Live. Music. Culture July 2019
â„– 90 // Free
IDER
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Mon 1st Jul
Fri 11th Oct • 6.30pm
Wed 13th Nov
Wed 3rd Jul
Mon 14th Oct
Sat 16th Nov • 10pm
Jacquees Nahko and Medicine for the People Wed 24th Jul
Puddle Of Mudd Sat 27th Jul
#DXP19 Drag Explosion
The Rasmus The Divine Comedy Thur 17th Oct • SOLD OUT
Slowthai
Fri 18th Oct • 6pm
Roachford Mon 21st Oct
Hot Chip
Sun 28th Jul
Tue 22nd Oct
Lucinda Williams
Gary Numan
Mon 19th Aug • SOLD OUT
Wed 23rd Oct
Skunk Anansie
Heels Of Hell
Fri 6th Sep • 6.30pm
Thur 24th Oct
Guns 2 Roses
The Selecter
Sun 8th Sep • 6pm
Fri 25th Oct • 6.30pm
Ezra Furman Festival Of The Dead Sun 17th Nov
The Amazons Tue 19th Nov
Yungblud Wed 20th Nov
The Steve Hillage Band Fri 22nd Nov • 6.30pm
The Macc Lads Sat 23rd Nov
Happy Mondays Tue 26th Nov • SOLD OUT
Lewis Capaldi
Jason & The Scorchers / Dan Baird & Homemade Sin / The Kentucky Headhunters
Charles Esten
Fri 13th Sep • 6.30pm
Fri 1st Nov • 6.30pm
Sat 14th Sep
Sun 3rd Nov
Opeth
Dan Reed Network / Gun / FM
Wed 25th Sep
Mon 4th Nov
Thur 12th Dec • 6pm
Sat 28th Sep • 5.30pm
Wed 6th Nov
Tue 1st Oct
Thur 7th Nov
Wed 2nd Oct
Fri 8th Nov
Sun 6th Oct
Sat 9th Nov
Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana
Alabama 3 ...A Celebration of Coldharbour Lane
Thur 10th Oct
Mon 11th Nov
Sat 14th Mar 2020
Pearl Jam UK Femi Kuti Fetty Wap Volbeat
New Hope Club Richard Hawley Hootie and The Blowfish Black Star Riders
Sun 27th Oct
MoStack Tue 29th Oct • 6.30pm
Refused + Thrice The Smyths
AURORA Kodaline Rival Sons Snarky Puppy
Periphery
Thur 28th Nov
Electric Six Wed 4th Dec
Sam Fender Sat 7th Dec
Aldous Harding Mon 9th Dec • 6pm
The Wonder Stuff Sat 14th Dec
Motionless in White Wed 18th Dec
Shed Seven Fri 20th Dec • 6.30pm
The Dualers
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
July • 2019
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0117 203 4040 colstonhall.org
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Colston Hall loudly and proudly presents great shows in venues across Bristol Tue 11 Jun – Sun 28 Jul
Wed 17 Jul
Mon 22 Jul
River Town
k.d lang
Various Venues
Bath Forum
Tim Eriksen + Mama’s Broke
Mon 1 Jul
Thu 18 Jul
Keb’ Mo’ + Martin Harley River Town
The Wardrobe Theatre
New Order
Thu 25 Jul
The Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
The Crofters Rights
Daddy Long Legs
Tue 9 Jul
Fri 19 Jul
Fri 26 Jul
The Shires
Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra
Robyn Hitchcock
St George’s Bristol Tue 9 Jul
Gwenifer Raymond
Bristol Folk House Fri 19 Jul
The Wardrobe Theatre
The Specials
Wed 10 Jul
The Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
Will Hoge The Crofters Rights Tue 16 Jul
The Hot Sardines St George’s Bristol Tue 16 Jul
An evening with Cowboy Junkies Trinity Centre Tue 16 Jul
Sat 20 Jul
Roosevelt Collier Bristol Folk House Sun 21 Jul
The Long Ryders Fiddlers Mon 22 Jul
Kiefer Sutherland SWX
Bristol Folk House Sun 28 Jul
Lucinda Williams O2 Academy Bristol Wed 14 Aug
Lee Fields and the Expressions Fiddlers Thu 29 Aug
Steve Gunn Exchange Fri 6 Sep
John Paul White Bristol Folk House Sat 28 Sep
JD McPherson
Murray A. Lightburn (of The Dears)
Fiddlers
Colston Hall Foyer
Dear reader, Editor-in-Chief / Sales Loki Lillistone loki@instereomag.com
July is here, bringing with it peak festival season. On our doorstep alone this month we have NASS, Pride, Barn on the Farm, Farmfest and Astral Festival. But did you know, there’s still a metric ton of great music coming out?
Deputy / Live Editor Jon Kean
Gracing our cover this month are a long-time personal fave of mine, IDER. These self-proclaimed sisters make eclectic, decidedly-British and just bloody excellent pop music. We hear all about it on the cusp of their debut album, Emotional Education.
New Music Editor Kezia Cochrane Online Editor Beth Sheldrick Local Release Editor Lor Nov Graphic Designer Larissa Matheus
Next up, we chat with Bristol’s own Emily Isherwood – previously of Nugget fame – whose rather vibe-y EP is out this month. It holds a brilliance that transcends the folk label and somehow makes you happy to be sad. Elsewhere, we welcome the vintage-tinged and painfully-cool Cuco, whose music is a chilled-out “soup” that bubbles up from a manic life. Finally, chats with the relentlessly-creative BABii show us it’s possible to marry the innocent with the sinister – if you have next-level production and songwriting skills such as hers. All this, plus listings for Bristol’s favourite venues, a full album round-up, events, guests and more!
Contributors: Hassan Anderson, Rhys Buchanan, Caitlin Clark, Geoff Cowart, Charlotte Krol, Amy Grace, Robin Murray, George O’Brien, Stephanie Phillips, Kelly Ronaldson, Simone Skilbeck, Harriet Taylor, Albert Testani, Lee Wakefield. Typeface by Lucas Le Bihan (Velvetyne) 4
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New Sounds
Emily Isherwood
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Events
BABii
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IDER
Cuco
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Releases
Full Listings
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58
Live
Thoughts
61 In Bristol
Loki: Margaret – Serce Baila
Staff on Repeat:
Jon: Kate Tempest – People’s Faces Kezia: BABii – PoiiSON Beth: Jay0117 – A Day in the Life Lor: METZ – Dry Up Larissa: Upsammy – A Walk In Twilight 5
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New Sounds by Kezia Cochrane
Vōx
Top Ten: New Sounds Girl Band – Shoulderblades Crack Cloud – The Next Fix Lynks Afrikka – Str8 Acting Vōx – I Am Not a God Organ Tapes – Condition Odete – First It Takes Your Words Slayyyter – Daddy AF Florist – Shadow Bloom 100 gecs – Money Machine Tei Shi – A Kiss Goodbye
Get more new music from kezia cochrane every monday at: bristolinstereo.com 8
Lynks Afrikka Proffering an intoxicating blend of pulsating club beats, vivacious, searing melodies and witty anecdotal lyricism, Lynks Afrikka is here to ensure you have a good time. An ever-evolving and extravagantly-masked entity, this project merges music, drag and performance art with a mischievous and salacious brilliance. The creative alias of Elliot Brett, Lynks Afrikka has been rapidly gathering quite the cult-following, which is pretty apt given that the latest evolution comes in the form of the omnipotent ‘Church of Lynks Afrikka’.
ABSRDST
If you’ve had the pleasure of witnessing them live, then you’ll be fully aware of the unadulterated, hedonistic, sweaty, joyous affair their shows are, as Lynks and their entourage hold a prowess for making even the most stubborn of audiences let loose. It’s a journey where a recipe for béchamel sauce blends with skittering rave beats and where Lynks’ distinctive, sultry, breathless vocals deliver their astute observations with sharp, sardonic wit. They’ve just released their frenetic second single, ‘Str8 Acting’, a queer anthem confronting the fetishisation of ‘straightness’ within queer communities. Lynks Afrikka is an eccentric, rare gift to humanity.
