band who have their fingers firmly locked on the pule of high school life and the ups and downs that come with it. “I mostly write about love,” explains Alex, “and I feel like a lot of people don’t write about it really well.” It’s quite the step from a childhood playing marching drums and plucking away on acoustic guitars, with the stars aligning when the fabled Alex (Von Lehmden) he met happened to have a brother, Cory, who played bass. Along with drummer Miguel Alfredo Acero III, The Candescents emerged as a band that wasn’t just
Something kinda
N I F
e’s
D
IN
d
e er
tp
. op
e lan
d on
Ø
g
in ak t s
t.
h flig
i
,M
m lbu
a
ec
W
ith
: ds or W
s er
h
h.
irt
lF ai
ig
Ab
p
qu
y
ad
e alr
G
N
V E
R E
A L
N
D
n co
Sh
K
aren Marie Ørsted doesn’t want to grow up. The debut
single from her upcoming album – titled ‘Forever Neverland’ – is called ‘Nostalgia’. It’s been four and a half years since her last record, 2014’s ‘No Mythologies to Follow’, so she’s done some considerable growing up since then - but the fear is still there. In that time, she’s also collaborated with Major Lazer, Justin Bieber, Snakehips and Charli XCX, cut all of her hair off, played some of her biggest shows ever, including a support slot on Sia’s (conveniently titled ‘Nostalgic for the Present’) Australian stadium tour, and released an EP and
numerous solo singles. With a history like that, there’s no wonder Karen can’t stop reminiscing about the past. But let it be known, she’s always thinking about the future too. “Notoriously all my life I’ve been scared of getting older,” she says. “I don’t know why. Probably because I feel so immature in my brain. And sometimes I see that that’s a really good thing because it’s good to have a childish optimism and a carefree feel, but at the same time, it’s… I don’t know.” ‘Forever Neverland’ may be an obvious nod to J. M. Barrie’s classic, but just to clarify: “I myself identify with, you know when you say people are Peter Panning? They don’t wanna grow up, they just like move to LA and they pretend they’re young forever.
35
DORK
“I think ‘No Mythologies to Follow’ was so much me in the beginning of my 20s, feeling a bit lost and rootless, and that I felt like the environment I was in was in that no one really had any clue as to what path we were supposed to take. We didn’t feel like there was any guidance, and I feel like with this one, it’s the same but it’s the end of my 20s, and I’m shit scared of what’s next.” Approaching your 30s as a pop star can be a terrifying time. Unless you’re in the big, big leagues – Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beyoncé, et al. – it can feel like pop stars have an expiry date. New ones cropping up every day, or hitting the big time before they’ve reached the end of
RE AD D O RK. CO M
their teens. The thing with MØ, is that she’s never gone fully stratospheric. Sure, she wrote and sang the most streamed song of all time (‘Lean On’), and hit that milestone before Ed Sheeran and Drake (who now occupy the Top 3 most streamed songs ever slots), but she retains some anonymity, and it works in her favour. “I feel like we live in a generation where – it’s probably been like this always, but – I feel like we glorify youth and being young. I think a lot of people, and a lot of my friends, even if we don’t say it out loud, sometimes there’s this weird unsaid understanding that once you reach the end of your 20s and
H
With their much anticipated debut album finally here, Black Honey are set to show the world who they really are.
e ll o 40
DORK
Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Jamie MacMillan.
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
B
lack Honey are a band built on daydreams, fairy dust and ambition.
From the very beginning, they’ve created a world you can reach out and touch. Carried by a belief that they could do it all, they’ve swaggered, swayed and shook their way through EPs, and tours that have carried them around the world. “I went from being some chick who works in a vintage store to touring the world in the space of ten seconds. I could be myself. I saw all of my ideas grow,” beams singer and guitarist Izzy B. Phillips. “I became a monster, this little demon that could fight through all of these ideas. I want to make this happen. I’m going to do all this. All of a sudden I was on
fire. I felt electric. Nothing could stop me because I had this burning in my guts to really go and live.” Their debut album has been a long time coming. Black Honey have always promised it’ll arrive when the time is right. Check your watches, cos that time is now. “The one thing I’ll never be able to do is experience Black Honey from the outside. That weirds me out. I always wonder what it’s like to watch us from the crowd, or listen to our music for the first time. Having this record and then sitting on it for a little while, I can listen to it with fresh ears. This is what it must feel like to hear us for the first time, and fucking hell.” ‘Black Honey’ isn’t a continuation of what Black Honey have done so far, though. It’s a fresh start and new beginnings. For the first time, they aren’t just saying they want to do it all.
