Audio Addict #27

Tokiors

Addict

e y M

King of Keys

ISSUE #27 FREE FLYTE / JONNY PIERCE / HER MUSIC PR / CHARLIE HOAR / TOREADOR 1 audioaddictmag.wordpress.com

You can find yourself a copy at SOUTHAMPTON

PORTSMOUTH

BRIGHTON

Beatnik Emporium Vinilo The Alex The Social Harper and Lewis Oxfam Music Shop The Shooting Star

Sweet Memories Vinyl Records Pie And Vinyl

Bella Union

ROMSEY Hundred Records

2

A

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR

authenticity into the often besmirched title of BGT winner.

His defiance of expectations is but one breadcrumb in the trail leading through this mag, alongside our ultimate diamondin-the-rough illustrator, Charlie Hoar. Not only is he the nicest person you’ll ever meet, you’re likely to (literally) bump into him six-feet from the stage in any given south-coast venue.

None of that “phoenix rising from the ashes…” stuff here. Whilst every other magazine rebrand is flying high taking a mythicalbird’s eye picture for their front cover, the fresh faced editorial team at Audio Addict #27 are sat doodling our entire mag in the burnt remains of our predecessors.

This nifty little A5 scrapbook of musical exclusives is the first of a new generation, embracing our student-level identity and making this mag’s personality as friendly, creative and entertaining as we possibly can.

I have to pinch myself sometimes with the quality of care and hard-work that’s gone into this mag from all of our contributors, including the most elite of editorial teams you’ll ever come across. I hope that over the course of the next twenty-six page flicks the voices of all our writers, editors, and designers come together and speak to you under the collective guise of the affectionate, warm, reborn Audio Addict.

That chiseled form you see smouldering on our front cover is Tokio Myers. Having supported Kanye West and Amy Winehouse with his cream brand of club-classical piano, he injects a heavy dose of

Rupert Taylor

3

DISCLAIMER 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 cannot be held responsible.

EDITORS Designer: Lizzie Capewell - @s4diowitch Features Editor: Maddy Hardman - @pseudoagatha

Reviews Editor: Andrew Shelley - @A_shelley11 Editor: Rupert Taylor - @0UTATIM3

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Abraham, Rosie Chalk, Daniel Cook, Sam Cowlam, Adam England, Lucas Eveleigh, Chloe Gorman, Charlie Hoar, Jasmine Hodge, Callum Hurst, Alec Larkin-Riley, Callum McCormack, Hayley Milross, Phoebe Randall, Madeline Smith, Sam Taylor

SOCIAL Facebook: @audioaddictmag Twitter: @AudioAddictMag Instagram: @audioaddictmag

4

06.

ALCOHOMMENTARY

30.

- Chloe’s inebriated insight into Green Day’s American Idiot

YEAH, I’M IN A BAND - GRIEF AND GRUNGE

08.

BACK AND FORTH

10.

JONNY PIERCE

34.

14.

HER MUSIC PR

36.

PICK AND MIX

38.

ALBUM REVIEWS

- Our very own Lucas Eveleigh on his band The Gillies

- Live music, whose fault is the rise in ticket prices?

- The Drums frontman sits down with our editor, Rupert

Contents

- Audio Addict’s picks for 2018

- An introduction to the PR company that packs a feminist punch

16.

- Shame, First Aid Kit, tUnE-yArDs and more...

R U ICONIC?

- Moronic, ironic or iconic.

Which are you?

18.

CHARLIE HOAR

22.

TOKIO MYERS

44.

CROSSWORD

- Test your 2017 music knowledge

- The illustrator that swaps the studio for the mosh pit

- The Britain’s Got Talent winner on his debut album

26.

TOREADOR

- The Southampton locals tell all over a latte

FLYTE

- Winchester four-piece talk books and Bowie

5

IF ALCOHOL MAKES THE TRUTH COME OUT, CHLOE GORMAN HAS UNCOVERED ALL THERE IS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT

GREEN DAY’S SEMINAL ALBUM

AMERICAN IDIOT -

UN-SOBER, UNADULTERATED AND (MOSTLY) UNEDITED .

A L C O H O M M E N TA R Y I STILL F*CKING LOVE GREEN DAY

JESUS OF SUBURBIA - 9 F*CKING MINUTES, I can drink a cup of tea wuicker than that. So many changes of tune in this song that you just kind of have to go with it.

Clever. You can bop to it, you can sway to it with lighters for dramatic effecty, you can stamp your feet to it. EVERYONES SO FULL OF SH*T If

A

MERICAN IDIOT - Let’s have itt.

Straight from the off. If anyone says they don’t like this song, then they’re a f*cking iiidiot. The lyrics are still soo relevant, BILLIE SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK. Come on, that guitar and Tre killing it on the drums, it’s such a f*cking good song.

6

SHE’S A REBEL - This Is a serious banger, I have no idea who’s he’s seinging about but EXTRAORDINATY GIRL - Oooooh bongoos, very exotic and then BANG THERE IT IS - who’s this f*cking WHatsevername? Does anyone know her name? Someone get her some tissues, she’s bbloody crying, poor girl .

LETTERBOMB - OH SHIT. F*ckiiiiing tune. Hands down one of my favourite songs on the album. It’s such a f*cking punchy bang bang, it’s just consistent and even when the chorus kicks in,

you’re one of these kids that don’t really feel like you fit in, then this osng is for you.

