Come Play With Me / #010 / JUL2020 by Come Play With Me CIC

SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION

COME PL AY WITH HINDS B URY T O MORROW

TOURING CREW STORIES SAN CISCO / DREAM WIFE / DENAI MOORE WINTER / OX YMORRONS / DE AD PONY V IDE O A G E / C LT DRP / C RONI C L E L IBR A L IBR A / GUM C OUN T RY / LU C Y F EL I Z / SF VEN AND LOTS MORE... BEHIND THE SCENES AND UNDER THE SKIN OF ALL THINGS MUSIC

PICK ME UP FOR FREE OR BUY ONLINE / #010 / JUL2020

TEAM CPWM MANAGEMENT Tony Ereira tony@cpwm.co MAGAZINE Andrew Benge andy@cpwm.co LABEL Scott Lewis scott@cpwm.co DIVERSITY EVENTS Emily Marlow emily@cpwm.co HINDS COVER Keane Shaw BURY TOMORROW COVER Music For Nations

SPECIAL THANKS

...and in no particular order Rebecca, Warren, Tasha, Keong, Christian, Luke, Sarah, Matty, Jamie, James, Adam, Emily, Katrina, Ana, Beth, Annie, Melanie, Jordi, Scarlett, Dan, Mungo, Denai, Jess, Fiona, Lily, Raphael, Dani, Laura, Lucy, Lotje, Camilla, Rakel, Janelle, Courtney, Ross, Ray, Rachel, Lolly, Winter, Sam, Abi, Bob, Jim, Jamie, Sarah and everyone else who took the time to contribute and helped make this happen.

SMALL PRINT

Come Play With is printed by Mixam. Copyright Â© 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher at andy@cpwm.co. Printed in the UK.

WHAT'S INSIDE 04 NEWS / JULY 2020 06 HINDS 12 CURRENT MOOD / PHOTO BOOTH 18 WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE? / TOURING CREW STORIES 23 CLT DRP / ON ACTIVISM 24 DENAI MOORE 29 DEAD PONY 31 FIONA RICHES / FROM MIXING SHOWS TO GLAZING CERAMICS 32 CRAZY HAIR / GROWING UP MIXED-RACE IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE TOWN 34 BURY TOMORROW 38 NEWCASTLE / NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH 40 LUCY FELIZ / PHOTO BOOTH 44 LOTJE HORVERS / TOUR MANAGING, LOCKDOWN & FESTIVAL LINE-UPS 46 DREAM WIFE 49 GUM COUNTRY 50 LIBRALIBRA / WHY DO WOMEN OFFEND? 52 NEW ORLEANS / NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH 54 CRONICLE / LOVE OF BOARD SPORTS 56 OXYMORRONS 58 HERFEST 59 MODEL MAN 60 SAN CISCO 63 WINTER / CONNECTING WITH NATURE 64 THIS IS NOT YOUR PUNK / REMEMBERING QUEERCORE 66 TOOLBOX / STARTING A RECORD LABEL 68 BLUE KUBRICKS / BLACK BOYS IN ROCK 70 SFVEN / ON PHOTOGPRAPHY THIS ISSUE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

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NEWS

JULY 2020 Hi everyone. Welcome to our second online only edition of the magazine! At the time of writing, restrictions are just starting to ease post lockdown and more activities were possible than before. Things are still clearly very challenging for a lot of people right now though so we’re keen to give you some good writings to draw your attention away and give some positive food for thought we hope! Thanks to everyone that pledged to our Crowdfunder campaign to raise money for our first 12” LP release "Come Stay With Me’ raising money for all of the contributing artists - we reached our target in 7 days and then hit our stretch target which was amazing. There are still copies of the album / t-shirt to pick up at cpwm.bandcamp.com and/or via your local record store. The album lands 17th July. Again, thanks to Youth Music who have given us some emergency funding to enable us to commission a lot more writers in the magazine. Lots of good things are still happening at CPWM - please do let us know if you think there is anything more you’d like to see from us in the weeks /months ahead! Keep an eye on our social media (details below) for the latest! Big love everyone - stay safe Tony & the CPWM team

To support CPWM please see PATREON.COM/CPWM

www.cpwm.co

@cpwmco

@comeplaywith

@comeplaywith 4

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FINLAND HAS 53.5 METAL BANDS PER 100,000 PEOPLE. A HARDCORE NUMBER, SURE. BUT NOT A LIFESAVING ONE. We’re CALM and we’re leading a movement against suicide. If you’re finding life tough, our number is:

0800 58 58 58 We’re open 5pm-midnight every day

Number hungry? CALM is a registered charity no. 1110621 (England & Wales) and SC044347 (Scotland). This interesting number was taken from www.theatlantic.com

HINDS 6

Spanish-quartet Hinds tell us the truths on what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to release an album during a global pandemic, the harsh realities of the music industry and how the band are only just finding their true sound. 7

