P R E S E N T S
MOPES
Life in Lockdown and everything inbetween
ELLIE BLEACH
Shows us life in London
The xx
Exlusive interview with Romy from the XX
OUR ONES TO WATCH IN 2021
Find out who we’re expecting big things from in 2021!
top albums of 2020
The crew at CLUNK run down the hottest albums of 2020
AND MORE!
STANLEY DUKE & THE KINDRED SPIRITS / YARD ACT / ATTAWALPA / LAURAN HIBBERD
WELCOME
QUARANZINE IT’S A PROPER WEIRD TIME INIT? We’re a bit perplexed by the whole thing but we must remain positive and creative in these times. During the lockdown we have seen the shutdown of most industries, with hospitality and the music industries arguably being hit the hardest. Like all of you we have had a lot of extra time on our hands and we wanted to create something that not only is entertaining but supports local artists. It’s long been a dream of mine to create a fully fledged zine jam packed with great content, to be able to do so and support people at the same time is truly an honour. I hope you enjoy this zine as much as we did making it and we will see you at one of our gigs very soon. Stay strong and stay safe.
Kieran Webber Editor-in-Chief
Editor In Chief: Kieran Webber Print Editor: Felix Bartlett Cover Photography: Jade Hill Illustrators: Rhiannon Webber (@red_moon_design) Contributors: Matilda Barker-Hall, Tom Tozer, Em Carr, Felix Bartlett, Willow Shields, Callie Winch, Alex Salisbury Photographers: Kieran Webber, Willow Shields, Felix Bartlett, Jade Hill, David J Blanks, Em Marcovecchio
ILLUSTRATION: @red_moon_design
HAILING FROM CORNWALL, Stanley Duke & The Kindred Spirits are known for their psychedelic rock and roll voyage of eccentric sounds. After making his return to music in 2019 after a 2-year hiatus Stanley Duke stole the show with his rock star aesthetics and psychedelic sound, bringing the glamour back to the Cornish music scene. We caught up with Stanley to discuss life in lockdown and what the future holds for Stanley & The Kindred Spirits. WORDS: KIERAN WEBBER PICTURES: JADE HILL
Thanks for taking the time to chat to us, how have you been? “I’ve been good. Mostly good with some bad, but mostly good.” Now, you’ve been hard at work during this lockdown and previous ones and have your debut ‘Isolation Tarot’ EP coming out soon, can you tell us a bit about it? “So, when lockdown was finally announced, I decided it would be a good idea to get my head into something to keep me occupied. I knew I wanted to write music, so I thought why not record and release an EP which sort of encapsulates my time here. I thought about what I wanted to do, and I didn’t want to just write an EP of songs about how hard isolation is and all that stuff, so after thinking of ideas for a concept I eventually
decided to pick out 5 tarot cards at random, and have my mother who’s a psychic cosmic spirit communicator type person to give me a reading for each one. Once I got the reading through I could kind of envision where I wanted to go with each tune.” Did you face any challenges creating music during this strange time? “Strangely enough it’s been more inspiring than anything. The only challenges I’m facing as far as music is concerned are my usual kind of challenges to be honest. I don’t have much in
“CORONA, THE MAD BASTARDS IN CHARGE OF THE WORLD, CRAVING AN INTERNATIONAL REVOLUTION... IT ALL GETS ON TOP OF YOU”
the way of recording equipment so all vocals are recorded on an SM57, which I think is actually a great vocal mic for my voice, but I tend to put lots of effects on my vocals anyway. 2 of my guitar amps are out of order and one is in Brighton, so I’m going direct with my guitar into the computer. Literally all guitar amplification is simulated in this project. Sometimes I’m trying to make it sound like a real amp, sometimes I’m just going all out and experimenting with the digital sound. All drums are programmed, which is something I really enjoy doing, most of the bass is a pitched down guitar because I don’t have a bass with me. Some of the bass is synth.” “Being inspired to actually get into a writing session can be difficult at the moment. Sometimes it just all gets on top of you. Corona, the mad bastards in charge of the world, craving an international
revolution…it all gets on top of you.” What did you learn as well? “I suppose I’ve kind of half answered that with the previous answer. I’ve learned now more than ever to extract as much creativity from the tools I have at hand. I remember Jack White saying that he intentionally limits what equipment he has to record with so as to push his creativity. I think that’s what I’m doing, although White would no doubt scoff at the fact that instead of bunch of vintage gear I’m using a DI box, a computer and some guitar pedals.” What can we expect from the ‘Isolation Tarot’ EP? “A pretty eclectic mix of stuff really. It’s full of styles and sounds that I’ve been inspired by. There’s some happygo-lucky childishness ala Devendra Banhart, some trashy slimy psychedelia that wouldn’t be amiss in a King Gizzard breakdown, some tasty funky bass lines and over the top guitar solos.”
As an artist that has decided to stay in Cornwall what challenges do you face? Is it harder than those located nearer bigger cities? “The challenges are obvious, I think. The lack of proximity to the major gigging scenes means I’m mostly locked out of gaining a fanbase through relentless live shows unless I constantly tour, which isn’t practical for me at the moment. Lots of networking happens at live shows too, so just not being around to get to know likeminded musicians is a bummer. Then obviously you’re also less likely to be noticed by A&R types, Spotify playlist creators and those kinds of folks. Of course, all of that can happen online these days, but gigs feel almost like a proving ground. I think the challenge is finding other ways to catch people’s attention.”
“Details in aesthetic choices and making music videos which really catch people’s attention are super important to me. I’ve always had a thing for visual expression as well as musical and I think bands like The Flaming Lips who incorporate surrealist theatrics are really inspiring. I find pop artists live shows to be really inspiring, there’s always this huge team of people creating an experience beyond the music.” When starting the Kindred Spirits what was the influence? “Honestly there wasn’t so much a singular influence. I just wanted to lock myself into a place and see what came out without any outside influence. The name Kindred Spirits came from a jam I had with a friend around 8 or 9 years ago, and it just stuck with me. Ironic because I write and record everything on my own, so the Spirits really are spirits to some extent, until we play live when the Spirits take human form. But it turns out I really thrive when writing in isolation.”
Was there a particular sound you wanted to create or is it something that is constantly developing? “I’ve always been obsessed with psychedelic music. Hendrix was my musical catalyst when I was young so it’s just always been my core. Other than that I just want to explore everything within the boundaries of myself. I find if I give myself the foundation of “keep it weird,” I can then incorporate rock, funk, thrash, electronica, dance music and anything else, and it still comes back to a similar, cohesive sound. So yes, it is always evolving, but it’s always going to be me.”
“DETAILS IN AESTHETIC CHOICES AND MAKING MUSIC VIDEOS THAT CATCH PEOPLE’S ATTENTION ARE SUPER IMPORTANT TO ME”
If you could have a jam session with five musicians who would they be and why? “Alive or dead? I’m going to go with alive because it will constrain my choice a little more. King Tuff would be hella fun, he seems like a cool guy to hang out with. Devendra Banhart would be nice, I think he’s so cosmic and yet grounded. Khruangbin. I feel like you could jam with them for hours and just get lost. The Babe Rainbow I’ve met a couple times and they just ooze jam session vibes. Anderson .Paak would be super fun to jam with too I think.” What are five records you’ve had on repeat during the lockdowns? “Dunno if I can choose 5 albums ‘cause I’ve been enjoying playlists a lot at the moment, but I’ll give you 5 artists. King Gizzard, always have them on heavy rotation. I’ve also been getting properly into Foxygen at the moment. I just got into LA Priest as well, really enjoying his new album.
l My girlfriend listens to a lot of Neo soul and R&B so I’ve been loving people like Otis Junior and Topaz Jones.” Lastly, we always like to end on a weird or funny story so can you spin us a tale or two? “One time I lost a job to Hugh Grant. I was going to do some voice acting on a friend’s dads’ short animation. I took quite a while to get round to it, due to some weird anxiety. Or laziness. Probably both. Anyway, in the meantime he met Hugh Grant and gave the job to him. So now I have personal beef with Hugh and he doesn’t even know.”
EMERGING TALENT
ONES TO WATCH IN 2021 IT’S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC TO stop the team at CLUNK from looking forward to new releases and acts of 2021. We can all agree that last year was an utter shit show with some of the biggest tours and festivals being cancelled, but that hasn’t stopped muscians across the globe from getting new content recorded. With plenty of time on their hands many musicians have spent their time working hard on new and exciting material. Here at CLUNK decided to shed some light on these artists and give you the reader a handful of artists personally picked by the team to watch out for in 2021!
Lauran HibbErd
halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic but it’s not stopped her releasing indieslacker-pop belters to the masses. Her latest single ‘Boy Bye’ boasted her songwriting and ability to craft a real ear worm, the chorus sticks to the mind like warm playdoh.
KIERAN WEBBER
We first caught wind of Lauran Hibberd back in 2019 with her delightfully infectious singles ‘Call Shotgun’ and ‘Bang Bang Bang’. Since then a lot has happened for the rising indie-pop artist, she’s toured wit Hippocampus, played various sold out shows across the country and secured herself a spot on the Glastonbury Introducing stage. It’s been a wild ride and one that has been exciting to watch. Unfortunately, like many artists Lauran’s upwards curve came to an abrupt
Arguably, Lauran’s music is made to be heard live, it’s songs for an arm in arm experience or under the blaze of the sun in a festival field (sigh, remember that?). But for now we can only listen and enjoy her Instagram stories and eagerly await the new music she has been promising. Lauran has already shown us that she is more than ready for the main stage, once live music returns there is no doubt we’ll see her there.
ANNIE DIRUSSO EM CARR
Annie DiRusso transforms the small things in life into big indie rock songs. For instance, her final single of 2020, ‘Judgements From The World’s Greatest Band’, is about a Beatles poster seeing her naked. The killer line “I’d like to key your car / but I don’t know where it is or you are / I’ll bet it’s a ‘93 Corolla” has the deadpan delivery of Tina Fey, with sentiments closer to Mark from Peep Show.