Tre Cool on the f*cking drums though, HOLIDAY - CAN I GET ANOTHER AMEN? AMEN. Absolute tune. It’s a proper head bopper. I think in the video, Billie managed to break his ribs because he was going for it too hard, what a guy.

WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS - I love this song so much, it’s such a beautiful song. Don’t’ be disrepescting when it gets to Octiober every year, it’s just rude. It gets the heartstrings in a way that’s almost intrusive because it’s so in your face.

BOULDEVARD OF VBROKEN DDRESAAMS - MAAATEeeee I haven’t heard this in so long. Wow!! !! You think the song’s good and then that f*cking outro hits you like a f*cking brick to the face

WHATSERNAME - Had to ask my friends where HwWhatsernme had been because I ain’t got a f*cking scoobuy mate, hope you find her ossooon. Did anyon e even ask her name, do you know it?

ARE WE THE WAITING - this song gets me every time . imagine being in a crowd chanting this like let me tell you, it’s a f*cking mooment, AND SCREAAMING

Words by Chloe Gorman @Chloefranesx / Artwork by Jasmine Hodge & Lizzie Capewell

ST JIMMY - Oooooh can you feel that ? I love agood countdown. This is just mosh pit territory, no doubt about it.

St Jimmy doesn’t sound like someone I’d invite round to my house for a bacon sandwich.

GIVE ME NOVACAINE - Oh god, how emo is this? Soz, not soz. He’s singing about a f*cking drug that’s used for your teeth,.

Stilll, that guitar solo though I mean It hits haaard.

7

FEATURE

:

BACK & FORTH

IT TAKES A CERTAIN TYPE OF MUSIC LOVER TO STEP BACK AND CONSIDER THEIR OWN CONTRIBUTION TO THE TURNING TIDES OF TICKET PRICES, AND ANOTHER TO BLAME IT ON THE SYSTEM LIKE A TRUE ANARCHIST. CALLUM MCCORMACK & ALEC LARKIN-RILEY ARGUE THE RESPECTIVE VIEWPOINTS.

Theres a hole in my pocket

to put on a show at such a fantastic setting but how many people have that kind of money lying around? These shows aren’t ‘high society’ events, they’re gigs for everyone to enjoy.

But it’s not just live music, video and promotion costs are sky high, and executive salaries are monumental, but that shouldn’t mean we have to get charged out of the ears for two hours of live music. Let’s say I wanted to go to this Bjork show: £100 for my ticket, plus travel costs, a few drinks and a Maccy D’s for good measure - that’s an extra £35. A grand total of just under £140 on myself alone.

WHAT ALEC THINKS...

T

he average gig ticket price is up 4.2% from this time last year. Now, I know I’d happily pay double that if they were to ban people wearing rucksacks at shows - you know who you are - but that’s beside the point. Take Bjork - tickets for her show at London’s Royal Albert Hall were nearly £100. I’d imagine it costs good money

What was once an affordable pastime has now become a serious pocket burner.

Words by Alec Larkin-Riley @alecLR1

8

“These shows aren’t ‘high society’ events, they’re gigs for everyone to enjoy’” WHAT CALLUM THINKS...

T

he recent rise of streaming has seen labels and artists alike lose out on millions through record sales. Now, while the streaming sites have rescued your wallet from the overbearing grip of buying the new Coldplay album simultaneously improving your music taste - your wallet still can’t shake off the gigs.

The increase in gig prices is a direct consequence of the revenue streaming services hijack, and as fans we can’t hide away from the fact that tickets prices have increased because of our fickleness. The only way to make money in the music industry in this day and age is through touring, simply due to the way we as consumers have moved in the market.

We love a good moan as fans and the ticket prices have become the whipping boy to this, but take a step back and see that within any market if a consumer moves one way then the market moves. We can’t expect to take away their big source of income through record sales and not see a backlash. We need to look into the mirror and see that we might be to blame.

Words by Callum McCormack @McCormackCallum

9

Artwork by Daniel Cook

“If a consumer moves one way, then the market moves...”

INTERVIEW

:

“I came out as gay and now I’m gonna come out as a musician.’’

Artwork by Lizzie Capewell

JONNY PIERCE OF THE DRUMS MARCHING TO A BEAT OF HIS OWN JONNY PIERCE’S ENTITLEMENT TO THE BAND NAME THE DRUMS IS INDISPUTABLE, FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE OF ALL OTHER BANDMATES. WITH HIS NEWFOUND FREEDOM, THE SONGWRITING HAS COME MORE NATURALLY THAN EVER, LEAVING TIME FOR JONNY TO BRANCH OUT AND SPEAK UP FOR THOSE WITHOUT A VOICE.

T

he Drums’ line-up has gone from four members at their inception to become the creative outlet of Jonny Pierce solely, and it shows in the openness of Abysmal Thoughts, his fourth studio album under the name. From the intimacy

of a balcony-booth at Bristol’s Thekla, Jonny tucks into our snack-box of queries, diving straight into the standardstarter course of album talk.

The openness is a direct result of not have to represent

10

additional people”, he remarks with the immediate air of a man ready to tell a tale. “I wasn’t initially thinking I would help myself, but by pouring my heart out I came to some truths I wasn’t expecting. I started looking at myself, and almost

like a boomerang effect it started coming back at me like ‘I think I’m writing this album for me’”.

