brighton tempo issue 3

Brighton Tempo ISSUE THREE

Brighton’s new seasonal culture magazine, by and for students.

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BRIGHTON TEMPO

ABOUT US ABOUT US ABOUT US B

righton Tempo is a student run magazine all about music. We focus on Brighton based bands and gigs at iconic Brighton venues such as Brighton Centre, Concorde 2 and Prince Albert.

Our mission is to give other students and young adults in Brighton free and easy access to news, reviews, interviews and events in Brighton and the surrounding areas.

The magazine aims to make the Brighton music scene more accessible to people new to the city.

Editors: Charley Murfitt and Moe Noble Writers: Ela Golay, Ben Left, Charley Murfitt, Rae Garvey, Dylan Hazell, Cerys Hubbard Photographs provided by: Rae Garvey, Moe Noble, Dylan Hazell, Ele Marchant, Nick Suchak Designer: Myrtle Goldsmith

Credit: Rae Garvey

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CONTE Music In Motion | Page 6 & 7 The story of Brighton Station’s piano Camp Electricity at Brighton Centre | Page 8 A review of Years And Years at Brighton Centre Peach Pit delights at Concorde 2 | Page 9 A review of Peach Pit at Concorde 2 A band of Geordies! Songs about Aldi! | Page 10 A review of Sam Fender at Brighton Centre Kid Kapichi | Page 11 to 13 Britain’s best new punk band. 20 minutes. A Brighton bus stop. And a “world exclusive” with Britain’s best new punk band- Kid Kapichi Credit: Rae Garvey 4

ENTS Chain smoking cigarettes with The Slaughter House Band | Page 16 to 17

Standing Around with Sarpa Salpa | Page 24 to 25

An interview with The Slaughter House Band at The Great Escape

An interview with Sarpa Salpa at The Great Escape

Courting Take On Casablanca | Page 18 A review of Courting at The Great Escape Festival Lola Young: The Next Adele | Page 19

A car park interview with Harvey Jay Dodson | Page 26 to 27 An interview with Harvey Jay Dodson at The Great Escape

A review of Lola Young at The Great Escape

TikTok Superstars Take On The Great Escape | Page 28 to 31

FLOWVERS | Page 20 to 21

An interview with The Crawlers at The Great Escape

An interview with indie boy band Flowvers at The Great Escape

Desert Rock Revival in East London? More Likely Than You’d Think | Page 32 to 34

Feminine rage with Scene Queen | Page 22 to 23

Adam Young of The Howlers turns to talks of his autism diagnosis, getting sh*tfaced at a The Last Shadow Puppets gig and sharing a creative space with Extinction Rebellion.

An interview with Scene Queen at The Great Escape

Whats on in Brighton | Page 35 5

BRIGHTON STATION COMMUNITY PIANO

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RAIN stations have never felt like a real place. As soon as you take a step through the barriers, away from the mundanity of everyday life, and arrive on the platform, there is a blatant air of surrealism. Here, the outside world no longer matters, and that £4.25 that you just spent on coffee is justified because it tastes like adventure.

Of course, for some individuals, the train station is merely a contributor to the monotonous routine of the working week. The daily commute is no more exciting than waiting for the kettle to boil, and you are surrounded by people who are willing to pay outrageous amounts for their hot beverages.

Nevertheless, wherever you are in the world,

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wherever you’re going, the mechanics of the train station remain familiar. You get on, you get off, and you know where you stand (usually behind the yellow line).

Naturally, the same applies here in Brighton station, as fragments of hundreds of different lives intersect, creating a collective buzz of indistinct chatter and movement. Only, on this particular occasion, that familiar hustle and bustle is soundtracked by a somewhat spontaneous melody. Peeking through the gaps in the crowds, sits a vibrant rainbow of wood and ivory. The Brighton Station Community Piano.

This notable feature takes us back to October 2013, a time when Hove’s Labour MP, Peter Kyle, once again

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found himself submerged in a crowd of cold, wet commuters, all suited up in grey cotton to match the same old, dreary day on the platform they’d been living for months. Ever so typically, the cancellation of a departure sent a ripple of silent misery through the station, echoing off the high ceilings, and tightening the cap of the lightbulb in Kyle’s head. Inspired by his passion for community and arts, he promptly sent a monumental tweet: ‘’Brighton Station needs a piano, I’ll buy one if you like!”.

The post became local news as quickly as you can play the C major scale, rallying support from The Argus to BBC Radio, voicing the enthusiasm of the Brighton community, fuelled by their unsung need for public art and creativity.

It took a surprising 10 months before the proposition was approved and finally brought into effect, though pianos are notoriously awkward to manoeuvre.

August the 1st 2014 marked the date that the piano was installed in the station, a delightful summer’s day of musical insurgence, shared by individuals from all walks of life, from train staff to passengers, who became performers and spectators.

Even today, even in the blistery winter months, it’s difficult not to crack a smile when you arrive upon daring performers sharing their tune. Such an experience is invariably uplifting in its uniqueness, as the keys have been played hundreds of times before, but one impromptu performance is enjoyed only by the ears around to hear it.

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yle, Labour MP, fondly reflected on many magical moments he had encountered since the introduction of the piano. One of them sticks to mind. On a particularly unremarkable day, after arriving at Brighton Station, he recounts approaching the barriers, and hearing a charming melody, before even catching sight of a crowd gathered around a seated gentleman wearing a high-vis jacket. Next to where his feet were playing the pedals, rested a plastic bag full of rubbish that he had collected off the last train. His role at the station was vital in more ways than one. He would collect what was left behind by the passengers (who usually offered him no regard at all) and then take his place at the keys in between departures, bringing together a gleeful concourse of people, a community, gathered to share in the moment where this anonymous gentleman had become the centre of applause.

Retrospectively, it’s a wonder why it took so long for Network Rail to get on board with the idea.

According to Kyle, they initially put up a lot of resistance, expressing many concerns regarding ‘health and safety’, as they argued that the noise of the piano could overpower the tannoy in the case of an emergency. If this was a genuine concern, then surely train stations would be enforced to be as quiet as a library, hushing even the stifle of a conversation.

He offered to pay for acoustic tests in order to address this theory, but they still weren’t convinced.

They continued to push back, using Kyle’s position in politics to their advantage, and resisting on the grounds that they don’t allow political campaigning on their property. They were running out of reasons, until eventually admitting over a phone call that they just didn’t want to go through the trouble, and they didn’t know how to make Kyle go away. But the MP had made a promise to Brighton, and with gratitude to his persistent nature, he was able to arrange a meeting with Network Rail, Southern Rail, the station master, and anyone else who would be associated with the plan. In making sure to consider any issues that arose, he managed to charm the board, and with the help of Brighton Piano Warehouse, the first of many pianos was installed within the year.

