ISSUE 24
16 - 22 OCTOBER 2018
ALBUM REVIEWS From John Smith, Cat Power, Estrons and Tokyo Police Club
MUSIC NEWS From Bess Atwell, Sigrid, Amy Winehouse and more
GIG LISTINGS Our recommended listings of gigs in Brighton
LIVE REVIEWS
Featuring Lily Moore, Darwin Deez and more
FAKING IT TO MAKING IT, ALI TALKS ABOUT BIRTHPLACE
ISSUE 24
CONTENTS NOVO AMOR Jeff Hemmings chats to Ali John Meredith-Lacey, aka Novo Amor, about his rise to fame and his debut album release ahead of his Brighton show
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LISTINGS
Local venue news and more from the city’s music scene
EDITOR: Daniel White
COVER SHOT: Novo Amor
Our recommended listings and previews of this week’s gigs
3 4 Reviews from the latest album releases this week
LIVE REVIEWS
9 12 OUT OF TOWN
CEO: Frank Sansom
PRODUCTION: Adam Kidd, Jonski Mason
NEWS
ALBUMS
BRINGING THE ARTISTS CLOSER TO YOU...
Lily Moore, Darwin Deez, Lacuna Bloome and more feature in our rundown of this week’s reviews on the live circuit
CONTRIBUTORS: Jeff Hemmings Annie Roberts Rhys Baker Anna Claxton Iain Lauder Jamie MacMillan Liam McMillen Ben Walker Christian Middleton Kelly Westlake Paul Hill Chloe Hashemi Dan Whitehouse press@brightonsfinest.com advertising@brightonsfinest.com Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.
BOY AZOOGA
Our favourite upcoming gigs outside of Brighton
brightonsfinest.com brightonsfinestpresents @brightonsfinest
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Davey Newington chats to Jeff Hemmings about The Great Escape, Brian Wilson and his album 1, 2, King Fu!
brightonsfinestuk @brightonsfinest
NEWS Pop star Sigrid has just released a new single, ‘Sucker Punch’, following up her Raw EP. It’s accompanied by an augmented reality video that uses new technology. She’ll appear live in Brighton next March, supporting George Ezra at the Brighton Centre.
Psychedelic-rock trio My Baby, who we last saw in 2015 at the Spiegeltent as part of The Great Escape, have just released their fourth album Mounaiki. As part of a UK tour they are visiting Brighton’s Concorde 2 on 29th November 2018.
‘Funeral Pyre’ is the new single from Mogwai’s latest release, KIN: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which is out now via their Rock Action label. The ambient and emotive instrumental track follows previous singles ‘Donuts’ and ‘We’re Not Done Yet’.
Brighton singer Bess Atwell to release new single
Local folk artist Bess Atwell is set to digitally release ‘Grace’, on Friday 12th October, the second single taken from her forthcoming EP. Taking inspiration from the likes of The National, Fleet Foxes and Sharon Van Etten, the musician has spent the last two years refining her sound and playing headline shows and festivals such as The Great Escape and Green Man. This month she’s supporting the likes of Wild Front, 10th October, and Hembree, 29th October, both at The Hope & Ruin.
A tour featuring the music of Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 aged 27, is being planned for 2019, including an appearance of Amy herself, in hologram form. The show’s creators plan to use recordings of Amy’s voice, backed by a live band.
HER's At Brightonsfinest we strive to meet all of the best musicians who travel to, or live in our vibrant city. On our YouTube channel you can listen to our archive of radio interviews from both emerging and established artists, highlighting the best in new music from Brighton and beyond. This week we’re looking back at a performance by Her’s during the Brightonfinest Alternative Escape Showcase at St Mary’s Church on Saturday 19th May 2018.
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PREVIEWS
GIG LISTINGS BRIGHTON CENTRE Caro Emerald Saturday 20th October Tickets: £28
Jack White – Brighton Centre – Tuesday 16th October 2018 Arguably one of the finest rock guitarists of all time, Jack White lands in Brighton for the first time in years. Founder member of The White Stripes with Meg, he’s also played in The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. On top of those, there’s also his solo work, of which this year’s Boarding House Reach is the third release. Musical geniuses and legends don’t come to town every day, so this is not one to be missed!
