Bristol In Stereo // Elder Island by Bristol In Stereo

LIVE. MUSIC. CULTURE. DECEMBER 2018.

â&#x201E;&#x2013;8 3 // F R E E

Elder Island Bristol in Stereo: 1

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Sat 1st Dec

Heaven 17 Sun 2nd Dec

Tremonti Mon 3rd Dec

Miles Kane Tue 4th Dec

Destiny’s Child performed by a 16 Piece Orchestra Wed 5th Dec

Young Fathers Fri 7th Dec • SOLD OUT

Fireball – Fuelling The Fire Tour

Wed 23rd Jan

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Fri 25th Jan • 6pm

Skid Row Sat 26th Jan

Mastodon Tue 29th Jan

Inglorious Wed 30th Jan

Death Cab for Cutie Fri 1st Feb • 6.30pm

Dodgy

Wed 6th Feb • 6.30pm

ft. Flogging Molly, Face To Face, Lost In Stereo

Buckcherry & Hoobastank

Sat 8th Dec • 10pm

Fri 8th Feb • 6.30pm

Nicky Blackmarket & Fatman D Birthday Bash - Casino 2

Fun Lovin’ Criminals

Mon 10th Dec

Sun 10th Feb

Tue 11th Dec

Tue 12th Feb

Wed 12th Dec • SOLD OUT

Sat 16th Feb

Sat 15th Dec

Sun 17th Feb

Mabel

Christmas Queens Blossoms

The London African Gospel Choir Present: Graceland Sun 16th Dec

Orbital

Tue 18th Dec • SOLD OUT

Clutch

Sat 9th Feb

Gorgon City Live The Dead South White Denim H.E.R.

Blue October

Sun 10th Mar

Stiff Little Fingers Mon 11th Mar

Embrace Wed 13th Mar

Dodie

Sun 17th Mar

Deaf Havana Wed 20th Mar

The Wailers Tue 26th Mar

NAO

Wed 27th Mar

The Internet Thur 28th Mar

The Stranglers Mon 8th Apr

Sundara Karma Sat 13th Apr • 10pm

Party With The Greatest Showman Fri 19th Apr • 6pm

Love From Stourbridge 2019

Wed 24th Apr

Steve Aoki

Hollywood Undead

Fri 22nd Feb • 5.30pm

Sun 28th Apr

Wed 27th Feb

Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers

Maribou State

Thur 21st Feb

Fri 18th Jan • 6.30pm • SOLD OUT Tue 22nd Jan

Fri 8th Mar • 6.30pm • SOLD OUT

ft. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Pop Will Eat Itself, Miles Hunt DJ Set (The Wonder Stuff)

Bjorn Again Enter Shikari

U.F.O.

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox

Wed 20th Feb

Mayday Parade & The Wonder Years

Wed 19th Dec

Thur 7th Mar

P.O.D. & Alien Ant Farm Thur 28th Feb

Ward Thomas

Tom Walker Mon 6th May

Dermot Kennedy Fri 31st May • 6.30pm

Cash

Thu 28th Nov

Electric Six

O2 Academy Bristol ticketmaster.co.uk

Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA • Doors 7pm unless stated Venue box office opening hours: Mon - Sat 12pm - 4pm

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Bristol in Stereo: 3

LIVE INSTORE EVENTS CAFÃ&#x2030; / BAR OPEN BEFORE ALL EVENTS

@ROUGHTRADE

8TH DECEMBER

1ST DECEMBER

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2ND DECEMBER

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KIRAN LEONARD

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10TH NOVEMBER

LUKE SITAL-SINGH

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11TH DECEMBER

ANCHORSONG

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THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO TICKETS AVAILABLE | DOORS

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VISIT ROUGHTRADE.COM FOR FULL EVENTS CALENDAR ROUGH TRADE BRISTOL 3 NEW BRIDEWELL, NELSON STREET, BS1 2QD (OPPOSITE THE LANES)

Elder Island Page 26

Albums of the

Year Page 34

welcome Fans of reverse numerical order will be thrilled to learn that it’s once again countdown season here in music-land. In this issue we gleefully run through team BiS’ Albums of the Year, plus join us online for our top tracks, shows and local releases too – it’s gonna be a hoot. On the cover this month are Bristol’s own Elder Island. Fresh from a sold-out tour and with their debut album soon to be released, Megan India McGurk chats to them about their painstakingly-crafted output. Elsewhere, Kezia Cochrane chats to Jabu of Young Echo ahead of the collective’s Exchange show this month, and Rhys Buchanan has a long overdue catch-up with Cousin Kula. Hey Bristol, how about some Bristol with your Bristol? All this, plus New Sounds with Christian Northwood, city faves from Beak>, and Live Editor, Jon Kean helms the Thoughts section to ask: are bad reviews just as important as good ones?

Loki Lillistone Editor-in-Chief

STAFF ON REPEAT

the music we can’t stop listening to this month

Loki: Girlpool - Hire Jon: The Malago Ballroom – 11 Years Christian: Ariana Grande - thank u, next Lor: Dilly Dally – Marijuana Ross: Yowl - John the Collector GIRLPOOL

Beth: Lemzly Dale - What We Do (feat. Merky Ace) Bristol in Stereo: 5

book

0117 203 4040 colstonhall.org

Colston Hall loudly and proudly presents great shows in venues across Bristol and beyond Sun 2 Dec

