DIY, Autumn 2011 by DIY Magazine

EDITOR’S LETTER AND STAFF LIST

EDITOR’S LETTER Bad news guys; Summer is over. Reading is done, Bestival gone, one member of Team DIY has even bought some mince pies; we all may as well lock ourselves indoors and wait for Santa now. Pass the eggnog. At least you'll be able to relive those glorious sunny days. Or muddy. DIY was at Reading & Leeds and brings you all the reviews, photos and interviews in this very issue. Better still, if you pop online to thisisfakediy.co.uk you'll find all kinds of extra goodies. Elsewhere this issue you'll find our cover stars Bombay Bicycle Club, fresh from Top Ten chart success with their new record 'A Different Kind Of Fix', Mercury nominated Ghostpoet cooks us up a storm, and we investigate the rise of DIY Broadcasting. There's reviews of the new records from Girls, Laura Marling and St.Vincent, plus we introduce you to Theme Park - definitely a band to watch. As if that wasn't enough, we've been in the studio with Field Day and Breton, caught up with Wild Flag and chatted to Ryan Adams, You Me At Six and The Rapture. That should keep you busy until next time, right?

STAFF LIST Editor: Stephen Ackroyd Deputy / Online Editor: Victoria Sinden Features Editor: Harriet Jennings Film Editor: Becky Reed Games Editor: Michael J Fax Contributing Editor: Emma Swann Contributors: Amy Sumner, Ben Marsden, Christa Ktorides, Clara Cullen, Daisy Boorman, Daniel Wright, Dave Rowlinson, Derek Robertson, Edward Clibbens, El Hunt, Erik Thompson, Gareth O'Malley, George Boorman, Heather Steele, Huw Oliver, Jake May, James Hibberd, Jamie Milton, Joe Skrebels, Johnny Owen, Leah Henson, Martyn Young, Matthew Davies, Sarah Jamieson, Simone Scott Warren, Tom Baker Creative Director: Dacre J. Bracey Designer: Chidi Ubani Illustrator: Rachel Goslin, The MPM, David Flanagan Style Pages: Irene Asanji, Cheyenne Davide Stylists: Neesha Sharma, Gemma Swan Photographers: Adrian Nettleship, Jake Green, Simian Coates, Alex Sudea, Alex Sunday, Victor Frankowski, Duncan Elliott, James Pearson-Howes, Phil Sharp, Sam Bond, Verena Stephano-Grotto, Sinead Grainger

SALES TEAM For DIY Magazine sales: nigel@rewindcreative.com matthew@rewindcreative.com tel: +44 (0)20 31764299 For DIY Magazine editorial: email: info@thisisfakediy.co.uk tel: +44 (0)20 76130555 For DIY Magazine online sales: email: lawrence@sonicdigital.co.uk tel: +44 (0)20 76130555

Cover photography: Adrian Nettleship DIY Magazine is contract published by Rewind Creative Media Ltd on behalf of Sonic Network Limited. 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 publishers Rewind Creative Media Ltd. DIY Magazine: 25p where sold 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 Rewind Creative Media Limited or Sonic Network Limited holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of DIY Magazine or it’s staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. 6 thisisfakediy.co.uk

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2011

S AR

v 86 Li ilm 1 F ch es -9 88 -93 Te am 92 95 G 7 -9

S W IE ums s EV lb gle R 80-85 A Sin e

5 7 -7 76

g ub ES stin Cl R ca cle U road Bicy ats AT IY B bay omb e FE 33 D Bom e W plov 30 -38 Th rou es oet r ix 34 -55 G az tp ste S 50 57 M hos Si At ms 9 G in e a re -5 58 -64 Tw ou M n Ad ptu 60 Y a Ra Ry he T 7 -6 1 -7 68

-7

TS N TE N CO 1

-4

L s io U hing Stud EG 0 T he R 10-11 14 In T ews tape n e le N ix O n ty -1 12 -20 M irst Sce n S s rts 16 -23 F p m y e 22 -27 Po utu y Da Rob 24 -29 A e la Gr ico N

8 thisisfakediy.co.uk

10 THINGS...

10 thisisfakediy.co.uk

10 THINGS

Time waits for no one, so to help you keep track of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been going on over the last few weeks DIY has made a list, checked it twice, and brings you ten things weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve loved this month. WAVVES - NODDING OFF (FEAT. BEST COAST) When blogtastic power couple Nathan Williams of Wavves and his beau Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino team up, you can be sure there'll be plenty of digital column inches devoted to the results. As it turns out, 'Nodding Off ' is more than worthy. THE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL OPENING AND CLOSING FILMS The 55th BFI London Film Festival kicks off on 12th October with ensemble relationship drama 360, starring Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins and Rachel Weisz. The actress also closes the glamorous event in style with The Deep Blue Sea, falling for rising Thor actor Tom Hiddleston in this adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play. GALLOWS - TRUE COLOURS Over the summer Gallows waved goodbye to their resident madman Frank Carter, and welcomed Alexisonfire's former guitarist Wade MacNeil in his place. 37 seconds of audio isn't much to go on, but judging by 'True Colours' the band are quickly finding their feet. NIKE MAGS Everyone loves Back To The Future, right? And yes, we all want our own hoverboard - but given the fact we can't do much about that one yet, how about a pair of those self lacing shoes from BTTF2? Yep; Nike has finally bitten the bullet and created the coolest kicks the world has ever seen. They might not do what they say on the tin (you'll have to fasten the blighters yourself ), but still. Amazing. TEN DAYS, TEN COVERS, TEN YEARS Cover versions are an odd beast. Often awful, sometimes great, invariably provoked by Fearne Cotton - Tokyo Police Club have applied their own unique take

on the concept. For ten consecutive days the band locked themselves in the studio for ten hours, each day covering a different song from the last ten years. Including Miley Cyrus. The full results are streaming on thisisfakediy.co.uk now. WAREHOUSE 13 RENEWED The series we keep half-expecting to meet SyFy's chopping block has been confirmed, once again, for a new season. Which is fine by us. 4EYES SESSIONS (4EYES.TV) A relatively new discovery for us, the chaps over at 4eyes film some of the best band sessions our, well, eyes have seen for quite some time. Their recent subjects include Cults, Vivian Girls and Gross Magic. FILM4 FRIGHTFEST 2011 DIY is reeling from five extraordinary days at the UK's greatest film festival. London's Empire hosted premieres of The Glass Man, Rabies and The Woman among its 37 films, with the most innovative voices in modern horror rubbing shoulders with lucky punters. Look out for their Halloween all-nighter at the same venue. WILCO VS BLACK EYED PEAS If there's one thing you don't expect to see Wilco's Jeff Tweedy doing, it's covering The Black Eyed Peas. That's exactly what happened at a solo show in Chicago, though, with the frontman offering his own take on 'I Gotta Feeling', 'Rock That Body' and, obviously, 'My Humps'. Check it out yourself at thisisfakediy.co.uk. DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION When games get smart, they get better. That's not to say the first follow up to do justice to perhaps The Greatest Game Of All Time requires a membership to MENSA, but at least it's got a decent plot and a vague attempt at puzzle solving to add to the usual duck and cover shooter. 11

IN THE STUDIO FIELD MUSIC

In The Studio:

FIELD MUSIC

Field Music have taken up new lodgings to work on their fourth album. Emma Swann packed her bags for sunny Sunderland to check in with the brothers Brewis. Field Music moved in to their studio, an industrial lock-up on the banks of the river Wear back in December 2010, “just as the really cold weather started.” “We had a couple of joiners in to build the two rooms, because it was just a shell,” David Brewis, one half of the band’s core brother duo, tells us. “There was no heating, but they didn’t seem to mind; they didn’t seem to notice. They must be insane. “We had our own space before,” he explains, “but we were in a building which was used by other people, so we always felt limited. There was a gas fitting training company based downstairs.” It was also a shared studio. “It meant you couldn’t leave things out,” David continues. “You have to be respectful to each other. When you want to come in and just fiddle around, that’s a bit inconvenient - you have to spend forty minutes setting up.” Their new home features two rooms. “We play live in the big room, then sit in here and pretend we’re producers. We’ve tried very hard not to succumb to lusting after electronic items. When we eventually found a microphone that made the guitar sound good, it was like a revelation. We’d been searching for years - rather than say, ‘let’s buy ten microphones and see what happens.’ We’ve got loads of instruments, though - this is getting on to twenty years of collecting them.” Unsurprisingly, the studio has influenced the way the band work. “The biggest change has been convenience”, explains David. “We can have all of the keyboards set up all of the time.” 12 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Peter, the other Brewis, continues. “Hence why there’s more keyboards on this album, more synths. We’ve been able to do a lot of very spontaneous things, where we come in and just play straight away. I think it’s even more of a collage than the last album.” “We intended for it to be more of a collage,” agrees David. “We’re a little bit less inclined to resort to normal band ways of doing things. Maybe the last Field Music record was mostly a basic 'band' sound: drums, bass, and guitar. But at the moment I don’t feel like I’ve got enough perspective on what we’ve been recording. It probably sounds exactly the same, and I just don’t know. We think it’s this synthy mess.” As well as the room making them work differently, they’ve also benefited from technology’s advance, explains Peter. “We used to just use two laptops, so would first record in the studio on a laptop, then mess around at home. This time we've made little demos at home, and because we use the same program, we put the demos on that, strip away all the things that don't sound very good - which quite often is 100% [laughs] of the song - and re-construct it. Which is a little more like the approach we had for the other things we did prior to the last album. I did a thing called The Week That Was, David did a thing called School Of Language." They've nearly finished the fourth album, "it's just tweaks and recording the strings," says David, showing us a list of what's yet to be done - a list which appears to include the strange word 'atmosphericerising'. "That isn't gonna happen until September. It's all tiny things now, like replacing a timpani with a better sounding timpani, or a couple of backing vocals."

IN THE STUDIO BRETON

In The Studio: BRETON

Recent FatCat Records signees, it’s been a busy year for Breton. Following a trio of EPs, and numerous remixes, the quartet are now hard at work on their debut album. Emma Swann pays them a visit at their London base. Breton’s Roman Rappak is supposed to be hard at work mixing “about half the tracks” on the south Londoners’ debut album, currently due for release in early 2012. But he’s easily distracted: “At the moment, if I make a track and send it around to the other people in the band, they’ll just say ‘Why aren’t you mixing?!’, so I just make them privately now.” The band’s studio is also their home, a not-quite-converted bank near Elephant & Castle which still features some of the original decor - canteen visible, vault-style doors throughout. “The thing we like about it is that there are all these big, cavernous, echoey rooms.” It’s additionally responsible in part for the way the band sound. “Pretty early on we got obsessed not only with this building, but with the idea of recreating sounds, re-mixing them and using the fact that we’re in here as an element of the track. There are loads of rooms with inexplicable objects in them, and one of them has got an electric organ which makes one noise, regardless of which key you press. It sounds horrible, so we sampled it and put it in ‘The Well’, this big organ sound. I like the way we’ve captured it here, and played it all over the UK. Loads of people have listened to it. It’s this one sample of this one moment 14 thisisfakediy.co.uk

with an organ that’s going to be forgotten about and smashed to bits.” While recording everything themselves has its benefits, “I’ve always wanted to wake up in a studio, make a track, then rehearse with my band,” explains Roman, they’re keen to move away from the generic sounds socalled ‘bedroom artists’ create. “Everyone’s really happy that there’s this big revolution in music, that everyone can do it and you don’t need a big studio any more, but it’s kind of soulless. You make things that use all the same presets as someone else, you use the same keyboard sounds, the same drum beat. You’re on some SoundCloud and their track sounds a bit like this track you’ve heard on some other guy’s SoundCloud. You find people using the same things and reaching the same conclusion, musically. Communication is great for this amazing new trend of post-retro-dubstepfuture-garage, but ultimately, everyone’s ideas get watered down a little bit.” To remove any hint of this from the album’s material, label FatCat sent the band to Sigur Ros’ studio in rural Iceland: “it looks like a lunar apocalypse... everyone talks like Bjork. We thought it was gonna be cool,

with all these instruments. But everything you touch in that whole room sounds like Sigur Ros’ music. You touch it and it goes [does vocal impression of Sigur Ros], you press something else and it chimes. “Here, we were bringing all these elements together and trying to combine them to make something new, so much that you’ve lost all notion of where one ends and another begins, almost ending up with something new. In Iceland we were taking it all apart and doing an autopsy of it, working out why tracks worked, or what we liked about certain things. We replaced all the blog-heavy, disposable synth sounds, all the pirate software plugins, the cheesy tricks with a proper, grown-up album sound.” The record is scheduled for an early Spring release, with the band already planning how to celebrate its launch. “We’re going to play a huge gig, spending all our money on it, where we’ll have films that we’ve shot especially for it. We’ll have huge projections above each musician, play some of the album’s tracks, and do a live soundtrack for a five-minute short. Make it a worthy beginning to all the work that’s gone in to it, and for all the people who’ve helped us.”

NEWS: CONSTELLATIONS

IT MAY BE GETTING COLDER, BUT THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF FESTIVALS LEFT TO ATTEND

Here are a few to look out for: Iceland Airwaves 12th October - 16th October WHERE: Reykjavik, Iceland WHO: Tune-Yards, Active Child, Mazes WHAT:

WHEN:

In The City 13th October - 15th October WHERE: Various Venues, Manchester WHO: No Age, Male Bonding, Yuck WHAT:

WHEN:

CONSTELLATIONS Leeds seems to be something of a springboard for new festivals: there's Live At Leeds, Beacons, Brainwash, Constellations... The latter of that rather splendid bunch, Constellations was launched just last year at Leeds Uni. On 12th November, it will return - and the line up is slowly being unveiled. As of going to print, we know it'll be headlined by Wild Beasts. We know Yuck are playing, and The Antlers. We know Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks will perform as Special Guests. Braids, The Big Pink and Fear Of Men will also play, as will Summer Camp and Vondelpark - plus a few more to boot. It's shaping up to be an impressive list. Good news, then, that DIY is getting involved. We'll be on site bringing you interviews, sessions and all sorts of tidbits both

on the day itself (via thisisfakediy.co.uk), and in the aftermath. We're quite excited. Kicking things off, we've a pair of tickets to give away. If you'd like to get your mitts on them, email the answer to the following question (plus your name, age and address) to competitions@thisisfakediy.co.uk. Q. Which of these bands - who we haven't mentioned above - will also be playing this year's Constellations Festival? A. Pull Tiger Tail B. Three Trapped Tigers C. Tiger The winner will be drawn on 1st November.

TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD, WE'VE ALSO ASKED A FEW OF THE BANDS FROM BOTH THIS YEAR'S LINE UP AND LAST YEAR'S WHO THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING PLAY:

Ley Lines 15th October WHERE: Various Venues, Oxford WHO: Jamie Woon, Theme Park WHAT:

WHEN:

WHAT: Brainwash

15th October - 16th October Leeds, North Yorkshire WHO: The Icarus Line, Dananananaykroyd WHEN:

WHERE:

SWN 20th October - 23rd October WHERE: Various Venues, Cardiff WHO: Esben & The Witch, The Victorian English Gentlemens Club WHAT:

WHEN:

Freeze Festival 28th October - 29th October WHERE: Battersea Power Station, London WHO: Groove Armada, The Streets WHAT:

WHEN:

WHAT: Damnation Festival

5th November Leeds University Union, Leeds WHO: Amplifier, Decapitated WHEN:

WHERE:

The Big Reunion Weekend 1 18th November - 20th November WHERE: Butlins Resort, Skegness WHO: The Streets, Professor Green, Yasmin WHAT:

WHEN:

House Of Fun Weekender November - 27th November WHERE: Butlins Resort, Minehead WHO: Madness, Man Like Me, Beardyman WHAT:

WHEN: 25th

Spectrals: "I am most looking

foward to watching Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, I saw him doing Pavement last year, guy knows how to swing a guitar. I'll also be watching Yuck, I've done a few shows with them before and they're ace!"

16 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Matt Calvert, Three Traped Tigers: "Fear Of

Men have some great songs - I helped them out with their first demos before they'd played any gigs and they still haven't done many, so I'm excited to see them evolving."

Simon Fogal, I Like Trains: "Last year's festival was pretty special for us with so many great bands playing like Broken Social Scene. This year is looking like another step forward and I can't wait to catch Wild Beasts again, and of course Stephen Malkmus."