BRIGHTON DOME Editors Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £27.50 Presented by Goldenvoice UK Level 42 Wednesday 24th October Tickets: £32 The Proclaimers Sunday 28th October Tickets: £35
The Prince Albert Hogjaw Wednesday 17th October Tickets: £11.50
Gaz Coombes – Concorde 2 – Thursday 18th October 2018 Gaz Coombes latest album, World’s Strongest Man, is a brilliant record about the world as it is right now and toxic masculinity. With more than a little bit of a Radiohead vibe, it’s sure to be an incredible show at Concorde 2, featuring work from all three of his solo studio albums. Gaz Coombes is far too big for Concorde 2, which has been sold out for a while now, but for those lucky ticket holders it’s going to be a surefire winner.
K PIC HE T OF EK WE
Her’s – Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar – Friday 19th October 2018 With dreamy melodies, and even softer vocals, we’ve been in love with Her’s for a few years now. Their live show, too, is way more fun than it has any right to be. At their Hope & Ruin show last year they brought along a life size cut out of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond and continually took the piss out of Morrissey. With their great chat and beautiful dream pop, they’re always a winner and their show at Sticky Mike’s promises to be the same.
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Collapsed Lung Friday 19th October Tickets: £11 Jo Passed Sunday 21st October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by Love Thy Neighbour Du Bellows Monday 22nd October Tickets: £8.80 Presented by Target Concerts The Homesick Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by Love Thy Neighbour
KOMEDIA
Green Door Store Lazybones Wednesday 17th October Tickets: £4.40 Presented by Hotwax Promotions Boy Azooga Thursday 18th October Tickets: SOLD OUT Presented by Lout Promotions TST Alldayer Saturday 20th October Tickets: £12.10 Presented by Tatty Seaside Town Mourn Monday 22nd October Tickets: £9.35 Presented by Neat Neat Neat Lafayette Regency Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £5.50 Presented by Love Thy Neighbour Sink Ya Teeth Thursday 25th October Tickets: £6.60 Presented by Dictionary Pudding
The pipeline Viagra Boys Monday 22nd October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by Neat Neat Neat
Sticky Mike's Frog Bar Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts Thursday 18th October Tickets: £12 Current Joys Friday 19th October Tickets: FREE Presented by Neat Neat Neat
Karine Polwart Monday 22nd October Tickets: £21 Presented by Zaza Music
CHILDCARE Saturday 20th October Tickets: £6 Presented by Hidden Herd
Tunng Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £24.20 Presented by Melting Vinyl
The Coathangers Sunday 21st October Tickets: £11 Presented by Neat Neat Neat
Lizanne Knott / Jesse Terry / Michael Logen Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £15 Presented by One Inch Badge
Haxxan Monday 22nd October Tickets: £5.50 Presented by Acid Box
Heather Peace Wednesday 24th October Tickets: £23.50
Palace Winter Wednesday 24th October Tickets: £11.50 Presented by One Inch Badge
GIG LISTINGS The Hope & Ruin
PREVIEWS Concorde 2
Riscas Thursday 18th October Tickets: £6 Presented by Close Up Promotions
Coasts Tuesday 16th October Tickets: £13 Presented by Coasts
The Yellow Bellies Friday 19th October Tickets: £6 Presented by Scruff of the Neck
The Orb Friday 19th October Tickets: £27.50 Presented by One Inch Badge
Culture Abuse Sunday 21st October Tickets: £10 Presented by Lout Promotions
Sham 69 Saturday 20th October Tickets: £22.50 Presented by Durham Punk Fest
Sam Amidon Monday 22nd October Tickets: £13.50 Presented by One Inch Badge
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £15 Presented by One Inch Badge
BlackWater Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by Modern Age Music
PATTERNS Cassia Wednesday 17th October Tickets: £11 Presented by Scruff of the Neck Iglooghost Thursday 18th October Tickets: £9.90 Presented by Neat Neat Neat Franc Moody Friday 19th October Tickets: £11 Sick Joy Saturday 20th October Tickets: £6.90 Presented by One Inch Badge Eivør Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £18 Presented by Tidal Concerts
THE GREYS Dawn Landes Thursday 18th October Tickets: £11 Presented by Melting Vinyl
ALL SAINTS CHURCH Neil Hilborn Sunday 21st October Tickets: £17.60 Presented by One Inch Badge
Arcane Roots – Rialto Theatre – Friday 19th October 2018 The Rialto Theatre is going to be a superb setting for what promises to be a very special show. Not only are Arcane Roots famed for their introspective, anthemic alternative rock and incredible live performance, they also recently revealed that this tour will be their last as they are taking time to work on other projects. They’re going out with an epic, ballbusting bang that will make their swansong a legendary evening to remember.