Fri 1 Feb

Sun 3 Mar

Malcolm Middleton

The Howl & The Hum

Laura Gibson

Exchange

The Louisiana

Mon 3 Dec

Sun 10 Feb

Sat 9 Mar

Hidden Orchestra

The Dead South

Trinity Centre

O2 Academy Bristol

Ibibio Sound Machine

Wed 5 Dec

Fri 15 Feb

Courtney Marie Andrews Colston Hall Foyer Fri 7 Dec

Dorian Concept (Brainfeeder) + Jameszoo Fiddlers

Trinity Centre Sun 10 Mar

Colter Wall Exchange Thu 4 Apr

Julia Holter

Sun 17 Feb

Penelope Isles

Fiddlers

Angelo De Augustine

Rough Trade Bristol

Fri 14 Dec

Christmas Festiv-al ft. The Cuban Brothers & The Allergies Colston Hall Foyer

Bristol Folk House

Sat 6 Apr

Sun 24 Feb

Piroshka

Kathryn Joseph

Rough Trade Bristol

Colston Hall Foyer Fri 1 Mar

Tue 9 Apr

Georgia Anne Muldrow

Thu 24 Jan

Tank and the Bangas

Richard Spaven

SWX

Fiddlers

Sat 2 Mar

Fri 12 Apr

Wed 30 Jan

Nubiyan Twist

Molly Tuttle

John Paul White

Trinity Centre

Bristol Folk House

Rough Trade Bristol

The Louisiana

contents INTERVIEWS

WHAT’S ON

COUSIN KULA

EVENTS / NYE

YOUNG ECHO

FULL LISTINGS

ELDER ISLAND

FEATURES 10

NEW SOUNDS 57

IN BRISTOL

THOUGHTS

REVIEWS 34

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 58

LIVE Editor-in-Chief: Loki Lillistone loki@instereomag.com

New Music Editor Christian Northwood

Live Editor Jon Kean

Local Release Editor Lor Nov

News Editor Ross Jones

Online Editor Beth Sheldrick

Sales loki@instereomag.com

Photography: Elder Island cover story Ash Holdsworth (ashholdsworth.com) Contributors: Megan India McGurk, Kezia Cochrane, Rhys Buchanan, Lawottim Anywar, Francisco Gonçalves Silva.

bristolinstereo.com

@bristolinstereo

Bristol in Stereo: 7

Bristol in Stereo: 9

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new sounds by Christian Northwood Post Yoga Stick on Post Yoga’s debut album, Caught, and listen closely. If you’re really lucky, something may sound familiar to you. That fragile, fractured vocal. The intricate, impassioned songwriting. Ringing any bells? Post Yoga, you see, is the new project from Chris Barrett, the vocal cords and brains behind much-beloved Bristol projects Something Anorak and Pictures of Belgrade. But while the starting place for both of those were stripped-back guitar sounds, Post Yoga starts with a battered charity shop keyboard, and from there fragments outwards. The static muzak-style tones are accompanied by lush textures,

lending tension and angst to the cold keyboards, whilst a hypnotic drum machine ticks over in the background. Latest single ‘Boy Doesn’t Eat Right’ is otherworldly; like a circuit board come to life. It’s highly strung, yet intensely soothing, despite the tension caused by the rigid rhythm clashing with untamed keyboards. It creates an unpredictability that keeps the listener constantly on edge. The album is out now via Bowl Cut Records, and is an exhibition of brilliant songwriting and warped soundscapes, thick with layers yet simply constructed. Post Yoga offers up yet another side to one of Bristol’s best songwriters. LISTEN TO: Get Brain @postyogamusic

Suzi Wu The misconception by some that pop music is sugary-sweet and vapid is, in this day and age, incredibly tedious. If for some reason this is still your opinion, I think London youngster Suzi Wu will be more than happy to put the final nail in that coffin. New single ‘Grim Reaper’, off of upcoming EP Error 404 is blisteringly good, a chaotic mix of menacing percussion, bouncing synths and a chorus that will ensnare you. Marrying spiky yet brilliantly-catchy production with her deadpan London drawl, Suzi Wu’s music never does what you want it to, twisting away from a comfortable conclusion. LISTEN TO: Grim Reaper @ therealsuziwu

/therealsuziwu Bristol in Stereo: 11

Bristol in Stereo: 13

interview

ristol’s sprawling psychpop outfit, Cousin Kula have had a busy year; but despite touring up and down the country, much of their progress has actually been behind the scenes. Vocalist Elliot Ellison-Holder and drummer James Vine have just cycled into town to have a chat with me about their upcoming run of shows, which kicks off here in Bristol at The Louisiana.

out in a while because we wanted to make sure everything was right. We’ve got loads of music ready to come out, this year has largely been about thinking how’s best put it out. It might seem like we haven’t done much but we’ve been working hard behind the scenes; lots of writing, recording and experimenting.” Jack adds, “We had the privilege of using the Warner Music studio in London where we recorded a few tunes that are in the bag to come out.”

We’ll be cooking breakfast and we can talk about a song that we were working on the other day. It’s ver y spontaneous. Putting his pint on the table, Elliot says, “This is exciting because it’s the first one we’ve done in Bristol with a national promoter.” Having had a DIY approach up until now, it feels like new terrain for the band. James continues, “The Exchange was pretty much full a few months back but we really wanted to make a mega big bang of this one. It’s fun doing headline shows in Bristol, obviously it’s where we feel most comfortable playing. It seems like we’re getting a crowd beyond our mates now.” The tour essentially celebrates the release of their new single, ‘Jelly Love’ which will pave the way for a string of new material in the new year. Elliot explains why they’ve been holding off on dropping any new music in bulk until now. “We haven’t put something

It’s clear that the new track is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite having a multitude of ideas floating around, the band clearly have a clear grasp of discipline: “When we’re writing, we get a lot of spontaneous ideas that we’ll explore endlessly. It’s actually bringing it all together to make the finished tune that’s the laborious bit,” says Elliot. “Although the music is very textured and expansive, each band member knows their duty.” James says, “Cousin Kula songs are very well defined in terms of the parts. We know the songs so well because the structures are always the same so when we play live individual members can take a bit more liberty and have a bit more fun. That’s when you get a bit more spontaneous energy.”