DiRusso combines the country twangs of early Taylor Swift with the altrock intensity of Phoebe Bridgers, a combination which encapsulates the fluctuating influences of Gen-Z. Her languid rebellion is so compelling that you’ll soon listen to her entire discography. DiRusso started her career as a folk musician, quickly forgoing genre constrictions; we don’t know where she’s going but we’re excited to find out.
recording their EP. Courting are a must-see band, their electrifying stage precise paired with their ferocious punk revival sound makes them a band you’ll want to see in the flesh (when we are once again let outside of our homes), they will not disappoint.
J’s poised, and harmonious vocals. With a slew of successful singles backing J Appiah and with a vast career working as a guest artist and backing vocalist for the likes of Jesse Glynne, Wilkinson and Damian Lazarus to name but a few. J appears to be poised and ready to continue his success. While the hopes of his own feature length album dropping sometime this year may be premature I am still exceptionally excited to hear what he has in store for 2021.
j appiah FELIX BARTLETT
courting WILLOW SHIELDS
From Courting’s first single ‘Not ur Man’ weve been keeping a sharp eye on them as many other have as well. A five-piece Liverpudlian cacophony of a band, with their branding being simply “Guitar Music.” With three singles out and having played with bands like Sports Team, FEET and Heavy Lungs they feel like a well-established band of brothers already, their debut EP is due out in April titled ‘Grand National’. The pandemic hit at a crucial time for the band, having just announced headline shows and had many others in the works, their live life was halted without warning or hope for the future. However, Courting have kept themselves busy beefing with fellow bored bands on twitter and obviously
From backing vocalist to solo artist, East London singer, songwriter and musician J Appiah took the recent series of lockdowns as an opportunity to develop his own solo career. J spent his summer exploring his solo projects again and led to him channelling his energy into developing both his independent label 19fifty7 and releasing yet another incredibly poetic and impactful track ‘CHAINS’. Taking a step back from his traditional harmonious songwriter style of music J Appiah has instead taken influence from the various artists he has toured with to produce an exceptional track. With an atmospheric, electronic cut track that gradually builds from sparse ambience into a hypnotic array of lo-fi undulating beats and stellar melodies alongside
Yard act KIERAN WEBBER
Yard Act simply explain themselves as ‘minimalist rock from Leeds’, which on the surface may be true. However, after multiple listens a new layer of this simple yet complex band unveils itself. Their strength is found in their observational songwriting and deadpan delivery, all bundled up into one impressive post-punk package. As a band Yard Act has had limited stage time due the pandemic but their releases have already caught the ear of music fans across the country. It’s a wonky, spiky sound that blends poignent lyricism, delivered with a tongue-in-cheek flair that is dangerously infectious. In fact, one of the biggest travesties of 2021
is that we may not get to experience these guys in a live setting. In a time of growing inequality in wealth, lack of security amongst the young, hypocrisy of British politics and an ever growing list of casualties of Austerity and poor decisions, it’s no surprise bands like Yard Act are flourishing and pricking the ears of a generation. Their songwriting grips the reality of the country and world and jokingly kicks it up the arse towards the listener. It’s incredibly fun but also painfully on the mark. Watching Yard Act grow and blossom is going to be fantastic and 2021 may be their year.
pretty Preachers club WILLOW SHIELDS
The name Pretty Preachers Club was a mere whisper on the wind in March of 2020, when the pair of best friends Hannah Berry and Martha McKay began recording covers of their favourite bands
ranging from The 1975 to Sports Team. Pretty Preachers Club are a pair of Glaswegian newcomers on the scene but with songs coming out of their ears they’ve proved that they have big things on the horizon. Having release their debut single in midlockdown 2020, then their sophomore EP ‘Romance and Adolescence’ due out in April. They have at least two years of releases under their belt in a matter of months without playing a single show I think that confirms promise for the future of Pretty Preachers Club. Forming under Covid-19 enforced lockdown restrictions, the duo have had to learn how to write, record and be creative remotely. They say the worst part of forming during the pandemic is that they can’t play shows, since the release of their first EP ‘Going Nowhere Fast’ they have since recruited session musicians holding out hope they’ll be able to perform soon enough. After all is said and done, Pretty Preachers Club have such strong aesthetics, a live show is bound
to be the epitome of glitter, glamour and (hopefully) some rock’n’roll.
lotus eater FELIX BARTLETT
Looking for that fix of headbanging mayhem? Then say no more. This is Lotus Eater. After exploding onto the scene back in 2018 the band have continued to focus their efforts on bringing their signature style of disgustingly brutal tech metal from the streets of Glasgow to the root of your ear canal. Musically and lyrically, confrontation is the name of Lotus Eater’s game with their new earsplitting track ‘Narco’ paving the way for what sure to be coming in 2021. With an atmospheric intro you’re thrown into the band’s bleak and filthy cacophony where Jamie’s voice screams over bludgeoning riffs. The band, however, prefer to give their music their own label put simply as “gloom”. This selfproclaimed genre of “gloom” definitely seeps through their debut album
‘Social Hazard’ and continues to evolve and develop their trademark sound with ‘Yuck’ and ‘The Fear’ truly throwing you into the deep end of Lotus Eater’s ruthless vocal and guitar work. With Lotus Eater I can only summarise the band as Knocked Loose but with a drop kick to the face and I for one love and loving it. After postponing their upcoming UK tour with Poppy and with the promises of a new album later this year I have been left itching in anticipation for another fix on this symphony of chaotic riffs and terrorizing vocals.
jack swing KIERAN WEBBER
When Pittsburgh, USA based Jack Swing’s latest single ‘Get What’s Mine For Me’ entered our ear canals it was hard not to be swayed by lead singer Isaiah’s velvety vocals. Not to mention the impressive guitar work and funky rhythm section that keeps the music in a constant state of groove. The whole EP was a classic rock experience that blended many other elements from funk, soul and blues, it’s an impressive mixing pot
of sounds that boasts the trio’s musical mastery. It’s a retrospective sound that has been given a new lick of paint, making it fit for purpose for a modern audience. Grabbing all the greatest elements of the golden era of the 60’s & 70’s whilst adding a new age flair, it truly is an infectious sound that deserves to be heard by a much wider audience. With an LP dropping later in the year (they’re currently running an Indie Go-Go campaign) I have no doubt that Jack Swing are going to get the recognition they deserve. Keep your eyes on these guys, they’re one of the best rock bands to emerge in recent years.
‘dream cast’, making unique merch such as matchboxes, USB drives and as I write this I am joined by my lovely junodream metal waterbottle. The band have been around since 2018 playing “space rock” with hard hitting singles such as ‘Terrible things could happen’ and their latest ‘Eden Burns’ while entertaining all who set their eyes upon them. The band are leading up to bigger releases, hopefully touring and getting back to selling their zany merch items IRL.
Having been picked up by BBC Intro South and then BBC Radio 6, their two tracks promise funky dance moves and sweaty nights ahead. The band were in the midst of doing as many shows as humanly possible when Covid-19 hit and since have been utilising the live streaming feature on social media to their hearts content, playing shows for The Close Encounter Club and writing new music. All we can hope for is that LIME will release much, much(!) more music to soundtrack our summers to come.
lime WILLOW SHIELDS
junodream WILLOW SHIELDS
Junodream are a band I first saw supporting the Magic Gang in 2019 at the Boileroom in Guildford, instantly captivating with their dreamy sound and cramped-ness on the tiny stage they became an instant favourite. When the pandemic hit, the 5 piece were on the verge of their biggest headline tour to date. Having to postpone to later in 2020 and postpone again the band have kept themselves very busy indeed. Creating a podcast rightly named
Brighton band LIME are a quartet who somehow have the knowledge to make the catchiest songs about. Forming in 2018 and playing shows in local venues such as Green Door Store and the hope and ruin, LIME know exactly what they’re doing. Made up of Chloe Howard (vocals, guitar), Leila Deeley (guitar), Tippi Morgan (bass) and Annabel Whittle (drums); they bring cool to another level.
blackwaters FELIX BARTLETT
Since BlackWaters performance at the Scala, London I was hooked. Since then the band have found themselves performing at Reading & Leeds Festival, selling out their UK headline tour and hosting numerous live shows in their very backyard, proving the anarchist and chaotic Punk lifestyle from the 70’s is still alive and kicking (In
BlackWaters backyard at least). Their influence from the Punk movement shines through all of their tracks whilst also leaving room to breathe with prevalent influences in genres like heavy Indie akin to The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. This couldn’t be more clearly evident in arguably one of their best tracks ‘Down’. These influences continued into their debut EP and then followed a string of singles with ‘I’m Not Your Man’ truly harnessing that perfect blend between Punk and Indie. Whilst 2020 was definitely a slow year for some it wasn’t for BlackWaters with the band releasing yet another single ‘I Want It All’ which seemed to suggest the bands decision to head in a new direction, moving away from the rough and chaotic 70’s punk esc style prevalent in their earlier work. Evidently the boys have been busy with not only their new single but also a string of lockdown podcasts. However, the band is definitely overdue for a new EP and with their new sound it seems as though this year may be shaping up to be something special in the BlackWaters household.
LIFE IN LONDON WITH
ELLIE BLEACH WORDS & PICTURES: WILLOW SHIELDS
ELLIE BLEACH is a London-based musician with a flair for the dramatic. Her affections lie in the era of easy-listening, with her storytelling lyricism that cuts through the narratives of false naivety magnificently exhibited in her acclaimed singles ‘He Bought Me Nikes’ and ‘Jackie O’. Ellie Bleach is a glamorous, ironical pop writing genius and I had a chat with her about greasy spoons, the best beer garden and her life in London.
“I grew up in Leigh-on-Sea and I’ve began to appreciate my hometown more and more when I go back to visit. I moved to London almost two years ago.”
“I once confidently declared Elif Supermarket in Upper Clapton as the greatest grocery store of all time and have yet to be challenged on that.”
