Bristol Live // HMLTD

Feb. 18 | 73

BRISTOL LIVE LIVE & NEW MUSIC MAGAZINE

H M LT D M O G WA I

K AT E S T A P L E Y

ROUGH TRADE

PLUS NEW RELEASES, LISTINGS AND MORE 1

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Sat 3rd Feb• From £15 adv 10pm-5am • over 18s only

Innovation

Mon 5th Feb • £16.50 adv

While She Sleeps + Counterfeit + Blood Youth

Tue 6th Feb • £18 adv

Alien Ant Farm + Soil + Local H

Fri 9th Feb • £20 adv

Wed 14th Mar • £23.50 adv

Wed 11th Apr • £18 adv

Thu 15th Mar • £27.50 adv

Thu 12th Apr • £25 adv

The Wailers

The Stranglers + Therapy?

Fri 16th Mar • £24 adv

Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival 2018: Incognito with Carleen Anderson

Don Broco

Tue 20th Mar • £25 adv

+ Man On A Mission

Skid Row

Sat 10th Feb • £26 adv

Thu 22nd Mar • £25 adv

The Damned

Wed 14th Feb • £19.50 adv

Arch Enemy

+ Wintersun + Tribulation

Thu 15th Feb • £22.50 adv

The Used

Fri 16th Feb • £20 adv

Hell Is For Heroes Wed 21st Feb • £27.50 adv

Franz Ferdinand Thu 22nd Feb • £15 adv

The Temperance Movement

+ Thomas Wynn & The Believers

Blue October

Fri 23rd Feb • SOLD OUT

Dodie

Sat 24th Mar • £12.50 adv

Vance Joy

Tom Misch

Sat 14th Apr • £20 adv

The Dead Daisies

+ The Treatment + The Amorettes

Mon 16th Apr • £24 adv / £75 VIP

Trivium

+ Code Orange + Power Trip + Venom Prison

Fri 20th Apr • £16.50 adv

The White Buffalo Sat 21st Apr • £20 adv

Mon 23rd Apr • £16 adv / £50 VIP

The Fratellis

Calum Scott

Fri 30th Mar • £20 adv

Wed 25th Apr • £21.50 adv

Alabama 3

Skindred + CKY

Sat 31th Mar • £20 adv 10pm-5am • over 18s only

Wed 2nd May • SOLD OUT

Tue 3rd Apr • £22.50 adv

Tue 6th Mar • SOLD OUT

Tokio Myers

Of Mice And Men

+ The Smith Street Band + Brick & Mortar

Cash - A Tribute to The Man In Black

The Wonder Stuff + Ned’s Atomic Dustbin + Graham Crabb DJ set (P.W.E.I.)

Fri 13th Apr • SOLD OUT

Thu 29th Mar • £17.50 adv

The Wombats

Tue 27th Feb • £17 adv

Fri 2nd Mar • £12 adv

Love From Stourbridge

Wed 28th Mar • SOLD OUT

The Logan D & Majistrate Show

The Front Bottoms

Dirty Sanchez Live

The Vaccines

Thu 5th Apr • £28.50 adv

En Vogue

Fri 6th Apr • £14 adv

+ Wage War + Sylar

Gomez

Mon 7th May • £19 adv

Brothers Osbourne Tue 15th May • £27.50 adv

Machine Head

Sat 19th May • SOLD OUT

Rita Ora

Wed 7th Mar • SOLD OUT

The Amy Winehouse Experience ...A.K.A Lioness

Tue 10th July • £20 adv

Fri 9th Mar • £16 adv

Sat 7th Apr • £16 adv RESCHEDULED DATE

The Smyths

Feeder ‘The Best Of’ Moose Blood

Sat 10th Mar • £20 adv

MØ

The Breeders

Fri 21st Sep • £13 adv Sun 23rd Sep • £30 adv

Stiff Little Fingers

Sun 8th Apr • £19.50 adv

+ Ruts DC

Epica + Myrkur + Oceans Of Slumber

Jose Gonzalez & The String Theory

Sun 11th Mar • £16.50 adv

Mon 9th Apr • £18 adv

Fri 19th Oct• £13.50 adv

Mist

Walk The Moon

Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana

O2 Academy Bristol Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA • Doors 7pm unless stated

ticketmaster.co.uk

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Venue box office opening hours: Mon - Sat 12pm - 4pm

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FRANZ FERDINAND - O2 ACADEMY BRISTOL -

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A L L T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M

SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM

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The Gallimaufry

Waldo’s Gift

Out of this world musicianship combines Hip-hop, Math, Jazz, Groove & Electronica

7 Feb ~ Waldo’s Gift Trio

Alun Elliott-Williams – Guitar, Harry Stoneham – Bass, James Vine – Drums

14 Feb ~ Reworks: James Blake feat. Jordan Woollgar (Cousin Kula) Paying tribute to an artist, producer, composer or label

21 Feb ~ Open Collaboration

Waldo’s Gift celebrate the return of drummer James Vine by inviting all musicians to collaborate with them for the evening

28 Feb ~ Feat. Andrew Neil Hayes (Run Logan Run)

Rulebook-smashing saxophonist from minimalist instrumental duo

thegallimaufry.co.uk 4

PARQUET COURTS, P12

Kicking the year off proper.

January doesn’t really count, does it? Certainly not if you’ve been in the same post-new-year vortex as I have. So it’s with great pleasure that we cast our editorial eye over February, with all its unyielding quantity and butterfly-inducing quality.