COUSIN KULA words: Rhys Buchanan photos: Jack Hayter

Bristol in Stereo: 15

They recall a bizarre moment over the summer where these liberties were taken to an extreme. James laughs, “We had a few funny gigs at festivals where there were hardly any people there, so we went a bit wild. We did a private festival where we played to a few hay bales and some cows in the fields.”

be cooking breakfast and we can talk about a song that we were working on the other day. It’s very spontaneous in terms of how we talk about our music. We’ll just pass each other in the corridor and prompt each other to write. It’s so easy to write music with your mates. We’ve all got to pay rent but we all love this project.”

Japery aside, the band run a tight ship in the live setting. Their sound is definitely a product of them having played together for years. Elliot explains, “I love the moments where it’s just two of us but it always gets built upon and that’s just part of the journey of how we write stuff. It ends up becoming a completely different entity to what it was.” He stresses the length of the process, adding “It’s usually about a six-month journey for one song I think. Some come out quick, but we take others down so many different avenues.”

Looking to the future, the band are happy taking things at their own speed. James says, “Since we started there’s been a steady momentum and I don’t want to force it anywhere. The right people have come along and wanted to be involved and to help us. We just want to write music as friends and hang out.

It’s also an aid that half of the band live under the same roof in Easton. Elliot explains, “We’ll

Hang out with Cousin Kula at their Louisiana Show on December 6th. @cousinkula

@cousinkula

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BIMM.CO.UK/BRISTOL Bristol in Stereo: 17

events things happening soon that you don’t want to miss out on ST NICK’S MARKET (BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL)

CHRISTMAS MARKETS 2018 It’s that time again, when stallholders – some of them pretending to be German – descend on central Bristol for Christmas. We’ve located no fewer than five events this year, with the textbook Broadmead outfit long-since here and rotating their weiners. Just up the hill, St Nick’s have a festive edition of their regular Night Market on the 7th, with projections, DJs, carols, street-food and of course gifts. The Tobacco Factory will be hosting local makers and more every Sunday between now and the big day; 10am-2.30pm. Finally, Ashton Court and Southbank both have their own intimate market on the 9th. THIS MONTH, ACROSS BRISTOL

CRACK MAGAZINE X IN:MOTION Our new music compatriots, Crack Magazine are back at Motion this month with a lineup of both heavyweight and emergent DJs alike. Highlights include arguably America’s biggest name in techno, Jeff Mills, and Germany’s Motor City Drum Ensemble, with his soulful take on deep-house. Courtesy, who you may know from Copenhagen’s Ectotherm label, Discwoman’s UMFANG and Tokyo’s Powder all make the female presence on the bill truly felt. Other acts include London’s Gideön and Amsterdam’s Izabel (Lullabies for Insomniacs), plus Crack’s top picks of Bristol acts currently coming through. These include Danielle, Facta and Studio 89’s David J Bull. DECEMBER 8TH, MOTION

WAX MUSIC 5TH B’DAY Since 2013 – and via a relocation to Bristol in 2017 – Wax Music have been blogging about otherwise supporting their favourite new acts. Take it from us: hitting the fiveyear mark in the underground music sphere is no mean feat, so show them your support this month and enjoy a huge array of their bands. YOWL, Squid, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard (Crosstown Records), Sock, Private World, Cruelty and Lazarus Kane all play. DECEMBER 8TH, ROUGH TRADE

JEFF MILLS

TIMEDANCE: FINAL CHAPTER PT. III Exemplary local label, Timedance – run by the man behind some of Bristol’s most unusual electronic music, Batu – is back for one last hurrah at The Island. The third in a trilogy of sold-out nights, it marks the end of an era of sorts, one where Timedance have taken over the former police station to legendary effect. This instalment sees DJ Nobu bring his world-famous, trippy Japanese techno to Bristol, plus of course Batu himself laying down a set. DECEMBER 14TH, THE ISLAND

BATU, TIMEDANCE

FREE CHRISTMAS MOVIE SCREENINGS If you’ve got a warm enough coat – mum called, she wants to know your size – then boy have we got a treat for you. We The Curious, who run Big Screen Bristol, are showing your childhood faves for free in Millennium Square this month. Cry at (and tolerate the male entitlement in) Love Actually, learn a valuable lesson in Gremlins and an even greater one in Home Alone, plus many more. Did you know Macaulay Culkin still has a scar on his hand where Joe Pesci bit him in the movie? Childhood actors: ruining their psyches for our entertainment since 1932. DEC 6/3/16/23RD & JAN 1ST, MILLENNIUM SQUARE Bristol in Stereo: 19

what are venues planning for NYE? HANNAH WANTS-

MOTION // IN:MOTION NYE In:Motion team up with The Blast once more. Expect house and garage in the main room, headlined by Hannah Wants, joined by Bristol’s own Redlight, US garage legend Todd Edwards, Manchester’s Madam X and ‘DJ’s DJ’, Klose One. The Marble Factory will see drum and bass, headed up by Sub Focus, alongside a slew of B2B sets from TC, ANNIX, Kasra Critical and InsideInfo. The ‘Jungle Warriors’ will also be taking over, comprised of Circuits, Kenny Ken, Remarc Junglis, Potential Badboy and inimitable MCs, the Ragga Twins. Meanwhile, a special TBA lineup of Bristol acts will be blowing up The Tunnel. £33.50ADV

THEKLA // PREHISTORIC POP PARTY

From some of the team behind monthly night and annual festival, Fat Lip, comes Punk Goes Pop NYE. Featuring some of the Southwest’s favourite riff-makers, the night sees each band take on the music of their pop heroes. RXPTRS present a set entitled ‘90s Hits & Riffs’, Medway bring ‘Girl Power’ and As It Stands perform the music of Post Malone. DJ Chadders and more take you through with the appropriate rock and pop jams. FROM £9ADV