Since the closure of Bagelman, I rarely find myself in the great halls of the station, but I have a few times encountered the same pianist. He has a seemingly familiar face, a canvas of tattoos and eyebags, grown from the tribulations of a life on the streets. He tells me that he comes to play the piano every day, navigating his way through the white keys, before he builds up enough confidence to integrate the sharps and flats. He has no musical knowledge, but he’s entranced by its beauty and reassurance, as he learns how to tell his story through experimentation and intuition.

I am in awe of this real-life example of the power of music, and compelled by what we can learn when we are given the freedom and tools to share our individual expression. Music and art adds flavour and meaning to our everyday experiences, it arises in the most unexpected circumstances and is never the same twice. I would encourage anyone and everyone to take advantage of any opportunity to share in these moments, as I can assure that they will be treasured for life.

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Words and image by Ela Golay 7

YEARS AND

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Words and image by Dylan Hazell

EGEND has it that there is a unique, visceral buzz of excitement that the human brain can only ever experience when a large group of very queer people are packed in one room and Kylie Minogue is used as the stage entrance music. Olly Alexander of Years and Years knows exactly how to utilise this historic euphoria, and before he ven utters a word, the room is alive with electricity. Camp electricity. The best kind.

Night Call, the third album released by electro pop band Years and Years and the first to be written and produced exclusively by lead singer Olly Alexander, is a project entirely based on visuals. It’s one of those records whereby listening to the tracks alone, you can already picture the music videos and live performances. So, when Olly Alexander appeared on stage in a broken, grimy phone box in a full leather suit, despite having no idea what to expect...

The sight didn’t feel like a surprise. Rather, a direct glimpse into my mental diary.

That’s not to say the performance was predictable quite the opposite. I was completely taken aback at his ability to physically recreate images projected into my mind months prior through his gritty, brazen lyrics. The size of this performance was beyond my expectations - every single track was performed with the vigour and energy of a final song on a final tour. With the sheer amount of costume changes, countless props, hypnotic visuals and bewitching backup dancers, this concert would not feel out of place being performed in the biggest venues in the world. Yet somehow, it also felt completely designed for the more intimate setting of Brighton Centre, as though the intention was to blow our minds with the scale of production. If so, they succeeded.

Most of the tracks performed were from the recent record, with notable hits Starstruck and Sweet Talker getting a rise out of the Brighton crowd. The physical set itself constantly changed, depicting

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various locations of gay nightlife. From the chaotic portrayal of a London street at night, to a decidedly raunchy row of grimy men’s toilet cubicles, followed

by Alexander being rolled on stage strapped in a king size bed, each song felt as though it came with a snapshot of the singer’s experiences. But amongst all those strange and wonderful visuals, and all the fantastic vocal performances and choreography, by far the most enjoyable part of the evening was seeing, quite clearly, how much fun Olly Alexander was having. For the sake of character, he often wore a stony expression to match his provocative lyrics, but even despite his award-winning acting talents, you could always sense a genuine smile behind the pretence. He was ecstatic to be back on stage.

The gig took the opportunity to slow down for just a couple songs, when a grand piano was wheeled on stage and Alexander expressed his thanks to the elated audience. After inviting fans on stage, where a beautiful queer proposal took place (much to the singer’s delight), Alexander made reference to his acting career with a passionate performance of the Pet Shop Boys’ It’s a Sin. This rendition received perhaps the biggest applause of the evening, as old and young fans alike joined the singer in belting out the classic LGBTQ+ anthem. Still riding on that high, the singer closed the gig with an energetic performance of two of his biggest hits to date; If You’re Over Me and King.

Perhaps it was because it was the first concert I had been to since pre-lockdown. More likely it was because it was a genuinely great pop gig, with a positive, queer friendly atmosphere and electrifying music. But the Night Call Tour by Years and Years was, without doubt, one of the most exhilarating and unique musical experiences of my life. Maybe I’m a little biassed given my love for the singer, but I can’t help it... I get Starstruck around him.

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The atmosphere shifts as soon as Peach Pit appear.

Gone were the giddy smiles and chats, immediately replaced with loud screams as the band went into their first song ‘Brian’s Movie’, a country-twang infused indie track from their sophomore album ‘You and Your Friends’. The atmosphere of the room is fuelled by the band themselves as they jump around, with rhythm guitarist and vocalist, Neil Smith, thrashing his long hair all over the place as he conducts his signature headbang dancingguitarist, Chris Vanderkooy, was a highlight of the overall performance, however. His relationship with his audience is immense, always including them in moments of songs that are not specifically intended for singing, creating an incredibly interactive experience throughout the whole gig during his guitar solos by climbing onto barricades, throwing guitar picks into the crowd.

While the band’s onstage presence and energy were indeed off the scales, it is hard to say the same for the crowd. Vocal as they were, there was a lack of physical energy than expected from a Peach Pit concert. As a Northerner, who has a soft spot for energetic shows that include jumping around and moshing, it could be said that the crowd at Concorde 2 was somewhat lacklustre in terms of physical energy.

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O see one of your favourite bands for the first time is a feeling like no other, and mix that with the feeling of being at a gig for the first time since multiple lockdowns and restrictions over the years, and you have a highly anticipated gig.

Standing in a crowd with people who love a band as much as I do was almost nostalgic. It had been so long since I had been to a gig like that- it was almost unfamiliar. Canadian indie-pop band Peach Pit were the perfect group to throw me back into gig life, a band I have loved since I was around seventeen years old. I was ecstatic to see live for the first time.

The air of Concorde 2 was filled with excitement and giddiness as we waited for the band to come onstage, impatiently waiting as their entrance song ‘Going Up The Country’ by Canned Heat began to blare out of the speakers; a song that sums up Peach Pit perfectly with its goofy nature that plasters a smile on one’s face.

This does not mean, however, that the gig itself was disappointing, quite the opposite, I would say that this gig was one of the best I’d ever witnessed. With their nostalgic anthems such as self titled EP track ‘Peach Pit’, and their debut album’s singles ‘Drop the Guillotine’ and ‘Alrighty Aphrodite’ within their set, long-term fans were appropriately fed. Mix this with songs like ‘Give Up Baby Go’ from their most recent album ‘From 2 to 3’, released earlier this year, and the appropriate balance of slower songs such as ‘Everything About You’, and the result is a truly immense performance.

Peach Pit were a truly impressive band to witness live, to see one of my favourite bands that I’ve loved since I was a teenager was a genuine honour, and while the crowd’s energy was somewhat lacking, the gig overall was a true enjoyment. A true testament to how entertaining Peach Pit are as a band, and a unit to be reckoned with.

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Words and image by Rae Garvey 9

at Brighton Center

SAM FENDER SAM FENDER SAM FENDER SAM FENDER A BAND OF GEORDIES! SONGS ABOUT ALDI!

