Audio Addict #23

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HURTS SURRENDER TO THE KINGS OF SAD

IZZY BIZU / EMIKA / THE ORDINARY BOYS / DU BLONDE DECEMBER 2015 ISSUE #23 / FREE

EDITOR’S LETTER Another year goes by and another team proudly take the reins at Audio Addict. I’ve assembled a crack collective of Editorial Avengers to build upon the stirling rebrand introduced in 2014 and bring you the best editions to date.

Gracing our cover with their beautiful bonestructures and threads so fine they make Egyptian cotton look like a potato sack are UK synthpop stars, Hurts. Having just dropped their third album, the duo talk us through what it’s like being voice of the melancholic masses.

Leftfield’s dance-defining Leftism LP stood the test of time?

And all our reader-favourites return too. One of our (many) booze-fiends takes a stroll down Gin Alley with the new 5 Seconds Of Summer album in Alcohommentary; see two headstrong writers battle it out over Christmas anthems in Back & Forth; and rapper Kojey Radical says “Hello” in Note To Self.

At this point, I’d like to get serious for a moment. Shortly before this issue went to print, the horrific attacks in Paris occurred.

Elsewhere we find out how sudden fame has Amongst the carnage, a joyous celebration affected Mercury nominee Eska, Preston of music was forever stained by the actions from The Ordinary Boys tells a mad Lizard of the angry and misguided. All at Audio King-related story and Du Blonde sounds off Addict send our thoughts to those who about Kleenex Man-Size! have lost loved ones, as we do to those enduring the suffering and tragedy of war the There’s all-new features in the form of world over, and we hope that both sides can Labelled, where we investigate exciting end the killing before all sense of humanity imprints (this month: Moon Harbour); Local is lost.

Foreword introduces the finest in South Coast talent; and In Retrospect looks back Now, without further ado, I welcome you to at monumental albums from the past – has the Issue 23 of Audio Addict. Enjoy!

EDITOR // BEN HINDLE FEATURES EDITOR // MINNIE WRIGHT REVIEWS EDITOR // AARON JOLLIFF PRINT DESIGNER // FREYA COCHRANE NEWS EDITOR + WEB DESIGNER // COREY-LEIGH JOHN

CONTRIBUTORS

Josh Abraham, Will Ackrill, Elisha Cloughton, Daniel Cook, Callum Cornwell, Jodie-Mae Finch, Will Garnett, Martha Gregory, Maddy Hardman, Jack King, Alec Larkin, Jordan Low, Paige Loyden, Callum McCormack, Ruby Munslow, Kojey Radical, Rob Sayers, Andrew Shelley, Rupert Taylor, Kaitlyn Ulrich, Ash Valentine-Wells, Jack Webb, George Wilde IMAGES: Callum Cornwell, Corrine Noel, Isha Shah

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The South Coast’s definitive music magazine

Website: audioaddictmag.co.uk // Email: audioaddicteditors@hotmail.co.uk The Audio Addict magazine and blog is produced by students on the BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism course at Southampton Solent University. The views expressed in the magazine and blog are the contributors’ own and as such the University and its staff can not be held responsible.

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CONTENTS

FRONT SECTION

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FOREWORD

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5 BACK & FORTH 6 GIRLS AGAINST 7 LABELLED: MOON HARBOUR 8 ALCOHOMMENTARY: 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER 9 HOW TO MAKE A SYMPHONY: Q&A WITH EMIKA 10 IZZY BIZU

She’s jazzy, she’s soulful, and if you say her name fast 20 times, you’ll

sound like a swarm of bees.

12 OUR HOLLOW OUR HOME // OF EMPIRES 13 NOTE TO SELF: KOJEY RADICAL 14 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 16 THE STATE OF: B-TOWN

COVER FEATURE 18 HURTS

They’ve got the brains and the looks, now all they need is a first aid kit.

22 ESKA

From Britain’s best kept secret to the best thing since sliced bread.

24 TURNING 30: TRACKS FROM THE DIVA ELITE 26 ORDINARY BOYS 27 DU BLONDE

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Seriously, it’s 2015, how is anyone still not on board with equal rights?

28 REVIEWS 34 GIG GUIDE 35 HOW TO BE A VIRAL SUCCESS

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BACK & FORTH

​CHRISTMAS SONGS: MINCE PIE DELIGHT OR A NOT-SO-MERRY CHRISTMAS? MINNIE WRIGHT AND CALLUM CORNWELL DEBATE THE PROS AND CONS OF THE YULETIDE SOUNDTRACK. GOOD: Reasons Christmas songs are great: Christmas. That’s it. Proper Christmas songs, the ones done right, are synonymous with the fuzzy feeling of sanctioned laziness, excessive consumption, and several-day stints spent cozied up in front of familiar films. The mere thought of that first play of Darlene Love’s ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ sets my Christmas anticipation into overdrive.

Children’s choirs and chimes/bells overkill notwithstanding, Christmas music is perfect pop: happy, trivial and universal. Key to not only the winter wonderland atmosphere that I spend 11 months of the year looking forward to, but to the build up - the countdown to full-blown Christmas - for me, the tunes are paramount. Without Mariah how would anyone know when to start getting excited? We’d all still be looking for poetically falling leaves, stuck in an eternal dreary British autumn! What?

It might happen...

Once it’s past the end of November, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a Christmas music free-for-all: I want Slade; I want Bublé; I want Frank; I want The Ronettes, and I want them now. (MW)

BAD: Obviously there’s going to be plenty of people that love a good Christmas banger, and credit where credit is due, they are unbearably catchy. But if you’ve heard one Christmas tune, you’ve heard all of Now That’s What I Call Christmas Music. Seriously, any day, any season, play me a song with that many chimes in it and I’ll shudder a little.

The songs that do stand out even remotely from the shrill, sleigh bellriddled formula are the same ones we’ve been hearing rinsed and repeated for decades. Or worse, the same old songs, covered by the most recent pop act to grace the charts with their presence.

As much as I’d love to ‘get into the Christmas spirit’, I’m one of the thousands of unfortunate retail workers who, from the first of December, have to endure the same God-awful Christmas cheese on a fifteen track loop for the duration of our nine hour shifts. Though some of you probably have snowflakes in your eyes just thinking about it, if you’re anything like me, largely against the over-commercialisation of a religious event that most of us believe in less than Santa Claus, then it doesn’t matter if they’re the most perfectly executed pop tunes going, the way they’re relentlessly drummed into your ears every time you step out in public is exactly what makes Christmas songs bad. (CC)

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W H AT ’ S G O I N G O N

GIRLS AGAIN ST MADDY HARDMAN INVESTIGATES THE CAMPAIGN COMBATTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT GIGS In 2015, why are girls still intimidated by the thought of going to gigs?

The answer: creepy dudes who think it’s acceptable to get handsy just because nobody can see. Sometimes that’s the full extent of the problem, and sometimes it’s much worse, but whatever the level of severity we all know that it’s totally unacceptable. A few acutely socially aware teenage girls from across the country have decided to take a stand, and thus the Twitter campaign Girls Against was born. “Just some intersectional feminists standing up to groping at gigs,” since their creation in early October they’ve gained a whole load of interest from fans and bands alike, reaching 3000 followers in their first two weeks, including Peace, Spector, Gengahr, JAWS and Superfood.

17-year-old Hannah Camilleri, one of the girls who’s running the campaign, said the idea came from her own experiences, as well as many of her friends’. “We’d always known that we wanted to do something together, it escalated into a Twitter account and within a week we had 1000 followers.” The figures are telling of the scale of the problem, it’s widespread but no one wants to bring it up. “People don’t want to create a fuss,” says Camilleri. “They don’t want to discuss what happened to them and have someone say to them it was probably just an accident.”

It’s this attitude of dismissal that the group are trying to tackle. They want people of all genders to feel like their cases are serious and real,

and encourage followers to message the account with experiences, if only just to make them feel like someone’s listening. “At the moment we’re just trying to raise awareness, that’s what we want to do before progressing anywhere. We’ve spoken to some bands and a lot of them don’t even know that it happens.” This is the reason that the support from bands means so much to the girls; shout outs at gigs and backstage meetings have been helping to convey the idea that somebody is listening and paying attention.

Fred MacPherson of Spector, one of the big names on their follower list, says, “It’s something that’s been going on far too long. I remember my mum telling me that it happened at gigs when she used to go, and that was in the ‘70s.” It’s certainly time for someone to stand up to this serious and harrowing issue. Girls Against are at the heart of the matter, the witnesses and the victims that have had enough.

“I think the main thing that has the power to change anything is men asking women about their experiences and believing them, but that’s not as powerful as men talking to other men about changing their behaviour,” adds Pitchfork Senior Editor and renowned feminist, Jessica Hopper. Unfortunately that’ll be something almost impossible for the Girls Against team to instigate, but the awareness they’re raising is invaluable. The girls and the people they represent deserve every success they get.

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LABEL PROFILE

D E L L E B LA

: MOON HARBOUR

FOR THE FIRST IN OUR NEW SERIES OF LABEL PROFILES, INVESTIGATES 15 YEARS OF DANCE POWERHOUSE MOON HEAD HONCHO MATTHIAS TANZMANN.

RUBY MUNSLOW HARBOUR WITH

Moon Harbour Recordings may be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, but it’s already talking about the 20th. To find out the secret to owning such a successful and well-known label, Audio Addict catches up with label manager Dan Drastic and co-founder Matthias Tanzmann.

“It was quite a journey for us, from a little deep house niche operation to an internationally well-received tech house label,” Drastic tells AA. “I met Matthias shortly after he founded the label with André [Quaas]. I was always a fan and now I’ve been working here for nine years already. I couldn’t be prouder of what we have achieved in those years.”

To celebrate this milestone, the label has released a compilation album, 15 Years of Moon Harbour, featuring the likes of Steve Bug, Sable Sheep and Luna City Express. Drastic explains the idea behind the compilation: “We actually started on the concept in September of last year as soon as it dawned on us that we had this anniversary coming up. Over spring and summer, we compiled the tracks on premise of getting a lot of core artists and artists we’d worked with over the last 15 years.”