Chances are you may have heard ABSRDST’s work without realising. The Brooklyn-based producer is quite the prolific creative force, with his repertoire including creating ‘Flamboyant’ with Dorian Electra and a wealth of other collaborations with the likes of Briana Wolf, Dylan Brady, and “Instagram meme megastar @sonny5ideup”. And amid all this, ABSRDST (aka Jack Vanoudenaren) finds time to craft his own queer dance-pop anthems that abound in playful melodic decadence, sultry basslines and glistening, crystalline production. With a distinct aptitude for creating exuberant, emotive, and piquant sounds, ABSRDST is an undeniable pop genius and, with a new album out imminently, a name we’ll be hearing plenty more from.
Track: Str8 Acting @lynksafrikka @lynksafrikka
Track: Fruity Pablo @Absrdst @absrdst 9
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“It wouldn’t be interesting for me or the listener if I was very literal about life. I always like to create my own characters.”
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Emily Isherwood words: Rhys Buchanan photos: Daniel Broadley & Ania Shrimpton
It’s hard to believe that Distant Television Studios is the first proper release from Emily Isherwood under her own name. She’s been a formidable talent on the Bristol scene for a few years now, albeit under a few different guises. From the first listen of the EP, it becomes clear that she’s been in the game for a while. It’s beguiling, beautiful and packs a masterful command of lyricism and instrumentation. We meet in a small café on the harbour, on a rainy Bristol morning. Emily explains how the release didn’t come together overnight: “Although it’s been a long time in the works, it’s still a bit alien to be releasing under my own name. I started the recording in my living room with just an acoustic guitar and a mic, but it ended up turning into quite a lengthy process.” Once the song skeletons were in place, she set about finding some guests to bring them to life. “I basically posted a list of different musicians that I needed to fill the sound on Instagram. Quite a lot of people responded, so I staggered it and had people come in for two hours at a time and contribute. The guests hadn’t really heard the songs before so their contributions were quite natural. I didn’t want it to be perfect, I wanted them to bring their own sound and ideas.” Familiar names from the Bristol scene offered contributions, from the likes of Pet Shimmers, Cruelty and more. Emily continues: “Then
we took them to the studio in The Island and brought it all together. Out of the blue I got a message from Benji Compston of Jelly Boy and he mixed the EP over the course of a few months. I went to London a few times to visit his studio, which was really fun.” Although these external figures have been pivotal to the overall spirit of the release, the real vision stems from Emily’s vivid and surreal lyricism. She says, “Lyrically my songs are always semi-fictional, so I can feel strangely detached from them.” The process does stem from reality though: “Normally there will be an idea that’s based on reality for every song. It wouldn’t be interesting for me or the listener if I was very literal about life. I always like to create my own characters and use circumstances based on life.” Emily pauses for thought before continuing, “I think it allows me to explore different characters that I have within myself. It does definitely allow me to be more confident with expressing myself because I feel like you can listen to a track and it wouldn’t tell you anything about me.” With a launch show at The Louisiana on the horizon this month, Emily hopes the narrative of the EP will translate to the live space. “Much like the release itself, I want it to be a positive experience. I want it to feel like you’re walking into this world that I’ve created. If you’re in day-to-day life, you can create this fictional place that inspires people to be a lot more outrageous.” 13
“I’m so glad that nothing has come out until this point. It really feels like my idea of what I wanted to create has been realised.”
It’s also something of a thrill for Emily to be launching the release at the Bristol venue, “It is so rewarding and I’m so pleased to be doing it there because they’ve always supported my different bands. It’s the first time I’ve ever been able to create a show as well, so it will be really fun.”
this point. It really feels like my idea of what I wanted to create has been realised. I feel like it’s original and I’m proud to share it. This is a true representation of me and who I am.”
Mostly, Emily feels that this is the right time to be releasing: “There’ve been times in the past where I could have put something out, but I’m so glad that nothing has come out until
Live: The Louisiana, July 19th @emilyisherwood @emilysarahisherwood
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Distant Television Studios is out on vinyl via Breakfast Records on July 19th
Events Bristol Pride 10th Anniversary July 1-14th, Bristol // Pride Day 13th, The Downs Bristol Pride turning ten is a curious thing. On the one hand, it’s an amazing achievement; on the other, it’s mind-blowing that the current freedom and openness around LGBT+ issues is a relatively new thing. This year, we celebrate harder than ever and are reminded of the power that this and all Pride events hold. In addition to Pride Day (13th), the fortnight boasts parties, drag, comedy, circus, film screenings, workshops, choir, a theatre production on Oscar Wilde, Stonewall remembrance and more.
Astral Festival July 6th, Various Venues Back under a new moniker, Astral Festival – previously Bristol Psych Fest – plays out across SWX, The Lanes and Rough Trade Bristol this month. This instalment pushes the musical boundaries further with, of course, guitar-based heavyweights like Thurston Moore, Temples and Bo Ningen, but broader sounds further down the bill, all topped off by The Grey Area spinning their weird and wonderful global finds for your late-listening pleasure. Bristol’s The Naturals also make a rare appearance.
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Bristol Comedy Garden July 3rd-7th, Queen Square BCG returns to Queen Square this month, led by any self-respecting counter-cutureist’s favourite, Stewart Lee. Hilarious and thought-provoking in equal measure, his awkward truths are fearlessly and often heinously delivered. Conversely, the grinning Sean Lock – of 8 Out of 10 Cats fame – also headlines in the Big Top. The multi-award-winning Sarah Pascoe is another highlight, along with Nish Kumar, Rob Delaney and Aisling Bea. Now in its eighth year, expect laughs, street food, craft beers, cocktails and more.
Thorny Summer Party July 12th, Trinity Centre Founded in Bristol, Thorny have been curating queer-friendly music events since 2015. This month sees another of their infamous summer parties, with a genuinely killer line-up, headed up by Berlin-via-Sweden’s Tami T. She’s garnered heavy interest this year with her adept funnelling of queer love stories into glittering EDM-pop. Bristol’s own E B U also brings her avant-garde, yet comforting productions to the live stage, while our own Oh, The Guilt offer the kind of energy the only a post-punk three-piece can.
St Pauls Carnival July 6th, St Pauls and beyond A truly special date on Bristol’s calendar, St Pauls Carnival personifies the ever-present appreciation for our city’s Afro-Caribbean roots. As usual, information at the time of writing is limited, but expect the famous parade, street traders, live music and soundsystems. Partying flows far beyond the streets of St Pauls, however, with The Crofters Rights hosting a two-room night with Club Djembe and Drift Continental, while Trinity Centre throws a huge afterparty with Congo Natty, SpectraSoul and more.