Words by Cerys Hubbard

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HEN in a sweaty venue, a crowd screams “ [We]Were Far Too Scared To Hit Him” but they “Would Hit Him In A Heartbeat Now!”- It could only be a Sam Fender gig. Fender has blown up quite a bit in the past year, what with the title track from his 2nd album Seventeen Going Under causing quite a bit of a stir on Tiktok and winning best Alternative/Rock act at the Brits- it’s fair to say he’s on his way to national icon status.

Even after an emergency dental appointment (which he mentioned between songs, as well as stating he was still a bit out of it) he still managed to pull off one hell of a gig at the Brighton Centre.

The support act, Goat Girl, were a “stand and watch” sort of affair, but with swirly synths and titles like “Sad Cowboy” and “Jazz (In The Supermarket)” it didn’t make them any less intriguing.

Later, when Sam and his band bound onto the stage with the opener “Will We Talk” from his first album, they were met with high energy singalongs which carried on throughout the night with songs like “Saturday” and “Seventeen Going Under”. The standing pitch soon transformed into full on mosh pit mania for “Spice” and “Howdon Aldi Death Queue” (cue screams of “GET OFF THE METRO NOW!” in the strongest geordie accent you’ve ever heard) as they played back to back.

There were some mellow moments in the set too, songs such as “Dead Boys”, “Spit Of You” and the absolute sobfest of an album closer “The Dying

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Light” made an appearance on the setlist, providing an emotional gut punch (and pockets full of confetti) to the packed out arena. Despite being described as “The Little One” of the tour, it certainly didn’t feel like it.

The Setlist: Will We Talk Getting Started Dead Boys Mantra Better Of Me The Borders Spice Howdon Aldi Death Queue Get You Down Spit Of You Play God The Leveller The Dying Light Saturday Seventeen Going Under Hypersonic Missiles

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Credit: Nick Suchak

KID KAPICHI

20 MINUTES. A BRIGHTON BUS STOP. AND A “WORLD EXCLUSIVE” WITH BRITAIN’S BEST NEW PUNK BAND. YES, IT’S THE LONG-AWAITED INTERVIEW WITH HASTINGS’S HEAVYWEIGHTS KID KAPICHI. “ANYTHING GOES MATE”, THEY TELL BRIGHTON TEMPO. Words by Ben Left

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ELL me what you’re wearing, so I can spot you when we come out”, says Kid Kapichi’s Jack Wilson over the phone. “A Sex Pistols t-shirt”, I reply. “Nice”, he responds knowingly. And so goes my first (not quite) in-person interaction with Kapichi’s snarling singer, who turns out to be anything but when he’s not behind a microphone.

I’m waiting outside Chalk, usually one of Brighton’s top nightclubs, tonight providing the stage for Kid Kapichi to make their debut- and headlineappearance at renowned new music festival The Great Escape.

Tonight’s performance has been on the cards for a while, the band tell me. “We’ve waited a long time

to do our Great Escape debut, we always said we’d wait for the right time to do it and this really feels like it you know”, explains guitarist Ben Beetham.

“To be honest with you, we were booked to do it just before covid in a much, much smaller venue”, Wilson adds. “We lined up our dominoes’ in that time, you know what I mean?”. I do indeed. In the past two years of corona-induced lockdowns, Kid Kapichi have written, recorded and released their debut album This Time Next Year, reached number six in the official UK independent charts, attracted critical acclaim from publications including NME and Kerrang! , and enjoyed a very successful, allbut sold out UK tour. They started 2022 by releasing their latest breathtaking banger New England- a

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furious rebuttal of the Nationality & Borders Bill, and everything it represents- and supporting Nothing But Thieves across Europe, as well as a certain Liam Gallagher at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. Only last week (at the time of interview) they performed to crowds of nearly 1000 people at Camden’s historic Electric Ballroom, something they still haven’t quite got over. Everywhere they look, exciting opportunities are starting to arise. But, as the band reveal, it’s the result of 7 years’ worth of hard work, perfecting their craft both in and out of the studio.

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t started when I was at college”, recalls Wilson as we settle into the conversation, sitting at an empty bus stop opposite Chalk. It’s the only quiet place we can find on a boiling Saturday afternoon, with all the pubs rammed due to some significant football match. “I had to do a gig, and I was like shit, how do I do that?” he remembers. “I knew George (MacDonald, drummer) cause I went to school with George”- “and me and Eddie (Lewis, bassist) played together when we were like 12 years old”, adds the aforementioned percussionist. “And then I knew Ben as well, from partying, and was like let’s do it sort of thing”, Wilson explains. And so, as the result of a college project, the most exciting punk four-piece since The Clash came to be. “The band hasn’t really been Kid Kapichi as people know it for that length of time, but us as a collective have been playing together since that college project… there’s been that connection for a long time”. It shows. The four of them are clearly firm friends, joking around between questions, looking relaxed and happy to be there. They laugh when I point out the benefits of having a band name no one else does: “That’s it, no

one can pronounce it, and no one can spell it! Liam Gallagher literally called us Kid Apachi, I was like fair enough, you don’t correct Liam Gallagher”, smiles Wilson.” But where does the name come from, and does it mean anything? “At one of our first gigs there was this young boy that come up, he just kept talking to us, kept saying ‘Kapichi, Kapichi, Kapichi’. We were looking for a name at the time, and then the next day we just decided “Kid Kapichi, that’s a sick name for a band”, recalls Beetham. “Cool innit? Has no meaning but it’s a cool vibe. It came from the universe man.”

If that last sentence sounds a bit hippie-ish, don’t fear, Kid Kapichi are ferocious, no-frills rockers whose songs are loud, fast and angry. But when I ask them whether they would describe themseves as punk, they’re not quite sure how to answer. “Do you know what it’s a fucking good question, cause I never know like, when I get asked ‘what’s your thing’, I feel like you just have to let everyone else decided what you are”, contemplates Wilson. “I would say at heart we’re punk, maybe that’s not the best way to describe how we sound but our attitude”, adds Lewis.

“It’s a modern version of punk- you can get fucking rappers and grime artists that are punk, d’you know what I mean? It’s more an ethos and more an attitude”. The band are more certain about the importance of the social-political problems that they rally against when it comes to the success of bands like theirs. “Well, we said when it was the election, if the Conservatives got booted out we’d have nothing to write about, but there’s so much bollocks going on right now that it’s a never ending gold mine of shit to write about”, Wilson reveals. “I often think about that; what would we do if things were glorious? But

Credit: Nick Suchak 12

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they never are”. While all may not be glorious in the world generally, for bands like Kid Kapichi there is an ever-growing crowd and increasingly recognised scene to slot into. Since Brexit, punky bands such as Lady Bird, Sprints and Bilk have formed and found success singing angsty, volatile numbers, while the admittedly more poppy, yet distinctively post-punk Wet Leg have broken into the mainstream in a way that might not have been possible ten years ago. It’s no coincidence. “No 100% not mate, punk music thrives in these times, and you look at the 70s and 80s and The Sex Pistols and The Clash, that’s all through times of war, through times of austerity and division, and that’s exactly what we’re going through right now”, Wilson notes. “Once this is all over we’ll probably just be writing really happy songs, retire in the Caribbean”, jokes Lewis, before bursting into a brief but amusing rendition of ELO’s Mr Blue Sky.

