Live. Music. Culture. February 2020
â„– 97 // Free
Caribou
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Sat 1st Feb • 10pm
Sat 14th Mar
Fri 24th Apr • 6.30pm
Innovation
The Dualers
The White Buffalo
Sun 2nd Feb • SOLD OUT
Thur 19th Mar
Sat 25th Apr • 10.00pm
Kano
Lightning Seeds
Logan D & Majistrate
Tue 4th Feb
Fri 20th Mar • 6pm
Sun 3rd May
The Subways
Steel Pulse
Mon 23rd Mar
Tue 5th May
Cigarettes After Sex
The Mission
Tue 24th Mar
Fri 8th May • 6.30pm
Ash
The Shires
Fri 27 Mar
Mon 18th May • SOLD OUT
James Bond – in concert
BROCKHAMPTON
The Interrupters Wed 5th Feb • SOLD OUT
Steel Panther Mon 10th Feb • SOLD OUT
The HU Fri 21st Feb • 6.30pm
Ally Pally Student Darts Comes To Bristol Mon 24th Feb
Beartooth Thur 27th Feb
Hot 8 Brass Band Sat 29th Feb • 10pm
Garage Nation Tue 3rd Mar
Testament Thur 5th Mar
Example Fri 6th Mar • SOLD OUT
Oh Wonder
Thur 21st May
I Prevail
Brian Fallon & The Howling Weather
Thur 2nd Apr • 6pm
Wed 17th Jun • 5.30pm
Roachford
Volbeat
Sat 4th Apr • 10pm
Fri 11th Sep • 6.30pm
Hybrid Minds Mon 6th Apr
CASH: Paying Respect To The Man in Black
Caribou
Fri 18th Sep • 7.30pm
Sat 28th Mar • SOLD OUT
Wed 15th Apr
Rend Collective
Rak-Su
Thur 8th Oct
Fri 17th Apr • 6.30pm
Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Juke Box
Sisters Of Mercy
Lioness ... A.K.A The Amy Winehouse Experience
Thur 12th Mar
Tue 21st Apr • SOLD OUT
Fri 6th Nov • 6.30pm
Stiff Little Fingers
Lamb of God
Soul II Soul
Fri 13th Mar • SOLD OUT
Thur 23rd Apr
Fri 4th Dec • 6.30pm
NF
Feeder
Heaven 17
Sun 8th Mar
Wed 21st Oct
Heels of Hell
O2 Academy Bristol ticketmaster.co.uk 2
Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA • Doors 7pm unless stated Venue box office opening hours: Mon - Sat 12pm - 4pm
ticketmaster.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com
o2academybristol.co.uk
February • 2020
book
0117 203 4040 colstonhall.org
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Colston Hall loudly and proudly presents great shows in venues across Bristol Sun 2 Feb SOLD OUT
Tue 18 Feb
Sun 8 Mar
Lisa O’Neill
Daddy Long Legs
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman
Bristol Folk House
The Louisiana
Thu 6 Feb SOLD OUT
Fri 21 Feb
Anna Meredith Trinity
HMLTD
Sun 15 Mar
Exchange
Yorkston Thorne Khan
Fri 7 Feb
Sun 23 Feb
Sean McConnell
Damien Jurado
The Crofters Rights Tue 11 Feb
Gill Landry The Wardrobe Theatre
Bristol Folk House
St George’s Bristol Tue 25 Feb
Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle Colston Hall Foyer
Bristol Folk House Tue 17 Mar
CocoRosie Trinity Fri 20 Mar
Ziggy Alberts SWX
Wed 12 Feb
YACHT Exchange Thu 13 Feb
Moor Mother Exchange Fri 14 Feb
Fairport Convention Bath Forum
Wed 26 Feb
Sat 21 Mar
A Winged Victory for the Sullen
Princess Nokia + Tkay Maidza
Trinity
Marble Factory
Thu 5 Mar
Sat 21 Mar
Blanck Mass
Andy Shauf
Loco Klub
Fiddlers
Sat 7 Mar
Sun 22 Mar
Andreya Triana
Fly Pan Am
Exchange
Colston Hall Foyer
WED 12 FEBRUARY
FRI 14 FEBRUARY
SAT 15 FEBRUARY
STARSET
KING NUN
EMILY CAPELL
SUN 16 FEBRUARY
SAT 22 FEBRUARY
SWX
THE FLEECE
LOUISIANA
SWX
DUBIOZA KOLEKTIV GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB + GARDNA
+ JOE SLATER + KATIE OWEN [DJ]
MON 24 FEBRUARY SWX
PALAYE ROYALE + COUNTERFEIT.
WED 26 FEBRUARY
SAT 29 FEBRUARY
TUE 03 MARCH
X AMBASSADORS
DUB FX
TESTAMENT THE BAY STRIKES BACK
THEKLA
+ TERRELL HINES
4
LOUISIANA
SWX
O2 ACADEMY
+ EXODUS + DEATH ANGEL
THU 05 MARCH
SUN 15 MARCH
TUE 17 MARCH
EXAMPLE
LOUISE REDKNAPP
BAD//DREEMS
MON 23 MARCH
SUN 29 MARCH
RETRO VIDEO CLUB
JARED JAMES NICHOLS
O2 ACADEMY
+ LOCAL + LIVSEY + HAYLA
FRI 20 MARCH O2 ACADEMY
THEYOUNGSUBWAYS FOR ETERNITY + ART BRUT
WED 22 APRIL
SWX
THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
THU 07 MAY
KOMEDIA
THE FORUM BATH
THE SPOKEN WORD & LIVE SHOW
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR
BIFF BYFORD: SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
+ DON JAMIESON
LOUISIANA
THE EXCHANGE + COLLATERAL
TUE 12 MAY
THE FORUM BATH
NICK MASON’S SAUCERFUL OFTHESECRETS ECHOES TOUR 5
Dear reader, Editor-in-Chief / Sales Loki Lillistone loki@instereomag.com Deputy / Live Editor Jon Kean Online / New Music Editor Kezia Cochrane Features Editor Dave Rowlinson Local Release Editor Lor Nov Creative Director Larissa Matheus
February is here, bringing with it a slew of tours, events and albums – and it’s with the utmost pleasure that we bring it all to you, in handy A6 form. Needing no introduction, Caribou leads the charge this month ahead of his fantastic new album, Suddenly, out via City Slang. He explains the diaristic nature of this new output, owing in part to the significant life events experienced since 2014’s Our Love. Katie Gately, whose impressive, otherworldly productions couldn’t be further from the above, also comes in to explain the “pre-lingual” nature of her music-making process for the upcoming Loom. Elsewhere, cult favourite, Black Marble talks to us about his relocation from NYC to LA, and how it’s spelled RIP to his previous MO. Finally, Shopping chat to us about making some of the most angular “pop” we’ve ever heard. All this, plus Feb’s most exciting releases, live reviews, detailed concert listings for Bristol’s favourite venues, event highlights and more. One of the people behind the fabled AF Gang even drops by to celebrate their unique and positive corner of the internet - and the difference it’s made to many of our humble lives.
Katie Gately
Contributors:
Geoff Cowart, Matt Draper, Thomas Hannan, Charlotte Krol, Nick Mee, Robin Murray, Tom Phelan, Stephanie Phillips, Ari Sawyer, Craig Simmonds, Elliott Simpson, Simone Skilbeck, Harriet Taylor, Albert Testani, Katie Thomas, Lee Wakefield Cover photo by Mathew Parri Thomas, typeface by Lucas Le Bihan ( Velvetyne ). 6
10
14
New Sounds
Katie Gately
18
22
Shopping
Black Marble
26
34
Caribou
Releases
40
42
Events
Full Listings
56
58
Live
Thoughts
61 In Bristol Caribou
Loki: Georgia – 24 Hours
Staff on Repeat:
Jon: Nuala Honan – Slow Down Kezia: Megan Thee Stallion + Normani – Diamonds Lor: Agnes Obel – Broken Sleep Larissa: Igorrr – Very Noise 7
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New Sounds by Kezia Cochrane
Katy J Pearson
Top Ten: New Sounds Lynks Afrikka – I Don’t Know What I Want HEALTH, xiu xiu – Delicious Ape Swan Meat – Literally Seething Stormzy, Headie One – Audacity Galen Tipton – Big Loud & Violent Bad Gyal – Zorra Dorian Electra – Live By The Sword ishi vu – Metamorfos MIKEY. – Transformer Jimothy Lacoste – finna glow
Get more new music from kezia cochrane every monday at: bristolinstereo.com 10
Stormzy
Katy J Pearson There’s something distinguishably unique about Katy J Pearson’s vocal intonation. Like rarities, Aldous Harding or Joanna Newsom before her, her voice holds a particular and profound magic, unlike anyone else. A face you may recognise as part of the enigmatic Lazarus Kane’s entourage, Katy J Pearson released her first solo material last autumn, having made her mark within Bristol and further afield with a string of impressive live shows. Laden with lilting country twangs and infectious pop hooks, ‘Tonight’ not only makes for a striking debut single, but also comprises a gloriously timeless sound that is at once crystalline and steeped in a hazy nostalgia. Coupled with a cover of M. Ward’s ‘Poison Cup’, this first pair of tracks succeeds in encapsulating the melodic potency that Pearson conveys live, in both moments of tenderness and in buoyant, resonant harmonies.
Galen Tipton
Galen Tipton Listening to Galen Tipton’s music feels like stepping into a sublimely intricate and infinite cosmos. With a sound that morphs with mercurial poignancy, their experimental electronic creations oscillate between moments of rippling, chirruping grace and bouncy, highoctane euphoria.