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BaBii words: Kezia Cochrane
Setting foot in BABii’s sonic world feels at once like being in a shimmering dreamstate and an ominous, nightmarish realm. There’s a sweetness and serenity that’s intertwined with bristling, spectral entities that glide throughout her creations. “It’s because it’s just a representation of myself, I guess,” BABii – aka Daisy Warne – muses on the balance innate to her sound. “I’ve got quite a childlike voice and I still look like a baby and all these kinds of things,” she quips, “and I guess I’ve been through some stuff too, but it’s covered up by a façade of sweetness and cute childlikeness. That’s generally who I am, so that’s come out in the way I do things. I also quite like the juxtaposition. I couldn’t make just a dark song if I tried, it’s not me.” There’s a particular, transcendental physicality to the soundscapes Warne crafts, as if adventuring through a vibrant, fantastical flora that, across the tracks on HiiDE, oscillates between floating through moments of ethereal delicacy and wading through a certain saccharine, yet thorny, viscosity. “I’ve kind of always been drawn to otherworldly things,” Warne expresses, “I just set up fictional environments in my head to make things around. I did a remix recently where I decided I wanted it to sound like a sword fight in a pub,” she details gleefully. “I like trying to figure out situations that probably won’t happen in real life and using that as my point of reference for making something.” 18
Talking further about this vivid, textured quality to BABii’s compositions, Warne considers, “I guess it’s the thing of me using fictional environments in my head, but sometimes it can be quite abstract. It’s fun to play with sound design to make something feel physically easy or hard to get through, be really floaty or spiky. I think texture’s really important to me actually,” she affirms. “I do think about it a lot and when I listen to other people’s music, I think ‘ah this song’s quite round’, or ‘this song’s quite spiky’,” Warne adds laughingly. Given that Warne’s music contains such a kaleidoscopic, visual essence, it makes sense that film and TV inform her creations quite heavily; “I think, because I like stories rather than just sound, that maybe pours into my music a little bit and I feel like films are more of an influence on me than music,” she explains. And with a background in graphic design, and with her other creative projects, including making costumes for Iglooghost, it feels natural that BABii’s sound creates such an immensely tangible space for the listener to crawl into. “It’s a case of going into a flow-state, I guess, while I’m doing music,” Warne tells of the inherently-organic transcendentalism we hear. “It’s why I enjoy doing it so much; ‘cause it’s meditative. And anytime I’m making anything else it’s super conscious, whereas, with music, it just slips out of my brain. It’s so natural, it’s like a bodily thing that happens.”
“I’ve kind of always been drawn to otherworldly things…”
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“With music, it just slips out of my brain. It’s so natural, it’s like a bodily thing that happens.”
Having written the tracks on her debut album without “the intention, from the beginning, of it being a thing,” Warne expresses how exciting it feels to finally be getting HiiDE out into the world. Contemplating her relationship with the tracks on the album now, she says, “it was definitely cathartic when I made them. It’s all about stuff that happened a really long time ago. Sometimes I get little waves of how the song and the subject made me feel. It’s sort of like therapy, but also you repeat the story so many times that it becomes like a different thing, detached from your body. Like this old memory that hurt me and I’ve taken it out of my body and it’s flown away from me, but I 20
play it sometimes,” she details. “It’s kind of nice as well, because I was really sad when I made this album and was going through a lot of stuff, but I feel much happier now and it makes me feel good that I’ve come through the other side,” she concludes – with a disarming calmness and composure. BABii’s debut album, HiiDE, is out July 5th. @babii.mp3
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“Because we’re best mates... We’re kind of helping each other out through writing songs.” “One in four, one in four, we must be the saddest generation, is there any hope for us at all?” goes the chorus for IDER’s ‘Saddest Generation’. The track, taken from the London duo’s debut album this month, references the WHO statistic that one in four of us will experience adverse mental health in our lifetime. ‘Saddest Generation’ is the apex of Emotional Education, a record of pointed rhetoric on identity, millennial angst and mental wellbeing. In it, best friends Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville pose questions about mid-late twenties experiences across what they call a “genreless” collection of songs that retain their sublime, interactive harmonies. But Emotional Education’s power lies less in operating as a handbook, with all of life’s answers inside it, than an open musing on its complexities. “There’s, like, a healing that comes from music and for us there’s a therapy there,” Markwick says inside a North London café on a drizzly May morning. Somerville agrees, adding: “Because we’re best mates, what we do is talk about stuff and figure things out together. Everything is a process and we’re kind of helping each other out through writing songs.” 22
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The self-professed “sisters”, who met while studying Popular Music at Falmouth University in 2012, have long reckoned with the idea that songwriting is about more than just making music. The themes explored in Emotional Education have been natural reactions to, or the retellings of, their own life stories. “There was never any set intention of what the album would be about,” Somerville continues. “I think, in the sense that the music that we write is based so much on our friendship – and how we are able to be so honest with each other – this is how we’re also able to be so honest in our music. That’s essential. So [the album] was always going to be real and honest and raw. We really pushed for that.” If Somerville and Markwick’s songs on Emotional Education don’t provide solutions to life’s upheavals, such as the repercussions of having an absent father on ‘Busy Being a Rockstar’ or helping a friend who’s struggling with their mental health on ‘Clinging to the Weekend’ – not that it’s incumbent on them to do so anyway – then it’s at least a companion for turbulent times. It’s especially so in the context of young adulthood. Are the anxieties of the so-called ‘quarter-life crisis’, something they’ve discussed much among themselves and their friends? “Yes, and the question I often ask is: is [this anxiety] particular to our generation?” Somerville says. “Or does it just appear to be because it seems like the last generation have all got it sorted? I don’t know. But I do think that we’re at a point now in Western culture where we just have so much choice and so much opportunity and it’s crippling. Particularly with social media. There are so many options, there’s so much freedom, but also so much pressure to be something and achieve something and be a certain way,” she says. “I do think it’s like quite a difficult time to be young and figure out who you are in that kind of setting. It’s not just about survival anymore. It’s about, like, ‘who are you?’ and ‘what are you going to do for the world?’” 24
Much of this examination of identity rears its head in IDER’s single, ‘Mirror’, which was released last October and features on the album. Born of a relationship breakdown, the chorus lyrics read: “I keep looking in the mirror, ‘til I see myself, I see myself [...] I wake up in the middle of the night, I don’t like the stranger in the bathroom light.” “That song came from a breakup and the feeling of not really knowing who you are now that you’re not with that person,” Markwick explains. “They’ve been such a big part of your life and your identity, it’s kind of untangling yourself from them and rediscovering who you are again. And that’s where it started. But, for both of us, we’d both been through breakups around a similar time that were quite formative.”
“We’re at a point now in Western culture where we just have so much choice and so much opportunity and it’s crippling.” ‘You’ve Got Your Whole Life Ahead of You Baby’, another track from the album about youthful malaise that the pair initially dropped as a single in 2018, has resonated strongly with listeners. Many fans have sent the pair messages to say just how much they relate to the lyrics about feeling lost in your twenties. “It feels amazing to have that response. It’s really, really special,” says Markwick. “It’s so important to connect with people. We’ve had people come up to us after shows and say that our music has got them back to work. It really does make you feel like there’s a responsibility doesn’t it?” She looks to Somerville across the table. “But not in a bad way, in a good way. It’s all positive.”