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hile that version of events seems unlikely, it’s true that Kid Kapichi have a lot to be happy about at the moment. Their headline appearance at the Electric Ballroom in Camden was “amazing, the happiest I’ve been with a gig we’ve done”, declares Wilson, while (whisper it) the band have finally signed to an- as of yetunnamed major record label, after years of releasing their music completely independently. My mention of this raises a few eyebrows, not least from their manager, who has been watching on from the sidelines. “Ohh, the old grapevine!”, the band laughs.

“What you’ve heard is true, but we can’t say anymore than that”. Well, not much more. “We’ve now got to a point where we’re like right, we can’t do it ourselves anymore- we’ve hit a celling and we’re like, we now need that. It’s on our terms, and the rest goes from there. World exclusive!”. It’s not the only time rumour is confirmed during our 20-minute chat: we also get onto the small matter of album number two, which they reveal will be released at some point this year. “We’ve got some crazy sounds- we’ve said it’s a hybrid album, definitely”, divulges drummer Macdonald. “We’re used to kind of thinking, how we gonna play this? And sometimes you’d have to take stuff away from what you wanted to do to try and play it, but now we’re like: let’s write it and record it how we want, and then figure it out later”, the band explain. “The first album was two guitars and a bass... this one we went with whatever the fuck we want, so it’s just been a lot of fun. Anything goes mate”.

The first single from their second album, New

England, was released back in January to palpable support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders and Radio X, although a few people have taken issue with it. “That’s something we’ve discussed a lot, seeing people online getting agitated, and it’s because we’re pointing the finger at them, rather than at the government, or something we can all get angry about”, reflects Wilson. “I think the people that get pissed off about it are kind of the people we’re talking about. If you get fucked off about it, it’s probably about you”. Something almost everyone can agree on, though, is the subject of Kapichi’s new single Party at No. 10, which does exactly what it says on the tin and sarcastically skewers the Government’s attempts at underplaying Downing Street parties they held during lockdown. It’s also the song which caught the attention of former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who tweeted “That’s a tune RKID” underneath an acoustic rendition the band posted back in January. “We lost our shit”, laughs Lewis. “I remember being at work and I just called Jack, losing it”. If they thought that was amazing, then they were in for an even more surreal surprise when Gallagher invited them to open for him at his Teenage Cancer Trust charity gig at the Royal Albert Hall in March.

What’s more, Wilson actually managed to meet the man behind the parka: “They said ‘Liam’s coming you gotta go in your room now’, so we all went in the room, and I obviously fucking snuck out, and then I saw Liam walking down the hallway with like 20 security”, recounts Wilson. “I just shouted his name, and was like ‘It’s Kid Kapichi!’, and he came over and we had a chat, had a hug, it was mad. The thing was I’d only had a couple of drinks, but I do not remember it… I couldn’t understand what was happening”.

It’s understandable. Meeting Liam is one of many pinch-me moments for a DIY punk band from the small seaside town of Hastings. And yet, as they’ve proved time and time again, the people, particularly in the South East of England but also beyond, stretching to Europe, and even further afield- love them. “When we do London we get treated like it’s hometown, and when we do Brighton, so we’re fucking lucky in that respect”, Wilson notes. Really though, it’s us who are lucky- to have a musically boisterous, brutally honest band who fight all kinds of injustice through their explosive, hard-hitting anthems. “[Camden] was the best crowd we’ve ever had”, marvels Wilson. If the recent musical and political climate is anything to go by, those crowds are only going to get better.

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THE GREA FEST

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AT ESCAPE TIVAL

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THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE BAND The Slaughter House Band are a Brighton-based garage rock band. The band wear their nostalgic influences on their sleeves, but experiment with infectious guitar licks and shine a spotlight on singer Raz Hyland’s quintessential raspy vocals to keep things sounding fresh. I sat down with them at the Sidewinder pub before they were to take the stage as part of Scruff Of The Neck’s offering at the Alternative Escape.

How was your recent tour?

It was fun man! We went to three whole places. It’s really touring-in inverted commas. We recommend going to Antworp. Good stroople.

Do you have anything exciting coming up?

We are doing a little run of shows in June- just Bristol, London and Bradford- we just released a single but we have pretty finished a music project.

We are debating whether to release another single from it- probably will. Maybe do a mini tour of the album after the tour.

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What do you think are the biggest positives and negatives of the music industry?

I don’t feel like we’re in the music industry- so I don’t see many positives or negatives. I wouldn’t really want to be a massive part of it anyway. We like our little simple lives. We’ve got our own thing going on and I’d quit happily sit in this purgatory of the nonmusic- music- industry forever.

I have a lot of fun and that’s fine. In places like Brighton you’ll have a psych-rock scene and a garage scene and you get stuck in that clique- in that part of the industry. And we don’t want to do that.

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Is there a venue you play most often?

Anything fun you’re working on?

Hope and Ruin is a hotspot- that’s our favourite. We play that the most- it’s a go to.

Just released the single ‘I Don’t See You Dancing’ and the music video for it. Got a whole six song EP to be released over the summer so buy the end of summer that will be out. Just keep an eye on our Instagram and Spotify.

What bands are you most excited for this year?

See this is our downfall because apart from Nina Simone I don’t listen a lot. We don’t listen to much modern music or follow the scene which plays into what we’ve said already. I’m really not interested in following new things. It’s not a conscious thing because there’s so many bands about to enjoy.

However, we do like Trip Western, Car Machines and Tekashi’s Cashew. I do believe Dream Wave is the next big thing.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it?

If the godfathers and godmothers of rock, soul and blues lost their children in a McDonald’s ball pit, we are the greasy little chip oil children who crawled out twenty years later.

What’s your recording and creative process like?

The writing starts with Ryan, he’ll bring us bear bones of a song and then me (Luke) and Charlie (guitarist) we’ll work out a way to flesh it out.

Charlie will be very critical and say that it’s shit or bad and then we’ll argue and it’s up to Luke to say who’s wrong and who’s right. And then when we record it’s all live. We just record the whole thing live and then if we need to overdub it we will. But we’ve often recorded things and then just binned it afterwards.

Best Song: I don’t see you dancing Instagram: @theslaughterhousebanduk Words by Charley Murfitt

Credit: Rae Garvey

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OURTING, a Liverpool based four piece who take the sardonic post-punk of Sports Team and pair it with the raucous, brash energy of early Libertines, are one of those bands where if you know, you know. Not everyone who poured into Casablanca- Brighton’s student-friendly, self-styled ‘jazz club’- to see rave-pop diva Rose Gray did know, it seemed, as lots of them rushed to leave after her set on the same stage that Courting would take to a mere thirty minutes later.