THE HAUNT Bo Ningen Thursday 18th October Tickets: £16.88 Presented by One Inch Badge Sea Girls Friday 19th October Tickets: £9.50 Presented by Lout Promotions Giant Party Sunday 21st October Tickets: £8 Presented by One Inch Badge Novo Amor Saturday 20th October Tickets: £15.75 Presented by One Inch Badge Drake White and the Big Fire Tuesday 23rd October Tickets: £18.50 Presented by C2C
BC Camplight – Green Door Store – Wednesday 24th October 2018 After a memorable gig at The Great Escape this year, BC Camplight makes a welcome return to Brighton to show off material from brand new album, Deportation Blues. With a set promising to be brutally honest about his recent struggles of being ordered to leave the UK and the turbulent three years that followed, audiences can expect a darker edge to Brian Christinzio’s songwriting at his first visit to the Green Door Store.
THE ROSE HILL The Space Lady Thursday 18th October Tickets: £11 Presented by Dictionary Pudding
The BRUNSWICK Siren Sunday 21st October Tickets: £5.50 Flight Brigade Thursday 25th October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by The Brunswick Live
Tom Odell – Brighton Dome – Saturday 27th October 2018 Tom Odell is set to return on record and the live stage, following up his 2016 album Wrong Crowd, with the release of his third album, Jubilee Road, which features ‘If You Wanna Love Somebody’. In October, Odell begins his new tour in support of the record, making a stop at Brighton Dome just after Jubilee Road’s release. This will be a great opportunity to hear the new material and join him in celebrating the new record.
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NIGHTLIFE Shapes Wednesday 17th October The Arch 11pm – 4am
Strategy meets Subspace Audio Thursday 18th October Volks 11pm – 5am
Macky Gee Friday 19th October Concorde 2 11pm – 3.30am
Halogenix Friday 19th October Patterns 11pm – 4am
Potential Badboy / Aries Friday 19th October Hideout 11pm – 4am
Calyx & Teebee Friday 19th October The Arch 11pm – 5am
HeyBuddy! / DJ Severe Looks Friday 19th October Komedia 11pm – 3pm
Sharda / Burt Cope Friday 19th October Hideout 11pm – 4am
Goth-Trad (all night) Friday 19th October Volks 10pm – 7am
Alexander Nut / Nu Guinea (live) Saturday 20th October Patterns 11pm – 4am
The Brighton Soul Train Saturday 20th October Concorde 2 11pm – 3.30am
Skream Saturday 20th October The Arch 11pm – 5am
Kotu Dance Party Saturday 20th October Komedia 11pm – 3am
Fecer Las Vagas! Saturday 20th October Rialto Theatre 9pm – 5am
Ross Dewbury’s Soulful Strut Saturday 20th October Green Door Store 11pm – 4am
OUT OF TOWN Wolf Alice Wednesday 17th October Roundhouse, London (Rock) – 7.30pm
Sisteray Wednesday 17th October 100 Club, London (Punk) – 7pm
LibraLibra Wednesday 17th October The Shacklewell Arms, London (Indie) – 8pm
Echo & The Bunnymen Thursday 18th October London Palladium, London (New wave) – 7pm
The Feeling Thursday 18th October De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill (Indie) – 8pm
Husky Loops Thursday 18th October Corsica Studios, London (Indie) – 8pm
Fickle Friends Friday 19th October O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Indie-pop) – 7pm
Laura Veirs Friday 19th October Holy Trinity Church, Guildford (Pop) – 7.30pm
Membranes Saturday 20th October Lewes Con Club (Post-punk) – 7.30pm
Black Peaks Friday 19 October The Underworld, London (Heavy Rock) – 6.30pm
Beachtape Saturday 20th October The Old Blue Last, London (Grunge) – 7.30pm
The Handsome Family Monday 22nd October Nells Jazz & Blues, London (Alt-folk) – 7pm
Eddi Reader Monday 22nd October Pavilion Theatre, Worthing (Singer/songwriter) – 8pm
Cat Power Tuesday 23rd October Roundhouse, London (Pop) – 7pm