“Compilations have always been a little favourite for me. I like to bring artists together for a special release and it offers great value to the DJs,” adds Tanzmann, who is currently leading the label’s worldwide anniversary tour, playing legendary venues in London, Amsterdam and Dubai, to name but a few.

But what is it that has kept the Moon Harbour family so tight for 15 years? “I think a lot of labels are started out of the wrong reasons and as soon as people realise how hard it is to run a label they just quit,” says Tanzamann. “Music-wise, I think we always tried to adapt enough to stay current, whilst never forgetting the groovy, organic tech house vibe we stand for. Business-wise, you always have to keep up with trends. Don’t get too comfy because it might change super quickly.

“In the end, the shows are the thing you are doing the whole thing for. Okay, sleep deprivation might be not the coolest thing, but it’s worth it most of the time.”

AUDIO

ADDICT’S

2000: Gamat 3000 – ‘Radio Moon’ 2001: Håkan Lidbo – ‘Overnight’ 2002: Marlow – ‘Exposed’ 2003: Matthias Tanzmann – ‘Those Nights’ 2004: Goldfish & Der Dulz – ‘Supercolor’ 2005: Luna City Express – ‘White Russian’ 2006: Leif & Tom Ellis – ‘To The Microphone’ 2007: Simon Flower – ‘Send In The Clowns’

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HARBOUR

PLAYLIST

2008: Matthias Tanzmann – ‘Redirected’ 2009: Luna City Express – ‘Rough Neck’ 2010: Martinez – ‘Lavender Mist’ 2011: Christopher Groove – ‘Ruff Tape’ 2012: Steve Lawler – ‘Hoffman’s Potion’ 2013: Dan Drastic – ‘The One Who Knocks’ 2014: Sable Sheep – ‘Cargo Room’ 2015: Re.You – ‘Very Very’

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TIPSY REVIEWS

A L C O H O M M E N TA R Y

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER SOUNDS GOOD FEELS GOOD

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A lone unmediated, unedited voice in music criticism, this issue’s drunk review sees Will Ackrill settle down for a date with destiny. Well, a bottle of gin and 14 tracks of Aussie pop-punk. We’re not sure what that album title is referring to, but apparently it isn’t the contents!

‘Safety Pin’ Who knew these guys were poet laureates? They have such a way of crafting imagery with words that I haven’t seen since the 1760s.

With lyrics such as, “Raise ourselves and a middle finger/ ‘Cause they all think we’re twisted,” let’s just say I’d rather stick an infected safety pin somewhere where even Sid Vicious wouldn’t dare, than suffer through this again. Now that’s some proper imagery, you p****s.

‘Money’ Ah, finally, a shrieking opening line, “Take my money!” Presumably aimed at all the gullible s***s buying this so they can sing it back at shows with a sense of irony. Admittedly the guitars aren’t awful, but with mildly rapey, suggestive lyrics like, “Backstage, we’ll let them in,” it already feels sordid. Apparently their lawyers said that line’s okay because the line afterwards isn’t, “We’re let in their backstages too.”

‘Castaway’ Okay, I’m really quite drunk now. Which traditionally is supposed to make unappealing things suddenly appealing. This is what I’m going to blame kind of liking this track on. The guitars are again, pretty decent, the lyrics aren’t so offensive it hurts, and yeah f**k it, this is quite a good song.

‘She’s Kinda Hot’ If the title wasn’t verging on misogynistic, the opening lines of, “My girlfriend’s always bitchin’ ‘cause I always sleep in… She’s kinda hot though,” will tip it over the edge. It brings up the age-old argument of how talented do you have to be to get away with misogyny?

Well, way f*****g more than this at least, as this is just a vast chasm of nothingness.

‘The Girl Who Cried Wolf’ Okay, so will the drunken one track stand last? Or will it be a regretful morning after kebab situation? Will I wake up and realise the folly of my ways and try to repent for my sins? Right, so it’s some acoustic, faux-heartfelt bulls**t? I imagine this is what it’s like to contract chlamydia. Something you regret instantly and have to take drastic measures to reduce the chances of ever suffering through it again and it makes you infertile (don’t fact check that).

‘Hey Everybody!’

Oh my God! This song has an exclamation mark in the title! Everybody get ready for some real, hard and raw music! It gets better! The lyrics are about being poor! Not in a Jeremy Corbyn-esque stance of opposing tax credit cuts, but more so in the same fashion as when Jessie J popped into Barclays to cash in her PRS cheque for that “It’s not about the money” song!!!!!!!!

‘Outer Space / Carry On’ We end on a double song, because 17 tracks of Heston Blumenthal desert ingredients (i.e, random s**t) just isn’t enough. Quite fittingly the last line of the album is, “You know it’s going to get better.” I do, because I’m going to put on Run The Jewels and try sober up.

Q&A

ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN With the unfathomable scope of sound offered by modern technology, classical music often gets lumped with a reputation as an old farts’ genre. There has been a recent trend towards the traditional in experimental electronica however, and Berlin-based Brit, Emika, is taking her passion for classical to the next level with new project #HowToMakeASymphony. Drawing upon her career in techno and experiences as a singer and multi-instrumentalist (with a spot of help from her old music teacher), Emika has composed a full symphony for the 70-piece Prague Metropolitan Orchestra. And how better to bring the concept up-to-date, than funding it via that ever-so-now, sociallyconnected medium, Kickstarter? A fascinating twist in the ongoing story of both Emika and electronic music, Audio Addict gets the lowdown on #HowToMakeASymphony from she who knows best.

TECHNO MASTERMIND EMIKA TALKS US THROUGH HER NEW CLASSICAL PROJECT #HOWTOMAKEASYMPHONY

How did you first get involved with classical music?

I was 12 years old and discovered Chopin - ‘Nocturne op.9 No.2’ on a CD in my parents’ friends’ house. I liked the cover art and it said piano, so I put it on; listening to it secretly on my Discman and headphones.

It is the first time I cried listening to music.

Do you enjoy the sonic limitations of classical instruments?

Without the limitations and traditions of classical music and orchestral instruments, I would never have felt compelled to make electronic music. I literally jumped from one world into another in a matter of days and never looked back. But now after so many years of music life, I don’t see divisions any more between these worlds. Music can be anything, and we don’t need genres to feel music or to be deeply touched by music. Now it is about me being an experienced woman, bringing all my beautiful discoveries together into one world.

In what ways have you brought your experience with electronic music to the symphony?

In all ways. I have been developing my own signature sound in my electronic music for the past 14 years and I am using my favourite sound concepts and production techniques within the orchestral composition itself. This isn’t about making opera or getting an orchestra to imitate club music. I’m looking further forward than this.

Why did you decide to use Kickstarter to fund this project?

Because I was out cold, lonely and alone. I had been thrown away by the music biz. I had nothing but my creativity and deep desire to compose something so huge and so beautiful that I could free myself from these feelings and rise up. I needed to connect with people, as many people as possible, with no one in-between and no bullshit in my head. This music is pure, and so is the way it is being conceived now with its own unique crowd of people who share my vision. We are making this happen together and my heart is on fire again.

Would you use Kickstarter again in the future?

I am so amazed by Kickstarter. I ask myself every day, what is this beautiful parallel universe I am now living in where anything is possible? After growing up in the music biz, this is such a beautiful process to experience. No middle management layers squeezing and controlling. People are pre-ordering the music before it has even been recorded and no-one knows how it will sound, not even I know how it will sound entirely. There is absolutely no record company in the world today that would be able to facilitate such a huge, wild project. Kickstarter has given me new hope and a clearer picture of a new future for creativity. I am already developing my next symphony ideas, but it is not what you expect. (Ben Hindle)

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WORDS:

JORDAN

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IZZY

BIZU

FOREWORD

Foreword is our way of introducing some of our favourite underground and rising artists. This issue we chat origins and influences with soul-pop singer Izzy Bizu.

If there’s one thing you can rely on the BBC for, it’s to bring to your attention indelible musical talent.

BBC Introducing has become a key factor in breaking artists that have since gone on to become huge successes. Florence and the Machine, Emeli Sande and Ed Sheeran, what do these all have in common? They are all charttopping vocalists who have had the backing of BBC Introducing.

Who better, then, than 21 yearold singer-songwriter, Izzy Bizu, to lead the new wave of talent?

Bringing “soul with tiny bits of jazz” to the forefront of popular music, Bizu breathes new life into the tired conventions of RnB with singles ‘Give Me Love’ and ‘White Tiger’. “[The BBC] have always been a

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the greats that have inspired her.

Her expressive tones are as sharp, if not sharper than contemporaries Lianne La Havas and NAO, whilst an eye for songwriting promises a bright future. “I write from my own heart and experience, I just try to stay true to myself and my beginnings.”

It is home-grown talents like Bizu that peak the interest of the BBC. In this case, resulting in a coveted television slot. The transition from YouTube star to Later…With Jools Holland was a big step, she admits: “God I was so, so nervous but once we started jamming it was okay. I kind of closed my eyes and treated it like any other situation.” Despite being an area of extensive study, her vocal

I just try to stay true to myself and my beginnings.

great support to me from day one,” she tells Audio Addict. “They were the first ones to put me on the radio and put me out there. Trevor Nelson was especially supportive and I’ll always be thankful for the belief they’ve shown in me.”

Hailing from South London, Bizu attended music school, BIMM, which has been snowballing as an institution of break-out talent, spawning the likes of James Bay, George Ezra and Tom Odell. “I guess you could say that my musical beginnings came mostly from college and the people I worked with. You meet some amazing people there.” Bizu’s musical influences come from her early home life. “My mum would play a lot of music, listening back to those records, a lot of Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone. I would listen to bits of Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown,” she says, adding that she’s also partial to a spot of Amy Winehouse. Much like Amy, Bizu brings a live energy equal to

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performances never come across calculated or rehearsed, as proven in her live TV performance of ‘Mad Behaviour’, where string sections sat in harmony with her delicateyet-poised vocal flurries.

In a generation that is engrossed in technology, it is refreshing to see a young artist willing and able to make that connection with an audience. Bizu recalls that her most enjoyable shows have been ones where the audience get more involved. “I’d say The Great Escape was most fun; festivals always are,” she says. “The crowds are quite close and everyone’s pretty free, nobody’s got their phone on them, everyone’s just dancing.”