“It’s ‘Under The Ice’” Score.

“When I hear it, I get emotional and it really resonates with me.”

“When you step into a band like The Drums as a broken person it’s very easy to be ripped to shreds – I felt like I was holding myself together with Scotch tape,” continues Jonny.

After a brief interlude, concerning the track’s viability as a shower sing-along, Jonny resumes his personal runthrough of the album. “I also like the musical landscape of ‘R U Fucked?’, and I love the closer, ‘Abysmal Thoughts’”.

“I wrote a solo record like four years ago, and right before we were pushing the go button to promote it I just got cold feet.

I went back to those ideas, and pulled some of that to use on the new album. Not the songs, just certain elements.” Jonny goes on to explain how a carnival of percussion was taken directly for use on the new album, particularly the title track. “It’s weird - when I listen to the solo record and Abysmal Thoughts, they feel like companion pieces.”

Considering that Abysmal Thoughts is Jonny’s first outing under The Drums without official bandmates, we were keen to understand the newfound dynamic of what is essentially a solo-venture.

“After my divorce and Jacob leaving, the two pillars in my life that had been supporting me crumbled away, and I definitely went through some

We quiz Jonny on his personal favourites from the album, fishing for our own pick (by which we mean Echo and The Bunnymen-esque introvert ballad ‘Under The Ice’). “If somebody asked me, out of all the songs you’ve released, what sums up The Drums, yourself, and how you feel…”, he comments, with our anticipation almost palpable.

11

real grieving and plummeted,” responds Jonny with seasoned preparedness. It’s clear that this subject is something Jonny has considered in detail plenty of times prior to our meeting. “It was just a really big change having things to talk about that were so real, it’s like [Abysmal Thoughts] just gave birth to itself. It demanded to exist. I hadn’t had that experience since the first EP, and most of the first album.”

Remembering with a jolt that there was a second part to his response, Jonny takes a more professional tone. “If you’re not Katy Perry or Lady Gaga, you have to work really hard to keep your head above water. We’re a working-class band… that’s why I wear this auto-mechanics jacket,” he says, tugging at his overalls with pride. “It feels like we clock in at the factory every morning and work our asses off.”

Whilst on the subject of The Drums’ evermorphing line-up, the topic of keeping the stalwart name seems too vital an aspect of the band’s image to overlook. And so, Jonny begins to share the story with a smirk, “It’s kinda dual purpose. I’d always stayed quiet about being the guy that wrote all the music for The Drums. I never said that the other guys didn’t, but most people would assume.”

Our final point of discussion is a move away from music, and into the wider landscape of politics, particularly in Jonny’s homeland The USA. “Well, I can say that in my lifetime I don’t remember the world ever being this crazy. The fact that Trump was even considered as a serious candidate, even at the beginning - I can’t believe every person on earth didn’t just boo him out of the room.

For him to become President is disgusting.”

He continues “Truth is, I wrote almost everything.

I recorded almost everything – all the parts; the bass, guitar, drums, synth, vocals, backing vocals, everything! So I thought ‘I came out as gay, and now I’m gonna come out as a musician.’”

“It’s funny ‘cause my brain is split in half.

One half is like “I gotta fight the fight, stay in America”, and the other part of me is talking to my boyfriend about moving to Berlin.”

With a definitive final statement, Jonny leaves us on a profound note. “I used to be apolitical with the band, but silence is violence. That’s life – you embrace change, and once you learn your lesson you just go for it, so that’s what I’m trying to do every day.”

The Drums new album ‘Abysmal Thoughts’ is out now.

Words by Rupert Taylor @0UTATIM3

ok

aniel Co

By D Artwork

12

J “We’re a working-class band… that’s why I wear this auto-mechanics jacket. It feels like we clock in at the factory every morning and work our asses off.”

13

FEATURE:

y f f u D a Emm

Rachel Lissenburg

IT’S A WOMAN’S WORLD BEING A FEMALE IN THE MUSIC BIZ CAN OFTEN START YOU A STEP BEHIND, BUT FLYING THE FLAG FOR FEMALE REPRESENTATION - AND GENERAL FAITH IN HUMANITY - A PR COMPANY THAT ARE TAKING ON THE ELITE. AUDIO ADDICT INVESTIGATES HER MUSIC PR TO TELL US ALL.

S

urrounded by an endless sea of horrid sexism headlines, those who voice positive steps in the pursuit of gender equality are sometimes drowned out. Two women who strive for equal rights are Emma Duffy and Rachel Lissenburg, coining the all-female focus in PR with HER Music. Their musical careers ground into gear when a shared passion

14 14

for writing and recording music led to the conception of their ‘80s influenced electropop duo, Park Fires. The gender imbalance and sexism within the industry soon became apparent to the pair, and this was a deciding factor towards the creation of HER Music PR - a female focused and female run PR company in Leeds. The only company of its kind in the UK.

“An amazing

network of likeminded and inspirational people” Their mission? “To help bridge the gap of inequality within the music industry.”