Signed to Heavenly Recordings and with an upcoming tour with Pinegrove, Katy J Pearson is certainly a name we’ll be hearing plenty more from soon.
Last year the Ohio-based artist released Fake Meat – via Orange Milk Records – garnering well-deserved acclaim. Brimming with eclectic rhythms, erratic embellishments and twinkling incandescence, it was a pivotal release. They returned last month, however, with new mini-album, recovery girl, seeing them lean more into the candied, glitchy pop side of their sound, further illuminating their ever-flourishing artistic ingenuity and proving there’s no better time to pay attention to Galen Tipton.
Track: Tonight Live: April 1st (with Pinegrove), SWX. @katyjpearsonband @katyjpearsonband
Track: sissy (w/ rkss) @genderlessgenderfulgirl @galenwctipton
Gloo 11
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Katie Gately words: Charlotte Krol photography: Steve Gullick
When LA-based experimental musician and sound designer, Katie Gately was close to finishing the follow-up to her 2016 debut Colour, her world was suddenly shattered. Her mother was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer that would prove terminal. Shortly before the diagnosis in the spring of 2018, Gately’s mother saw her daughter perform live for the first time. She loved a song that would develop as ‘Bracer’, the visceral panic attack lead single from Gately’s new album, Loom. “I got that feedback and I built the album from there,” Gately explains. The producer parked most of the ideas explored before her mother’s diagnosis, finding herself writing intuitively about the multifaceted emotions experienced while dealing with a colossal uprooting. “I haven’t had to experience a lot of grief, which is fortunate, but I wasn’t aware that there was a lot of anger that naturally comes with it,” Gately continues over the phone. “Luckily, I didn’t want to throw that anger at people. I wanted to throw it at sound. A ‘fuck you’ to cancer. I think that’s exactly what my mother would have done.” Gately speaks of being ‘hyperactive’ while looking after her mother in the family’s hometown of Brooklyn, where she would use the small hours to work on Loom. “I got hypervigilant – I couldn’t sleep,” she says. “I was almost in a flow state, like a bad flow state.” The album became her response to her mother’s illness, both musically and lyrically. “Every song is in a minor key, quite funereal,” Gately adds, as if to explain how reality informed the music. “On the other hand, there’s an energy: 14
there’s percussive elements and it’s faster in some parts, slower in others. And lyrically, I really wanted to acknowledge the kaleidoscope of things you feel when you’re having this kind of experience.” She recalls pinballing in panic. “I got very attentive to the way my mother looked, like, ‘uhoh, I think something bad is about to happen,’ and then there was this other side where I was like, ‘Fuck this; fuck cancer.’ But there was also this part where I wanted to understand it: ‘what is this disease, how does it work?’ All of those voices, feelings and memories ended up in the music, she says, such as super processed audio from her parents’ wedding. Loom is a different beast from Gately’s maximalist debut, Colour; the latter is a sensory overload stuffed with inventive field recordings and bold mutations of sound. On Loom, Gately’s voice is positioned front and centre. Sonically speaking, it’s more occupied by drone and deeply ruminative textures. Her wildly creative sampling remains – from bull whips to machine guns – but their dynamics are softer in the mix and are better suited for nighttime listening (perhaps resultant of Gately’s nocturnal writing routine). “I feel like music tells me what I’m feeling before I know how I’m feeling,” she says, touching on the process behind creating songs such as ‘Allay’. The album track is a haunting cacophony of overlapping choral vocals, gongs and actual earthquake recordings – representative of the thing that shook her world – and is sung from the perspective of her mother’s disease. “That idea just came very naturally. It’s true that
“I feel like music tells me what I’m feeling before I know how I’m feeling.” 15
“I didn’t want to throw that anger at people. I wanted to throw it at sound.”
cancer will come for you and you won’t get better sometimes,” Gately says. There’s an acknowledgement that composing helped her face and cope with the ordeal. “On this record, I just sort of intuited what to do,” she continues. “I wouldn’t want to go through the grief process again, but I’m hoping that something about opening up in a big way emotionally will help my future work. I think I feel, oddly, more confident in trusting myself now. All I’ve really had and trusted is my ear. The way I put things together, I feel it’s pre-lingual. Emotions are bumping into each other and I’m just assessing whether or not they feel right.” 16
Ultimately, Gately has made something expressive, beautiful and necessary in Loom. The record may be dedicated to her mother, but there’s ample space for others to seek solace. “I feel dorky saying this, but the primary thing that motivates me is exactly what I get from other people’s music, which is that it makes me feel less alone.” Loom is released on February 14th via Houndstooth @katiegatelymusic
@kgsounds
Shopping words: Stephanie Phillips photography: Matt Draper ‘Pop’ is the word of the day for Shopping. It rears its head in every direction our conversation travels down and contorts each band member’s face into jovial masks each time it is uttered. “We definitely wanted to up the pop factor a little bit,” explains bassist, Billy Easter on their obsession. Their pop offering can be heard on All or Nothing, the band’s fourth album and their most hip-shaking to date, bringing together the jittery, bass-centric post-punk they’re known for, with a new wave dancepunk, Chicago house, and pop sensibility. So have the UK post-punk band gone full pop then? Well the answer is ‘probably not’, but it’s a goal that keeps the band fired up. Easter explains: “I feel like it’s something we’re always striving for. We want to write pop songs, but we write the songs that we write.” Guitarist, Rachel Aggs (also a member of Trash Kit and Sacred Paws) agrees, adding: “In our heads, any sort of deviation from the most minimal way that we sounded when we first started is radical to us and I think, maybe for someone listening in, it still sounds like us.” Though Britney mics and synchronised moves aren’t on the cards in the band’s near future, they have come a long way from their scrappy beginnings. Formed in 2012 out of the embers of the short-lived London DIY band, Covergirl, Easter and Aggs, along with drummer Andrew Milk, released their debut album Consumer Complaints, encapsulating an era in DIY punk history with their spiky, tumultuous rhythms. Following the release of their second album, Why Choose (2015) when they lost their practice space to gentrification and Andrew 18
moved to Glasgow, they pushed through and came back with the elastic funk spirit that was 2018’s The Official Body. Now with Aggs and Milk both permanently relocated to Glasgow and Easter based in LA, the band are as dedicated to Shopping as they’ve ever been, carving out time to get together and write when they can. It is an approach demonstrated in their fearless new album title, which became a motto for the group during the writing and recording sessions. “It ties back into the whole pop production thing,” says Andrew Milk. “Since we were going to try and do something a bit more poppy sounding, we were just like, ‘sure, let’s just add more. More production.’ There’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek reference at our own process for the record.” They haven’t gone full throttle for a Spectoresque wall of sound. Working with producer Davey Warsop, All or Nothing fills in the blank spaces of Shopping’s usually sparse arrangements. They were inspired by artists who reached a wider audience while staying true to themselves, whom they defined as Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeahs Yeahs, and Public Image LTD. The dance-forward outlook can be heard on ‘Initiative’ which reaches a climax of buzzing synths and choral harmonies as Aggs demands you “show some initiative.” ‘For Your Pleasure’ bounces around with even more wild abandon when a crisp sampled snare beat enters the conversation. Creating a record that would appeal to a wider audience and bring even more juddering dancers to their anticipated tours was a top priority.
“We definitely wanted to up the pop factor a little bit.�
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“There was a lot of change in circumstances, a lot of upheaval and risks; risks were a big theme on the record.”
“We were consciously trying to make things a bit more melodic at times because I think it’s quite easy for us to write a certain type of song that’s maybe a bit monosyllabic,” says Aggs. Though monosyllabic, a Shopping song could always pack out a dancefloor in seconds, even when the subject matter drew on the chaos of the world outside the club. On first listen, All or Nothing sits in the same vein as previous Shopping releases, drawing on the issues of work-life pressures, privacy, identity, and fear of false prophets. It’s only on further listen that it becomes clearer that worries closer to home were also on the band’s mind. “There are quite a lot of legit personal issues that are going into the songs and the songwriting on this record,” says Milk. “There was a lot of change in circumstances, a lot of upheaval and risks; risks were a big theme on the record.” 20
Taking risks has given the band permission to write more openly, and grow into a new sound, expanded beyond drums, bass, and guitar. It is a growth which fans at their upcoming shows will be delighted to witness, and which bring us back to the word of the day: “Our live set is going to be quite different now,” boasts Easter. “Not giving anything away. It’s going to be more along the lines of a pop show.” Maybe there’ll be Britney mics after all. All Or Nothing is released via FatCat on February 7th Live: February 9th - Rough Trade @weareshopping @we_are_shopping
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“I’m lucky that I can do things on my terms.”