41
DORK
Their debut is the sound of a band realising that actually, anything is possible. All you have to do is believe. “For us, it was important to make something that felt like it said more than what we were initially babbling on about. I had more to say. I had more to give. I had more to explore. The time that we gave that really paid off in the record we made.” The album is full of purpose. Every song stands for something. There’s “a disco song, a driving at night song, an acoustic ballad, a song where you bring in a symphony orchestra,” Izzy explains. “It felt like it was a bold decision. I don’t know anyone else who makes albums like that, but that’s me. If I’m going to represent myself in music, yup it’s absolutely batshit crazy, but it all makes sense when you hear it.”
RE AD D O RK. CO M
From the opening hypercharge of ‘I Only Hurt The Ones I Love’, through the rampant disco stomp of ‘Midnight’, the drifting heartbeat of ‘Blue Romance’ and the stripped down, full throttle purge of ‘Baby’ until the slow burn burst and decay of ‘Wasting Time’, ‘Black Honey’ is adventuring. “That’s what I like about it,” Izzy continues. “That’s what’s so refreshing for me. I’m opening new books. I’m learning more about different genres and hopefully reaching more people through that, but still maintaining the sincerity, honesty and all the things I hold testament to. I hope I’ve retained that Black Honey DNA at the same time as exploring so many different avenues.” That change came about from a challenge. Their management asked them what would happen if Black Honey wrote a pop song.
Welcome to
All aboard coach Sports Team. The band celebrate new single ‘Margate’ with a trip to, erm, Margate. Words and photos: Jamie MacMillan.
W
ith the temperature sitting somewhere in the mid-30s, a vehicle carrying the hopes and dreams of a new generation snakes through a ravaged wasteland. Also on board, a
group of survivors cling to each other as the oppressive heat begins to take hold, bringing with it a sense of madness and desperation. Ice packs are passed around; grateful faces plunged deep into them. This could be a scene taken from a Mad Max sequel. Instead, Dork is being whisked to the seaside for a day out with your new favourites Sports Team to celebrate the release of ‘Margate’, their latest banger of the highest order, as well as the chance to be right in the thick of a tiny show from one of the most exciting bands around. “Everyone says guitar music’s not cool nowadays, so we’ve put on a bus trip to Margate to prove them wrong,” announces frontman Alex Rice with an admirably straight face. A bus trip to the seaside is as quintessentially English as the band themselves, an idea as
gloriously silly as it is genius. Sitting amongst a group of ecstatic fans who volunteered to come along for the ride, sharing beers and swapping stories, it is a relaxed and happy vibe despite everyone sitting in the hottest temperature this side of Venus. “It’s good fun, isn’t it?” smiles songwriter Robb Knaggs, “That’s what music is meant to be, right?” The radio doesn’t work, the airconditioning doesn’t work, we’re stuck in dense motorway traffic, so we can’t play I-Spy, but Robb’s spot on. This IS fun. After an impromptu ice cream stop, the driver blasts ‘Margate’ out of his phone speakers. Only he’s found the Chas n’ Dave version. “Yeah, that’s probably better than our song though,” laughs Alex. The video for their ‘Margate’ (definitely not a cover) contains some of the most electrifying, hip-dislocating moves this side of an octopus on a dancefloor. Both the song and the video are an affectionate look at an England that now seems almost mythical, a land that is eternally sunny and upbeat. No surprise perhaps, as it was written at the beginning of a
47
DORK
“Everyone says guitar music’s not cool nowadays, so we’ve put on a bus trip to Margate to prove them wrong” near-miraculous run in the World Cup and during one of the hottest summers on record. “You can either say things are crap and talk them down, or you can make it glorious, romanticise and glamorise things,” explains Alex, “For us, we want to send up the Britain in Bloom roundabouts, rather than slagging it all off.” These are exciting times for Sports Team, who have all jacked their jobs in over the days leading up to the Margate trip. With highprofile tours coming up with The Magic Gang and Hinds, as well as a slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading & Leeds. The latter is a massive deal in
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
particular for Alex and bassist Oli Dewdney, who have been attending together as punters since they were fifteen. It’s all part of the long-game for Alex, who promises an album at some point in 2019 (“It will come when it’s ready,” is how he describes it.) At the moment, there is plenty of time just to enjoy the run of serious bangers that the Harlesden-based band have been producing. “It takes us a while to generate some of the tracks; it is a bit cleverer and more thoughtful than some of the new music about right now,” Rice states. “We can’t just get together and thrash out a beat.” Talking with Alex is like trying
Estrons turn everyday troubles and heartache into invincible tunes ready to take on the world. Words: Ali Shutler.