In that time though, some new faces started to filter into the room, and before long the venue was rammed, those who knew waiting in eager anticipation for the carefully crafted carnage that was about to unfold. When the boys did appear, it has to be said that they took their time setting up and making sure everything sounded just right, and although by that point I was getting tired, it was worth the wait. “Can we play?”, asked frontman Sean Murphy-O’Neil, perhaps sensing the slight sense of frustration in the room. And without further ado, the band launched into a thrilling rendition of Football, making a right (good) racket and waking me up with a start.

From there it was a non-stop, full-on attack on the eardrums, and one which the crowd loved every single second of. From the sprawling and sarcastic Crass, performed as ever with bucket loads of energy- and the song which saw O’Neil spitting out the hilarious reference “I think me and Kanye might still have sex” with a self-aware smile- to the cutting, catchy Popshop, there were plenty of highlights.

Infact, the whole sweat soaked, almost rock-rave like experience was one huge highlight, and new single Tennis was no exception.

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at The Great Escape Festival

COURTING COURTING COURTING COURTING C

Words by Ben Left

Starting relatively slow with a simple but addictive bass hook, the song built nicely before exploding with its chorus, O’Neil standing right at the edge of the stage, leaning on the barrier and screaming “I’m not some piggybank, you can’t just piggyback off me/ There was trade involved, I was paying you to love me”, with a pessimistic passion that really brought the crowd to life, before the chorus caved in on itself and transitioned back into its moodier, more compelling verses. That was, until the band unexpectedly screeched into a note-perfect rendition of Arctic Monkeys’ iconic R U Mine riff, playing the snippet of one of AM’s defining tracks before seamless switching back to Tennis. It was an amusing, slightly surreal moment, perfectly demonstrating that amidst the post-punk anger of Courting, there is plenty of warm wit to balance things out. This was also evident with Popshop, in which O’Neil assured the audience that “If you stream The Shape Of You, you’re going to hell”.

Perhaps the best song of the gig was the title track of their debut EP, Grand National, which the band belted out midway through the set, much to the delight of even the most casual Courting fans (after all, the song is their most popular on Spotify). They followed this up with Slow Burner- which included an all-out, audience participation cowbell solo- and ended proceedings with the funny, scathing and furiously exciting David Byrne’s Badside.

As the band started packing up, a couple of impressed punters asked for the setlist. Of course, the guys obliged. It’s a telling indicator of the direction they’re headed- with debut album Guitar Music due in September, Courting look set to really take off in 2022, proving that- even if the title is most likely a little dig at everyone who see Oasis as the last good band ever- guitar music is alive and well.

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ACK in 2007, when the up-and-coming singersongwriter Adele performed an intimate set at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, she wasn’t the household name she is today. Her small set of songs from debut album 19, though, set her out as one to watch, a raw talent with an amazing, emotive voice, and authentic South London swagger to match.In many ways, it marked the start of her incredible and ever-expanding reign as the queen of the British ballad.

on the room. And she fills it, effortlessly, with that scorching, soulful voice. She opens with Same Bed, a sultry, self-doubting number which sets the template for essentially all the songs on the setlist; these are sharp, conflicted slow burners, much like the beloved back catalogue of Amy Winehouse, but taking inspiration from modern R&B and rap rather than jazz standards. It’s a nice mix, and before long I found myself completely transfixed by just how slick, sad and sexy it all sounded.

And so, as rising star Lola Young, also from South London, and managed by the man who discovered and signed Adele, as well as Amy Winehouse’s exmanager- takes to the stage at the Bright Helm Centre today, there is a palpable sense of dejavu.

After all, hometown and management aren’t the only things that evoke Adele when you look at- or more accurately, hear- Lola Young. The 21 year old also has an expressive, powerful voice, and writes similarly bittersweet pop-soul songs, the kind which made up her assured debut album Intro, which she released when she was 18. S

As the performance progressed, and Young sailed through songs such as Pick Me Up and recent single So Sorry, as well as one incredible, currently unreleased song which I can’t recall the name of, her energy levels began to rise to match the audience, some of whom were swaying in subtle awe. “Don’t start smoking, it’s bad for you”, she laughs at one point, displaying the authentic, down-to-earth attitude that she shares with both Winehouse and Adele. Why is it that the best British ballad writers are always swaggering, smoking jokers when they’re not behind the mic? It must just be one of those things, but if you think it’s bold to put Young in the same bracket as those iconic singer-songwriters, then you obviously weren’t there.

ince then, she’s released standout singles such as Fake and Ruin My Makeup, which have made serious waves in the music industry, with airtime on BBC Radio 1 and Elton John’s Rocket Hour following, as well as a nomination for the BBC’s prestigious Sound of 2022 list. She came fourth place, following in the footsteps of fellow pop-soul stars Jorja Smith, Khalid and Joy Crookes, and it shows- the venue is the busiest I’ve seen it all festival, with a lot of press and industry insiders here to see what all the fuss is about.

at The Great Escape Festival

No one’s disappointed. When she walks on, clad in all-black with almost military esque trousers and boots, a sense of silent anticipation descends

By the time she belts out the last tune, Fake- which, quite frankly, is so anthemic and has such a brilliant Bond song vibe that it really should’ve been one- I get the feeling that I’m not the only one who knows they’ve witnessed the start of an already impressive, soon to be stratospheric career. Lola Young is going to be a huge star, and I’m just glad to have seen her before she’s playing stadiums. Great Escape debuts can be historic, and this is almost certainly one of them.

Words by Ben Left

LOLA YOUNG LOLA YOUNG LOLA YOUNG

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FLOWVERS Credit: Ele Marchant 20

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Credit: Ele Marchant

FLOWVERS are ones to watch if you’re into indie boy band music. This band’s love for gigging has brought them support from all across the country, being recommended to me from people in Wales, Brighton, and all the way up to Manchester!

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AST year the Portsmouth band appeared on Scruff Of The Neck TV on Twitch and released their The Old Chapel Demos EP, which included an inclusion. At the height of The Great Escape, we (Henry and Matisse) stood ear to ear in the world’s smallest car park outside Fiddler’s Elbows and chatted about stepping back from gigging and sticking to your guns.

M: You gotta stick up for yourself and your music.

We’ve taken a step back recently and realised that we’re gonna play what we like. When you’re young it’s also so easy to think you’re gonna make it because you’ve met one person for the music industry when in reality you’ve just shook someone’s hand.

What are you most excited about this year?

M & H: Fontaines DC definitely. Lime Garden.

Porchlight. Harvey Jay Dodson. Amelia Taron. There’s just so many people. This Brighton and South Coast scene is amazing like: Famous People, Flip Top Head there’s just so many.

H: Probably 110 Above festival. We took a break away from shows and wanted to take this summer easy.

But year 110 Above is on for this summer so we’re looking forward to spending the weekend there.