The ever-arthouse HMLTD hit the cover this month, as we chat to them about their upcoming debut album, distinctive style and more. Live Editor, Jon Kean, sits down with the legendary Mogwai ahead of their Colston Hall show, touching on their lengthy history and the return of drummer Martin Bulloch. Not to forget our local pick of the month, we also spend time with Springbreak’s Kate Stapely in anticipation of her debut solo release.

All this, plus, picks from Rough Trade Bristol, guest chats with Electric Harmony, a whole mess of new releases and much more. Spot on.

Loki Lillistone Editor-in-Chief

Sales: loki@bristollivemagazine.com Ed-in-Chief Loki Lillistone / New Music Ed Christian Northwood / Live Ed Jon Kean / Release Ed Lor Nov / Plus many more.

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GUEST PICKS:

12 14 18

W H AT ’ S N E W ?

22 24 33

M O G WA I

35 36

DEAR DICK

37 54

LIVE LISTINGS

ROUGH TRADE BRISTOL

K AT E S TA P L E Y COVER:

H M LT D

NEW RELEASES BRISTOL BECAUSE:

ELECTRIC HARMONY

I N C A S E Y O U M I S S E D I T:

WHY WE LOVE

THOUGHTS:

H AV E A L L T H E D E C E N T BAND NAMES BEEN USED? 5

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Guest Picks

This month:

Hookworms

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What our pals are into this month.

RT Staff Recommend

Sat 10th Feb - 7.30pm

Contributions from: Rhys Buchanan, Marie Dufrenoy, Adrian Dutt, Heinz Junkins, Sarah Morgan and Seb Newton.

When Pearl Mystic came out back in 2013 we all fell in love with it, and this band. Since then we’ve seen them on every tour, worn the t-shirts and put our records in their tote bags. So it’s with huge excitement that we bring them to our live space to launch their new record in Bristol.

The last Bristol show was a sweaty, pulsating affair and we hope ours follows in the same footsteps. ‘Negative Space’, the first single from Microshift, is a euphoric blast of dancefloor groove, adding a new facet to their masterful brand of psych genius. Tickets are disappearing fast, so get involved. RB/MD

Beak> Sat 3rd Feb - 3pm We’re kicking February off with a motorik bang! Beak> are warming up for their Mogwai support slot by getting us all hot under the collar, launching their new 7” single ‘Sex Music’. This one’s an afternoon show before they hit the road, and they’ve promised an hour of undulating, experimental electronica.

If the slinky synths and driving bass of ‘Sex Music’ are anything to go by, we’ll all be letting loose before teatime.

AD/HJ

Tue 6th Feb - Time TBA Brothers Peter and David Brewis, collectively known as Field Music, return with new album Open Here. To celebrate, we will be tearing them away from their busy touring schedule, as they treat us to some new tracks and a signing afterwards.

Hailed as a band who unpredictably challenge the pop and rock genres with a unique twist, Field Music have been keeping us on our toes for their thirteen years together. With influences ranging from Kate Bush to Serge Gainsbourg, we can be sure to expect the unexpected from this Tuesday evening session. SM/SN Rough Trade is Bristol’s flagship record store, run by the team behind Rise.

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book 0117 203 4040 colstonhall.org

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Colston Hall loudly and proudly presents great shows in venues across the city

Thu 1 Feb

Fri 16 Mar

Fri 20 Apr

The Howl & The Hum

sir Was

The White Buffalo O2 Academy

The Crofters Rights

Rough Trade Records

Sat 17 Feb

Sun 25 Mar

HMLTD

Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman

The Station Tue 6 Mar

Dent May The Exchange Tue 6 Mar

Caro The Crofters Rights Fri 9 Mar

Karl Blau The Station

Fri 20 Apr

The Station Wed 28 Mar

Calexico Trinity Centre Tue 10 Apr

The Little Unsaid The Wardrobe Theatre

Ought The Exchange Sat 28 Apr

The Dead South Anson Rooms Wed 16 May

I’m With Her The Station Sun 23 Sep

José González & The String Theory O2 Academy

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What’s New?

Fresh tales from the BLM radar with:

Christian Northwood New Music Editor

Poisonous Birds Putting your finger on what Poisonous Birds do is a tough one. When the Bristol two-piece first emerged, they thrived on pushing light and dark against each other; pairing beautifully melodic verses with caustic, heavy choruses. Their debut EP Gentle Earth, released early last year, developed this sound, with four tracks of smokey synths swirling around singer Tom Ridley’s gentle falsetto, paired with flashes of heavilydistorted guitars and intense drumming.

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The band then spent the rest of 2017 honing their craft. Live shows saw them recreating the stadium-ready sounds that populate their recordings perfectly, taking audiences on a sensory journey rarely seen with new bands. Their new EP, Big Water, builds on the atmospheric, breathtaking sounds they have previously put forth. The lead single of the same name surrounds you, its lush textures being permeated with moments of clarity, but before you can grasp onto them, the song shifts again, morphing into something different entirely.

With the band growing both live and on-record, Poisonous Birds are striding ahead into a sonic field of their own.

Big Water

poisonous.bandcamp.com

Maya Law

PHOTO: ROWAN ALLEN

There are certain voices that stop you in your tracks. And not through their volume or flamboyance. These are the voices that contain such soul and character, that you can’t help but be arrested. This is the kind of voice that Norwich’s Maya Law possesses. Backed for the most part by Bristol producer Gabriel Gifford (FKA Allergy Kid), Maya’s voice dances over the skittering, chilled, hip-hopinspired beats.

Her 2016 album, Her or Him, teased the heights that Maya could reach, and on latest single ‘Full Circle’ she takes a serious step forward to reaching them.