50
DORK
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
E
strons aren’t quite sure how they managed a debut album. “It’s hard to find common ground,” admits vocalist Tali Källström. They don’t listen to the same music.
“There’s always a fight over the CD player in the van. I think Rhodri [Daniel, guitar]’s taste in music is terrible. He thinks my taste in music is terrible. I don’t know how we wrote the songs we did. They’re all these weird Frankenstein’s monsters.” But two years since ‘Make A Man’ made people sit up and take notice, Estrons are set to release ‘You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough’. They’ve spent most of 2018 away for the spotlight, figuring things out and seeing where pull makes way for push. “We wanted to make sure everything was right. For us to make sure everything is right, that usually takes a long time.” Estrons have always done things on their own terms. The fact they’re releasing their debut full-length now is in part because Rhodri kept laughing, promising they couldn’t release an album
51
DORK
RE AD D O RK. CO M
with ‘Make A Man’ on it in 2019, but mainly it was just time. “We just wanted to shed that skin and start building. We were sick of EPs, and we wanted to create a body of work that represented us and represented the last few years that we’ve been together. We wanted to capture that, have it, celebrate it and then move onto the next thing.” Almost everything has changed for Estrons since they started. “We’ve grown up a lot as a band. It is still just a hobby for us, but we’re all completely obsessed with it, and it’s all we have time to do. We don’t feel like children. We’re not a baby band anymore. We’ve got a record coming out. It’s real.” One thing that hasn’t waned is that anger. The band first turned heads with a determined grit, balancing fury, frustration and tongue-in-cheek fun. “There’s a lot of that still in there, but the record’s a lot more pop that maybe people are expecting.” That fiery scarlet now shares space with tranquil blues, lush purples and sunburst yellow. “People will be surprised when they hear it, and that’s the fun of an album. You get to experiment
Incoming. Your New Music Fridays, sorted.
14th September - 5th October 2018
The Big One
Pale Waves My Mind
Makes Noises The most anticipated debut album of 2018 is here. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t disappoint.
eeeee LABEL: DIRTY HIT RELEASED: 14TH SEPTEMBER LISTEN TO: NOISES, DRIVE, RED, TELEVISION ROMANCE, KARL (I WONDER WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DIE)
The way we listen to music has changed. While we still love ‘the physical product’, new bangers are constantly arriving ‘online’, we can stream any record we want, on demand, and decades of past releases are available at the tap of a screen. That’s why we’ve changed up our reviews section. Split by the New Music Friday we’re expecting each release to arrive, Incoming is your guide to what to look out for, what to pre-save, and what to skip.
O
nce in a blue moon, a band takes off with such velocity that all doubts feel futile.
With less of a ‘will they, won’t they’ and more of a ‘clear the way’, the only risk in Pale Waves’ glorious ascent has long been that they might burn up as they smash through the planet’s atmosphere on their way to conquer the known universe. ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ doesn’t arrive with trepidation. It isn’t even a promise of potential for what’s to come. It’s a glorious coronation, plain and simple. Sure, there have been barbs thrown across Pale Waves’ path along the way. From accusations of samey songwriting to lazy comparisons with label mates and sort-of-once-mentors The 1975, in the cold light of their neon glow each fails to convincingly land. Indeed, it’s only those parallels with indie-pop’s most hypeworthy band which come close to the mark, if only because they’re 54
DORK
heading for the same arenas. This isn’t a ticker tape parade based purely on industry sure-thing status, though. ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ is a record of such assured confidence it belies just how raw Pale Waves still are. That trademark sound - the shimmer, lilted vocal takes and glitter ball drama - is a fearsomely effective calling card. From the stop-start atmospherics of ‘Black’ to the runway take-off of opener ‘Eighteen’, fizzing with wide-eyed possibilities of what’s to come, the template shifts but the filter remains fixed. Far from a criticism, it’s what makes ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ as a body of work so unfathomably strong. Those initial tasters of what’s to come ‘There’s A Honey’ and ‘Television Romance’ feel as invincible as ever, already wearing the garbs of future classics well, while ‘Kiss’ is built on the fumes of 80s hairspray and sticky-floored indie clubs. For all the polished perfection,
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
though, there are three tracks that underpin a debut with genuine emotion. Sort-of-title-track ‘Noises’ appears early, its honesty bringing barriers down. It plays spectacularly against the record’s true beating heart, ‘Drive’. ‘Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like To Die)’ will do the damage, though. Featuring frontwoman Heather BaronGracie and a single acoustic guitar, it’s so raw that - against the sheen of the album around it - it genuinely shocks. ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ isn’t a grand concept album. It’s not challenging the bleeding edge, or attempting to make huge statements about the world around it. It’s a personal document on a grand scale - a collection of doubts and dreams exploding onto the biggest possible stage. Staggeringly effective at what it sets out to achieve, its greatest strength comes in never trying to be something it isn’t. In understanding exactly who they are, Pale Waves just broke orbit. Next stop - anywhere. P Stephen
Ackroyd
Incoming Friday, 14th September 2018
Oh god, it’s a bit mental really. The album’s out so soon. It feels like it’s come around just so fast. It feels like I was waiting forever for it to come out and now it’s around the corner.