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Black Marble words: Harriet Taylor photography: Ashley Leahy / Black Marble After trading in a bustling New York for the ‘City of Angels’ three years ago, Chris Stewart continues to reinvent himself under the Black Marble moniker. Continuing as sole member, his latest release, Bigger Than Life sees the project emerge into brighter new territory. Splashes of colour now seemingly pervade on its breezy aural template, proving almost radio-friendly against the shadowy elements of It’s Immaterial that preceded it. So for context, I ask Stewart about his relocation, those three years, and how that time has influenced his latest creation. “Los Angeles almost seemed like the antiNew York,” Stewart begins. “I wasn’t trying to go somewhere that I thought would be the greatest place on Earth; I was more or less just trying to get away from the things that had become grating about New York.” Whilst the bustling hub of city life is something Stewart insists he couldn’t live without – a small town person, he is not – the atmosphere of the mighty concrete jungle had worn him down over time, and change was necessary for his own career growth. “The backdrop to my life here is just more pleasant,” he explains, whereas working in New York “would feel like a hostile environment that’s constantly trying to eject you.” From an outsider’s perspective, this seems entirely believable, but there are still things he undoubtedly misses about the home he left behind. He tells me it “has this branding and reputation,” which in the early days of the project seemed exhilarating, inhabiting a city of world-renowned peers. “Every year you make it there would feel like some kind of a small victory,” and “even if you’re not
excelling, you still feel like you’re a part of that environment.” Yet it’s hard to do this without getting swallowed up by the “hard-working, passé, no BS vibe” of the city. Thus, LA won out as a place he could get “a little more return on [his] investment for the same amount of work” and no longer had to “beat [his] head against the wall” while working on Bigger Than Life. Yet interestingly, on this subject of relocating, Stewart briefly touches on class politics in his old home – and the US in general. He speaks affectionately about those who emigrated from Europe several generations prior, in the early half of the Twentieth century, seeking a better life and working hard for it, which then steers into how class politics affects art. It’s “more discussed in the UK than it is in the US,” he begins before elaborating, “It should be more of an issue here.” “The only people who can really afford to put in the amount of time it takes to have success are from wealthy backgrounds. […] That’s going to have a [strange] effect on the kind of art that people are making and the experiences they’ll be bringing to their work.” This is probably why Stewart relates heavily to those less prolific, underground synth pioneers. “In the same way that punk was a reaction against more trained musicians, […] it almost feels like they didn’t really care whether or not anybody was listening to these records.” He goes on to explain, “the spirit of DIY, doing something completely on your own terms, and being accepted or rejected based on that [alone]” is what Black Marble is all about, and perhaps how the project has managed to sustain itself against the classist elite. 23
Having signed to Sacred Bones to release the new album, he jokes, “I’m definitely like on the overground part of the underground.” Stewart feels comfortable to diversify his sound with the security that an established audience can now afford him, but is nonetheless humble about his position in the music community. “I’m lucky that I can do things on my terms and when I finish a record, there will be an audience for it.” Being in the driver’s seat has left him relatively optimistic for the longevity of Black Marble, and free to take the project wherever he desires without clinging tightly to past iterations and expectations, claiming that what he already has in the works next sounds nothing like Bigger Than Life. 24
“I’m just trying to come up with sounds that I respond to, that make me see pictures in my head, or feel a certain way. You can cycle through a hundred different sounds and not really feel anything, but then you’ll hit one and you’ll be taken somewhere. I think I’m just trying to do that.” Black Marble plays Bristol this month, with Bigger Than Life out now via Sacred Bones. Live: Crofters Rights, February 2nd @ blackmarblenyc
@blackmarblenyc
Caribou words: Katie Thomas photography: Mathew Parri Thomas
It’s midsummer in Muskoka, Ontario, or, as Canadians affectionately refer to it, cottage country. Two friends, headphones on, sit side by side on the dock, looking out over the lake as family and friends socialise behind them. The friends are Jeremy Greenspan and Dan Snaith. Snaith, the man behind Caribou and Daphni, is listening to new Jessy Lanza music that Greenspan (Junior Boys) has been working on. Jeremy is listening to a new Caribou album, one that was finished and sent off for mastering just days before the pair arrived in Muskoka for their annual summer holiday. “You can probably tell I’m a water person,” Dan chuckles as we chat over coffee before this cover shoot on the Walthamstow Wetlands. The wind is bitterly cold today, but Dan is undeterred. By the water — like his yearly retreat to the lakes of Muskoka — is Dan Snaith’s happy place. His landmark 2010 record was called Swim, and the cover of this new project (Suddenly lands on February 28th) is of bright, inviting blue water. In Dan’s words, it’s calm, tranquil, and reflective - an image that represents the music. It’s been five years since the release of Our Love, a period during which Dan and his family have experienced great change. His family has grown, with the birth of his second daughter, now three. And his family has been struck by loss, with the passing of his brother-in-law. Second single, ‘You and I’ is a tribute, an ode to the relationship between son and mother. In this sense, Suddenly is a diary, reflecting in the record’s tone and lyricism the things that have been happening in Dan’s life, and in the lives of 26
“Sometimes studio and I’m myself, ‘I can’t this at a f
s I’m in the m thinking to t wait to play festival.�
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those close to him. It’s a diary told in the most intimate way — with his voice, for Suddenly sees Dan’s vocal at the forefront more than ever before. The album also chronicles his listening, a diary of discovery, so to speak. For Dan, who considers himself a fan first and music maker second, Suddenly brings together “everything that follows my excitement about the music I’ve been hearing.” Where Swim was informed by London’s bubbling late-night landscape at the time — Theo Parrish in Plastic People, Floating Points, Hessle Audio — Suddenly takes inspiration from a world of woozy, spacious R&B and hip-hop production that’s grown from Drake’s OVO Sound label. On his new record, Dan seeks to strip away familiar rap cadences, leaving behind the “weird, ethereal bits.” There are plenty of weird, ethereal bits: Suddenly is littered with fuzzy keys, dissonant melodies and affecting string sections. And as we’ve come to expect from all Caribou music, the record glows with a familiar warmth and softness. Even when Dan Snaith is at his most reflective and melancholy, still he wants for optimism and joy. “That’s what music is for me,” he says gratefully, “it’s to get that feeling of release, and euphoria and happiness.” Dan might find happiness of his own when he’s making music, but he also delivers moments of euphoria for his listeners too — ask anyone who’s experienced a live rendition of ‘Can’t Do Without You’ as the sun dips over a festival site. We anticipate many more of these moments as Caribou set off on their next string of live shows. With crisp, grooveled percussion, soaring synths and catchy riffs, ‘Ravi’ and ‘Never Come Back’ are custom-built for a festival crowd. Look for those slightly-sunburnt faces, belting the words as if their hearts might burst. “It’s always better when I’m with you,” goes the former. “You and I were together/ Even though we both knew better,” goes the latter.
“Sometimes I’m in the studio and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I can’t wait to play this at a festival,’” Dan says. Whilst he makes Caribou music alone in his basement studio, the band has become one of his favourite things about being a musician. The Caribou live show informs, to a point, what Dan creates in the studio, but he’ll never leave something off a record on the basis it may not work in a live capacity. “I’ve made this deal with myself,” he explains. His method is to produce many (and by many, we mean upwards of 900 for this record alone) thirty-second clips, each representing a potential blueprint for an album track. He ranks the clips in vague order of preference, and then starts to flesh out the ideas, from half a minute to a fully-formed track.
“There’s such potential for me to get lost in the wormhole.” Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, is a crucial part of this process, often, Dan says, rescuing ideas from the bottom of the pile. “There’s such potential for me to get lost in the wormhole,” Dan admits, before jokingly mimicking Kieran’s aghast exclamation of “Dan! Finish this fucking track!” ‘New Jade’, a shimmering cut with wicked drums that speaks of optimism and new beginnings, is one of three or four tracks on the album that Kieran literally saved from the trash. “It’s amazing that we found each other,” Dan says. “He’s like a brother to me.” Dan Snaith has a PhD in Pure Maths, but he wonders if that gives people a misinformed view of the way his brain works, or indeed the way he makes music. The mathematics we learn in school is logical, methodical, black and white. But beyond school, maths is wildly abstract, a playground of ideas. It’s the kind of mathematician that Dan associates with most. “They’ve got some kind of beautiful, weird thing going on in their heads,” he says. 29
And speaking of beautiful and weird, Dan has an especially heartwarming story to tell about Colin Fisher, the Canadian multiinstrumentalist and improv-virtuoso who has contributed to Suddenly on guitar and tenor saxophone. Dan affectionately describes him as looking like the Buddha, with a crazy hyena laugh. One weekend in the summer, Colin came to stay with Dan to work on the album, picking up a Turkish flute on a stroll down Stoke Newington High Street. Dan’s eyes light up as he recalls a scene in his garden, Colin playing a flute, one daughter bouncing on the trampoline, and the other running circles in the grass. “It made me so happy, to be making music with this wise, amazing person whose ideas I value so much,” he smiles, “and also just for my kids to have this life, where it’s normal for these wonderful, unusual people to drop into their lives.”
still so high to climb,” he sings. Julia grew up vulnerable and isolated in 1950s Britain, later coming out as trans whilst touring with the band. “It was this amazing flowering of her personality,” Dan recalls of her experience. “‘Magpie’ is a letter to Julia, reflecting on how much the world has changed with regards to trans rights and the awareness of trans issues. It would mean so much to her.”
People come into our lives, and they leave our lives too. Sometimes they are taken, and it’s painfully untimely. Such was the case with the late Julia Brightly, who worked with Caribou as their sound engineer for a decade. It’s now been almost six years since Julia passed away, and Dan has written the album cut ‘Magpie’ for her. “So much has changed, so much is new, and now/ And yet there’s
It’s Dan in a nutshell really: collect lots of shiny ideas, methodically arrange them into a list, deliver something luminous.
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There’s a point in our conversation where Dan refers to himself as a magpie, referring to his tendency to pick up on music from all different times and places. A magpie is extraordinarily intelligent, and, of course, known as a bit of a kleptomaniac with a penchant for shiny things. At first glance, the bird is black and white, but look more closely and the black feathers glow with an almost iridescent hue of purples, blues and greens.