Highlighted in this year’s statistics, the results show that men dominated the line-ups with females constituting only 14% of acts performing across all UK festivals. While this seems a mammoth task, HER Music are clear as to how they can achieve this goal. The company strives to help narrow the gender inequality gap by “not only highlighting more amazing women’s music, but also to create a hub where women can get genuine help and advice about their music and meet other aspiring female artists.” By promoting and encouraging talent regardless of age, appearance, gender and the like, HER Music PR are “completely open to any artist” that wishes to get into contact, rallying their support for women in music and fighting for equality.

Such a gender specific brand could be seen to have the possibility to carve out more issues, but the pair dismiss this idea; “some people have asked

if we work with men or if we would turn someone away based on gender, obviously this would not be the case.

However, that being said, when a certain demographic is severely unrepresented sometimes there is a need for positive discrimination.” They state that instead they have received an overwhelmingly positive reception, and as a result Duffy and Lissenburg have managed to “build up an amazing network of like-minded and inspirational people” in their search for balance. They hope that their efforts will help to diversify the music sector, expressing that “ultimately anyone not fighting for a diverse industry, be it to represent gender, race, background etc. is also not fighting for a creative one.”

Luna Pines are the first to feature on the list of clientele, alongside the launch of ‘My Own Ceiling’, their new ethereal and intimate single. The Leedsbased, alternative electro-pop trio “are completely DIY. Playing, writing and producing all their own music.” Not only this, but also extending their talents to the mixing and mastering of their own tracks to add to their repertoire. The brand is now set to create a campaign for Hannah Slavin, a singer-songwriter from Glasgow with a soulful electro-pop flavour about to stride into the scene with the release of her upcoming debut, ‘Daydream.’ HER Music PR provide a refreshing dose of devotion, creating a web of support, and contending for individuals struggling with sexism within the music industry.

Words by Madeline Smith

15

Artwork by Lizzie Capewell

16

17

18

FEATURE

:

CHARLIE HOAR ILLUSTRATIONS

C

oncealed from view by the mass of the mosh pit, below the canopy of a hundred phones, there’s a figure, sketchbook in hand and drawing frantically.

You’ve just stumbled across Charlie Hoar, an illustrator and Southampton Solent graduate whose pictures say a thousand more words than any blurry, offkilter snap taken on an iPhone.

We found him at The Loft in Southampton, immortalising the stand out moments of The Big Moon, supported by Indoor Pets (formerly known as Get Inuit)

and Barbudo. After seeing his live sketches it was impossible to walk away without asking to collaborate with him, so after a few drinks in ‘Spoons and a whole load of emails back and forth, we can formally introduce him to you.

These four pages are the tip of the iceberg, and you can find the bulk of Charlie’s work - including comics, postcard designs and tonnes more gig sketches - on his website...

Words by Maddy Hardman @pseudoagatha

1919

20

21

INTERVIEW

:

TOKIO MYERS ADORNING TWO CROWNS AT ONCE CAN’T BE EASY. ALAS, HAVING SUCCESSFULLY OVERTHROWN THE KINGDOM OF BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT WITH HIS CLASSICAL-CONTEMPORARY HYBRID, TOKIO MYERS’ PIANISTIC POWER HAS EARNED HIM THE TITLE OF AUDIO ADDICT’S KING OF KEYS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO RELEASE YOUR DEBUT ALBUM?

can either take the easier route and make some tracks that I know everyone’s going to love, or do something that can really make a change.

I decided to make an album that was for people that just kind of need a bit of inspiration, so it took me a while to come up with the album title Our Generation. It’s basically us - the adults - we have jobs, we do what we’re doing, but hopefully we’re making a difference to the world that we live in, and the album is there to inspire the next generation. There’s a lot of meaning and thought behind it.

I love a lot of music and I’ve somehow managed to fuse a lot of them together, whilst sat playing the piano. There’s a lot of influences you know – classical, cinematic, hip hop, soul, ‘90s electronica, ‘90s soul – all mashed into one album, it’s never really been done before.

It feels like a dream come true if I’m honest with you, an absolute dream come true and I’m very very excited for everyone to hear it, it feels like a lifetime in the making.

HOW DOES THE MUSIC SHOWCASE YOUR TALENTS? After doing the show I had thousands of messages from kids saying that they’re growing up in similar situations to me, and I realised I wasn’t just making an album for the sake of churning out an album. I could do that, but I realised there’s the responsibility there, so I

22

“I want to do something that’s challenging, and a bit fun”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE GOING ON A HEADLINE TOUR? Incredible. Obviously just another dream come true. These are things that you dream of as a kid and I’m really excited to put on an amazing show, just something that people haven’t seen, being a pianist. I feel like it’s the right time to be doing what I’m doing. I’m excited to take what everybody’s seen already but just take it to a whole other level – I’ve been working on the live set, it sounds amazing, and I’m happy to see where that goes in five months from now, so yeah, buzzing!

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE BGT WAS THE ROUTE FOR YOU? I had no idea what to expect, you get to a point where you just want a bit of a change, I literally woke up one day and I just thought “You know what, I want to do something that’s challenging, and a bit fun,” not really knowing where it’s going to go or how hard it’s going to get but just enjoy each moment. I just made a conscious decision to be like “Oh actually, I want to go on

23

Tokio Tok Artwork by24 Daniel Cook

s r e y M kio BGT this year” and that was it.

HOW DO YOU FEEL THE LABEL OF BGT WINNER AFFECTS YOUR IMAGE AS AN AUTHENTIC ARTIST?