Full Circle

Seemingly emerging fully-formed, Superorganism have been putting people’s heads in a spin for the last year with their uniquely brilliant pop and, for an eight-piece band from England, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, the group are surprisingly single-minded and uncluttered in their approach. Songs are constructed with simple, sharp percussive stabs, kaleidoscopic synths and shimmering guitars, all focussing around lead vocalist Orono Noguchi’s laid-back, deadpan voice.

The group’s catchy, colourful pop has caught some pretty important ears already, with Frank Ocean and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig both fans.

Superorganism will surely only keep multiplying.

Something For Your M.I.N.D

soundcloud.com/maya_law

Superorganism

sc.com/superorganism

Get more new music from Christian every Monday via Tracks of the Week at bristollivemagazine.com 13

KATE STAPLEY L

ead singer of punk band Springbreak, Kate Stapley, is set to release her debut solo folk EP. Sentimental yet brutally real, her songs form a tight thread of family love, reflecting tales from her own depression to her Grandma’s dementia.

I catch up with Stapley to discuss an EP far too mature for a debut.

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M e g n I n d i a M c G u r k P. S i m o n H o l l i d a y

In her teen years, while her peers listened to Grime, Kate played folk music in Camden in what she – now laughing – describes as a “strange act of rebellion.” On the brink of her EP’s release, she’s now happy to be more reflective, enjoying the art of storytelling. “I love records… Albums...

The story. I’m quite bad at talking so I like songwriting. You can pick and choose the bits you want to say.” Carefully-chosen lyrics reflect intricate stories of family life. With her dad and family friends ‘The Rad Dads’ recording and playing on the album, her EP has a strong, albeit bruised, heart.

Her Grandma suffering from Alzheimer’s, ‘Potted History’ refers to the timeline her children drew up to jog her memory. It’s a caring act, one Stapley explains as reciprocal, remembering the years her Grandma gave up for her children.

“I know women in my family have set aside things that they’re very good at to nurture their children.” This has sparked Stapley’s ambition in life, and as a result, she wants to capture her Grandma’s stories.

Describing how ‘Interlude’ loops, she explains the desire to reflect on “what it’s like to have a conversation with someone with Alzheimers. It’s phrases that she’ll always repeat and come back to.” Also cyclical, the family’s care has a certain progression and positivity which Stapley was careful to maintain: “I don’t want anyone who is struggling with this to feel any worse.

I want them to feel hopeful.”

Sadness is also something Stapley has toiled with within herself. Her first single ‘Iceland’ speaks about a friend who helped her break the cycle of depression. Writing about something truly good helped her cope: “I know you can’t fix it, but just taking the time

to invest and make something that’s – I don’t want to say beautiful, because you can’t ignore the negative in life – but I love the records you can plug yourself into and disappear in for a bit. I wanted to make something that would emulate that.”

Decidedly grounded, Stapley’s not one to rose-tint the world. Naturally critical of society, Springbreak allows her to “exorcise some demons,” but she’s careful not to glamorise depression whilst expressing it. “[Some songs] can be quite trapping to listen to, instead of cathartic or therapeutic. That’s never something I’d want to purposely do.” Instead she’s learnt to find some balance in her life, with ‘Stabilisers’ the perfect example.

A reflection on her Dad’s supportive role in her life, from teaching her to ride a bike to supporting her musical career, she explains: “When I wrote it I thought ‘God is this really corny?’ But, while it’s important to progress and challenge the things that are wrong in society, it’s also good to take the time to properly focus on the beautiful things in life. It’s just genuinely lovely to make something out of pure happiness.”

Stapley’s delicate reflection of the pain and practicalities of life are anything but corny. With songwriting her kind of selfmade therapy, her nostalgic tracks slowly ease your hurt. When so many young people are feeling lost, her work not only recognises pain, but looks back to give perspective. With tracks that glimmer with subtle light as these do, you begin to see how everything might just fall into place.

The Centella EP, prod. by Bristol’s Jacob Bright, launches at Milk Thistle, 25th.

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YOUR

MUSIC CAREER STARTS HERE

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K e z i a C o c h r a n e P. M i k e M a s s a r o

HMLTD “If we are divisive, it’s more a reflection on the sort of people who are divided rather than us, because we’re not setting out to do that.

We’re not setting out to piss anyone off for the sake of it,” James, one sixth of avant-garde outfit HMLTD, states.

Yet they certainly don’t shy away from rumour, and a wealth of polarising opinions surrounds them. “We do have a lot of great rumours. We always encourage them, no matter what they are,” he emphasises, “some of it’s got basis in truth, and some of it hasn’t”.

Formerly known as Happy Meal Ltd, HMLTD (‘humiliated’ minus the vowels in case you were wondering) have gained renown for their idiosyncratic, performative essence: “It’s quite funny that we’ve got this far on just showmanship,” James says. “I think at the moment the songs we play live are not really songs in a way and the live shows are complete showmanship.” HMLTD are just back from working on their debut album in LA and a somewhat jet-lagged James explains, “In terms 18

of our upcoming album, none of the songs we play live are going to be on it. It’s going to be a whole new thing and that is where musicianship really comes into it. People are going to see ‘oh actually they do have songs’.”

Their current repertoire of tracks comprises a distinct eclecticism; “They really do use a lot of different genres,” James agrees. “I think it’s

because these days with Spotify and streaming you don’t really listen to one genre anymore, or one artist because everything’s kind of on a level and on a plate for you.