Suddenly is released on 28th February via Merge/City Slang. Live: April 6th, O2 Academy @caribouband
@cariboumusic
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Soccer Mommy color theory Loma Vista, February 28th
Mostly there was that “I don’t wanna be your feral hog” tweet on sainted Twitter day, August 6th 2019, but there’s also been exceptional music. From the 2017 compilation, Collection, through to 2018’s Clean, the transformation of Soccer Mommy – the nom de plume of Nashville native Sophie Allison – from bedroom project to full band has been a joy to watch, and to listen to. That being the case, Danny Wright gathered Stephanie Phillips and Georgia Evans together to find out if new album, color theory, sees that trajectory continue... Have you been a fan of Sophie Allison / Soccer Mommy since Clean? Stephanie: I really loved Clean and heard about her then. Songs like ‘Last Girl’ and ‘Your Dog’ were stuck in my head for ages. She seemed to be referencing 90s acts like Liz Phair or Bratmobile, which I really loved. Georgia: Yes! I love that about her. Her lyrics are incredible too. 34
Stephanie: I was so surprised when I found out her age. I’d say she’s well beyond her years, but realistically she’s just found her calling earlier than most do. With color theory, it’s clear she’s been through a lot. Does it feel like a heavy record? Stephanie: It’s certainly a melancholy record. On songs like ‘nightswimming’ and ‘yellow is the color of her eyes’, the trauma she’s coping with becomes more apparent. Georgia: Though it touches on heavy subjects such as depression, self-harm and terminal illness, it doesn’t feel heavy. The production still has you singing and swaying along, but when you look back and read into it, you can see that actually there’s some pretty dark stuff in there. I think ‘circle the drain’ is a prime example of this. I also really love ‘royal screw up’ too. I’ve had that in my head for days. It perfectly sums up that feeling of thinking everything you do is wrong.
But the two you’ve mentioned, Steph, are painful to listen to. I had a tear in my eye listening back to ‘yellow is the color...’. Stephanie: Yeah - it doesn’t leave you feeling depressed. You’re just aware of the sensation and memory. Georgia: There’s real balance - it’s really beautifully done. Stephanie: With ‘crawling in my skin’, at first I’m moved by the girl group-style beat, but then, obviously, the image of someone uncomfortable in their skin is deeply sad. And sonically does it feel like an evolution from Clean? Stephanie: I think very subtly. She’s clearly still developing her style and knows what works for her. There isn’t anything on color theory that seems out of left field, but there are extra additions that build on her style. More electronic and atmospheric back‑ ground sounds all add depth to the record. Georgia: Agreed. I really like the production. She’s toying with samples now too, so tracks like ‘night swimming’ are really beautiful, with the sampling running underneath, which quite dramatically cuts out as she sings about sinking. There’s certainly a fuller feel to it. She’s said that every song began with a live take done to tape. Can you hear that? Georgia: Yeah, I think you can hear it, but she’s clearly got an idea of how she wants to sound, so it doesn’t feel like she’s strayed too far away from what we’re used to. Stephanie: The essence of her sound has been her and a guitar, so keeping that element raw was a good idea. It also connects color theory back to Clean and makes sure it still feels like a Soccer Mommy release. She said she wants the album to sound like “a dusty old cassette tape that has become messed up over time” - has she achieved her goal? Stephanie: Thematically, the album is as relevant now as it would have been 30 years ago,
so in that sense, I could imagine finding this at the bottom of a box of tapes in a local record store. In terms of the production, there’s been great care taken to emphasise the core elements of each song: her voice and guitar. Nothing has been overly produced or warped beyond recognition. Georgia: There are points where the samples sound a bit worn or distant, but it’s not too inyour-face and I like that subtlety. Thematically, there’s definitely a timeless quality to it. You mentioned Liz Phair before, Steph. Are there any other influences you hear? Stephanie: Maybe more ‘contemporaries’, but there are a lot of similarities with Girlpool. And in terms of influence, maybe (loosely) bands like Pavement or Jimmy Eat World. Georgia: I read that she’s a fan of Elvis Depressedly too, and you can kind of see where the lo-fi comes from. (Sandy) Alex G has that same kind of style too. Stephanie: She’s definitely from the church of less is more. And the final question - do you think this is an album that will stay with you? Georgia: Yes - I can’t stop listening to it! Stephanie: Yeah, I think it will definitely stay with me. Songs like ‘bloodstream’ or ‘crawling in my skin’ keep circling in my head. There’s a lot on this album and it gets much more enthralling with each listen. Georgia: You hear something different each time you go back. color theory is released on February 28th via Loma Vista Live: Trinity Centre, June 19th @soccermommymusic
@sopharela
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Pet Shop Boys Hotspot x2 Records/Kobalt January 24th
Album Reviews Orbury Common Building The Goddess Temple Self-released Out Now The second EP from the ever-cryptic Orbury Common sees them push their space-tinged soundscapes even further from the Earth’s orbit. Across its three tracks, the duo click together sounds like inquisitive children, blending ambient electronics with a range of instruments and samples. Opener, ‘(wo)Menhir’, stutters to life with a distorted electronic hum, gathering additional layers of sound as it moves along, before closing out with a Boards of Canada-like sample of a child counting. ‘New Moon Nudes’ takes things in a heavier direction, driven by a violent, almost ritualistic drumbeat, before ‘Geodessia’ offers the listener a moment to cool down with cooing electronics and soft keyboards. Though brief, it’s hard not to get lost in the world that Building the Goddess Temple teases open. Elliott Simpson 36
What exactly do you want from a Pet Shop Boys record in 2020? Because, if the answer is “another synth-tastic pop-romp, please,” Hotspot has you covered. Recorded in Berlin’s Hansa studios, made famous by Bowie during his Berlin period, the studio’s influence seems mostly that it’s sonically less ‘digital’ than its predecessor, 2016’s Super. Which is not to say the duo have gone full analogue, (as if). There’s one acoustic-y number, the sublime ‘Burning The Heather’ (featuring Mister Bernard Butler on jangly guitar duties). As Neil Tennant croons about how he’s “just the singer of the song…,” we can just be glad he is, as the track itself is a reminder that, for those of us who love Tennant’s yearning, emotive vocals, he can still envelop you like an old favourite cardigan. It’s a feat he constantly repeats on Hotspot, whether hanging out with Years and Years on ‘Dreamland’, or on the more wistful ‘Hoping For A Miracle’ (think ‘Kings Cross’ and you’re kinda there). The title of ‘Will O-The-Wisp’ might evoke childhood memories of Mavis Cruet for those of us old enough to remember the 80s teatime cartoon (which probably has nothing to do with it, but thanks for the memory anyway), but also seems to contain momentary fragments reminiscent of ‘It’s A Sin’. It’s just in the opening few seconds (before it transforms into an absolute belter), but it’s surely deliberate, designed to remind you that, in the past, present and hopefully future, Tennant and Lowe remain genuine National Treasures. Simone Skilbeck
HAAi Systems Up, Windows Down EP MUTE 14th February
Australian-born, London-rooted producer, HAAi – real name Teneil Throssell – links with legendary imprint Mute for a new EP, and it refuses to disappoint. Six tracks of sweaty, cramped, digital hedonism, it matches her predilection for working the room with a penchant for sound design that pairs industrial tones with something rather more playful. Opening with ‘Don’t Flatter Yourself Love’ - its spacious arrangement akin to a soundsystem slowly leering into life – the EP moves through warped heads-down techno chuggers, Aphexleaning atmospherics, and the subtle dub-inflected sparsity of ‘6666’. Probing yet light-spirited, HAAi refuses to be hemmed in. Ending with that magnificent title track, she is truly laying down a marker, following those sought-after London residencies with a fine, nuanced, and endlessly exhilarating new EP. Robin Murray
Destroyer Have We Met Dead Oceans 31st January
Have We Met is a refinement of the shimmering indie-pop Dan Bejar’s Destroyer perfected on 2011’s Kaputt, and while there’s little to be found that will surprise anyone who’s followed his career trajectory over the past few decades, there is more than enough that will delight. Continuing the tradition of there really not being any bad Destroyer albums, Have We Met has a number of peaks that put it among Bejar’s best. The gorgeous ‘It Just Doesn’t Happen’ is one of his most rewarding compositions, and of course it’s peppered with the sort of turns of phrase that see him regarded as one of rock’s most skilled lyricists (“The television music supervisor says ‘I can’t believe what I’ve done’…” being a favourite). Thomas Hannan
Squirrel Flower I Was Born Swimming Full Time Hobby 31st January
What noises have you made when pleasantly overwhelmed by the power of new music – when you expected it to be good, but you didn’t expect it to be quite so good? Whatever quirky sound you made, be prepared to emote that way again when you blast (please, please play it loud) I Was Born Swimming by Squirrel Flower. Why turn the volume up on this album? Because it is so sensitively produced. You can hear hand movements along guitar frets, as on ‘Headlights’. Its moments of quiet have a profound atmospheric depth and a high emotional volume. ‘I-80’ and ‘Red Shoulders’ provide a breathtaking opening. Later, when she sings, “My body’s buzzing as I start to dance” on ‘Street Light Blues’, yours ought to follow suit. Jon Kean 37
Nicolas Godin Concrete And Glass
Poliça When We Stay Alive
Because Music 24th January
Memphis Industries January 31st
Godin’s follow-up to Contrepoint is less complex and classically minded than its Bachinspired predecessor, but is again motivated by a single theme, that of architecture – Godin is a graduate in the field and has composed a site-specific tribute to modernist structures. But shorn of its sense of place, does it work for a listener inhabiting, say, a Barratt semi? If they favour the sonorous ambience of Godin’s primary band, Air, then probably, though this album’s layered electro-pop is slighter.