It worked for Leona Lewis on X Factor, you know? It worked for James Arthur. I mean, it just depends, you don’t even remember that those guys even came off the back of that show. I think it really depends on what you do next. I’m not ashamed of it, I think anyone would want to be in that position of winning the show, and doing all of this amazing stuff off the back of it. So yeah it’s great, I think it’s just now down to the music and the album, touring and just keep going and going until one day, you know, it’s just a part of my story.

“I’m really excited to put on an amazing show, just something that people haven’t seen”

Tokio Myers’s new album ‘Our Generation’ is available now.

Words by Adam England @garageflowrr

25

INTERVIEW

:

AT WAUGH WITH FLYTE WITH INSPIRATIONS RANGING FROM DAVID BOWIE TO THE BOOKS OF EVELYN WAUGH, WINCHESTER FOUR-PIECE FLYTE DISCUSS THEIR CAREFULLY CRAFTED DEBUT ALBUM THE LOVED ONES.

I

lot of experimentation – all live and through the arranging, through the organic process”

t’s the first time for all of us, being upstairs in The Joiners. Nick, Jon and Sam settle down on the sofas and Will, Flyte’s frontman, pours us a G&T. Their debut album The Loved Ones reached No. 24 in the charts, and deep into the souls of listeners with its beautiful songwriting, vocal arrangements and heart-wrenching themes.

The influence of literature, and especially Evelyn Waugh, is overtly displayed via the band’s name, their album title and in songs like ‘Orphans Of The Storm’. “I think the best things come about by not always referencing things in your own field,” Blur and Morrissey are mentioned, but Bowie makes the best example: “To be Ziggy Stardust he wasn’t just listening to rock’n’roll, he was inspired by Japanese fashion and obsessed with sci-fi. I don’t think we’ve been that eclectic, but bringing a bit of literature into the equation helped us define ourselves a little bit more.”

It’s been long time in the making, Will explains: “For years and years we were just working, but oddly in a sort of ‘daily-basis-this-is-our-job’ kind of way, with no money and no audience.”

These years in their own echo chamber were ample time to make all the mistakes bands often make during their formative years, “It’s kind of like winding up a toy car for ages then putting it on the table and it spinning off.”

Concerning musical influences, Flyte’s are broad - Grizzly Bear, Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem - but when we try to coax some older names from their lips Will sees right through us. “20th Century influences? ...Are you trying to make us say The Beatles?” he laughs. It’s almost unavoidable for them, “When you listen to The Beatles you get that lovely warm feeling of just like ‘oh, I understand this’. Sometimes you’re trying to resist that because it’s such an

Will seems quite happy to act as a mouthpiece for the band - on stage and off - and we talk about The Loved Ones and its inception. “I think we knew we wanted to be a real song-writing band, and be a real singing band, so I think we’ve achieved both things with the record,” he muses. “Early tracks like ‘Echoes’ and ‘Victoria Falls’, they came about in the studio with a

26

“Bringing a bit of literature into the equation helped us define ourselves”

obvious reference. It’s almost like god, there’s something kind of omnipotent about it.”

Flyte’s inert musical purism is at the forefront of their debut record, buried within the chord progressions and tempo changes, as well as the album’s sequencing. “We were trying a lot of different equations until we found the right one,” we’re told, and the album’s opener ‘Faithless’ is one of the more controversial positionings. “It’s quite a weighty track, but we like the kind of ‘fuck you’ aspect of opening with a big grand piano and just plunging straight in.”

Within the album lies the quintessential side-A closer ‘Sliding Doors’, and if it weren’t for an acapella Alvvays cover, it would end on the languishing fade-out of ‘Spiral’ - just as an album should. However, this cover of ‘Archie, Marry Me’ belongs. “It was a homage to all the facebook videos of covers,” Sam, keyboard player and resident choral arranger, grasps his opportunity to chip in. “I used to sing in choirs and my dad conducts them, it’s in my blood.”

Above any other element of their music, the euphoria of Will, Sam, Nick and Jon’s voices

2727

in unison is what sets them far, far apart from their contemporaries. Bassist Nick finds his, “It was a breakthrough in the studio, so often when you find yourself with so much stuff going on in a track, you can cut everything away and just do some vocal takes. Emotively that works so well, better sometimes than arranging it through instruments.” The band are keen to stamp this as their ‘sound’, and they’re justified

28

to do so - the closing moments of ‘Little White Lies’ allow their voices to fan out like a peacock’s feathers, through a riff that could easily have been delegated to synth or guitar, and countless other such moments litter the album.

The Loved Ones signals a divergence from the sound Flyte began with, tracks like ‘We Are The Rain’ and ‘Light Me Up’ - “they’re just kind of

“It’s kind of like winding up a toy car for ages and it spinning off”

Artwork by Jasmine Hodge

left on the shelf kind of waiting for their moment.”

They’re simultaneously proud and achingly humble, but we get the feeling that this is just a fraction of the band’s capability. “I think the record is a snapshot of the moment, and you want to try and

29

make a piece of work that is cohesive” this explanation makes endless sense but it’s one that doesn’t quite do them justice.

The record is a complete one, each song a different chapter in their debut novel, and it’s difficult to see their releases becoming anything other than Penguin Classics.