Currently touring with Foxes, and with her debut album A Moment of Madness set for release April 2016, Bizu is already well on her way to cementing her place amongst the best BBC Introducing has had to offer.

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LO C A L FO R E W O R D

O U R

H O L L O W ,

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H O M E

“In one way or another this band has saved every member from a really dark place. It’s taken blood, sweat and tears from all of us and will definitely continue to do so,” says guitarist Tobias Young of melodic metalcore ensemble Our Hollow, Our Home. The quintet has been gaining a following along the South Coast playing gigs such as Butserfest, Takedown Festival, and Messtival.

While their sound can be compared to that of The Amity Affliction or Thrice, the band wouldn’t ever rule out a musical segment because “it didn’t sound like something [they] would do.” They’ve only ever written music for themselves and about things they’ve experienced – that’s how they truly connect with their listeners.

The band has become known for their heavy interludes among artfully crafted clean vocals, interjected with powerful unclean verses. They are currently working on their follow up to their debut EP, //Redefine, which will be released summer 2016.

(Kaitlyn Ulrich)

OF EMPIRES

Brighton-based rock band Of Empires have an aura about them, an image and sound that have everything necessary to be successful in the industry. They recently signed to Metropolis Studios, coming off the back of an extremely successful past year, releasing their debut EP, Stranger Sensations, and winning the MTV Brand New Unsigned 2015 contest.

Their melodic style of rock ‘n’ roll sits between several areas of the genre, think a mixture of The Kooks, The Zutons and a flavour of The Rolling Stones. The end result is a beautifully infectious and

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catchy sound. With their signing to Metropolis, it won’t be too long before there’s new material from the Guernsey-natives, who confirm a new project is in the works.

As for the content of the new tracks, lead singer Jack Fletcher explains: “The lyrical themes verge on the darker side, I just can’t help it! The Of Empires trademark sound is still there but the writing has matured.” With the release date still unconfirmed, Fletcher simply says, “Watch this space.” (Will Garnett)

ARTIST P ERSP ECTIVE

Poet, musician, visual artist; is there anything creative that Kojey Radical doesn’t do?

Since dropping his debut EP last year, the London-based Ghanaian has garnered widespread critical acclaim, earning him a spot supporting Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers on tour. Now back with new material, we thought it best to leave this particular wordsmith to introduce himself.

“I’ve always found it rather strange that artists or people with a sense of notoriety feel the need to repeatedly remind people that they are indeed human. It’s obvious, I shouldn’t need to hint at the sincerity in the fact by mentioning a seemingly normal task as if to say it’s a quirk.

I write poems, I make music, I draw pictures and I like fashion.

To be honest...

I’d much rather know something about you, my music already makes me feel exposed and vulnerable and it would be nice to start off on a level playing field for once.

It’s fine, we can be honest.

I’ve always found it rather strange that in someways I’m admired for my honesty, then I realised being honest isn’t as common of a trait as you would assume. People fear being honest. I would say the best way to describe my work would be, honest... …because honesty will either make you feel liberated, exposed or vulnerable.

Hi. I’m Kojey.”

N OT E TO SELF: KOJ E Y RADICAL

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ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 2015

THE MODERN WORLD HAS DECLARED THE LP DEAD - WHAT A LOAD OF TOSH. WE LOOK BACK OVER THE TREMENDOUS MUSIC OF THE YEAR, FROM POP, METAL, DANCE AND MORE, CHOOSING THOSE ALBUMS WHICH HAVE MADE THEMSELVES GREAT. Bring Me The Horizon - That’s The Spirit

Renouncing their metalcore foundations of heavy guitars and deep screams has rendered Bring Me The Horizon unstoppable in recent years. With a concoction of soft synths and catchy melodic choruses, their fifth studio album, That’s The Spirit, stands as an embodiment of their recent chart success. Fusing mainstream with the lugubrious is no small feat, nor is it something fans of their heavier records are inured to, but with the courage of their convictions, Bring Me The Horizon have fearlessly created an aural experience unlike anything in their back catalogue.

(Daisy Hearn)

Commodo, Gantz & Kahn - Volume I

When Deep Medi confirmed the collaboration between three of the hottest producers in the scene, everyone knew it was going to be fire. Such anticipation for an album can often be its downfall, but the trio have exceeded expectations. Middle Eastern influences run deep throughout the album, creating a truly atmospheric journey. Add flutes, crunching beat patterns and haunting vocals to the mix and you’ve got a masterpiece. Turn the bass up on this one. (Will Garnett)

Dance Gavin Dance - Instant Gratification

As their first record in eight years to feature the same set of vocalists as their previous, Dance Gavin Dance have shown a strong sense of self-awareness that encompasses all that was great from their past, assuring that their sixth album is one of their best. Their unique guitar-driven sound infused with post-hardcore has been shaped and tightened, producing some of their best tracks to date including the haunting and ambitious ‘We Own the Night’.

Line-up changes aren’t about to shake them any time soon. (Kaitlyn Ulrich)

Death Grips - The Powers That B

With moments of ‘80s hardcore, harsh noise, IDM and classic progressive rock, The Powers That B is Death Grips’ most varied record, which is understandably symptomatic of a double album that was released in two parts over the course of 10 months. First half, Niggas on the Moon, is unsettling, synthetic and exposes MC Ride’s perversion and cynicism. Jenny Death takes these concepts further, replacing drum machines and samplers with live instrumentation, reaching a cathartic high on the penultimate track ‘On GP’. Misanthropy has never sounded this loud. (Daniel Cook)

Don Broco - Automatic

Don Broco released their second album this August and it pushes the boundaries of modern alternative rock.

Automatic took British rock that one step further – keeping to their rock roots but also infusing dance and funk elements to form a perfect balance of rock riffs and infectious choruses you can’t help but sing along to. Instead of making the same album twice, Don Broco focused all their energy into making something completely new and unique and pulled it off excellently. (Éimer Harper)

Earl Sweatshirt - I Don’t Like S**t, I Don’t Go Outside

Living under the world’s microscope has only left Earl Sweatshirt in distress, but witnessing the L.A.-based rapper blossom into a reclusive prodigy has been a blessing for fellow misanthropes everywhere. I Don’t Like S**t, I Don’t Go Outside weaves chilling angst, claustrophobic paranoia and bottled frustrations in and out of solo night drives and smoky studio sessions – sinister bass and industrial beats stomping alongside every syllable. Earl pushes us further away, but nothing is more beautiful than the raw, uncompromising humanity that he shows us as he slams the door.

If your soul’s intact, let him know. (Kialha Nakahara)

Florence & The Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

After taking a well deserved break, this year saw the explosive return of Florence Welch and her almighty Machine.

Coming back after a break up with her ex, this album takes you on an unexplainable, overwhelming emotional rollercoaster. From love to loss to complete and utter self-destruction, this is an album that needs to be taken seriously lyrically. This is Florence’s most well-written and mind-blowingly produced album yet; it’s difficult to determine whether she could top this one. (Kenya Scarlett)

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BEST OF 2015

Halsey - Badlands

Halsey follows her momentous ascent to fame on the back of five track EP Room 93 with her unapologetically honest, charismatic and lyrically captivating debut album, Badlands. The 21-year-old goes far beyond your everyday, manufactured and generic collection of pop songs to create something laced with individuality and depth. Her bold themes are direct and authentic, leaving the album to take the form of a window into the often dark aspects of the singer’s life. All that, set to some of the catchiest synthpop of the year. (Adrianne Goron)

James Bay - Chaos and the Calm

James Bay’s Chaos and the Calm is an album containing heartfelt emotions. In the opener ‘Craving’, the listener is enticed by the fast-paced movement of the song, the lyrics evoking the conflicting thoughts of leaving his hometown.

James Bay is a heart-on-sleeve, versatile musician and it’s certainly evident in this album. It’s liberating with soulful tracks like ‘Incomplete’, and heartwarming, vulnerable ones like ‘Let It Go’. The album offers raw, relatable emotion.

(Paige Loyden)

Jamie xx - In Colour

On the surface, many tracks are just enrapturing, hypnotic cuts of prime electronic music with a sprinkling of melancholy - see steel drum lead ‘Obvs’ and ‘Hold Tight’, which feels like you’re drifting in and out of an amphetamine dream. Delve deeper past the pop-crossovers and you see that In Colour captures elements of a now faded club culture. Jamie xx’s sampling choices – for instance using an unaired Radio 1 jungle show for the hook on ‘Gosh’ – culminate to make the album a supreme cultural hallmark. (Will Ackrill)

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

Has anything else this year had protesters chanting its choruses, garnered such huge critical acclaim, or given the jazz flute such mainstream exposure? On the surface it’s an incredible combination of West Coast hits, experimental jazz-raps, funk and a surreal appearance from Tupac, but read deeper and it’s an intense look at race, gangs, addiction and fame. It’s the story of Kendrick’s battles with Lucy (Lucifer) and Uncle Sam (greed), depression and homeless gods, in which every turn offers something new to learn, shock or inspire. (Tobias Pugh)

Muse - Drones

At the junction between the heavy rock circa Showbiz/Origin of Symmetry and the electronic-infused departures of their more recent albums, Drones sees the world’s most awe-inspiring live act ‘find themselves’ somewhat. Perfectly excessive, super-charged over-indulgence being the Muse staple, Drones is a volatile compound of early and mature; scorching riffs and delicate introspection; the sublime and the sublimely ridiculous. Plus, of course, a heady dose of conspiracy paranoia. Worth every millisecond of the three-year wait. (Minnie Wright)

Screaming Females - Rose Mountain

Not all females and not all screaming, Screaming Females released their triumphant sixth album Rose Mountain in February. Although not as turbulent as previous work, Rose Mountain crooned maturity and created a career stepping-stone. King Mike and Jarrett Dougherty’s prestigious basslines and rhythm backbones matched with Marissa Paternoster’s devil-traded guitar shredding and distinctive vocals create the perfect indie-rock sandwich, generating songs such as ‘Ripe’ and ‘Burning Car’. Screaming Females produce rock music that’s fresh, yet are cool and content with staying underground. (Kiwi Vincent)

Spector - Moth Boys

Commercially overlooked bands are ten-a-penny but none so criminally as Spector. With the acerbic wit of a popart Morrissey and tunes bigger than anything the ‘80s produced, their 2012 debut, Enjoy It While It Lasts, skimmed the mainstream but should have topped every pop fan’s Album of the Year list. Moth Boys takes the same route of fuzzed-out synths and huge choruses but strips back all the ‘have fun while you’re young’ to a more sombre state.