10CC Saturday 27th October De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill (Rock) – 7pm
Full event listings at Brightonsfinest.com/listings
LIVE REVIEWS Lily Moore – Komedia Studio – Monday 1st October All eyes in Komedia’s Studio Bar were glued on Lily Moore on this Monday night as she mesmerised her devoted audience with her incredible voice and laid-back on-stage persona. The Brightonian is already a bonafide talent and, hyperbole aside, could go on to be the city’s biggest ever star. Whether it’s just because she’s in her hometown, surrounded by her friends, or there’s a newfound confidence to Moore, but she seems even more adept up onstage than when we last saw her at The Great Escape. Perhaps coming from her busking roots, she wasn’t afraid to chat to the crowd at all times, and throw out jokes, and it’s clear that she’s got all the attributes to be playing venues far bigger than this, which will certainly come. Musically, however, it’s clear that she does her best to unwrap the sentimentality in each and every member of the audience. With a voice that evokes early Paloma Faith, and songs with exciting hooks and emotional weight, this felt like witnessing the early signs of a musical career that is just about to erupt into the mainstream. With influences ranging from the likes of Sam Cooke, Lauryn Hill, Adele, and Amy Winehouse, there’s no surprise that her audience vary from teens to the middle aged. This was a beautiful night of music, plain and simple, and a night that proves the power of well-written, narrative-led music. From pop numbers, to soul and r’n’b, Lily Moore is a diverse artist with a candidly brilliant voice, but it’s her work as a lyricist that is most impressive. Frank, honest, and remarkably relatable, Moore will be a hit in no time.
Darwin Deez – Komedia – Tuesday 2nd October There’s a radiant energy to Darwin Deez that is completely captivating, and one that makes it difficult to wipe the smile from your face throughout the night. Opening with ‘The City’, from his debut album, it’s clear that this tour is all about taking his audience on a journey all the way from the beginning to now. With a whole host of jokes, and some of the finest indie music of this generation, Darwin Deez put on an absolute clinic.
Lacuna Bloome – The Hope & Ruin – Saturday 6th October Lacuna Bloome’s headline show at The Hope & Ruin continued their excellent momentum as they look more and more likely to breakout at any minute. There’s a fantastic balance to them in a live setting, with lead guitarist Sam Leaver showcasing an intense enthusiasm, contrasted with Molly Walker’s lackadaisical approach to bass playing on the other side of the stage while frontman Niall Logue combines both aspects with swagger.
Emmy The Great – Duke of York’s – Wed 3rd October Simply using electric guitar, samples and beats to back her flawless vocal and yearning melodies, the few tracks Emmy The Great does play provide an ultra-intimate glimpse into both her ability as a musician and her thoughts as a woman. It’s just a shame that she only plays four songs in total. Despite the fact that it was not what I expected, it has been a memorable evening that leaves me longing to see what she’ll do next.
Sisteray – The Hope & Ruin – Thursday 4th October Sisteray announce themselves with the suitably frenetic ‘Fast Food’, and keep that fierce pace up for the remainder of the night. With tracks like ‘Gentrification’, ‘Famous For Nothing’ and ‘Algorithm Prison’ taking a look at modern life and finding it, well, rubbish, they follow in a rich heritage. They put in a vital and blistering performance, reminding me of the power that live music has to give a voice to the disaffected and enraged.