WHAT: All Tomorrow's Parties

2nd December - 4th December Butlins Resort, Minehead WHO: Jeff Mangum, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes WHEN:

WHERE:

ATP Nightmare Before Christmas 9th December - 11th December WHERE: Butlins Resort, Minehead WHO: Battles, Les Savy Fav, Caribou WHAT:

WHEN:

ON SECOND THOUGHTS Derek Robertson takes another look at Jimi Hendrix’s infamous guitar fire. Image: James Fenwick It may be a cliché that actions speak louder than words but, in the world of music, it’s especially true. Almost every band or artist of note has one, pivotal moment where they demonstrate their genius and move from being merely good to great. Pete Townshend discovered the windmill. The Beatles experimented with feedback. And Jimi Hendrix, quite literally, played with fire. The iconic image of him on his knees, prostrate before his burning Stratocaster summoning musical spirits like some demented rock Shaman, launched his career Stateside and cemented his reputation as a rock & roll legend. Having already played it behind his back, and with his teeth, he was well on his way to proving himself to be a virtuoso without peer, and we can only assume that in his brain, the next logical step involved creative destruction and wringing every last drop of sound out of a mangled, melting axe. Now, people point to this episode as an example of pushing the boundaries, and the pioneering, no-holds-barred approach to rock that took hold in the late 1960s. It was

the rulebook tossed contemptuously aside and a brave, new dawn for musical freedom. Except it wasn’t. Not really. First of all, trashing equipment – not just guitars, but drums, amps, and everything else they could lay their hands on – had been done ad infinitum by The Who since 1964. Secondly, Hendrix had already pulled the stunt three months previously in a Mayfair club which, instead of accolades, earned him a hospital stay courtesy of severely burned hands. And thirdly, it wasn’t even his idea – a Mr. Keith Altham, journalist, publicist, and confidant to the stars, allegedly suggested the ruse to help him make some waves. Besides, the spirit of the times was calling for free love, power to the people, and sticking it to the man, a thorough rejection of the “squares” and their beloved moneygrabbing, capitalist ethos, yet I can think of no better an example of conspicuous consumption than brazenly destroying a perfectly good, not to mention expensive, instrument. What better way to ensure a steady supply of funds to the corporate overlords of Fender, Gibson, or any other manufacturer? Was he really unaware that

anyone trying to emulate him could only do so if they rolled up to some store the next day, $500 in their hand, ready to purchase their next “victim”? It also showed a monumental lack of respect to what was then a highly customised, technologically advanced piece of kit. He may have been a sonic perfectionist, but what about – to paraphrase the Marines – “There are many guitars like it, but this one is mine”? If there’s any doubt left as to the heinous nature of this crime, consider what preceded it. By 1967, Hendrix had penned some killer riffs and stonewall classics, such as ‘Foxy Lady’, ‘Little Wing’, and ‘Wait Until Tomorrow’, but which tune did he choose as a backdrop? Not just a cover, but ‘Wild Thing’ - a deadly dull, three-chord stoner dirge with only one verse that certainly wasn’t improved by stretching it out to over 6 minutes. Even Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding looked positively bored by the amount of noodling going on. No, what we had here was one man’s ego running amok, and the type of sad publicity stunt that’s become all too familiar. It was less fire in the disco, and more of a damp squib. 17

NEWS: SOAP BOX

WHAT SHOULD BANDS SELL TO MAKE MONEY?

Summer Camp sold batches of homemade brownies to raise funds, but what do DIY readers think other bands should sell? "Some Elbow grease would be good." @delicasession, via Twitter "Eagulls should sell feather boas." @ghostof73, via Twitter "The Hives – Witch Hazel. Oasis – Fruit flavoured water in bottles." @schmoface, via Twitter "The Cribs baby sleeping products. Johnny Cash's short term loans." @adamtate4, via Twitter

SOAP BOX It's not easy being a band: as if making music wasn't enough, there are labels to contend with, agents, pluggers, PRs. Oh, and money. It's a tricky business. That's why, for their debut album, Summer Camp took matters into their own hands… As a band you're encouraged to write constantly. The result is you accumulate stacks of tracks, 90% of which are rubbish, 7% of which are possibles and 3% of which are muscled, thick-lipped, Marlon Brando-esque “contenders”. When you're at home self-indulgently moving the tracklisting around and idly jotting down album titles, you're safe. But inevitably you have to start discussing labels, releases and (whisper it) money. The problem is, no one really knows for certain how well an album will do. It's like trying to measure an orgasm using a mathematical equation. Unless the people you're working with have the ability to remain emotionally uninvolved, you're at the whim of subjectivity. Some labels will be blown away and want to invest a lot of time and cash, but maybe that's because they've heard rumours another label might get there first? Some will think you have potential but need to try a different sound, or producer, or song-writing team, or haircut. Some will be wholly uninterested. Pledge Music allows bands to fund their album by asking people to pre-order it. You can pledge just £8 and get it as a download, 18 thisisfakediy.co.uk

or fork out a bit more for a physical copy, or a little more still for something unique like an acoustic gig in your living room or, in our case, a batch of home-made brownies made to our singer Elizabeth's secret recipe. While continuing our relationship with Moshi Moshi Records was a no-brainer, working with Pledge was not. We worried it might look desperate, or people wouldn't be interested. But we went for it because at least we'd be going straight to the people who actually decide the success of an album: the public. We feel that the more you know, the more you can plan for the future. While it would be an over-statement to say we've experienced a success story fit for Hollywood, we've been overwhelmed by the support and enthusiasm of the people who've pledged. The fact we will be releasing the album we wanted to make, while at the same time building relationships with people, is invaluable. We can't count how many new friends we've made. Now if we just knew a superquick way to make 38 batches of brownies. Summer Camp's debut album 'Welcome To Condale' will be released on 31st October.

"Justice's legal services? The Long Blondes' hairdressing school? Maths evening classes with Metric?" @jackanori, via Twitter "I'd buy a draft excluder with Ke$ha's face on it @pursehouse, via Twitter "The War On Drugs should market tiny Richard Nixon action-figures." @thismusicwins, via Twitter "I've heard Mystery Jets supply stealth bombers to rogue states." @borges_mybbv, via Twitter "The Vaccines are in talks with Boots." @tom_amazing, via Twitter "East17 Baked Potatoes." @robskilbeck, via Twitter "I am still waiting to sample a jar of Pearl Jam." @big_pants, via Twitter "The Answering Machine could sell personalised voicemail greetings." @derekrocks, via Twitter Follow DIY on Twitter at twitter.com/thisisfakediy.

NEWS: WILD FLAG

WILD AT HEART As every fan at some point realises, the land of music isn’t all that large. Musicians not only occasionally leave bands to form new ones, but launch side-projects, write for other musicians, play in backing bands, and collaborate left, right and centre. Wild Flag is a product of this ever-developing scene. It all started back in the 90s, when SleaterKinney toured with Helium, leading to a collaboration between Carrie Brownstein, of the former band, and Mary Timony of the latter, which they dubbed The Spells. They went on to release an EP together, ‘The Age Of Backwards’, in 1999. Rebecca Cole’s Portland-based band The Minders, meanwhile, were also frequent touring partners for Sleater-Kinney, leading to a further partnership between Cole and Kinney member Janet Weiss in garage-rock covers band The Shadow Mortons. That’s five bands, including two collaborations, and we’re not even into the 00s yet. “We officially started playing together, in this configuration, last summer,” Weiss tells us, mid-packing for a trip back home to Portland from New York, where the band have just played a show alongside Sonic Youth and Kurt Vile. “Mary has been flying out for writing sessions regularly since then. “Each individual is crucial to the dynamics of a band, or you could say, no two bands are alike. The four of us together feels unique and special, and we are learning how to make it work more and more as we spend time together.”

As Weiss touches upon, this particular band only formed last summer, following - you guessed it - a different project, where they were asked to create an instrumental score for Lynn Hershman Leeson’s feminist artists documentary !Women Art Revolution!. “At the time, we weren’t thinking of this as a starting point to anything,” Weiss explains. “In retrospect, it holds more weight than it should, because the collaboration ignited the spark that became Wild Flag. But the music is really simple and easygoing, much less crafted than what we started writing together in the practice space.” Unlike some of the previous endeavours between members, Wild Flag aren’t going to disappear after one EP; they’re not going to play just a handful of dates: for, there is an album on the way. An album they started working on in March of this year. For their debut full length, the band travelled to California so they could hook up with engineer Chris Woodhouse in his Sacramento studio, The Hangar, which turned out to be vital to the record’s sound and feel: “We were looking for a raw, untapped vibe, a place where we could simply put our beginnings down on tape. The album has a

directness that partially came out of those surroundings,” Weiss admits. “We knew we wanted the record to be immediate and alive sounding, so we put ourselves in a situation where we could achieve those things. Intent and understanding are crucial elements to making art or music or anything that will hopefully have cultural and personal relevance.” So the record, which they’ve simply titled ‘Wild Flag’, is finished. It wasn’t all plain sailing, but that’s ok because “sometimes the difficulties became blessings in disguise,” and besides, “adversity is good for art, and for building character.” It’s due out over here on this Autumn through well-respected independent label Wichita, home to the likes of Those Dancing Days, Gold Panda and Bloc Party. “I can’t see any reasons why we wouldn’t make a follow up album,” Weiss finishes, as we let her get back to her packing. “We’re really enjoying getting to know each other musically. It feels like we’ve got so much more to explore together.” Wild Flag’s self-titled debut album will be released on 10th October via Wichita Recordings. 19

MIXTAPE ISSUE3

MIXTAPE

Not content with giving you a free magazine, DIY Towers has been ringing out to the sound of music; free music that we’ve begged, stolen and borrowed from some of our favourite bands and labels. We’ve put it all together to make this month’s DIY Mixtape. To grab your free copy head to thisisfakediy.co.uk/mixtape now. 1 WILD FLAG

7 S.C.U.M

8 TOTAL SLACKER

3 4 5 6

Romance HEY SHOLAY Dreamboat JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Wastoid Girl DALE EARNHARDT JR JR Nothing But Our Love (Prussia Remix) CASIOKIDS Det Haster! LONEY DEAR My Heart

Whitechapel (Light Asylum Remix) Psychic Mesa

9 OTHELLO WOOLF

Scared Of Love

10 DEER TRACKS

The Archer

11 ACID GLASSES

My Pale Garden

12 HATCHAM SOCIAL

Like An Animal

12 5

12 8 11

20 thisisfakediy.co.uk

7 9

4 3

FIRST ON: THE BEST NEW BANDS, BEFORE ANYWHERE ELSE

FIRST ON: THEME PARK A brand new band, a brand new label. North London quartet Theme Park are the very first singings for Transgressive Records’ new singles imprint, paradYse.

“It sounds like a really contrived story, but it’s the truth!” Theme Park’s bassist Louis Bhose is explaining the reasoning behind the band’s name - which isn’t, as we’d guessed, a reference to 1994 computer game ‘Theme Park’. “I was on holiday with my then girlfriend in Buenos Aires and we heard about this Christian amusement centre. Every hour, a horn would blow, and from this hill, a 40 foot animatronic Jesus would rise. My girlfriend said ‘Louis, we should start a band called Jesus Theme Park’. When I told it to the guys they said ‘forget the Jesus bit, that’s kinda lame’.” The north London quartet met first at school - twins Marcus and Miles befriending guitarist Oscar Manthorpe in primary school (“I think actually my parents were friends with their parents before I was born”) and later Louis at secondary school. When we speak, they’re gearing up to release their debut single, the double A-side ‘A Mountain We Love’ / ‘Wax’ via the brand new singles imprint from Transgressive Records, paradYse. And as Marcus explains, they like their first home being brand new, too. “It’s quite nice, because lots of small labels already have their sound, so when something comes out on it, it gets pigeonholed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but like, Transparent, for example, if something’s coming out on Transparent, you have a rough idea of what it’ll 22 thisisfakediy.co.uk

be like.” His brother agrees. “It’s nice that we’re starting as they’re starting, two stories. People are interested in paradYse as a new thing, and hopefully they’re interested in us as well.” The band’s collective first love - bar Oscar, who’s keen to point out “for the record - I hate them!” - was Oasis. “Have you never got really drunk on Stella and listened to 'Champagne Supernova'?”, quizzes Louis. “It’s a life-changing experience.” When asked about Noel vs Liam, he’s equally as forthright. “I think anyone who says they’d rather have Liam in their band is an idiot. He’s a moron. He’s literally braindead.” The artists they do agree unanimously on include “LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead as well. TV On The Radio’s ‘Return To Cookie Mountain’ is amazing,” states Oscar. Louis continues: “There are things we all hold in common that we enjoy. Everyone’s always been really in to The Strokes, Radiohead... huge bands. Imagine growing up in London and there’s all the bands you expect, really... apart from The Libertines.” The single’s release will coincide with the band’s first official live appearance, a show at The Lexington in London. “The launch party for paradYse is also our single launch,” explains Louis. Miles continues, “apparently they’re gonna have martini glasses, cardboard martini glasses.” Louis is confused. Cardboard

martini glasses? “On the walls.” “Oh! I thought everyone was going to drink out of cardboard martini glasses! I thought you’d be getting a pint of beer in them!” With pictures of paradise (get it?!) planned for the walls, a short education on Wham!'s ‘Club Tropicana’ video later Miles admits: “The one thing I’m concerned about is that people will see it and think that it’s our choice, that we’re a big tropical band, because some of our songs are a bit tropical. I don’t want them to think that, because it’s not the way it is.” The rest of 2011 will see the band tour (“obviously not everything is booked, but that’s the plan - keep doing gigs”) and collecting songs towards that all-important debut album (“that’s the plan in the distance, that we’re building towards. But in terms of actual framework and stuff, there is one, but it’s not set in stone. We’ll see the reaction to the first release and take it from there”). Being Londoners, what’s their ultimate venue - Brixton Academy? Oscar’s not happy. “I always thought the sound quality at Brixton wasn’t all that.” The Forum, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen (“play ‘guess the hipster’!”), O2 Arena? “The Emirates. That’d be the dream goal. Our first gig, we’re all going to stand there with C E S C spelled out on our t-shirts. We’ll turn around and it’ll be like, S T A Y.” Theme Park’s new single ‘A Mountain We Love’ / ‘Wax’ is out now via paradYse.

FIRST ON: THE BEST NEW BANDS, BEFORE ANYWHERE ELSE

FEAR OF MEN Fear Of Men’s recent relative rise to prominence has been a steady yet impressive one. After uploading a few rough (yet excellent, it’s important to add) demos to Bandcamp at the turn of the year, the band soon found themselves putting out a cassette with the increasingly-revered Sex Is Disgusting label, which in turn found itself selling out in next to no time. A few months down the line and the four-piece - split between London and Brighton - have been blogged about in all four corners of the internet. Having just released their first single (‘Ritual Confession’, out on the even more impressive Italian Beach Babes), their feet somehow remain firmly rooted to the ground. “We’re very much at the start of the project,” lead singer and songwriter Jessica Weiss tells us. “We really value the fact that some people are already paying attention, but we have a long way to go. “We are our biggest critics,” she says. “Any attention we’ve had hasn’t really affected the way we see the band going in terms of the fact that we always want to keep challenging and pushing ourselves.”

24 thisisfakediy.co.uk

GROSS MAGIC Jess also thinks that, away from the songwriting process, there is more to come: "I don’t think we have found a studio and producer where we’ve been completely happy, and that have captured the feel of what we did with the home demos for the first cassette.” On the topic of their sound, Jess cites bands like The Shins and Grouper as major influences, as well as 90s acts Neutral Milk Hotel, Nirvana, and The Breeders. This vast mixture of ingredients blends brilliantly, and Jess’ vocals are the icing atop their fuzzy-pop cake – though she's unsure where certain presumptions in the press come from: “People compare us to C86, but I don’t think we’ve ever listened to a band from that era.”

Whether it’s a compliment or a condescending jibe, the term “slacker pop” has been hurled at Sam McGarrigle aka Gross Magic’s music from the moment ‘Sweetest Touch’, with its sweeping grunge riff and sense of carelessness, first arrived on the scene. Whether McGarrigle spends the entirety of his recording sessions surrounded by takeaway pizza boxes, with one eye on daytime TV, is for him to answer, but you get the sense that the tracks put together for his debut ‘Teen Jamz’ EP might just be the work of a perfectionist.

For the future, they certainly seem ambitious. Jess says the band “want to record and release a really good album." Although for lots of bands, the hype never really comes to fruition, it seems like Fear Of Men might just be The Real Deal and, whenever this album might be, we certainly can’t wait to hear it. ( Jake May)

If true, this isn’t much of a giveaway. The dominant feel of the 20-year-old Brighton musician’s first work is that of a bratty cool kid just getting by on video games and sour sweets. Given a closer look, out springs the reality that each of these songs must have required great attention to detail; these weren’t the product of one drunken recording session with a skilled producer. Gross Magic is as much of a bedroom project as they come; yet you wouldn’t know, such is the skill of McGarrigle and his ability to throw you off guard with every track. ( Jamie Milton)

Fear Of Men’s new single ‘Ritual Confession’ is out now via Italian Beach Babes.

Gross Magic’s new EP ‘Teen Jamz’ is out now via The Sounds Of Sweet Nothing.

DALE EARN- NOVELLA HARDT JR. JR. It's not often these days that an artist or band appears to break (or at least be breaking) the States before they break the UK (we're, like, so ahead of the curve), but that's exactly what's happening with hotly tipped Detroit duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

London trio Novella have just released their debut double A-Side single, 'The Things You Do' and - our personal favourite for the title alone - 'Oh Brian'. The girls tells us how the band formed, and what they're up to.

The band was formed back in 2009 when founding member Josh Epstein poached Daniel Zott after seeing him play a show in their hometown.

So, there are three of you in the band how did you get together? Hollie: We were living in Brighton; Suki and I formed a band with our friend Linda (now in Echo Lake), but none of us were ever brave enough to sing. Then we moved to London and decided to form a band with Sophy.

"We began this project as strangers, really," Epstein told us not so long ago, when we had a chat about how it all started. It's quickly evolving, however: "I think that we are trusting each other more and the songs sound like more of a collaboration as we go." Their new EP, and debut UK release (hooray), 'Nothing But Our Love' is due out later this year on Warner Bros. Records, followed by their debut album early next year. They're also about to play their first ever UK live dates, in early October. Catch them whilst you can. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s new EP 'Nothing But Our Love' will be released on 10th October via Warner Bros. Records.

Do you have much of a catalogue yet? Hollie: We have six finished tracks, and we have another six songs we’re working on at the moment. ‘The Things You Do’ and ‘Oh Brian’ seemed like the right songs to put out as our first release. They reflect our different influences and sounds pretty well. How have you found recording with Rory Attwell? Hollie: We had a really fun two days working with Rory – lots of cups of tea and café burgers – and we managed to be really productive.