Us Brits love a bit of guilt, that’s why we even attach it to music we like, creating the world of ‘guilty pleasures’. Having served us well in this realm for years now, Pop Confessional present another NYE, in the form of the Prehistoric Pop Party. The night will see Thekla transformed by jungle decor featuring giant predators, man-eating plants (more cider for you then, ladies) and warring tribes. It’s as good a setting as any to dance to your favourite least favourite tunes of old, and the pop bangers of today, all in keen fancy dress. #YoureGonnaHearMeRoar

EXCHANGE // PUNK GOES POP NYE

£33.50ADV

THE 45S

THE LANES // DEPARTMENT S The team from Department S are back to do what they do best at The Lanes this NYE. Bristol legend, John The Mod will of course be spinning indie, soul, motown, disco and rock’n’roll records until 3am. Plus, expect live sets from Bristol’s ‘cover band for people who don’t like cover bands’, the 45s, and The Delinquents. This year is an even better deal than usual, as your ticket will also get you into their Bowie night on January 5th. £10ADV

RXPTRS (GLK MEDIA)

TRINITY // THE WOLF OF TRINITY STREET Tremor presents NYE at the Trinity Centre this year, in debaucherous Wall Street style. The appropriate fancy dress is strongly encouraged, with an eclectic lineup soon to be announced. FROM £17ADV

ULTIMATE POWER

THE FLEECE // ULTIMATE POWER Ultimate Power’s balladry is back to take you from Bon Jovi to Queen; from Bonnie Tyler to Whitney. Make it count, ‘cause like a bat out of hell, 2018 will be gone when the morning comes. £12ADV Bristol in Stereo: 21

Young Echo: Jabu “ We never really had a plan.” words: Kezia Cochrane

interview

rom label releases that encompass the eleven-strong collective’s constantly fluctuating fusion of brooding beats and atmospheric sound, to their nights that offer a wealth of perpetually innovative performances, everything Young Echo do bears something distinctly special and proves them as a vital creative force that continues to grow with prolific creativity. “We started it at the end of 2010. It’s all been quite natural I guess,” Amos Childs (of Jabu) says. “It started as a group of friends and now we’ve added more friends. We never really had a plan.” But as their various projects continue to evolve, this longevity is a testament to the collective’s organic and explorative approach to creation. Elaborating on this, Jasmine Butt, who’s also part of Jabu, adds, “The things that are keeping it going now show how it’s kind of changing. Young Echo at the beginning, it was more about the nights and the radio show, and now things like the label and thinking of different kinds of releases. Not necessarily just music, there’s talk of other avenues to go down. It’s constantly evolving.” Naming Bristol as “a really nurturing city for music” that provided formative opportunities and environments for everyone involved in Young Echo, they tell me how it was at the nights that Kahn & Neek used to put on that the collective essentially came to be. “[They] used to run a night called Sureskank and there was one in 2010 where they put a lot of us on,” Amos recalls, “and then about a week after that we did the first radio at Seb [Vessel]’s mum’s house.” Naturally, the changing nature of Bristol as a city is something that Young Echo have witnessed firsthand: “It does feel like it’s changed quite a lot in terms of the venues that used to be there when we first started, or when we were teenagers,” Amos affirms, “but there are still a lot of people doing really good things.” Adding to this Jasmine says, “It feels really important to nurture relationships with the people who own and run venues. Like, our last show at The Cube was amazing, just because of how much of a collaboration it was between Young Echo

Bristol in Stereo: 23

and The Cube, and just how much talking happened before it was even set in stone. It made it really special that everyone was invested; it’s not just about Young Echo but the people that run the place as well.” Their nights always purvey a genuine warmth and an inclusive atmosphere, one that very much conveys the familiarity and closeness at the heart of Young Echo. “There are so many people involved now. If there’s gonna be a show there’s no meeting to say ‘oh what shall we do?’,” Jasmine explains. “It’s not curated, it’s just people saying ‘I want to do this or that’. Everyone has their choices and it all kind of comes together. There’s no one person curating, I guess it’s more of an organic thing.” This makes for events with a different vibe: “I guess there’s a pretty blurred line between audience and the people performing,” Amos explains, “’cause a lot of the people in the audience are kind of involved in it, in one way or another.” In terms of current projects in the pipeline, Amos details, “Jas is working on some of her own stuff, we’re working on another Jabu record, me and Sam [Neek] are working on loads of stuff with Jack, who’s Manonmars. Chester Giles is working on a project that will be out maybe next year.”Jasmine adds “We’re talking about potentially making the Cube show almost an annual or biannual event, that feels a bit like an event version of the Young Echo compilation album concept in that it kind of showcases, in a more formal, performative way, the stuff people have been working on. Or that it’s a way for people to try out performance stuff that they maybe wouldn’t be able to do at Exchange, where The Cube is less of a club space.” Speaking of Exchange, all eyes are now on their upcoming night, as team YE and friends descend on the venue this month.

Join Young Echo at Exchange with friends MXLX, Salope, Jiinx and a very special secret guest, 20th December. @youngechosound // @jabubristol @youngechosound // @JABUyoungecho

Bristol in Stereo: 25

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could see all the people to the back and they were just... having it.â&#x20AC;?