Hinds and I met exactly 5 years ago, just before the release of their first album, "Leave Me Alone’. No one could have predicted that we’d meet again 5 years later over a video call during a global pandemic. It’s a Wednesday afternoon and one-fourth of Hinds, Ana Perrote is in her home in Spain, enjoying the life of lockdown. “I’ve had two types of lockdown,” she tells me. “There’s the annoying one where I can’t go out apart for groceries but then there’s a lot of time hanging out with my boyfriend and doing stuff I never really get the chance to do like painting, cooking and cleaning out my wardrobe.” She never gets the chance to do these things because Hinds are always on tour. Right now they should be out on the road promoting their new album "The Prettiest Curse’, but instead they are trapped in their homes forced to forfeit their rock and roll lifestyle in exchange for a humble life at home. “It feels fucking weird because it’s supposed to be normal but it doesn’t feel as good as it should because we can’t play shows and we can’t do anything with the album. It’s like “it’s out” but that’s it. I know people are listening to it at home but it feels frustrating that we can’t interact with it.” With months of unexpected free time and solitude, there is often a pressure for artists to keep working and creating when given time to think, but Hinds have taken the situation in their stride. Ana explains “I definitely feel the pressure, but I’m more curious about what others like Beyoncé have been doing in this time. Like, is she just doing the dishes

like me?”

something that really suits us, and for now it is the best Since the release of their first version of Hinds.” The magic record things have changed ingredient to the album massively. Their sound has comes in the form of Jennifer gone in a new direction, Decilveo, whom they met in they’ve worked with their LA and instantly clicked with. dream producer and they are Despite being given the choice signed with a new label, Lucky of numerous producers, they Number. Is this a coincidence? knew Decilveo was the one No. “Our new management and “on the first day we wrote from the label has blown us "Waiting For You’, which is away. They don’t have the in the album, and on the biggest resources, but they second day we wrote "Riding have everything we need. They Solo’ which is also on the don’t have money to put us on album. For us, that was a sign a banner on the highway, but because since we’ve been in they care about every little a band, we’ve never felt that detail, and they listen to us.” respected and empowered by Perrote tells me in a joyful someone. It was amazing to manner. work with her.”

"I’M MORE CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT OTHERS LIKE BEYONCÉ HAVE BEEN DOING IN THIS TIME. LIKE, IS SHE JUST DOING THE DISHES LIKE ME?" "The Prettiest Curse’ is by far Hinds’ poppiest, most free sounding album which even hears the band singing in Spanish and playing new instruments - all elements which Ana explains makes it their best work yet. “We wanted to sound warmer, and not so heavily distorted and sing in Spanish. We also wanted to let someone help us. Usually, we are very closed and never let anyone give their opinions but we didn’t know anything else. We didn’t know if it was going to be a ballad album or rock and roll album. What we’ve found is 9

Having confessed previous traces of imposter syndrome, Ana admits this new record has injected Hinds with a new approach on making unapologetically authentic music. Despite claiming that this is their strongest work yet, Perrote tells us she still believes there’s more work to do on finding their sound. On "The Prettiest Curse’ Ana states, “I’m proud that we’ve proved that we can get out of our comfort zone. It proved we are actual musicians. Now, I consider myself a good songwriter as well as a musician.” To their fans this has been blatantly obvious since they started however, for the band, they only started to believe it during the making of this third record - perhaps a reinforcement from their new, supportive team. This poses the question of why things weren’t as working as well as they should have been for the last two albums, and the tone quickly changed. Ana sighs before admitting, “It was something that we wanted to do for a while. It didn’t end up great. It’s not

the place to talk about it.” Everything from her tone to her expression suggested that there was foul play, and sadly this kind of thing isn’t uncommon with new bands, especially young female musicians. “When you have those internal problems, it’s hard to talk about. It’s delicate because lawyers were involved and it sucked so much energy that should have been spent somewhere else. In the end, it’s part of the music industry, and the industry comes with shitty things like paying taxes or dealing with shitty management, but yeah, we’re fine now.” Instead of dwelling on the past, the band have actively chosen to move on, using their platform to promote their new record whilst also supporting worthy causes such as BLM. “As a band, we get most of our money from merch, so when we asked ourselves “how can we help?” with no money to give, we decided to reissue an old tour t-shirt and donate all the profits to 2 Spanish organisations and 2 American ones which focus on building educational resources for the trans community and women in the black community.” Although by doing so, they are doing much more than many more powerful members of the industry, they still face a backlash. A quick scroll through the Hinds Instagram page will reveal a mixture of positive and cruel messages. One user comments on a BLM post with, “Great but what do you do tomorrow? Back to posting about your new album? Selfies?” It seems there’s no winning. Ana goes on to tell, “on my personal Instagram, Words by Katrina Mirpuri

I post quite a lot about environmental issues because it’s something I really care about. Even then, I still get so much bullshit. People will say “you’re doing this but there’s all these other things that you need to do”. I know every step helps.”