How much do you find yourselves being influenced by other people? Sophy: Err, a lot. We're all just as much in to consuming music as we are making it. As a band we have our favourite bands and songs. Right now we're working on getting a bunch of covers together to pull out at shows. We read that you swap instruments for your live show- what can you all play? Sophy: Me and Suki share bass. and we all play guitar and sing too, although Hollie sings on all of the songs. And I don't know about the rest of you guys but I can play the flute too, have I ever told you that? Maybe we should get it involved. Jethro Tull vibes. Hollie: I can play clarinet as well so we could totally get a whole wind thing going on… or not. So not into Jethro Tull. Sophy: Can I just make it clear that I'm not really in to Jethro Tull. Finally: You seem to like posting pictures of girls with long hair on Tumblr? Sophy: Girls with long hair are less susceptible to brainwashing. Novella's new single 'The Things You Do' / 'Oh Brian' is out now via Dirty Bingo. 25

POP SCENE: CARDIFF

Pop Scene:

CARDIFF Basement Fever’s Jake May tells us about Cardiff. Cardiff has a rich musical heritage. A heritage that spans far wider than Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey – despite what certain Channel 4 television programmes hosted by BBC sitcom stars, or indeed Tory MPs helping to ‘celebrate’ Welsh music, would lead you to believe. A rich musical history indeed, however the music scene in the Welsh capital today is strong also. At least partly thanks to the three universities, Cardiff seems to be able to consistently develop new waves of exciting bands and musicians (of recent years: Mclusky, Gruff Rhys, The School, Los Campesinos!, Future Of The Left) – as well as labels, promoters, and even bloggers. Indeed, Cardiff is home to Sˆwn; a yearly, multi-venue festival now heading into its fifth year. Along with bringing some of the best and most exciting national and international acts – for 2011 they’ve already announced the likes of Esben & The Witch and The Fall – to Cardiff, organisers John Rostron and Huw Stephens are avid supporters of the local music scene also, and in the past it’s often been the city’s own bands providing some of the most exciting and memorable moments. Cardiff goes further than Sˆwn and the aforementioned well-known bands, though; to scratch beneath the surface is a rewarding process indeed. Local labels such as Barely Regal and Shape Records put out some excellent releases from local bands; whilst promoters such as Loose, Lesson No.1, GRAB, The Joy Collective and flux=rad bring some wonderful artists to the capital – ensuring that Cardiff remains an interesting and exciting place to be. Although not always fairly recognised for it (and perhaps better known as the place the rest of Wales go for their stag and hen parties), Cardiff is musically and culturally vibrant and really does have a lot to offer. basementfever.blogspot.com 26 thisisfakediy.co.uk

PLACES TO VISIT SPILLERS RECORDS 31 Morgan Arcade "The oldest record shop in the world” probably says all you need to know, but Spillers' new premises has the same inviting atmosphere and excellent selection of music, but with twice the number of floors. CLWB IFOR BACH 11 Womanby Street The hub of Cardiff ’s music scene, Clwb Ifor Bach (or “The Welsh Club”) consistently provides an excellent and eclectic range of live music and club nights. BUFFALO BAR 11 Windsor Place Cardiff ’s answer to east London – a ‘hip’ place to drink, eat, dance, and enjoy live music. MILGI LOUNGE 213 City Road Wonderfully quirky and positively unique, Milgi’s offers an inviting location to enjoy some food and drink with friends. CARDIFF ARTS INSTITUTE 29 Park Place Although there is no actual visible art in sight (unless you include the Lego stuck to the walls), CAI is a bar in the same vein as Buffalo – head here for food, drink, and live music, along with other youthful, fashionable, student-types. CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE Market Road Although situated a little bit out of town, Chapter Arts is well worth the effort it takes to get there: food, drink, art, cinema, and the occasional gig – as well as regular events such as Scrabble Sunday. TWISTED BY DESIGN Technically not a ‘place’ to visit, but a regular alternative club night, usually taking place in Dempsey’s. Currently in its twelfth year, Twisted By Design is a must.

BANDS TO WATCH SATURDAY’S KIDS saturdayskids.org Scuzzy and antisocial, Saturday’s Kids are four south Wales teenagers brought up on a diet of post-punk. Starting out whilst still at school as a no frills punk band, they’ve grown into something infinitely more interesting. JOANNA GRUESOME myspace.com/otherpeopleloveyou Although still very much a ‘new’ band, five-piece Joanna Gruesome show some real promise with their 90s (Beat Happening, Galaxie 500, early My Bloody Valentine etc.) influenced lo-fi and noisy twee pop sound. Keep a close eye and ear. AMONG BROTHERS amongbrothers.co.uk Blending experimental electronics and emotive vocals to make their resultant post-rock influenced ambitious pop, Among Brothers have already seen success through a string of positive reviews for their debut EP 'Homes', leading to a spot on the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1’s One Big Weekend. These could get big. H. HAWKLINE hhawkline.bandcamp.com You can never be too sure what you might get from Huw Evans under the guise of H. Hawkline. Whereas his debut album – 'A Cup Of Salt' – spanned creepy and psychedelic folk to motorik-driven krautrock, during live shows Huw is equally as like to play a set of upbeat and surfy pop songs. Impressively – and importantly – he absolutely nails both. ISLET isletislet.com Confusingly famed for their initial lack of internet presence rather than their excellent, explosive live shows and wonderful, weird recordings, the five-piece are touted for a full-length later this year. Odds are it will be very good.

FEATURE THE RISE OF DIY BROADCASTING

DO IT YOURSELF The Buggles once told us Video Killed The Radio Star, but you shouldn't believe them. The much loved medium is alive and well; in fact, with the rise of DIY Broadcasting, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguably never looked so healthy. 28 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Have you ever had that feeling where, after logging on to some modern, magical music streaming software, you draw a blank? You don't know what you want to listen to - there's too much choice. When you're standing at the aural equivalent of an all you can eat buffet, who can blame you? Perhaps you're not that person. Perhaps you are decisive and always instantly know the answer to “Do you need a bag with that?” Or maybe, on reflection, everyone needs a little guidance every once in a while; some careful curation. You are reading a music magazine, after all. James Cridland, a radio futurologist and Managing Director for Media UK sums it up for us: “We've all had the horrifying moment of opening Spotify, seeing the search box, and thinking, 'what on earth should I be listening to?' "While it seems fun and amazing for the first couple of days, it soon descends into a lot of hard work – so the benefit of radio

becomes more appealing. Turn it on, and it makes noise at you. Until you turn it off. Genius user interface!” And it is just that: genius. When lazing about on a Sunday morning reading the papers (or perhaps a certain free music mag Ed), not everyone wants to go to the trouble of carefully curating their own playlist. Or worse, taking the risk of letting the shuffle button run riot through their archives - who knew you owned quite that many Steps ‘classics’ anyway? That's where radio comes in. It's there when you're driving your car, it's there when you're reading a book. It can even be there when you're in the shower, if you're feeling so inclined. There once was a time where radio only arrived through traditional AM or FM means, but now via your mobile phone or laptop there’s a whole new world. Gone are the days when it was only the experts allowed to turn on a microphone. With the rise of community stations, student radio, online radio, traditional podcasts and more, it seems that almost anyone can have a go. 29

FEATURE THE RISE OF DIY BROADCASTING

“THERE'S AN INTENSELY PERSONAL ASPECT TO PODCASTING." Jon Hillcock, 6Music

Podcasts, whilst not a new innovation, are still relatively young in radio terms, but they're unmatched as a medium for allowing individuality to flourish. Unlike with traditional radio, which is often playlisted and places specialist content later on in the schedules, these bite-size shows allow their hosts to put out any music, content or ideas they like. Jon Hillcock, 6Music presenter and creator of the New Noise podcast, is a fan of that freedom. “There's an intensely personal aspect to podcasting which might not necessarily translate on the radio,” he explains. “You're not governed by playlist policy, station music policy or genre-restriction. There's also no money to be made in the medium so you know the curator is going to the effort of lovingly compiling, writing, producing and editing it purely for the love of sharing something they find amazing. I find that exciting.” Amazing Radio's Charlie Ashcroft - also part of our own DIY Radio’s launch line up (more on that later - Ed) - believes that ease and speed of access to new music plays a valuable part in what makes listening to curated broadcasts so appealing. “With dozens 30 thisisfakediy.co.uk

of social networks, not to mention hundreds of thousands of blogs, where do you start? With the internet becoming the principal stomping ground for new tastemakers, people begin to work out which presenters and websites they can rely on. Time is a precious commodity, and many music fans don't want to waste vast portions of their free time getting bogged down searching for something which might be served up more quickly by a familiar voice they trust.” Ex-Program Director of sadly departed online station WOXY, and fellow DIY Radio host Mike Taylor agrees: “Some people prefer a filter,” he confirms. “A trusted source, if you will. They don't have the time or desire to sift through blogs and down the online rabbit hole. In my case, the majority of followers for my Big Beat podcast are former WOXY listeners." It’s that sense of creativity and personality that has contributed to the rise of student and community radio stations. Unlike their commercial peers, the majority of these stations don't playlist their programming, instead opting for an open door policy: everything is welcome - within OFCOM guidelines, of course.

Kate Hutchinson, Co-Station Editor of London Fields Radio, a community station in East London, believes that it’s the individuality and creativity of the programming that makes these stations so special. “At London Fields Radio, you might be tuning in to an art and design show while listening to some of the most cutting-edge dubstep, or a cookery show filled with post-punk,” she explains. "Our presenters have their own SoundCloud, MixCloud and Facebook groups too, which help build a network of like-minded people around the station. People who come in to record a show talk to their friends, who talk to theirs, and so on. It's very DIY and grassroots, and, most importantly, fuelled by the local community.” But it seems that you don't need to be in the community to feel a part of one. The latest listener figures reported show a year on year increase in the amount of listening through mobile phones, DAB and via the internet, allowing listeners an even greater choice of stations based all over the world. With more choice, creative freedom and the added bonus of ever-changing technology, the do-ityourself broadcast industry is booming.

"MUSIC FANS DON'T WANT TO WASTE TIME SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING WHICH MIGHT BE SERVED UP MORE QUICKLY BY A FAMILIAR VOICE THEY TRUST.” Charlie Ashcroft, Amazing Radio

We tracked down some of the brightest lights in DIY Broadcasting and asked them why the world of podcasting, online and community radio is so great. Here’s what they had to say. Jon Hillcock hosts his own weekly New Noise podcast, with experience at NME Radio, XFM and the BBC. Why is it that, despite the availability of almost every single track on the planet, people still listen to radio shows and podcasts? I think it's all about context. I've found that my favourite music radio presenters can help to wrap some background, relevant information and, essentially, passion around each new piece of music in a way that allows the listener an 'in', or a point of entry. Often music requires no introduction at all, but it really helps when you have a new point of view. Listening to track after track via Bandcamp, the Hype Machine, Soundcloud or Spotify is great, but can be a slightly cold experience. The thing that struck me about listening to people like [radio DJs John] Peel and [ John] Kennedy is that you didn't know what was coming next. The unknown is exciting and not something to be scared of.

Kate Hutchinson and Sarah Bates comanage London Fields Radio. What do you make of the likes of MixCloud as a base for people to upload their shows to? Is there anything they should be offering/doing? Sarah: MixCloud has been a brilliant platform for us. It's a great way of sharing content and is really easy to use. A recommends feature might be good - an ‘if you like this you might like this’ kind of thing. Kate: Plus, it's legal! We want to support the music industry, and people buying music, and this is a great way of encouraging people to interact with the songs they hear on our podcasts beyond just listening to them. The iPhone app is great because you can save your favourite shows. Charlie Ashcroft hosts a weekly show on DIY Radio, as well as ‘The Amazing Radio Chart’ and ‘Audition’ shows for Amazing Radio. What advice would you offer to anyone wanting to give DIY Broadcasting a go? Firstly, strive to be original and always aim to include some music in your programmes that you’re not hearing anyone else play. This obviously helps you to develop a reputation amongst artists and listeners that you’re doing something fresh and attempting to stand out. Secondly, engage with your listeners. Encourage their interaction and find out some basic information about where they’re based and what their tastes are. Then, as long as it doesn’t compromise your overall sound, you can tailor your output to include some music which will appeal to them even more. The fact is, they’ve found you one way or another, so whatever you can do to keep them coming back to you will usually be rewarded by their loyalty.

If we’re going to cover DIY broadcasting in a magazine called DIY, the least we can do is get involved. That’s why we’re pleased to unveil DIY Radio - our very own online radio station. A mix of new music and curated shows, if it’s got a place in counter culture, you’re likely to find it somewhere on our schedule: from Jamie Milton’s ‘Into The Blogosphere' - a fortnightly run down of what’s hot online - to Mike Taylor’s Big Beat, straight from Austin Texas. If you’re looking to be recommended something fresh and exciting, you’ll find us in iTunes Radio, the TuneIn Radio app for smartphones, and on thisisfakediy.co.uk. What are you waiting for? Get involved!

COVER STORY BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

32 thisisfakediy.co.uk

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FIX In a little over three years, Bombay Bicycle Club have released three, it has to be said, rather different albums. Harriet Jennings visits frontman Jack and bassist Ed to find out what prompted the change, and where they're heading next. Photos: Sinead Grainger / Simian Coates / Adrian Nettleship Sitting in their central London flat surrounded by recording equipment, ladders and discarded items of footwear, you'd be forgiven for wondering if you haven't found yourself in typical student digs. In fact, none of Bombay Bicycle Club have been to university, instead choosing to further their education through life in the band. Not the standard choice for former pupils of the prestigious University College School in Hampstead. “I think it might have matured us a bit. Maybe not,” frontman Jack Stead shrugs. “There are two sides to it. On the one side, you're completely independent. You have a job. You're in the real world. On the other hand, when you're in a band and you're on tour, you're just a baby. Someone is there to do everything for you. I felt like I'd grown up quite a lot even before we'd started doing this thing.” And what a thing it is. Preparing for the release of their third album in three years, the band doesn't sport a single member over 21. “We were worried about releasing [new single] 'Shuffle' at first because it is a bit of a departure from what people will be used to,” Jack says earnestly, when quizzed about their new record. “We took a risk but it paid off, which is better than not taking a risk and it failing. At least if it fails but you took the risk, you can be happy because you did it. So it's the best outcome. It was a huge relief.”

From the outside, it might appear that Bombay Bicycle Club have a habit of taking risks with their releases. Moving from their gold-certified debut to the acoustic release of 'Flaws' took some nerve, or so you might assume. “We just did it for ourselves as opposed to doing it for the sake of it,” bassist Ed Nash pipes in. “The acoustic album was meant to be a thing on the side," Jack continues. "We were surprised that it got perceived as more than that. A lot of people call it our second album, which is fair enough, but for us it was a side project.” It seems their past releases are not the band's desired topic of conversation. 'Flaws' won the North London band a plethora of new fans, propelling them into the public consciousness with a Top Ten chart position and gaining them an Ivor Novello nod, but despite all the attention, didn't achieve the same sales as their previous effort. “We've never really thought about that. We don't think too much about what makes sense or what should happen. We just make the music that we want to be making, and that's why each album is a bit different, because we're just doing what we feel at the moment,” Jack stresses, shunning the idea that sales might have influenced the direction of new LP 'A Different Kind Of Fix'. The album sees the band revert back to something closer to the sound of their first 33

COVER STORY BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

"WE TOLD EVERYONE WE'D BEEN BANNED FROM BARFLYS. THAT WAS A BIT OF A FIB.”

full length, with familiar face and long time collaborator of the band, Jim Abbiss back on production duties for over half of the album's tracks. “We'd built up a really good relationship with him so we think it works well,” explains Jack. “For the more electronic tracks, we wanted to try someone else out and that's why we went to Ben Allen. Because we liked what he had done with Animal Collective and he liked our stuff; we got on really well. In terms of why we went back to electric, I think that was always the idea.” And what of targets for the album? “Get a Mercury nomination. That'd be nice, that's a goal,” Jack declares brazenly. “Just for everyone to like it," smiles Ed, his initial targets slightly more humble than his bandmate's. "We got a lot of new fans due to the acoustic album that weren't really into the stuff at the beginning. It will be nice to see if all of those people like it." “Sexiest male at the NME Awards?” “A Grammy," Ed continues, suddenly animated. "It would be good to have a Grammy on your shelf. Like at your mum's house. I think the Mercury Award is probably up there with the Ivor Novello; they're well respected, both of them.” “We just decided on our next single," Ed tells us, turning to Jack. "Are we allowed to say? We have a track record of saying things we're not supposed to.” That's not the only thing the four-piece have been in trouble for in the past, having been thrown out of Travelodges and banned from Barflys, if you believe everything you read. Jack perks up, seemingly energised by the thought of his band having a reputation. “We did this tour where we just went around asking people where we should play, and we ended up playing in the most bizarre places, just with acoustics. I think we told everyone we'd been banned from Barflys. That's probably where that originated. That was a bit of a fib.”

34 thisisfakediy.co.uk

“We've been kicked out of some other venues,” Ed interrupts, again trying to gauge Jack's response before he spills the beans. “I don't think we've ever been kicked out of a Barfly. We got kicked out of the Astoria. And a couple of other places.” But Jack seems to be intent on convincing us that they're not as well-behaved as they seem. “I don't think we're allowed to go back to Sheffield. “We've been kicked out of a few places. We got kicked out of our hotel room when we were in a Travelodge. It was in Glasgow in the winter and we had to go and stay in our tour van. It was the coldest night ever. We were just being drunk and silly,” he straightens up, loosely aware that his press officer is in the near vicinity. “There was another hotel in Bournemouth, where for some reason, we'd been booked into the quiet corridor. So it was just all the elderly people next to our room. We definitely got kicked out of that one,” Jack continues regardless, with a cheeky glint in his eye. “We're not allowed to go back there,” Ed mopes with mock seriousness. “It wasn't our fault that someone booked a band into the quiet corridor, you know?” Hotel ejections aside, Bombay Bicycle Club have some pretty ambitious touring ideals. “I'd like to play on the West Coast of the States," Ed enthuses. "I think that would be really, really cool. And we haven't yet had the chance to go there, so hopefully in a year or so.” “I just want to do an Asia tour. I just want to get as far away as we can…,” Jack trails off. “Right now we're focussing on Germany and Holland and France, and we're doing lots of promo and playing lots of gigs and they're selling well. And then we're just starting to focus on America, but it's just such a long and difficult process,” he huffs.