We’re gonna smash out a set on Sunday and wake up all the people with hangovers.

What’s the biggest positives and negatives of the music industry that you’ve seen?

H: Probably just slow replies and false hope. The idea that you’re gonna blow up overnight never happens and you do get over that eventually. Even if you think you’re amazing, unless you’re really lucky it does take hard work and that needs to be spoken about more. At the start of your career you just need to work as hard as you can.

M: Play as many good and shitty gigs as you can find. It’s a lot about chance and having good music does fall under chance. You just gotta get out there.

We were always quite reliant on people finding us.

For example, seeing us at shows and emailing our manager but it isn’t like that. You gotta be active.

H: You gotta stick to your guns as well. If people are telling you to keep songs on your set list that you don’t like because they think it’s good you’re gonna stop enjoying it.

Any bands you’re excited for this year?

Anything fun lined up for the next year?

H: Finishing uni! We’re set on getting some demos out. Like we said we’re stepping back from festivals so taking that time to get down to writing. But nothing crazy. We do have an EP coming out but really just getting back into the rhythm of things. I think we found it a little different on the tail end of lockdown.

The music looks after itself but in terms of gigging we haven’t been really on it but I’m not sure that many gigs are happening. People aren’t switched on them anymore. Like the kids who were 15 and 16 in lockdown are now 17 and 18 and they’ve never been to a gig before. When we went to gigs at 15, it was a life changing experience- it’s what got me into music and teenagers just missed out on that. But like I said, we just want to get back into the swing of things with writing.

How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it?

A healthy mixture between Ride and Talking Heads.

Best song: Daylight Instagram: @flowversband

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SCENE QUEEN S

CENE QUEEN started their career on TikTok, paving the way for hyper-femininity in rock and alternative music by boasting a trap infused, pink fuelled version of hardcore music. If you think Hayley Williams and Taylor Momsen pushed boundaries, you’re in for a treat.

As we stood leaning on the edge in the smoking area in Club Revenge during The Great Escape, the day after Scene Queen’s Thursday night set, we talked about misogyny in the music industry, new releases and how paving the way for more femininity in the hardcore scene has led to their success.

How was last night?

It was great. I loved Brighton. So I’m excited to come back and hopefully have a show where it’s not just industry people.

What are you most excited for this year?

I’m just excited to finally have this EP that I just like released out. I’ve been working on it for about a year now. I’m finally getting that out in the world

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and getting to see people’s reactions. So most of my career kind of took off on TikTok during the pandemic. It was the first time this year that I’m able to tangibly see its effect because I can see them singing it. So I’m most excited about playing more shows. And coming back to the UK this year. Maybe?

Wink wink.

Are there any bands that you’re really excited for any artists that you’re really like?

I really like poutyface. The home team is pop punk band that I love. I feel like it’s amazing. I love hyper pop stuff. I clearly have a thing for that. Yeah, that’s kind of what I’m listening to right now.

Anything fun you’re working on?

Yeah, so I just released this EP and I have another single coming out really soon here in a couple of weeks. I’m planning on hammering out a couple of singles. I’m getting a feature on one of the singles coming up. And I can’t say who but I wish I could.

They should be out late May or early June, maybe.

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How would you describe your music?

I would say if you took early KESHA’s wild energy and gave it some brutal breakdowns, and then high pitched screaming mixed with trap a lot of different things.

You’re signed to Hopeless Records. Have you seen any major negatives or positives since you’ve been in the music industry?

Well, I think my whole project kind of came out of necessity for me in the music industry. If you’re in hardcore, in order to be as respected as men in the industry, you need to present yourself as more masculine. Or you need to be some sort of vixen, where you have to be sexy, but you have to appeal to the male gaze. Especially like as a queer person. I feel like my whole style is kind of for the feminine gaze.

I’ve experienced a lot of misogyny in the scene just because people don’t want to take women as seriously in this genre that I’m in. So by playing up the hyper femininity, I’ve been able to weed out misogynists and elitists. So you know for a fact if you’re going to my show that it’s going to be an accepting crowd.

So like, the feminization of hardcore music, which is what I know it has, it’s been something a long time coming. How are you finding paving the way for something like that?

I say this all the time but I feel like the louder and more out there that I get with my music- the more out of the box I get, the more room there is for people inside the box. People are becoming a lot more likely to invest in women doing other facets of rock. I’m not saying that every artist has to do hyper feminine music, but if someone’s doing hyper femininity, then there’s more room for any sort of femininity. Being as loud as possible is my whole intention because I know that someone needs to do those sorts of things to make any progress. So I’m okay being the one that gets like hate for it if it means it’s gonna push the genre boundaries.

How do you deal with that now that you’re famous and you have an online platform?

How do you deal with the constant bombardment that Tik Tok brings?

Even when I wasn’t pushing boundariesI was still getting all this flak from people on the internet just being like; “Oh, I hate when girls try to do metal.”

When people are attacking my music I’m able to just isolate like that to Scene Queen and that’s not me.

Which I think has been the best thing for protecting myself, just being able to shut it off.

Best song: Pink Rover Instagram: @scenequeenrocks TikTok: scenequeenrocks Words by Charley Murfitt

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In the carpark next to a beloved Brighton venue, Chalk, I met up with the Norhampton band, Sarpa Salpa. A combination of indie, pop, and dance the band boasts a-something-for-everyone genre of music. We stood ear to ear in a carpark, that we consequently then got kicked out of, to really get to know the people behind such classics as ‘Say Something’ and ‘Casanova’.

We’ve all waited so long for The Great Escape, is it everything you wanted?

So far, yes! I don’t think we could have asked for much more from that set really. It’s just the start for us really. We’re not playing anymore shows but we’re gonna go watch a bunch of bands. There’s so many good ones here- we’re gonna go watch MUNA in a bit; Amazons and Yard Act. How was your set?

Shockingly good! We were first on at the venue [Chalk] so we thought we’d be playing to a smaller crowd but we got to the stage door and it was just rammed. We just all thought ‘What the hell? This is crazy!’ And we all thought the set itself went really well. We’re on a roll!

What are you most excited for this year?

We’ve already had such an exciting year. We’ve just played South By Southwest and of course The Great Escape. We’re most excited about having a full summer of festivals to play. We only got a little taste of that last year and, obviously, none the year before that. Just excited to actually get to play shows when the weather’s nice.

What are the biggest negatives and positives of the music industry?

Positives are definitely days like today. You show up not expecting much and it turns out to be amazing.

People love music and just the frequencies of sound and a drink and- music is just great. However, there’s a lot of invisible walls in the industry so that’s 24

probably the hardest part- trying to break through and keep going despite it destroying all our incomes.

Another negative is it’s kind of like a game and it’s so unnecessary just a lot of orders that you need to do things in and how popularity works like if something has 60 likes on social media people are more likely to also like it and music works in a similar way it’s like you already have to be popular. It makes it tempting to want to be something you’re not-something that’s fashionable. You need integrity.