Read the full reviews at Brightonsfinest.com/live
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From creating karaoke tracks to releasing his debut album, Birthplace, Novo Amor has come a long way in a short time, as Jeff Hemmings found out...
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In the internet age, there are no boundaries to your creativity, and the ability to showcase your art beyond friends and family. This is the great musical revolution we are currently witnessing. Largely gone are the record label gatekeepers, the highly controlled and limited airwaves, and the weekly inkies, who back in the day could knock someone down as hard as they could give a helping hand. If you are willing and able, the playing field is now more even than ever. However, as always, cream often does rise to the top. As Tom Robinson, a champion of new music on the radio, said to Brightonsfinest recently, “You only have to put something on YouTube that is brilliant, and the word will spread. You don’t have to go through the bloody gatekeepers anymore.” This is how Ali John Meredith-Lacey, aka Novo Amor, has managed to forge a music-making career these last few years. For sure, he’s not a household name as yet, and there’s much work to be done. Yet, he’s made some
fantastic inroads already, through a combination of artistic creativity, and working hard to spread the word himself. It’s starting to pay off. His proper debut album, Birthplace, is about to come out, and he’s got a 29-date world tour to look forward to, including two back-to-back dates at London’s Union Chapel, and a show at The Haunt, in Brighton. “Radio support has been terrible for me,” he says from his home-cum-studio in Cardiff. “I’m fine with that. I like music, and I like music business as well, and wanting to do things myself. I wanted to see how far I could take it. I started putting stuff on Spotify, promoting online, and emailing blogs. ‘Listen to this. Please, please, please!’ After I wrote my first song I emailed about 50 blogs and probably got a reply from two of them, but one of them posted the track. That was my first year as Novo Amor. It was crap. I was working in an ice cream parlour. But I was still making music, it was what I wanted to do, whether people were listening to it or not. I didn’t really care. I was just excited. I remember calling my dad and telling him ‘this
song is getting about 50 plays a day on YouTube. This is amazing’! “I signed to a Norwegian label for a little bit, for my first EP, because I couldn’t afford to do the vinyl myself, or pay for any PR. I needed someone to help me. But, after that, I kept self-releasing. I didn’t do many shows, I didn’t think it was a strong place to promote myself. I wasn’t a frontman of a band. I wasn’t a singer. I was just a music producer, who had written some songs, and I had to try and invent myself into this Novo Amor ‘thing’. It was the internet really. Word of mouth and people liking the music, and spreading it around, and me pushing it however I could. It’s been five, six years, and has snowballed a little bit. It’s all got out of hand to be honest!” The videos that accompany some of his songs have also been a key factor in getting the Novo Amor word out. They look like big production, cinematic affairs. Check out the incredible videos for both 2015’s ‘Anchor’, and the recent ‘Birthplace’, both stunningly beautiful and humanistic affairs, the latter featuring free-diver Michael
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Novo Amor is Galician, Portuguese for ‘new love’. It was basically me making a new love for myself, in music. In the wake of defeat, changing myself after a break up, making music was my new life. Board, as he engages with the underwater world. These productions helped. “I think my whole thing from the start was to put myself out looking like a bigger artist than I actually was. And it worked. I kind of faked it ‘til I made it. I dunno, I guess I am still faking it.” Faking it, he is not. Novo Amor’s music is cinematic, thoughtful, and warming, topped off by his falsetto voice that recalls Bon Iver. Lead track ‘Emigrate’ sets the scene; finger-picked guitar, violins, brass, and marching drums are used to create an atmosphere that ebbs and flows, leaving a great deal of space for the mind to soak in its glorious ambience. ‘Birthplace’ revolves around plucked strings, a piano motif, and small bouts of thunderous drums, before gently easing into a calm conclusion. It’s beautiful stuff, made by someone who patently knows their way around a studio, and various instruments, with the help of violin and brass