“But we've got a tour in September. A little American thing with Two Door Cinema Club, so that'll be the start I think for us for the sort of US campaign. They're pretty big over there so that's a really good slot for us.” With their penchant for unusual venues, how involved were the band in this October's run of UK dates? “We got sent through whatever it was meant to be and said, 'that looks pretty good.' We've always wanted to play [O2 Academy] Brixton so we're pretty excited to do that. And the Apollo in Manchester should be pretty nice. And, surprisingly, Sheffield. They've allowed us back in.” “See what they do this time…” mimics Ed. “Occasionally we'll have a say in it but it's not really our forte. That's not what we do, it's up to someone else,” concludes Jack in a typically assertive manner. So with a plan for conquering America firmly in place, what's next for the quartet? “With all the stuff that's happened, it was just what we wanted to do at the time," Ed equivocates. "I don't think there's ever been a particularly long term plan, I think we've just been doing what we feel like doing at the time. I don't know if there's any plan after this album yet.” “That's a long way off, I think,” Jack interrupts. “I think we'll be on tour for quite a while now so there's no point in planning it now. We'll just see how we feel in a year or so or two years. It might even be nice to have a little break for a bit and reorganise yourself.” Having spent so much of their 'formative' years in the band, it's had to imagine how they'd cope with life outside of Bombay Bicycle Club. “I think it would be nice,” Jack shrugs. “I think being in a band is sometimes harder than people think,” Ed chimes in. This time it's his turn to rescue his bandmate from speaking out of turn. “It's really pretty fun, I'm not knocking it, but it's difficult sometimes.”

"A CA LO S L T BU EC L 'F O W T ON L F PR AS FO D AW PEO O LI R AL S' PL JE K U B O E CT E A S I U M U R .” SI T , D E

COVER STORY BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

“I just think it's maintaining your friendships with all the people, old school friends and those that have never been off, you're too busy really, most of the time. And a lot of people say, 'Oh, we never see you anymore.' So you've got to find the time, you've got to balance your time.” All this talk of time leads us to talking about the slightly-more-distant future. So where, exactly, do a band that have produced an album a year since the age of 18, see themselves five years down the line? “I don't know what I'll be doing in five minutes time," Jack shrugs as he rearranges himself on their oversized, previously white sofa that's now slightly grey with orange blotches. "I imagine it won't be that much different to what we're doing now." “Five years ago, I had no idea what I'd be doing. I didn't think I'd be in the position that

I'm in now. I had no idea. It's pretty hard to guess,” Ed smiles, more optimistic looking than his counterpart. “Probably slightly fatter and slightly more bald. That's for sure.” “Maybe less attractive. I'll definitely be completely bald.” “Hopefully I'll grow a beard,” Ed murmurs, before everyone erupts in laughter. “It's hard to tell. As long as everything goes well, we'll still be on our eighth album, I guess, if we're doing one every year. Then we'll have a greatest hits. On vinyl.” Ah, vinyl. A topic close to many a muso's heart. “It's only because I like collecting vinyl. It's a little personal thing,” Jack continues. The band have argued to ensure that every release so far has been available on vinyl. “They don't sell very many but it's important to have it there I think. And if you're proud of your artwork then I think you wanna have it on a 12" thing, and it's

nice to have it limited edition so that it inspires people to go out and buy them, and maybe from there, they'll start a collection and then they'll keep a lot of the independent record shops going. So it's important for us because we've got a lot of young fans, to give that opportunity to get into vinyl. I don't want it to ever die. “I don't collect them because they have any value as expensive collectable items. I don't have a special super expensive one, I just like going and finding them. And on tour, it's nice to find a record shop in each city - it's like a habit.” Jack smiles, as we pack up the interview and say our goodbyes. He might be hard work, but it's nice to know that the serious, and sometimes quite sombre, frontman has found a different kind of fix of his own. Bombay Bicycle Club's third album 'A Different Kind Of Fix' is out now via Island Records.

STYLE AUTUMN

AUTUMN STYLE The days are getting shorter, the nights are drawing in, and everything's getting a bit, well, chilly. Time to buy a bobble hat.

3 1 Minimum blazer asos.com, £160 2 Lacoste Live! shirt lacoste.co.uk, £120 3 Minimum chinos asos.com, £80 4 Addict hat addict.co.uk, £20 5 Quiksilver rucksack surfdome.com, £64.99 6 Fly 53 trousers fly53store.com, £65 7 Converse trainers schuh.co.uk, £61 8 Ted Baker brogue 02089706273, £130 9 Boxfresh jacket boxfresh.co.uk, £75 10 Farah duffle coat farah.co.uk, £250 11 Fly 53 shirt fly53store.com 12 The Duffer of St. George jacket jdsports.co.uk, £44.99 13 Farah cardigan farah.co.uk, £110 14 Lacoste coat lacoste.co.uk, £299 15 Luke tee luke1977.com, £45 16 Converse holdall blackleaf.com, £44.95 17 adidas Forest Hills trainer jdsports.co.uk, £65 38 thisisfakediy.co.uk

5 7

STYLE GREY DAYS

GREY DAYS Photography: Benjamin Glean Art Direction: Neesha Sharma & Benjamin Glean Styling: Neesha Sharma & Gemma Swan Grooming: Michelle Webb using Bobbi Brown Grooming Assistant: Bianca Pereir Photographic Assistants: Adam Richardson, Rona Morison

40 thisisfakediy.co.uk

This page: biker jacket by Beyond Retro, T shirt by All Saints, trousers by Topman Opp. page: shirt by Beyond Retro, cardigan by Fly53, hat by All Saints

STYLE GREY DAYS

42 thisisfakediy.co.uk

This page: coat by Topman, shirt by Beyond Retro, trousers by Farah belt by All Saints, boots by Superga Opp. page: jacket, hat, shirt and scarf by All Saints, trousers by Topman

STYLE GREY DAYS

44 thisisfakediy.co.uk

This page: jacket by Nickelson, bottoms by American Apparell Opp. page: blazer by Religion, vest by Topman, jeans by Religion, bracelet by All Saints

STYLE GREY DAYS

46 thisisfakediy.co.uk

This page: jacket by Beyond Retro, shirt by All Saints, trousers by All Saints, watch by Kennett Opp. page: jacket by The Duffer of St. George, gilet by Topman, jeans by Wrangler, boots by Topman

STYLE THE WOMBATS

48 thisisfakediy.co.uk

THE WOMBATS The Wombats come to our photoshoot after two weeks’ holiday, and just hours before they’re due to meet their van en route to Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival.

Tord wears T Shirt by Fred Perry, £29.99 Chino’s by The Duffer of St George, £39.99 Murph wears Polo by Lacoste, £89.99 Jacket by Pretty Green, £74.99 Trousers by The Duffer of St George, £39.99 Dan wears T Shirt by The Duffer of St George, £19.99 Trouser by The Duffer of St George, £39.99 All from scottsmenswear.com

Photography: Jake Green Stylist: Neesha Sharma Grooming: Oriona Robb Product: scottsmenswear.com

The Wombats’ bassist Tord has spent his brief bit of time off doing something decidedly un-rock ‘n roll. “It was really nice, we’d been busy since March, so I went up to Norway and did loads of things that didn’t have to do anything with music. I went fishing, because I was heavily in to fishing when I was a kid and lived at home, and I realised I’d not done it in years.” The band’s 2011 so far has seen them release their second album, ‘This Modern Glitch’, in April, and embark on a mammoth stretch of European festivals. “We’re halfway, possibly two-thirds, through it already,” Tord explains, “but we’ve got a few more coming up: Pukkelpop in Belgium tomorrow, then Lowlands the day after, and it’s V Festival this weekend.” There’s then more headline dates, before a trip Down Under, an attempt to ‘break’ America via a comprehensive road trip across the States, and yet more UK shows. The trio seemed to tour debut album, ‘A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation’ forever - it must be a relief to be able to include more new material in their set this time around, surely? “Yeah, we wrote ‘Moving To New York’ in 2004, and the album was released in 2007, so it was already three years old when it came out. It is really refreshing to have new stuff, and it’s fun. “We’d already done a UK tour before the album came out. It was a bit strange, playing all new songs that people had never heard before. During the first few shows, obviously nobody had heard the new songs, but then because of YouTube, videos of the gigs spread and halfway through the tour people knew all the words to some of them! “But it’s going to be good to do a full UK tour, now people have got the album and they’ve had a few months to listen to it and sing along." 49

STYLE THE WOMBATS Dan wears Chinos by The Duffer of St George, £39.99 Shoes by Lacoste, £60.00 Murph wears cuffed chinos by The Duffer of St George, £39.99 trainers by adidas Originals, £52.00 All from scottsmenswear.com

50 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Dan wears shirt by Fred Perry, £74.99 Jacket by Fred Perry, £134.99 Chinos by The Duffer of St George, £39.99 All from scottsmenswear.com

STYLE THE WOMBATS Tord wears T shirt by Chunk, £27.99 Jacket by Duck & Cover, £124.99 Jeans by Denham, £119.99 All from scottsmenswear.com

52 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Murph wears Jacket by The Duffer of St George, £69.99 T shirt by adidas Originals, £29.99 All from scottsmenswear.com

60 SECONDS WITH GROUP LOVE

60 Seconds With: GROUPLOVE

With their penchant for sugar-coated, summer-filled pop, Grouplove have taken their sweet time about making their debut album. With 'Never Trust A Happy Song' about to hit the shelves, Harriet Jennings caught up with lead singer Christian Zucconi.

Your debut album opens with the track 'Itchin' On A Photograph', which is all about just going for it and not looking back. The subject seems to reflect the band's beginnings, was that intentional? It was definitely to do with the band and leaving so much behind to make it happen. It just sort of came out that way. Sometimes you look back on lyrics after you write them down and it starts making sense. When you're writing and certain circumstances are happening, if you can write them down and encapsulate them without really trying, it's just an honest reflection of what's happening in your life at the time. And that's what 'Itchin'' is. Only two tracks from your previous EP have made it on to the album. Was it important to you to have new tracks to show how you'd grown as a group? It was super important. There are so many songs but we just wanted to keep it as minimal as possible. We kept 'Colours' and 'Naked Kids' because those were just two that got a great reaction, and you

hope that when people hear your album they'll actually want to hear more music and go back to your older work. Hannah takes on vocal duties on a few of the album tracks. Can we expect you to rotate roles more in the future? Yeah, there's no rhyme or reason about that. Hannah came with two songs to the album that we all really liked. Sean sings one, Andrew sings one so I think it's going to just be like that from now on; everyone will take their turn singing as long as it's a song that we all like. You're all songwriters and must sometimes bring pretty specific ideas to the table. How do you come together and compromise to make tracks work? The album's pretty organic, pretty effortless, which makes us really lucky. Usually we have arrangement or speed issues. A couple of songs I'd written for the album were a little punkier, a little faster. I took them to Ryan and he was like, "Let's try this a little reggae with a slowed down

beat" and things changed direction. If anyone brings in something, which everyone is free to, we've never got to the point where they're really upset because they've compromised too much. We've all been pretty open to it. Usually, if you stay open to it and trust other people, it will turn out being a lot better. Do you consider yourselves a career band, and if so, what would you like to be remembered for? We do consider ourselves a career band. We just want to keep on putting out good music and keep changing it up. We really believe it's all about the survival by song mentality, and we have so many songs we could pretty much release album two now, if we wanted to! We would never just want to be a flash in the pan, we want to make this our jobs. This is what we love to do. It's the only thing we really know how to do, so we want to keep it up. Grouplove's debut album 'Never Trust A Happy Song' is out now via Warner. 55

INTERVIEW MAZES

SUMMER HITS

It's fair to say there aren't many of us here at DIY Towers who consider ourselves musicians. We can't pick up an instrument and strum out our own tune; we can't jot down lyrics with just a pad and paper. It's probably for the best, really. London quartet Mazes, however, can do all that. They do it rather well, in fact. Mazes frontman Jack Cooper recently launched a new project in his spare time, following the release of the band's debut album 'A Thousand Heys'. For just ÂŁ10, he said, he'd write you your very own song. All the commissioner would have to do is provide the starting point: "a song title or anything, guitar part, drum beatâ&#x20AC;Ś whatever." You can probably see where this is going. We whipped out our wallet, handed over our hard earned cash, and tried to think of a subject. It turns out we're not very good at that either. "Joey Barton," we suggested. "The footballer?" was the response. "Errrr." So we came up with a back up - "George Michael." Well, we had warned him. A few hours later, and we've got the finished product in our inbox. A track called 'Boy George Michael Jackson', about - you guessed it - Joey Barton. Amazing. "So the idea for this project came from a few places," Jack tells us. "One, Paul McCartney dreamt 'Yesterday' - dreamt it - so it seems slightly ludicrous from one perspective for him to have earnt millions of pounds out of it. A melody or anything creative is basically just your brain firing efficiently yet the rewards can be astronomical. I value art, don't get me wrong. "Second, I was thinking about the art of Steve Keene, how his paintings are available to buy extremely cheaply and they're just a small section of a greater piece of art - his life's work. This mass produced art struck a chord with me. "Thirdly, I wondered what people would come up with when asked to collaborate. It's fascinating for me to be sparking off someone's idea, someone that I've never met and for them to also be acting as my 56 thisisfakediy.co.uk

patron. The first song I wrote, it felt great to be able to write the guy and tell him that he'd just paid for my lunch." Evidently, he hadn't quite expected our suggestions. "This song for DIY was requested with two names 'Joey Barton' and 'George Michael'. Whilst I'm actually a fan of both of these people, I kinda despaired at such a flippant request [Thanks, Jack. - Ed], but remembered a dream I had about Joey Barton, weirdly. I went with it. "The lyrics are just stream of conscious and I wrote the melody on my walk home from breakfast - got home, sat down, figured out the chords and recorded it in about 15 minutes. This is the kind of demo I'd send to the other Mazes. I like songs in this state - ill thought out and pure. Oddly as well, the title is one I've had in my notebook for a while... the stars align." Visit thisisfakediy.co.uk to hear 'Boy George Michael Jackson'. Mazes' debut album 'A Thousand Heys' is out now via FatCat Records.

" GE I VA T LU M E E A W R RO T, N DO G. N " 'T

INTERVIEW GHOST POET

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Ghostpoet is quickly becoming South London’s worst kept secret. George and Daisy Boorman head over to his gaff for a homemade meal, over which they talk Mercury Awards and Spaghetti Bolognese. Photos: Sam Bond. Firstly, for readers who may not have listened to you, how would you describe your sound? I would say kind of experimental electronic, hip hop music with just extra elements of the stuff I listen to, like indie, dance, electronica, folk… Whatever really, whatever sounds good. At the age of 27 you’ve only just released your debut album, 'Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam'. Have you always made music or is it a more recent development? I always kind of made music, just more like a hobby. Like a throwaway hobby when I was a kid. As I got older it got more serious and I started investing more into it, buying equipment and so on. I had a MySpace page and I was networking a little bit with people, trying to ‘make it’ 58 thisisfakediy.co.uk

I guess. I never really took the next step until I got involved with Brownswood [Gilles Peterson’s record label] really. Your album features both electronic and live elements. Does this reflect a wide range of influences on your part? Yeah. I always loved electronics, I loved experimentation so I knew that was going to be in there. But at the same time I’m a massive fan of indie music, that idea of live instruments. I started to work with Chris and Flo, who I play live with now, on how to play the tunes live, and some just sounded better live. The ones that are live on the album are the ones that just made more sense to be live. So, yeah it’s definitely a combination of things. Your album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Has it sunk in yet that you

"I ALWAYS LOVED EXPERIMENTATION."

INTERVIEW GHOST POET

were nominated for such a prestigious award? I don’t think it has really. At the same time I don’t think I really want it to, the Mercury Awards are something I’ve always watched and read about for years and the idea of being part of it is just amazing. For me it’s just a real boost, to make me believe I could make a real career out of this. To be on the same sheet as the likes of the Adeles, the James Blakes, the Katy Bs and so forth is just like… wow. It’s a mad thing really. Were there any other albums on the list that you like? I do love James Blake's album for what it is, I love Metronomy’s album, I love Everything Everything’s album, I love the bits I’ve heard of Katy B’s album. There are little bits I’ve heard of Adele’s album I really like. I haven’t listened to Anna Calvi’s album yet but I’ve heard the single and I really like that… Most of it's cool, it’s all really good stuff. Were there any albums you feel should have been included that weren’t? Jamie Woon’s album, I thought that had a shot. Wild Beasts’ album, also in with a 60 thisisfakediy.co.uk

shot. It’s a difficult one, some say Radiohead should have been on there. I like it, it’s cool, I like other albums they’ve done more but… they’re Radiohead. They’ve been ahead of the game for a very long time. I would say them, probably. The video for ‘Cash & Carry Me Home’ was directed by Tim Brown, who in the past has worked on videos for Tinie Tempah, also nominated for the Mercury. Were you heavily involved in the development of the video and what were you trying to convey when making it? Tim Brown had the idea of picturing parts of the lyrics in the visuals and we just bounced ideas back and forth between each other. I sent him the lyrics and from that he started to get the ideas you see in the video; the spinning bottles, the house. He kind of led and I’d say what I liked, what I didn’t like until we came to the conclusion which was the video. Were you surprised by how popular the video was? Yeah! Not that it wasn’t good, and Tim did do a really good job. It was just on such a low budget and I was thinking in my head ‘we’ve spent such little money on it, so how

"TO BE ON THE SAME SHEET AS THE LIKES OF THE ADELES, THE JAMES BLAKES, THE KATY BS AND SO FORTH IS JUST LIKE… WOW."

INTERVIEW GHOST POET

is it gonna work?’ It was a definite surprise; everything that happens to me is a surprise! I don’t understand any of it, I just make the music and create the visuals, I don’t really think about the mechanics behind it. I just put it out and see what happens. Let’s talk food. You just cooked us a delicious meal, your album is called ‘Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam’; would you say food is something that inspires you? Yeah, I would say so. It all comes under the umbrella of life really, life being the biggest inspiration. Obviously eating and enjoying food and the social aspect of it is important. I love food, I wish I could cook it more but increasingly I’m having less and less time to do so. But yeah, it’s very important, you can’t live without it can you!