What band are you most excited for?

I think we’d all agree on MUNA. Megan (keyboardist) is a bit of a MUNA stan and we saw them at South By Southwest so the rest of the band are also all fanboys as well. They are amazing! We’re playing with Everything Everything at 110 Above Festival- they’re really good. Yard Act as well- they’re loved by many for good reason. Shoutout to Alfie Templeman too.

Anything fun you’re working on?

We’re heading back to the studio soon. We’re always cooking up stuff. We have so many 2020 demos that just need recording.

If someone had never heard your music before, how would you describe it?

Alternative indie disco, but don’t try and get us from just that description come watch us live- there’s just no real way to properly explain it.

Best song: Say Something Instagram: @sarpasalpamusic

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Words by Charley Murfitt

SARPA SALPA

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DODGSON

Hailing from near-by Portsmouth, 20 year old prodigy Harvey Jay Dodgson has just signed with Liam Gallagher and Sia’s booking agent, signalling an exciting future for the singersongwriter. Harvey Jay Dodson strives to marry the greats of British music to create infectious and catchy music that excites audiences and leaves them wanting more. As we stood in a tiny car park outside Fiddler’s Elbow Dodson and I chatted away.

Are you looking forward to your set tonight?

Yeah definitely. It’s quite small in there [Fiddler’s Elbow] but it’s packed so it should be good, and they serve Guinness so can’t go too far wrong really!

Have you seen anyone you’ve really enjoyed so far at The Great Escape?

Yeah, just got back from seeing Porchlight at The Water Bear- they were sick! I always find it hard to find out who’s playing where so I’m hoping to stumble across some great bands this weekend.

What are you most excited for this year?

I’m most excited for this year’s festival season. I’m playing Isle of Wight Festival, Victorious Festival and that’s just gonna be great. I’m playing six or seven festivals and I’m playing Sundays so I get to enjoy the weekend but it means I do have to behave myself a bit more beforehand!

What do you think are the biggest positives and negatives of the music industry?

There’s a load of positives. We get to meet so many people and have the opportunity to change people’s perspective of things through music. You also get to be a part of making people’ nights and entertaining a crowd. Music is a part of everything and getting to be involved with that is insane. When people come up to you afterwards and say how much they enjoyed the set and how it inspired them- it’s unreal. For the negatives: it’s a tricky industry. You’ve got to be careful around certain people. And there’s so many temptations like getting offered money to do certain things you can become a bit blinded by that aspect. A lot of the industry revolves around money. So if you

have a lot of money you’re more able to get further, which is a shame because there’s so much talent that hasn’t been discovered because they don’t have the resources.

What bands are currently on your radar?

I’m going to Knebworth actually and I’m excited to see Michael Kiwanuka and seeing Kasabian without Tom [Meighan] will be interesting.

Anything fun you’re working on?

We’re off to the studio soon, the band and I will be in there this month. The studio is always fun getting to play around with some new ideas finally- taking them off the paper and bringing them to life. Obviously, all the festivals this year, and writing loads focussing on myself and the music.

Is there one song you’d say you have to listen to from your music?

Caroline, definitely I like the tempo change. It’s very summer-y and I love summer ! I’m quite proud of it as well. I wrote it when I was only 16. It’s nice that I can look back on it and still really love the song.

How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?

It’s a little alternative in parts but it’s got an indie drive behind it- it’s a bit rocky too. It is influenced by a lot of jazz and blues so there’s elements of that as well. There’s something for everyone I think. I always draw inspiration from anyone I can.

Best song: Caroline Instagram @harveyjaydodgson Words by Charley Murfitt

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CRAWLERS CRAWLERS CRAWLERS CRAWLERS Crawlers are an up-and-coming band from Liverpool who have started gaining a mass of traction via TikTok with their single ‘Come Over (Again)’, producing amazing music inspired by classic rock with a flair of modernity. Rae caught the band at The Great Escape to talk about their upcoming UK and American tour, the impact of their hit single ‘Come Over (Again)’, and their first set of large festivals.

How are you guys finding The Great Escape? Any bands you’re looking forward to?

H: We love it! Brighton is so nice, I’ve never been here before, so I’m having my beach fantasy right now. We want to see Baby Queen, Daisy Brain and Eli Smart!

You’re going to be playing at TRNSMT festival, what are you looking forward to the most about festival season in 2022?

H: These are the first big festivals we’re playing so we’re just getting used to meeting other artists that we’ve looked up to, which is lovely.

And you’re about to go on a UK and American tour, what cities are you most looking forward to in America?

A: New York City! It’s just a different culture, it’s somewhere we’ve all looked at through a screen growing up, so it’s going to be weird going there for the first time!

You guys found your fame via TikTok when ‘Come Over (Again)’ became really popular on there, how has it been since gaining that platform?

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H: I think we’ve always been good at social media, and I’ve always had a knack for it, but having [the song] explode was weird because it was the first time we had been shown to the industry, and they couldn’t ignore us. I think we’re very fortunate to be in a position where we can share our content online and use it to our advantage, but also just have fun with it! I think there’s a lot of good and bad things about social media, but we’re very fortunate that it’s helped us.

What do you think about the reactions from trans people in particular?

H: It makes us so happy to hear those stories and voices raised with a song that means so much to us about our own trauma and things that we’ve gone through, and to hear those minority groups be represented, especially the trans community, it just means so much to us.

RAE: I know that for me as a non-binary person, it was really heartwarming to see.

H: Yes, same! It was beautiful, and it was such a great way to take the lyrics and bring it to that direction, it was just so nice to see those voices raised and it was nice that we were fortunate enough to help create that space.

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So, obviously, you guys are opening for My Chemical Romance! How are you all feeling? [ they all slightly scream ] L: Not nervous AT ALL! RAE: Were you all emos when you were younger?

A: Holly and Liv, pure emos!

H: I absolutely loved MCR growing up, ‘The Black Parade’ was one of those albums I’d sit and listen to in school thinking I was hard as heck.

A: It’s gonna be a great hometown show for me and Liv as well, we’re from Warrington, so it’s going to be mad playing to a crowd of that size in a very small town where we grew up.

Any idea when that’s due to come out?

H: No, we’re still fighting for it, but hopefully soon!

A: We really believe in it, so we want to get some traction behind it so we can get it out as a single because we think it’ll be a really good song to put out there.

You can now listen to Crawler’s new single ‘Fuck Me (I Didn’t Know How To Say)’ on all streaming platforms now!

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Insta: @crawlersband

And finally, any projects in the making that you’re excited to talk about?

H: Well, we’re starting to leak a new song on TikTok that we want to release as a single, which means a lot to us. Hopefully we’ll be working with some really good people for that, which is something we’ve always wanted to do and use our platform for, so we can’t wait!