"IF YOU’RE A WOMAN YOU’RE GOING TO GET MUCH MORE SHIT. IF YOU’RE YOUNG YOU GET SHIT, IF YOU SMILE YOU’LL GET SHIT. THERE’S PEOPLE THAT WANT TO CRITICISE EVERYTHING." “Obviously if you’re a woman you’re going to get much more shit. If you’re young you get shit, if you smile you’ll get shit. There’s people that want to criticise everything. They are never the example they want you to be. They get angry because they think you’re trying to make them feel bad for not doing enough. “ It’s clear that the perception of young women in bands is very different from their male counterparts. A quick look at music journalism is a brilliant example, where they are constantly glued to the narrative of cheeky girls, and not professional women.

slumber party tag has been a recurring nightmare for 5 years. In our song Burn, I address that exact anger with a line that goes “I wanna tell my girls how we’re fighting in this man’s world. Yeah, we wanna have fun but not to follow your plan”. Although Hinds are known for their stage presence and electric live shows, Ana delves into some truths of being in a band telling us, “I want people to know about the sacrifice as a musician. We need to deglamorize people in bands. I understand the luxury I have to be able to complain about this, but people only want to know about the fun stuff. I know it looks like we are only drinking and smoking but it’s not like that. We wake up at 9am and we work. There’s a big sacrifice, and you have to give 90% of your physical, mental, emotional self to this job, and it doesn’t even pay most of the time, and if it does it’s very bad. You have no security ever. Sometimes I think we’ve made it and some days I’m not sure if I can even pay my bills.” Musing over life after Corona, Ana promises the idea of a huge celebration. In the meantime, she’ll be practising her newfound love for the keyboard along with enjoying some peace and quiet before rejoining her bandmates on stage for arguably the best Hinds tour yet to come. The latest Hinds album "The Prettiest Curse’ is out now.

Hinds have worked hard to shake the sexist "girls just want to have fun’ stereotype but the industry continues to put them in a box. “The 10

Photography by Keane Shaw

PHOTO BOOTH

CURRENT MOOD

01 BETH / LIBRALIBRA 02 ANDREW BENGE / EDITOR / PHOTOGRAPHER 03 ANNIE / CLT DRP 04 GUM COUNTRY 05 ANNA / DEAD PONY 06 CHRONICLE 07 SFVEN 08 WINTER 09 MODEL MAN 10 JORDI / SAN CISCO 11 SCARLETT / SAN CISCO 12 VIDEO AGE

IN FOCUS

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE?

We talk to some of the other people in the music industry to find out how this global pandemic has affected them, how the live music industry can and will change, things they've had to do to survive and how they could have been better supported...

so we were the last ones to receive any financial support (IF we qualified for any at all). There’s a couple of crew I know who didn’t qualify for any government support, including universal credit, their only support since March has been through Livenation in the US and their generous Crew Nation one-off grants of $1000. So it speaks volumes when the only support available is from overseas. Although I knew the UK government didn’t care for the UK music industry with the whole Brexit situation, but that’s another can of worms..."

DAN WOOLFIE / TOUR & PRODUCTION MANAGER

@danwoolfie (image by Lewis Evans) "I’m sure the kind of “nonmoshing” gigs, the type people would go to listen rather than to dance, seated gigs etc, they will probably adapt to social distant gig measures fairly comfortably compared to, say, a Rage Against the Machine gig." "I mean we’ve all had to be a bit more frugal about things while we don’t have any regular money coming in. We’re all in a situation where we don’t know exactly when we’ll be able to go back on the road again, so it’s still a bit too soon to do a complete U-Turn on the touring career and look at maybe doing something more financially secure, long-termcareer-wise." "I’m not going to sugar-coat it, I think it’s totally unacceptable how many touring crew have slipped through the governments “net” of support through this situation. The majority of us are self employed,

GEORGIE HARRISON / TOUR COORDINATION & MANAGEMENT

"I feel apprehensive about the industry restarting with such uncertainty, however, I know it is imperative that it returns as soon as possible because of what has been lost. With the industry returning, I wonder how we will ever play or attend shows again without serious restrictions in place, and I worry about the future of our touring industry. I hope that, in this current climate, where we can't yet tour or rely on the live industry, there will instead be a huge outpouring of creativity and beautiful releases. I believe there will be huge benefits from this bizarre time - so many artists have discovered that they can make music together, remotely, from their house. People can 18

communicate and organise this industry from their laptops - but what does that really mean for venues, promoters, fans, and for us - there are pros and there are cons and I feel we will only know which one outweighs the other with time and trying."