Here's what Ghostpoet made us.

Pappardelle w/mixed mushrooms & mozzarella Ingredients 350g fresh pasta (or 250g dried) 250g mushrooms Half of a bunch of flat leaf parsley 1 lemon 2 garlic cloves 50g fresh parmesan 140g fresh mozzarella 2 tsp creme fraiche Knob of butter Olive oil Sea salt Black pepper

And finally, if your album was a dish what would it be? If it was a dish what would it be? Hmm… A spaghetti bolognese, because it’s as common as muck but it tastes pretty good! [Laughs] That was good, I like that!

Directions 1. Bring salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to instructions.

Ghostpoet's debut album 'Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam' is out now via Brownswood.

3. Heat butter and a little olive oil over

62 thisisfakediy.co.uk

2. Clean mushrooms by brushing with a towel, slice.

a high heat in a large frying pan. Add sliced garlic, chopped parsley stems, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until mushrooms are wellbrowned. 4. When the pasta is cooked, reserve a cup of the cooking water, and drain. 5. Grate the parmesan, and add half to the mushroom mixture, along with the zest of the lemon, the creme fraiche, the mozzarella (torn), juice of half of the lemon and half of the remaining parsley. 6. Toss to combine. Add the pasta and half the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. If needed, add remaining pasta water. 7. Season. Serve sprinkled with remaining parmesan and parsley.

INTERVIEW TWIN SISTER

In Conversation With...

TWIN SISTER With their debut album on the horizon, Jamie Milton talks to Twin Sister guitarist Eric Cardona about future paths, and becoming a 'real band'.

How are you? Are you getting everything sorted before the album comes out? Yeah, we’re rehearsing a lot and seeing if we can add anything to the live show. We’ve been playing the same sort of stuff over the past year so we wanted to add some new stuff to make it feel fresh. With the album, ’In Heaven’, about to come out, are you getting a sense of relief or are you slightly nervous? I’m getting slightly nervous as time goes on. It’s been done for so long and of course, I’m really excited for people to have it and to be listening to it. We worked really hard on it. It must be a completely different feeling to when you released the EPs. It’s like a whole different thing. Our first EP, we just posted on our website for free!

64 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Was that a difficult process; going from a bedroom band into something bigger? We’re definitely getting more used to it; we’re finding out how to get more comfortable as we adapt, we’re growing to be more of a ‘real band’. It’s a very odd lifestyle! With the record itself, how old are some of the songs on there? The first song on the record we wrote when I was 14/15 and Andrea was 16/17. Then there are some songs that were brand new. [The album] has a good mix of very fresh ideas as well as showing the way we used to do things. Were you under a lot of pressure when recording? It sounds as if it was quite an organic process. We put ourselves under a good amount of pressure. We’d write the songs and they might

"THE ALBUM HAS A GOOD MIX OF FRESH IDEAS, AS WELL AS SHOWING THE WAY WE USED TO DO THINGS."

have been without lyrics and then a couple of days before we went into the studio, Andrea would think of something and it’d come together really quick – it was quite organic, yeah. Was it a case of having several songs and then having to refine them? We spent a lot of time on those ten songs that made the record, actually. We wanted to record around eighteen songs – we had a lot ready and we wanted to be able to have the choice. But, well, it was our first studio experience and it wasn’t exactly what we thought it was gonna be… How do you feel about people trying to dig out various themes from the record? Well, I really like doing that with records that I fall in love with myself, so I hope people do that. Hopefully people can find themes they

can relate to in themselves. But at the same time, I hope they can also just put the record on in the background. What’s your aspiration in terms of when this record is over and done with? In between our tours this Fall, we’re planning on going back into the studio in order to lay out two – maybe three – ideas for us to work with. We have a bunch of new songs that we’re really excited about. We just want to keep that momentum going; of staying ahead of what we’re releasing. Are there any other bands out there doing a similar thing to you who you admire? There’s a bunch: we’ve made a lot of good friends; these guys from Brooklyn called Ava Luna, they’re incredible. There’s Bear In Heaven too; we went on our first tour with them

and they were amazing. And you’re full time now, as a band? Luckily it is full time. For the past year or so it’s been like that. Dev, our keyboard player, he’s a freelance web developer so he’s very lucky in that he can work wherever he is! Is there anything on the album that you feel suggests a new direction? Well, what’s interesting is I think there’s a bunch of paths we can take. There’re definitely some ideas kicking around. For example there are a lot of ideas that sound more like [recent single] ‘Bad Street’. I think the real aim for the future is that we want to stay as genre-less as possible.

Twin Sister's debut album 'In Heaven' is out now via Domino.

INTERVIEW YOU ME AT SIX

LITTLE

BIT OF

TRUTH It's been a turbulent few years for You Me At Six, but they're not ones to bite their tongues… Words: Sarah Jamieson, Photos: Sam Bond. Being in a band can be a tough job. ReEmerging onto the underground UK rock gardless of the glamour and high life that scene way back in 2007, the band – comwe inevitably associate rock and roll with, pleted by guitarists Max Helyer and Chris it's inevitable that the hardships behind Miller, bassist Matt Barnes and drummer the scenes are often left out of the story. Dan Flint - were just five teenagers from Whether problems stem from constant Surrey, attempting to give things the best attention and scrutiny, being away from shot they could. Infamously taking to home eleven out of twelve months or just Megabus in order to complete a tour that having to look at the same four faces every was booked and promoted entirely on their day, it's easy for us on the outside to forget own, they began to make a name for themthat there's more than selves up and down the just perks. Some bands country. With a few eventually give into their support slots – shar"'SINNERS NEVER demons and it adds to ing the stage with the SLEEP' IS THE their demise, whilst othlikes of Fightstar, The ers attempt to conquer Audition and New REBIRTH OF YOU them. As of right now, Found Glory - under ME AT SIX. THIS it seems that You Me their belt, the band IS WHERE IT At Six are all about the spent most of the next PROPERLY STARTS.” two years on the road, latter. before the release of About to release their their first album 'Take third album 'Sinners Never Sleep', it stands Off Your Colours' in late 2008. A hybrid as their most cathartic and mature offering of their favourite bands' sounds, their songs to date. Most importantly though, it stands told stories of typical teenage life, and it as the thing that brought the band back towas enough to have them playing London's gether, when it was starting to tear at the Roundhouse by March 2009. seams. “Had this record not come out the way it has, I'm not sure whether I'd still However, it was at the dawn of 2010 when want to be doing You Me At Six,” says 21 things really began to take off. Releasing year old front man Josh Franceschi. “I think second album 'Hold Me Down' in Janu'Sinners Never Sleep' is the rebirth of You ary, it sky-rocketed to number 5 in the UK Me At Six. It's not just another record that charts; one of the highest chart positions we're putting out. This is, for me, where it for any rock band that year. It was also durproperly starts.” ing the build-up to the second album that 66 thisisfakediy.co.uk

INTERVIEW YOU ME AT SIX

things took a turn for the worse: it was at this point the band became sick of each other. After tours, they would walk away unsure of the next time they'd even speak, with Max admittedly coming close to leaving. “There'd be times in the past where we'd be told, “Okay, let's go out to London to do a press day,” and it'd be like, “oh cool, those guys again, every day.”” explains Josh. Unfortunately though, it took a heartbreaking turn of events to give them some perspective. As the band recently revealed, it was during the same week that 'Hold Me Down' took the number five slot that Dan's father died, whilst Chris' had passed earlier in the band's career. “When things got really bad internally, that's when Dave [Flint] passed away. That probably saved our band; that coming together and having to grow up big time, and having to look out for each other...” says Josh. “We didn't really show one another that much compassion up until that point. It was very lads being lads; being standoffish and not really talking.” Surely though, it was hard to even reveal details as personal as that? “I think, yeah, it's hard, but it's a huge, huge, huge role in shaping this band and keeping this band going. Obviously, it's not the easiest thing to even let people know about, or talk about, but I think if you don't talk about that sort of stuff, it kind of gets put on the backburner, and they're just as much a part of what we're doing now as they were when they were with us. It's important for us to remember that.” Returning to the album, 'Sinners Never 68 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Sleep' was recorded in LA with Garth Richardson; the man behind albums from Rage Against The Machine and Biffy Clyro. When the band moved there for two months earlier this year, the experience itself seems to have been a memorable one. With a wicked smile, Matt tells us, “It was messy. Did some things I'm not proud of. Did some things I'm very proud of. The rest is history!” But what can we expect from the record? “It's just our band finding its sound, as corny as that sounds,” says Josh. “It's taken three records, but I think we all feel, as a unit, what we want to sound like and what kind of band we want to be now.” He continues: “I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the proudest moment of this album is hearing You Me At Six as a band that sounds like they know what they want to sound like. Before, with 'Take Off Your Colours' we were just trying to emulate the sound of our peers and the bands that we really liked at that time, then to an

"BEFORE, WE WERE JUST TRYING TO EMULATE THE SOUND OF OUR PEERS. THIS IS THE HONEST YOU ME AT SIX RECORD."

"WE'RE AS STRONG AS WE'VE EVER BEEN." Tongue'. “I think if you're a You Me At Six fan already, it's something you'll find quite insightful,” says Josh. “One of the things we pride ourselves on as a band is that we've got a pretty open relationship with our fans. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music, they know us probably as well as we know ourselves. We thought it was important for them to really, really know us, so they feel more a part of what we're doing." “I think there's a lot of good stories in there that people never would have realised our band had been through," adds Max.

extent, we were guilty of that on 'Hold Me Down' as well. With this, we are who we are and this is what it is. I hate to use this word again, but it is the honest You Me At Six record." “Lyric-wise, I feel like Josh has had a lot more to say, and got a lot off his chest,” says Max. “There's something there for everyone on the record. If you're a fan of heavier music, or if you're a fan of slower music, or if you're just a fan of straight up rock music. There's a lot of diversity on that CD, which is what I think we've always been really good at as a band.” And that there is. Alongside the hookladen pop rock songs that You Me At Six have become renowned for, we see them take on the experimental with 'When We Were Younger', whilst branching into the more heavy and aggressive side of their genre, with songs like 'Bite My Tongue' and 'Time Is Money', both of which feature

post-hardcore vocalists Oli Sykes (of Bring Me The Horizon) and Winston McCall (of Australian outfit Parkway Drive). What made you choose them as guests? "When we had those two songs, and the idea came up of adding an extra layer of aggression, we were like, "It's obviously gotta be Oli and Winston."" explains Josh. "I think the thing is, is that our band can crossover into that kind of world and vice versa. [Bring Me The] Horizon are getting a lot of love on Radio 1 and they just played Main Stage at Reading and Leeds so they, in their own right, are appealing to the masses and not just the hardcore scene that they came from. Plus, Parkway Drive and Bring Me The Horizon are both two bands that we all really enjoy listening to." Alongside the deluxe edition of 'Sinners Never Sleep', the band have recorded a documentary, named after the song most influenced by their breakdown: 'Bite My

Never fear though, when we meet the band to do this interview, they seem entirely happy and at ease. Making jokes throughout, mocking Max for some of his answers and detailing their hopes for the latest tour's stage show as “You Me At Six: The Pantomime!”, things seem to have come full circle for the five young men. Halfway through our track-by-track guide [find it online at thisisfakediy.co.uk], Josh explodes with laughter watching a Def Leppard video in the background, whilst Matt happily sings at least four of his answers. “At least we're not boring!” he exclaims, and it's almost hard to imagine them as ever not getting along this well. “It's the fact that this album has come out the way it has, and the fact that we've come out the way we have – as a group, as a unit – we're probably as strong as we've ever been; it makes me excited to be on tour," offers Josh. "It makes me excited to be around the other guys." And what should fans take away from 'Sinners Never Sleep'? “Anything they want,” he adds, before Matt suggests: “As long as they take something away from it, then that's fine. If they listen to it and they don't like it, if it's not their kind of thing, fine, at least you gave it a chance. Just listen to it and assess it in your own way.” “At the end of the day,” summarises Dan. “We've made an album that we're proud of.” You Me At Six' new album 'Sinners Never Sleep' will be released on 3rd October via Virgin / EMI. 69

INTERVIEW RYAN ADAMS

RELIGHT MY FIRE

With his first new solo album in six years, Ryan Adams is going it alone. Words: Emma Swann. Photos: Sam Bond. As it turns out, we're not only lucky to be in the same room as Ryan Adams today, but perhaps even the same country. Last week he found himself waiting in a New York airport while "about 150" flights were in the process of being cancelled thanks to Hurricane Irene. His was, thankfully, fine, and now he's in London promoting the release of his thirteenth (yes, thirteenth - Ed) studio album, 'Ashes & Fire'. "I love this whole country, I love Wales and Scotland and Ireland," he begins enthusiastically, echoing the sentiment by asking the waitress for a cup of tea. "I like it here a lot, musically. The kind of music that I play is the music that you like; it's still culturally relevant. You still have music magazines that actually cover records. In the United States we have Rolling Stone, who put some woman from a TV show in a bikini on the cover, and I don't know who 70 thisisfakediy.co.uk

she is. Even if I don't care too much about Pink Floyd, I want to pick up a magazine that has some crazy retrospective article on them, and I want to read about new records. It's nice, you actually feel how important music still is to people here."Â While it might seem a long time since the last Ryan Adams record, in reality that couldn't be further from the truth. His last conventional solo album was way back in 2005, sure, and it's three years since his most recent 'proper' release in the form of 'Cardinology' with the Cardinals. Recent history, however, has seen Adams in a rich vein of form; 2010 saw his own label PAX AM issue the sci-fi metal shocker 'Orion' plus a double Cardinals album, 'III/IV', both in limited numbers. What's more he had two books, 'Infinity Blues' and 'Hello Sunshine' published the year before. Oh, and he got married too.

INTERVIEW RYAN ADAMS

"I LITERALLY TRAVEL WITH ONE BAG AND ONE GUITAR. IT'S GREAT, IT'S REALLY FREEING."

It's a little surprising, then, that he's chosen now to release an album via established means - especially given his love for the internet. Was it such an obvious step to take, to return to the traditional way of getting material out there?Â "Yes, definitely. I still totally believe that the best thing about social media for musicians is that it makes stuff free; it makes you able to give away songs. But I still fully intended on making a new record, it just took me a minute to get it together. For the last couple of years I was just living life." The album, recorded in California and produced by Glyn Johns (the father of long-time Adams collaborator Ethan), was entirely self-financed, and completed before any labels were even approached - and it paid off. "I made the record on my own, and when it was all said and done, I went to these major labels that had great distribution and met with their acting presidents 72 thisisfakediy.co.uk

and said 'Listen, I made this, it's mine, it's not negotiable, do you want to hear it?' I luckily had really good responses. I think everybody that we talked to was pretty much interested." In short, he's got the best of the independent world: doing what he wants, when he wants, how he wants; and the relative safety of a major: marketing, advertising, distribution. The major label this time around is Columbia, and it's a happy relationship so far. "They're a partner in the distribution, and they're a partner in what I do." Setting up PAX AM was the next logical step for Adams after parting company with his previous home, Universal - he'd had the makings of a label around him all this time, he just hadn't realised it. "I looked around me and saw all these people that I already love, that have been in my life; the same people have been there for almost fifteen

"HAVING MY OWN LABEL, AND SETTING IT UP ON MY TERMS, IS REALLY GOOD FOR ME."

years. So one day I just went 'you know what, we're a label'. Every person in my life has the ability to do this. And so we got in to it, and figured it out, and everybody kinda knows what they're doing."

how I'm going to play," Adams muses. "I'll play with some people eventually, but it's really good, the vibe is good. I think people like it more. I hope! They seem to like it more."

And, while many artists' own labels are little more than 'by name only', Ryan's is, almost literally, about as hands-on as you can get. "I'm on my iPhone all the time, and I have this new rule where we do everything by text. The idea is that when there are questions that come up that need answering, I have tried to do it all by text messaging. That way there's no long, crazy emails, just very direct 'yes, let's do this', or 'no, let's do this'. It's working!"Â

Apparently his 'rock 'n roll' days were only ever numbered. "When I brought my band over here, people were hissing like snakes. I don't think they liked it too much. A lot of my songs aren't conducive to trying to make them sound like the Foo Fighters. As much as I want to rock,I think some people are maybe freaked out by it."

It's not just his records that Ryan's taking charge of - his live show is likely to be stripped-down, solo and acoustic for the foreseeable future too. "I think that's just

He doesn't miss the gang mentality of being with a band either - his three-person crew proving more than enough company on the road. "It's so much better. It's not lonely or anything. I have a concise and small crew - I have a tour manager, and she's the best. Then my guitar tech is also

a monitor guy, and our sound guy - he used to work with Steve Albini, and he's really quiet. There's just the four of us, and it's mythically easy to do these gigs. I literally travel with one bag and one guitar. It's great, it's really freeing." Due to return to this side of the Atlantic later this year, Adams isn't planning to take on the arenas any time soon - instead opting for the more intimate setting of London's wonderfully atmospheric Union Chapel. "I still like the idea of playing places that are that size," he explains. "I couldn't really play the Albert Hall by myself. Have people played it strictly acoustic by their own selves? I'm sure Bob Dylan probably did, but I'm not Bob Dylan!" Ryan Adams' new album 'Ashes & Fire' will be released on 10th October via PAX AM / Columbia. 73

INTERVIEW THE R APTURE

HOUSE OF JEALOUS LOVERS

After five years away The Rapture have returned, back with DFA and back with a renewed sense of creativity. Daniel Wright caught up with Luke Jenner to discuss the tribulations of the last few years and how he has emerged from the darkness happier than ever – and with the best record of the band’s career.