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Despite releasing their debut EP, Gut Me Like An Animal, in 2017 as well as a string of singles between 2016 and now, the 27-year-olds regard Emotional Education as their “first big body of work” – the culmination of years spent writing songs together in their North London bedrooms. Although they still write all of their songs, Markwick and Somerville enlisted MyRiot and Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, Sampha) to help produce Emotional Education. It’s a bold, idiosyncratic record – “the IDER genre,” Markwick says – with her emphasising that their folk-indebted harmonies are still the lifeblood of their creations, but that there’s no single genre they stick to. “This album is a blend of genres and it really does feel like that,” says Markwick. There’s fleshly piano-pop / R&B on ‘Brown Sugar’, dubby climes on ‘Busy Being a Rockstar’, euphoric synth-pop on ‘Wu Baby’. There’s even what the girls call their “EDM country song”, ‘SWIM’. “We listen to a lot of music and we take inspiration from all sorts of artists. And it’s kind of a combination of all of that. It’s a new sound,” Markwick says. 26
Looking ahead, the pair are “really, really excited” to get the album out and tour with a new live drummer in tow. “The shows are just going to be bigger and better than ever,” Somerville says. “They’re a real opportunity to just have a fucking good time and empower people. They also give people a bit of an insight into who we are and our friendship together. We don’t really take ourselves that seriously even though some of our music maybe is a bit more serious. So it’s an opportunity for people to understand there’s a bigger picture.” “And that we are playful,” Markwick adds. With an arresting debut album that expertly holds a mirror up to 21st Century anxieties, IDER’s own emotional education is paying dividends. Emotional Education is out July 19th via Glassnote. Live: Rough Trade Bristol, July 22nd @weareider @we.are.ider
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Cuco words: Hassan Anderson
For someone with one of the most relaxed personas you will ever encounter, 21-year-old Cuco, aka Omar Banos, leads an extremely hectic schedule. After several attempts to meet or chat over the phone while he’s playing shows in UK then Europe, we eventually manage to FaceTime him during a rare pitstop at his home in LA. “It can be exhausting, yeah, but I am still loving touring,” he explains. “The shows can get really crazy with fans but I really enjoy seeing people who know my music… It’s also nice to come back to my bedroom though, because I can actually do some writing. I find it really hard to do anything on the road because there’s just no time.” Despite the fact that his schedule has been fairly constant since being discovered in 2017, Cuco has still found time to complete his debut album, Para Mi, which he is now on the cusp of releasing. It’s a fact that he himself is even surprised about: “I’m just really proud that I actually finished my first album and I hope people will like it… I kinda suck at writing, I prefer just making music for other people.” This type of reply is typical of Cuco, I slowly start to gather. Though he’s found a big audience quickly via his hazy love songs (see latest single, ‘Bosa No Se’ or the casuallycatchy ‘Summer Time’), he is surprisingly 28
humble when it comes to talking about his abilities or success: “To be honest, I find it hard to talk about my music. When people ask me how I’d describe it I just wanna say, ‘it’s a soup’.” Cuco’s soup has a uniqueness to it that stems from his background as a Mexican-American, something that Cuco is proud of and keen to represent: “It’s definitely important to me. The fact that I’m from a minority background and that I am Mexican, especially today… It influences my music and I wanna be someone who represents that culture for sure. At the same time, of course, I’m just doing me and I’m going to represent myself too.” Cuco’s moniker is a name given to him by his mum when he was a kid, it means ‘crazy’ in Spanish (English equivalent: cuckoo). As a kid growing up, he was an only child who quickly took to music and, despite keeping to himself, would always be ready to burst into performance, having a natural flair for entertaining others. “It honestly just comes out, I don’t even really think about it,” Cuco explains in his typically-understated way. Anyone who follows Cuco’s Twitter will see that it’s much like his music: humble, honest and often funny. Sometimes it seems he is living the life of his dreams and other times his tweets read like the philosophical outpourings of a modern day Young Werther: “I do have
“I do have to step away from music every now and then, because it can get a bit overwhelming.�
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“I find it hard to talk about my music. When people ask... I just wanna say: ‘it’s a soup’.”
to step away from music every now and then, because it can get a bit overwhelming,” he explains. This stepping away, Cuco tells me, can take the form of sightseeing while on tour (favourite sight in London? “Nandos”) working on his own fashion line (Fantasy Easy Living) or “just kicking it with friends and watching car videos”. Car videos? “Yeah, like rare Japanese imports. I actually own an ’89 Toyota Supra. I get really into learning about the mechanics of them and the different parts that you customise on cars,” he elaborates. 30
This obsessiveness for even his pastimes is perhaps key to Cuco’s casually-hectic life; he falls in love with something, then makes it his goal to become master of every detail of it. So far, this trait has taken him around the world and back and, luckily for his fans, has allowed him to produce a wonderful debut album. Cuco’s debut album, Para Mi, is out July 26th via Columbia. @thefineforest
@cucopuffs
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Record of the Month:
The Flaming Lips King’s Mouth - Record Label -
Bella Union, July 19th
Danny Wright gathered Caitlin Clark and Simone Skilbeck to discuss whether The Flaming Lips’ fifteenth studio effort sees a return to form for the band, outside of their transcendent live shows. Does a new Flaming Lips album still fill you with excitement? Simone: I love the Flips live. I love looking around and seeing the faces of people thinking that they’re at the best kids party they’ve ever been at. But they’ve been a bit poor for a while on record, if we’re honest. Caitlin: Honestly, no. The thought of it kinda filled me with dread a little. Is that bad? I mean, this is the fifteenth album, it could have gone either way. And yes, on record, they’ve been… mediocre. Simone: You could argue that this is Flips by numbers - with the whole kids’ fairytale thing. But it’s also the best thing they’ve done in ages. We could probably say it’s a ‘return to form’? So what has made the last few albums mediocre, do you think? And what’s different about this? Simone: There’s just a level of batshit crazy that you can take before you’re a bit like, 34
‘Okay, I get it Wayne, you’re kooky.’ Also, and let’s be brutally honest, he can’t really sing and knowing where that works or not hasn’t really been their forte. It works here because the slightly off-key crooning is when his vocals sound good. Caitlin: Flips have always been on the right side of wavey surfer rock to me. But the last few albums felt too forced, like they were trying to push all the boundaries at once instead of just… making something. This feels like the right side of psychedelia. Simone: It’s basically pop with a psych twist. And it’s helped by Mick Jones’ narration. It’s so droll, it makes Coyne sound just the right side of fairytale. I was going to ask about Mick Jones. Does the narration add something? Simone: Without the narration, this wouldn’t work. Caitlin: I love it, it really adds to the ridiculous kids’ story narrative. Instead of it just being this hunk of warbly psych-pop, the narration gives it a backbone. And was Jones the perfect choice? Simone: It’s either him or Phil Daniels, isn’t it? I’d like to hear Kylie do it though.
Caitlin: Or Stephen Fry Simone: They should get loads of different versions with different narrators. But Mick Jones did a great job. Isn’t it weird though that you don’t question that they got a member of the Clash to narrate a kids story on their record? Caitlin: He sounds like the baddie in an animated kids’ film. I feel like only Flaming Lips could have made this album. It’s unlike anything we’ll ever hear again, from any other artist out there. Which songs stand out? Caitlin: ‘Electric Fire’ got me all kinds of excited. It’s like falling into a real bad trip and finally emerging out the other side and realising you cooked yourself a pizza. I enjoyed it. Simone: ‘How Many Times’ is pretty glorious, right? And then the orchestra on ‘Funeral Parade’ - there’s something pure Disney going on there. But if Disney had been done by Tim Burton. The album’s part of a wider project which is very Flaming Lips. Would you read the book now? Visit the installation? Simone: I was actually really sad that I’d not seen the art installation. Caitlin: Honestly all I want to do is take a chonging great pill and fall headfirst into it. Simone: I wonder if it’d have made the record evoke something else? Because when I’m listening to ‘How Can A Head’ - and okay, it’s no ‘Do You Realize??’ - but it’s in that same vein. It sounds so, so joyful. What if the artwork for it is as dark as dark can be? Like when you see a film and it’s not as you saw it when you read it… but with a record. Caitlin: I also sort of wonder though, why does it come as part of this package? Did it not do enough on its own to stand by itself? Or is it trying to represent different facets of this King’s Mouth? Finally, what did you learn from this album? Simone: That I really want someone to throw glitter over me whilst riding a unicorn again. That’s the thing, I actually want to see this live.