and I don’t know how to feel about it. It was about a time in my life when I was sixteen, and some of my friends said I was very cold. I think it’s ‘cos I didn’t give them what they wanted. They wanted me to love them, and I just didn’t. And I can’t hide my feelings, so they blamed it on me.
Any nerves, fears or waking up in the middle of the night thinking ‘oh God, we should have done this and not that’?
This record spans so many years of your life, why show that journey?
Words: Ali Shutler.
Hello Heather. How are you feeling?
To be honest, I’ve not had those thoughts at all. I just want to get it out to the world. I’m so excited. I feel like we made the right record for us.
How much writing did you do this summer?
We did a lot. Half the album was written in the studio, half over the years since we started Pale Waves. It was all over the place.
Tell us about ‘Eighteen’.
‘Eighteen’ is about when I met someone when I was eighteen and fell in love with them. I had an amazing time, they were a wicked person, and then it came to an end, but it was ready to end.
Why open the album with that song?
There’s something about that track. Everyone we showed it to said it was one of our biggest songs ever. I listened because I wanted a strong opening. And ‘Eighteen’ is the beginning of it. In my head, I see the start of an eighties coming-of-age movie with a car just driving around. That’s what I wanted people to picture.
What about ‘Loveless Girl’?
A few people have called me this,
Photos: Frances Beach, Niall Lea
Our pal Heather stops by for a chat and a metaphorical cup of tea and a biscuit.
It’s important for me to show my early years as a teenager because a lot of our fans are very young. I feel like they’re going to relate to it. And it’s our first record so I felt like it was going to be the strongest record if I talked about that time in my life and covered it on this wide spectrum.
Where did ‘Red’ and ‘Black’ come from, ‘cos they’re sorta your colours.
That was a happy coincidence. ‘Black’ was written about two and a half years ago but we couldn’t get it right. I started writing the verse: “You’re beginning to hate me, of who I’m becoming lately, two and a half years ago.” Ciara actually inspired that because there was a time where I was becoming a complete... well, a cold person. I could tell she was starting to hate me. I wrote that verse and didn’t write anything more of it for ages. I played it to Ciara though, and she has never let go of it. She kept on at me to finish it and eventually I did, and it turned into ‘Black’. And then ‘Red’, we wrote in the studio. It started out as the acoustic track that was going to close the album, but it just didn’t work. Ciara wanted it to be a pop song; she said ‘I’m going to take
“I want to go a bit more punk on the next thing we do. It’ll still be pop, though” this and see what I can do with it’, and it evolved from there.
What’s the song on the record that you think will be the basis for where you go next?
Maybe a combination of ‘Black’ and ‘One More Time’. I want to go a bit more punk on the next thing we do. It’ll still be pop though, ‘cos I love pop.
Just not pop-punk.
I love pop-punk. In my college years, I was in a pop-punk band at one point which we will not say the name of.
But we will scour the internet to find. [*cough* Killing Nancy *cough* - Ed]
Nooo, I looked horrendous, and it was not a good band. The songs were good, ‘cos I wrote them, but everything else around me was just lacking. It was fun though. I wanted to be Hayley Williams.
Have you written anything since finishing the record?