It’s nearly a decade since The Rapture emerged on the scene with ‘House Of Jealous Lovers’, the perfect distillation of everything that was great about ‘punk funk’. It’s now been five years since their last album 'Pieces Of The People We Love', a record which seemed destined to catapult them to superstar status - only for the band to all but disappear. This lengthy absence meant that the announcement of new record 'In The Grace Of Your Love' brought both excitement and questions. Speaking to singer Luke Jenner you begin to understand why they needed some time away from the limelight. “A lot has happened. My son was born; my mum died - she took her own life; I quit drinking three years ago and Mattie quit the band.” Yet even before these events there were underlying tensions within the band. “It was a difficult time. We were trying to find a balance that satisfied everyone and it didn’t work. 'Echoes' was this really sprawling record. I love Roxy Music and late Beatles albums where they’ll just try everything. That’s what 'Echoes' was - just us.” The result of this discord was the departure of Mattie Safer. “Of course it was hard, we 74 thisisfakediy.co.uk

were married to him for eight years. But he wanted to win a Grammy and be the most famous person in the world and that’s not why we became a band.” Understandably, given everything he’s been through, 'In The Grace Of Your Love' is an extremely personal record for Jenner. The cover image, a photo of Jenner’s father surfing, is a touching symbol of this. “I lost my mother to mental illness. I wanted to acknowledge my love for my father while he is still here on this earth.” This emotional proximity to the record also meant that it was an extremely cathartic experience. “I was feeling a lot of things and I decided it was better to walk

through the fire - not wallowing in it but embracing it. “It’s the first record that I don’t cringe when listening to. Not that the other two weren’t good, but just because the subject matter is a bit different; it doesn’t feel that I’m trying to run away from anything.” It makes 'Grace' an expansive, shimmering, life-affirming dance record that is both personal exploration and a collection of euphoric disco bangers. It’s the sound of a band comfortable and confident enough to try and push into new territories. This can, in part, be attributed to producer Phillipe Zdar. As Jenner acknowledges, he

"I GOT REALLY FAMOUS REALLY QUICKLY AND HAD ALL THE THINGS I WANTED, BUT I WASN’T ABLE TO STAND STILL AND APPRECIATE THEM."

“brings out the love in the band rather than focus on the scratchier elements.” Standout moment ‘It Takes Time To Be A Man’, in particular, is stunning. “That was a stretch for me, getting into soul man territory. I had to put aside ideas of what I can and cannot do. A song like that wouldn’t have happened on the last record." It’s clear that the five years since the last album have transformed Jenner’s outlook on what it means to be in a band. He now seems content that “we’re doing things for the right reasons.” The band’s return to DFA, their spiritual home, is certainly an indication of this.

“It was an unresolved thing… Mattie wanted to leave. When we started we treated Mattie like shit. He was like the younger brother, and we’d say ‘Shut up and listen to this’. He really wanted to leave DFA and I felt really bad because he hadn’t made any decisions so I agreed.” “It was the beginning of the end. We lost our support and our community. That was the label we released our first single on. I lost a huge piece of myself. Coming back was like finding the power socket again.” This reconnection has obviously reinvigorated the band - and Jenner, in particular, has a new focus. I ask him how he thinks the album will be perceived after such a

long time away. “I don’t give a s**t about how it’s perceived. When we first started I used to stand at the side of the stage when other bands were playing and think ‘I’m gonna destroy you.’ Now I realise there’s enough to go round for everyone.” “This is the first time I’ve felt truly happy on a daily basis. I got really famous really quickly and had all the things I wanted but I wasn’t able to stand still and appreciate them. Now I can.” The house of jealous lovers, then, has become the house of love. The Rapture's new album 'In The Grace Of Your Love' is out now via DFA Records. 75

BACK STORY GIRLS

ALBUMS Back Story...

Behind every album there's the story of its inception. Granted, sometimes it's boring, but occasionally it's actually quite interesting. DIY catches up with Girls to find out just how their latest album 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' came into being.

Your new album, 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost', is out this month. How long did it take you from start to finish? It was about a month of recording three weeks here in San Francisco, and then another two weeks in LA. Some of that was mixing, so about a month of recording and then a couple of weeks of mixing, and then mastering sessions and everything. When did you start writing material for it? I write songs all the time, and then when we go to make an album we pick the ones I wanna record the most. There are songs on there that were written years ago, and then songs that were written only a few months ago. They're not written in a session specifically for an album. Did you know how you wanted it to sound from the off? We did, we did. Each song is very specifically planned when it's written, so by picking the songs we knew exactly how the album was gonna sound. We heard you recorded it in a San Francisco office building - that doesn't sound very glamourous? There's a building where a guy has built his own studio down in the basement; it was very nice. The studio was ideal, because the guy built it with all the best sort of equipment but when you rent it from him, he gives you the keys and just leaves. It's not like a regular studio where you've got lots of staff watching you, and you're watching the clock because you're paying by the hour. We could be very relaxed, work all hours and be alone. How much do you tinker with your recording equipment? Are you fans of unusual, or home-made instruments? No, no. It's very basic. Especially with this album, more than anything we've done in the past. It's very much one track of drums, one track of bass, two tracks of guitar, one lead vocal and some backing vocals. And then, you know, either a piano or an organ but then that's it. In the past, we did kind of experiment a little more but this was a very classic, standard rock and roll album. You'll be touring the album over the rest of the year: is there anything on there you can't play live? There's nothing we can't play. I think if you listen to the record, it's less experimental than anything we've ever done. It's very straight forward and basic, so

yeah, we'll be playing it all live and of course we'll try to make it a good show, like the best possible live performance we can from those songs. But they're very simple songs. How do you think the addition of your new drummer (Darren Weiss) and guitarist ( John Anderson) affected the end product, if at all? Well, the new drummer is just very good; he's very good at doing exactly what you want him to do. That helps a lot because the drums are one of the first things you record, the basis of everything; we could just get on with the rest. The guitarist was a very good friend of mine who I've been wanting to record with for years now so it was like a dream come true getting to work with him. He's very talented and you can hear it. It comes through on the recording as well. Are there any themes the record picks up on that are especially important to the band? Yeah, there are very important songs that we've been waiting a long time to record. Like, I was talking about recording with this friend of mine that played guitar - that was a very special thing that we've been waiting to do for a very long time, so it's a big achievement for us. But you know, it's certainly not the end of it. The job's not done, or whatever. It's hard for me to say what's important and what's not. The songs are written and recorded on a song to song basis so at the end of the day, years from now, this could be an important album, or maybe just specific songs will be considered important. Do you have any songs left over from the recording sessions? There are songs that aren't on the album that were recorded, but they have plans. They're going to be released as special, as B-sides and giveaways and things like that. They'll all come out; there's nothing that won't be heard. Is there anything you learnt recording 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' that you wished you knew when working on 'Album'? Well, yeah, but at the same time, the first album, we knew we were doing it in a very unideal fashion; without a record label, without any money. We still had full time jobs. This record is made in probably the way that every band would want to make their record; well planned and in a nice space, and with good musicians and a good producer. I guess the thing that sticks out at the end of the day for us is that it's the way we'd like to continue to work. Good planning does work out. Girls' new album 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' is out now via Fantasytrashcan / Turnstile.

Girls

Father, Son, Holy Ghost When a band follows up an amazingly good album (titled 'Album', obviously) with an even more amazingly good EP (last year's 'Broken Dreams Club'), there's every expectation that whatever they do next will be even better. More often than not a mathematical trend based on two points of evidence tends to be a flawed endeavour, but then Girls are far from a science. Brought up as part of the Children Of God cult, lead vocalist Christopher Owens was denied music - his only exposure found through watching films. Though he may cite Queen and Guns N' Roses as notable examples of what he was able to absorb, Girls remain an all together different affair, their laid back, Costello tinged pop a million miles away from the bombast of Axl and Freddie. From the moment lead track 'Vomit' appeared online the feeling of excitement was palpable. Six and a half minutes long, the emotional centrepiece of 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' is a winding, almost sleazy slow burner that erupts into life with a spluttering riff and ends in full on choral rapture. Packed with ideas, yet at times almost minimalistic, it's a shifting juxtaposition that sums up Girls' second album perfectly. Form and structure aren't important. Neither, it seems, are expectations. 'Die' packs a guitar line straight out of Led Zeppelin's Big Book Of Blues Rock which, when following 'Alex' and its wilful contempt for a single choice of tempo, leaves the listener scrambling for a foothold like Bambi on ice. This, obviously, is brilliant. It would be too easy for Owens' vocal delivery, matched alongside warm, 60s tinged guitar, to become samey. When mixing in the breathlessly beautiful 'Forgiveness' or the heartbreaking closer 'Jamie Marie' there's always something interesting around the corner.Â 'Magic' plays out like a carefree summers day, while the winding slow dance of 'Love Life' is some of the most perfect production you'll hear. By the end, 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' seems almost spiritual. Of all the albums that will be pushed up those ceaseless end of year lists, you can be sure that Girls will be the proud parents of the one with a soul. (Ben Marsden) 79

REVIEWS ALBUMS

GIVERS

LAURA MARLING

With a new year comes a new alternative pop import from across the pond. We’ve had Yeasayer, we’ve had Vampire Weekend. But could 2011 be Givers’ year? The answer is yes. ‘In Light’, in fact, is one big fat metaphorical YES. With massive pop songs like ‘Meantime’, and the stomping ruckus of ‘In My Eyes’, it’s hard not to see the potential here. The strength of both Tiffany Lamson’s and Taylor Guarisco’s vocals provide that boy-girl contrast that we all love. By combining afro-beat percussion with both modern and classic indie guitar lines, Givers have created a familiar but thoroughly enjoyable album. (George Boorman)

Two albums nominated for the Mercury Prize, and yet still Laura Marling's Brit Awards triumph earlier this year was met with confused glances from some more sheltered corners of the mainstream. Quite how they managed to remain so ignorant may remain a mystery after a year as a mainstay on radio airwaves despite being amongst the more pure bred of the new breed of folksters, third album 'A Creature I Don't Know' will surely seal the deal. From lead single 'Sophia' through to the beautiful 'Don't Ask Me Why' via highlight 'Night After Night', Marling's best work to date comes at the tender age of 21. By the time she's finished, even your Gran will know her name. (Stephen Ackroyd)

ST VINCENT

SLOW CLUB

It's difficult to tell if the gloriously hyperactive nature of the blogosphere has made it easier to get excited about albums like 'Strange Mercy', or just allowed those more predisposed to obsession over artists like Annie Clark to whip up their own particular brand of polite frenzy. Either way, St. Vincent's third album is definitely something worth attention. The follow up to 2009's brilliant 'Actor', orchestral tones are replaced with woozy synths while Clark's vocals and choral samples offer a strange yet brilliant tone. Whatever the reason, an album worthy of public adoration. (Stephen Ackroyd)

‘Paradise’ is identifiably Slow Club, still trades noisy exhilaration and serene beauty, but it throb throb throbs with pop ambition. The production is so clean, so precise and shimmers with tension, a tension stretched so taut it could twang and snap any second. It never does though; there’s no waste, no blurred edges, no specks of dust. It’s steely, controlled and dauntingly muscular. This is more than just a step forward for Slow Club; this is already potential fulfilled, a band utterly in control and realising ambitions. Where they go from here should be pretty exceptional. (Dave Rowlinson)

In Light

RYAN ADAMS Ashes & Fire

It’s been a decade since Ryan Adams released ‘Gold’, his astonishing second album and magnum opus, but it still sounds as crisp and novel now as it ever did: the glib hooks of ‘New York, New York’, the expansive stride of ‘Nobody Girl’, the stirring ode to ‘Sylvia Plath’ and the hummable pop of ‘When Stars Go Blue’. But now is now – and the venerable country troubadour is sixteen albums into his career. ‘Ashes & Fire’, his latest, shows no signs of decline. It may even be his second best.

A Creature I Don't Know

Those who attended Adams’ Barbican shows earlier this year will know that they were rather stripped back affairs – and this is the path the album takes: diaphanous, mellow and yearning. Very rarely do we catch a glimpse of anything other than an affable acoustic guitar, winding organ dash or reverberating double bass thrum. But with legendary knob-twiddler Glyn Johns (best known for his work with the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones) at the helm, finding the right approach to recording this minimal set-up was never going to be a problem. What’s more, there’s a glut of guest spots: Norah Jones coos sweetly on a number of tracks, whilst Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ organist Benmont Tench makes a showing on ‘Ashes & Fire’. The straightforward country rock of opener ‘Dirty Rain’ sets us on a familiar course, but gruffer, more guttural vocals enter on ‘Ashes & Fire’. Things get dark. The beauteous ‘Come Home’ is soft and primitive. He croons: ‘Nobody has to hide the way that they feel’, before the rolling fretwork of slide and steel guitars entwines in a magnificent solo. One standout is ‘Chains Of Love’, an ornate country ballad which recalls the Verve if covering ‘Harvest’-era Neil Young – but a lot, lot better than that comparison makes it sound. Another – which you’ll be familiar with already – is single ‘Lucky Now’ with its irresistible ‘ey-ey-ey’ sing-along. Meanwhile, ‘Invisible Riverside’ expounds on its title with the whimsy of its sinuous synths and moving closer ‘I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say’ engenders one last weep as his vocals reach their tonal apexes and string sections soar. It’s a fittingly forlorn end to an album in which you notice a distinct lack of optimism, but we don’t care. Here, Adams is as elegant as ever. (Huw Oliver)

80 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Strange Mercy

Paradise

THE RAPTURE

In The Grace Of Your Love

LANTERNS ON THE LAKE

Fact: 'House Of Jealous Lovers' was released almost eight years ago. Since the track that thrust both band and producer (LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy) into the limelight, The Rapture have lost a bassist, signed to a major, then returned to original home DFA. That last move seems to have worked wonders. Back in the bosom of the label that helped birth their much aped strand of dance-rock, 'In The Grace Of Your Love' is the definitive return to form. Frontman Luke Jenner says it best on opener 'Sail Away' - 'Don't ever look back'. With a record this good, it's doubtful anyone will want to. (Stephen Ackroyd)

Weaving together guitars with a violin, mandolin, piano, synths, glockenspiels and a kalimba, Bella Union’s newest signings Lanterns On The Lake have put together a carefully considered collection of songs that both showcases their musical ability and breadth of scope. When swept up together, ‘Gracious Tide, Take Me Home’ comprises both beautiful melodies and stories that envelope the entire release, resulting in an enchanting myriad of modern folklore, and folk music combined. An enchanting album, one that – despite its significant subtleties – never fails to pull you into the depths of the band’s lyrical stories and the stunning details of their own music. (Heather Steele)

Gracious Tide, Take Me Home

TWIN SISTER

MARCUS FOSTER

Following two wildly praised EPs, ‘In Heaven’ marks Twin Sister’s first full-length. Each song has a very delicate centre, charming its listener with deft tones, spacious production and twinkling synths. This outlook grows somewhat tiresome during the midway section of the record, but here lies the point at which the band decide to experiment, with dazzling results. This bold statement claims there’s more to the band than a simple “dreamlike” status many attribute them to. By replicating the successful mood lurking in earlier work, whilst exploring some out of bounds territory, Twin Sister have made quite the statement. An entrancing introduction. ( Jamie Milton)

Best known up to now as co-author of ‘Let Me Sign’, the shambolically soulful Twilight theme sung by Robert Pattinson, it’s evident from the outset that Marcus Foster has carefully crafted and slicked his own heartfelt, histrionic take on soul-folk. As a self-professed amant of Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong, his music also successfully backs up this circumstance. 'Nameless Path' is almost exactly what you’d expect, but in a good way - blues thru ‘n’ thru and rather over-the-top, with quite a lot of yearning drama dashed here and there; an excellent debut from a highly promising singer-songwriter. (Huw Oliver)

In Heaven

MARIACHI EL BRONX Mariachi El Bronx II

Punk-rockers The Bronx’ decision to make a mariachi side project took us all by surprise, and while their second album may not be full of curve-balls it’s still thoroughly enjoyable. ’48 Roses’ introduces the album, and shows off El Bronx’s surprisingly good lyrical knack. While their musical stylings haven’t changed much there is a sense that they have polished off the less rounded finishes of their debut under the mariachi moniker. Now if only Beirut could make a heavy metal album our lives would be complete. (George Boorman)

Nameless Path

THE WHIP Wired Together

It's been almost three-and-a-half years since The Whip's debut 'X Marks Destination'. The album, whilst flawed, displayed a band with plenty of potential; there was the feeling that whatever came next would be even better. Indeed, 'Wired Together' has been well worth the wait; it's leagues ahead of its predecessor intense, layered, but pure pop at its heart. The gauntlet has been thrown down, in the form of one of the best dance-rock albums of the year. (Gareth O'Malley) 81

REVIEWS ALBUMS

HOWLING BELLS

GROUPLOVE

VERONICA FALLS Veronica Falls

MIRACLE FORTRESS

As much as Juanita Stein’s voice guarantees a sexy sway to proceedings, that seductive silhouette sometimes hides the fact that with 'The Loudest Engine' Howling Bells have pushed far from their safety zone; flirting with unhinged psychedelia. They're still making the odd misstep, but with their newfound experimentation and formidably reliable reputation, it’s becoming ever harder not to forgive them. Gaining an arsenal of new moves, but not losing their softer touch has enabled Howling Bells to make an album more varied and rewarding. They can still brood, they can still bark and now more ferociously than ever Howling Bells can bite. (Matthew Davies)

Anybody who thought that last year's self-titled EP, 'Grouplove', was just a sly curveball ahead of a darker, Joy Division inspired debut is likely to be disappointed. 'Never Trust A Happy Song' is, ironically, the musical equivalent of Prozac. In an album full of unashamedly summery songs, it’s ‘Naked Kids’ which evokes the carefree spirit of the sunny season most. The title means you can’t ever admit to it being your favourite though; try telling your mates that you "love Naked Kids." You’d have to be a miser of massive proportions for this album not to warm your insides with its euphoric naivety. ( James Hibberd)