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Words by Rae Garvey Images by Rae Garvey and Moe Noble

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THE HOWLERS

DESERT ROCK REVIVAL IN EAST LONDON? MORE LIKELY THAN YOU’D THINK. ADAM YOUNG OF THE HOWLERS TURNS TO TALKS OF HIS AUTISM DIAGNOSIS, GETTING SH*TFACED AT A THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS GIG AND SHARING A CREATIVE SPACE WITH EXTINCTION REBELLION.

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HERE is something to be said for wanting to be unique in London. It is all together different to pursue it. And a tough mountain to reach the top of. However, The Howlers are embracing a new kind of music in a city, Adam Young, lead singer and guitarist, deemed ‘culturally and socially deserted’.

Young, 23 years old, is one third of the London band, The Howlers; consisting of Tom Triggs (drums) and Guus ter Braak (bass) alongside Young. The Londonbased band met at university and started making music in 2019. They created music throughout the UK’s numerous lockdowns, blossoming out the otherside with a fully fledged EP followed by a UK tour in 2021. The music can be described as comingof-age movie soundtrack magic akin to Vampire Weekend.

A rocky internet connection led to an awkward

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start- technology at its finest. No sound and a grainy picture- what an unwelcome throwback. Unfazed, Young jumps straight into it with an unorthodox take on his weekend. “I guess the first thing you should know about me is that I absolutely detest weekends- I have to be always focussed on things and the music industry just goes offline. I end up bombarding people with ideas on a Sunday night.”

As the singer sat tousling his brown, ear length bob, discussing school time antics he chimed in; “I never really applied myself [in school]. If you ask my teachers, they’d probably all say that I was a little sh*t. I had undiagnosed autism at the time which makes sense looking back now.” He continued; “a lecturer of mine turned to me in university and was like, “Are you autistic?”” The artist seemed open and content with his situation, sitting back in his chair

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and explaining what he referred to as the ‘awakening’ that it caused him to have. He added; “I think of it as like a super weapon now. Yeah it affects how I am socially and how I understand situations but I can always apply it to music, which is something I always wanted to follow.” As we delved into the topic, Adam explained his experience with autism rationalising it as “like I’m a horse in a race. When they get those blinkers on and they’re so focused on that [the race] they can’t do anything else- that’s me.”

As we delved further into the music of The Howlers, Adam explained how they got where they are now.

“Everything we’ve done in our time has always been blood, sweat, and tears. We were only a band for like six to nine months before the pandemic. We crammed so much in such a short space of time.”

Moving onto the origin story of the band’s iconic genre- desert rock, Young explained. “When we first started the band, we had the iconography of Spaghetti Westerns and the soundtracks that were surrounding them and we became a bit of an Ode to that.”

Credit: Rae Garvey

We got onto the topic of how desert rock translates into the London music scene- somewhere so far removed from the blistering heat of Joshua Tree.

“London is so fast paced and so clique-y, it can be like a cultural and social desert. It’s so big. If you’re not in one of these little scenes, you’re lost in the middle.”

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hile on the topic of a barren London, Young jumped into his lockdown experiencewriting music in an abandoned factoryturned-creative-space in North London. As Young explained, it was “absolute rat warren sh*t. Nothing worked. They built these spaces that you can go and use but they are just absolutely disgusting.”

The artist went on explaining the interior of this so-called factory-turned-creative-space; “we turned up. No one’s about, it’s just Extinction Rebellion who were storing that big pink boat that’s usually in Oxford Circus. We were almost compact shoulder to shoulder in this box room. Super loud, super sweaty, super stuffy. No natural light. It wasn’t a

Credit: Rae Garvey

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relaxing space.” Complain as he might, this set up clearly worked for the budding band as it’s where they penned their first EP ‘Sum of Our Fears’ even managing to squeeze in some extra songs for safe keeping. The singer pondered for a second, fiddling with his hair again, finally tucking it behind his ear still as dishevelled as the first time he tried to tame it.

“It was just our little desert island. It was during the Black Lives Matter protest and the pandemic is in full swing. We were in our little bubble on our journey to and from [the factory]; we’re seeing people en masse queuing and the protests are going on. Going into the factory to the sound sirens and just police everywhere. It was weird.”

Although Young opted to move back to his home town of Portsmouth in the last year, we reminisced about his time living in London. “I didn’t pay for tickets for gigs, ever. I was always just guests listed here or wherever. And I realised; “hey, if I can save on something that’s big”. London is so expensive.”

Young’s guest list privileges took him to every gig he fancied- a highlight of that being The Last Shadow Puppets. “I was backstage and famous people were just knocking about. I was so nervous I just thought screw it I’m gonna get sh*t faced. I didn’t even end up watching the gig in the end. ” Young prefaced this next statement with; “I wish I could tell you more

but I don’t want to sound like an asshole.” However, he did continue. “I saw Miles Kane who wanted my jacket. I said no, and just took the cigarette in his mouth and left.” He clarified that it was an ASOS £50 leather jacket that “just had a really nice cut.” He started to hesitate through the story, clearly slightly embarrassed trying to justify his drunken antics. “It was just one of these things where you’re confronted with musicians that you idolise and they have this aura of them being cool. And you’re wearing something that they want. It puts you in a position of power and you can’t not abuse that.” He elaborated “I don’t know when it came down to it whether he was being serious or if they were seeing what they could get away with.” He persisted; “Please don’t make me sound like an arsehole.” Message understood Adam.

As the interview drew to a close, Young looked towards the next year in music. “I’ve got so many goals that we need to start achieving.” He paused, pondering “But we want to just keep making a difference in a small way as a band. I don’t want much. As a band we’ve never said “we want to play Wembley Stadium in five years”- it doesn’t interest me that much.”

Young rounded off his statement of intent with “I’d much rather connect with people at our gigs and see their relationship with our music on a personal level.

But we’re still growing.”

Words by Charley Murfitt

Credit: Rae Garvey

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WHATS ON IN BRIGHTON THE UTOPIATES AT GREEN DOOR STORE, 15TH JULY WORKING MEN’S CLUB OUTSTORE AT KOMEDIA, 20TH JULY TEARS FOR FEARS AT 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, 22ND JULY FAT BOY SLIM ON BRIGHTON BEACH, 22ND JULY THE PYNCHER AT GREEN DOOR STORE, 23RD JULY GIANT ROCKS AT CHALK, 29TH JULY BRIGHTON PRIDE AT PRESTON PARK, 6TH-7TH AUGUST: ACTS INCLUDING CHRISTINA AGUILERA, PALOMA FAITH, GORGON CITY, SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR, TODRICK HALL, L DEVINE, BJÖRN AGAIN, AND MIRI GWAR AT CHALK, 9TH AUGUST EASY LIFE AT CHALK, 11TH AUGUST BEEN STELLAR AT GREEN DOOR STORE, 12TH AUGUST WITCH AT KOMEDIA, 21ST AUGUST ISSUE 3

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@BRIGHTONTEMPO