"IT SPEAKS VOLUMES WHEN THE ONLY SUPPORT AVAILABLE IS FROM OVERSEAS..." "Absolutely everything has changed and I've had to adapt my entire life to survive. It's been tough. For someone who tours non-stop to all of a sudden be sleeping in the same bed every night, eating from the same dinner table, and never leaving the house.... It was bizarre. There have been moments where I've been elated that I'm home and with my loved ones, and moments where all I want to do is be in a dingy venue production office on the other side of the world. But the hardest thing is missing your team, and missing those beautiful live shows. My identity is my job/ job is my identity, and so when that disappears overnight you have to adapt yourself and recreate yourself, to become somebody new, somebody entirely different. I quickly signed up to volunteer at a food bank and shop for shielded and vulnerable people, and now I'm busy with that, it's different but it's also very similar.... From

one trestle table full of food in Brighton to another half way across the world backstage. We're adaptable, us humans, that's for sure!" "Nobody knew what had hit them, so it's not something you can expect help with. I do wish the British government had handled this entire situation in a different way, and that is a story for a different time I guess because I could go on forever. But financial help for the music industry, particularly the live music industry is paramount now, I think we will be the last sector to return to the jobs we love."

SAM ROBINSON / LABEL ASSISTANT

to their platform and our artists through the 2 days of fee waiving. We've done some cool limited lathe cut releases and put out a bunch of digital content such as having members of different bands interviewing each other over zoom. As the press has generally slowed down, these sorts of things keep people keyed in and let us keep it as a community of fans that still have something to look forward to." "It almost goes without saying at this point that the government is negligent when it comes to funding for music and the arts. The most essential support right now is for grassroots music venues, which can't survive under the latest rules. The Music Venue Trust is continuing to do the vital work having now set up a GMV crisis service, but pressure on the government is needed to ensure there's actually somewhere for bands to play when we're out of the woods."

holyroarrecords.com "Live is the area that is suffering the most; despite venues now being able to open they still can't put on shows (the very thing that would drive bar sales) so keeping their doors open at this time is going to have a devastating long term effect. As well as this, with Live Nation cutting 20% out of show guarantees for artists playing shows in 2021, the incentive for artists and agents to be booking tours and shows is being made all the more difficult. I hope it's not all doom and gloom though! Grassroots and DIY scenes may have an opportunity to put on more regular smaller capacity shows moving into next year, hopefully encouraging people to support local artists and promoters." "We've been lucky enough to continue to be able to put releases out over this time and the support we've seen has been staggering. I have to shout out Bandcamp, who have driven far more music lovers

BEN STREET / FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

wildpaths.co.uk

"Although I think the concept of gigs and cultural events that abide by the 2 metre social distancing regulation is a novel idea, in practice I really don’t think it will work... However, the full capacity plan (as laid out by Melvin Benn - Festival Republic) has a lot of potential and would essentially allow us to return to enjoying cultural events in a way relatively unchanged. I’ve really enjoyed the innovative ways people have reinvented the concept of festivals and gigs online but however well organised and presented, it will never quite feel like the real deal." "Due to the small, youthful team 19

that coordinates and runs Wild Paths Festival we were able to quickly find forms of government support or pick up odd jobs. But to bring the festival back in style and provide something close to our maiden voyage in 2019 we’ll need to lure in some extra commercial sponsorship or possibly head down the crowdfunding route; offer a few choice incentives and hope the local community gets behind us. We’re staying positive though and right now a few of us are working on putting together some live sessions from a local venue I help organise the bookings for. Something similar to KEXP or NPR - keep an eye out for "Voodoo Sessions’ coming your way soon!" "I think the government could and should have done a lot more to support not just local venues but also independent event organisers and promoters I personally received a fairly meagre "small business support fund’ but in terms of the amount we’ve lost in commercial and local authority funding and what we’ll need to deliver the festival in 2021, it isn’t really enough. I think what we need now is realistic guidelines and a clear and graduated operational plan for the whole events industry. To end on a positive note though... we’re already working on bringing back Wild Paths Festival in spectacular fashion and setting up new partnerships to deliver something truly unique and memorable in 2021."