Caitlin: There really aren’t any limits to the expanse of drug-fuelled space that is Wayne’s brain. I would definitely love to see this on a festival stage. It would be so immense on a good sound system, in the right environment. Simone: Flaming Lips live shows are great big children’s parties. Makes sense to create a record that is posing as a kids’ story. Caitlin: It’s not really one to digest every bit of, rather just enjoy it as a whole while being covered in pizza, acid and glitter. Riding a unicorn. @flaminglips
@theflaminglips 35
Album Reviews Africa Express EGOLI
Africa Express Records July 12th With such a vast collective of artists in just 18 tracks, you’d be forgiven for wondering if this was ‘too many cooks’. Thankfully, EGOLI sidesteps the stereotype; it’s fizzing over with the electricity of South Africa in ‘City in Lights’, languishing in the sunshine of ‘Where Will This Lead Us To?’ and fighting revolutions in ‘Africa To The World’. The pre-released single, ‘Johannesburg’, featuring Gruff Rhys unearths novels of African history in its lyricism, while simultaneously feeling light and effortless in its contemporary percussion and rhythms. It’s a great choice for a lead album single; one that balances the customary with the current. EGOLI as a whole tells a coming-of-age story of the continent. Up-and-coming Afrobeat artist, Muzi, contrasts the yodels of Zola 7 and Mahotella Queens on ‘The River’ that carry the heartbeat of community-driven music in Africa. He joins Ghetts for ‘No Games’, which features a hook that definitely fits the aesthetic of a Friday night set in Dalston Superstore. Together, the mesh of contributions makes for an engaging listen from start to finish. Damon Albarn – of Blur and Gorillaz fame – and leader of the collective’s efforts, has allowed each track its own sense of ambiguity, meaning you’d do more harm than good in not listening to all 18 tracks in one sitting. Indulge yourself the time to pull at each thread of this tightly-woven tale of African heritage. Caitlin Clark 36
Penelope Isles Until the Tide Creeps In Bella Union July 12th You can choose your bandmates. You can’t choose your siblings. It’s good fortune, therefore, that Jack and Lily Wolter, half of Penelope Isles, not only tolerate each other, but also collaborate beautifully. Listening to this idyllic, harmonious collection of songs, you’d be hard-pressed to imagine Lily insulting Jack as ‘a man holding a fork in a world of soup’, as Noel Gallagher said about his brother. Until The Tide is a generous, lively dream-pop offering. Seven of the ten tracks exceed four minutes. ‘Leipzig’, at two-and-a-half minutes, feels substantial (Saxony Tourist Board – take note). They soar like Spiritualized; they simmer and shimmer like Mazzy Starr. On seven-minute epic, ‘Gnarbone’ they go motorik, using found sound like PSB. I’m defo going to the Penelope Isles for my summer holidays. Jon Kean
Khruangbin Hasta El Cielo Night Time Stories July 12th
Texan trio Khruangbin - Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar and Donald ‘DJ’ Johnson on drums - are responsible for helping psychedelia somewhat out of the underground and on to daytime airwaves, thanks to their cooler-than-cool yet accessible brand of exotic funk. Inspired by ’60s and ’70s undiscovered soul from Thailand, the Mediterranean and Middle East, you’d be forgiven for thinking Khruangbin’s music is reserved solely for crate-diggers, revelling in the obscure. But moments into Hasta El Cielo - a dub version of 2018’s much-loved Con Todo El Mundo - you’d be hard-pushed to find someone who doesn’t fall for the beautifully-transportative, wavy dub sounds of bumbling bass, gently crunching guitar and tidy drums. Take a moment away from the frantic world we live in to relish the blissful sounds of Khruangbin. George O’Brien
Carmen Villain Both Lines Will Be Blue Smalltown Supersound July 12th
It’s a brave move for an artist to sidestep their usual set up and craft an album made up entirely of instrumentals, but Carmen Villain has good reason on Both Lines Will Be Blue: “Leaving out my voice and lyrics got me out of my own head a bit, which I needed,” she explains on the subject. “Working with sound is to me the ultimate meditation and is a more unconscious way of expressing whatever is going on inside.” The way she conveys her depth of feeling through soothing tracks such as ‘Are You For Real’ and ‘Sometimes I Love You Forever’ is breath-taking, with much of the journey backed by flute-based melodies and unhinged improv. Perhaps a combination you didn’t know you needed. Lee Wakefield
Bleached Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough Dead Oceans July 12th
The Clavin sisters are back with their sea-soaked, West Coast garage punk and a new sense of perspective following their newfound sobriety. As a result, the album is awash with survivor anthems and reflections on their past lives. Lead single ‘Hard To Kill’ is an indie disco bop reminiscent of The Gossip circa 2009, while ‘Heartbeat Away’ possesses the power chord-heavy pop-punk of Charly Bliss and the catchy love-struck joy of Carly Rae Jepsen. The band cast a wide musical net, incorporating post punk on ‘Get What I Need’ and a dreamy girl group sound on ‘Somebody Dial 911’. Despite the dark times that influenced it, the record leaves one buoyant: a reminder that daybreak is always on the horizon. Stephanie Phillips 37
Tycho Weather
Emily Isherwood Distant Television Studios
Ninja Tune July 19th
Breakfast Records July 19th
Heading into Weather, opening track ‘Easy’ does very little to win over Tycho’s detractors. Whilst the band’s music swells with a certain cinematic grandeur, it often feels unsurprising – for instance, where one could picture bursting through a layer of cloud cover as the sun births the plane in a fresh light, another sees economy class air travel. Sometimes the destination simply isn’t enough when the journey lacks excitement. Though this is apparently a false start. When Saint Sinner – aka Hannah Cottrell – crops up, things start to get interesting. Her delicate, drifting vocals aren’t an overbearing presence amidst the heady swirls of Tycho’s instrumentals; in fact, they are the perfect accompaniment, slick and subtle, the missing ingredient that adds some depth and flavour to a somewhat otherwise watery soup. Harriet Taylor
Brian Eno Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks UMC July 19th
Hailing from the Breakfast Records corner of the ring, Emily Isherwood has genuinely suckerpunched me in the gut with her debut EP, Distant Television Studios. Embroidering sublime imagery on a bed of silky-smooth guitar playing and tender vocals, it’s a six-track folk / dream-pop fantasy which cements her as one of the city’s finest songwriters. Her ability to conjure up stunning scenes through her lyrics is truly a gift, setting her work apart from her contemporaries (see: ‘Tiger’s Coat On A Poacher’s Floor’). However the debut is also expertly arranged, laden with celestial vocal runs, grand, echo-y spaces and a sprinkling of bright guitarwork. I’m also ecstatic that old Nugget-era number, ‘Dormant’, has made the cut and is back bolder than ever. Amy Grace
Fifty years ago, the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon. This seismic anniversary prompted veteran music-maker Brian Eno to revisit his flawless Apollo soundtrack and create an album’s worth of new material. He needn’t have bothered – Apollo was already regarded as an ambient masterpiece. Recorded by Eno, his brother Roger and Daniel Lanois in 1983, it was commissioned as the soundtrack for Al Reinert’s documentary, For All Mankind. Sure, it’s been nicely remastered (again) but this hardly qualifies it as essential. Meanwhile, the new Apollo songs return Eno to Earth with a bump. Their brittle and oddly poppy approach lack any of the brooding weightlessness of the originals. Sadly, this anniversary gimmick mission should have been aborted. Geoff Cowart
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Harry Strange Crying At The Party Self-release July 12th
The aptly-named EP from Bristol’s own Harry Strange, Crying At The Party fuses emotive lyrical concepts with intimate electronic beats, in a unique, pop-heavy style that rivals Billy Lockett and The 1975. He’s never been one to refrain from addressing the struggles of heart-break, and the singer-songwriter’s latest record showcases that perfectly. Opening track, ‘Sober’, embodies the blurred sensation of intoxication and a distant echo of loneliness, while recent single, ‘Six Feet Under’, deals with the concepts of regret and letting go of past relationships. ‘Steady Unstable’ strips back the musical elements to a delicate synth and piano blend, until the latter half incorporates an impressive fusion of dance-inspired beats and electric guitars. A polished effort from a Bristol artist well worth your time. Kelly Ronaldson
Dude York Falling Hardly Art July 26th
Sarathy Korwar More Arriving The Leaf Label July 26th
On their fourth full-length album, the Seattle-based indie-rock/garage-pop trio have produced an excellent record that demonstrates range without sacrificing cohesion or quality. The fuzz-laden guitars and vocal harmonies of ‘Only Wish’ have a stuck-to-the-bottom-of your-shoe catchiness similar to early records by Yuck, while the upbeat tempo of the title track wouldn’t be lost on a pop-punk record. Dude York’s latest shares the energy (and lyrical nods) of influences like The Ramones, but can deftly transition to acoustic introspection, shoegaze and back. Range aside, this pop-at-heart record – see ‘I’m the 1 4 U’ – is a refreshing all-round album that utilises the infinite fracturing of genre. Albert Testani