We’ve started writing new material. It’s exciting; we’ve written four or five new songs. I want to release new music next year. I want to do an EP. The album will come out, then a few months later, there’ll be this EP. People want more and more, and we have a lot to give. P 55
DORK
RE AD D O RK. CO M
Dilly Dally
Heaven
RELEASED: 14TH SEPTEMBER
eeeee In-between the release of debut album Sore and it’s box-fresh follow-up, ‘Heaven’, Dilly Dally nearly called it quits. Fittingly described by the band as the album they’d make if they “died and went to heaven”, opener ‘I Feel Fine’ definitely floats on a fluffy cloud. With understated grit and an iron fist, there’s a woozy, dream like edge that reflects frontwoman Katie Monks’ raw growl in all kinds of interesting directions. A vision of a life still to live, it’ll hopefully be a long time until Dilly Dally ascend yet. P Stephen Ackroyd
Fatherson
Sum Of All Your Parts RELEASED: 14TH SEPTEMBER
eeeee If there’s one thing Scotland is good at exporting, it’s melodic rock that’s good for the mind, body and soul. Thick, euphoric melodies ring out across the land that Fatherson inhabit on their third outing, ‘Sum of All Your Parts’. A solid instalment, they’ve wasted no time in building upward and onward, growing from strength to strength while proving that the sanctity of humanity and its complexities can be perfectly entombed in creatively approached tunings and a sense of yearning. P Steven Loftin
The Goon Sax
We’re Not Talking
RELEASED: 14TH SEPTEMBER
eeeee When The Goon Sax made their muchacclaimed debut album ‘Up To Anything’, they were still in high school. Two years on, and approaching their ripe old twenties, the Aussies are basically old hands. A ridiculous statement, perhaps, but one held up by ‘We’re Not Talking’ - a record that shows an assured edge that belies their relatively young years. Sweeping and swooning with the spirit of indie past, but never descending into generic laziness, The Goon Sax are the next wonders from Down Under. P Stephen Ackroyd
The Guide. All the shows you need to see this month, and some you probably don’t.
Deez, Bodega
1st October
Nottingham, Editors,
Rock City York, Blaenavon, Crescent
Brighton, Lily Moore,
Komedia Bristol, The Magic Gang, O2 Academy Leeds, The Night Cafe, The Wardrobe London, Darwin Deez, Village Underground London, Mikaela Davis, Omeara London, Muncie Girls, The Borderline Manchester, Anna Calvi, O2 Ritz Nottingham, Pale Waves, Rock City
10th October Birmingham, Boy Azooga,
2nd October Belfast, Fatherson, Voodoo
Birmingham, Teleman,
The Castle & Falcon Bournemouth, The Magic Gang, O2 Academy Brighton, Darwin Deez, Komedia Brighton, Kero Kero Bonito, Patterns Brighton, Stereo Honey, Green Door Store Bristol, Virginia Wing, Rough Trade London, Charles Watson, The Lexington London, Ider, Village Underground Manchester, Mikaela Davis, Soup Kitchen Norwich, Muncie Girls, The Waterfront Studio Southampton, Pale Waves, Guildhall
3 October rd
Brighton, Virginia Wing,
Green Door Store Bristol, Darwin Deez, Thekla Bristol, Pale Waves, O2 Academy Dublin, Fatherson, Whelan’s Edinburgh, Husky Loops, Sneaky Pete’s Guildford, whenyoung, Boileroom Leeds, Folly Rae, Key Club Leeds, Mikaela Davis, Brudenell Social Club Liverpool, The Magic Gang, O2 Academy London, Stereo Honey, The Borderline Newcastle, Anna Calvi, Boiler Shop Newcastle, The Coral, Riverside Sheffield, Teleman, The
.Blaenavon are on tour this month. S. Plug
Sheffield, The Night Cafe, O2 Academy
Southampton, Muncie Girls, Joiners St. Albans, Blaenavon, The Horn
4 October th
Birmingham, Anna Calvi, Town Hall