ANDIE ARONOW / FOUNDER, WOMEN THAT ROCK

instagram.com/womenthatrock "I've been hearing that we won't see a return to live, in-venue music events until at least Spring

2021. Even then, that timeline may indicate a return to small, intimate venues with smaller crowds; it may take even longer for large-scale venues... Even if/when those large venues open, it will be interesting to see whether attendance will be significantly impacted. I believe that the bottom line is people WANT to be able to experience live music and go back to their normal, pre-COVID routines. I do think that venues (especially large ones with more liability) will institute precautions like maskwearing, hand sanitizing stations, some crowd limitations, limited bathroom capacities, things like that. What I think we WILL see is a rise in outdoor venues. Though already popular (especially in the festival world), I think people will feel safer attending events when they're not in a forced enclosed space." "Before COVID, Women That Rock hosted live concert events in all types of venues about 2-3 times a month! At the start of March, we were in the process of gearing up for our 2nd annual SXSW showcase in Austin, TX at legendary venue Hole in the Wall, as well as in the thick of planning FRIENDS FEST, a 2,000+ person live music festival event that was scheduled for May in Brooklyn. All of our live, in-person events had to completely come to a halt, without a reasonable reschedule date. Though disappointing and challenging, we've worked to pivot and migrate our live music events to the virtual space. We hosted two digital events in May - a label release party/collaborative show with Illumin Records on Zoom, followed by a women-forward showcase event leveraging restream and IG live. And we just wrapped our first-ever LISTEN TO WOMXN Virtual Music Festival, we presented a two-day festival highlighting about a dozen womxn and GNC-fronted musical acts, using Twitch technology that lived within Audio Assemble's online platform." As the company's founder, I've started to brainstorm about how we may be able to (safely) start doing some in-person music

events in the coming months (with social distancing observed, of course). But also continuing to move full-steam ahead on digital events as I think those will continue to be the primary form of live musical entertainment for a while."

BRIAN DOBSON / PRODUCTION MANAGER / SOUND ENGINEER / SOFAR SOUNDS HARROGATE

linkedin.com/in/dobbo

"Sure we can be moved listening to our favourite artists through headphones or home speakers. But it’s when we actively share that listening experience that the magic happens, and we become one. I can see classical seated concerts working to a degree but I worry about standing gigs and festivals till social distancing is no longer required." "I’d put everything in place to go freelance as a Production Manager and Sound Engineer from March with a UK roadshow through April/May followed by a project in the Middle East. This all came to a grinding halt in March and with the prospect of no event-related income for 9 - 12 months I’ve found myself working for Amazon." "At a macro level, the government’s job retention scheme followed by help for some self-employed prevented an economic meltdown. However, there are thousands like me, especially in the live events industry, who through chance, didn’t qualify for either scheme. I think it would have been fairer if the government had found a third way for those falling through the fiscal gaps because I’m sure this group will be paying their fair share of taxes to pay down the deficit."

KENNY UNDERWOOD / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR / EVENT PRODUCER

"Most venues will not be able to accept customers until I suspect part way through 2021 unless there is either the R rate reduces hugely, a vaccine found, the virus dies off or there is some kind of herd immunity, I suspect 3 of those are unlikely... there needs to be an effort within the industry and also via government to show what we are doing to mitigate risk and to make sure there is one set of guidelines. If a promoter, a venue or a production is reported to and does not follow they need to be closed down." "There needs to be an effective track and trance app put into place by the government along with a 'commitment contract’ that the person attending a performance (staff, performer or patron) needs to sign up to which agrees that they have the track and trace app, they are in good health and they have had no exposure as best of their knowledge, this needs to be submitted within a designated timeline before they attend. The total industry needs to be seen holistically by the government and the health of it as a whole needs to be considered as one strand supports another." "As a company, we have started to work with athletic federations on how to plan an event that takes into consideration guidelines to-date. This includes liaison with health authorities and sports medical advisors along with the member federations. Within the music business, we have numerous groups that are lobbying the UK government at the moment, we are also working along with side other nations in trying to create a path through COVID to make sure that for touring productions there is a single easy to understand directive on safely putting an event. Touring internationally will be one of the key challenges; most tours need

to cover more than one territory to be financially viable, we are in a situation at the moment that even England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland can’t even agree." "It's not financially viable for venues and events to reopen with and audience with current levels of social distancing in place. We need the government to look at a financial assistance package and a cash injection first and foremost for all of these struggling venues, from grassroots through to theatres and arenas. Then there needs to be a solution found for supporting the self-employed scheme that is more tailored more towards our industry and the small production houses who are at this moment falling through the gap. The music industry alone input £4.5 billion into the economy in 2019, factoring in theatre and all the other events it's over £100 Billion and from a statement from DCMS in 2017 it was the fastestgrowing sector, it was the first business to be shut down and affected and it most certainly will be last allowed to open and operate up to full capacity, anything under 70% is financially unviable..."