'Veronica Falls' is a cracking, crackling debut, which at it’s best reminds just what a thrilling, invigorating world indie-pop can be. However, a bit too often you wish the band would throw themselves about a touch more, bloody their noses, graze their knees - really commit to the moment. Take ‘Found Love In The Graveyard’; the foreboding air promises a prime opportunity for some lupine lust or Nosferatu inspired naughtiness, but what we’re left with sounds more like the Mystery, Inc. gang getting chased around to a Josie & The Pussycats pophit. A total blast, but it doesn’t give much of an insight into what gets these pesky kids’ hearts beating. (Dave Rowlinson)

A one man band, in this case Graham Van Pelt's alter ego Miracle Fortress, self producing their own album, seems like a terribly dangerous idea. After all, who's on hand to tell them when they're being self indulgent? Who else is there to say, enough, we're done now, it's ready? Particularly when, as is the case with Miracle Fortress' sophomore album here, each track is comprised of layer upon layer upon layer of sound, there must be a constant danger of sliding headfirst into the category of 'overcooked'. Fortunately, there's no such problem here; 'Was I the Wave?' is, for the most part, a beautiful, vaguely threatening slice of electroindie pop. (Simone Scott Warren)

WOODEN SHJIPS

BLITZEN TRAPPER

BIG DEAL

PEGGY SUE

If you ever wanted to experience the musical equivalent of both the exhilaration and extreme vexation of driving in California, 'West', the new album by psych-rockers Wooden Shjips, has you covered. There are plenty of high-octane, crunchy guitar riffs to make you want to step on the gas; there are also plenty frustrating points of stagnation, which linger far too long to hold your attention. But, the heart of the record pulses with an originality and inventiveness that ultimately buoys the entire work. When they are hitting on all cylinders, this untamed quartet creates an inexhaustible, experimental sound that can lead you anywhere and everywhere all at once. (Erik Thompson)

It’s been a busy time for Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley, the singer/ guitarist has gone from being a student, to being homeless, to releasing a sixth album with his band, in a short few years. It’s no surprise then that we now find him taking stock and looking back. From the first listen, 'American Goldwing' sounds like an intensely personal, nostalgic album. This is simply American Rock, feeding off all the history that classification implies and incorporating it seamlessly into a great set of songs where blasts of harmonica, banjo and slide guitar elbow in alongside crashing riffs and hammering drum fills. ( Johnny Owen)

Big Deal are a rather stranger proposition than other similarly gender based duos (Cults, Summer Camp, Sleigh Bells et al), and their debut album is a beguilingly understated take on a well worn style of indie pop. The only instruments featured on the album are the twin electric and acoustic guitars of Alice Costelloe and her band mate KC Underwood coupled with their intertwining vocal harmonies; there's no rhythm section, programmed bass or drum machine to be heard. This subtle, stripped back approach allows the melodies and the supremely strong song writing to shine through. A very promising debut album from a very interesting band. (Martyn Young)

After the well received ‘Fossils And Other Phantoms’, Peggy Sue are back with their second longplayer ‘Acrobats’. Unfortunately, nothing really grabs you like their last album; it seems that in trying something new, the band have lost the delicate beauty that made them unique - something doesn’t fit. Perhaps it’s not an album to be compared with 'Fossils…', and would be appreciated without comparison. But when their debut was so brilliant, it’s hard not to long for the sparky punch that once existed. It’s all a lot less immediate; a record that requires repeated listens. (Leah Henson)

The Loudest Engine

West

82 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Never Trust A Happy Song

American Goldwing

Lights Out

Was I The Wave?

Acrobats

ROOTS MANUVA

REAL ESTATE

In a genre dominated by niche and cliché, Roots Manuva treads an unsteady line, a refusal to define himself that could just as easily make his work seem unfocused as it reveals his talent. 4everevolution is an apt title then, as this hour-long affair resists categorisation throughout. Offbeat bass experimentation (‘Here We Go Again’) gives way to electro-soul (‘Watch Me Dance’) gives way to a glitch-hop marathon (‘The Throes Of It’) while the only common reference point is Roots’ characteristically deep, languorous flow. It’s a heady mix but that single anchor isn’t enough to hold this album in place, for better and worse. ( Joe Skrebels)

Real Estate are unofficially recognised as one of the bands responsible for spawning the much-discussed genre of Chillwave. Whether you consider it a legitimate style, or simply a piece of descriptive twaddle, there is no doubt that Real Estate’s sound cruised contentedly along on the sizable ripples created by earlier psychedelic efforts from acts like Panda Bear and Ariel Pink. The second Real Estate album ‘Days’ picks up pretty much where LP number one left off. This is not an album of rousing choruses that shout from the rooftops for attention, neither is this quick-fix songwriting. This is an album of subtleties, with a beautiful sense of spontaneity and understated musicality. (El Hunt)

4everevolution

Days

BOMBAY CICYCLE CLUB A Different Kind Of Fix

Bombay Bicycle Club's latest full length is summed up pretty damn well by its given name. Their debut full length was often shoe-gazingly indie, while follow up 'Flaws' was an acoustic folksy effort. 'A Different Kind Of Fix' is an all together more assertive affair. Not scared of the sweeping ('Take The Right One'), or indeed a good groove ('Lights Out, Words Gone'), this is a Bombay Bicycle Club standing proud. Confidence is always a good look. (Stephen Ackroyd)

TEETH

ZUN ZUN ENGUI

"Y'all think we care?" is the first line delivered on the debut album by Teeth. Psht, whatever, man. Teeth don't care. They will not be told. The brattiness, along with the backing of electronic noise and rambuncious female vocalist, leads to inevitable comparisons with the likes of Crystal Castles. Whilst the rebellious posturing schtick is a worn and battered twig by now, there are some undeniably catchy melodies across the album's twelve tracks. Ultimately, though, 'Whatever' really isn't offering much new, making the repeating lyrics of 'This Time' ("Same old/Grow old... Don't let us stay the same / We've got to make a change") somewhat ironic. (Tom Baker)

Bristol's latest export, Zun Zun Engui are experi-to-the-utterly-flippingmental, and, as 'Katang' proves, clearly fans of prog rock, some world music, and a dollop of freestyle jazz, for good measure. Taking mundane subject matters and lyrically redefining them in the most insane manner possible appears to be top of their musical CV. Indeed, lead single 'Fandango Fresh' exemplifies this talent; describing the act of carnal knowledge with a refrain of "sexy worm, have you got the bird?" It's joyful, and ridiculously contagious. Unfortunately, whilst 'Katang' proves the band to be exceedingly proficient at what they do, absorbing it feels a little bit too much like hard work. (Simone Scott Warren)

Whatever

Katang

WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS In The Pit Of The Stomach

Sometimes it pays to have high expectations. We Were Promised Jetpacks' debut took its time in making a full impact; it was not the kind of album that grabbed you by the throat right from the off. 'In The Pit Of The Stomach' isn't so much a reinvention of the band's sound, as something on which they realise their full potential. 'These Four Walls' was an impressive opening salvo, but not the full package. Second time around, damn near everything has fallen into place. (Gareth O'Malley)

REVIEWS SINGLES

Celebrity Singles WITH SLOW CLUB

There's nothing sloth like about the wit of Slow Club's Rebecca Taylor, as she gives her verdict on this month's singles. CAAN

FOSTER THE PEOPLE

LAURA MARLING

So, I think I quite like this track. The piano sample is pretty nice, as is the drum track. It's a shame that it doesn't progress much further than that.Â It teeters on the precipice of 'cool' and 'indie', and just being a Bruno Mars finger-your-girlfriendto song (this, however is no bad thing for me BY THE WAY).

This kind of electronic music isn't really my thing. I struggle with straight 1, 2, 3, 4 beat (nowhere in-between the beats to move your arse you see). I also find it pretty boring and overdone. Having said that, I guess the vocals sound nice and there's that nice break down bit around 3.10 that explores something a bit more interesting.

I could never dislike anything the big L puts out. She's the don; utterly fantastic and horrifically talented. This song mixes the two sides of folk / country / joanie she does so well. The lyric content is beautiful, real and honest. I'll be in the 'I prefer the first half' camp, but I love that she's gone and plugged in a bit and explored the sound.

SNOW PATROL

JENS LEKMAN

PEGGY SUE

Look, I love his voice, I always have. Before they were making funeral music and first-dance-in-the-Consort-Hotel style songs they were a band I'd go see live, holding hands with a boy during 'Run'. Anyway, this is generally a yawn but it's the kinda thing they have to make now. You can't get massive hits and not want to make the full Academy's you play dance. You go for it Gary.

I, like most girls in 2008ish got really into listening to a lot of Jens. But then got really bored by it all. I think his ideas are great but sometimes, for all the sparkle it grows tired. This, however is ace. It's everything that is good about him. I like the balls he has to keep it sparse, and that guitar riff is something I've heard a zillion times over but it doesn't make it any less fun and lovely.

Three super fit people making, throbbing, tribal beat based music, what's not to like? The guitar sound on this new stuff is nice and threatening and the way they sing together is forever impressive. Peggy Sue have properly crafted their 'mood' that teeters on dark and dirty, now I just want it to get even darker and dirtier (but that's just me).

Now Hear This My Friends

Called Out In The Dark

84 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Helena Beat

An Argument With Myself

Sophia

Song & Dance

REVIEWS LIVE

LIVE

READING & LEEDS FESTIVAL

IN PHOTOS: READING & LEEDS FESTIVAL

Reading, Berkshire; Leeds, West Yorkshire Reading & Leeds, it's fair to say, is the highlight of our festival season. Sure, it's not as "nice" as the likes of Latitude and Green Man. It's not as "indie" as SWN or Field Day. It hasn't - certainly this year - had quite the line up of T In The Park. Still, as anyone who's been will attest, it's a bit brilliant, isn't it? This year a bunch of DIYers headed over to both sites, interviewing what felt like 90% of the bands playing (check thisisfakediy.co.uk for the full rundown), and - as you can see from our Live section here - reviewing and photo-ing the stuffing out of it. Photography: Emma Swann + Sinead Grainger

86 thisisfakediy.co.uk

SMITH WESTERNS

NME / Radio 1 Stage, Reading Festival Smith Westerns showcase songs largely from their second album ‘Dye It Blonde’, but chuck in a couple from their self titled debut for good measure, most memorably ‘Dreams’, a song which was undermined by an overly lo-fi recording on their debut. However, it's the songs from their follow up which are the real stars of the show. The 60s pop shuffle of ‘Still New’ goes down a bomb, in the process increasing the crowd tenfold - you can easily see why. Smith Westerns are a band obsessed with choruses, and it won’t be long until everyone is singing along. (George Boorman)

DANANANANAYKROYD METRONOMY

NME / Radio 1 Stage, Leeds Festival If there’s one thing you can say about Metronomy, it’s that they know how to win a crowd round. They do it time and time again. And today it’s not that it’s a particularly hostile one – just unfamiliar – that’s heard good things and wants to know what all the fuss is about. It’s a big one too, relatively.

worth of limb-jerkingly fantastic dancepop (though notably far less material from their debut), Metronomy are one of the stand out bands of the festival. They’re flashy (literally), they’re infectious (metaphorically), but overall they’re just goddamn cool. And by the end, the entire tent is bouncing.

And so for such an important gig, coming on to two songs which some might consider (hushed tones) ‘skippers’ is a bold choice – not because it doesn’t work, just because you want to get the hell on with it and dance. But they know that. And so cavorting through three albums'

So if you missed them, you did miss out. But fear not - judging by this performance and their ability to multiply their fan base with every slap of that bass, they’re gonna be ripping up dance floors, tents and horrifically muddy fields for a long time to come. (Amy Sumner)

NME / Radio 1 Stage, Reading Festival Kicking the third day of a festival in to life is no easy task, but multi-faceted hangovers hold no fear for these Scots. Neither, it seems, does a huge NME/ Radio 1 Tent - the jumbo jet one could no doubt park under its ample overs no match for Dananananaykroyd's wall of sound. While recent album 'There Is A Way' provides more than enough ammunition for a full on assault, it's previous high point 'Black Wax' that brings the biggest reception. No worries there though apparently the Chinese noodle van is selling CD-Rs. If only they were; this crowd will feel next Sunday is lacking something a bit special. (Stephen Ackroyd) 87

REVIEWS LIVE

THE HORRORS

Festival Republic, Reading Festival Hear me out, but the most logical way to describe The Horrors' career is through Doctor Who comparisons. And don’t worry, I’m talking about the new generation of course. In hindsight, ‘Strange House’ was the Christopher Eccleston of The Horrors canon: okay, but didn’t leave a lingering after taste. Next up is the David Tennant album, ‘Primary Colours’. Critically acclaimed, much loved and extremely hard to follow up. But follow up they did, with someone/thing even cooler. You all know who I’m talking about now. If Doctors two and three were to do a crossover episode, that would be The Horrors' Reading set: effortlessly fusing ‘Skying’ and ‘Primary Colours’ together into one seamless setlist. The older songs are greeted with whoops and screams while the new tunes are greeted with wide eyes and guffaws. After the success here, you know what needs to be done, Mr Moffat. (George Boorman)

MUSE

Main Stage, Reading Festival Trying to describe a Muse performance in less than 200 words is like trying to describe a 30 Seconds To Mars performance without saying ‘s**t’ or ‘actually this is quite creepy’. Tonight, the world’s premier live band brings what is arguably its masterpiece, ‘The Origin Of Symmetry’. It’s not unreasonable to think that this may not engage the less hardcore fans. But it does. When you’re as remarkable a live act as Muse, you can’t fail but enhance every song from its original recording. When the bombast of final track 'Megalomania' is done, comical pyrotechnics and all, you’re left incredibly satisfied. This however is Muse, remember. There’s so much more to come. After a brief interlude, there’s fifty minutes of pure, unadulterated, massive hits. From 'Uprising' through to a rousing 'Time Is Running Out', it’s a relentless onslaught of all their biggest tracks. Muse’s performance tonight is their best since they first played Wembley at the height of their powers in 2007. Ridiculous, near genius and downright awesome. (Edward Clibbens) 90 thisisfakediy.co.uk

PULP

Main Stage, Reading Festival "The first time we played here was exactly 17 years ago to the day," Jarvis Cocker recounts. It's possible some of tonight's crowd weren't even conceived when Pulp made their Reading bow; it's hard not to feel old. Opening with 'Do You Remember The First Time?', there's a 'dedication' to the rioters before 'Joyriders' ("They were just playing Grand Theft Auto outdoors") and a rapturous outing for 'Mis-Shapes'. Granted, 'Pencil Skirt' and 'I-Spy' might fly above the heads of many attendees at what is essentially a Rock Festival For Young People, but there's no denying that Pulp have hits to outclass almost all their peers. 'Disco 2000' causes the closest Reading 2011 has seen to spontaneous euphoria, while - with Richard Hawley quietly back amongst the fold - there's nothing quite as anthemic as 'Common People' in full flow. They might have played here first last millennium, but when a band can span the generations as brilliantly as Pulp, remembering the first time seems far less important than they promise there will be a next. (Stephen Ackroyd)

THE STROKES

Main Stage, Reading Festival If bill toppers are supposed to ignite the passions, sadly it seems these New Yorkers have a headache. Maybe tomorrow night, eh? Indeed, when following Pulp's set of archbrilliance, the fact Julian Casablancas' dysfunctional mob seem happy to largely go through the motions seems almost criminal. A band who, ten years ago, released an album that genuinely excited the senses should never be accused of box ticking, but across the Summer it's a charge that's been levelled more than once. When they're good, The Strokes still have something both 'Is This It' and 'New York City Cops' are songs with few peers - but the new material simply doesn't match up. Indeed, it says something that an appearance from Jarvis Cocker provides the set's highlight. Covering The Cars' 'Just What I Needed', it's fitting that even despite the billing - tonight Pulp headline Reading from second top of the bill. The curious case of just what is going on with The Strokes, somewhat poetically, remains 'Hard To Explain'. (Ben Marsden)

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE Main Stage, Reading Festival

It's approaching the witching hour, and admittedly, we're a bit tipsy, but isn't that Brian bloody May on stage with My Chemical Romance? And aren't they playing 'We Will Rock You?' There's a trend amongst festival headliners - a need to bring the big guns if they're given top billing. From Muse rolling out The Edge at Glastonbury to everyone expecting Jay-Z a year later for Beyonce's set, if you can pull in a name for the encore, it will keep the crowd happy. MCR's headline slot is an odd one - a return to the site where they met the traditional Reading bottling in 2006. Like the majority of the festival's top acts, they're a band who appeared lower down the bill elsewhere earlier this summer. If that's down to contract issues or just a general feeling they're not actually ready for the headline set is open to debate, but it's one Gerard Way, clad in leather and sporting his bright red barnet, seems to want settled on the stage. With an opening salvo of 'Na Na Na' and 'I'm Not

FRANK TURNER

Lock Up Stage, Reading Festival Frank Turner’s special guest slot at the Lock Up stage has to be one of rock n’ roll’s worst kept secrets. I mean, it’s up there with Elton John being gay. Unsurprisingly then, as darkness descends upon the Reading camp, the Lock Up tent is ridiculously rampacked. Frank’s 'England Keep My Bones' backdrop is unveiled to roars of “Turner, Turner,” and the set is certainly something special. There's a good mix of rarely played songs, such as 'Back In The Day' - a guide to Frank’s punk upbringing, perfectly suiting Lock Up’s punk history, as well as old classics like 'Long Live The Queen' which is bellowed out by the 2000 strong crowd. However, the real fan pleaser comes towards the end of the set with a cover of Queen's 'Somebody To Love'. The beaming faces of everyone singing, is matched only by Frank’s own grinning face. That coupled with a rousing rendition of 'The Ballad Of Me & My Friends' makes this year's secret slot one that you’ll be kicking yourself to have missed. (Clara Cullen)