Birmingham, Virginia
Wing, Hare & Hounds Bournemouth, Indoor Pets, The Anvil Bristol, Stereo Honey, Rough Trade Cambridge, Blaenavon, Storey’s Field Centre Glasgow, Teleman, The Hug & Pint Glasgow, The Night Cafe, Saint Luke’s Leeds, Fatherson, Hyde Park Book Club Leeds, Husky Loops, HiFi Club Leeds, Teleman, Brudenell Social Club Manchester, Kero Kero Bonito, Yes Newcastle, The Magic Gang, Keele University Norwich, Jorja Smith, UEA Nottingham, Sea Girls, Bodega
5th October Belfast, Pale Waves,
Elmwood Hall Birmingham, Stereo Honey, Sunflower Lounge Birmingham, The Coral,
O2 Institute Bristol, Jorja Smith, O2 Academy Bristol, Mikaela Davis, Louisiana Glasgow, Darwin Deez, Oran Mor Glasgow, Kero Kero Bonito, Broadcast Glasgow, Sea Girls, King Tut’s Gloucester, Blaenavon, Guildhall Hove, Anna Calvi, All Saints Church Leicester, whenyoung, The Cookie Liverpool, Teleman, Hangar 34 Liverpool, The Night Cafe, O2 Academy London, Black Peaks, Omeara London, Rex Orange County, Eventim Apollo Manchester, Fatherson, Night People Manchester, Rae Morris, O2 Ritz Oxford, The Magic Gang, O2 Academy Reading, Her’s, South Street Arts Centre
Voodoo
Academy
Hobos
SWG3
Bridgend, Blaenavon, Edinburgh, Virginia Wing, Sneaky Pete’s Leeds, Stereo Honey, Oporto Bar Limerick, Pale Waves, Dolans Newcastle, Jorja Smith, O2 Academy Sheffield, The Coral, Leadmill Southampton, Editors, Guildhall
8th October Bristol, Editors, Motion & The Marble Factory Cardiff, Childcare, Moon Club Dublin, Pale Waves, Academy Glasgow, Jorja Smith, O2
6th October Birmingham, Fatherson,
Sunflower Lounge Bristol, Anna Calvi, SWX Leeds, The Coral, LMUSU Newcastle, Virginia Wing, The Cluny
7th October Belfast, Boy Azooga, 66
DORK
.Our Girl. S.
D OWN WI T H BO RI N G
Glasgow, Lily Moore, London, LANY, O2 Forum Nottingham, Fatherson, Rock City
Portsmouth, Teleman, Wedgewood Rooms
9th October Birmingham, Childcare,
Sunflower Lounge Brighton, Husky Loops, Patterns Bristol, Boy Azooga, Thekla Bristol, The Coral, SWX Glasgow, Tom Grennan, Barrowland London, Dilly Dally, Sebright Arms Manchester, MNEK, Gorilla Nottingham, Darwin
Castle & Falcom Birmingham, MNEK, O2 Institute Brighton, Anteros, Sticky Mike’s Brighton, Gaffa Tape Sandy, The Albert Brighton, whenyoung, Komedia Glasgow, Tom Walker, QMU Leeds, Darwin Deez, Belgrave Music Hall Liverpool, Glasvegas, Arts Club London, Teleman, Oval Space Manchester, Aurora, Academy Manchester, Childcare, Jimmy’s Manchester, Jorja Smith, Albert Hall
Middlesborough,
Blaenavon, Reesside Uni SU Newcastle, Tom Grennan, Northumbria Uni SU Norwich, Fatherson, Waterfront Studio Southampton, Husky Loops, Joiners
11th October Belfast, Black Peaks, Empire Bar
Birmingham, Darwin
Deez, O2 Institute Birmingham, Sea Girls, Mama Roux’s Brighton, Fatherson, Patterns Glasgow, Boy Azooga, King Tut’s
Leeds, Childcare, Hyde
Leeds, Rolling Blackouts
Coastal Fever, University Union Liverpool, Our Girl, Sound Food and Drink Manchester, Black Honey, Academy Manchester, Tellison, Star & Garter Norwich, Tom Grennan, UEA Sheffield, Superorganism, Leadmill Worthing, Black Peaks, FortyTwo York, We Are Scientists, Fibbers
Park Book Club Leeds, Tom Grennan, O2 Academy Lodon, Aurora, O2 Forum London, Anteros, Garage London, MNEK, Scala London, Paul Weller, Royal Festival Hall London, The Coral, KOKO London, Virginia Wing, Oslo London, whenyoung, Boston Music Room London, Yonaka, Electric Ballroom Manchester, Jorja Smith, Albert Hall Newcastle, Editors, Northumbria Uni SU Plymouth, Husky Loops, Underground
22nd October Birmingham, Girli, Castle & Falcon
Cambridge, Goat Girl,
12 October th
Aberdeen, Editors, Beach
.alt-J S.