Carrying on is hard to do. Physical and emotional trauma can leave us cynical and world-weary at best. The idea of totally shedding your skin and approaching life with unbridled optimism after the fact is a common lie passed about way too freely in pop culture. Which is why When We Stay Alive feels more truthful than that. At the heart of the album lies acceptance: examining the curious relationship of embracing pain over total resilience and sometimes surrendering the belief that you have control under the whims of natural chaos.
Guest vocalists include Alexis Taylor and, on the catchy ‘Back to Your Heart’, Kate NV, while Godin’s overuse of the vocoder taints ‘The Border’s ethereal drift like a garish paintjob on a minimalist façade. It’s the album’s instrumental infrastructure – its taut beats and warm synths – that give most pleasure: firm foundations, at least. Nick Mee
Moses Boyd Dark Matter Exodus Records 14th February
The contrasts between Channy Leaneagh’s ethereal hyper-pop vocals and sardonic lyrics steeped in cryptic metaphor are exquisite – an aural to-and-fro that seems to epitomise this whole process of realising one’s vulnerability. Definitely their finest, most fully realised album to date. Harriet Taylor
Jazz is alive and well in London. Want proof? Look no further than Catford drummer, Moses Boyd. Already a well-known name on the scene thanks to collaborations with tenor saxophonist, Binker Golding, his debut album represents a chance to test his own vision and chops. With previous sessions with Gary Crosby and Nubya Garcia under his belt, his jazz credentials are assured. Yet Moses can also claim mixes from Floating Points and Four Tet. Now, these 10 tunes offer a delicious fusion of his highly-syncopated drumming with some exquisitely lush grooves, topped off with an electronic flourish. Think Weather Report jamming with an African Highlife lounge band in Rye Lane and you’re getting close. Guest vocals from Poppy Ajudha, Obongjayar and Nonku Phiri add another, slicker dimension. Geoff Cowart
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Best Coast Always Tomorrow Concord / Virgin 21st February
Throughout their first release since 2015, not including their 2018 children’s record, Best Kids, Bethany Cosentino oscillates between self-assurance and the THC-tinged self-deprecation that Best Coast are known for. This record is not a move back to the poppy surf-rock that broke them into the mainstream in 2010. However the first single, ‘For the First Time’, again uses a laid-back, poprock foundation to examine the slacker’s paradox of whether actual change is happening in your life or if it’s just another song about trying to move on. ‘Everything Has Changed’, and Always Tomorrow in general, might be as heavy as surf-rock can sound and the best resolution you can get is that self-improvement and happiness are relative. Albert Testani
Beach Bunny Honeymoon Mom+Pop 14th February
Scattered with power-pop remnants of decades passed, Beach Bunny’s forthcoming debut marks a fresh and optimistic take on love. Aptly set for a Valentine’s Day release, Honeymoon branches away from predictable, woe-is-me songwriting, opting instead for a hopeful and unapologetic approach as vocalist Lili Trifilio embraces the positivity of love. While ‘Cuffing Season’ and ‘April’ deal with the process of recovering from a broken heart and learning to be alone, the latter half of the record turns towards excitement, heart-bursting crushes and opening ourselves up to new possibilities. From the hazy melodies of ‘Promises’ and ‘Ms. California’ to the stripped-back intimacy of ‘Rearview’, Honeymoon is empathic and confessional, presenting love and romance as a blissful awakening, without falling into the trap of lyrical cynicism. Ari Sawyer
ALLIE X CAPE GOD Twin Music Inc 14th February
‘Fresh Laundry’, the first track on Cape God, is also the earliest taste we had of new Allie X material. Confronted by unnerving versions of herself against a backdrop of moody electronic growls and the unshakeable hook of “I want to be near fresh laundry; it’s been too many years of not folding,” it’s visually astounding and sounds phenomenal. Consider it a tone-setter, because everything on Cape God resembles only the most infectious, sleekest cuts of pop. Highlights come thick and fast: ‘June Gloom’ is reminiscent of Prince at his funkiest; the Mitski-featuring ‘Susie Save Your Love’ is a shimmering ballad and the exhilarating ‘Life of The Party’ and ‘Super Duper Party People’ go for the throat. 2020 should be dominated by Allie X. Lee Wakefield 39
Events by Elliott Simpson
All Out / All Dayer: Queer Arts Festival 15th Feb. at Exchange There’s a heck of a lot to look forward to at this all-day – and most of the night – festival. Expect plenty of music from local talents, including angry and empowering anthems from the Menstrual Cramps and the electronica-tinged rock from Cosmic Ninja. Your ears will also be pleased to hear that there is a slew of DJs performing, ensuring the party runs well into the early hours of the morning. But the music is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this event, which also promises to feature cabaret, drag and an arts and crafts market filled with wondrous handmade goods. Is there any better way to spend your Valentine’s Day weekend? No, we don’t think so!
Annie Gillespie
Meet the Artist: Anna Gillespie 1st Feb. at RWA There are few sculptors out there whose work walks the line between beautiful and uncanny quite as well as Anna Gillespie’s. Over the past three decades, she’s put together an uncountable number of incredible exhibitions, often revolving around the theme of humans and their relationship with nature. Her talk at Royal West of England Academy will be the perfect opportunity to gain some insight into her processes, making it a must-attend event for all art lovers.
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Cider vs Cheese
Cider vs Cheese Feb. 13th at Tobacco Factory
The Menstrual Cramps (All Out)
Cider and cheese are two of the West Country’s great loves, and so it only makes sense to hold an event dedicated to both of them. This tasting evening is set to feature five of the most tantalising cheeses and ciders from the UK and beyond, paired especially to bring out each other’s flavours. Whether you’re a fanatic when it comes to either – or just the sort of person who enjoys a Thatcher’s or a bit of cheddar now and then – it’s the perfect opportunity to treat your taste buds.
Silencio: An Evening French Kiss of Ambient Music Presents: Saoirse 6th Feb. at Café Kino
7th Feb. at The Loco Klub
Whether you’re new to the world of ambient and drone music or a seasoned connoisseur, there’s plenty to love about Silencio. The line-up features a number of exciting names from the underground ambient music scene, including Silver Stairs of Ketchikan, Surgeons Girl and Finglebone, covering everything from drone to field recordings. We can’t think of a better way to spend your Thursday evening than letting yourself unravel to their soft sounds and dreamy visuals.
Saoirse has quickly proven herself to be one of the most exciting names in the current house and techno DJ scene, and it’s not hard to see why. Relying on obscure, oldschool records, she has a knack for digging out sounds that everyone else has forgotten about. If you’re looking to kick loose till the early hours of the morning, then be sure to pencil her show at the Loco Klub into your diary. Expect a night full of unadulterated electronic bliss. 41
Full Listings FREE FOR ALL FESTIVAL: TBA FREE / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN
NED'S ACOUSTIC DUSTBIN £15ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
JFS PRESENTS: BRISTOL HORNSTARS £3 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
SNAZZBACK PRESENTS ST BARBE TRIO FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
TWIN TEMPLE £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
ALL EARS AVOW + FLOORBOARDS £5ADV / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON
WEDNESDAY 29TH JANUARY
CURRENT SWELL £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
FREE FOR ALL FESTIVAL: DIE! CHIHUAHUA DIE! + ZINC BUKOWSKI FREE / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN
Full Live Listings:
HERONDRONE FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN THE SOUND CUPBOARD DONATIONS / 8.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
IVW: £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS UNCLE FRANK £12ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
WALDO'S GIFT: SYNESTHESIA FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
FRIDAY 31ST JANUARY
SWEET LIME £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
HANGOVER CLUB FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
FREE FOR ALL FESTIVAL: ONE LAST SCORE FREE / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN
FRANZ VON FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
FRUIT MACHINE - LIVE HIP HOP CYPHER FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS ASHANTI & GINUWINE £33ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY THY ART IS MURDER £17.50ADV / 6.00PM / SWX KOKOROKO £16ADV / 7.30PM / TRINITY CENTRE THURSDAY 30TH JANUARY OPEN STAGE FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE MARK J LEE FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN 42
LEECHED + TUSKAR + GEIST / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS BREAKDOWN £3ADV / 11.00PM / EXCHANGE KID KLUMSY £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA FREE FOR ALL FESTIVAL: BULLY BONES FREE / 7.00PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN IVW: JOE PROBERT £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS SAM FENDER £16ADV / 6.30PM / O2 ACADEMY LOWER DENS £13.75 / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings JAH WOBBLE & THE INVADERS OF THE HEART £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY HANGOVER CLUB FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE INSULTANES FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN M!R!M + FEVER 103O + PLASTIC ESTATE / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS DEPTT S: THE K’S + PARKA £3ADV / 7.00PM / THE LANES COUSIN KULA £6ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA IVW: HARDWICKE CIRCUS + BROKEN BONES MATILDA / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS THE KITCHEN SYNCOPATORS FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE KEVIN DEVINE CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF BROTHERS BLOOD / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
BLACK MARBLE + PANTHER MODERN / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS THE FELICE BROTHERS £16.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE SYDNEY SESSIONS + DJ ZAKAI FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION (FRANCE) + BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS + PUTREACTION OF ROTTING CORPSES (FRANCE) TBC / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON WIG IN A BOX & BLG: SUM TING WONG / 7.00PM / THE LANES THE LOCAL HONEYS £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA KANO £30ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY MONDAY 3RD FEBRUARY CANTEEN JAZZ SESSION FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN VICARAGE / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
JAM BAXTER £15ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
BEANS ON TOAST £15ADV / 7.00PM / TRINITY CENTRE
GIN JAM - OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY
TUESDAY 4TH FEBRUARY
LISA O'NEILL £13.08INC BF / 8.00PM / BRISTOL FOLK HOUSE
OPEN MIC FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
FREE LIVE MUSIC FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE THE SCHMOOZENBERGS FREE / 4.00PM / THE CANTEEN
NEVADA FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN WINDSHAKE + SUPPORT / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings DHARMA BLUES FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
3TEETH £14ADV / 6.30PM / THEKLA
YEP ROC SHOWCASE £14ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
THURSDAY 6TH FEBRUARY
KACY AND CLAYTON £12 / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN
OUR MAN IN THE FIELD FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
JAZZ FUNK SOUL SOCIETY FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
747 + LOCKER 88 + PRETTY CRIMINAL + IDLEGOD / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
THE INTERRUPTERS £20ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY TWEN & GUESTS £7 / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE IDER £10ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA WEDNESDAY 5TH FEBRUARY FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE ALL OF US FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN OLIVIA LANE / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS MAN & THE ECHO £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE JAMIE CRUICKSHANK £5ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE WALDO'S GIFT: OPEN COLLABORATION FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY MISS KILL £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA FRUIT MACHINE - LIVE HIP HOP CYPHER FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS STEEL PANTHER £32ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