They’re a bit angrier and more jaded, but God is the album zest-filled poetry. (Jodie-mae Finch)

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell

After the death of his mother in 2012, Sufjan Stevens decided to return to his indie folk roots and write an album.

Instrumentally, Carrie and Lowell is an austere approach to songwriting with a solitary guitar and ambient keys making up the majority of the album’s composition. However, it is the emotional weight this record carries that truly makes it stand out. Stevens laments matters such as loss, regret and even guilt, marking a meloncholy return to the solo album format after 5 years away. (Lewis Edwards)

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THE STATE OF...

B-TOWN TWO YEARS SINCE ITS INCEPTION, RUPERT TAYLOR LOOKS INTO THE CHANGING FACE OF THE BIRMINGHAM-BORN INDIE SCENE

Cast your mind back to the glorious summer of 2013; one of the hottest in recent years and not just because of the weather either. In a world where the Arctic Monkeys were preparing to release their critically acclaimed AM, and Foals’ fourth studio album, Holy Fire, had been resonating proudly through speakers since February, indie music fans could barely prepare themselves for the movement around the corner. What was soon to be dubbed ‘B-Town’ by the media came firstly in the form of metro-sexual god Harrison Koisser and his band Peace.

Their debut album, In Love, embodies everything that B-Town music stands for: the sense of genuine originality; the flippancy with which they portray themselves in the media through their queerly-fashionable clothing (ranging from grand aristocratic coats, worn out Adidas trainers, to rolled up corduroy trousers); but mostly, the nonchalant attitude to creating sounds which anyone can enjoy and dance along to.

Following closely in their footsteps onto the increasingly popular scene were equally questionably-adorned Swim Deep, whose album, Where The Heaven Are We?, set the scene for a beautifully optimistic, floaty world where little was to be worried about and pretending that “Jenny Lee Lindberg was my girlfriend” was possible. The following year saw the release of Be Slowly, the tantalisingly Cure-esque debut album from JAWS, which incorporated those sliding guitar lines of Robert Smith, yet still added a splash of heavy rock elements throughout.

The B-Town title was popularised by the media – Swim Deep bassist, Cavan McCarthy, was even quoted as saying, “now everyone says it and we’re a bit embarrassed about it” – and was thrown around more carelessly than the trailing ends of Koisser’s flamboyant fur jackets. But, as it may now be apparent, this wasn’t due to the sonic similarity of their productions. All three bands not only hail from Digbeth, the inner district of Birmingham (hence the term, B-Town), renowned in the ‘90s for its rave culture, but also shared a regular pint of K-Cider down the Adam and Eve pub together, and were likely to have been skulking the streets between Midlands clubs at the very same time. The B-Town subculture wasn’t just a style of music: it was a community of friends who all worked the same circuit and all shared the same attitude toward making music regardless of intentions for the sound.

Catching up with our current timeline, this notion of a shared viewpoint manifests itself in the up-and-coming bands that have joined this cohort of young, reckless musicians. Yet, while the name on the tin suggests entirely Birmingham-sourced content, this doesn’t ring true for what lies behind the media created lid.

Not giving a damn about the style of the tunes, B-Town doesn’t group together artists originating in the same place either, it fully embraces the idea of including anyone with the same pride and belief in their own reasons for making music.

Image: Corrine Noel 16

SCENE INSIGHT

Splashh Everything about Splashh’s vibe, from their mop-tops to their artsy cover illustrations, reeks pungently of a band that do whatever the f**k they want. A curiously satisfying combination of slumping basslines and mechanical synth cries are held in place

by Sasha Frantz Carlson’s moody vocals on every track, making it difficult to decide whether to stand watching in total awe or just mosh out harder than is humanly possible. Supporting Peace on their tour this year and working between the UK and New York on their second album, Honey + Salt, it’s indubitable that the London group is itching to take to the big stage on the indie scene very soon.

Black Honey Izzy B. Phillips’ possessed eyes hiding beneath her grungy white-blonde hair only begin to suggest that this Brighton-bred outfit have a serious attitude problem. The seductive ‘50s wail of the enigmatic singer accompanies shimmering guitars and slowly ambling percussion, which can easily evoke images of a Tarantino daydream. With more layers of reverb in the climax of songs than layers of pastry and cream in a mille-feuille, Black Honey gigs regularly result in stage invasions, often inspired by the taunting jeers of Phillips. Take Lana Del Ray, add a dash of indie and a spoonful of indifference, and you’ve got yourself a band on the up, having already supported Peace and Palma Violets and concluded a successful UK tour in their hometown this Autumn.

Superfood Taking heavy influence from the Madchester sounds of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, each and every Superfood song contributes to their arsenal of catchy riffs and infectious lyrical hooks. Nothing is held back as lead vocalist Dominic Ganderton enthusiastically recites fan-favourite choruses and refrains. However, like a humble circus ringmaster, he recognises that the beauty of the performance comes from his onstage associates just as much as himself; no song neglects the importance of the rest of the band. ‘Mood Bomb’ and ‘Like A Daisy’ would be far from what they are without the scraping jangle of Ryan Malcolm’s lead guitar and Emily Baker’s stodgy distorted bass.

Bad Sounds Even though there are only three Bad Sounds songs available on SoundCloud, it’s clear their music contradicts their name.

Badass electro-funk basslines enhance the cool cruisin’ feeling on ‘Living Alone’, whilst well-complemented falsetto harmonies on ‘Banger’ emulate Mercury-nominees, Jungle, but with a creative electronic twist. The combination of a meticulous sonic swagger and a visceral funk groove makes the prospect of hearing this Bath group in an indie club one day and a disco club the next very realistic.

YAK Undoubtedly ferocious in their approach, YAK convey a harsh fluidity as they thrash through a variation of alternative rock. A culmination of nondescript howls and frizzy guitar chords seem to be the destiny of each song, turning through psychedelic synths and animalistic cymbal crashes to achieve their trademark raucousness. They’re clearly not fazed by being experimental and take it a step further by somehow making their quirky appearance cool, and their even more questionable compositions brilliantly exciting.

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WORDS: JODIE-MAE FINCH

HURTS SO GOOD 18

IMPECCABLYSUITED DUO HURTS HAVE EMBRACED THEIR POLISHED MELANCHOLY ON ALBUM NUMBER THREE AND SOUND ALL THE MORE CHEERFUL FOR IT.

C O V E R F E AT U R E

Hurts are a band unlike any other. Though they’ve yet to have an album or single reach number one in their native UK, they’re multi-platinum-selling across Europe. Usually known for revealing the sombre side of life, Hurts’ new album Surrender is resplendent, upbeat pop. On the outside they’re besuited and shiny, all L.A. tans, having recorded the new album in various exotic locations. But inside they’re Manchester through and through, very much aware of their beginnings on the dole.

“We’re a weird band, we have two completely opposite types of skills, and our music is the fruition of two very different ideas that come together,” explains Adam Anderson, synth player and one half of the duo. “I think over three albums we’ve forged our own identity, and our own sound, and I like to believe there’s no one else like us.” True uniqueness is hard to come by, but straddling rock, pop and everything in between for the last five years has made Hurts something of an anomaly.

Anderson agrees, “Sometimes people get frustrated because they want to be able to place us and they want to pin us to another reference. I don’t think anybody’s ever really successfully said, ‘This is what Hurts are like.’ We sort of stand alone, and that’s all we ever really wanted to do.”

Unable to be tied down to a genre, Hurts have instead become known as the soundtrack to sadness. That’s why, when Surrender was released last month, the music world was… confused, in a good way. Where did this uplifting vibe come from? “We’ve always had a sense of humour, albeit a very dry one. We like a laugh in our personal lives… but musically it’s a lot harder to express it, it always has been,” Anderson clarifies. “For some reason, when I sit at a piano I play minor chords, and if I play minor chords, Theo [Hutchcraft, Hurts’ vocalist] sings melodies that fit, and our songs sort of develop a melancholy to them.”

The melancholy led to a deep, expansive sound, which now has added pop sparkle thanks to super-producer Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers, Everything Everything).

Though they’re still working with long-time collaborator Jonas Quant and the ‘enigmatic’, Grammy Award-winning Ariel Rechtshaid, Price brought a clarity to their often-dense sonic world. “Our music required someone to come along and say, ‘Look, you don’t need ten guitar parts when one will do the job,’” Anderson tells Audio Addict. “Our songs, at their heart, can always just be played on piano and vocal, very simple, but what makes us stand apart from other people is the world that we place those songs in.”

Sparking mania-level fandom across Europe, the ‘world’ which Hurts refer to is everything to some. With great power comes great responsibility, but it’s not something they shy away from. “On the one hand it’s amazing, because you play a show, you perform songs, you can see in the eyes of the audience it moves them. But on the other hand you’re suddenly a band that are soundtracking people’s despair and the dark side of people. It’s weighty.” Anderson is pragmatic about their influence, but he doesn’t take the fans’ passion lightly; “We try and communicate with fans,

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and we try and make sure we meet them after shows and listen to their stories, and make them feel like they’re not alone,” he asserts, clearly aware of the responsibility they hold. “I think our fans also have a great community between themselves, because when you write songs that are slightly more melancholic and more in touch with the sadder side of life, all these fans have each other to share their life stories with and our music is the thing that bonds them.

It’s quite a powerful thing really.”

So how does an unemployed duo from Northern England become an international sensation? The same as any successful act: hard work, skill, and impeccable timing.

Though they have the formula down, Hurts did things just a little differently. “We wrote the song ‘Wonderful Life’, made a video for £20, put it on YouTube,” Anderson tells AA. “We were sat there on the dole, whilst 10,000 people a day were watching our video, and no one knew who we were. It was a crazy time,” says Anderson.