Ballroom
Birmingham, Our Girl,
Sunflower Lounge Bristol, Anteros, Rough Trade Cambridge, Bloody Knees, Portland Arms Coventry, whenyoung, Kasbah Edinburgh, Blaenavon, Mash House Liverpool, The Coral, Guild of Students London, Suede, Eventim Apollo Manchester, Boy Azooga, YES Manchester, Tom Grennan, Academy Newcastle, Teleman, Riverside Sheffield, Sea Girls, Leadmill
13th October
Concorde 2 Bristol, Our Girl, Louisiana Bristol, Tom Grennan, O2 Academy Chester, Blaenavon, The Live Rooms Glasgow, Black Peaks, King Tut’s Leeds, Boy Azooga, Brudenell Social Club Llanelli, Estrons, Public Library Manchester, Anteros, Soup Kitchen Manchester, Tom Walker, O2 Ritz Nottingham, Jorja Smith, Rock City
O2 Academy Bristol, Black Honey, Thekla Bristol, Hookworms, SWX Bristol, Husky Loops, Louisiana Glasgow, Editors, Barrowland Glasgow, Teleman, Oran Mor Hull, Blaenavon, The Welly Club Leeds, Tom Walker, University Union London, Lonely the Brave, Omeara London, Los Campesinos!, O2 Forum London, Suede, Eventim Apollo Manchester, The Coral, Albert Hall Manchester, Virginia Wing, YES Newcastle, Black Peaks, The Cluny Newcastle, Boy Azooga, Cobalt Studios Newcastle, Sea Girls, Think Tank?
Southampton, whenyoung, Heartbreakers
14th October Brighton, Black Honey,
SEPTEMBER 26 Leeds, Indoor
05 Reading, Her’s,
Pets, Key Club
South Street Arts Centre
OCTOBER 03 Leeds, Folly
NOVEMBER 03 Lincoln, 2Q
Rae + Lucia, Key Club
Festival
Manchester, Low,
London, Beach House,
Norwich, Husky Loops,
London, Bloody Knees,
Cathedral
Waterfront Studio Nottingham, Boy Azooga, Bodega
15th October
17th October
Belfast, Editors, Ulster
Belfast, Superorganism,
Hall
Birmingham, Jorja Smith,
DORK
LIVE! FORTHCOMING SHOWS
Birmingham, Black
Honey, O2 Academy Bristol, Superorganism, SWX Dublin, alt-J, Olympia Theatre Glasgow, Anteros, King Tut’s Leicester, Our Girl, The Cookie London, Swimming Girls, Hoxton Bar & Grill Nottingham, Childcare, Rescue Rooms Sheffield, Tom Walker, Leadmill Southampton, Tom Grennan, Guildhall Worcester, Blaenavon, Marrs Bar
16th October Coventry, Blaenavon,
Arches Venue Dublin, Editors, Vicar Street Leeds, Anteros, Wardrobe Leeds, Black Peaks, Key Club Leeds, Our Girl, Oporto Bar
Liverpool,
Superorganism, Arts Club London, Childcare, Omeara London, Tom Grennan, O2 Academy Brixton
Limelight Dublin, Low, Vicar Street Liverpool, Her’s, Art’s Club London, Beach House, Troxy London, Boy Azooga, Scala London, Jorja Smith, O2 Academy Brixton London, Speedy Ortiz, The Garage London, Tom Walker, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Manchester, Black Peaks, Academy Nottingham, Anteros, Rough Trade Reading, We Are Scientists, Sub89
18th October Birmingham, Black Peaks,
Hare & Hounds Birmingham, Tom Walker, O2 Institute Brighton, Boy Azooga, Green Door Store Bristol, Childcare, Louisiana Bristol, Fickle Friends, SWX Cardiff, SWN Festival, Various Venues Cardiff, We Are Scientists, The Globe Leeds, Black Honey, Church 67
DORK
Troxy
Underworld London, Husky Loops, Corsica Studios London, Jorja Smith, O2 Academy Brixton London, Sea Girls, Scala Manchester, Editors, O2 Apollo Norwich, Blaenavon, Arts Centre Nottingham, Speedy Ortiz, Rough Trade Oxford, Tom Grennan, O2 Academy Reading, Her’s, South Street Arts Centre Sheffield, Our Girl, Picture House Social