MAHANEELA / DIRECTOR, PHOTOGRAPHER & ARTIST MANAGER instagram.com/mahaneela.jpg

"I think this period of time has taught a lot of people about the importance of self-care though, and mental health. I think a lot of people will be carving out more boundaries when it comes to work, both music industry staff & artists alike. This time has definitely made people see just how much of a fast train this industry can be, and what positive effects there are in taking a break from it." "I went from travelling non-stop to everything coming to a grinding halt. I've had to implement structure and routine into my

life in a way I never have before, being a very spontaneous person who was always on the move. I've had to challenge my ways of thinking and create using tools like animation and VFX which I've never previously used or seen myself using." "The UK government's handling of the whole situation has been pathetic, honestly. Thankfully the creative community has been great as far as crowdfunding and getting support grants for creatives, it's a real shame our government failed this industry as well as so many others. Countries like France and Canada have done a great job in supporting creatives."

industry that have been left out of this scheme. For numerous reasons; they just became selfemployed within the last year or they weren't eligible, or they were registered as a company as opposed to "self-employed" and I think that's such a shame because they haven't been supported. To be honest I feel like this highlighted that people should be taught more about HMRC in schools because it showed that so many people don't understand the employment system."

SEAN PAGEL / DIRECTOR OF PSI LTD & TOURING RIGGER

@psiproduction

NADIRA AMRANI / DIRECTOR & VISUAL ARTIST

nadiraamrani.com

"I think this is an amazing time for people to explore VFX, this was happening in the industry already but I feel like thanks to the lockdown, the industry has really looked to these practices. With music specifically, it's shining a light on the fact that musicians rely so much on their live shows, as digital platforms take out the record-buying market and as so many of these live shows have been cancelled it's really made us have to look at how to support musicians themselves. At this time I'm trying to buy vinyl and weirdly trying to go back to that model of music appreciation." "I think shooting at home or making our room into a makeshift studio has really made me reevaluate what resources we have at hand. I haven't been to London in months and I've learnt that there's so much I can do here remotely." "Personally I feel like I have been supported. However, I know so many people in the film and music 21

"Even with 1m distancing, seated venues are potentially down to 18% capacity, which is financially not an option. Many people have tried to hold drive-in events, but usually don’t have a realistic idea of the logistics and costs involved. We need a vaccine globally, to be able to have crowds rubbing shoulders again at events." "PSI has had no option but to put the entire workforce on the furlough scheme. We have had a few installation jobs in the pipeline, on building sites and venues, which have kept us going to an extent, but when the sites have closed, or when our suppliers and manufacturers have shut down, then we’ve been left unable to follow this revenue stream. Hopefully, with sites re-opening, we have a lifeline of sorts." "The furlough scheme ends in October. The events industry will not be returning for many months after then. The whole industry needs support from the government, not in the form of loans, which would only put the industry in a lifetime of debt, but in the form of grant aid support packages."

MASSIVE THANKS

#MAKE ITBLUE

from all of us at The Make It Blue Collective to every venue up and down the land that agreed to #lightitblue on 4th July as part of the NHSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Birthday celebrations. The Royal Albert Hall, O2, NEC, ExCeL, Harrogate Convention Centre... and many, many more lit blue in a monumental gesture of support from the events and entertainment industries.

WE LOVE YOU ALL!

@MAKEITBLUEUK WWW.MAKEITBLUE.UK 22

AWAY FROM THE NOISE

CLT DRP us, we have been forced to keep ourselves occupied with new hobbies but there is a much more pressing challenge we are facing now and that’s supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. I realize this isn’t exactly the kind of content you might have been looking for, but right now we are actively trying to be allies the best way we know-how. Like a lot of other artists and bands we love, we are donating all profits of merch to bail funds on certain days, Our band is called CLT DRP protesting, writing to our MP’s pronounced "CLIT DRIP’ and and spreading awareness on we are a noisy three-piece our platforms. It’s our job based in Brighton. We met in 2016 at university, gigged non- as three white musicians stop and have somehow found who have benefitted almost entirely from black culture ourselves signed to local label Small Pond with a debut to give back and speak out. I think we may try and create album coming out in August. Since lockdown and the music a zine of some-sort or maybe some new merch that will just world falling to bits around ON ACTIVISM... Daphne, Scott and I are three really different people but it’s what makes the band work. We all have different jobs and hobbies, and I could go on to tell you about the things we do to keep ourselves sane outside of music like exercising and reading but I’d like to tell you more about the one thing we do have in common which is our political stance and principles.

be exclusively dedicated to helping the movement keep afloat and not die down. We don’t want to go back to "preCOVID’ normal, and now is the time to demand change. This is what the music industry should predominantly be talking about right now. For those who want to look into the music as well... we’ve got our debut album "Without the Eyes’ coming out on August 28th but as far as future plans go, I don’t think anyone really knows what’s happening in terms of live performances but we’ve got a few dates lined up in autumn if they go ahead.. The album "Without The Eyes" is out on Small Pond Records 28th August 2020.

DENAI MOORE Addressing the anxieties of modern life with genre-free artistic license, Denai Moore remains inspired and uplifted by making cathartic music. 24

For Denai Moore, losing momentum was never an option. Choosing to be inspired creatively by the unprecedented new way of lockdown life, and channelling her productivity into finding different ways to perfect her craft, Denai is ready to share her aptly titled third album “Modern Dread”. “I like this whole period of being a lot slower and more patient with production,” Denai explains when I ask her about making music in the current climate. “Having a bit more fun outside the context of creating something or having the pressure of making a project is really refreshing.”

us to be creative in a real grassroots kind of way. We had to think of different ideas, and just shooting in general was different than how we would normally have done it. It was really fun to make in the end.”