OPINION PIECE
SHOULD WE STOP LISTENING TO ‘CANCELLED” ARTISTS? WORDS: CALLIE WINCH
LOGGING ONTO TWITTER back in July I noticed ‘Tom Meighan’, the ex-Kasabian frontman, trending. Scrolling through the thousands of tweets, I discovered that another member of a band that I grew up listening to has faced assault charges and been ‘cancelled’. Is it time we stopped listening to music from cancelled artists all together? The sad reality of the music industry at the moment is that a new person is being added to the ‘blacklist’ of who we shouldn’t be supporting at a whirlwind rate. In July alone, Wiley was dropped from his management following a string of anti-Semitic tweets and Burger Records closed due to assault allegations against a number of their signees. These contractual changes were provoked
by an ovewhelming social media movement to ‘cancel’ the offending artists. But cancelling isn’t necessarily synonymous with contractual dismissal – so what does it mean? Offspring of the #MeToo movement, cancel culture looks to hold people accountable to the immoral acts they have committed. It argues that by continuing to listen to music by cancelled artists, you are fuelling their career – not only financially but also by condoning their behaviour. By standing by an abuser, you are standing with them. In some cases, this reflects the tendency to separate artists from art. In others, it
reaffirms a patriarchal standard that men can treat womxm as entities for their consumption without having to face consequences. To remedy this, many have called for cancelled musicians to be removed from streaming sites and for a collective termination of listening to their music. The engagement in cancel culture isn’t, however, supported by everyone. Many see it as problematic, bringing up issues of morality. Harper’s Letter was an open letter published in July, with the backing of 153 academics, authors, scientists and politicians, denouncing cancel culture due to its apparent restriction of open debate and lack of tolerance. The anti-cancelling movement also debates
where we draw the line at the level of cancelling – should we apply the same cancellation to musicians such as Doja Cat, who had old homophobic tweets dug up, as to Ian Watkins, the Lostprophets frontman, convicted for child sexual abuse? Cancel culture itself verges on becoming dehumanising
which stops people from asking questions about criticism and change. A move towards a ‘call-out’ culture may mean that it becomes an autonomous decision to pause the streaming of a cancelled artist and only resume it when we feel is suitable. So, to cancel or not to cancel? The debate is evidently more
“CANCEL CULTURE ITSELF VERGES ON BECOMING DEHUMANISING AND POTENTIALLY FATAL” and potentially fatal, proven by the case of presenter Caroline Flack. We may want to engage in the process of ‘cancelling’ someone through no longer listening to their music, but we don’t want this to place an individual at risk of harm. Rather than distancing ourselves from an artist that has been cancelled, it’s time to move towards a ‘call-out’ culture. If we indefinitely ‘cancel’ an individual, we devalue any individual progress that they may make. Jameela Jamil sparked a debate surrounding this on Instagram, stating that people become obsessed with ‘moral superiority’
complex than it seems, and requires individual reflection of questions that transcend even this one: is it possible to separate the art from the artist? Do we believe that people can progress, be rehabilitated, or educated? Although we lack a universal answer to this question, I think it’s time to hold ourselves accountable for those we support in the industry. After all, not all guilty pleasures are equal; one man’s may be ABBA, the other may be an abuser. Is this a tolerance we’re willing to grant?
EXCLUSIVE
THE XX’s ROMY FROM LIFE ON THE ROAD TO LOCKDOWN Romy from the XX shares a personal insight into her new single and discusses life in lockdown in our exclusive interview. We caught up with Romy to dicsuss how she swaped black clothes and bleak moods for Technicolour and euphoria for her forthcoming solo album. WORDS: CALLIE WINCH
PICTURE: LAURA COULSON
So, the new single “Lifetime” talks about reunited with those you love and that feeling of finally being together again. Is there one place you’re most excited to visit when things properly open up again? “I’ve been thinking about that a bit like if there’s a club or something but honestly if there’s speakers that are loud and people that I love and have missed, as long as those two things can combine, I don’t care where we are - I really don’t mind. That to me is the most important thing. As long as we can have the music and be together, that’s what’s really exciting to me.” Who has been the biggest inspiration for you behind your solo work? I read a bit about your love for Stevie Nicks, but is there anyone else you’ve taken inspiration from recently? “I’m always inspired by Stevie Nicks, I really liked how she said that her solo work was not her leaving Fleetwood Mac and being like ‘see you later, I’m off and never coming back’. It was like ‘guys I’ve got all these songs that never made it Fleetwood Mac albums and I just want to get them out and get it out of my system and then I can move on with my writing and my creativity’. I really resonated with that, she just
wanted to get something out of her system and come back really refreshed with a different energy and I think that’s totally how I feel.” “There are loads of people who inspire me. I actually realised how much of an inspiration I think Kylie and some of her stuff from around the ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ era is. Listening back to some of that, there’s some amazing songs that she’s done within the pop/ dance genre. She’s been actually quite a surprise inspiration.” I know lockdown has given people a lot of time to find new music, is there any new and upcoming artists you’ve really been enjoying recently? “Yeah, I discovered an amazing artist called Anz recently. My friend introduced me to her and she’s an amazing producer and DJ who lives in Manchester. I really recommend her; she’s got some DJ sets on YouTube that are so good. She’s really eclectic, she moves really beautifully
“I DON’T CARE WHERE WE ARE AS LONG AS WE CAN HAVE THE MUSIC AND BE TOGETHER” through different genres. She’s really cool and I asked her to do a remix of Lifetime which we’ve done and I’m really excited about.” Can you tell us anymore about other remixes of Lifetime that are coming out? “So today I just put out a remix by Planningtorock who’s an amazing friend of mine and an amazing non-binary artist that I’m super excited to be working with on this remix and hopefully on more things for the record - It’s quite a playful and fun one.” There’s two more which is Haai who’s a DJ and a really good friend of mine who’s done one and Jayda G who I’m really excited about too.
You obviously have your passion for DJing as well as song writing, where’s your favourite venue to DJ at and why? “I would love to DJ in Pacha to be honest just for this dream of what I imagined it to be. It’s quite iconic and I love the logo and the history of it. I had the opportunity to DJ at Homobloc Warehouse Project, that was amazing. That was such a cool venue and the line-up and the vibes they created were so cool. It just felt like a real celebration of queer pride and fun, it was just amazing. I think it’s really about the line-up and the right people and the crowd, I really there.” love a good venue but there isn’t one specific one that I always want to go back to. I think you can really create an amazing atmosphere with the right line-up
You’re quite active within the Queer music scene promoting partnerships with LGBTQ+ charities and, as you said, being on the bill for Homobloc, how have you found navigating the industry you’re in as a queer woman? “I think that when I was younger, I was really shy to be open with people. I’ve always been private, but I’ve always been open about my sexuality since I was about 15. I feel very grateful that when I told my dad he was very open-minded with me and supported me and that he didn’t challenge me. All I could ever hope is to make anyone that was feeling unsure or insecure about being queer feel like it’s okay and it’s normal to feel however you feel. There’s no shame in it and I really want to spread that message. For me, it took some time to have the confidence to be comfortable in my skin
and to say ‘yeah, I love women and that’s not a big deal’.” “I think that now on this solo album, a lot of the lyrics are saying ‘I love her’ and are embracing that because that’s normal for me. I want to just write about my personal experiences. I really love seeing more artists being more open and I’ve done some co-writing with King Princess who I found really inspiring to talk to. She’s so young and she just really knew that she wanted to be herself and write about her experiences. We wrote a song together called ‘Homegirl’ and it’s very much just her writing about her girlfriend and I loved that. It felt refreshing.” We sadly missed festival season this year, what was the one festival you were gutted to have not attended? “I was really looking forward to Melt Festival in Germany, that’s one
“I JUST WANT TO KEEP COLLABORATING, I’D LOVE FOR THIS ALBUM TO REPRESENT A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE I’VE MET ALONG THIS JOURNEY ” that I thought the line-up was really cool and I was really excited to DJ with a few people and just go to Germany as a few of my friends were going. There are so many festivals that are amazing. I really love going to Primavera in Barcelona, that’s an amazing festival, and Glastonbury as well, even just to go to, is a magical thing. Hopefully all these amazing festivals can come back, that’s our hope.
You’re coming back with a fourth The xx album, do you feel like you’ll be going into it with a different energy now you’ve worked more on solo stuff? I think so, that’s my goal for making a solo album. A by-product of it is just to learn and come back with a fresh energy for The xx. It’s not like I’m saying that it needs it, it’s just we’ve only ever worked together for so long and it’s quite nice to keep it fresh. I noticed when Jamie made his solo album, he came back with more experiences, more knowledge, more energy to bring back into something for the band and that’s what I hope to do as well.
PICTURE: LAURA COULSON
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since becoming a solo artist vs being in the xx? “Wow. It’s been a lot more pressure on me to have to own it and take full responsibility for everything and make the decisions. I’m very used to keeping things very fair and I’m used to being in a three-way band where it’s always and DJ who lives in Manchester. I really recommend her; she’s got some DJ sets on YouTube that are so good. She’s really eclectic, she moves really beautifully magical thing. Hopefully all these amazing festivals can come back, that’s our hope.” What can we expect from the future of your solo work? I just want to keep collaborating, I’d love for this album to represent a community of people that I’ve met along this journey. I’d love to work with a lot more women and non-binary producers. I’d love to make it a fun and uplifting record that people can dance to even if it’s still just in their kitchen and that’s a celebration of queer culture as well- that would be my goal.
THE BIG PICTURE
THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT! HAS MUSIC LEFT THE BUILDING? WORDS: ALEX SALISBURY
IT’S A FRIDAY IN Falmouth and once again we’ve taken over a local pub for a night of obnoxious, in-your-face music, a standard weekend for me and the Inbetween Days crew. I watch over the merch stall as Matty Cabbage of London-based hardcore gutter punks Migraines calls the crowd ‘country bumpkin cunts’ as he spits in the face of strangers, whilst bodies clash in the moshpit. Little did we know this would be the last show we ran for the year as the world began to crumble under the looming pandemic of COVID-19. At least we went out with a bang for 2020. For the past three years I’ve been embedded in the South West music scene, starting with running a regular band showcase at the pub I was running and
culminating in running the wildest, bestattended, gigs in town. In that time, I’d run over 30 shows under the Inbetween Days banner, collab’d with various promoters, built a huge network of contact and helped run two one-day festivals. At the start of the year our team were on a high. Not only were we now turning profit, we were saving money. Our ethos had always been bands get paid first, no matter what, and if there was money left over for us that was a bonus. We’d even stopped sticking all the profit back over the bars of various drinking holes during that post-show high that follows high energy nights of earsplitting music.