Flyte’s new record ‘The Loved Ones’ is available now.

Words by Maddy Hardman @pseudoagatha

“YEAH, I’M IN A BAND” 30

FEATURE:

Grief & Grunge HERE WE HAVE AN EMOTIVE AND EMPOWERING TALE OF MUSIC’S POWER TO HEAL GREAT WOUNDS, AN EXTENSION OF LUCAS EVELEIGH’S PERSONAL MEMOIRS “YEAH, I’M IN A BAND”

T

he death of my cousin changed my life. Angus Harpo Reekie tragically took his own life on October 1st 2016, at the age of just 16 years old. Never had I felt a level of devastation like it; the all-consuming grief that clings to your soul, the hideous feeling that there should be something you could have, should have, would have done.

For me there was only one thing I could do. In Angus’ honour we decided to put on a gig unlike any we had played before.

A gig that actually meant something, that wasn’t just about furthering our own career or for our own narcissistic addiction to the rush of performing live.

With the help of my dad I set up a show to raise money for Papyrus, a charity for the prevention of young suicide. What we achieved was beyond what I would

have thought possible in the infancy of The Gillies, and fuck me was it beautiful.

After months of planning, promoting and stressing, the night of our tribute came. There was never any question that the show would take place anywhere other than The Joiners, a venue that felt like a second home to us and our friends. By the combined power of aggressive social media promotion, the worthy cause and the bottomless compassion of our friends and family, 187 were set to come down, and by 8pm the small Southampton venue was nearly full to the brim.

The support line up was made up of my absolute favourite bands, who also happened to be my best friends in the world. Dream-pop three-piece Drug

31

Store Romeos opened the night, a band who just a few months earlier were throwing up in my bathroom after celebrating my 18th birthday a little too intensely. Their dreamy shoegaze set was quickly followed by the hard rock sledge hammer that is Arid Wave. A band that had inspired me from the early days of The Gillies, the Southampton grunge trio sent the crowd into a frenzy. After their set Will Palmer (an amazing drummer but an ever better person) told me that it was the best crowd they had ever played to.

The final support band came in the form of Cages, five of Basingstoke’s trendiest lads whose blistering brit-pop gave the audience their first opportunity to get their groove on and dance. Their guitarist, Joe Darley, was, is and will forever be my closest friend, in addition to one of the best guitar players I’ve met. He was the first person to reach out to me after Angus’ death and for that I will be forever grateful.

Cages’ set ended and so came our turn to wrap up the evening.

32

I will never forget looking out into that sea of faces. An overwhelming feeling of love rushed through my body like a narcotic drug, and time seemed to slow down to a point where I felt the seconds pass like hours. We blitzed through the set, my lyrics being screamed back at me from the dancefloor while my guitar seemed to have a life of its own, shrieking and wailing with the same frenzied anger, grief and passion as my own snarling vocals. We ended the set with a song we rarely ever play. ‘Disappointed’ is the song that is hardest for me to play to this day.

An eerie guitar ballad of pure pain, it’s the manifestation of my own broken soul at the time of its writing.

As Ben’s guitar teetered off into silence, I stared out into the teary eyed crowd and, for the first time since Angus’s death, felt that I was not alone, that things were going to get better, and most importantly that the world was not void of love.

“ An overwhelming feeling of love rushed through my body like a narcotic drug

“

We raised over £1000 for Papyrus that night, and although it will never bring Angus back, I can live in the hope that his death was not entirely in vain, and just maybe that night we saved someone’s life. It certainly saved mine.

Words by Lucas Eveleigh @thegilliesmusic

33 33

INTERVIEW

:

TOREADOR. TOREADOR ON PLAYING WITH THE AMAZONS, NEW MATERIAL AND… BREEDING FROGS.

S

at in busy Mettricks café on a chilly Sunday afternoon, local alternative rock trio Toreador, made up of Jack (guitar/vocals), Dan (bass) and Rob (drums) make themselves comfortable, sipping lattes in attempt to somewhat ease the grogginess of a hangover.

The waiter walks away to another table and after a cigarette, Rob begins discussing what they’ve been working on recently: “We’ve just recorded a new video for a new single that we’ve got coming out hopefully early next year. It’s gonna come out as a single with a B-side as well so we’ve got two songs coming out, and then after that we’ve got a couple of shows coming up.”

Looking forward to future gigs, Toreador also reminisce back to their biggest show to date with The Amazons. “We actually did two

34

shows with them and it was kind of surreal because the first one, it was a headline show from Cassava and The Amazons were a special guest. They had a decent crowd there but they were still a fairly small band, then within less than a year they sold out The Joiners.

Then they went to sell out Engine Room - that was insane - we’d really like to play with them again.”

Rob muses over the feedback they get from fans: “People say we sound quite similar to Royal Blood”. Also inspired by the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and Biffy Clyro, Toreador give a insight behind their writing process. Jack sips his coffee and confirms, “There isn’t really a set process, a lot of the time someone will bring an idea and we all expand on it together. If you tell someone what a song is supposed to be about it kind of takes away the purpose.”

Artwork by Daniel Cook “We’ve got a really great idea of how we want things to be,” Rob agrees, “I think the more we write, the more we progress, the better it gets. We know what we like, and we know what sounds good.”

music, it’s always been my thing. I’ve never seen myself doing anything else. I was a referee once for football, maybe if I wasn’t doing music I would have done that.” Jack adds, “Yeah anything other than music would be quite dull.”