Instead of resting on the groundswell of attention, Hurts took notes. “We noticed six thousand people in Greece had watched the ‘Wonderful Life’ video, so we were like, ‘Well, we probably should go and play a show.’ All the successful European countries for us we’ve been to 20 times, what other English bands are doing that?”

With a sound as grandiose as Hurts’ it could never be confined to suburban pubs, so Europe was the only way to go. “I think one of the reasons we’re successful in these countries is the directness of the lyrics, and simplicity,” says Anderson. “It’s something that we’re derided for on occasion in England, but it’s the key to our success in Europe. I think that transparency leads to a better connection with people who speak different languages, it’s very easy to relate to, easy to sing.”

With so many bands keeping their hopes high and their heads low, trawling from Crawley to Wakefield for a chance at an ‘Introducing’ feature, Hurts’ international leap is an oddity. It turns out Manchester has a lot to answer for. “We felt like we could be successful because of the bands that came before. What we have in common with those bands is not in the sound, our music is very ambitious,” Anderson declares. “We make music for arenas and stadiums and different countries, and that’s just how we’ve always thought. Bands like Oasis, for example, don’t sound anything like us, but they carried that ambition.

New Order before them, The Smiths – they all had ambition that was bigger than the suburbs that they came from. For us,

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starting out making music we were like, ‘We can do this, because we’ve seen others do it.’” Still, it’s pretty crazy, as Anderson points out: “When I was 25-years-old I’d never left Manchester, and now I’ve been to 52 countries!”

With the memory of being on the dole still very much fresh in their minds though, wining and dining with the elite across the continent hasn’t inflated their egos too much. The only thing extravagant is their sound (and maybe their impeccable taste in suits). Anderson puts it simply: “You can’t get carried away with anything. If one of us gets a bit carried away and our ego starts to take some twists and turns, the other one quickly squashes it. We don’t allow each other to turn into a*******s!”

Hurts make music for 20,000 people to experience collective epiphany, and while England may be slow on the uptake, Europe are well on their way to experiencing it. What could be next for a duo with so much determination and more than a little ambitious flair? A movie score is a given, and Anderson agrees. “Making a score for a whole film is on the cards,” he says, “we’re just waiting for the right person to ask.” Of course, the ultimate accolade for dramatic artists is to work with a certain Mr. Bond, something Hurts are both keen and overly qualified for. “We’ve been saying that for five years!” exclaims Anderson.

“Unfortunately we’ve not been asked, but on our new album there’s a song called ‘Weight of the World’ and if that’s not a Bond theme-in-waiting, I don’t know what is.” With Bond and Hurts both entering a new era, hopefully it’s down to them to chime in with the new Craig-less age.

Surrender has much of the signature imposing Hurts sound, but their natural progression is evident. Having made debut, Happiness, expecting no-one to hear it (and then garnering ridiculous success), second album Exile was just that – made in solitude with a ‘Right, we’re going to do exactly what we want’ attitude. It was claustrophobic and profound. “We made this really dark, intense record, which we’re really proud of, by the way. But at the time, the label probably wanted us to go in a slightly different direction. We wanted to make music for ourselves,” says Anderson.

“This time we wanted to make music that looked outward a little bit more, that wasn’t so internal, and so claustrophobic to make.”

With this new, brighter outlook, Surrender is a lesson in scintillating pop mastery. If Happiness was the dramatic death and Exile the stifling burial, Surrender is the ultimate resurrection.

“

I D O N ’ T T H I N K A N Y B O DY ’ S EV E R S U CC E S S F U L LY SA I D , ‘ T H I S I S W H AT H U RTS A R E L I K E ’

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ESKA THE

MERCURY

NOMINATED

THE SECRET’S OUT

SINGER

STEPS

INTO WORDS:

“

THE MERCURY NOMINATION IS

AN

AFFIRMATION T H AT

MY

P R OCE S S I SN ’ T COMPLETELY BARMY

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”

THE

LIGHT

GEORGE

WILDE

INTERVIEW

It is, presumably, difficult to know how to react to being labelled ‘Britain’s best-kept secret’ as an artist. It’s a flattering accolade in many ways, one which confirms that you have won the respect of your peers and those in the know; but it is also tinged with the reminder that your work is yet to receive wider acclaim.

laughs at the mention of the 3000% increase in her UK streams. “It’s one thing to be leading the odds with the Mercury, and that can be kind of cute I guess, but to be leading with streaming percentage increase? That makes me feel like a winner already. It’s a pretty good statistic, and one that I can hold onto no matter what happens.”

Until very recently, these thoughts must have been running through the mind of singer-songwriter Eska Mtungwazi, whose session work with the likes of Tony Allen and Grace Jones led to her being awarded this commendation in articles and comments all over the internet. “I do see it as a backhanded compliment in some ways,” she reflects, in a warm voice, “but I tend to see it as a great thing most of the time. Those people who are aware of me, they know the quality of my work, and those people whose radar I wasn’t on, that’s simply down to them not having the exposure. And me not having a solo record didn’t help either.”

An influx in listenership upon receiving a nomination for the Mercury Prize has become something of a trend in recent years, which is perhaps why the award is so coveted by new musicians in particular. “That’s what you want as a writer and an artist,” she continues, her excitement now noticeable. “You want your music to have that exposure, and to find a new audience. For the Mercury Prize to help and support that, and enable people to look me up online, makes me very happy and proud.”

That solo record, simply entitled Eska, has indeed ensured that she is no longer Britain’s best-kept secret, and in October it was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Prize.

“My feet haven’t touched the ground, probably since April when the record came out,” she says. “It’s been a whirlwind, not only in terms of press support, but also promoters and festivals suddenly having more interest in me as a writer and a performer as well.

Things are really exciting and it’s like ‘I guess I’m not so much of a secret now,’ you know?”

Figures recently released from Spotify prove just how right she is, and she

Of course the nomination is not just a chance to garner new listeners, as much as anything it’s a celebration of the quality and unique sound that Eska has managed to achieve in her record. “From a production point of view and when it comes to arranging, I don’t think in terms of genre or style; I think in terms of sound. The genre goes out the window and it’s all about dressing up the song in the best way possible, and finding combinations that delight the ear. This nomination, and the idea that my music has resonated with people, it’s a vindication and an affirmation that my process isn’t completely barmy.”

She laughs at this, but as she continues it becomes clear that affirmation is not exactly something she was obsessing over when the album was completed. “You never know what to expect in terms of reception, of course. But when I finished the record, I really felt that I had created something I could stand by for the rest of my life.

I accomplished what I set out to do, which was to bring definition to myself artistically. At that point, it doesn’t really matter what other people think.”

With this in mind, discussion turns to the future, and the prospect of following a record so wellreceived. “I think there are different challenges that come from artistic recognition. It’s one thing being a celebrated new musician, or ‘Britain’s best kept secret’, but it’s another thing when the secret’s out of the bag and you’re being perceived in a slightly different light. There’s a responsibility that you have to your art, to represent it well, and that’s a little bit daunting.”

Eska pauses, just for a second, “There’s a point where you have to say to yourself, ‘This opportunity has come now, so I’d better be ready now, and I better get on with it.’”

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TURNING 30:

TRACKS FROM A CELEBRATION OF CLASSIC ’85 ANTHEMS FROM SOME OF MUSIC’S MOST TREASURED QUEENS. AS A WISE WOMAN ONCE SAID: 30, FLIRTY AND THRIVING.

In the same year we celebrate the US legalising same-sex marriage, the return of Adele, and Poot Lovato emerging from her subterranean prison, we witness somewhat of a coming-ofage for the league of Diva Elite. Iconic singles from Madonna, Tina Turner, Kate Bush, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Grace Jones all hit the big three-oh.

But what of these beloved tracks and their respective first ladies?

What is the legacy of this wave of super-diva-power? And where are its queens now?

Madonna - ‘Into The Groove’ From her movie Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), it’s the kind of pure ‘80s gold that never gets old, unlike the argument over Madonna’s continued relevance or lack thereof. And whether or not she should stop ‘trying to be sexy’ or ‘trying to be a teenager’. With a tongue-incheek self-awareness that critics often seem to miss, nowadays it simply doesn’t matter. Bitch, she’s Madonna.

Tina Turner - ‘One Of The Living’ Winner of the 1986 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal (and the 2015 Audio Addict Award for best ‘80s Hair In A Music Video), ‘One Of The Living’ is a classic, soaked in gated reverb. It’s big, bold and ballsy ‘80s rock from an original diva. Although now semi-retired, Tina Turner is upheld as an icon by an army of fans, and still slays live performances on the rare occasions she does take to the stage.

Kate Bush - ‘Running Up That Hill’ A deft handle on human emotions, translating and exercising them through lyrics, makes Kate Bush an undeniable force in experimental pop music. Remixed and re-released in 2012, and featuring in the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics, ‘Running Up That Hill’ clearly still holds on tight to its place in the hearts of the masses. As does its leading lady, whose live tour in 2014, after 35 years away from live shows, basically saw the music industry explode and audiences pass out in awe.

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F E AT U R E

THE DIVA ELITE MINNIE WRIGHT WISHES THE SINGLES A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AND TAKES A LOOK AT THE LEGACY OF THIS SUPREME LEAGUE OF SUPERSTARS.

Whitney Houston - ‘How Will I Know’ Dance-along favourite then, dance-along favourite now: ‘How Will I Know’ is more of that special breed of ‘80s pop that continues to endure.

In spite of Houston’s tragic death in 2012, the camp-pop of this single still soundtracks many a clubbing venture – a fact testament to the spark of brilliance her music brought to the charts.

Diana Ross - ‘Chain Reaction’ Written and produced by the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb, this impossibly catchy No. 1 hit is just one track in a career packed with soul-pop genius from Diana Ross. Extolled as a gay icon since her early solo career – blending disco and sheer glamour with a proclivity for releasing unofficial pride anthems – In 2012 she won the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement and continues to tour. Diana Ross remains a queen among pop stars.