We’d just run three shows, in three days, across three venues for Independent Venue Week (another one of my hair-brained schemes). Sold out the Fish Factory for a treble-header of School Disco, Skinny Milk and Facepaint. Had just destroyed the Jacob’s Ladder Inn with the Migraines show. Work had started on some artist management plans and a DIY record label. Everything was looking on the up. Then lockdown hit. Our last show of the year was on Friday 13th March and ten days later we were locked down for an uncertain amount of time. As the days ticked by, and lockdown extended further with no end in sight, we had to cancel show after show, months of hard work and planning down
and planning down the drain. Although frustrating, for us it wasn’t the end of the world, we were DIY with barely any overheads, we knew lots of people in the industry whose livelihood was kicked out from under them and are still struggling to survive day-to-day. Now, in lockdown number 2, I’m sat, biding my time, waiting for the right time to start booking shows. I can’t bring myself to run a socially distanced gig, it’s not what we do. If there ain’t bodies on top of bodies, sweat and blood flying everywhere and ringing ears the next day, we aren’t doing our shows right. I don’t know where the end is, but when we can I’m worried we won’t have the venues we’ve been booking in to run shows in any more. This year has been tough on everyone, both on a personal and on a business level, and because of this we’ve already lost venues in town. They’ve all had to change tact with the constantly changing
PICTURE: FELIX BARTLETT
restrictions placed upon them, and some have realised they quite prefer their pub without hundreds of drunken punks being silly twats and breaking things. Some haven’t even reopened and the future of the biggest venue in town, where we’d started booking at the end of 2019, hangs in the balance. The town council are trying to rescue it from closure from the Londonbased leisure company owners who frankly ran the place into the ground during their tenure. But, music scenes don’t die, they evolve, if we don’t have any venues we’ll find new spaces to book gigs, I’m certain of that. That’s what the DIY ethos is all about. Whether it’s a barn on a farm, a disused factory or a dilapidated warehouse, we’ll find somewhere to let the music play again. We didn’t get into this game for money, we got into because we have a passion for music and giving it a platform to be heard.
With all the hardship the year has brought, our team has also fragmented and split apart. No bad blood or anything like that, just their time in Falmouth coming to an end, be that because of graduating uni, or simply not being able to afford to live here in these uncertain times. My original booking partner from right at the beginning, Kieran Clark (Milo Gore guitarist, LUKE MOSS), left a few months ago, Joe Aslett (Milo Gore and Long Tonic drummer) departed before summer and Adam Sanchez, a reliable hand on the tech front has moved up to London. Myself, photographer David J Blanks, graphic designer Martin Townsend and projector of weird visuals Rick Andrew are holding the fort down. We’ve got people messaging us asking to pitch-in when we’re ready to start this crazy train up again. This is the beauty of a tight music scene like Falmouth, it wants to help, promote and encourage what we have in town.
PICTURE: DAVID J BLANKS
Until then, we wait, we re-energise, and we refocus. With the looming shit storm of Brexit mere days away, which ushers in the complete collapse of any touring opportunities in the EU for up-andcoming bands, DIY promoters are going to be instrumental in kick starting the music scene in this country. So, with this I implore you, if you have the passion we share at Inbetween Days, to think about promoting your own shows. Does it become all consuming? Yep. Are their financial rewards? Maybe. Would I recommend doing it? FUCK YES!
“IF THERE AIN’T BODIES ON TOP OF BODIES, SWEAT & BLOOD FLYING EVERYWHERE THEN WE AREN’T DOING OUR SHOWS RIGHT”
We CANNOT wait until we can do this again!!! So much so, we have a load of great stuff lined up for you the minute things return to normal, and those venue doors are OPEN!! Including
BECKY HILL, MICHAEL KIWANUKA, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT DONAVON FRANKENREITER, GELONG THUBTEN ...and more!!
or follow us on socials
INTERVIEW
WORDS: LAARAIB KHAN
2020 WAS ONE HELL OF A YEAR when time stood still, but for Luis Felber A.K.A Attawalpa, it seems things were just getting started and dare I say thriving. Felber only started releasing music under ‘Attawalpa’ as recent as the tail end of 2019 but has a vast catalogue of other projects he’d been involved with in previous years. The year seems to have been a busy one for Attawalpa, music wise, as he brought us his magical ‘Spells’ E.P and singles ‘Done Hanging On’ and ‘Killer’ from his upcoming E.P ‘Patterns’. CLUNK was lucky enough to pick Attawalpa’s brains before the year was out to chat all things music, addiction and underground bunkers!
PICTURE: TOM BEARD
Attawalpa in 3 words, go: “I am Attawalpa. That’s the short answer.” You’ve worked on many other projects before Attawalpa, what makes this different? “I am Attawalpa [laughs]. I think everything happens for a reason especially when its dark heavy shit. I think it’s the universe trying to teach us or maybe were doing something wrong that we keep doing again and not really knowing that we’re hurting ourselves. That’s where I was at before I started doing Attawalpa. It was only a year ago when I started releasing music, but nothing really flowed before then and nothing was really clicking. I wasn’t happy with any other project I had done to the extent that I am happy with Attawalpa.” “Attawalpa is my middle name so that resides heavily with me. I feel like band names should be like spells, you should feel really connected to it and I can’t feel more connected to something when it’s my name. My mum is Peruvian and named me after an Inca King. The songs are all personal. I’d never put anything out that I’d think was throw away or that I wasn’t happy with. That’s the biggest difference
between this and anything else I’ve associated with. I’m the most lucid and aware than I’ve ever been in my life and I want that to connect with the music. I wanted to make music I wanted to listen to and none of the other projects was allowing that.” Whilst Attawalpa expressed that his music is personal, he also highlighted how he likes the idea of growing groups and clans of people coming together who enjoy his music: “I really like hearing what people take from the songs. It doesn’t
matter what I take from it. I’ve made them, and I could tell you what each song means to me but I’d much rather they be used as a tool to hear what other people think.” So, would you say you’re happy and comfortable with where you are right now? “I wouldn’t say I feel comfortable or good, I’d say I feel excited. The moment you start to feel comfortable doing what you’re doing, that’s the moment everything goes wrong. As a recording artist/musician, it’s my duty to myself to keep pushing for new things. I’m not saying I’m going to turn
PICTURE: JACK WHITEFIELD
around and start a grime album, but I’ve figured out what my arena of music is. I want to push writing deeper lyrics, better melodies and making cooler videos. I feel like I’m building an Attawalpa [identity] but I don’t feel comfortable. I feel very uncomfortable constantly but I’m excited.” He delves deeper into his past: “I was pretty much numb for 15 years. I didn’t take a breath of sober air throughout my late teens and twenties and now it’s the first time I feel like I’m in control of my clarity. It might just be an illusion! I feel strongly about what I want to put out and how I want to put it out. I’m not signed or anything, I don’t come from money, so I have these limitations but it’s all about using limitations to your advantage.” From your first release as Attawalpa to the present, what has changed? Take us through that journey: “Loads of things have changed. I released No Fools under a different name and when it got [picked up by] Netflix earlier this year, I
changed the name on Spotify to Attawalpa. That was originally an Attawalpa demo. I was going to rerecord it but once it got over half a million plays on Spotify, I [couldn’t] really rerecord that. When I was doing that, I wasn’t in the best place mentally. I lived in this basement in tower bridge and I just got out of an 8-year relationship and I was in another relationship which was great, but I couldn’t really see the positivity of it in the moment because my head was so warped. I was just making as much music as I could in my off time. No fools were one of those songs. I think I jammed it out with two of my friends on my birthday about three years ago. My good friend produced it with me and put that out at a time where it was under a different name and the band wasn’t right. No
one seemed to really want to do it. I ended up sobering up and one day I woke up and realised the name should be Attawalpa. When you’re in London, it’s quite hard to understand why you’re doing something cause it’s so fast and I think I needed that year off booze and drugs to question myself and lay into myself.” “When I put out the ‘Spells’ EP, I feel that’s when the Attawalpa flow started. From ‘Spells’ to ‘Done Hanging On’ and ‘Killer’, I feel like every release has taught me something new. [They’ve] shone an extra bit of light on places that I didn’t know existed, helping me move forward onto the next thing. The songs I’m writing now, I’m really excited about. The next three singles are part of ‘Patterns’ which ‘Done Hanging On’ and ‘Killer’ [are] a part of. I’m really excited about putting that out.” “There’s been a world of improvement between ‘No Fools’ and ‘Killer’. What they mean to me and what
they mean to other people. I feel like it’s the closest I’ll ever get to having children. I’m making these little guys and girls and then the moment I master them and decide to put them out in the world, they’re not mine anymore, they’re the worlds. I can’t really take ownership of it anymore. Let’s talk live shows during a year which has really hit the music industry: “In hindsight it was kind of painful. Obviously as a writer I could get my head down and write. I didn’t realise how much I missed gigs until about the summer. When I got word of some venues doing socially distanced [gigs], I totally just jumped on it before even asking my band if they’re around. I booked 5 or 6 shows in October November and for at least half of those I had to get a new band. Usually I’d postpone the shows and do it when [the band] can do it but I was so desperate to play these songs that I’d found some awesome musicians to play it with me.”