Elder Island w. Megan India McGurk p. Ash Holdsworth

rue creativity is at the centre of Elder Island. Each of their tracks is the result of days, months, even years of first jamming, then looping, layering and tinkering to a vast degree of intricacy. Their electronic pop is woven with soul and often backed by a deep groove, whilst remaining rooted in earthy textures, as they seem to harness a kind of organic magic. Nestled in Bristol’s Café Kino, Katy, Luke and Dave talk me through their live performance, upcoming debut album and an integrity that sees them embrace the old and new alike. Elder Island have just finished a sold-out UK tour, bar Cardiff, an anomaly I put down to poor taste. Gig venues have been transformed into illuminated dancefloors as they go. Lead vocalist, Katy, describes the reception: “On this tour, more than any of the others, people were up for a dance. We started in Dublin after a bank holiday, so you would’ve thought people were a bit worse for wear, but they were straight in.” Luke describes their final homecoming gig at Trinity as one of his favourites: “Definitely the top show in Bristol that we’ve done. The vibe was amazing. The energy was just… I could see all the people to the back and they were just having it. It was nice seeing this flow of dancing just happen.” Their live show is charged with energy, becoming almost osmotic as the band react to the crowd and vice versa. Luke explains: Bristol in Stereo: 27

“There are points where we have to improvise, or we’re extending the songs, and you can really tell how the night is going because when it’s going well that just works, it gels, whereas on the nights that aren’t going so well we’re just like let’s… get off!” Katy is laughing: “Cut it short, cut it short!” She goes on to explain, “It’s also like what you think people are listening out for. If people are really bubbling you’ll elongate the dance section, and I can tell Luke is watching and he’ll keep the kick in for longer and he’ll push it a bit more, but if it’s a listening crowd you can push the ones that are a bit more noisy with lots of layers.” The same intuition (and decent monitoring) means the band members can respond to each other with the same level of empathy and presence in the moment. The live setting is all the more exceptional when you understand their recording process. Luke explains just what went in to their debut. “We’ve used a lot of layers, there’s a lot of synthesis, vocals and harmonies, a fuck ton of drums, electronic drums, real drums, and it’s very full bodied…” Performing is therefore, as Katy puts it, “trying to recreate that richness but… live… with three people.” Laughing at the challenge, they also happily recount the success of the four (out of ten) songs they’ve played live from the album so far. They’ve all been well received, especially the groovy ‘Kape Fear’, one of Luke’s favourites and their soon-to-be-released single. At this point, the band can’t wait to get their debut album, The Omnitone Collection, out in February. Dave describes their debut as “a journey. Plenty of highs and lows. Definitely some stuff you wouldn’t expect, and weird soundscape-y moments in there as well”. With recent single ‘Don’t Lose’ having a pop structure unlike that of their previous work, along with a distinct and satisfying groove, I ask if the group are moving away from their free-flowing electronic format. Dave ponders on this: “It’s very eclectic…I suppose there has been more of a songwriting focus this

“We need a sound, it needs to come in here, it’s kind of high... What about... this?!”

time round. We’ve obviously still recorded and made it in the same way – which is very loop-based and experimental – but then working with [producer] Ali Chant, it is definitely kind of sculpted.” Katy goes on to describe the wonders of Ali’s PlayPen studio and how its allowed for maximum ad libbing: “You have racks of synths and keys, boxes full of weird instruments, and a guzheng standing in one corner, and all of this sort of stuff, and it’s all linked up already. So, we’re like ‘we need a sound, it needs to come in here, it’s kind of high’, and then you’re like, ‘What about THIS?!’” she laughs. “‘Yeah, record it.’ It became really natural and playful, which I think comes out in a lot of the tracks.” Besides the plethora of instruments, the studio was also home to various old-school equipment, a preference over a purely digital set up. Luke explains, “We know [old equipment] is built to last, it can be repaired, as opposed to something that’s digital and more throwaway and it also sounds much nicer. [Performing live], it’s more reassuring when you can see someone working away at something and using each piece of equipment, rather than using a laptop.” Katy adds, “It’s more tactile, otherwise you’re very hemmed in”. It’s clear the band love the nostalgic feel of trusty gear, whether it’s gushing over the satisfying clunk of a cassette tape – “and the old twisteroo!” – or repairing old hi-fis with the help of brochures from the 70s and 80s. The graphics of the latter inspired the video for ‘Don’t Lose’, as well as the semi-vintage style of their new artwork. When discussing this style they struggle for a definition, bandying around “neo-vintage”, “neo-retrovintage” and “future-vintage-twist!”, before happily settling on “Future-retro”. Whatever you call it, it’s resulted in a clean, distinctive design that brings the old with it to the new. It’s the level of care that goes in to the production of old artefacts that they aim to mirror in everything they create. From Bristol in Stereo: 29

their music to their merch, they assert that a meticulous approach and a lack of compromise go hand in hand with sustainability. Dave explains their thinking: “Okay we’re making this track, how many times can I listen to it before it’s tired? If it doesn’t tire, then great. We spend enough time with it so that we never question it again.” Through attention to detail they defy a throwaway culture. Kate describes her wish for the album to be listened to like a classic vinyl – in its entirety – and summarises: “I suppose you put in time for people to then get time out of it. Which I’ve never thought about before but that’s quite nice.” Patience and zero compromise have resulted in an album they’re all truly proud

of. Part devoted mechanics, part inspired artists, Elder Island combine the worlds of technology and soul, manifesting something unique, beautiful, and most of all – alive. With so much invention, there really is no telling where their longawaited debut may take us, but with a voltaic live performance and a keen method behind the scenes, I’m sure it’s a world we’ll want to explore from start to finish, again and again.

Elder Island release a special ‘Christmas present’ track soon, with personalised cassettes available via their Pledge campaign. Third single, ‘Kape Fear’ is out next month. @elderisland

@elderisland

Bristol in Stereo: 31

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Bristol in Stereo: 33

albums of the year DENZEL CURRY TA13OO

Loma Vista

o here it is, Merry Countdowns; everybody’s having fun.

Before we look to the future (see: Jan issue) let us relive team Bristol in Stereo’s twenty favourite albums of 2018, in textbook Buzzfeed numerical form. “Number seven blew my mind.” It did, actually.

Head online this month for more countdowns, including: Tracks of the Year, Gigs of the Year and Local Releases of the Year.