Grace Jones - ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ A portrayal of exploitation by a powerful avant-garde pop star, ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ became one of Grace Jones’ signature tracks. Lately, it has developed a signature of its own. Performing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012, Jones hula-hooped through the entire song, and this year at Afropunk festival in Brooklyn, the hula-hoop made another appearance, with a 67-year-old Jones proving her undying and eccentric radiance by doing the whole thing topless and wearing virtually nothing but body paint.

Through continued relevance, ingenious songwriting, sheer fabulousness or a toxic cocktail of the lot, the Madonnas, Tinas and Kates, the Whitneys, Dianas and Graces elevate themselves from star to icon. Even punctuating three decades of material with dubious releases (‘Give Me Luvin’’, anyone?), ‘retiring’ or passing away in sad and undignified circumstances can’t affect affect their place in the Diva Hall of Fame. Free from the usual rules of criticism and judgement that apply to everyone else, the Diva Elite have earned 30 years of commendation; and we’ll raise a toast to the next 30 too.

THESE HITS WEREN’T THE ONLY GREAT MUSICAL THINGS TO COME FROM 1985. HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR HIGHLIGHTS. January 1 - American music video channel VH1 begins broadcasting. The first video it airs is Marvin Gaye’s ‘StarSpangled Banner’.

January 11 - The first ever Rock In Rio festival begins. The lineup features Queen, AC/DC and Yes. January 28 - ‘We Are The World’, written

by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones, is recorded by various artists (Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen) as USA For Africa.

Profits went towards relief for the famine in Ethiopia.

February - The Breakfast Club is released in the USA, along with its soundtrack, featuring Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’.

May 2 - Singer Lily Allen is born in Hammersmith, London.

May 13 - New Order release their third studio album, Low-Life. It reaches No. 1 in the UK Independent Albums Chart.

June - Huey Lewis and the News release ‘The Power Of Love’. The track features in Back To The Future, where Lewis also makes a cameo appearance as a judge of Battle of the Bands, criticising The Pinheads’ cover of the track.

June 12 - Megadeth release their debut album, Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!, having reportedly spent half the budget for the album on drugs and alcohol.

June 17 - Bryan Adams releases ‘Summer Of 69’.

July 13 - Live Aid takes place, with performances from Led Zeppelin, The Who, David Bowie, The Beach Boys and many more.

October 26 - A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ peaks at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.

November 5 - ‘You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)’ released by Dead or Alive. It becomes the first No. 1 single for production trio Stock Aitkin Waterman.

November 25 - Shakin’ Stevens’ ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ is released and goes on to be Christmas No. 1.

December - My Bloody Valentine release their debut EP, Geek!.

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INTERVIEW

DU BLON DE SEES RED

BEN HINDLE AND BETH JEANS HOUGHTON DISCUSS SEXISM IN THE INDUSTRY, AND WHY “BEING A FEMINIST DOESN’T MAKE YOU A MAN-HATING BITCH.” Reinvention presents an opportunity to stick two fingers up to convention and expectation – to bring the art back to the artist.

Having suffered a breakdown in 2012, singer Beth Jeans Houghton needed her art back in her hands, and following an epiphanyinducing visit to the V&A’s Bowie exhibition, Du Blonde was born.

The new moniker appeared publicly back in May this year, when she dropped new album, Welcome Back To Milk, amongst a flurry of punky riffs, primary colours and makeshift merkins. The release channelled an explosion of anger from Houghton at the archaic attitudes of a male-dominated society.

Now, months down the line, Du Blonde has been thrust back into the spotlight thanks to a new video and UK tour, but little has changed to relieve her discontent. “I started music when I was 16 and there was a lot of patronising comments and stuff like that,” Houghton tells Audio Addict. “At the time I thought that it was because I was so young, but now that I’m 25 and it still happens, I realise that sadly it’s because I’m a girl.” An outspoken feminist (and why wouldn’t she be?), the Newcastle-born singer even mentioned her runins with misogynistic industry-types in the album’s press release.

However, Houghton knows the problem goes much deeper than some Neanderthal in a suit being patronising, or a sound guy trying to explain how guitar pedals work after she’s been playing for almost a decade. “It comes in all forms,” she starts, “there are the really outright, ignorant, rude people; and then there’s also the subconscious sexism, when good people – who would hate to be thought of as sexist – say sexist things because it’s so ingrained in their ideas of gender.

“They come out and say sexist things as off-hand remarks without even realising what they’re saying,” continues Houghton, “and that can be even more dangerous, because if they’re not aware of it they can’t change it.”

Houghton believes that, if anything, the situation has got worse in the past year. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m more aware of it, but it’s still really prevalent,” she says. “It’s annoying to be seen as a female musician rather than just a musician.” Despite her grievances however, Houghton remains upbeat – mostly bemused at the sheer ignorance of the guilty parties. “It’s just one of those things that I just don’t get; like f*****g Kleenex Man-Size tissues! I have a bigger nose than most men that I know, why don’t I get those tissues?” she laughs.

Much of the lack of progress seems to boil down to a simple misunderstanding around the word feminism itself. Houghton explains how many of the women she speaks to are horrified by the term. “They seem to have this f*****g weird idea that being a feminist means that you’re a man-hating bitch,” she exclaims. “Feminism is just the belief in equal rights... It’s weird that it’s such a dirty word. It’s a positive word for me and it’s a positive thing, and it’s odd that there’s so much stigma attached to it. Even before you get down to the question of what it’s about, people are afraid of the word. How are we going to change anything if that’s how people feel?” (Ben Hindle)

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INTERVIEW

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN PAIGE LOYDEN BRAVES TANTRUM-PRONE PRESTON TO GET THE LOW-DOWN ON THE ORDINARY BOYS’ RETURN

The Ordinary Boys are back. Reunited with the addition of ex-Spectrals guitarist, Louis Jones, the Boys have dropped their fourth album and first release in almost 10 years.

Audio Addict is apprehensive interviewing frontman Samuel Preston, given his negative press from Celebrity Big Brother and the infamous vanishing act on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Yet he is talkative and engaging, rather than the pessimistic indie kid we assumed him to be. Constantly digressing from subject to story, Preston comes across as a likeable and down-to-earth character.

We begin by discussing the band’s split, and the destructive influence of original drummer, Charlie Stanley. Preston describes him as, back then, “The worst nightmare you could possibly imagine someone being, times infinity.” The band had to cancel multiple gigs due to the drummer’s behaviour. On one occasion, Preston tells us, they were staying in London before flying to Japan. The night before, around 6AM, the band received a phone call from Charlie – who had been to a gig, and evidently consumed a few too many beers. Having climbed onto the stage in the middle of the gig, shouting “I’m the Lizard

King,” Charlie was hit in the face with a hihat by the performing band’s drummer. He spent the rest of the morning in hospital with a broken nose so extreme it looked like he had “a nose coming out of his cheek,” says

“

INDIE HAS SO MANY LEATHER JACKET KIND OF PEOPLE, IT’S A FAKE REBELLION. ”Preston. That night’s events didn’t stop the band though, Charlie “just carried on drinking and with his face all f****d up he went on the plane and came to Japan.”

They’re not all that crazy, however. Each Ordinary Boy maintains an Average-Joe 9-5 job, if you can consider Preston’s professional songwriting career ‘average’, having written for the likes of pop star, Olly Murs. “We’re all quite sensible grown-ups really, which makes the whole thing sillier! And even if no-one even wants [us to return], that doesn’t even matter because we don’t have to make any money

out of it,” explains Preston. “In fact, this tour that we’re doing, it’s not just a metaphorical holiday for us… James [Gregory, the bassist] is taking his annual holiday leave, so it’s like our actual holidays.”

Conversing with Preston, it emerges that last time round, The Ordinary Boys developed into the type of band that they were trying so hard to distance themselves from. They are now focused on a return to individuality. “We want to disassociate ourselves from indie, because there’s so many leather jacket kind of people, it’s like a fake rebellion. There’s a real standardised set of rules of things you can say in order to appear slightly alternative.”

The Boys are already in the process of writing another album, which Preston says he wants to contain more punk – “I think I want it to be a mix between Oasis and New Found Glory.”

As we near the end of our conversation, we touch on Preston’s memories of Big Brother and find him surprisingly receptive.

“I think a life without regret isn’t a life I’d want to live anyway,” says the Ordinary Boy. “Like, what else would I have done?

I’d have just been sitting at home.”

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R E V I E W S ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER: GARDEN OF DELETE [WARP RECORDS] Identifying the essence of Daniel Lopatin’s music isn’t easy – his scatterbrained approach to electronica is consistently subversive and unique, forward thinking yet retro. Garden Of Delete is his eighth full-length, following 2013’s excessively abstract R Plus Seven. If the lead single ‘I Bite Through It’ tells us anything, it’s that Garden of Delete may bridge a gap between the chin-scratchers and the head-bobbers, but it’s foolish to think Oneohtrix Point Never would give the game away early.

What elevates Lopatin’s music is his use of texture. The variety of instrumental sounds, whether it’s lush keyboards, sampled chunks of music or found sounds, provides a tactile and immersive experience.

‘Ezra’ laces unsettling vocal samples into a beautiful melody, a contrast he often utilises. The progression is full of other typical Oneohtrix Point Never tropes; panning ambient string samples, cascading leads and synth arpeggios harking back to classic science fiction films.

Garden Of Delete is an extended version of the palette that Lopatin has worked from since his debut LP Betrayed in the Octagon, heavily processed vocals being one new addition. The androidlike melancholic serenade of the heart-breaking ‘Animals’ and the stunning closer ‘No Good’ are captivating, especially in the way the former’s vocals dip in and out of white noise, suggesting that this robot may have fallen victim to its built-in obsolescence. This implied emotion throws the song into empathetic territory, while teetering on the edge of the uncanny valley.

Constantly moving and rarely redundant, Lopatin avoids treading on the same musical and textural ideas song for song. Where R Plus Seven did this by removing traditional song structure and form almost entirely from sections – leaving it feeling unguided at points – Garden of Delete strikes a purposeful balance. There is a rigidity to the propelling triplet rhythm of ‘I Bite Through It’, which breaks tempo to leave space for passages of solo guitar, each time being resolved by a melodic motif. ‘Sticky Drama’ focuses on song structure in less imaginative ways. In its three acts it covers sounds of fairly rough-and-ready conventional EDM, a barrage of distorted, syncopated kick drums in the middle, and a final rush of what can only be described as death metal with vocoders. It’s ham-fisted in delivery and tastelessly brash, like Skrillex’s studio leftovers.