“It’s different and weird cause everyone is sitting down but, in a way, it is more intense and I kinda like that. Everyone is really listening. It’s earlier and people are drinking less cause of Covid, so people are just there to watch live music. It highlights the importance of that as a music consumer as well as a musician, it just felt so good.” “I like the sitting down vibe, and I like that we can do something now. I’m not comparing it to what normal was, I don’t think normal was necessarily a good thing, I’m just trying to be in the present and be grateful for what we have. I think that’s the best way to not become an angry fool. Obviously, it’s terrible for the live music industry because venues can’t make
money, lots of things are going to close down but from a selfish point of view, I feel really grateful that I’ve been able to play and will continue to be able to play on a grass roots level.” What was it like creating music in lockdown? It was weird timing cause creativity is like catching lightning in a bottle, it doesn’t always strike in the same place. around January this year I’d moved into this flat that I’m in now with my friend who is in a duo called Nerves. He had drums in his basement and some amps. I slyly persuaded him to turn it into a studio and I’d move my stuff in… by the end of February, I had a studio in a basement and by the time lockdown started I was kind of ready to isolate and start working out these new ideas. On top of that I had lots of material [from] other projects that I hadn’t really looked at for a few years. I’ve been producing since 2014/15 and it was like a forced reflection on loads of stuff. Now I’m
“I’M A DEPRESSIVE SO I’VE SUFFERED WITH DEPRESSION PRETTY MUCH MY WHOLE LIFE” releasing some Nerves stuff, a track with Misty Miller and a whole album with a project I did called Sugar with my ex-girlfriend Emma who’s directing the ‘Please Take Care’ video. A lot of stuff is going to come out next year from that forced reflection. Mainly I was just getting my head down and just experimenting with ideas and lyrics and melodies.” “My friend Ben who produced ‘No Fools’ got hold of me just to thank me for the Netflix thing and we hadn’t spoken for a while. We basically got back together, and we started working on some tracks and that was a real catalyst to finish these tracks. Once the first lockdown finished, I went back to studios with Matt Allchin who did the ‘Spells’ and ‘Patterns’ EP. I had loads of ideas and those ideas seem to keep coming.”
“I think isolation is a big part of creativity for me, well it has been and hopefully next year with this new band that I’ve got, I’d love to take these ideas to a studio and capture the live aspect of just a drummer and a bassist cause I’ve never really done that before. I’ve done everything backwards. [I’ve] written a song then brought musicians in to play the parts that I can’t play. But I want to do it the other way round now which will be cool. It’s a really exciting prospect.” Attawalpa talked us through how he stayed grounded and creative through lockdown: “I’m a depressive so I’ve suffered with depression pretty much my whole life and I tended to self-medicate with weed, drugs and alcohol. Like I said I went sober 2 years ago for a year and that
was through 5 element acupuncture. I sat with that pain and struggle for a year and when this pandemic happened, I took the lessons I learnt from that. Luckily, I got to know myself in the last two years and I had that clarity, space and respect for not pushing myself too much. In a way it was really good timing. If this pandemic happened 3 years ago, I don’t know if I’d be around right now. As dark as that sounds, it’s true. I know a lot of people that have struggled a lot through this time and that have questioned their place. I find the beauty of being able to create music really therapeutic. It’s a feeling of contentment and excitement. I still get nervous before gigs and still get nervous
PICTURE: EVA PENTAL
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when I put stuff out [but] as long as I’m happy enough with what it is, it’s cool. I’ve just been really lucky this year to have a space where I can do stuff and also to have a space to myself. If I wasn’t living here with my mate, then I don’t know where I’d be. I’d have torn my hair out.” Do you have any advice for musicians and creatives who might be struggling right now? “Hit me up! DM me cause a one-on-one conversation is better than reading the instructions out of a recipe book. If it’s not working, there’s a lot to be said about taking a break and putting your mind into something else. Maybe if you’re a song writer, try drawing something and using a different part of your brain and giving your brain a break. Wait for that moment of creativity, put your energy into something else and it will come. If you’re doing something the same way you have always done it try differently. If you always write songs on a 12-string acoustic guitar, try writing it on a bass. The thing that really sucks for everyone at the moment including myself is the whole money thing.” “How do we survive off universal credit and how do we survive without touring? Maybe this is highlighting that for creatives and how
badly we are being treated in this country. Even the way Spotify and the labels make us … streaming is just a joke. Another bad analogy is maybe Boris Johnson or Donald trump. These idiots are there doing this job we thought was amazing, maybe they’re highlighting how bad it’s been and how much of an illusion it has been. The system is fucked. We’re all in it together and I feel as a musician I have always been in that mentality. It’s good to help other people if you can’t help yourself then eventually that energy will come back around.” What does the future look like for musicians/the music industry? “I’ve got this lyric on this new tune called ‘Disapproving Eyes’ and one of the lyrics is “I’ve seen the future and it’s not good enough”.” Before ‘Attawalpa’, Felber’s resume boasted touring with Adele before she made it big. He also toured the world, playing for Jamie T, both of which seem like accolades which one may feel merit further recognition for Felber at this stage in his career. However, as he explains, you just have to be in the right place at the right time and how the music industry can be a cruel mistress… “Nowadays the reasons that people can get millions of views on YouTube because they pay money for advertising.” PICTURE: TOM BEARD
“I guess we’ve got to have faith in our algorithms… which is a really dark thing to say.”
Finally, what’s instore for Attawalpa in the coming year (2021)?
He further adds that although the internet has perhaps negatively impacted the music industry, he acknowledges that the internet can be amazing especially in a Covid world where live shows can be streamed to people in the comfort of their own homes, mixing old mediums with new!
“[Expect] everything and more! The next song I’m going to release is ‘Please Take Care’, then a tune called ‘Yellow Fingers’. The ending song on ‘Patterns’ is called ‘Tucked in Tight’ which is a love song. The saddest love song because it’s a song about my phone [laughs] it’s so sad. ‘Tucked in Tight’ starts with me on the piano and ends with the most technology I’ve ever used on a song. I took all my anxiety inducing voicemails and put them through an amp, stretched and processed them and made that the outro. My phone is the first thing and last thing I look at in the day which is kind of romantic but kind of fucked up as well, I guess that’s my present addiction. So, I’m going to put those three songs out and more videos as well more gigs. I will continue to put music out as I’ve been doing it throughout next year and hopefully building up more of a live show. I’m happy with the way things have been sounding. We’ve all got really big ideas [that] we’re really passionate about!” It’s good to help other people if you can’t help yourself then eventually that energy will come back around.”
On a lighter note, I asked Attawalpa what 3 things he would bring into an underground bunker, seen as though the world felt like it was ending in 2020: “I guess some sort of recording mechanism like a computer set up, guitar and mic if that all can be one thing. I’m obsessed with sparkling water. I guess the taps aren’t filled with San Pellegrino so that! I’m really dyslexic so if it was the end of the world, I would take a collection of books and comics to educate myself. [I’d] bring the recording equipment to document feelings so I don’t go mad and San Pellegrino to be snobbishly hydrated.” And what musicians (dead or alive) would you bring with you? “Buck would be one. I don’t know if we’d be able to communicate. RZA from Wu-Tang but Grave Diggers era and Neil Young, early 70s, I think we’d have a lot of fun. I’d basically be drinking my San Pellegrino, listening to them argue for years.”
“IT’S GOOD TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE IF YOU CAN’T HELP YOURSELF THEN EVENTUALLY THAT ENERGY WILL COME BACK AROUND”
PICTURE: TOM BEARD
PICTURE: KIERAN WEBBER
HOT TOPIC
5 WAYS TO SUPPORT ARTISTS IN THE PANDEMIC WORDS: KIERAN WEBBER
I AM SURE, LIKE MYSELF YOU are starting to get tired of hearing how we are in strange times and that things are uncertain. It’s scary for us all during this pandemic for a variety of reasons. However, the music industry and musicians have arguably taken one of the biggest hits. It is incredibly hard for a musician or artist to make a real living from releasing music alone, Spotify hands out a pittance to artists, the album platform is not what it used to be (although there is an increase in physical sales, particularly with vinyl).
A lot of artists, especially those in the underground survive off merch and playing live shows. Obviously with the restrictions in place we cannot go and see our favourite bands live, or any band for that matter. Most merch sales are done at a gig, so as you can see funding and living as a musician just got even harder. It’s not all doom and gloom though as we can support them in a variety of ways. From buying streaming to purchasing physical copies of their music there is much for you to do.
STREAM, STREAM & STREAM Streaming platforms are a great way for artists to create a hub for their music and get themselves out there. However, the payout from platforms such as Spotify are a little unfair to say the least. For example for every stream Spotify pays out roughly $0.006 to $0.0084. This means that for every 1 million streams the artist can get $6,000-$8,400. This is no easy feat to achieve, but it is possible. You can
help artists by streaming their music, you have a favourite song? Add it to a playlist. Vibing that album? Play that sucker on repeat! This is a real easy way for you to support an artist, all you need to do is sit back and listen for the most part. With all the time we have on our hands for now and the foreseeable future this is an easy ask.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIAL This is super simple and very easy for EVERYONE to do. It may feel like you’ve not done much but sharing a bands page, a single or any form of content is a super important way to support artists and musicians. This takes almost no effort and you could be helping out your favourite band in a huge way.
BUY THAT MERCH
WORD OF MOUTH
In the words of Jake Paul “Buy That Merch”. Now is the time to buy a band T-shirt, new EP, artwork or anything they are offering. Bandcamp have been doing special days where they waiver the fees for buying music, so all profit goes to the artist directly. There has been a huge bump in online shopping since the lockdown (for obvious reasons) but why give tax dodgers like Amazon your money when you could support a band?
We’re talking to people more than ever, in general but also especially during this lockdown. It may be an old hat and cliche but word of mouth is still one one of the most powerful ways to support artists. In your next phone call, FaceTime or Skype call mention a band you’ve discovered, or are obsessed with. As that massive shopping conglomerate says, every little helps.
KEEP HOLD OF GIG TICKETS AND FESTIVAL TICKETS It may seem like a distant dream but festivals and gigs will return, like you bands are eager to get back out there and play. Currently a lot of events have been rescheduled, but it is still uncertain if these will go ahead. As time progresses we’ll know what the government’s decision will be, currently it’s all a little up in the air.
Keep hold of your tickets, they will be rescheduled for another date. Trust us the artists and organisers want these shows and festivals to go ahead. Consider your ticket an investment, although you’re not using it yet you are putting your faith in them for it to at some point.
PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT
EM MARCOVECCHIO EM MARCOVECCHIO has made a name for herself as a photographer and creative after graduating from Falmouth University and relocating to Cornwall. Her work focuses primarily on the music industry with her photographic content being compromised of both live and portraits. In March 2020 she founded the ‘Noisy Women’ podcast and has recently become the presenter and photographer for OBTV (Old Bakery, Truro). PICTURES: EM MARCOVECCHIO
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UNDERGROUND SCENE
LOSING A MAJORITY OF OUR VENUES WILL CRIPPLE UNDERGROUND MUSIC Disclamer - This article was written pre Brexit & Covid so some information my be outdated or changed. WORDS: KIERAN WEBBER
IT WAS RECENTLY REVEALED BY General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union Horace Trubridge that we could lose a majority of our music venues due to the Covid-19 crisis. Losing venues would cripple the underground and emerging music scene, making it impossible for artists to breakout. Most, if not all artists (especially those in the underground/emerging) rely on live shows to generate revenue. Album sales have been dwindling for years and streams pay pennies. So, what happens if the places they play close down, get demolished or worst yet, turned into luxury apartments.
“THE ARTS HAVE BEEN MASSIVELY UNDERFUNDED BY THE CURRENT TORY GOVRERNMENT”
It’s very simple, if there are no music venues for bands to play in then it is simply impossible for them to exist. The venues that remain will be looking to cash in and the best way to do that is to book larger acts who are guaranteed to sell out. It leaves little to no room for emerging acts to perform and build an audience, let alone get paid and sell their merch. Speaking on merch Rory Lethbridge of psych-rock outfit School Disco informed me that “Merchandise is a probably the biggest income for us.” The effect of losing our majorities could be severe explains Rory: “playing live is our bread and butter and therefore it would be very
PICTURE: KIERAN WEBBER
difficult to not have all the great live opportunities we have had previously, if something were to happen.” He continues “Venues as a whole are massively important to me. They have not only massively informed my later teenage years going to my first underground gigs at the Junction and underground in my home town of Plymouth, but also I still have a-lot of those old habits and still hang out in venues like the hope and ruin and green door store in Brighton.” This begs another question, in an industry where it is already incredibly hard to make money why would you bother if it got even harder? Losing venues means we will lose bands and artists alike. This really is a domino effect and one that must not begin motion. We could witness the largest destruction of culture in not just the U.K but the world. Music venues are a pillar in every community, even if you’re not an active gig goer there is a chance you’ve been in one at some point of your life. Other countries such as Germany, New Zealand
and France have all set up relief funds for creative industries. Yet the U.K government has remained quiet on the subject. They have been told time and time again that the arts will suffer the most, yet they refuse to listen. I asked Alex Salisbury of Inbetween Days a promoter in Falmouth, Cornwall if he believed a government fund would help: “Absolutely. But, the arts have been one area of our society that has been massively underfunded by the current run of Tories governments anyway,
so I’m not hopeful.” However, Alex believes that even in the worstcase scenario that “we will always find a way to run shows, whether that’s in a traditional venue, or somewhere else.” Continuing “I think in the next couple of years we will all have to get more creative with the spaces we use to keep our musical nightlife alive.” This is something mirrored by Rory “I truly believe and hope that the underground scene would find a way.” Carrying on he says, “Most of the
people I know within the scene have a strong DIY ethos and I hope this would carry over into makeshift venues or finding ways of making things work.” One thing is clear, over the next few years we are going to see a huge change in how we enjoy live music, for better or worse. It is essential to save our venues though, they are pillars in the community and hubs of culture. Nearly every artist worth their salt has started playing in independent venues throughout the country. Most bands and artists would not exist today without them. Remember that next time you’re watching Green Day in a stadium or The 1975 sell out massive venues.
PICTURE: FELIX BARTLETT
“WE COULD WITNESS THE LARGEST DESTRUCTION OF CULTURE IN NOT JUST THE U.K. BUT THE WORLD” We were already fighting a losing battle with the closure of independent venues across the country. Now it has gotten even scarier. It is without a doubt that if we lose the majority of venues then the underground scene will be crippled.
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LIFE IN LOCKDOWN AND ALL THINGS INBETWEEN WORDS: MATILDA BARKER HALL
FROM THE SURFERS HOTSPOT Newquay, Mopes has arisen, a one man band that brings endless amounts of dynamic talent. Connor Powell has been present across the Cornish music scene for the last couple of years, having been the lead guitarist and vocalist in Reni and the Bonglords, drummer for Flowers of Palo, drummer for Bruise Cruise and supporting the local scene in attending a majority of gigs. During the first lockdown we caught up with the enigmatic artist to chat about life in quarantine, his music and life in Cornwall.
“We’ve been really lucky to spend her later golden years in such good First of all how are you doing? What have you been weather.” missing most in What’s the plan for quarantine?: future releases? “Hiya! I’m not doing too “Both ‘Stammer’ and its bad at all, thank you. Ah I’ve missed a lot of things to b side ‘Anything Could be fair, mainly just goofing Happen’ are going to be included in part one of a around with friends and little compilation of the going to shows though. I’m sure most people will relate haha.” What has been your favourite activity during lockdown? “My favourite activity has definitely just been taking my dog out. She’s getting on a bit now so she can’t walk so far, so quick little nips around the local countryside have been super special.”
aesthetic but not necessarily poorly produced. I dunno, I’ve always been a bit slap handed with production so if you’re going by the book, it probably is quite poorly produced but it sounds ok to me haha! Then the second part is just a bit more nasty.”
“WE HIJACKED A LUNCHTIME CONCERT ONCE AND PLAYED MY GENERATION” stuff I’ve made over lockdown. The first part I’ve tried super hard to nail down a solid sound. Something lo-fi in
“I’m still not done with it, it’s been pretty therapeutic to write over the last couple months. Just a bit
“IT’S BEEN PRETTY THEREPEUTIC TO WRITE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS” rawer and noisier and darker, trying to write without a filter at all. I just feel like I’ve really exhausted the bubblegum surf pop thing for the time being; it’s definitely something that will always play a part but at the moment I’m just not really feeling like going down that route. I’m really missing all my dumb punk shit haha.” Where would your dream location to play a gig be? “My dream gig would absolutely be in my bedroom. Cramming all my friends in and just absolutely sending it. Probably isn’t ever gunna happen cos I’ve gotta respect the neighbours; they’ve put up with a lot over the years hahaha. But I figure Mopes has always been a home project studio-wise, so why not live too?”
Who are top 3 all time favourite artists? “Ooo that’s a brutal question haha. Probably no surprises Ty Segall is an absolute favourite. But Otis Redding is definitely up there too. His performance on Ready Steady Go in 1966 is about as good as it gets. And also Ima have to say Tinnedfruit. They played a show in my local pub when I was like 14 or 15. I had a bluesy kinda covers band and we were supporting, it was our first show.”
“Tinnedfruit closed the night and were kicked out after one song and the police were called.” “I had no idea that loud original music even existed in Cornwall before that, it was just so exciting to a lil Connor. We immediately went home and started writing punk. I think I bum licked them on Facebook messenger for about a year afterwards, which is a constant source of cringe for me now, but it was totally heartfelt!” What are your general influences for your music? “I just love seeing friends bands release kick ass EPs and stuff, I’m so
proud to be around to tell them how psyched I am or whatever. The Cornish scene is like this big beautiful cesspit of bands that just feed off each other doing sick stuff. Like when FacePaint or Hummus Boys or whoever drops some music I’ll find myself absolutely frothing and will start coming out with tunes again, so I guess friends are my biggest influence.” What is your first memory of music? When did you start learning an instrument? “I started learning drums when I was like 7, and I hated it haha! The lessons were so uninspiring. There would be 10 of us sat in the school library religiously learning shoddy rudiments on little plastic pads, staring longingly at the shiny blue drum kit in the corner. So I quit that after maybe 3 or 4 lessons. But then I got a little table top electric drum kit for my birthday and started beating around on that, and was instantly hooked. I learned to play by jamming along with my dad who played
“THE CORNISH SCENE IS LIKE THIS BIG BEAUTIFUL CESSPIT OF BANDS” guitar, we’d play Guns N’ Roses and Free covers. Dad has always played a huge part in my interest in music. These days he’s more into his photography, but he still comes to all the shows, taking gnarly B&W photos with whatever weird soviet era camera he’s playing with at that moment. He’s a total legend.”
Being present in the Cornish music scene has been a hell of a ride right? What have been some of your fav gigs to attend? “Honestly, those early Hillbillys shows, with Clay Allison, Reni and FacePaint were some of the best nights ever. Down a load of Aldis battery acid
cider before the set, can’t go wrong. I think Hillbillys have a lot of trouble with the neighbours these days so it’s a bit tougher to play there, maybe one day though. FacePaint have always been absolutely killer. I remember Elik (drummer/vocals for facepaint) approached me at college once and asked if I could listen to his band practise. I was like, blown away, and they all thought they were so shit haha! It’s so amazing to see how they’ve grown the last year or two, I’m so proud of those blokes. Also, Hummus Boys’ set at their EP launch in the winter absolutely melted my heart. It was the first big kinda college band show after a bit of a dry period, and everyone left so excited for the year to come. Obviously the ‘rona put a swift end to just about everything, but yah that night was special. It’s a CLUNK tradition of ours to ask for any tour or gig story that you’d like to share? Ah man a lot of whack shit happened when Reni was a thing. We formed while we were all still at school and people HATED us hahaha! We
just played horrible Beatles and The Who covers at full pelt, fuzz pedals and amps maxed at school functions. The guitar and bass signal from the PA system would almost always be cut within seconds, so we’d just carry on straight through the amps. The hall was super resonant so it didn’t really matter. Someone pulled out a decibel reader once and measured 124db; a proud moment for sure. That’s louder than Deep Purple!