So naturally everyone is into more genres because everyone’s listening to a really wide variety of things, so that’s kind of reflected in our music,” he muses, before adding, “It’s not something we consciously do, we don’t consciously try and mix genres, it just kind of comes out that way. It helps that we have a lot of people writing as well, it isn’t just one person writing so you get everyone’s sort of individual tastes come through”.

try and do it all ourselves because it would be ridiculous to do that and there’re so many people who are more talented at things than we are.” James details, “for the set design we work with a group called Brockenhurst and Sons. We’ll work with them and come up with a concept and then we’ll give them a budget and be like ‘just run wild’.

Then on the day we’ll all go in and decorate it together.” Discussing current projects, he reveals “at the moment we’re working on another secret show in February and on the theme for that, which is looking to be infancy; like a babies kind of theme so that will be fun.”

HMLTD have a reputation for fabricating immersive live shows, delivering a shock to the senses in every way possible. “We always collaborate with people. We never

Their visual aesthetic is undeniably as important as their sound.

On the band’s distinctive, often androgynous style, “We’ve kind of always dressed like that,” James 19

tells me. “It wasn’t a conscious choice when we joined the band to be like okay now we’re going to dress like this, but we do have a lot of influences.” London’s fashion scene has undoubtedly impacted them since the band’s genesis, something James emphasises.

“We’ve been influenced a lot by people we’ve collaborated with.

Charles Jeffery for example, we’ve worked with him in the past and he’s really rubbed off on us. I think there’s a wonderful collection of designers in London at the moment, it feels really fresh and I think inevitably we want to work with that and to sort of bring that out,” further

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explaining, “this is something we always wanted to do, we’re all into fashion personally. With Charles he reached out after seeing us live.

And we ended up, with his previous collection, doing a showcase in Somerset House. He painted us all in different colours, head to toe, and then we were playing a song surrounding this big card sculpture but it was like the side of a building – it was really fantastic – done by Ed Curtis. So that was a really bizarre but great thing to do”.

If there were no practical limitations on what HMLTD could create, James assuredly answers that “it would attack every single sense. It

“We do have a lot of great rumours. would be like virtual reality, ideally.

And at some point we will, as technology gets more advanced, put on virtual reality concerts because it will be so much easier and cheaper.

But the ideal concert for me,” he envisages, “would be where it really just takes you out, you’re walking down the street and it just takes you into this completely different world where you can’t even know it’s a gig anymore. That’s the dream. We’ve not done that obviously, because it’s kind of impossible, but with virtual reality making leaps and strides right now maybe in a couple of years it will be possible.” And knowing HMLTD, that prospect is as terrifying as it is thrilling.

We always encourage them, no matter what they are.”

HMLTD play The Station on 17th February, presented

by Colston Hall. Their debut album is due this year.

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MOGWAI W

ithin the opening seconds of their 1997 debut album, Mogwai Young Team, a Norwegian woman recites a student newspaper review of a Mogwai gig in Bergen. “Music is bigger than words and wider than pictures,” she tells us, followed by “if the stars had a sound, it would sound like this.”

Three minutes and forty-five seconds in, there’s their first postrock ‘guitarmageddon’ moment.

There have been a few more since.

A ‘Young Team’ once, I ask Stuart Braithwaite how different it feels being a palpably older team: “It’s good, actually.

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There are a handful of things, like travel, which seem harder when you’re in your forties, but the vast majority are easier.

You just don’t worry so much; what once seemed daunting isn’t anymore.” I raise the pre-Christmas, SSE Hydro hometown gig in Glasgow, with its 13,000+ crowd, and some self-deprecating backtracking ensues: “That one did feel daunting, as it happens. We don’t normally fill that kind of venue.” Considering their coruscating 1997 album opened with, ‘Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home’, there’s quaint irony in Stuart’s 2018 admission that one of the joys of that gig was that “it was good to be able to walk home for lunch before the soundcheck.”

Jo n Ke a n

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“[Art] is a way of trying to find enjoyment in a troubling world.”

Eh? Have Mogwai gone soft? One listen to last year’s Every Country’s Sun would shelve that notion. Soft? No. More cheerful? Sonically cuddlier? Kind of. In the movies, mogwai were always the more squidgy and adorable incarnations. So, why the more uplifting arrangements on their latest long-player? Guitarist, Barry Burns called the album “distracting.”

Stuart agrees: “I think that’s the case with a lot of art, unless you’re confronting issues head on. It’s a way of trying to find enjoyment in a troubling world.”

Pleasant “distraction” could also entail a film or series with an awesome soundtrack, composed by Mogwai. I tried to explain Mogwai to a musically-

deficient mate in 2001 by saying that they were cinematic – the soundtrack of something that hadn’t been made yet.

Now their soundtracks are very much in demand (mostly): “We’d been trying to do soundtracks for years; nothing really came up.” In the last few years, things have genuinely taken off. If the French series, Les Revenants is a yardstick (dead schoolkids come back to life years after a coach crash), it’s possible that people have only recently made programmes that are sphincter-twitching enough to warrant the looming, hulking, portentous Mogwai juggernaut. I bet if they’d soundtracked the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones would have properly shat himself. “We actually asked about the latest Blade Runner film, but our call was not returned,” chuckles Stuart, adding, “I don’t think it’s any great loss to the world.”

A sold-out Colston Hall ought to be a perfect space for their “bigger than words and wider than pictures” sound. I ask whether they’ve ever yearned to return to smaller venues, like Glasgow’s Hug and Pint: “Good friends of ours own that place, but I don’t think we could even get all our equipment on the stage.” In that case, I excitedly ask whether there’s a chance, tongue-in-cheek, that they could do Mogwai Unplugged instead, to which Stuart (ever the gentleman) politely replies, “I think that would be the worst thing that’s ever happened in the history of the human race.”