For ‘Mutant Standard’, Lopatin opts for a mechanical driving kick pattern, choosing to make rhythm the focus once again, in contrast to how his previous work often disguised its rhythms. The eight minute track progresses into an intense, rising, sequenced synth soundscape, after a squelching sound reminiscent of one of David Cronenberg’s grotesque creations, aiding the song’s otherworldly atmosphere. While the synth tones are trashy, the melodies are compelling enough to forgive Lopatin.

Garden of Delete demonstrates Oneohtrix Point Never’s willingness to evolve. While key characteristics are still present, his free form style has been contextualised into conventional song forms making for a less fractured listen. While at some points it’s misguided, it’s often quite profound. This is not just a R Plus Seven Part Two. (Daniel Cook)

6.5

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LIZZO: BIG GRRRL SMALL WORLD [BGSW] Rapping is only a small portion of Minneapolis-based artist Lizzo’s talents. Being a gospel singer and trained flautist, as well as dabbling in her local indie rock, electronic and RnB scenes, musical diversity certainly isn’t scarce for her. Big GRRRL Small World, Lizzo’s second album, combines the assortment of genres which she has explored, bringing them together into one fiery collection.

Whilst it does consist primarily of hip hop, branding Big GRRRL Small World as solely this would be inaccurate. Together with demonstrating the album’s intensity, ‘Ain’t I’ makes it evident that Lizzo won’t merely be rapping as she places in a short RnB vocal break near the track’s close. ‘Ride’ – with its synthpop and funk foundation – the RnB and electronic sounds of ‘Humanize’, and the pop and RnB elements of ‘My Skin’, also see Lizzo excellently combining and balancing hip hop with styles she’s previously been connected.

Passionate, vibrant and unpredictable, Lizzo produces an engrossing and smartly formed album which refuses to conform to any genre, supplying Big GRRRL Small World with a broad and unconfined character that makes each song feel novel and individually simply refusing to be ignored on any account. (Aaron Jolliff)

7.5

BARONESS: PURPLE [ABRAXAN HYMNS] When you hear that Baroness play ‘sludge metal’, you wouldn’t think they make albums as shimmering as Purple. The Georgia quartet’s fourth full-length still has the grit and ferocity expected of the genre – with riffs on tracks like ‘Kerosene’ and opener ‘Morningstar’ that will tick boxes for Mastodon fans. They resume their signature thunderous rumble on songs like ‘The Iron Bell’ and ‘Desperation Burns’, but Baroness are far from just another sludge-y band with some decent riffs.

As they proved with their last double release, Yellow & Green, Baroness can tap into progressive elements, making their albums as intriguingly fascinating as the otherworldly artwork that guitarist/singer John Baizley creates for them. Songs like ‘Try To Disappear’, single ‘Chlorine And Wine’ and ‘If I Have To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain)’, each give Purple that third dimension which made Yellow & Green such a success, yet the new record is more consistent and precise. There aren’t any tracks with a huge hook like ‘Take My Bones Away’, but with soul-filled songs, amazing musicianship and many Pink Floyd references, Purple is a more subtle, steady kind of medicine. (Jack King)

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KAMPFAR: PROFAN [INDIE RECORDINGS] Rousingly unsettling in darkening motifs and forever fierce in their musicianship, Norwegian four-piece Kampfar’s seventh studio album Profan sews together paganistic themes and harsh black metal to create a tapestry innately dark within metal.

Unfortunately, Profan is roughly scattered with tracks that only loosely embrace black metal frameworks. While riffs are still assailing, ‘Skavank’ utilises a more rock based structure – ‘Daimon’ similarly so with its rare clean vocals. Arguably, it adds a Gojira-esque sense of depth and dimension that could act as a winning attribute were it not lost in a predominantly thrashy album.

Kampfar show noticeable changes in their work – the pagan-folk soundscapes in previous album Djevelmakt have been abandoned; few melodies can be mined from Profan.

Instead, a substantially more aggressive approach has been adopted, with ominous choral chanting, forceful driving riffs and dynamic drum patterns. All aspects nominate Kampfar as strong competitors in their niche black metal sub-genre.

Profan is not as progressive as preceding albums, but that isn’t wholly a problem. Kampfar have opted to retain elements reminiscent of their early work that strongly reflects coarse black metal traditionalism, an aspect that works strongly in their favour. (Ash Valentine-Wells)

SECRETS: EVERYTHING THAT GOT US HERE [RISE RECORDS] SECRETS are a San Diego four-piece band that seemed to defy genre with an off-kilter mix of metalcore and synth-laden breaks. Last album Fragile Figures attracted a huge amount of buzz from publications the world over, leaving hopes high for new effort Everything That Got Us Here. Unfortunately, although it attempts to live up to hype through an in-your-face display, the new album still manages to fall before it even gets to the first hurdle.

Opening with an a cappella piece, no expectations are laid for what is to follow, allowing a real chance for the band to stray away from its roots and expand their horizons. Unfortunately this opportunity is wasted. Leading into first proper track ‘Rise Up’, a sickly sweet 2007 style metalcore track, little density lies within it.

‘Left Behind’, ‘Half Alive’ and pretty much every other track follows the almost exact same formula but introduce more synths, cringe inducing vocals and empty production on the drums.

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7.5

ACRE: BETTER STRANGERS [TECTONIC]

Better Strangers marks two standout debut LPs in as many months for Pinch’s Tectonic imprint, following the release of Ipman’s Depatterning in October. But where his Herefordshire-based label-mate paid tribute to the ageing underbelly of dance music, Acre’s journey to maturity has clearly been a more forward-thinking affair. Better Strangers sees the Mancunian subvert traditional formulaic systems to deliver crusty, fractured electronica in the midst of an existential crisis.

Rather appropriately for a work based around the concept that some people are better off left alone, the album’s coalescence hinges on a lingering paranoia. Each track bears questionable intentions, from the heady nightmare of ‘Don’t Talk’, to the paranoid repetition of ‘Automatic Fire’, which dissolves rapidly into an ominous hardcore death march. The persistent sense of unease brings about a heightened state of consciousness and an altogether more involved listening experience.

Devoid of anything particularly noticeable or enthralling, Everything That Got Us Here is not the direction the band needed to follow, spoiling the previous effort they’ve put in and being throughly dissapointing for the majority.

(Jack Webb)

Planting a flag somewhere in the obsidian wastes between industrial, grime and drone, Better Strangers is undoubtedly a heavy listen; yet it’s not all doom and gloom. Samples that in the wrong hands could easily come across as outdated or cheesy (see: gunshot ricochets in ‘Always Crashing’) instead pepper witty notes amongst painstakingly-arranged dioramas of sonic odds and ends. (Ben Hindle)

3.5

8.5

REVIEWS

ROCKWELL: OBSOLETE MEDIUM [SHOGUN AUDIO]

There was a time when Tom Rockwell made music that was infinitely complex and yet maintained a simple beauty, like watching time-lapse footage of a flower bursting up from a seed. In recent years however, the pots-and-pans percussion of ‘Aria’ and wisened rumbling of ‘Underpass’ have made way for a sound much more in keeping with the new wave of Shogun Audio recruits. For better or for worse, the label has been skilfully guided by head honcho, Friction, to fill the gap between Hospital’s liquid-pop and the blatant aggression of RAM.

and return to it once again. Obselete Medium has his name stamped all over it, from the signature extreme sample manipulation of his early work, to tracks which reference his recent material seemingly only to comment upon it. Whilst the broad and often brash offerings can prove difficult to swallow in large gulps, creativity and individuality are rife throughout and, most importantly, Rockwell is once again making music for himself.

(Ben Hindle)

Five years seems a long time to wait for a debut album these days; however, the time has allowed Rockwell to stray from the path

6.5

RAH RAH: VESSELS [DEVILDUCK RECORDS]

Multi-talented Canadian outfit Rah Rah are here to bring a new lease of life to the dull, dreary winter. Vessels locks you in the palm of its hand within the first five seconds, something many albums cannot boast.

Their highly-anticipated fourth album could be considered under pressure by their previous work, with third album The Poet’s Dead being nominated for 2013’s Polaris Prize. However, it seems having a lot to live up to has brought out the best in Rah Rah. Through scintillating enthusiasm, the album removes all sense of one’s surroundings, transferring the mind to those nights in,

practising killer dance moves in front of the mirror. Opener ‘Be Your Man’ and lead single ‘Chip Off The Heart’ mark outstanding moments, with interchanging male and female lead vocals on each song and harmonies that let the soul drift away to happier places.

As the album trails on though and comes to a close, this positivity does begin to become a slight negative. Forty minutes of sheer joyous emotion does seem to wear a little thin. That said, there are worse things than being left with nothing but happiness. (Andrew Shelley)

7.0

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REVIEWS

COLDER: MANY COLOURS [BATAILLE RECORDS]

KODE9: NOTHING [HYPERDUB]

KHRUANGBIN: THE UNIVERSE SMILES UPON YOU [NIGHT TIME STORIES]

Using numerous electronic beats, keyboards and harmonies, French darkwave/coldwave pioneer Colder intrigues without difficulty on his first album in 10 years, Many Colours.

Opening with the half electro, half post-punk title-track, it’s hard not to be mesmerised by the interesting use of musical elements within.

Nothing is a sonically diverse journey into the mind of Hyperdub label boss Kode9.

Dark and eerie instrumentals run throughout, jumping from early dubstep, to grime, to a slice of Chicago footwork. Styles are constantly switching up, keeping you on your toes. The album’s haunting atmosphere is chilling; the death of long-term collaborator The Spaceape, who died in 2014 after a battle with cancer, leaves a definite level of sadness when listening, especially during the nine minutes of silence on closing track ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, which has a reflective feel to it – looking back on what has been, but also on what can still be. (Will Garnett)

With its slow-tempo, funk-bass grooves, jazz drums and guitar-lead instrumentals alternating between wah-pedals in ‘August Twelve’ and clean-cut funk riffs in ‘Zionsville’, Texan trio Khruangbin’s debut album has taken the best parts of their musical influences (Thai funk and The Shadows) and created a breathtaking, atmospheric record that would make a fitting soundtrack to a Tarantino film.