BREXSHIT
WHY BANDS SHOULD CONSIDER PLAYING CORNWALL POST BREXIT WORDS: KIERAN WEBBER
BREXT IS AN UTTER SHIT, SHOW, a bleak insight into the stupidity of the masses and the lies of the ruling class. However, when Britain is great again and we are plunged into a recession post-Brexit there may be some hope. If there is one positive that may come from this is that we, as a nation will be forced to support local more than ever. Sure, it may be because we have no other choice and our very country is aflame but a positive nonetheless.
touring schedules, it ‘sa shame but understandable. Cornwall can be fickle, why travel that extra mileage when you can play in Exeter or head to Europe. However, in the last few years there has been an emerging scene in Cornwall, particularly in Falmouth, Truro and Newquay. There are local bands pushing through playing to sold out shows of eager music fans, who just like the band want This support local attitude, a successful music which should almost scene in their home certainly be in place post county. Cornwall also Brexit could strengthen the plays host to a variety music scene countrywide, of Festivals such as particularly in Cornwall. The Great Estate, It’s no secret that Cornwall Leopallooza and is often overlooked when Boardmasters. All of bands are planning their which bring massive
artists down to the county. This article released by the British Government was written pre-Brexit trade deal and pandemic and stated the following: If you bring goods into or take goods out of the UK in your baggage or a small motor vehicle, and you intend to use them for business, you must declare your goods and pay import duty and VAT before you move them across the border.” – Gov.uk It’s difficult enough as it is to tour as a band, the money that bands received 20 years ago doesn’t’t exist, most bands work day jobs to fund their musical
projects. Almost all bands, even ones with success are selffunding their tours, releases & merch. The costs you consider when touring pre-Brexit is already pretty high. There is fuel, food, drink, accommodation, purchasing a van, insurance and many other costs, the list is almost endless. The document released by the British government now adds another cost before the band have even entered the EU. This truly is a sham and totally unfair on the artists. This has potential to seriously stifle British musicians, especially on a grassroots level. However, touring the UK more extensively, going to those further corners
of the country might be a good way to strengthen scenes, avoid shitty taxes and VAT charges as well a hit an audience normally left to travel to the closest large city. Cornwall is one of those said places, we are left out but there is a movement of people who want to see emerging bands perform. Especially in the aforementioned towns. Post-Brexit Cornwall could be a viable option for many bands and one I feel they should exploit. We are here, waiting for you. Let’s make the most out of a real shit situation and strengthen and brighten our creative communities.
PICTURE: DAVID J BLANKS
ILLUSTRATION: @red_moon_design
HOME GROWN
CORNISH SPOTLIGHT WORDS & PICTURES: EMILY TALBOT & KIERAN WEBBER
The Rezner
The Rezner are one of Cornwall’s most recent and exciting prospects. They’re young, full of energy and hungry to be heard. This tenacious energy makes them wildly alluring and incredibly exciting. Their sound is a mix of early Arctic Monkeys and 90’s brit-pop fused into one brilliant package. As time goes by, they go from strength to strength, getting tighter, more entertaining and confident. If they carry on in this trajectory then The Rezner are for sure going to be a band you’ll be hearing a lot of!
The Velvet Hands
These plucky lads from Cornwall fast became a local favourite due to their ferocious brand of garage rock and natural stage presence. Frontmen Dan Able and Toby Mitchell have the moves and swagger to put Mick Jagger to shame. The band have safely conquered their local stomping ground and have moved in to the towering landscape of London where they are quickly gaining notoriety for their infectious and explosive music. Since moving to the city they have grown exponentially in confidence, in sound and in attitude. It’s great to see a band from Cornwall fit so effortlessly into the London scene, and become a force to be reckoned with. If you’re into The Strokes, The Libertines or The Clash then you absolutely must check out The Velvet Hands.
FacePaint
For the past year FacePaint have been turning heads all across the County with their infectious indie-psych rock. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have no doubt encountered their ferocity live. It can be argued they are one of Cornwall’s most exciting bands around at the moment.
Other notable names hailing from Cornwall include: Milo Gore, The Rezner, WAXX, Mother Vulture, BAGGS, Plum jr, Duvet daze, SCIXNCE, Kit massima, Hypophora, Fountainhead, Bruise cruise, Mopes, Stanley Duke & The Kindred Spirits, Sundiverr, Yellow, Daisy Clark, Mog Jones
THE REVIEWS
TOP ABLUMS OF 2020 WELL IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN again where the music world looks back on the releases of 2020 and ranks them numerically, a boiling down of art to quantifiable measures. Unlike other publications our best of list is in no particular order as one person’s top album of 2020 is another person’s worst. Art is relative and we want to keep it that way. Each album is selected by CLUNK staff and thrown into the pile, not one is better than the other but these are the albums that left a mark on us in 2020.
IDLES ULTRA MONO
Idles trump up the social values while continuing to occupy a peculiar British tradition ALEX SALISBURY
There is no community without unity and IDLES’ ‘Ultra Mono’ is a unifying call for the more socially conscious in society. A huge right hook of positivity straight into the mush of a world that is slowly being consumed by its own hatred and negativity. “Let’s seize the day! All hold hands, chase the pricks away. You can do it!” rings the chorus of ‘Mr Motivator’, and true to its name it’s a real motivator of a track. Dropped as a single square in the middle of lockdown it was a shimmering light of optimism during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was a clear indication that IDLES were moving their sound in a new direction. Album three is not as abrasive as their honest and dark debut ‘Brutalism’ and has a couple more layers of polish on it than 2018’s ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’. In my opinion this album doesn’t reach the heights of their previous offerings and it took me some time to appreciate it for the quality release it is.
On my first listen I was a bit underwhelmed. But, as I became more familiar with it, I really started to fall in love with it, especially as we get into the real meat and potatoes from track four, ‘Anxiety’, onwards. The second half of the album features some excellent collaborations with artists as varied as Jamie Cullum, David Yow (Scratch Acid, Jesus Lizard) and a real highlight in Jehnny Beth (Savages) as co-vocalist on the consentanthem ‘Ne touche pas moi’.
Although I think Joe Talbot has produced more powerful work on previous outings, there are some real stand out moments on ‘Ultra Mono’. ‘A Hymn’ is vulnerable and soul exposing, ‘Anxiety’ has that old sarcastic IDLES punk bite to it and tracks like ‘I’m a Lover’ show new strings to his bow. But, Dev’s bass tone throughout is beautifully rich and really takes centre stage on most of the tracks and really shines on ‘Carcinogenic’ and ‘Reigns’. And, Jon’s wide range of work here is always perfectly placed, from the furious opener ‘War’ to the delicate ‘A Hymn’.
Musically the album is probably their strongest offering, with Adam ‘Dev’ Devonshire (Bass) and Jon Beavis (Drums) providing a solid foundation for the excellent guitar work of Lee Kiernan and Mark ‘Bobo’ Bowen to be layered on top of. ‘Ultra Mono’ sounds huge, with hip-hop producer Kenny Beats doing sterling work from behind the desk, and I can’t wait to hear these new tunes in a live setting.
Overall, ‘Ultra Mono’ is probably the easiest entry point to new fans of IDLES, being slightly more accessible than their heavier début and the real socialist-packed anthems of ‘JOAAOR’. Whether you like them or not, or if you think they’re poseurs, you can not disagree that they’re doing something right, especially after bagging the #1 spot in the album chart. IDLES have created a community around their music that is brimming in positivity and unity. They’re an important band to many people, myself included.
THE CHATS High Risk Behaviour
OLIVER TREE Ugly Is Beautiful
LUKE JAMES
Oliver Tree is an odd phenomenon. With his trademark flared jeans, shell suit top, bowl cut, thin sunglasses and riding his scooter, he looks for all the world like a novelty act. What you actually get is a mix of grunge and hip hop that results in a truly unique sound for a truly unique artist. ‘Ugly is Beautiful’ takes heavy influence from 90’s and early 2000 bands such as Weezer and Presidents of the USA but Oliver Tree fuses that with a hip hop sound that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Beastie Boys album. While it’s a mix of sounds that should instantly sound dated, it just works. First song ‘Me, Myself & I’ pulls on the Weezer influence with its garage sounding guitar riffs and self deprecating lyrics (“I’m feeling weak and I can barely speak. I’m starting to freak out”). It’s not long before Oliver Tree changes up the style completely though. The dance beat of ‘1993’ pounds in to make you feel like you’ve just
walked in to a club. This mix of styles runs through the album as Oliver switches between garage rock, hip hop, dance and r ‘n’b with ease with the record never sounding confused. The visuals that come with ‘Ugly is Beautiful’ only serve to further make Oliver Tree a unique individual. You only have to see the video for Beastie Boys-like single ‘Bury Me Alive’ where Oliver takes off a scarf to reveal a pair of testicles hanging from his chin as he raps the song. I didn’t say it was thought provoking all the time. ‘Ugly Is Beautiful’ is one of those albums that is filled with nothing but great singles but also works as a record in its entirety. As a debut album this ticks every box for me. Just expect the unexpected if you’re going to watch his videos.
Australia has fast become a hub for music in the past decade. It seems everyday there is a new band from down under that rips. One said band is The Chats, who first rose to popularity through their brilliantly hilarious and catchy ‘Smoko’ song. From there the band found viral success and went on to blow audiences away at home and across the globe.
KIERAN WEBBER
remiscent of Sex Pistols, The Clash and other late greats before them. The opening track is almost over before it starts, a pace that is felt from beginning to end. Within a flutter you are half way through the album and tracks such as ‘Drunk N Disorderly’, ‘The Clap’ & ‘Dine N Dash’ are but a memory. The quick pace the album is almost One of the stand-out intoxicating, it all elements to The Chats happens so quick. is their tongue in Yet you’re left cheek, entertaining wanting more. and extremely Australian take on It’s a frantic album songwriting. It’s that is delightfully simplistic in nature fun, anarchic, yet totally amusing, infectious and raw. even when tackling The Chats have more serious subjects. proved they are This is something that more than mullets is felt through their and ‘Smoko’ with debut album ‘High this album. They’re Risk Behaviour’. one of the most exciting bands The album kicks off to emerge from without hesitation Australia since with opening tack AC\DC and as fun. ‘Stinker’, a real punk rock track that is
Sex lash e them. rack r s, a elt ng na e half the acks nk ’, Dine ut e e ost it all uick. t e.
lbum fully , d raw. ve are ullets with hey’re st s m e fun.