Sarathy Korwar’s extraordinary More Arriving is both thrillingly modern and wonderfully traditional, as though knowing the rules is just as important as breaking them. Opener ‘Mumbay’ finds Korwar’s dense, bracing sonics used as a foundation for MC Mawali’s lyricism, while bulging brass and corrosive electronics unite against Prabh Deep and Delhi Sultanate on the thrilling ‘Coolie’. Spoken word artist Zia Ahmed dominates the sparse, percussion-led ‘Mango’, a daring collaboration that recalls the seismic work of The Last Poets while delving into the experiences of the South Asian diaspora. Pitting a composer steeped in Indian classical music and spiritual jazz against a crack team of Indian MCs, More Arriving is an extraordinary, exuberant exposition of new ideas that deal with the sub-continent’s past, present, and future. Robin Murray 39
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FRUIT MACHINE CYPHER £2 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
AFTERNOON JAZZ AND HIPHOP EVENING FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
THE HOT SARDINES £22.89-£45.78 INC BF / 8.00PM / ST GEORGE'S BRISTOL
ELVIS MCGONAGALL AND HIS RESURRECTORS FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
AN EVENING WITH COWBOY JUNKIES £25ADV / 7.30PM / TRINITY CENTRE WEDNESDAY 17TH JULY K.D LANG £27.80-£47.41 INC BF / 7.30PM / BATH FORUM FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE ORPHIC FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN EMRYS THE BRAVE / 7.00PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS SALMONELLA DUB SOUNDSYSTEM £20ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE WALDO’S GIFT REWORKS: BJORK FT BETHANY STENNING FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY OPEN MIC FREE / 8.00PM / GRAIN BARGE GIN JAM: OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
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COLOUR BLIND PRESENTS: MR TRAUMATIK £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE BEATTAPE - WITH SPECIAL GUEST FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY BLOODSHOT DAWN + DAMIM + DIES HOLOCAUSTUM £8ADV / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON ARTS2LIFE FREE / 7.30PM / HY BRASIL MARTYRIALS £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA TWIN ARROW / / THE MOTHERS RUIN GULLY + SUPPORT £3 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS HOLOCIDE-LYKOS-BACKWATERS-BROTHER RIOT £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT FRIDAY 19TH JULY THE SPECIALS £46.50 INC BF / 7.30PM / THE AMPHITHEATRE ROB HERON & THE TEA PAD ORCHESTRA £13.08 INC BF / 8.00PM / BRISTOL FOLK HOUSE
see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings TRIP FOR BISCUITS FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
LIVE MUSIC WITH LEE + GUESTS FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
SAOCO COLLECTIVE FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
DATURA ROOTS COLLECTIVE FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
SCD & THC DREAMS: SPORTS DAY £5ADV / 7.00PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS
WOT GORILLA? + MODERN RITUALS + HYPOPHORA + LAST HYENA £6ADV / 7.00PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS
CRYWANK + THE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS + LIVE, DO NOTHING £6ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE GREEN HAZE £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE WOLFBASTARD £5 / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON BIMM X TAP THE FEEDS HARBOUR FESTIVAL TAKEOVER FREE / 7.00PM / HY BRASIL BOOGARINS £6ADV / 7.00PM / THE LANES STONE JETS + SUPPORT £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS CARNAVAL TRANSATLÂNTICO FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE CARNIVAL COLLECTIVE £8ADV / 10.00PM / OLD MARKET ASSEMBLY FRANKLIN MINT £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT THE BUG + MOOR MOT5HER £12.50 / £15 ADV / 10.00PM / TRINITY CENTRE SATURDAY 20TH JULY ROOSEVELT COLLIER £16.35 INC BF / 8.00PM / BRISTOL FOLK HOUSE
THE OBSESSED + GONGA + ALUNAH + TORPOR + SÅ«RYA + THE ROAD £16ADV / 4.30PM / EXCHANGE MANOEUVRES (OMD TRIBUTE) + GARY NUMAN TRIBUTE £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE SOMA SOMA + GOODRICH + STANLAEY + EYEBROW + ANDI SKELLAM FREE / 8.00PM / GRAIN BARGE JOHN E VISTIC + COUSIN KULA + MUSTARD ALLEGRO + MONO DOTS + GIN BIRKINS + ANT NOEL & THE PEABODY DRAKES FREE / 8.00PM / GRAIN BARGE AUDIOPHILES HARBOUR FESTIVAL TAKEOVER FREE / 2.00PM / HY BRASIL DEPT S: THE MALARKEY + BELISHAS £3ADV / 9.00PM / THE LANES NIGHTBUS PRESENTS: LUNA LAKE + THE HARRY MILLER BAND + AMBER DEE £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS CONTRABAND BREAKS ENSEMBLE FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE QUEERLY TALENTED: SHOW US WHAT YOU'VE GOT £5ADV / 10.30PM / OLD MARKET ASSEMBLY THE SO YOUNG BRISTOL ALL DAYER £10 / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings MONSTER MAGNET £22ADV / 6.30PM / SWX
SONGSMITH FREE / 8.00PM / MR WOLFS
THE BABYSHAKES + WHITE TRASH + SUPERSEED + BULLYBONES + THE LOVESICKS + THE SILVERSTONES £9ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT
IDER FREE / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE
SUNDAY 21ST JULY
TIM ERIKSEN + MAMA’S BROKE £15.26 INC BF / 8.00PM / THE WARDROBE THEATRE
STEVE PAYNE FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE CHICKEN SHED ZEPPELIN FREE / 4.00PM / THE CANTEEN UNIFORM + BAD BREEDING + CRUELTY £10ADV / 7.00PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS SLINGSHOT DAKOTA + FRESH £8ADV / 2.00PM / EXCHANGE SUNFLOWER BEAN £5ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE THE LONG RYDERS £21.80 INC BF / 8.00PM / FIDDLERS MOON HOOCH £16ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE SYDNEY SESSIONS FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY MONDAY 22ND JULY OPEN MIC FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE SLIM'S BLUES SESSION FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY 1% OF ONE PRESENTS: WHITE FANG FREE / 7.30PM / HY BRASIL
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KIEFER SUTHERLAND £28.50ADV / 7.30PM / SWX
TUESDAY 23RD JULY FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE JOE STROUZER FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN ATTACK HORSE FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY FRUIT MACHINE CYPHER £2 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS JENNY LEWIS £18.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX WEDNESDAY 24TH JULY DANIEL NEWBERRY QUARTET FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN NO VACATION £13ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE WALDO’S GIFT OPEN COLLABORATION FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY OPEN MIC FREE / 8.00PM / GRAIN BARGE SO YOUNG X WAX MUSIC PRESENTS: LACUNA COMMON + L.A PEACH FREE / 7.30PM / HY BRASIL
see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings BLOODYWOOD / 7.00PM / THE LANES
FRIDAY 26TH JULY
MAID OF ACE £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
ROBYN HITCHCOCK £18.00 INC BF / 8.00PM / BRISTOL FOLK HOUSE
GIN JAM: OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS PUDDLE OF MUDD £25ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY THE BODY / 7:00PM / ROUGH TRADE THURSDAY 25TH JULY MARK FEVEN FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE JAMES DORMAN'S SOUL BOSA COLLECTIVE FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN DADDY LONG LEGS / 7.30PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS
STATION 2 STATION FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE BARAKA FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN ADULT MOM £7.50ADV / 7.30PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE FLEISCH + SYSTEM DEGENERATE + CAFFEINE KILL £8ADV / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON THE DISCONNECTED £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
EASY STAR ALL-STARS £20ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
COOLBEANS PRESENTS: THE HEAVY BEAT BRASS BAND £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
SNAZZBACK PRESENTS: ZEITGEIST FREEDOM ENERGY EXCHANGE (MELBOURNE) FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
DECYPHERS FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE
LAUREN ALAINA £TBC / 7.30PM / HY BRASIL SPACE JELLY JAMS £3 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS MR BONGO 30TH ANNIVERSARY / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE CUT THROAT FRANCIS + MINKE WHALES + THE MANTIC MUDDLERS £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT
BROKEN BRASS ENSEMBE + WAGGLES £10ADV / 10.30PM / OLD MARKET ASSEMBLY JOHN E VISTIC PRESENTS: PUNK ROCK BABYLON VOL.1 WITH CIVIL WAR GHOST + BULLY BONES + DROOGS + TURBO ISLAND + LEATHERS + JOHN E VISTIC (DJ) £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT SATURDAY 27TH JULY HOTCLUB FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings NEBULA SUN FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
LIVE MUSIC TBA FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
HAIKU HANDS £8ADV / 7.30PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS
HAIRBAND £5ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