In contrast, the best thing of 2018 so far is that this leg of Mogwai’s tour sees the return of Martin Bulloch, back behind the drums after health problems took him out of action last year. The entire team, in full force, with some decidedly nonPharrell ‘happy’ songs? Bristol, get ready to post-rock.

Mogwai play Colston Hall, 3rd Feb.

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New Releases

Records cut, pressed & out this month.

PHOTO: SIMON HOLLIDAY

Kate Stapley Centella Self-Release | 25.02

As guitarist and vocalist for Springbreak, Kate Stapley explored rich songwriting, embedded within waves of spectral noise. What really stuck was just how Stapley’s voice towered over such distortion, with sentiment and composure that lingered even longer than the bracing structures they composed. Now, with a debut solo EP, Kate thrives in a beautifully considered world, concocting lengthy pieces 24

of escapism that exhibit her life and thoughts like pictures, framed within the walls of a lovingly produced EP. Ingrained within Stapley’s personality is an ability to weave a tale from the day-to-day and paint with the experiences so subtly and expressively, that when the overwhelming moral is unveiled, it hits like a heartbreak, sudden yet residual.

The frankness of ‘Irises’ is agonising, as Stapley surveys her relationship with a family member in ill health: “She said I think I’m getting better, I think that I’ll be home soon, however could I tell her, that none of this is true.” It’s braced with yearning violin and brass, enduring and opulent, crafting a memorable introduction to an engrossing songwriter. Ross Jones.

U.S. GIRLS IN A POEM UNTITLED 4AD | 16.02

The latest from Meghan Remy feels like a modern take on the Golden-Oldies, projected through Pink Floyd’s prism and sprinkled with dust from a Parliament Funkadelic Record.

The seamless transition between an infectious stomper like ‘Incidental Boogie’ and the ethereal ‘Rosebud’ accentuates the album’s stylistic reach. Each track pulls your ear and mind in a thousand different directions; do you listen to Remy’s provocative lyrics or simply enjoy her beautiful voice and range, or lose yourself in the complex genre and generationspanning soundscapes? It’s a good problem to have – and one that makes the album worth the multiple spins you’ll inevitably give it. Albert Testani

EZRA FURMAN TRANSANGELIC EXODUS Bella Union | 09.02

Ezra Furman’s poetic recipe for another compelling album both sucks you in with its deliciously dark and jarring instrumentals and carves straight through you with a curl of their effortless prose.

We follow the narrative of our beloved protagonist and their self-constructed guardian angel, amidst a derailing landscape of alternating musical genres.

Without a doubt it’s a commentary on societal paranoia and the turmoil of the current American climate, but it also offers up one of Ezra’s most monumental works which, pulled from the shelf 50 years from now and the dust blown away, will consume you once again. Robyn Brainbridge

DJANGO DJANGO MARBLE SKIES LYF | Out Now

The third album from Django Django sees the quartet streamline their sound into a solid set of four-minute electropop songs. Hummable melodies mix with the band’s trademark playful experimentation, which eventually sees the twangy guitars of the first half giving way to a dancier, more keyboardbased sound for the album’s conclusion.

The obvious Beta Band similarities are still there, mixed with hints of Hot Chip’s disco and Metronomy’s electronic indie. Early highlight ‘Surface to Air’ (featuring vocals from Self Esteem) is reminiscent of the latter’s English Riviera album. Marble Skies does well to showcase Django Django’s poppier side, but is unlikely to be a mainstream breakthrough. Tim Ellis 25

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THEKLA

LIVE LISTINGS The Grove East Mud Dock Bristol BS1 4RB theklabristol.co.uk | thekla.club F L theklabristol | I X theklabris

alt-tickets.co.uk • gigantic.com • bristolticketshop.co.uk

TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY

THURSDAY 1ST FEBRUARY

THE OH HELLOS

HIGH TYDE

+ CAROUSEL

WENESDAY 28TH FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 2ND FEBRUARY

HOLDING ABSENCE & LOATHE

THE TEXAS GENTLEMAN SATURDAY 3RD FEBRUARY

HOT SNAKES

THURSDAY 1ST MARCH

ELLI INGRAM

THURSDAY 8TH FEBRUARY

GIRAFFAGE

+ HOTEL GARUDA

FRIDAY 2ND MARCH

K.FLAY

SATURDAY 10TH FEBRUARY

WAY OUT WEST LIVE

TUESDAY 6TH MARCH

MAHALIA

MONDAY 12TH FEBRUARY

THE ATARIS

THURSDAY 8TH MARCH

SOLD OUT

TUESDAY 13TH FEBRUARY

HOLLIE COOK

+ GENERAL ROOTS

WEDNESDAY 14TH FEBRUARY

INSECURE MEN

THURSDAY 15TH FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 10TH MARCH

+ COURTESANS + HEALER

SATURDAY 17TH FEBRUARY

DERMOT KENNEDY

THE RAILS SUNDAY 11TH MARCH

PARADISE LOST SUNDAY 18TH FEBRUARY

FEATURING: PALE WAVES + OUR GIRL + BLOXX FRIDAY 9TH MARCH

AMENRA & BORIS KING 810

THE DIY CLASS OF 2018 TOUR

SOLD OUT

WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY

BUTCHER BABIES FRIDAY 23RD FEBRUARY

WILL HOGE SATURDAY 24TH FEBRUARY

THE STYLE COUNCILLORS SUNDAY 25TH FEBRUARY

THE BOXER REBELLION

THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE MONDAY 19TH MARCH

THE GARDEN WEDNESDAY 21ST MARCH

ZAK ABEL THURSDAY 22ND MARCH

TOM WALKER FRIDAY 23RD MARCH

MARY SPENDER 27

HOOKWORMS MICROSHIFT Domino | 02.02

With their two (excellent) prior records, Leeds five-piece Hookworms meticulously crafted a searing, undiluted sound that found a surprisingly fond balance between caustic noise and gratifying ambience.