players. It also bears the hallmarks of his work with Ed Tullett, who he collaborated with on 2017’s Heiress album. “Because of the album I wrote with my best friend Ed, the writing on this album was about the same time as releasing that record, so a lot of his writing ideas ended up on this album as well.” Birthplace is a reflective album. Primarily, it deals with change and letting go, the joyous-yet-tinged-with-melancholy music is a reflection of his journey that originated across the pond in the United States. “Birthplace, refers to the birth place of Nova Amor, which was this place in upstate New York. ‘Birthplace’ the song represents change, and the release of attachment. The way I put it was ‘emigrating from myself’, the departure in the wake of defeat.” He is referring to
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the break-up of a relationship that he’s reluctant to explicitly mention, such was its seemingly painful aftermath. “I got pretty much broken up, but eventually pulled myself into songwriting. I’ve always been inspired by the sudden change in the movements in my life. It’s this emigration of self, six years ago. It’s expressed through a landing, or a becoming of self. It’s like a joyous look back at the past.” Fully immersed in music making from a young age, with emo, punk and skateboarding initially on his mind, he took up drums at 13, then guitar, before getting his first computer at age 14. “It had some music making software on it, and I started learning how to produce. Since that age I haven’t had something in production.” He left his small mid-Wales town at 16 to enrol at college in Cardiff, on a music technology course, where he did such things as making karaoke backing tracks for a company, sound design work, and ripping film trailers and adverts off YouTube. “I was re-scoring them myself with these symphonic libraries, which I would buy crap versions of, from a guy at college. And I was reading books on orchestration. I really wanted to be a film score composer. One of the first Nova Amor tracks, ‘From Gold’, I actually wrote for my friend’s indie film. Once I was done I wanted to turn this into an EP, and that’s how the Woodgate EP came about.” Environmentalism, and the protection of our fragile planet is also to the fore. He’s recently hooked up with two charities, Julie’s Bicycle and Energy Revolution, in trying to limit the environmental impact of touring. “Energy Revolution is a company which transfers your travel miles into kilogrammes of CO 2 emissions. You
essentially pay a tax which they then give to a project like reforestation in India. And Julie’s Bicycle is helping us to green our backstage rider, and our touring life. For example, not using plastic bottles and plastic cutlery backstage, and suggesting to the venues that they use eco-friendly cleaning products.” Ali is often asked what Novo Amor means. He’s normally reticent in talking about this, as it is something that makes him cringe, but he’s making an exception for me. “Novo Amor is Galician, Portuguese for ‘new love’. I didn’t think it was an exact translation when I named it, it was meant to mean ‘to make a new love’. It’s printed on T-shirts in Brazil, people love that phrase. There was a TV show called Novo Amor as well! It was basically me making a new love for myself, in music. In the wake of defeat, changing myself after a break up, making music was my new life. The idea that it was Portuguese had no relevance. I just thought it would sound a bit more like a name that people hadn’t heard in the UK. I never really expected for my music to reach where it has.” To read the full interview visit Brightonsfinest.com/NovoAmor
Birthplace Out: 19th October
ALBUM REVIEWS John Smith Hummingbird Out: 5th October 2018 Increasingly a household name in the folk world, John Smith has swiftly followed up on last year’s exceptional Headlong with another superb collection of gems. This time, he has cast his net wide for inspiration and delved deep into the rich history of the genre - Hummingbird is made up largely (with some notable exceptions) of updated versions of folk standards. It also confirms Smith as a worthy descendant from the line of Renbourn, Thompson, Jansch, Drake et al. Produced again by Sam Lakeman, the mantra ‘less is more’ runs through every track, with the majority formed simply of one man with a phenomenal voice and his distinctive guitar style. Hummingbird may be John Smith’s homage to the genre in which he operates, but in truth the scales of balance are now tipping the other way due to the sheer quality of output that shows no sign of slowing down. Exceptional.