19th October Birmingham, Editors, O2 Academy
Brighton, Her’s, Sticky
Mike’s Frog Bar Brighton, Sea Girls, The Haunt Bristol, Tellison, Exchange Bristol, Willie J Healey, Rough Trade Clitheroe, We Are Scientists, The Grand Guildford, Blaenavon, Boileroom Hastings, Husky Loops, BlackmarketVIP Leeds, Speedy Ortiz, Belgrave Music Hall Leicester, Tom Grennan, O2 Academy London, Black Peaks, Underworld London, Fickle Friends, Shepherd’s Bush Empire London, Marmozets, O2 Forum RE AD D O RK. CO M
Manchester, Beach
House, Albert Hall Manchester, Idles, O2 Ritz Manchester, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Academy Manchester, The Orielles, Night & Day Cafe Newcastle, Black Honey, Riverside Southampton, Childcare, Talking Heads
20th October Birmingham, The Orielles, Hare & Hounds Cambridge, Fickle Friends, Junction Edinburgh, Girli, Mash House Exeter, Boy Azooga, Cavern Exeter, Tom Walker, Lemon Grove Glasgow, Black Honey, Stereo Glasgow, Idles, QMU Glasgow, Our Girl, The Garage Glasgow, Superorganism, SWG3 Leeds, Editors, O2 Academy Liverpool, Sophie, 24 Kitchen Street Liverpool, Tom Grennan, O2 Academy Liverpool, We Are Scientists, Arts Club London, Willie J Healey, Moth Club Southampton, Sea Girls, Joiners Stoke-on-Trent, Goat Girl, Sugarmill Worcester, Tellison, Marrs Bar
21st October Birmingham, Bloody
Knees, The Flapper Birmingham, Dream Wife, Hare & Hounds Bristol, Sea Girls, Thekla Cardiff, Tom Walker, Trashed Glasgow, alt-J, SECC Leeds, Girli, Brudenell Social Club
Portland Arms Dublin, Bloc Party, 3Arena Glasgow, Dream Wife, SWG3 Glasgow, Menace Beach, Broadcast Glasgow, Speedy Ortiz, Stereo Hull, Bloody Knees, Polar Bear Leeds, Snail Mail, Brudenell Social Club Leeds, Superoganism, University Union Manchester, Baywaves, Eagle Inn Manchester, Glasvegas, Gorilla Newcastle, We Are Scientists, Riverside Norwich, Editors, UEA Nottingham, Fickle Friends, Trent SU Oxford, Villagers, O2 Academy Portsmouth, Tom Walker, Pyramid Centre
23rd October Birmingham, Tom
Grennan, O2 Academy Brighton, Editors, Dome Brighton, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Concorde 2 Cardiff, Our Girl, Clwb Ifor Bach Glasgow, Snail Mail, SWG3 Leeds, alt-J, Town Hall Leicester, Husky Loops, Cookie London, Cat Power, Roundhouse London, Girli, Heaven London, Hayley Kiyoko, O2 Academy Islington London, Sophie, Fabric London, Villagers, EartH Manchester, Goat Girl, Gorilla Manchester, Speedy Ortiz, YES Newcastle, Idles, Riverside Newcastle, Menace Beach, The Cluny Nottingham, Black Honey, Rescue Rooms Sheffield, Glasvegas, The Plug York, Yak, The Crescent
24th October Belfast, Sea Girls,
PALE WAVES
MY MIND MAKES NOISES UK & IRELAND TOUR 2018 SEPTEMBER D OUT 21 – SWG3, UK SOLGLASGOW, T U O 22 – BOILER SHOP, SOLD NEWCASTLE, UK 23 – FOUNDRY, SHEFFIELD, UK 24 – O2 ACADEMY, LIVERPOOL, UK 25 – O2 INSTITUTE, BIRMINGHAM, UK 27 – O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE, LONDON, UK T 28 – O2 RITZ,SOMANCHESTER, UK LD OU
OCTOBER 1 – ROCK CITY, NOTTINGHAM, UK 2 – GUILDHALL, SOUTHAMPTON, UK 3 – O2 ACADEMY, BRISTOL, UK D OUT BELFAST, UK 5 – ELMWOOD SOLHALL, 6 – CYPRUS AVENUE, CORK, IE 7 – DOLAN’S WAREHOUSE, LIMERICK, IE 8 – ACADEMY, DUBLIN, IE
DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW TICKETS WWW.PALEWAVES.CO.UK DIRT Y HI T