While reflecting on their progress so far, the boys are still not afraid to dream big, “Maybe headlining Wembley”, Rob laughs. They then try hard to imagine what they would be doing if they weren’t musicians. Jack and Rob laugh and look at Dan, “You’re the weirdest one out of the three”.

Dan chuckles and says “I’d like to grow plants, be a botanist or breed frogs for a living.” Most bands usually just say they wanted to own a pub.

On a serious note, they confirm it’s always been their dream to “...do Toreador as a full time thing. We just need to get out there and start playing some shows in some other cities. I’ve always liked Brighton. Everyone always likes going to London… we’ll venture there next.”

Words by Rosie Chalk @rosie_chalk96

Rob and Jack puzzle a little longer over the question. “I’ve always kind of grown up with

35

FEATURE:

Pick & Mix AUDIO ADDICT’S PICKS FOR 2018 Justin Timberlake Man Of The Woods

Jack White Boarding House Reach

Just like the novelty of a candy necklace, JT seems to have fallen from the (love) hearts of the general public. The trailer for Man Of The Woods sees him in at least 50 different outfits, but none compare to his trademark double denim of 2001.

White’s third solo album is bound to be as raucas and divisive as the fiendish Blackjack. Debut solo Blunderbuss and follow up Lazaretto have taken him way off the beaten track, and we can expect something just as volatile this year.

David Byrne American Utopia

The 1975 Music For Cars

One of the most exciting announcements about 2018 is the return of Talking Heads’ frontman David Byrne. Since working with Brian Eno and St. Vincent, this album could be a real dolly mixture, anything from ambient to afro-punk.

Slowly acheiveing world dominance since the release of their debut album, it’s more than fair to expect them to reach even higher heights with their next release.

The cola bottles of the music world are sure to pop this year, so don’t miss it.

Cypress Hill Elephants On Acid

Mgmt Little Dark Age

While already having the best album name of the year award wrapped up, Cypress Hill are back from their hiatus packing enough e-numbers to make you insane in the membrane.

Covered in sprinkles and kind of retro the jazzies of the indie world MGMT are back this year. After releasing three singles our tastebuds are most certainly tantalised, ready for a full-length adventure.

36

37

ALBUM REVIEWS

:

First Aid Kit - Ruins

In 2008, two Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg rose to the attentions of the then soonto-be hipsters with their murky, yet quirky cover of Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Peasant Song; fast-forward ten years and the two have come what feels full-circle.

With the release of their fourth studio album, Ruins brings the biggest sense of calming comfort within the girls’ own peace of mind to date. While Stay Gold - their gold-selling third studio album released in 2014 - had the grandiose, larger-scaled pop-effect, it would now make sense that as the sisters both enter the middle and latter stage of their twenties, that they begin to not only find their own voice, but embrace and run free with it.

joyous and playful sounds that balance what is on the whole a rather lugubrious listening experience. While the rawness and vulnerability of tracks ‘Postcard’ and ‘Distant Star’ are exactly what all First Aid Kit fans have come for; HARMONIES. Not just any harmonies, but the holy grail of harmonies.

This aside, Ruins is a big open letter from the Swedish pair, one with a whole heap of risk, and not a lot of reward.

The first single released from the album ‘It’s a Shame’, is the perfect fit and callback to First Aid Kit tracks gone by, with its upbeat,

Words By Andrew Shelley @A_Shelley11

38

Camila Cabello- Camila

throughout much of the record.

Where Camila could capitalise on the soothing siesta vibe, it sadly grinds to a jarring halt.

‘Consequences’ has all the right traits of a final track, yet falls at the heart of the album - one of the many callow moments in a seemingly un-realised album.

What’s the difference between Simon and Garfunkel? One had a successful solo career (Paul Simon, of course). Okay, that’s contentious, but the point stands - going solo after a fruitful collaborative career is a risky venture. Following her split from Fifth Harmony, Camila Cabello ventures upon her first solo outing Camila.

There’s a seriously endearing playfulness here, but if Cabello wants to avoid becoming another Michelle Williams she needs to sift the grit and nurture the promising seeds scattered across Camila. We definitely don’t have the next Beyonce on our hands, but Kelly Rowland isn’t out of the question.

The lighter ditties - ‘All These Years’, ‘Real Friends’, and ‘Inside Out -’ are without a doubt the triumphant moments (despite the former’s lawsuit-worthy similarity to Justin Beiber’s ‘Love Yourself’). It’s not that Cabello’s voice is weak, as evidenced on ‘She Loves Control’ and ‘Into It’, but her gentle, breathy pipes don’t pack that Shakira punch to match the Latino carnival

Words by Rupert Taylor @0UTATIM3

39

Shame - Songs of Praise

The stand-out instrument though is Charlie Steen’s voice, and as the anthemic ‘One Rizla’ states “My voice ain’t the best you’ve heard / and you can choose to hate my words” but without this spread of marmite Songs of Praise might have been a little bland. For instance, ‘Gold Hole’ is an excruciating story of a young girl involved in an affair with a lewd old man, a fable that should end in divine retribution. ‘Tasteless’ and ‘Friction’ both take stabs at the human condition, the latter grilling the listener with twenty questions.