HAIM
Women in Music Pt. III LA GIRL BAND HAIM released their third album ‘Women In Music Pt. III’ back in June. An album influenced by so many genres, folk, country, jazz, rock and hip hop to name a few, it hit us with incredible singles such as ‘Summer Girl’, ‘Now I’m In It’ and ‘Hallelujah’ which were initially intended as standalone singles. The release date for the album, initially April 24th, got pushed back to August and then June due to the pandemic and realising the ability to tour was becoming impossible. This however didn’t stop the albums success with it going straight to number in the UK upon its release, selling 17,762 copies in its first week. ‘Los Angeles’ the opening track of the album is an excellent foreshadowing of what’s to follow. Immediately hitting you with Henry Solomon’s smooth saxophone, it’s an instant hit of 1970’s nostalgia, a
JEANIE JAILER
sunshiny homage to Lou Reed whilst questioning their love of the city they come from. ‘Man From The Magazine’ is a particularly stand out track in the midst of the album, as a stripped back acoustic, guitar and vocals (with a slight hint of a drum), protest song. An angry but humorous observation on the ever prominent misogyny in the music industry. With a no holds barred approach, they let rip in a calm way that truly exudes strength and power. Another great
track is ‘I Know Alone’ which came out right at the beginning of lockdown and with seemingly appropriate lyrics, it’s actually about the loneliness of returning from touring. This stands out particularly because the rest of the album is generally a smooth, 70’s inspired affair but this appears to have a more 90’s garage feel (all while referencing Joni Mitchell). It uses 808 beats, with Haims gorgeous layered vocals, combined with a cold and glitchy production to give us an amazing yet moody dance track that you can’t help but move to. This album is just perfect, with 16 tracks to choose from, there is something for every mood. It’s experimental and great to see a band that isn’t defined by a genre, that manages to do so, so seamlessly. Danielle, Este and Alana Haim have once again killed it and have gifted us one of the greatest albums of 2020!
SORRY 925
WILLOW SHIELDS
SORRY’S DEBUT IS THE most cohesive and beautiful body of work that I have had the pleasure of absorbing myself in. From the band’s inception, there was something perfectly different about them. Their debut single ‘Wished’ is a grungy love song filled with yearning that perfectly encapsulates the melancholy of being in love with someone who’s not right for you. That feeling is woven into ‘925’ sprinkled with a glimmer of hope making an appearance here and there. ‘Ennui’ is where Sorry excel and ‘925’ is a golden bottle of hurt, vulnerability and love letters that you could never send.
Unison’ the second track sees lead singer Asha lead you into a dark tunnel of distortion and catchy guitar riffs like some sort of siren. The next song is ‘Snakes’, at this song it feels wrong for there to be no ‘gap filler’ songs it’s almost overwhelming. ‘Snakes’ has The first track on the album to be my favourite song on and your introduction to ‘925’ the album purely for the line is ‘Right Round The Clock’ “I never thought about you in an unbelievably strong, your underwear ‘cause I didn’t BBC Radio 6 favourite. Its really care what was under encapsulates the band as a there”. It leaves you swaying whole, their signature drums with your arms wrapped and strong synths sliver around yourself thinking through your body and worm about the person you’d give the into your brain, making sure world to be with right now. you remember who they are. When I say that there are no After the intimacy of ‘Snakes’ bad songs on this album I am comes ‘Starstuck’ crashing in no way exaggerating. ‘In through the wall and slapping
you in the face with a bass riff. It’s a funky, unique, mesmerising tune to make anyone dance as if they’ve been possessed. Sorry are unrivalled storytellers. Effortlessly exhibited throughout the album but especially in 5th track ‘Rosie’, a hypnotising song full of passion and resentment. I’m finding it relentlessly difficult to not say that every track on this album is my favourite one, particularly ‘Perfect’. It’s literally perfect. The lyricism, the layering, the heavy start, it’s a hurricane of emotions and is yet another example of Sorry’s effortless perfection. As I’ve said before and will undoubtedly say again, there is not one bad song on this album. Highlights from the second half are a stint of three gorgeous songs; ‘Heather’, ‘More’ and ‘Ode to Boy’, all equally beautiful and all equally unique in their own right. Sorry took their time making this album and it shows. ‘925’ is hands down the best album of the year and will probably be my favourite for many, many years to come.
OKAY KAYA
FERRIS & SYLESTER
Watch This Liquid Pour Itself
Okay Kaya’s second album opens with a track about her antidepressants. In the chorus Kaya Wilkins worries “what if the pills I take stop me getting wet?” The is real honesty in her confliction, wanting to be more in control of her mental health but also wanting to be able to enjoy sex as she usually does. Mental health, sex and being unsatisfied are themes that span the whole of ‘Watch This Liquid Pour Itself’. Wilkins wrote ‘Asexual Wellbeing’ after hearing ‘Sexual Healing’ by Marvin Gaye on a night out, and contemplating her own sex life. “Sex with me is mediocre”, Kaya’s voice reverbs in the chorus. The track pulsates, and I’ve never heard anything more erotic than Kaya’s delivery of “I’ve got vegan peanut butter chocolate ice cream”. Kaya’s vocals are almost always front and centre,
EM CARR
alongside her rye lyricism. “You can peel an orange however you please / in the psych ward” she sings. There is always a layer of restraint in the album, she never delves too deep or keeps a song going for too long – only two of the tracks extend past three minutes. She will not speak explicitly of traumas or show extremes of emotion. These techniques will be familiar to Mitski fans, hearing humour shielding the too personal, expressing emotions rather than chronicling events. ‘Watch This Liquid Pour Itself’ bounces from disco, in ‘Mother Nature’s Bitch’; to understated folk, in intimate ‘Popcorn Heart’; to indie rock, in penultimate track ‘Stonethrow’. It is an interesting listen, always beautiful, often synthy. If you missed it on its first outing, this is the perfect time to catch this album.
I Should Be On A Train
FELIX BARTLETT
the various lockdowns has left me eager for more. ‘I Should Be On A Train’ kicks off the EP with an explosive blues/ rock ballad which was delivered exceptionally by infusing the contrast of Issy’s tenderness In these uncertain times and Archie’s tantalising a little pick me up was tones. ‘Knock You needed and Ferris & Down’ (my personal Sylvester knew this. favourite) continues Accompanied by a string to deliver the bands of weekly lockdown live signature melody sessions the band were radiated folk/blue able to deliver just what goodness and brings the doctor ordered with their latest EP ‘I Should Be the explosive energy the band are known for On A Train’. preforming when live. ‘Everyone Is Home’ The EP can be described (written and recorded as a short and sweet in lockdown) proved twenty-minute surge of to be an emotional Americana that continues rollercoaster and to define genre definition became a lockdown with hearty rock, tender favourite, delivering folk and silky blues a reminding message brining a sense of joy to to myself and I’m sure these dark times. Their fellow fans alike that latest EP brings back normality will one day a slew of fan favourite resume. ‘Good Man’ singles alongside a new packed a fierce melody favourite track of mine that packed a punch. [‘Good Man’] and a This track was without a tantalising cover of the Beatles track ‘With A Little doubt an anthem in the making and will be an Help From My Friends’. exceptional experience once live music is back! I should be in a train Closing this EP, the has proved to be an band chose to put their exceptional EP which enthralled me on the very own twist on ‘A Little Help From My Friends’ first listen. Albeit their which resulted in an sound isn’t my usual cup enchanting and unique of tea, however, working take on the classic alongside the couple and Beatles track. listening to this EP over
Beabadoobee Fake It Flowers
ADAM LAVER
Beabadoobee often gets labelled as a Bedroom Pop artist, which seems slightly unjust. Her debut album, ‘Fake It Flowers’, offers so much more than lo-fi jazz chords and a midi drumbeat. She introduces the record with the lead single, ‘Care’, which begins with a soft start before Beabadoobee transitions into a powerful pop-punk inspired chorus as says – “you don’t really care” – to her expected listener. The elements of ‘90s music are replicated throughout the record, as she channels Avril Lavinge in her vocal delivery. There are even hints of Nirvana in ‘Dye It Red’, as the chorus-driven guitar has an essence of Seattle band’s unmistakable sound.
of pavement after the rain; you are the last empty seat on a train and I’m convinced you’re from outer space”. Blended with an added string section, which is reminiscent of less Witch’, Beabadoobee tells her audience that she’s lovestruck. From this moment, any distress that was in Beabadoobee voice is removed. The A highlight of the album is final three tracks seem to ‘Charlie Brown’; a powerful song that will catch listeners connote a more positive feeling, even if there are by surprise, as she adopts a gristliness to her voice as she chaotic moments in the screams – “throw it away” – in final track, ‘Yoshimi’, ‘Forest’, ‘Magdalene’. the chorus. The Dirty Hit artist carries elements from the label’s poster boys, The 1975, especially in the array of glistening samples and the constant switching of genres. She shifts from a grunge sound in the latter half of ‘Sorry’ to a soft and reflective piece in ‘Further Away’. The constant theme throughout the record is the melancholic and direct lyrics, as Beabadoobee seems to be addressing someone in a confrontational manner in many of the songs. ‘Horen Sarrison’ begins with the lyrics – “You are the smell
Overall, ‘Fake It Flowers’ inhabits emotional outbursts in her lyricism and instrumentation. Perhaps Beabadoobee was a bedroom-pop artist, but she is much more than that now.
THANK YOU On behalf of the entire CLUNK team, I want to thank you for reading and engaging with us. Creating a physical publication has always been something we have aspired to do, and we couldn’t have done it without the support from you all. I want to thank all the writers who have dedicated their time to writing out and arranging some exceptional interviews for this magazine. Every thought counts. I would also like to say a special thanks to our photographers, especially Em Marcovecchio, David J Blanks, Willow Shields and Jade Hill. It has been an exceptionally difficult time for creatives so if you get the chance make sure you head over to their socials to check out their work. Finally, I would like to thank all the bands who have continuously defied the odds and have managed to create some epic content over this past year. Till next time guys.
FELIX BARTLETT PRint editor