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WHEEL £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE ART BATTLE BRISTOL £10ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE GLOBAL GROOVE EXPERIMENT FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY FOIL £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA SHUTTERDOG + SUPPORT / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS PKEW PKEW PKEW £10ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA ANNA MEREDITH £15ADV / 7.30PM / TRINITY CENTRE FRIDAY 7TH FEBRUARY LEE MCCRRORY FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE RSVP FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN SEAN MCCONNELL + KELSEY WALDON & GARRISON STARR / 8.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS ULTIMATE 40 (UB40 TRIBUTE) £13.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings WS & BLG: ETHERS + JAPANESE TELEVISION / 8.00PM / THE LANES OCTOBER DRIFT £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA THIS FEELING PRESETNS THE DEAD FREIGHTS, POMPADOUR + MORE £5 / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN STONE JETS + THE CAT MAGIC £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS DENNY ILLET ORGAN TRIO FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE THE MENZINGERS £18.50ADV / 6.30PM / SWX POLICA £18.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA SATURDAY 8TH FEBRUARY STEVE LEVER FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE THE MAY KINGS FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN CASWELL + SWALLOWFALL / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS JAYESH ALL-DAYER £10/13 / 2.00PM / EXCHANGE A BAND CALLED MALICE £12ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE IT: GO CACTUS FREE / 7.30PM / THE LANES NOVATINES £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA DUSK BROTHERS + JO CARLEY & THE OLD DRY SKULLS £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
LBJBS FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE SMOKE FAERIES £12 / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE SLUM VILLAGE X ABSTRACT ORCHESTRA £18.50ADV / 6.30PM / SWX SUNDAY 9TH FEBRUARY FLATS & SHARPS FREE / 4.00PM / THE CANTEEN JAKABOL + MALAIKA KEGODE: OUTLIER / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS THOSE DAMN CROWS £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE JULIAN COPE SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE SIMIAH (LIVE) DOUBLE DRUM SHOW FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY SHOPPING / 6.30PM / ROUGH TRADE THOSE DAMN CROWS LP OR CD SIGNING / 4:30PM / ROUGH TRADE MONDAY 10TH FEBRUARY DECYPHERS HIP HOP SESSION FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN KITE THIEF + THC DREAMS + WNTT + CALLING APOLLO £6ADV / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS KELE £16ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY ARIEL POSEN £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
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Full Listings GIN JAM - OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE £16ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
THE HU £19.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
WALDO'S GIFT: REWORKS: FLEETWOOD MAC FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
ANGEL OLSEN £18ADV / 6.00PM / SWX TUESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY OPEN MIC FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE LEO JAMES FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN POLYGAZE / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS QUINN OULTON FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY JOE GIDEON £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA JFS PRESENTS: COLLECTIVA £3 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS ASGEIR £16ADV / 7.00PM / SWX GILL LANDRY £13.08INC BF / 8.00PM / THE WARDROBE THEATRE WEDNESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE SOL FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN BLIND MAG: LYNKS AFRIKKA + SUPPORT / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS YACHT £15ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
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WAXSLAX: THE EARLY MORNINGS, RATBAGS, HAAL £3 / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN FRUIT MACHINE - LIVE HIP HOP CYPHER FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS STARSET £16ADV / 7.00PM / SWX THURSDAY 13TH FEBRUARY JINGU BANG FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN MXLX £6ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE SNAZZBACK: OPEN STAGE FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY TWO DAY COMA £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA OC PROMOTIONS: MEDWAY + WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, WE'RE SINKING £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS FRIDAY 14TH FEBRUARY IGUANAS FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN BRU-C £10ADV / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE THE BON JOVI EXPERIENCE £15ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE ALIEN STASH TIN + CONSPIRACY OF CHAPLINS + THE LIABILITIES OF AD TBC / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON
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Full Listings KING NUN £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
BLG & DSC: SEA URCHIN + SUPPORT / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
SKATA TONES + SUPPORT £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
HUNDREDTH £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE
MANGO FACTORY FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE
DUBIOZA KOLEKTIV £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
DAMO SUZUKI / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
SHAKU + SUPPORT FROM MILON FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
(SANDY) ALEX G SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / THEKLA
LAURAN HIBBERD £9ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
SATURDAY 15TH FEBRUARY
SNOGSMITH FREE / 8.00PM / MR WOLFS
THE BALKANOES FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
MONDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
SUPERLOVE + WINCHESTER + BEYOND BETA £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS THESE SMITHS £12ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
CANTEEN LATIN SESSION FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
WAXSLAX & BLG : PONYLAND / 7.00PM / THE LANES
GRAVY TRAIN & BLG: MOLLY + NOSSIENNES DONATIONS / 7.00PM / THE LANES
EMILY CAPELL £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
GIN JAM - OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
SOYBOMB + JASPER STOREY + JOSHUA ZERO £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
TWIN PEAKS £13ADV / 7.30PM / THEKLA
FIRST RAITT BAND FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE SUNDAY 16TH FEBRUARY CRINKUM-CRANKUM: ORBURY COMMON & JELLYSKIN £5ADV / 7.00PM / CAFÉ KINO TWO MAN TING FREE / 4.00PM / THE CANTEEN
TUESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY OPEN MIC FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE DAVID CELIA & MARLA FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN NANCY + DEEP TAN £7ADV / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS BLACK FUTURES £10ADV / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE
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Full Listings OTOBOKE BEAVER £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
WIZZARDING: MICHAEL + SUPPORT / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
SEEDLING SESSIONS: ZAHRA O’SHEA / SUPPORT BY JAKE MORGANE FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
AVTRIO FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
DADDY LONG LEGS £11.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
STAN ELLIOTT + AMBER DEE + SUSIE MILLS £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
JAZZ FUNK SOUL SOCIETY FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
DIIV £14ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
MUSH / 6.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
FRIDAY 21ST FEBRUARY
WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY
LIVE MUSIC WITH LEE FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
INDIRA ROMAN & AJI PA TI FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
PARUSKI FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
THE HIDEAWAYS + NANA WHITE PEPPER + RXC £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
WEIGHT EXPECTATIONS: ONE MAN'S RECOVERY FROM ANOREXIA £PWYW / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
HMLTD £11ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
GENGAHR £11ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
THE TINA TURNER EXPERIENCE £17.5ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
WALDO'S GIFT PRESENTS SWIMS FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
AS DECEMBER FALLS £9.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
GOAN DOGS £8.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
PUNCH THE SKY + THE KEY STONEZ £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
THE YOUNG HEARTS £6ADV / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN
PONCHARTRAIN FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE
FRUIT MACHINE - LIVE HIP HOP CYPHER FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
KING KRULE £15ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
THE MURDER CAPITAL £13.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
LAURENCE FOX £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
THURSDAY 20TH FEBRUARY
SATURDAY 22ND FEBRUARY
AMUN-RAMEN FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
JAMES ALEXENDER FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
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Full Listings RED ROCKET GO FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
WIG IN A BOX & BLG PRESENT: CHERYL HOLE / 7.00PM / THE LANES
THE CRAVATS + CULT FIGURES + ASBO DEREK / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
ZUZU £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
MCLUSKY* £SOLDOUT / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE
FUZE CHARITY EVENT / 7.00PM / MR WOLFS
ANTARCTIC MONKEYS £13.5ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
DAMIEN JURADO £20.80 INC. BF / 8.30PM / ST GEORGE'S BRISTOL
GRAVY TRAIN & BLG PRESENT: MILO'S PLANES / 7.00PM / THE LANES
CORY WONG £18.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
APRE £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
MONDAY 24TH FEBRUARY
RAUSCHENBERG AND TRAILER PARK. FREE / 7.30PM / THE MOTHERS RUIN
SLIM’S BLUES & ROOTS SESSION FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
RUE + SUPPORT £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
OH BROTHER / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
GLOBO COLLECTIVE FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE
RINGS OF SATURN £15ADV / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE
GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB £18.50ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
THE RIFLES UNPLUGGED TOUR £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
GRAVY TRAIN & BLG: MAGIC SHOPPE + RADIATORS FREE / 7.30PM / THE LANES
SUNDAY 23RD FEBRUARY BETH ROBERTS & ROWAN ELLIOT FREE / 4.00PM / THE CANTEEN
MIKAL CRONIN £11ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA GIN JAM - OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
BREAKFAST: VINEGAR + STEVE BUSCEMI’S DREAMY EYES + HAMBURGER £5ADV / 8.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
BEARTOOTH £22.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
MAX & HARVEY £19ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
OBONGJAYAR / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
THE POCKET SESSIONS HOSTED BY RUTH ROYALL FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
PALAYE ROYALE £16.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
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Full Listings TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
GT & BLG: THE WANTS £8ADV / 8.00PM / THE LANES
LIAM & SOPHIE DUO FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
DéJà VEGA £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
WILLIAM DOYLE / 7.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
FRUIT MACHINE - LIVE HIP HOP CYPHER FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
GIRL RAY £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
X AMBASSADORS £18ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
TAMASENE FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
THURSDAY 27TH FEBRUARY
DAMNATIO MEMORIAE & BLG: MOLCHAT DOMA £10ADV / 8.00PM / THE LANES SORCHA RICHARDSON £9ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA JFS PRESENTS: YAMAYA £3 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS PEGGY SUE ALBUM AND TICKET / 6:30PM / ROUGH TRADE BOY & BEAR £16.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA WEDNESDAY 26TH FEBRUARY GARY ALESBROOK TRIO FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN THE SOUND CUPBOARD DONATION / 8.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS NEW YEARS DAY £14ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE WALDO'S GIFT: SYNESTHESIA FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY RAZORRAPE (SWEDEN) + BRUTAL SPHINCTER (BELGIUM) TBC / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON
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OPEN STAGE FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE KEVIN FIGES QUARTET FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN BLG: HEATHER WOODS BRODERICK + EMILY ISHERWOOD + AIKO / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS VEX RED £15ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE THE BIG MOON £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE SNAZZBACK: 140BPM BEATTAPE FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY GOD DAMN £7.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA STONE COLD FICTION + SUPPORT £3 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS HOT 8 BRASS BAND £22.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY SAMANTHA LINDO / 7:30PM / ROUGH TRADE FRIDAY 28TH FEBRUARY LIVE MUSIC WITH LEE FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
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Full Listings THE SCRIBES FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
LASTELLE X DEFEATIST £6 / 7:30PM / ROUGH TRADE
MAI MAI MAI + KINLAW + FRANCO FRANCO / 8.00PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
DUB FX £15ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
CHARIVARI + BYKER GROVE FANCLUB £5ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
SUNDAY 1ST MARCH
DREADZONE £19.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
ERRATIC BATTING & BLG: JUNGLE BROWN + THE CARAVAN COLLECTIVE £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS
THE MYSTERINES £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA VOODOO BRASS BAND £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS THE JAMESTOWN BROTHERS FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE THE MAINE £19ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
SUNDAY 1ST MARCH SYDNEY SESSIONS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY ANDY CROFTS SOLO ACOUSTIC TOUR £9.00ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA MONDAY 2ND MARCH
MARCUS KING BAND £20ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
FRANC MOODY SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
SATURDAY 29TH FEBRUARY
OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
GNAWA BLUES ALL STARS FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN TEMPERS + JESSICA93 / 7.30PM / THE CROFTERS RIGHTS THE DOORS ALIVE + THE GIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE £13ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE DRY CLEANING £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA JIMI NEEDLES & THE COSMIC ORCHESTRA £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS BLUES MERCENARIES FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE GARAGE NATION £5ADV / 10.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
THE ORIELLES £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX WINSTON SURFSHIRT £11ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA TUESDAY 3RD MARCH DHARMA BLUES FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY TORRES £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA TESTAMENT £26.50ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ARLO PARKS / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
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Full Listings THE SHERLOCKS £16.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
J-FELIX £11ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
WEDNESDAY 4TH MARCH
OH WONDER £18.50ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
PHIL X AND THE DRILLS £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT £20ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
WALDO'S GIFT FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
SATURDAY 7TH MARCH
LOVE FAME TRAGEDY £14ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
DR MEAKER £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
THURSDAY 5TH MARCH
LOSTBOY £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
GRAND MAGUS £15.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
JAX JONES £18.50ADV / 6.00PM / SWX
SNAZZBACK FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
WIKI £11ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
BLANCK MASS £13.08INC BF / 8.00PM / LOCO KLUB
SAMANTHA FISH £20ADV / 7.00PM / TRINITY CENTRE
DECLAN J DONOVAN £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
SUNDAY 8TH MARCH
EXAMPLE £18.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY HOUSEWIVES £8 / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE ALFA MIST £14ADV / 7.00PM / SWX STRAY & THE GROUNDHOGS £17ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA FRIDAY 6TH MARCH CHLOE FOY £8.50ADV / 7.00PM / CAFÉ KINO ALCEST £16.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
52
KATHRYN ROBERTS + SEAN LAKEMAN £17.44 INC. BF / 8.00PM / BRISTOL FOLK HOUSE MOSA WILD £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA THE SISTERS OF MERCY £32.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY TUESDAY 10TH MARCH MONDO GENERATOR + ALUNAH + TREVOR'S HEAD £15ADV / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE BEN WATT £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE JADU HEART £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
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Full Listings WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH
TUNGZ / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
NIMMO £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
SEAFRET £14ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
GEORGIA £14.75ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
HANDS OFF GRETEL £8ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
THURSDAY 12TH MARCH
SUNDAY 15TH MARCH
STIFF LITTLE FINGERS £22.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
YORKSTON THORNE KHAN £17.44 INC. BF / 8.00PM / BRISTOL FOLK HOUSE
ANAMANAGUCHI £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA FRIDAY 13TH MARCH IT: DANNY STARR + JOE .T. JOHNSON + JASPER STOREY £5ADV / 7.30PM / CAFÉ KINO TRAGEDY £12ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
DELTA SLEEP £13ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE SLøTFACE £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA LOUISE REDKNAPP £22.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX LARKINS £12ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
THE RAMONAS £12.00 / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
MONDAY 16TH MARCH
NF £22ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
RISING MERCH FACES OF DEATH £20ADV / 6.00PM / THE FLEECE
WOLF PARADE £16ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
HIGHLY SUSPECT £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
SATURDAY 14TH MARCH
SHAWN JAMES £15ADV / 7.30PM / THEKLA
EAT UP! £5ADV / 7.00PM / EXCHANGE
TUESDAY 17TH MARCH
THE REGZ £12.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
JAY SOM £13ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
DEPT S & BLG: THE JACK FLETCHER BAND + SUPPORT FREE / 7.30PM / THE LANES
BAD//DREEMS £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
THE DUALERS £26.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY 53
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Full Listings WEDNESDAY 18TH MARCH
SATURDAY 21ST MARCH
ANVIL £18ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
ANDY SHAUF £17.44 INC. BF / 8.00PM / FIDDLERS
SNAKE OIL & HARMONY £18.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
THE CLONE ROSES £14.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
GABRIELLE APLIN £20ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
PRINCESS NOKIA + TKAY MAIDZA SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / THE MARBLE FACTORY
MR IRISH BASTARD £10ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
KVELERTAK £17.50ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
THURSDAY 19TH MARCH
SONS OF LIBERTY £10ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
THE LAST INTERNATIONALE £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
SUNDAY 22ND MARCH
SOUL STRIPPED SESSIONS, BRISTOL : VOL 2 £7.70ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
FLY PAN AM £13.63INC BF / 7.30PM / COLSTON HALL FOYER
LIGHTNING SEEDS £28.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
JEHST £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
DANCING ON TABLES £7.84 / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
MONDAY 23RD MARCH
DANKO JONES £16ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA
NORDIC GIANTS £13.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
FRIDAY 20TH MARCH
CIGARETTES AFTER SEX £25ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
DISCHARGE £14ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
TUESDAY 24TH MARCH
WOLFGANG FLÜR (EX KRAFTWERK) £20ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
BRASS AGAINST £20ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
TWINNIE £13.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
DAVID LIEBE HART + GFOTY £16.35INC BF / 8.00PM / THE JAM JAR
THE SUBWAYS £22ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
LITANY £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
ZIGGY ALBERT £18.50ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
ASH £22.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
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Full Listings GRACE CARTER £13ADV / 7.00PM / SWX WEDNESDAY 25TH MARCH BLG: BEACH RIOT FREE / 7.30PM / THE LANES CLOCK OPERA £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA BLACK JOSH / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE THURSDAY 26TH MARCH LEAF DOG £15ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA FRIDAY 27TH MARCH SIGNAL HILL X GWFAA X GRANDCHILD £6 / 7.00PM / CAFÉ KINO DOREEN DOREEN £15ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE PICTISH TRAIL £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA JAMES BOND IN CONCERT £22ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY RAT BOY £15ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA SATURDAY 28TH MARCH THOMAS STONE + SALTINGS + DAN BENNETT + PHIL SWAN £3.60ADV / 7.30PM / CAFÉ KINO
CROSSTOWN CONCERTS & 1%: RITUAL UNION £25ADV / 11.00AM / THE LANES STAY LUNAR £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA I PREVAIL £20ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY RITUAL UNION / 11.00AM / ROUGH TRADE THE ICICLE WORKS £21ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA SUNDAY 29TH MARCH JARED JAMES NICHOLLS £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE DARCY OAKE £20ADV / 6.00PM / THEKLA MONDAY 30TH MARCH AMY WADGE SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE TUESDAY 31ST MARCH HAYSEED DIXIE £18.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE MARTHAGUNN £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA LOW HOUSE £14ADV / 7.00PM / THEKLA WEDNESDAY 1ST APRIL
KATE BUSH-KA £13.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FLEECE
ROBERT VINCENT £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
NORTHERN TRENDKILL (PANTERA) + ELEVENTH HOUR (LAMB OF GOD) £13ADV / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON
PINEGROVE £17ADV / 7.00PM / SWX
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Live Reviews curated by Jon Kean, Live Editor
Lynks Afrikka January 11th at The Crofters Rights words: Tom Phelan photography: Lor Nov There wasn’t the slightest whiff of the ‘difficult second album’ for nascent promoters, The Bottle. Sweat and beer yes, but the sell-out sophomore event for them and hosts, The Milkshake Boys’ at The Crofters Rights yielded further converts to The Church of Lynks Afrikka. The sweat that clung in the air tasted ever more potent as Lynks’ disciples filled the room, the surrounding chat consisting of little more than “this next guy is fucking amazing” being said repeatedly. The absence of a backstage inspired some ingenuity, and so the arrival of Lynks Afrikka was announced by Lynks’ majestic upwards ascension (just ignore their prior lying flat on the floor). Gloriously rocking Rapunzel hair tassels out of a Mad Max helmet (Beyond Thunderdome, of course), knee-high socks and slippers, and a crop top stating ‘I was in The Guardian’, the drag-grenade had exploded to roaring applause. With the help of Lynks’ backing dancers, knowns as Lynks Shower Gel and Lynks Gift Set, the trio tore through a giddy set of performance art, warped electro that donked like a nightmarish Crash Bandicoot, comedy bits and joyously amateur choreography. Fun was firmly on the agenda, Lynks effortlessly working the crowd into a giddy euphoria with opening industrial banger, ‘Don’t Take It Personal’. The razor satire of ‘On Trend’ was 56
almost cathartic, turning our collective social anxiety surrounding global breakdown and our guilty complacency into a Hi-NRG banger, while signature track ‘Str8 Acting’ cemented Lynks Afrikka’s reputation of live sets being less of a gig and more of a party. Lynks’ whirlwind smash at Crofters Rights felt like some brilliant queer happening, an irreverent movement of hedonism and decadence that the no-fun police will seek to stamp out in the future fascist state, but too many will have been converted for them to succeed. All Hail Lynks Afrikka!