Like its namesake, Songs of Praise is a zealous romp with rousing choruses and messages of charity and penance. On their debut the south London five-piece clatter through the dregs of humanity, starting with themselves.

Their sound isn’t exactly unfamiliar: postpunk at heart, filled with seething rage and sweetness to match - but the musical language isn’t jarring or disparate, it’s seamless.

To say Songs of Praise is cutting edge may be one step too far, but Steen’s fury and cynicism act as a whetstone, sharpening each song to a deadly point.

From brooding opener ‘Dust On Trial’ the familiarity of guitar/bass/drums is punctuated with discord, bolstered by its booming production and surprising amount of reverb.

Words by Maddy Hardman @PseudoAgatha

40

Tune Yards I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life

Almost a decade ago Merrill Garbus showed the world her eccentric talent armed with just a ukulele, a loop pedal and an angelic voice; nine years later and Garbus has doubled tUnE-yArDs’ numbers with long term collaborator Nate Brenner being bumped up to an official band member. The result is a political venture into an art-rock world, filled with vibrant colours and infectious beats.

I can feel you creep into my private life is a huge leap taken by Garbus, with thoughtprovoking lyrics accompanied by beats that range from avant-garde to the hip hop world.

‘Coloniser’ is a straight up dance hit with

41

lyrics condemning the way in which we look at race; “I use my white woman’s voice to tell stories of troubles with African men”. ‘ABC 123’ is an infectious beat infused with a Bollywood vibe while the skittering beats of ‘Look At Your Hands’ feels like a ‘90s club classic.

As tUnE-yArDs slowly evolve the layers that tear away with each release show us a new world that Merrill Garbus conjures up, with I can feel you… we get one of the best albums of 2018 already, a true pop classic.

Words by Callum McCormack @McCormackCallum

Bibio Phantom Brickworks

On his tenth full-length, Stephen Wilkinson patiently allows the breeze of reality to smooth off any of his previously adorned blemishes, and sculpts a chilling vision of ambience.

Despite having dabbled in his own personally spun webs of soul, R&B, folk, indie, electronica - the list goes on soundscaping is a musical concept that the English electronic musician has yet to address in any of his last nine albums.

A trilogy of title tracks throughout the album, offering distant, cracked voices, embody a notion that Wilkinson himself has vocalised. “Human beings are highly sensitive to the

42

atmospheres of places… echoes and voices can sometimes be heard, in some way or another.” In this instance, through a refined realisation of Bibio’s trademarked broken loops and samples.

The timing couldn’t be better, as Autumn’s dissonance plays history’s gentlest game of snap with this almost entirely improvised soundtrack of memories.

Words by Rupert Taylor @0UTATIM3

Yung Lean - Stranger

Self-appointed ‘Sad Boy’ Yung Lean’s latest instalment Stranger comes across more trap than vaporwave. ‘Skimask’ employs a classic trap bassline undercut with a predictably offbeat electronic drum kit that wouldn’t be out of place in a Drake track, and the case is similar with ‘Metallic Intuition’ and ‘Fallen Demon’ amongst other tracks this formula bleeds into. Stranger, however, remains recognisably the work of Yung Lean with space-age, sonic landscapes propping up all 14 tracks; his signature combination of the futuristic and the retro defining the overall vibe and aesthetic of the album.

With Stranger Yung Lean hasn’t done anything new. It’s certainly his most mature work to date, but the young/yung Swede has chosen to repackage vaporwave as trap opposed to challenge any real genre boundaries, ultimately resulting in a bland album of chilled background tunes.

Words by Lucas Eveleigh

43

DOWN 1. Which dorky acronym made their return to music in November after a seven year hiatus?

2. What competition did Portuguese songwriter Salvador Sobral win in May 2017?

3. Which iconic London club reopened its doors in January after closing the previous year?

5. What was the name of Sampha’s Mercury Prize winning debut album?

6. Which blues guitar legend and “Rock and Roll Music” singer sadly passed away last March?

7. What was the name of the Gorillaz festival held in Margate?

ACROSS 4. Which three acts headlined Glastonbury festival in 2017?

8. Who was lowered from the ceiling of the NRG Stadium to headline the 2017 Superbowl Halftime Show?

9. See question 4

10. What county was the location of Bestival for the first time ever last September?

12. Which royal released their second album “The Ooz” last October?

44

11. See question 4.

1. N.E.R.D 2. Eurovision 3. Fabric 5. Process

45 6. Chuck Berry 7. Denom Dayz 8. Lady Gaga 10. Dorset

4. Radiohead 9. Foo Fighters 11. Ed Sheeran 12. King Krule

ANSWERS

Crossword

Gallery

Photo 46

47

48

Sonic Boom Six @ The 1865 Southampton 21.11.17

49

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHOEBE RANDALL INSTAGRAM: @PHOEBELAURENPHOTOS WWW.PHOEBELAURENPHOTOS.COM

50

51

WORK IN THE MUSIC MEDIA INDUSTRIES? I ALRE ADY DO.

Share your passion for music with the world with our innovative BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism.

Do you dream of interviewing musicians for leading music magazines, radio stations and record companies? Do you want to get backstage and tweet about it to a global audience? Then is the course for you.

For more details, visit: solent.ac.uk/P592

52