When approaching third album Microshift however, it does at first seem like a strident change. Bright chords effervesce amongst the motoring foundations they build upon,

injecting much more vulnerability into the sound. What makes this a success is the clarity of MJ’s vocal, brazen, gentle and heartbreakingly fragile, as they always have been, just without us realising all this time. With Microshift, their ability to arrest emotion with sharp, unwavering channels of sound is fine-tuned, finally expressing the subtle beauty of their work in its clearest form yet. Ross Jones

LOMA SELF-TITLED Sub Pop | 16.02

Loma were born when Shearwater mastermind Jonathan Meiburg, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski from Cross Record fell in love with each other’s music while touring together. After a stint on the road, the three convened in the countryside surrounding Austin, TX to work on the project. There, Meiburg surrendered to his deep passion for nature, exploring 28

the environment and its inhabitants, while Cross and Duszynski found themselves struggling with their romantic relationship. The result is a compelling, dark-folk album, recalling the glorious trilogy Shearwater released for Matador a decade ago, capturing a human tension and passion that sustains the mystical sound of Cross’ outstanding voice. A masterpiece. Guia Cortassa

DZ DEATHRAYS BLOODY LOVELY Alcopop! | 02.02

Party thrash favourites DZ Deathrays are back with new full-length, Bloody Lovely.

Opening track ‘Shred For Summer’ lives up to its namesake with chaos-inciting vocals and straight riffs.

It also happens to be a signpost of what’s to come for the rest of the record… A youthful and messy squall of tracks which very much continues up the path they started with their debut album, Bloodstreams. Though it’s worth noting that things certainly sound more mature, particularly on tracks like ‘High’ and ‘Over It’.

This band may have emerged in a climate of sweaty house parties – but this third record certainly feels more primed for breezy festival stages.

Rhys Buchanan

JOSHUA DIRK NEW PLASTIC SOUNDS Self-release | 15.02

The common misconception of dystopia is that it’s depressing.

It’s all about balance.* Joshua Dirk sits neatly in the middle of industrial discordance and hazy, analogue tones, channelling golden era ‘techy’ techno (from the likes of James Holden, Thomas Schumacher and The MFA), with little spoonfuls of Apex and Caribou for good measure.

To make too many comparisons would be unfair though. There are ambles and arcs to each track that are wonderfully unique and pleasantly unnerving, filled with dense layers and restless melodies. The journeys they take you on are quietly bleak, but ultimately warming; like an old duvet found in a park.

Tom Belshaw *e.g: Kim Jong Un watching a ballet in his honour.

MARLON WILLIAMS MAKE WAY FOR LOVE Dead Oceans | 16.02

After his self-titled debut, Marlon Williams is back with a charming sophomore album. Showing a dark new side as a singer-songwriter, the New Zealander worked on the new recording in Northern California, capturing in turn the Golden State’s vibes.

His distinctive crooning voice flows smoothly on tracks that charm with their deep and mysterious sound. From ‘Come to Me’, melding Elvis Presley and Timber Timbre together in one dreamy, spaced-out atmosphere, to the psychedelic aura of ‘Nobody Gets What they Want Anymore’, recorded with Aldous Harding, to the late-50s pop-informed, eponymous closing track, its reverberating guitars and seductive piano making for a remarkably enjoyable listen.

Guia Cortassa 29

SCREAMING FEMALES ALL AT ONCE Don Giovanni | 23.02

On their seventh record, the veteran, New Jersey rock trio return with a double LP that feels like a retrospective on all of their previous records, while attempting to retain their more avant elements.

The space the double LP provides the band allows them to stretch their ambition, by crafting tracks like ‘Soft Domination’

which have a more traditional postpunk feel to them, while others like ‘I’ll Make You Sorry’ are pop-punk circle pit material. While not as psychedelic or experimental as its predecessors, for better or worse, All at Once finds its footing in accessibility and exploring a diverse range of rock sub-genres.

Albert Testani

THE SOFT MOON CRIMINAL Sacred Bones | 02.02

Luis Vasquez is no stranger to inner turmoil and insecurities, and the latest release from the multi-instrumentalist portrays a journey of self-reflection and confession, filtered through the murky lens of guilt and self-hatred.

Marking his fourth studio album under the pseudonym The Soft Moon, Criminal’s destructive first single ‘Burn’ draws influence from the pioneers of industrial 30

post-punk, standing high among the ranks of Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division. Haunting efforts by the names of ‘Give Something’ and title-track ‘Criminal’ showcase a mournful portrayal of Vasquez, while the gut-wrenching aggression scattered throughout the rest of the record (particularly within ‘Choke’ and ‘Like A Father’) makes for a dark and intriguing listen. Kelly Ronaldson

VUNDABAR SMELL SMOKE Gawk | 23.02

When you can smell smoke, something’s usually ablaze, or close to ignition. Vundabar’s second album, Smell Smoke, possesses their trademark spark. When it’s your sanity that’s volatile and flammable, though, sparks can be dangerous things.