Cat Power Wanderer Out: 5th October 2018 Chan Marshall has been through some changes of late. She had given birth to her first child in 2014, and decided she wanted to move to Australia, even bagging a job as a bartender. However, the pull of music became too strong, and with Wanderer, she sounds less resigned than previous albums. Yet, despite the life-affirming qualities of children, there is still that unfulfilled black hole in her life. It’s her honest expression of her troubled mind that continues to endear her to an appreciative fanbase. With a back story that involved substance abuse, depression and an emotional vulnerability that is all too easy to pin on a person (especially a woman), there are many misconceptions about this artist. At heart, she is just expressing what many of us feel and go through in our lives, without having that public outlet to lay it all out. Mainly, Wanderer is about love and loss and her ability to fight on. Cat Power in name, Cat Power in person.
Estrons You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough Out: 5th October 2018 Estrons’ debut record, which highlights gender imbalance, single motherhood, and society’s addiction to love, is not only a vital, crucial and highly nuanced piece of work, it’s also one of the finest debut records of the year. Loud, angry, and passionate, Estrons have struck a winning formula. Importantly, too, each and every song has a purpose, sounds different, and provides sensual thrills. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough is calculated, determined and intense. Much of its essence is about Tali Källström’s difficulties as a single mother and a touring musician. Suffering from troubles such as custody battles, these conflicts come to fruition on closer ‘Drop’, which was written in a police cell after a parental misunderstanding. The result is a magnificent blend of protest song and raucous punk and it caps the album off the way it started: in a combatant, angry sense of injustice.
Tokyo Police Club TPC Out: 5th October 2018 “I had the most difficult year of my life, and making this record really helped me,” chief songwriter Dave Monks has said. “I didn’t think it was a break-up record, but now it almost feels like I was breaking up with my entire past.” He convinced the rest of the band to reunite for TPC, with the relaxed atmosphere manifesting into what is their best record since Elephant Shell. Although TPC doesn’t break any new ground on a sonic level, it recaptures the visceral excitement you got from hearing the band for the first time in 2008. “The feeling that we were so close to breaking up gave us the freedom to enjoy each other more, to enjoy making music together,” explained Greg Alsop. The result is TPC, a terrific record full of the catchy chord progressions, neat guitar riffs and decisive tempo shifts which made Tokyo Police Club stand out from the rest of the indie-rock crowd in the mid-00s.
Read the full reviews at Brightonsfinest.com/albums
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Davey Newington is Boy Azooga, who released his debut album this year in the form of 1, 2, Kung Fu! It’s a joyous ride, full of melody and pop nous, swinging effortlessly from disco-rock to psychedelia. Already beavering away at the follow-up, he’s out on tour this month. He took some time out to have a chat about The Great Escape, Brian Wilson, Hangover Square, and how he hooked up with the legendary Jeff Barratt and his Heavenly Records label.
Last time you were in Brighton, you did three shows in one day as part of The Great Escape. How was that? Yeah, the first one was at midday. It was great. We were absolutely shattered. We’d been in Paris the night before, drove from France, and got into our hotel at 4am, and then had to be up at 10, and had the three gigs. I was just really relieved at how awake we all were. My sister lives in Brighton, she’s a teacher there. I absolutely love visiting. Everyone is sound and relaxed, and it’s a good place to play music. I think people were kind to us because they could see how tired we looked. Did you manage to hang around after your show, and enjoy it? Yeah, we did. Our last gig was really, really fun, on the Fender Stage. We just got really pissed, and stayed in Brighton. I found this vegetarian takeaway. I had never seen one before. That was really cool. I just remember being drunken and
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having this delicious food. It was a good day’s work. I understand your album 1, 2, Kung Fu! was made over a number of years? There was never a grand plan or anything. It’s just what happened. I’d been playing the drums in bands for years, but over time I got more and more obsessed with making this album. Whenever I came home from gigging or touring I would go straight to Eddie, who produced the album. I would literally be itching to go up to his studio. I’d finished the album, and it was like ‘what shall I do next?’ I thought it would be fun to play this live, and so I started to plan a lot more then. Eddie was really encouraging. I was going to put it on Soundcloud, and just play it to my mates. He said I should definitely send it to a few people. ‘Who would your dream label be?’ and Heavenly Records came up, because they have King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who I am obsessed with. Basically, the band thing has hap-