MARKY RAMONE'S BLITZKRIEG £17.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
OPEN MIC: HOSTED BY MIKE DENNIS FREE / 8.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
I SET THE SEA ON FIRE + SUPPORT £3/£4 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
SONGSMITH FREE / 8.00PM / MR WOLFS
KIRRIS RIVIERE BLUES BAND FREE / 11.00PM / NO. 1 HARBOURSIDE
TUESDAY 30TH JULY
DXP19 DRAG EXPLOSION £30ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
FRINGE JAZZ FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
WE USED TO SEE THE SKY £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT
MARIE LISTER & JAMES LADD FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
SUNDAY 28TH JULY
PEARS + THE DOPAMINES + THE RAGING NATHANS £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
SOVANTO FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE LIVE MUSIC TBA FREE / 4.00PM / THE CANTEEN SUGARHILL GANG + THE FURIOUS FIVE £17ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE FORTH & BACK HIP HOP JAM HOSTED BY MADLY FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
D.I. £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE CAPTAIN JAMAICA & THE MELLOTONES FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY DAKHABRAKHA £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE LANES FRUIT MACHINE CYPHER £2 / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
LUCINDA WILLIAMS £27.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
WEDNESDAY 31ST JULY
FLAMENCO LOCO FREE / 8.00PM / TOBACCO FACTORY
THE SCARLET MUSES FREE / 9.30PM / THE CANTEEN
MONDAY 29TH JULY
THE SOUND CUPBOARD DONATIONS / 8.0PM / CROFTERS RIGHTS
SONGWRITER SHOWCASE FREE / / THE BRISTOL FRINGE
WALDO'S GIFT FT CHRIS HYSON (SNOWPOET) FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings OPEN MIC FREE / 8.00PM / GRAIN BARGE
SATURDAY 3RD AUGUST
WADE BOWEN £14ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
CJ RAMONE + GHOST OF THE AVALANCHE £12ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
GIN JAM: OPEN STAGE NIGHT FREE / 9.00PM / MR WOLFS
SAGE FRANCIS AND B.DOLAN £14ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
QUIT YR JOB RECORDS PRESENTS JOY + FOOTBALL FC + CHARIVARI + SAM GRUDGINGS £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT
SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST ANIMAL AS LEADERS £23ADV / 5.45PM / SWX
THURSDAY 1ST AUGUST
BLACKALICIOUS £16.50ADV / 7.00PM / TRINITY CENTRE
BLACK TONGUE + UPON THOSE DYING + URSUS + DRIFTED + GRIEF RITUAL £10ADV / 6.00PM / EXCHANGE
MONDAY 5TH AUGUST
ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM + GOLDRAY £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE SNAZZBACK FREE / 9.00PM / THE GALLIMAUFRY SUPERLOVE £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA JAMES FUSSELL AND THE NORTH STREET BAND £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST MCLUSKY £17ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE KIKO BUN & BAND + GARDNA £13ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE UNDERGANG (DENMARK) + DEIQUISITOR + CRYPTWORM £12ADV / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON
LIME CORDIALE £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA TUESDAY 6TH AUGUST AFTER THE BURIAL + FROM SORROW TO SERENITY + GHOST IRIS £13ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE MICHALE GRAVES £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE THURSDAY 8TH AUGUST COLOUR BLIND PRESENTS DON STRAPZY & BERNA £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE FRIDAY 9TH AUGUST ED FORCE ONE £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings SATURDAY 10TH AUGUST
MONDAY 19TH AUGUST
H.R. (BAD BRAINS) £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
PEACH CLUB + LILITH AI + DRUNKEN BUTTERFLY + NERVOUS REX £5ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE
THE BOLSHEVIKS £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
SKUNK ANANSIE £27.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
MONDAY 12TH AUGUST TUESDAY 20TH AUGUST THE FALLEN DREAMS + INVISIONS + BORDERS £10ADV / 6.00PM / EXCHANGE BLACK MILK + REMI £15ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE LYSERGIC LIMES & BLG: MINAMI DEUTSCH / / THE LANES WEDNESDAY 14TH AUGUST LEE FIELDS AND THE EXPRESSIONS £21.80 INC BF / 8.00PM / FIDDLERS THE BLACK SEEDS £20ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE FRIDAY 16TH AUGUST ULTIMATE 40 (UB40 TRIBUTE) £13ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE GRIM EXISTENCE / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON SATURDAY 17TH AUGUST
BLG & WP: TAU / 7.00PM / THE LANES PUP / 7.30PM / ROUGH TRADE THURSDAY 22ND AUGUST MUGSTAR £8ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE FRIDAY 23RD AUGUST MOTORHEADACHE £12ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE CLOSE TO TEARS (TEARS FOR FEARS TRIBUTE) £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE CONTROL THE STORM / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON OH THE GUILT + NORTH BY NORTH + SEEK WARMTH FREE / 7.30PM / THE LANES
OAS-IS £13.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE FLEECE
3 DAFT MONKEYS £9ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT
DEPT S: BEAVER & THE FOGHORNS + THE ORANGE SKIES £3ADV / 9.00PM / THE LANES
SATURDAY 24TH AUGUST
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HULLABALOO MUSE TRIBUTE £12ADV / 6.30PM / THE FLEECE
see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Full Listings FOETAL JUICE / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON GRATEFUL DUDES (GRATEFUL DEAD TRIBUTE) £9ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST SPECIALIST SUBJECT ALL-DAYER £15ADV / 2.00PM / EXCHANGE SPECIAL KINDA MADNESS £13.50ADV / 3.00PM / THE FLEECE
TOTAL REJECTION + THE SINICTONES + DAVEY WOODWARD £6ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT SATURDAY 31ST AUGUST BRISTOL PUNX PICNIC £8.50ADV / 4.00PM / EXCHANGE FIGHTERS FOO £12ADV / 6.30PM / THE FLEECE SATARIAL (RUSSIA) 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR / 7.00PM / THE GRYPHON
WEDNESDAY 28TH AUGUST SUNDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER WAND £12ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA MACHINE GUN KELLY £27.50ADV / 7.00PM / SWX THURSDAY 29TH AUGUST STEVE GUNN £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE SASAMI £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA DRIFTWOOD £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST HARD SKIN + SCRAP BRAIN + GIMP WORLD £8ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE BLACKMORE'S BLOOD £12ADV / 6.30PM / THE FLEECE GLITTERER £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA
ROCK GODDESS + HEAVY PETTIN' £15ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE MONDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER MARK MULCAHY £16ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA TUESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER THE SPOOK SCHOOL + LEGGY £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER OFF WITH THEIR HEADS + THE MURDERBURGERS £10ADV / 7.30PM / EXCHANGE CHE LINGO £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LOUISIANA RAUSCHENBURG £4ADV / 7.30PM / THE THUNDERBOLT
LAURA JANE GRACE £20ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
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see bristolinstereo.com/live-listings for up-to-date events and more
Live Reviews curated by Jon Kean, Live Editor
Tamu Massif at Rough Trade words: Sean Toohey photos: Lee Ramsey Making a triumphant return to one of this city’s most renowned stages, Dave Dixon brings his world of swirling electronic poetry to Rough Trade to mark the release of Tamu Massif’s latest LP, Little Death Summer. From beat one, Tamu Massif opens the set with a clinical musicality. Cold, glacial tine bells dance and fall around skeletal and jittering percussive flourishes, acting as a fitting counter-balance to Dixon’s delicate, organic vocal tones. His voice lands as croaking and emotionally-loaded when necessary, often reminiscent of a less angry Jamie T. These moments are often punctuated with soft crooning passages that could easily sit atop a chart-worthy pop track. An integral ingredient in Dixon’s idiosyncratic sound becomes brilliantly apparent in the twinkling, manic use of childlike arpeggiations present beneath his voice. Highly reminiscent 54
of The Postal Service’s fantastic 2003 record, Give Up, these choices of instrumentation and composition elevate some more simply-structured cuts to bold new territories. Leftfield production choices, sitting beneath anthemic soundscapes appear deliberately alienating. There’s a looming sense of unease that heightens the poetic diction of Dixon’s vocal. This is a vein that holds the key to Tamu Massif’s appeal. The bare bones of most of these tracks could be produced as bland and obvious pop tunes. That’s not to say they don’t show great songwriting chops – they do. It’s more to say that the modern pop song has a well-understood formula. Dixon’s ability to merge this with cold, challenging and surprising audio motifs helps to create a sonic pallet that is truly unique and incredibly interesting to experience. The ghostly notes of vaporwave and cinematic pulses that crest amongst a childlike musicality form a world that is both alien and familiar. Imagine revisiting your parental home and snooping around the attic, surrounded by old toys - mostly wholesome, but for the figure you’re sure is watching you from afar.