Florida rapper Denzel Curry has always known how to piece together a banger. His aggressive, barked flows, coupled with bass-heavy trap beats have never failed to raise listeners’ blood pressure, but on TAB13OO, Curry manages to create a brilliantly cohesive project that channels his wild energy. The album - split into three acts - is a slow descent into madness, each track increasing in energy, while Curry spits his most direct and cutting lines to date. But at the same time, Curry lays himself bare, confessing his struggles with mental illness to display a fragility that balances out his more unhinged performances towards the tailend of the record. A versatile and technically-impressive rapper, TA13OO finds Denzel Curry speeding forward in a lane of his own making. Christian Northwood

LUCY DACUS HISTORIAN

Matador It’s hard to admit it, but you probably wouldn’t be reading this if Lucy Dacus’ fantastic album hadn’t crossed my path at the right moment this year. Dark were my days before hearing ‘Night Shift’, a guide to getting over a past relationship with your head held high. In the throws of a mission of self-care, learning to love and understanding what goes on around you, Historian takes you on a fantastic trip of wisdom, joie de vivre, loss and acceptance. Dacus teaches us that time is both precious and ephemeral, and delivers it with rare kindness and her trademark tongue-in-cheek humour. Her album is a simple, step-by-step kit for well-being, provided by one of the most talented artists of the decade. Lor Nov

EZRA FURMAN

TRANSANGELIC EXODUS Bella Union

Ezra Furman crams the turbulence, pain and beauty of queer reality into a fanciful road trip pop album. Their dramatic exile with an angel lover serves as a magical parable of marginalisation, breaking the norm with theatrical anthems of dark, dizzying splendour. From the heat of tribal drumming, defiant trumpets rise above an uncompromising society in ‘No Place’; while steady monologues like ‘Compulsive Liar’ show a tragic insight into a life lived in secrecy. Curated with the sounds of old movie clips, a nostalgic world is reimagined with added thrusts of rebellion, fervent openings of closet doors, and tender first kisses in parents’ basements. Far beyond Pride, this is an exalting album - tormented but with moments of brave, relinquishing joy. Megan India McGurk

D DOUBLE E JACKUUM Bluku Music Newham Generals member, D Double E finally gifted us his debut solo record, Jackuum, this year. Boasting features from both established and emerging artists alike, the list includes Wiley, Skepta and AJ Tracey, serving perfectly as a nod to grime’s past, present and future. And considering Double’s long-standing contributions to the scene, there was really noone better to do just that.

Swindle is among those with production credits, his track ‘Back Then’ detailing Double’s long career and in turn highlighting the criminality of this album’s timing. That said, the 20-track offering is itself a unique product of all that time and experience, making the long-awaited debut something truly special. Beth Sheldrick

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE ON DARK HORSES Sargent House

LA singer, Emma Ruth Rundle seems to have reached new peaks by riding On Dark Horses, seeing her way to beauty through pain. Mixing broad genres with ease as she does is stunning. From the indie-black-metal ‘Apathy On The Indiana Border’ to the scenic dark-folk ‘Fever Dreams’, an all the while accessible record unravels a myriad of shades and moods. Rundle’s unique writing style can be overwhelming, grabbing us right by the throat as on the deeply-tormented ‘Control’ or the titular ‘Dark Horse’, both covering her abusive father and troubled childhood. The grip loosens as the album goes on, finally letting go with ‘You Don’t Have To Cry’, an ode to ending eras. One of the most precious albums of 2018. Lor Nov

Bristol in Stereo: 35

NONAME ROOM 25

Self-release

CHAOUCHE SAFE

Night Time Stories Bristol’s own Aisha Chaouche and her spellbinding debut, Safe, were such a dark horse that, upon listening, we immediately hooked her for our June cover. Hearing her recant – and ultimately come to terms with – troubling past experiences, it’s impossible not to be drawn into her world in the realest of ways. Opener ‘My Friend’ mourns the loss of a close friendship. Elsewhere, Chaouche details the trials of a childhood in which she felt isolated and agressed towards. But whatever the pain expressed within the album’s twelve tracks, Aisha’s voice attaches both a beauty and realism that only she can, making every jab truly sting – and every moment of resolution a palpable gasp of air. A truly flooring album. Loki Lillistone

Chicago’s finest tops her debut on the stunning Room 25, a vital and soothing album for the times we live in. Everything about this album is bigger than her debut; her voice is more confident, with the beats lusher and more complex. Her voice is still as soothing and husky, but with newfound bite, epitomised on ‘Self’, which finds her asking, with an almost audible eye-roll, “you still think a bitch couldn’t rap, huh?” It’s a record that blurs the line between the personal and political, turning from the intense ‘Blaxploitation’ to the tear-jerking ‘Don’t Forget About Me’ with ease. There are few rappers that conjure such intense and beautiful emotions so readily, but Noname proves, yet again, that she is one of a kind. Christian Northwood

ICEAGE

BEYONDLESS

Escho Iceage were barely out of their teens when they first arrived to punch us square in the gut with their utterly caustic debut album in 2011. Seven years on, the Danish band hit us the hardest they ever have with Beyondless. A truly definitive progression, the record displays the band at their grandest, wringing themselves for every drip of unhinged passion to the point of exasperation. Elias Bender Rønnenfelt finds his demonic, romantic and emotional peak, immersed in a resonating orchestra of euphoric brass and uncompromisingly-vitriolic musicianship. It may be their most accessible work yet, and that’s quite remarkable for a record that’s steeped in the darkest details of modern love and living. It just shows how powerful a group they’ve become. Ross Jones