As the cover art suggests, we frequently pass ourselves off as mask-wearing smilers. For lead singer, Brendan Hagen, intensely fronting a band whilst privately caring for a seriously-ill loved one was ripping him to shreds. This album cathartically lifts that burden. Slacker rock meets sludge pop. The Strokes meet Modern Baseball. Their languid jangle ought to indeed make you smell smoke – chafing from the inevitable friction caused by possessed, dancing legs against tight post-Christmas jeans. Jon Kean

POISONOUS BIRDS BIG WATER Be Softly | Out Now

Literally and figuratively, that which is ‘poisonous’ ought to be avoided. Until now, that is. Bristol’s Poisonous Birds have shifted further from their rock roots with their Big Water EP. There’s barely a guitar to be heard. Instead, post-electronica meets post-rock, posting a distinctive sound for 2018.

Title track, ‘Big Water’, begins like the precursor to the Dalek invasion of Earth. Portentous analogue synth slabs and tempestuous drums carve sonic cyberpunk soundscapes. The woozy ‘Little Puzzle’ has the ambient haze of a post-pub perambulation, following much high-spirited liver-lashing. ‘Schwer’ rounds proceedings off with a taut chillout, feeling like the morning after the night before, or sounding like Beelzebub’s post-apocalypse table-tennis tournament.

Jon Kean

MUNCLE ON Self-release | Out Now

Have you ever come across an artist and said to yourself: ‘this guy seems cool, I’d like to be his friend’? Bristol kid Muncle is one of those; a self-made talent that enjoys multi-tasking, even performing live with an on-screen version of himself.

His EP, ON, recalls the 90s skate-punk bands who didn’t care if they were invited to the party, and would probably crash it just for kicks.

From the anthemic ‘Picnic’ to the weird and math-rock ‘You Threw Off My Groove’, this EP is a proper trip inside a messy American bedroom, where a few dog-eared Green Day posters still hang unashamedly on the walls. Laure Noverraz

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BRISTOL BECAUSE...

City chat with our fave people.

Rob McGee, Booking Agent

When did you first move to Bristol?

I first moved to Bristol – *scrolls through FaceBook* – eight years ago, in 2010! I think. Straight into a beautiful apartment on the awesome Stokes Croft.

Who’s your top Bristol artist at the moment?

think. Love that you can walk just about anywhere in Bristol and it really takes no time at all.

And your least favourite?

One? I can’t pick just one… Sorry!

Agency acts aside (as that’s bias) it would have to be IDLES, Elder Island, LICE, Youth & Soeur. Oh and The Gnarwhals!

I cannot understand how these guys haven’t blown up yet… Their NYE show was just incredible.

Struggle to find what I dislike about Bristol to be completely honest with you... although the spiders, I mean, they’re getting bigger right?! We had one in the office a few weeks back. I worked elsewhere until it disappeared. It was the size of my face. HELL!

What are your favourite eats around town?

What are you most excited about for Electric Harmony in 2018?

Vegan alert. The Stables do a pretty mean vegan pizza which always goes down well. And how can you say no to a cheeky Biblos? Small Bar on Kings Street also do some damn good vegan eats that I recommend! Also had my first OOWEE burger the other day…. My god. Just go!

Good question! Growing even more as an independent company and expanding the family. Every year is different for EH and it gets more and more exciting as each day passes, so really, I’m just excited that we’re still going and pushing forward! Really excited for the following though: Harvey Causon at Crofters Rights w/ Puma Blue (23/02), Lazy Day at The Louisiana (10/03), Rozelle at Crofters Rights (23/03), Goan Dogs at Thekla (31/03).

What’s your favourite thing about the city?

The legends that live in it. We’re a pretty awesome city and it’s only getting better I

Electric Harmony is an independent booking agency, now supporting acts from Bristol and beyond for over six years. More at: electricharmonymusic.com Photo by Ania Shrimpton.

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Dear Dick The best bad advice for your musical problems...

Dear Dick, I’m trying to woo a certain someone and want to show off my music knowledge. The only problem is, I’m coming up dry...

Jordan, Kingswood

Ah, young love. A prickly minefield of hormones and bad decisions. Music can be a powerful arsenal in your attempt to score, but only with a slow hand.

Please find attached a tripartite, and very much definitive list of the best tunes for which to woo: 1. Love – ‘Doggone’: Nothing says love like Love, and nothing says commitment like an eight-minute drum solo. Take that potential S.O. on a journey through the annals of a drum kit, riddled with shambolic, rhythmless nonsense and perforated with an opportunity to show off your knowledge of breaks. If you can claw it back after that, s/he’s a keeper.

2. Aerosmith – ‘Love in an Elevator’: Disarm that office crush with an aural

statement of intent. Why tell your workplace beau how you really feel, when you could just get a sexy, leathery grandma to wail it at them in a very sexy, leathery manner? Also, I read once that Steven Tyler is actually ‘really respectful’ to the the groupies he sleeps with.

3. Serge Gainsbourg – ‘Je T’aime’: Literally ‘I love you’ in the most romantic language in the world... Said over and over in awkward, orgasmic moans, while a creepy old uncle smokes tiny white cigarettes in a dark corner. Très bon.

Do you have a question?

Email dick@bristollivemagazine.com

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In Case You Missed It

Live from last month.

Why We Love @ The Louisiana, 5th Jan Words: Oliver Evans | Photo: Josh Jones Bristolians, Why We Love, make a compelling return to the Louisiana tonight, commanding attention with songs that bring the distant summer months closer. Their onstage chemistry – no doubt aided by siblings Joe and Rachel’s innate connection – is energetic and playful, matching the kinds of upbeat yet bittersweet lyrics we desperately need in 2018.