8.0

7.0

9.0

WARM BRAINS: BIG WOW [MILK MILK LEMONADE]

MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD: NOETH AC ANOETH [NEW HEAVY SOUNDS]

BROR FORSGREN: NARCISSUS [JANSEN PLATEPRODUKSJON]

New album Big Wow from Warm Brains (his first release since 2011), is definitely something to keep an eye out for. With Rory Attwell producing and recording almost everything himself – needing assistance on only three tracks – there isn’t a lot to dislike about his new sound.

As the name suggests, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard play long slabs of evershifting doom-laden stoner metal. The band delivers everything you’d expect from the genre and that’s the problem: they’re just not pushing the envelope far enough.

Narcissus is the debut album from former Jaga Jazzist multi-instrumentalist, Bror Forsgren. The art deco style of the album’s artwork depicts a perfect visual representation of what’s included – colourful, playful and electronic-flavoured pop.

The three long tracks on Noeth Ac Anoeth explore heavy, sombre and earthly tones with nicely crafted progressions and buildups that unfortunately mostly amount to nothing. Their most notable element is Jessica Ball’s softly soaring vocals, which offer a nice contrast to the band’s thick and burly exterior.

Forsgren’s soft voice is complemented by the many-layered whirlwind of sound he uses to take the listener into their own little world. Opener ‘Waiting For That Holy Music’ is a grooving sonic path, while ‘I Need Something New’ is upbeat, but somewhat hampered by high pitched horns.

Being only somewhat small scale, it’s worrying that the talented artist and his music could easily be pushed aside and left unnoticed, but all the components within the album easily ensure this won’t be the case, leaving you wanting more and more.

(Josh Abraham)

Previously having worked with bands such as The Vaccines and Palma Violets, Atwell forms his tracks with beats of varying pace mixed with heavy guitar chords and Bluresque vocals. Fans of all indie/rock-based genres should take the opportunity to listen to this unusual sound and fall in love with it.

(Elisha Cloughton)

It’s not particularly streamlined, but the band show they can play decent doom.

(Rob Sayers)

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6.0

With hauntingly-poignant vocal tracks ‘White Gloves’ and ‘Balls and Pins’ being just as unique and outstanding as their instrumental songs, Khruangbin are putting Texas on the map for more than country. (Martha Gregory)

A lovely mix of different instruments gives this album a touch that we currently don’t see enough in pop music. (Callum McCormack)

7.0

AN N IVERSARY REVIEW

IN RETROSPECT

LEFTFIELD: LEFTISM [COLUMBIA RECORDS] SOME ALBUMS OFFER DEFINITIVE MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC - MOMENTS THAT GIVE US HEROES. WITH LEFTFIELD TOURING ONCE AGAIN, 20 YEARS ON FROM THEIR DEBUT, WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALBUM AND FIND OUT IF IT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME 1995; the year Blur and Oasis battled it out in the charts, the Manic Streets Preachers’ Richey Edwards vanished, Queen released their final album and Leftfield unleashed their mammoth debut Leftism upon the growing world of dance music. Critically acclaimed for being pioneering and with one of the first commercially successful dance albums to emerge, Leftfield deservedly stand with the era’s electronic elite, along with the likes of The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. Nominated for the Mercury Prize in ’95, a year which saw an array of renowned albums on the shortlist, Leftism may have lost out to Portishead’s Dummy, but ultimately held the prize in defining a new path for dance music.

One of the most significant tracks on Leftism (and in Leftfield’s catalogue overall) is ‘Open Up’, released two years prior in ’93 as a thriving single. Taking guitar riffs, characteristic rave music elements – such as the recognisable ‘hoover’ synthesiser sound – and having John Lydon’s (Sex Pistols/Public Image Ltd) punk voice sing the vocal lines, Leftfield riskily did what was thought impossible: merging music previously considered as contrasting into one pulsating, intense track. Whilst The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’

(released a year later in ’96), is often regarded as the first track to truly unite rock and dance together, in reality, the foundation for such tracks was solidified in ‘Open Up’.

Leftfield’s impressive and wisely-produced combinations aren’t simply confined to ‘Open Up’. ‘Release The Pressure’ binds acid house, ambient and reggae properties, launching the album in a captivating and trance-like fashion. These styles recur in diverse forms throughout the album: ‘Melt’ takes on a soothing ambient approach and ‘Song of Life’ opens with an ambient outlook, but switches to acid house near its finish.

Leftism is such an assortment of ideas, techniques and sounds that placing the album in one simple category cannot be achieved; instead it stretches across several. In hindsight, it’s plain to see the movement which Leftfield began with Leftism, enabling dance to penetrate the mainstream and the acceptance of dance/rock combinations. It’s legacy is genres such as indietronica (notable artists Hot Chip, Digitalism and Cut Copy), rebelling against the old myth that rock and dance are two opposite ends of the spectrum. (Aaron Jolliff)

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PREVIEWS

GIG GUI DE: JANUARYMARCH 16

DAUGHTER – MON 18TH JANUARY @ PYRAMIDS CENTRE, PORTSMOUTH With their second album, Not To Disappear, set to drop three days prior, London indie-folk group Daughter’s visit to Portsmouth Pyramids Centre is sure to be a big one. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch one of the most moving trio’s on the circuit.

ESKA – SAT 23RD JANUARY @ TURNER SIMS CONCERT HALL, SOUTHAMPTON If she’s good enough for the Mercury panel, she’s good enough for us. Releasing her stunning debut this year, soul singer Eska heads to Southampton in early 2016. Take a look at our interview with the singer on pages 22 – 23.

THE LIBERTINES – FRI 29TH JANUARY @ BIC WINDSOR HALL, BOURNEMOUTH Cheerful cries were heard across the nation in September, as indie misfits The Libertines returned with new album, Anthems For Doomed Youth. Signature down-to-earth drawl intact, the band headline Bournemouth International Centre as part of their biggest UK tour to date.

MASSIVE ATTACK – SUN 31ST JANUARY @ GUILDHALL, PORTSMOUTH Crashing onto the dance scene in 1991 with their renowned track ‘Unfinished Sympathy’, Massive Attack were instrumental in defining trip-hop (whether they like the term or not). The Bristol legends take over Portsmouth Guildhall with 2014 Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers as support.

NEKROGOBLIKON – FRI 5TH FEBRUARY @ JOINERS, SOUTHAMPTON Want to know what in the hell “goblin metal” is? Then head to Joiners this February. Packing melodic death metal riffs and green-skinned internet sensation John Goblikon, Santa Barbara’s Nekrogoblikon is guaranteed to put on a show like no other.

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THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE – TUES 9TH FEBRUARY @ THE HAUNT, BRIGHTON Probably the longest (and most heartwarmingly) named rock band to ever hail from Conneticut visit the The Haunt in Brighton. Releasing their second album Harmlessness earlier this year, the band are wellknown for being part of the emo revival.

THE FRONT BOTTOMS – SUN 14TH FEBRUARY @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH Indie-rockers, The Front Bottoms, stop at Wedgewood Rooms on the UK stint of their European tour. The band recently released their fifth album, Back On Top, via Fueled by Ramen – home of Paramore and Panic! At The Disco – yet the New Jersey four-piece offer a far more idiosyncratic, daydreamy sound than their label-mates.

REBECCA FURGUSON – THURS 18TH FEBRUARY @ GUILDHALL, SOUTHAMPTON Like many before her, X Factor runner-up Rebecca Ferguson has proven that you don’t need to win to be successful. Having established herself in the pop world on her own merit, she heads to the O2 Guildhall for the final date of her Lady Sings the Blues album tour.

WILL VARLEY – FRI 4TH MARCH @ JOINERS, SOUTHAMPTON Having performed at The Royal Albert Hall in March, and recently supported Frank Turner on tour, Deal-based Will Varley may be downsizing in terms of venue, but that can only be a good thing.

Southampton’s intimate Joiners is the perfect location for his brand of honest, soft-spoken folk.

WOLF ALICE – MON 14TH MARCH @ PYRAMIDS CENTRE, PORTSMOUTH Yet another act who’ve picked up deserved recognition from the Mercury Prize panel, London’s Wolf Alice are sure to impress with their expansive alt-rock. The newcomers perform at Portsmouth Pyramids as part of their 2016 UK tour.

HOW TO BE A VIRAL SUCCESS WITH MUSIC SPAWNING MILLIONS OF VIRAL EVENTS (GENERALLY RANGING FROM THE STRANGELY ENTERTAINING TO THE ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS), CHECK OUT AUDIO ADDICT’S EASY GUIDE TO HOW TO MAKE IT AS A VIRAL SUPERSTAR.

START DO YOU DANCE LIKE YOUR DAD?

HOTLINE BLING IT! YES

TAKE LESSONS FROM DRAKE AND PUT THOSE MOVES IN A MUSIC VIDEO (YouTube Hits 56,846,407)

NO

DO YOU HAVE A BALDING TWIN IN YOUR BASEMENT?

THE POOT METHOD! YES

DO LIKE DEMI: DEBUT HER AT AN EVENT AND HAVE FANS SHARE HER STORY VIA TUMBLR (91,273 Notes)

NO

STILL USING A FLIP PHONE IN 2015?

HELLO! YES

ADELE’S GOT THE ANSWER: ALL YOU NEED NOW IS A SEPIA-TONE FOREST (YouTube Hits 178,967)

NO

ARE YOU REALLY BAD WITH ARMANI CAPES?

#MADONNAFALLS! YES

MADGE PROVED THAT BEING HELD BACK ISN’T SUCH A BAD THING (YouTube Hits 3,498,547)

NO

DON’T POOT YOURSELF TRY AGAIN IN 2016

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW A VIRAL MEGASTAR!

Image: Callum Cornwell

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