"YOU HAVE TO WORK IN THESE VERY CONFINED WAYS AND IT FORCED US TO BE CREATIVE IN A REAL GRASSROOTS KIND OF WAY..."

by Nadira and shared as a series of videos titled "Behind Modern Dread’. I ask Denai what the driving force behind documenting the making of the record was. “A lot of times things happen in such a blur and you make things in such a blur that I feel it’s a shame to not document it. It’s nice for me to look back and see how things came together in real time. It’s an insight that people don’t get to see. They see the glossed over version of everything being done and don’t get an insight into the individual meanings behind songs or how they were made.”

Denai notes that “an album is never linear or a straightforward process”, and cites her After swapping isolation personal favourite track "Hail’ routines, I dive straight into as an example of how a record the upcoming record, which Delving further into the making can take many twists and turns is out on July 3rd. Regarding of the record, Denai praises sonically before it is perfect. finishing touches, Denai her girlfriend Nadira, who she “Hail was the hardest song to mentions that since announcing currently lives and works with, make because I tried to fit it the album a couple of weeks for helping conceptualise the into “We Used To Bloom” and before lockdown, she has been visuals of the album. “Nadira it didn’t work. I’ve never been thinking outside of the box to shot the first music video for able to get it right – musically, create additional content for the project – To The Brink – I’ve never been able to get it the album. “I was really lucky back in September. It’s been in the right place, but we kind that I was able to shoot my amazing because we watch so of hit the nail on the head music video for "Cascades’ many things together and we during this record.” Denai tells back in February, but I actually think out loud with each other me she feels proud of it, and I shot a music video last weekend and end up collaborating in inform her that it’s one of my in my house. Neela, who is one different ways day to day.” favourite tracks off the album. of my managers and an amazing It encapsulates Denai’s genredirector, directed the music Nadira also shot the spectacular free approach to artistry, which video for "Fake Sorry’ over artwork for the record, which I am eager to gain more of an Zoom from New York.” Denai says felt right and understanding of. natural. “Something that I feel “It was kind of surreal but it’s very strongly about especially We touch upon the Genre Free really strange — my bedroom with imagery and how I’m podcast series that Denai has is completely white, even the represented in the world, recently started, which has floorboards, so when nothing is is having it from the gaze of so far featured fellow artists in there it’s the perfect studiopeople who know and love you Lianne La Havas and Kindness esque space. I looked at the and understand you far more as guests. I ask Denai what first cut today and you would than anyone could possibly she considers to be the most have no idea that it was filmed understand you.” This ethos important stylistic influences in my house where I sleep.” is something that Denai has and reference points when carried on from project to making music despite straying For Denai, adapting her artistic project. away from genre and labels. process has been more refreshing than challenging. The journey leading up to the “You have to work in these very impending release of “Modern confined ways and it forced “For this record, we listened to Dread” was documented 25

a lot of electronic music, and we predominantly listened to music that had no vocals and was instrumental, with lots of different textures and layering of textures.” “Elliott Smith has been a massive influence in terms of his intimacy and his very potent lyrical content, which encouraged me to go to a place that’s more vulnerable and more direct. Even vocal wise as well, the nature of a lot of the vocals is very warm and natural sounding, whereas sonically the world is electronic and more hard-hitting.” We lament on the powerful juxtaposition of emotionally raw vocals and lyrics amongst a more electronic, texture-driven palette of sounds, which shines through on “Modern Dread”. At this point in our conversation, it feels natural to segue into a more serious discussion about the political context of the record, especially considering the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and it currently being Pride Month. I ask Denai whether she feels empowered or challenged as a queer black artist, and how her identity impacts her music. “It’s important to understand representation and it’s something that I understand a lot more across this whole record. I get a lot of messages from young black women that are maybe queer, from a specific background like me, or from cultures that aren’t necessarily very accepting of the LGBTQ community, so I do to some degree feel a sense of responsibility.” Denai hardly dwells on this sad reality, instead shedding some positive light as she continues: “I feel very inspired by this community, especially Words by Jess Hodgson

in London, where there’s such a strong network of amazing artists that are queer or POC. As harsh and distressing the last couple of weeks have been, especially for the Black Lives Matter movement, there is definitely space for black joy and innovation and music.”