Pip Blom at The Louisiana words: Lorenzo Ottone photos: Callum O’Keefe They said that if Maradona didn’t do drugs, he’d have easily been the best player of his generation. He, however, still managed to be. We could say something similar about Pip Blom’s performance, despite some promotion game having squeezed two gigs into two hours. The Dutch band are an unstoppable, perfectly-oiled mechanism and prove to be one of the most electrifying live acts around. Synergy is Pip Blom’s best feature. With less than a week for the audience to familiarise themselves with debut album, Boat, and a band slightly fatigued by the intense touring schedule, the gig hesitates to take off, but when it does, it is pure adrenaline. Pip Blom’s new tracks blend well with previous singles like ‘Daddy Issues’ and ‘Come Home’, which have already acquired anthemic status. The general vibe sets on garage, lo-fi soundscapes with many references to New
York indie, à-la Parquet Courts and Strokes. Maybe it’s the homogeneity of Boat’s sound, or the fact the band still has to get up to speed with the extended set, but Pip Blom seems to thrive most in short, energetic gigs that match the songs’ intensity. One of the album’s highlights, slow number ‘Bedhead’ doesn’t find space in the setlist. For sure a sign that the band’s aim is to keep the audience moving on their feet. As time goes by, Pip and her bandmates’ shyness goes too. In emotion-filled, slightly-hesitant English, Pip introduces her mum to the crowd. It was Miss Blom who first got Pip into guitar music as a kid, by bringing her along to the gigs she was reviewing for her music blog. By the time ‘I Think I’m in Love’ kicks in and the third pint of the night goes down, The Louisiana is pervaded by a heavenly, intimate vibe. After the gig, Pip Blom sell customised beige bucket hats. All hail the best merchandise seen in years of gigs. Find full reviews and more at: bristolinstereo.com
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Behind Every Musician
@WeAreTheMU
ndd 1
New School vol.2
10/05/2017
the free Bristol label download 2018/19
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bristolinstereo.com/newschool
The Gallimaufry
Waldo’s Gift
Out of this world musicianship combines Hip-hop, Math, Jazz, Groove & Electronica
7 11:10
3 July ~ Waldo’s Gift: Improvisations
Alun Elliott-Williams - Guitar, Harry Stoneham - Bass, James Vine - Drums
10 July ~ Waldo’s Gift & Maya Jazz
Jazz fusion quartet led by double bassist and composer Daphna Sadeh featuring Myke Vince of Snazzback
17 July ~ Waldo’s Gift Rework: Bjork ft. Bethany Stenning
Reinterpreting music from the iconic artist feat. band leader of Stanlæly
24 July ~ Waldo’s Gift: Open Collaboration
Waldo’s Gift open the stage to musicians who wish to join them in the spirit of improvisation and the free flow of ideas
31 July ~ Waldo’s Gift ft. Chris Hyson (Snowpoet)
London based multi instrumentalist and composer joins the trio.
thegallimaufry.co.uk
Thoughts ... by Ruth Oval, Eat Up for Starters
Supporting New and Diverse Musicians is Important.
Diversity also = safer gigs. By promoting diversity and supporting new musicians, it allows a wider variety of people to engage with the scene. Assaults at gigs tend to be from the majority to the minority. If you promote diversity then there is a higher proportion of the minority who can look out for each other and diffuse situations before they happen.
People need to be given explicit permission to get on stage. If most of the people on stage look and act and sound like you, then you obtain permission from knowing that it is likely the audience will like you. If no one looks like you, or you grow up hearing things like “I just don’t like the way people who are [insert protected characteristic] sound” then you need someone to say “hey you, we want to hear your sound”. New musicians with protected characteristics need that extra encouragement. But the benefits go far beyond the individual. More diversity = better sounds. If you have a more diverse group of people to choose from, then you have a wider talent pool. A wider talent pool means you get to choose the best person who makes the particular sound to complete your band! 58
Diversity = safer communities. If you allow a wider variety of experiences and stories on stage, people get to hear perspectives that they might not have otherwise considered. This promotes diversity in their community as well. In a post-Brexit society, we will need to ensure that non-white British perspectives have a louder voice in order to combat racism and xenophobia. Cynically, diversity even = more money. If you have a wider variety of stories on stage, then you have a bigger pool of people who might be interested in attending your show or buying your record. People enjoy music that resonates with them in some way, and being inclusive creates a net gain for all. Eat Up for Starters is a programme of events and workshops designed to support people new to playing music and to promote diversity in the Bristol live music scene.
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in Bristol
with Daryn Carter, Bristol Pride When did you move to Bristol? I first moved to Bristol in 2003, coming down here from London. I must admit that I didn’t really know much about Bristol before arriving, when my then-partner took a job here, but I never looked back. There’s lots going here and it’s a much friendlier city too! Who’s your top Bristol artist at the moment? If we want Bristol sounds we don’t have to look much further than Dr Meaker. You can’t help but feel happy and want to get up and move, which is probably why they are such a hit at Pride year on year. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? I’m really lucky to have the Lazy Dog pub as my local. Pasta Ripiena has been one of the best meals I’ve had recently, and I always jump at the chance of a lunchtime meeting near Wapping Wharf, just so I can head to Pickled Brisket after for their incredible saltbeef Reuben. What’s the perfect way to spend a day here? It has to be making the most of the Harbourside. It’s a lovely walk to start at Arnolfini, head over to the Broken Dock, then take a ferry over the water and meander down to The Cottage Inn, watching all the bodyboarders and rowing teams coming in and out.
What’s your favourite thing about the city? We have so much to shout about here in Bristol. There’s always something going on, or spaces like Brandon Hill and The Downs if you want to chill. And your least favourite? It’s so boring to say traffic and transport isn’t it, but that’s my biggest moan. With my Pride hat on I’d also flag that as a city we need to do more to tackle hate crime and prejudice. Any top venues? I love Thekla for everything from live gigs to cheesy clubnights. Who doesn’t love a party on a boat? Tell us more about Bristol Pride 2019. After welcoming 36k people through the gates last year, this time we’re moving to The Downs! For several years we’ve been at capacity early on in the day and this means we can add an extra 10k people to the festival with new areas and stages. Though it’s costing us a lot of money to move the festival, this step will secure the future of Pride and develop it for years to come. Read in full on bristolinstereo.com. In addition to Pride Day, expect a fortnight of events across the city, July 1-14th. For more: bristolpride.co.uk
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