The Big Moon January 14th at Rough Trade words: Elliott Simpson photography: Craig Simmonds The Big Moon feel reborn at Rough Trade tonight. Promoting the release of their luminous new album, Walking Like We Do, with an in-store show, they seem to have an extra spring in their step. Moving past the grungy rock of their debut, the band have embraced a fresh, warmer sound. Coloured by bright keyboards and bold hooks, the new songs hit the audience tonight like a dazzling strobe light. Most of the songs see the band flexing their musical muscles in exciting new ways. ‘Take A Piece’ is built around a shimmering electronic hook, while ‘Don’t Think’ features peppy handclaps and vocal harmonies that wouldn’t feel out of place on a 90s girl group album. Many of the new songs just make you want to dance, and the band even take time during the show to compliment some of the hip-moving happening at the front of the audience.
“We’ve been playing stripped-back shows for the past few nights,” says lead vocalist, Juliette Jackson early on in the show. And then with a smile, “It feels good to be loud again.” Despite their overhauled sound, The Big Moon are still more than capable of shredding hard when necessary. The spaced-out ‘Why’ gives guitarist, Soph Nathan room to erupt into a heavy guitar solo in the song’s second half. Similarly, the band’s rendition of older cut ‘Sucker’, built around jagged guitar chords and Fern Ford’s pummelling drumming, shows the band haven’t lost touch with their harder side. Eventually things draw to a close with the glimmering ‘Your Light’ – a jewel-studded tune that might be the band’s finest one yet. “On days like this, I forget my darkness and remember your light,” goes the song’s chorus and it’s an apt descriptor for The Big Moon’s performance. There’s no doubt that everyone in the audience gave themselves over to the band’s light for a little bit tonight. Find full reviews and more at: bristolinstereo.com 57
Thoughts ... by Brian Mimpress AF Gang Administrator
The AF Gang One of the most incredible things to come out of Bristol in the last few decades is without a doubt IDLES. Love them or not, as a city you should feel very proud. Together with two fabulous albums and another on the way, TV appearances, live gigs and tours that have become unforgettable experiences, there’s a group of people, some have called it a movement, that have joined together under the collective banner of ‘All Is Love’ to follow them on their journey. The AF Gang, born back in June 2017, is a Facebook community of like-minded souls. Membership grows daily and, as I type, there are just a few short of 25k of us. The place started out as an IDLES ‘fan group’, where people could arrange meet-ups and share their stories – but what it has organically grown into is something much bigger than that. In these days of online ridicule, it’s hard to find somewhere to be yourself and talk about worries etc, without the fear of some online warrior pissing on your parade. Going into my fourth year following IDLES and, together with Boss and Mum, our fourth year of running the AFG, the single greatest thing to come out of it is the complete and overwhelming sense of community that the members have built. When we all feel daily that we might possibly live in a country and a world that just doesn’t give a shit about our fellow (wo)man, the AFG aim to be there for each other 24/7. Complete strangers beforehand, they now meet up (in some‑ 58
times great numbers) in various venues and bars worldwide. I say this happened organically because it did; we never thought about what the AFG would or could become. IDLES themselves, mainly frontman, Joe Talbot opened himself up to everyone from the off. Never a taboo subject, he talked to us about his struggles in life that have now been so well and so helpfully documented. People, we found, were desperate for the same: somewhere to open up and talk to people who, like them, were going through the motions of everyday life but struggling, too. Sometimes all you need to hear is ‘It’s ok. It’s ok not to feel ok today. We’ve got you.’ Sometimes that can be enough. We have no idea what the future of our little group will be or what it might possibly become, but if I can be brave enough to speak for 25k souls, I want to say that what it can give you daily, if you allow it to, can be a truly magical thing. A beautiful thing — it’s only rock and roll, but we like it. You can join The AF Gang on Facebook via ALL IS LOVE: AF GANG, follow them on Twitter (@AFGANGAF) and enjoy their all-new website at www.afgang.co.uk. You can also find members in the most curious and unexpected places as you go about your daily business in the actual world of three-dimensional people.
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The Gallimaufry
Waldo’s Gift
Out of this world musicianship combines Hip-hop, Math, Jazz, Groove & Electronica
5 Feb ~ Waldo’s Gift: Open Collaboration
The stage is open and a safe place for sharing and expression
12 Feb ~ Waldo’s Gift Reworks: Fleetwood Mac
Paying tribute to one of the world’s best selling pop rock bands.
19 Feb ~ Waldo’s Gift presents SWIMS
Solo project of Swiss drummer Arthur Hnatek (Tigran Hamasyan, Erik Truffaz). SWIMS is the exploration between acoustic improvisation and functional dance music.
26 Feb ~ Waldo’s Gift: Synesthesia
w/ Holysseus Fly painting sound to canvas
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thegallimaufry.co.uk
in Bristol with Elliot Ellison guitarist and vocalist of Cousin Kula
When did you move to Bristol? In 2011 to study illustration, very happily flying the nest from Brighton to the other creatively vibrant ‘B’ city in the south. Wow, almost ten years here - not bored yet though! Who is your top Bristol artist at the moment? Pocket Sun - the brainchild of Gina Marie Tratt. She had helped me animate some artwork a few years ago for Kula, then last year this project popped up out of nowhere. I had no idea! Love it. Tell us your go-to places to eat and drink. This is tricky as we’ve moved further out of town and I love to cook at home. However, I was a tapas chef for a while, and consequently really love tapas, my favourite spot being Bravas in Clifton. A comical but tasty beer I like is a Kwak at The Strawberry Thief. However, sobriety feels pretty nice right now after the festive season. My mum also loves to make a million snowballs (the drink) at Christmas. What’s the best way to spend one really good day here? Cycling out to Warleigh Weir or Freshford and swimming in the river along the way. Seeing a weird but great film at the Watershed. Going for a forest walk at Blaise Castle or Snuff Mills. Going rock climbing outdoors or in. And going to see some live music, of course. What’s your favourite thing about the city? Its closeness to the countryside. We’ve moved a little bit out of town and have a forest in our back garden and space to grow our own veg - its awesome. We spent many a summer night stargazing on our balcony the dream!
And your least favourite? Pollution - I cycle everywhere I go, as it’s the easiest way to get around Bristol. Breathing in the fumes of city gridlocked traffic at rush hour is grim. Any top venues? I have to hand it to The Gallimaufry; it’s an invaluable space for free expression and experimentation. Alternatively, for a very Bristol night out - The Plough in Easton is always very great. This needs no explanation. How did it feel to release your first vinyl, OODLES / STROODLES at the end of 2019? Crazy! Always dreamed of putting some music onto a physical record. It just feels so much more real. I’d also spent many hours working on all the individual artworks for each single too, which were included in an eightpage booklet, so the whole thing together just felt momentous. Cousin Kula play The Louisiana on 1st February. The double EP, OODLES / STROODLES is available via Chiverin Records. 61
Behind Every Musician
@WeAreTheMU
ert.indd 1
10/05/2
VOL. 3 The Free Bristol Label Compilation, curated by Bristol In Stereo. 25+ Artists / 15 Labels
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Download at: bristolinstereo.com/newschool
Your Music Career Starts Here Join the most exciting industry in the world bimm.ac.uk/bristol/open-days
bimm.ac.uk/bristol
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