HALF WAIF LAVENDER Cascine

Having come to know Nandi Rose Plunkett through her work with BiS faves, Pinegrove, wrapping my ears around Half Waif’s breakthrough album, Lavender, was like inheriting a house and then finding treasure in the back garden. Worlds away from altcountry, Plunkett’s solo work is one of spluttering synths, pingponging percussion and soaring vocals. Written in the back of a weary, inter-metropolis tour bus, but constructed amid the natural beauty of Upstate New York, Lavender reconciles the same touches of dystopian apathy and sprawling splendour. But that’s not to say this album is one of mere atmospherics. Every track has claws, along with a swirly, Kate Bush-y quality that lends a sense of freedom to both structure and melody – exuding a confidence that most breakthroughs lack. Loki Lillistone

TRUST FUND

BRINGING THE BACKLINE Self-release Trust Fund’s honest, witty and one-of-a-kind lyricism has always had a special place in our hearts, but Bringing the Backline is not quite the usual collection of tales about falling in and out of love that we’ve come to expect. It is instead, a dissection of his relationship with music itself – and considering this is to be the last Trust Fund album, a break-up note of sorts. The album finds Trust Fund exhausted and overwhelmed by his artform and life as a musician, whilst simultaneously being underscored by some of his most experimental and impressive production to date. Despite its weariness, Bringing the Backline doesn’t feel like an end, rather a bright new chapter. RIP Trust Fund, long live Trust Fund. Christian Northwood

PARQUET COURTS WIDE AWAKE! Rough Trade

This album shouldn’t really work. There should be no way that Parquet Courts could have got away with mixing their usual stoner/punk-rock schtick with funk, p-funk, a song called ‘Freebird II’ and a cowbell, PLUS grabbed super-producer Danger Mouse to hash it all together. But somehow, against all odds and sense, this album more than just works, being perhaps the most vital – yet most accessible – album from the band to date. It’s an album that can swing from the frothing attack of ‘Violence’ to irresistible party anthem, ‘Wide Awake’, all while coated in Danger Mouse’s signature sheen. It’s confident, caustic and joyful in equal measure, and a step forward in every direction for the band. Christian Northwood

Bristol in Stereo: 37

FENNE LILY ON HOLD

Self-release

SERPENTWITHFEET SOIL

Secretly Canadian Coming out of nowhere to coin symphonic R’n’B with the amazing ‘Four Ethers’, Serpentwithfeet immediately made it onto our Ones to Watch for 2017. Fast-forward a year or so, and Josiah Wise has delivered a debut fulllength that’s more contained than previous work, while more confident and wholly breathtaking. Sparse arrangements give way to vocals that tread a careful line between soulfulness and virtuosity. Lyrics flit between literal notes on heartbreak and intense, abstract imagery that woos and troubles in equal measure. Soil pulls into the fold those who found Serpentwithfeet’s early tracks too intense for their regular rotation, only to wryly lead them to the avant-garde heart that beats at the core of everything Wise does. Loki Lillistone

Bristol’s Fenne Lily has been both a benefactor and victim of hype since day one. When your first ever song becomes a surprise Spotify hit, it can leave you with a lot of pressure on your shoulders. Luckily her debut this year delivered on all previous promises, with her wistful vocals and careful arrangements building a home for candid stories of youth not going to plan. The love lost bites, the body image aches and new ground shakes beneath your feet. On Hold showed us just how deep the well of Fenne’s songwriting goes. Every track is special, with ‘For A While’, ‘Three Oh Nine’ and the titular ‘On Hold’ arguably eclipsing her ‘Top To Toe’ breakthrough and signalling a future for Fenne that knows no bounds. Loki Lillistone

U.S. GIRLS IN A POEM UNLIMITED

4AD In a realm of possible outcomes from her music and artistry, rest assured that Meg Remy will neither settle for comfortable nor easy. On her sixth and most pop-friendly album, the Toronto-based musician reclaims female empowerment and socially-aware militancy by layering what seem at first to be lighthearted, fun, sing-a-long pop songs with dense, sometimes violent, messages of political and social outrage. What IAPU gives away in cacophony, by merging elements of experimental electronica, jazz and funk into genre dyssynchrony, it gains in theatre, concept and execution. For each U.S. Girls album, a new narrative emerges and new barriers are conquered, and for this one, going pop was the result of an experiment that worked out triumphantly in her favour. Francisco Gonçalves Silva

LET’S EAT GRANDMA I’M ALL EARS

Transgressive Records Mystical, brazen, ethereal, empowering. These are just a few words that come to mind when attempting to define the majestic breadth of I’m All Ears, the magnificent second album from Let’s Eat Grandma. Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton created the modern-day equivalent of a conceptual prog record, in the ever-morphing context of immediate pop music. In doing so, they transcended any sense of genre in the name of forthright human emotion. The duo dexterously confront the anxieties of hyper-modern constructs and distil it all into eclectic and highly-infectious hits. ‘Hot Pink’ masterfully pulls the rug from under masculinity’s possessiveness with a big, authorising middle finger amidst a bout of industrialism. ‘Falling Into Me’ shows how sharp and punctuating you can make a six-minute single about letting go of your deep-seated insecurities and obtaining control. Elsewhere, ‘Ava’ is the understated yet utterly heart-rending coming of age moment for the duo, showing the complications of life that from as early as your late teens. Through all the album - and life’s – irrevocable tension and misgivings, the pair’s incomparable togetherness forms the unflinching feeling of hope through empathy. The ten-minute ‘Donnie Darko’ embraces the childlike aspect of their partnership and sneers at those who were pig-nosed enough to consider the pair manufactured, a so-called ploy to monetise “kooky princesses”. With I’m All Ears, they’ve proven themselves to be the absolute antithesis. Ross Jones