Okay', there's no shortage of hits in their back pocket to do so. Indeed, it seems like every trick in the book has been loaded up, ready to dazzle. Fireworks, balloons and the aforementioned man with the curly hair all add to a set largely taken from most recent album 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'. 'Planetary (Go!)' may not have quite the elastic bounceback-ability it has on record, but still more than holds it's own, while 'Famous Last Words', 'S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W' and 'Sing' possess all the theatrics needed to fill a big stage. It's closer 'Welcome To The Black Parade' that really proves beyond any doubt that this is where My Chemical Romance belong. Loud, proud and anthemic, with or without a Queen guitarist added for good measure, a band with this much bravado demand to sit at the top of the pile. There'll be no bottles thrown in 2011. (Stephen Ackroyd)

We asked a few of the bands playing who they were looking forward to seeing, and who they'd seen so far. Craig Kneale, Twin Atlantic: I'm going to go and see The National. Maybe we'll see Jimmy Eat World, and The Bronx and Rival Schools. Barry McKenna, Twin Atlantic: I'm definitely with you for The National and Rival Schools, and I'm going to add Glassjaw to my timetable. The Strokes are always amazing. It would be quite cool to see Pulp and reminisce about the Britpop era. Daniel Kessler, Interpol: I'd like to see Death From Above. I think we just missed Warpaint, so that's a bit unfortunate. 2manyDJs will be good too. Pete Robertson, The Vaccines: I saw Miles Kane, who was great, and Mona as well. I'm looking forward to seeing Pulp, Noah & The Whale, White Lies, intrigued to see Beady Eye. Jane's Addiction! Oh, are they tomorrow? Oh, man, that sucks. But I think we're going to go and see The Horrors later. Miles Kane: I'm going to go and watch Beady Eye, believe it or not. I'm sort of excited. I'm going to get out front and have it. The Horrors as well. We did a gig with them the other day in Lowlands and I really like their record, 'Skying'. Shannon Leto, 30 Seconds To Mars: We saw Deftones, a couple of songs. We saw a little bit of Rise Against. Tomo Miličević, 30 Seconds To Mars: I saw a little bit of Bring Me The Horizon. They were good. Kieran Webster, The View: I've seen The Strokes and Pulp, that was good. I thought they were banging, man. Franklin Colucci, Viva Brother: We clash directly with Muse, which is possibly the worst clash you could have of the whole weekend, but we ended up with a great crowd [at Leeds Festival] so hopefully today [Reading] will be much of the same. Samuel Jackson, Viva Brother: We're just hoping that there are some like-minded people that don't like Muse out there that will come and watch us instead. Frank: Not particularly a Muse fan. I like their show. Sam: Their live show is incredible. But you know, it's a polished turd one might say. 91

REVIEWS FILMS

FILMS

DRIVE Based on the book of the same name by James Sallis, Drive is an ultra-stylish, ultraviolent ride into the life of an enigmatic, unnamed Hollywood stuntman and sometime getaway driver played with steely conviction by the incomparable Ryan Gosling. We follow “Driver” over the course of a few days where he meets and romances his neighbour (a sweet, understated Carey Mulligan) leading to the obligatory last job that “goes wrong.” Driver operates under a strict code of five minutes of his time on any given heist; he’s a hired hand with no knowledge of or loyalty to the people he works for. A loner in the great Hollywood sense of the word, he’s economic with his words and manages to make toothpicks and satin jackets sexy. His only friend is Shannon (Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston) a jittery, kind-hearted car mechanic boss-come-mentor. After a chance meeting in a lift, Driver quickly falls for Mulligan’s sympathetic Irene and her cute-as-a-button child. Her ex-con husband, 92 thisisfakediy.co.uk

the bewilderingly-named Standard Gabriel (Oscar Isaac) enters the scene, and in an attempt to help him pay off his debts to some very bad people and save the unknowing Irene, the Driver selflessly offers his services. Inevitably the job goes violently wrong and Driver finds himself on the run from gangsters Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman. So far, so clichéd, you may think. Drive is doing nothing different - we have the Clint Eastwood man with no name, toothpicks and all; the innocent woman with the good for nothing husband; the failed heist; the hunted, tortured hero. However, director Nicolas Winding Refn gives Drive a uniquely retro feel; neon pink titles and an '80s synth soundtrack give the film an almost otherworldly vibe. Bronson director Refn is no stranger to scenes of blistering violence and he certainly doesn’t compromise on his big Hollywood studio film. A scene involving a tender, romantic moment is followed by an act of such extreme violence and brutality that it takes the viewer a good five minutes

to slow the pulse back down to normal levels. With a film entitled Drive it’s not unreasonable to expect car chases, and we do get some high-octane, crowd-pleasing driving. This is not the showboating car chases of Bullit or Michael Bay’s brand of car-flipping and fast-cutting. Refn opens with a tense and brilliantly choreographed getaway, his lens lovingly caressing the streets of downtown LA. Robbed of an Academy Award nomination at this year's Oscars for his raw performance in relationship drama Blue Valentine, Gosling is astounding as Driver. A still, almost entirely silent man, he doesn’t need to shout his feelings or make threats - it’s all there to see. It’s hard to think of a more compelling male performance so far this year. The sound of his leather gloves creaking as he grips a hammer is spine-tingling, sound being as important as visuals in Refn’s neon world. Set to polarise opinions, Drive is a tense, haunting, beautiful beast. (Christa Ktorides)

TYRANNOSAUR

RED STATE

PERFECT SENSE

Actor Paddy Considine makes his directorial debut with one of the most powerful films you'll see this year. Remaining behind the camera, he coaxes a careerbest performance out of Peter Mullan, and proves there's a lot more to Peep Show star Olivia Colman than brilliant comic timing. When we first meet Joseph (Mullan), he's drunkenly kicking his dog to death. A surprisingly empathetic character emerges from the shocking beginning, as Joseph starts an unlikely friendship with Colman's charity shop worker Hannah - the first of their meetings is a witty, biting stand-off between the very epitomes of aggression and kindliness. Devout Christian Hannah is trapped in a brutally violent marriage to a sinister Eddie Marsan, but finds a kindred, wounded spirit in the coarse, alcoholic Joseph. A dark, sensitive and riveting drama that is frequently and unbearably intense, it's worth enduring for the revelatory Colman and Mullan. (Becky Reed)

Courting controversy with this project like Jordan courts publicity, the usually comedic Kevin Smith tries his hand at horror with this unsettling tale of religious zealots. Michael Parks heads up the uniformly excellent cast with a bravura performance as the leader of an über Christian church - so extreme are his views that even neo-Nazis distance themselves. Michael Arangano, Kyle Gallner and Nicholas Braun play three horny teens out to meet an older woman. It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is going as the “date” turns into a kidnap by Parks and his sinister church members. In a brave move Smith spends a good 15 minutes on Parks delivering a sermon of hate to his congregation while the terrified Gallner can only sit in fear and listen to what is to become of him and his friends. Tense, uncomfortable and shocking, Red State is a mature meditation on religious fanaticism and the US Government's policy on terrorism. (Christa Ktorides)

This tender and affecting effort from director David Mackenzie (Hallam Foe) is a bizarre mixture of science fiction and romance, set in a near future where a mysterious plague is gradually robbing the world's population of each of their senses. Epidemiologist Susan (Eva Green) and chef Michael (Ewan McGregor) meet amid this slow disintegration, and eventually fall in love. From the opening scenes, it becomes clear that what we are dealing with here is very firmly an arthouse movie - sullen attractive people walking along windswept beaches, haunting, poetic voiceovers. The apocalyptic feel is via the use of poignant montages; the nature of the epidemic is depicted as a huge outpouring of an emotion (grief, anger, and in one eerie scene, hunger) followed by the loss of one sense. Mackenzie responds magnificently to the challenge of finding creative solutions to these situations - each scene is lyrical and memorable. If audiences can get past the odd pretentious moment, Perfect Sense will have viewers gripped. (Sam Faulkner)

Preview: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 With last year's sequel to 2009 runaway hit Paranormal Activity another success, Paramount are set to make it a yearly event. This Halloween sees the series continue with another hastily turned around found-footage horror, which - like number 2 - remains faithful to the demonic storyline started in the original. Expect the story to venture further back in time, with the teaser revealing two certain little sisters summoning the dark side. This sequel is particularly of interest because of the directors: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. The pair were responsible for one of last year's most talked about indie films, Catfish, which - based on your level of cynicism - was either a powerful and moving documentary about online relationships or an ingeniously crafted mockumentary. It's telling that this is their follow-up project.

TECH

TECH The best gizmos and gadgets worth getting excited about this month.

BEST BUY

APPLE MAC MINI 2.3 GHZ

RRP £529 The Mac Mini isn't a new toy - they've been around for years now, but this update is one of the bigger shake ups Apple's impossibly small desktop has had. Losing its DVD drive, and gaining more power under the hood (plus the impossibly cool possibilities of a Thunderbolt port to daisy chain multiple monitors, making it all the easier to become a Bond villain), this tasty little number works brilliantly as either a desktop or under-the-telly media centre.

BLACKBERRY BOLD 9900

RRP £500 The only BlackBerry to date to include NFC technology (that's swipe to pay, if you're not a geek), there's more to RIM's new handset than a flashy toy - just as well, as at the time of press there's not much in the way of support for the new killer feature. With 7 OS (including a new browser), a bigger keyboard and a responsive touchscreen, it's a worthwhile upgrade for any who mean serious business.

BLUE YETI PRO USB

RRP £230 Anyone who's tried to record a podcast without a decent microphone knows how easy it us to create the ambience of skulking round public lavatories. For a while now, Yeti USB microphones have been doing a more than decent job of providing anyone trying to make their recording set up sound more pro with the tools to do the job, but this; their new Pro offering, takes things to the next level. Able to hook up to professional sound boards with a stereo XLR output, it's a fair bet that some musicians might make decent use of this top of the range offering. Highly recommended.

PHILIPS PICOPIX PPSX 1430

RRP £280 Fancy setting up a cinema in your own room? Feel like owning a system you can take round your mate's house without needing a flatbed lorry? Small enough to take with you wherever you go, Philips' new compact projector has one killer feature - it's bright. Really damn bright. That means you can project an image to a decent size before it starts to fade. Hook it up to a decent sound system, and film night is most definitely on. 95

REVIEWS GAMES

GAMES FROM DUST

OUT NOW & COMING SOON

Drool with anticipation over these future faves

(Ubisoft) – PC, Xbox 360, PS3

RESIDENT EVIL 4 HD

Like an amalgam of Populous, Black & White and Lemmings – here you manipulate land and sea across levels of islands to guide your tribe of Dorito-faced humans to safety. Some fantastic powers such as the ability to jellify water will cement your omnipotent powers, but the real challenge is working with a nature very much alive. Truly beautiful stuff from Eric Chahi, creator of 90s classic Another World.

Arguably the best Resident Evil game since Resident Evil 1, 2 and 3, this HD remake of the eerie classic features overhauled graphics and all the bonus content from the previous releases. How much do we want to relive fighting that chainsaw fella in glorious HD? LOTS MUCH!

(Capcom) PS3, Xbox 360

RISE OF NIGHTMARES (Sega) – Xbox 360

Rise Of Nightmares is the first survival horror using the Kinect sensor so you can flail about in your underwear punching zombies and simulating ramming a chainsaw into their chins. And it's all very satisfying. Apart from sadly falling apart when it comes to one of the most fundamental tools of an adventure game: walking. With friends, this can be a blast. For about an hour. Alone, it's a depressing charade.

EL SHADDAI: ASCENSION OF THE METATRON (UTV Ignition) PS3, Xbox 360

Based on the Old Testament's 'Book Of Enoch', El Shaddai looks to be one of the most beautiful action games ever made. Taking on the role of Enoch, you'll be mastering a range of heavenly weapons and taking down some Fallen Angels! A bit like the film Dogma, but actually good.

WARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE (THQ) – Xbox 360, PS3, PC

An all-out Ork-slaying, Gretchen-bashing and Chaos Marinemanhandling third person action brawler that's only let down by its repetitiveness and lack of customisation. Space Marine has all the joy of spending your teenage years in a Games Workshop that smells eerily like Lynx deodorant, without having to be humiliated by a guy who has more acne than facial features. 96 thisisfakediy.co.uk

DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION (Square Enix) PC, PS3, Xbox 360

The return of Deus Ex promises an all-out action RPG with open-ended gameplay telling the story of the cybernetically augmented Adam Jensen who finds himself in the middle of a global conspiracy. Which is exactly what happened to us the other week, so we can really relate.

RETRO GAME OF THE MONTH

STORM WARRIOR (Elite, 1989)

Commodore 64 Okay, here's some words – evil, witch, prince, storm, castle, sword. Think of all the possible combinations of those words to form a summary for Storm Warrior and none will satisfactorily explain it. Hailing from the year 1989, and looking like the year 1981, in Storm Warrior you play some sort of prince armed with a stick who must travel through various levels that can only be described as torturous mini-games to finally defeat some witch character. The mini-games range from playing bat and ball with a tiny gargoyle, swordfighting in a thunder storm, plummeting down a cavern (using the stick to bludgeon boulders) and an eerie flying voyage towards an island, the closeness of which only becomes apparent as lighting strikes and brightens the horizon. Now you may be thinking “Wow, this sounds great”, and you'd be wrong. Storm Warrior is one of those games you'll play with a look of almost constant disgust and horror on your face, and yet you'll just keep at it like a budgie pecking its own reflection. You just can't help yourself! At best it's a Barbarian clone and at worst it's Storm Warrior. However, some atmospheric music gives it a depth and creepiness it probably wouldn't have had otherwise. This is undoubtedly one of the weirdest games you're likely to play and comes complete with a level in which multicoloured seagulls try to kidnap you. Can't really go wrong with that. Watch our video review at thisisfakediy.co.uk/games

DEAD ISLAND

(Deep Silver) PC, PS3, Xbox 360 Deep Silver and Techland's upcoming zombie bash-a-thon Dead Island heralded one of the year's finest and most emotive trailers. But will the game be any whack? We've all been royally hooked on Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising, and any other game that uses 'dead' in the title to indicate it's about zombies, but are we now all suffering from a bit of zombie fatigue? While Dead Island is taking a more open-world approach on a holiday resort, with a strong focus on weapon-construction and less on shooting six shades out of marauding corpses, what could really breathe new life into the undead? Zombie Zombies After already saving the planet from the undead uprising, the headless and mangled corpses of the destroyed zombies fall victim to a new plague that brings the dead undead back to life! Players scream in terror as severed limbs and organs crawl towards them with the energy of a crippled tortoise in this slow-paced RPG. Dead Lovejoy Ian McShane reprises his role as TV's antique-sleuth Lovejoy, only this time he's been the victim of a savage zombie attack causing his skin to grey further and giving him an otherworldly lust for human brains to sell at auction. Players must battle through Norwich to unleash an onslaught of upgradeable combat techniques on Lovejoy and his minions in order to keep your brain in its rightful museum – your own head. Primark Of The Dead Due to a virus in the sweet machine, all the staff at Primark have turned into drooling zombies. Some primal and instinctive remnant of their past lives forces them to eternally work the tills and fold jumpers incessantly! Four lone shoppers must make their way through the scattered clothes (which were like that even before the zombie takeover) towards the exits, and then maybe up to Nando's for a celebratory chicken feast. 97

FIRST AND LAST NICOLA ROBERTS

First and Last:

NICOLA ROBERTS Quite possibly our favourite girl band member ever, Nicola Roberts is finally going it alone after nearly a decade in the shared Girls Aloud tinged spotlight. In anticipation of her debut solo album, she tells Jamie Milton a few of her first and lasts. Album purchased? FIRST: A Take That record. I think I was about 10 or 11 – around the time of ‘Pray’ and ‘Babe’. LAST: ‘Watch The Throne’ by Jay Z and Kanye West. They’re just both geniuses. I just love them both, so the fact that you get two for one is a bonus! Song you knew all the words to? FIRST: I think it was Alanis Morissette, ‘Ironic’. I used to love her growing up and my Mum would always have her playing in the car and we’d all be singing along. LAST: I’ve got Beyoncé’s record [‘4’] on literally non-stop in the car at the moment. I almost know the entire album off by heart. It pisses me off when I miss a word out, because I’m so into it. Film seen in cinema? FIRST: ‘Apollo 13’ – I remember all the family going; my Mum, Dad, Aunties and Uncles. I remember it being a big day out, the first time I’d been to a cinema and I remember it being a massive deal. LAST: I went and saw ‘The Rise Of The 98 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Planet Of The Apes’. The trailer makes it to be a lot more dramatic than it is, CGI-wise you’d expect there to be flying gorillas and there are a couple of scenes like that but it’s more about the story. Show you went to? FIRST: Again, this was a first experience with Take That. LAST: Probably M.I.A last November while ‘XXXO’ and all that was going on – it was good. Fan encounter? FIRST: With the Popstars The Rivals show, we all came into the same studio every weekend and I used to go and stand outside and literally, from the moment we went and did the first live show, there’d be fans there, so it started very early for me. LAST: We have a little club - I call all the fans ‘Team Ginge’, like we’re all on the same team. There’s a few that are absolutely everywhere. Although where I am at the moment in my solo career, where I’m only at the second single, I haven’t seen them for a few weeks now and I miss them. When

they’re there all the time, you really get to know them - they’re like little friends. Time abroad? FIRST: I think I was 10, and the whole family – and I’m talking about the whole family – we went out to Mallorca for a week. It was amazing. LAST: I haven’t been on a proper holiday since 2009. Recently I’ve been over to shoot the video [for ‘Lucky Day’] in L.A and New York. I think if you’re in work mode and you’re motivated, you don’t wanna stop to take a holiday. But it’s nice when your work responsibilities take you away and you have a lovely team around you and it’s a mix between ‘trip’ and ‘work’. Book? FIRST: Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’. LAST: I’m reading Alan Sugar’s book at the moment. I’m only at the very beginning but I like business, so I’m partly using this as something to learn from. Nicola Roberts' new album 'Cinderella's Eyes' is out now via Polydor.