pened really quickly, but the actual songs have been a work in progress for quite a long time. So, you played drums a lot in previous bands, but not your own band? I played with Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon. I played in Brighton with them at Concorde 2. And a band called The Keys, a band called Monico Blonde. Drumming is what I feel most at home doing, but it’s loads of fun arseing around being a frontman. Maybe when we get to bigger stages we’ll have two kits on, but Daf, who is on drums, he’s got it down. Any drumming on my part would be indulgent, it wouldn’t be adding anything. So, the legendary Jeff Barratt really got Boy Azooga? He’s great. He’s brilliant. He’s an inspiring guy, and hilarious as well. He’s still got the ambition and the love. That’s the thing. He’s got a really good outlook on
the whole thing. He’s genuinely obsessed with music. I was really nervous when I went to meet him. His reputation proceeded him. I went up to the Heavenly office, and it was like a film going on in my head. ‘Oh my god, don’t fuck this up’. We got there, and he handed me a beer, and then another beer, and then another beer. The afternoon escalated into him and Danny (Mitchell, who co-runs Heavenly) playing records that they loved, really, really loud in the office. I heard a bunch of music that I am still into now, like Johnathan Richman. It sounds really cheesy, but I had already made my mind up. ‘This feels really good’. Tell me about the track ‘Hangover Square’, that’s a reference to the Brighton set novel by Patrick Hamilton? Yeah, it’s amazing. I’m not much of a reader. I’ve got mates who properly read. There are a bunch of classics I should have read, and all that stuff. I’m a bit useless, my attention just goes. But, my dad had heard of this book, because he’s obsessed with the composer Bernard Hermann, who did a lot Alfred Hitchcock films, and Taxi Driver. He did the music for the film adaptation of Hangover Square. The film isn’t so good, but my dad had discovered the book through that, and he loved it. When I moved out of my parents’ house he gave me that
book as a present. I was 18. It’s a pretty depressing book. It’s bleak. I actually saw my dad the other day. ‘I can’t believe I gave you that book’. ‘Off you go into the real world’! When the whole Heavenly conversation first happened, Jeff rang me and said ‘Davey, I’m on the train to Brighton, and I’m listening to your record, and you just sang ‘on the train to Brighton’, and I’m off to see King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, with H. Hawkline supporting. I was like ‘What!’ It was a weird coincidence. He was like ‘I really want to put your record out. ‘Yes!’ Your parents have been a big part of your musical upbringing… My dad ended up playing the strings on that track as well. My dad plays the violin, and my mum is a clarinet player. I was a hyperactive childhood drumming thing, but they were very encouraging and let me make a racket. Yeah, I have a lot to be grateful for. My dad got me into The Beach Boys and Henry Mancini. They’re always encouraging, and I always bounce off my ideas on them. My mum is really good at English, and I often get the stresses wrong in my lyrics. It does her head in, so she is really helpful. ‘Where should that stress go’? I sometimes have to change the words. Hopefully all the stresses are all correct! Not very rock’n’roll!
How about the name, Boy Azooga? There’s a film called The Little Rascals, the re-make, a kids film that I grew up watching in the 90s, about a group of young boys in America who have a little clubhouse. My cousin is in a band called Man of Moon from Edinburgh. When we were growing up we used to go to our gran’s house in Edinburgh, and we would watch this film, and have sleepovers and midnight snacks. They have this chant in the film that goes ‘Azooga, Azooga’! We still say it to each other to this day. We’re very close (in fact Man of Moon can often be seen supporting Boy Azooga). I just thought it would be good to have a personal touch in the name. I typed Boy Azooga into Google, and we were the only thing that came up. I was like, ‘Well, if people are trying to find us, they’ll be able to find us easy’. It does divide people when we were first doing it. ‘I like your songs, but I don’t like your name’. I know it’s a bit of a daft name, but I don’t care. And plans for some new music? We’re recording the second album at the moment. It’s 80 percent written, but I’m trying not to rush it. I’m just trying to enjoy it, but I’m aiming to get it out next year.
To read the full Q&A with Davey visit Brightonsfinest.com/BoyAzooga
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