YOUNG FATHERS

COCOA SUGAR Ninja Tune If DEAD was a statement of angst and intention and White Men are Black Men Too was a flirtation with white noise and compressed beats, then Cocoa Sugar is clarity, warmth and tenderness. Their third effort’s strength lies in the stripping back of abstraction to reveal the raw, naked elements within. Young Father’s pulling powers are thus amplified to full effect here, with the lens sharply focused on their eclectic leaning towards the noisy, a tasteful reverence of groove and a generous lash of the dramatic. Cocoa Sugar is, however, Young Father’s leanest record, further exposing passion as the vocals take centre stage for the entire journey, bringing new life to their warm, gospel-esque melodic sensibilities and their oblique lyricism.” Lawottim Anywar

SHAME

SONGS OF PRAISE Rough Trade

You could hear a collective, “Oh, bollocks” back in January when Shame released Songs of Praise. It was the sound of other bands realising how high the bar had been set and ruefully acknowledging that one spot in the Album of the Year top ten had just been taken. The album brings the sound of unbridled youth, heading for early adulthood. It’s as grossly teenage (secretions galore) as it is knowingly old and wise. ‘The Lick’ is like an Alan Bennett monologue, scripted by Irvine Welsh. ‘Dust on Trial’ and ‘Concrete’ simmer and bristle. The anthemic ‘One Rizla’, written when they were sixteen, provides the high point of a towering creation, all led by the compellingly, unnerving, shameless Clockwork Orange suavity of Charlie Steen. Jon Kean Bristol in Stereo: 39

SOPHIE

OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES Transgressive Records People talk about the future of music a lot. Oil of Every Pearls Un-insides is probably not a doorway into the future exactly, but it is sure as hell a doorway into a future – and quite honestly it’s the one we should all be allowed to live in.

SOPHIE’s debut album was never going to be done by halves, yet she was still able to shock when it was revealed that the first single was not the clattering, gritty hyper-pop of her previous output, but was instead ‘It’s Ok to Cry’, a glittering self-care anthem that let us hear and see SOPHIE properly for the first time. Also the album’s opener, the track implores you to open up and let your emotions run wild, before SOPHIE takes your hand and plunges you into the sexy, industrial smack of ‘Ponyboy’. From there on in, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides is a patchwork of sounds and feelings, switching moods on a knife’s edge, taking you from basements to clouds, from the beautiful yearnings of ‘Infatuations’ to the euphoric ‘Immaterial’. It’s an album that never lets up, sonically pushing every element to its limit while – through SOPHIE’s often-warped but always-beautiful voice – keeping a beating human heart at its core. It’s aggressive yet playful, raw yet polished, and the sound of a future we don’t deserve, but we can all dream of anyway. Christian Northwood

OUR GIRL

STRANGER TODAY Cannibal Hymns

Soph Nathan has clearly got this music malarkey sussed. With The Big Moon, she played an integral part in one of the albums of last year. If you’ve seen them live, you’d know that Soph’s role is ‘integral’ in a quietly intense and focused manner. Forming Our Girl, a three-piece with close friends Lauren Tyler and Josh Wilson, threw Soph to the fore, both in terms of songwriting and singing. For that, we can be eternally grateful. Stranger Today, their debut album, explores devotion across a spectrum of emotions, from “I like living in your world” to “You make my head hurt.” The title track gives you an immediate example of how they can lurch from twee-pop to grunge, from giddy to gritty in a matter of seconds. Face-melter, ‘Josephine’ is explosive and abrasive, yet ‘Heat’ ought to give you a few Jeff Buckley chills. There are some formidable, sustained distorted walls of sound, like on album closer, ‘Boring’ – akin to My Bloody Valentine or early, pre-prog Radiohead. What’s in a name? Seems like there’s quite a lot in theirs. As a phrase, ‘Our Girl’ sounds either friendly or familial. And this album captures the essence of both realms. You can choose your friends. You can’t choose your relatives. Love can be all you need or love can tear us apart, again. If you’re still a stranger to this band or their album, then right now’s the time to choose Our Girl. Jon Kean

IDLES

JOY AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE Partisan

It would easy for a Bristol magazine to get over-excited about a Bristol band. The widespread, joyous appreciation that IDLES have received in 2018 is such that there’s no way anyone can level accusations of regional bias in lauding them as victors in our annual list of best albums. Having achieved second place in 2017, there was no Pulitzer-Prize-winning Kendrick Lamar type to edge them off the top spot this time. When John Lydon sang “Anger is an energy” on Public Image Ltd’s ‘Rise’, he unwittingly captured the seething, glaring, teeth-baring rage of Joe Talbot as this band’s figurehead. Anyone who’s ever sung along to the refrain of Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name’ and found it deeply satisfying was (again, without knowing) just getting ready for the advent of IDLES. Plenty of punks have snarled, spat and sought to ‘smash the state’. IDLES’ awareness that the world needs dismantling, but then carefully reconstructing, one act of thoughtful kindness at a time, has rightly set them apart. The ominous opening bars of ‘Colossus’ ought to make you want to triple-lock your front door and hide behind the sofa, but the compelling compassion in the lyrics “They laugh at me when I run,/ I waste away for fun./ I am my father’s son./ His shadow weighs a tonne” – make you immediately open your heart, mind and figurative front door to let this album in. This is punk that sings, “I wanna be vulnerable” rather than “I wanna be anarchy.” Acknowledging and addressing the grotesque, toxic “mask of masculinity” in tracks like ‘Samaritans’ feels socially necessary and emotionally cathartic. First-world small-mindedness stands no chance against IDLES’ onslaught in Brexit-inspired ‘Great’ and ‘Danny Nedelko’. They have such range, from the heart-rending tenderness of ‘June’, including Hemingway’s “Baby shoes for sale, never worn” to the streetsmart, wisecracking “You look like a Topshop tyrant./ Even your haircut’s violent,” on ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’. Whether lary or literary, this album has been irresistible in 2018. Jon Kean

Bristol in Stereo: 41

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