Positivity isn’t their only strength, however, with the band unafraid to get candid – “It’s better to be frankly fixed than broken secretly” – as Joe takes to the 36

stage alone for a raw rendition of a new track. Memorable single ‘All Good Things Must Drown’ is the undeniable highlight though, filled with sun-soaked strings and self-aware saccharine coos, while ‘When The End Came’, a swinging heartbreak number, is the most optimistic portrayal of an impending breakup I’ve heard to date.

The wonderfully-carefree contradictions of life they ponder are what truly make Why We Love special, putting forward a bright but unique outlook on life. And honestly, who doesn’t need that one cold January evening?

The Bristol Fringe 32 Princess Victoria Street, BS8 4BZ The Canteen 80 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY Colston Hall & Lantern Colston Street, BS1 5AR The Crofters Rights 117-119 Stokes Croft, BS1 3PY

The Louisiana Wapping Road, BS1 6UA Marble Factory / Motion 74-78 Avon Street, BS2 0PX Mother’s Ruin 7-9 St. St Nicholas St, BS1 1UE Mr Wolf’s 32, St Nicholas St, BS1 1TG

Exchange 72-73 Old Market, BS2 OEJ

No. 1 Harbourside 1 Canon’s Rd, Bristol BS1 5UH

The Fleece 12 St. Thomas Sreet, BS1 6JJ

O2 Academy 1-2 Frogmore Street, BS1 5NA

The Gallimaufry 26-28 The Promenade, BS7 8AL

The Old Market Assembly 25 West Street, BS2 0DF

The Golden Lion 244 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8NZ

Rough Trade Bristol 3 New Bridewell, BS1 2QD

The Grain Barge Mardyke Warf, BS8 4RU

SWX Bristol 15 Nelson Street, BS1 2JY

The Gryphon 41 Colston Street, BS1 5AP Hy Brasil 7-9 Baldwin Street, BS1 1RU

Thekla The Grove, BS1 4RB The Thunderbolt 124 Bath Road, BS4 3ED

The Kingsdown Vaults 31 Kingsdown Parade, BS6 5UE

Tobacco Factory Raleigh Road, BS3 1TF

The Lanes 22 Nelson Street, BS1 2LE

Trinity Centre Trinity Road, BS2 0NW 37

Ti c k e t s f r o m W e G o t Ti c k e t s . c o m

Live Listings...

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W e G o t Ti c k e t s . c o m | S i m p l e , h o n e s t t i c k e t i n g

Ti c k e t s f r o m W e G o t Ti c k e t s . c o m

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Ti c k e t s f r o m W e G o t Ti c k e t s . c o m

Need more shows?

More listings online at: bristollivemagazine.com W e G o t Ti c k e t s . c o m | S i m p l e , h o n e s t t i c k e t i n g

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Rehearsal Listings...

Dockside Studios Fully equipped in central Bristol. Free parking.

No fixed booking times. Equipment hire and storage facilities. Open ‘til 11pm (Sat ‘til 7pm). mail@docksidestudios.co.uk • 0117 934 9994 Albion Dockside Estate, BS1 6UT

Factory Studios Where music is made! Eleven practice rooms, a recording studio and great discounts for student and regular bands. Book by phone or online. info@factorystudios.co.uk // 0117 952 5655 Unit 23, Maze Street, BS5 9TQ

Firebird Studios By musicians for musicians. Friendly, helpful staff, six affordable rooms, onsite parking. Food and drink available. Book by phone or online. info@firebirdstudios.co.uk • 0117 972 1830 21-23 Emery Rd, BS4 5PF

Maverick Studios Rehearsal and recording (audio & video). Large 30’ stage, dedicated sound-booth and control room available. All rooms with PA and drum kit. maverickstudiosbristol@gmail.com • 07833 691 741 Office Tower, Foundry Lane, BS5 7UZ

RS Studios Largest independent rehearsal and recording complex in the Southwest. 18 individual, custom designed & built sound-proof studios. rsstudios@hotmail.com • 0117 971 1495 47-57 Feeder Road, BS2 0SE

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Thoughts Have All The Decent Band Names Been Used? by

Jon Kean, Live Editor

Oil, coal and natural gas are running out. Ice caps and glaciers are melting. The bees have found a more habitable planet (maybe). Alongside these man-made armageddons, might we face the difficult reality in 2018 that all decent band names have now been used? Yes, the concept of what constitutes a ‘good’ band name can be dismissed as subjective, and The Beatles is either a lame pun or it’s genius.

However…

What if there’s nowhere else to go on the name front? My inbox constantly fills with FOMO promo for bands, oftentimes with names straight from a random cliché generator, or the Little Book of Meh. It would be so easy here to take a free kick at the shocking band names I’ve encountered over the years, but I’m feeling magnanimous. Instead, I’ll just be thankful for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and ramble on.

We’ll never actually run out of band names – just appealing or memorable ones.

Enough words exist for artists to call themselves something as long as there are notes on staves. Might people resort to Googlewhacking (it’s actually a thing, and not a euphemism) and call their bands something like Francophile Namesakes (mathrock?) or Unreconstructive Superegos (defo post-hardcore)?

Bandcamp’s recent end-of-year observations were that ‘Atlas’ was the most popular word in a contemporary Bandcamp-ed name, whereas the most popular newlyuploaded band words were ‘Apollo’, ‘Grim’ and ‘Bloom’. So as the Four Horsemen approach, listening to Apollo Bloom & The Grim Atlases on their AirPods, remember that there is one area that’ll outlive the band name apocalypse for a while at least – that being cover bands; in that realm, you simply take an existing name and ruin it.

It’ll be Vag Halen, Pity The Foo and The Red Hot Silly Feckers at the end-of-the-world party – get used to it.

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New School vol.1

the free Bristol label download 2017

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