"MUSIC AND ART HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN LOOKED TO DURING TIMES OF INJUSTICE..." It feels particularly important and relevant that Denai’s record is being released during these uncertain times. “Music and art has always been something that has been looked to during times of injustice, and I’m curious to see what the music sounds like from artists that are making music right now. That vulnerability to talk in my music is why I named the album “Modern Dread” because I understood this feeling that we’re all going through – this sense of dread and anxiousness created by being a part of modern-day society.” As another facet of modernity and its issues, Denai is driven by sustainable living and has decided to do a run of ecovinyl for the record. “I think it’s important to acknowledge the things that we can do especially when it comes to consumption, so when I heard about the whole concept, I thought it would be quite fitting. It’s quite cool because every [copy] is a different colour with different effects based on how it’s manufactured.” 26

She then tells me about Dee’s Table, which is a showcase of her vegan cooking. “I started it as a supper club and I was doing pop-ups, actually very much at the same time as I started writing Modern Dread, so it worked alongside the album. At the moment in lockdown I’ve been writing a lot of recipes, so for me it’s a way to invite people to a space in my heritage with the food that I ate growing up but through a more modern lens.” As the conversation winds down, I sympathetically ask Denai what she will be doing to celebrate the release of the album, knowing the restrictions of putting out a record in times like these. She hardly seems fazed by the challenges, though, once again proving that her creativity knows no bounds. “I’d like to do a streamable live show to showcase the album. I might do a listening party, that would be a fun way to listen to the album with other people for the first time. I feel encouraged by this whole lockdown to be more creative and interactive.” Finally, she tells me that she is hopeful that she will be able to play a few intimate shows at the back end of the year. We say our goodbyes, but not before Denai leaves me with this powerful statement, which I think we all need to appreciate. “There’s something very empowering about the concept that all art forms still live on. Music, film and art feel so much important especially in times like these, as either escapism or just release.” The new album “Modern Dread” is out 3rd July on Because Music.

Photography by Nadira Amrani

You Are Not Alone

For music industry people affected by mental ill health and/or addiction. Helpline 0800 030 6789 Speak confidentially to a trained industry peer.

THRIVE with Music Support App Download NHS approved mental wellbeing app for FREE. Available for limited period.

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5 QUESTIONS

WHO ARE YOU?

DEAD PONY

My name is Anna and I’m part of Glaswegian punk band Dead Pony.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

We make up-beat punk music inspired by many of our hero’s such as Madonna and Queens of the Stone Age. I play guitar and lead vocals, Blair plays lead guitar, Liam is on bass and Aidan on drums.

WHY DO YOU DO IT?

We’re all very passionate about what we do. I’ve always been into music, art and performing from a very young age. I’d say that our passion of music is the common thread that runs through the band and binds us all together. There’s nothing better than doing the thing that you love with the people you love and having other people love it too. That feeling of when you’re performing on stage with your best friends and there are hundreds of people in the audience singing along to songs that you wrote together is unreal.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

We are all still amidst a mass lockdown so not much is going

on unfortunately. Me and Blair are being slaves to the corporate system by working from home and Liam and Aidan are cutting about like the hot young studs that they are. In all seriousness though, we’ve just been writing music and trying to keep the creative juices flowing. Blair’s been working on his production stuff too and has done some audio mixes for pals. We just released our single 'Everything is Easy' which has been received really well and we have another single coming out very soon which is exciting.

WHAT'S THE HOT TOPIC?

I think that with what’s going on in the world at the moment, it would be weird for me to mention anything other than the Civil Rights and BLM movements happening worldwide. I know this isn’t necessarily a “hot topic” and shouldn’t be sensationalised as such but this is definitely the biggest civil rights movement that I have been a part of in my life time and I truly hope that this is a pivotal point in history. We all indulge in black culture in many different ways from music to 29

fashion and I think it’s important that we have the knowledge and understanding of where these aspects of our lives were born. As Clara Amfo powerfully stated last week “You can’t enjoy the rhythm and forget the blues” and I think that this is so important to remember. We can’t continue as a society to cherry pick the bits of black culture that we enjoy while not standing with and protecting the black community. I can’t use my position of privilege to talk on behalf of the black community but I think it’s vital that as white, privileged musicians and artists we use our platform to lift up and support the black community in every way that we can and to educate ourselves and others on the issues. Additionally, we all need to make changes to eradicate the systemic racism that pollutes our culture and I think the best way to do that is to have a look at yourself and see how you can be a better person and a better ally.. The new single 'Sharp Tongues is released 24th July.

Photography by Daniel Blake

[edit ] NEW MUSIC PODCASTS www.editradio.org

AWAY FROM THE NOISE

FIONA RICHES FROM MIXING SHOWS TO GLAZING CERAMICS... Pre-lockdown, my natural habitat was behind an audio mixing console at concerts. I’ve been lucky enough to mix all kinds of artists and bands, travel to some fascinating places, and even watch some of my favourite musicians (I’ll never forget seeing Angel Olsen play. She said hello to me but I was too starstruck to get any words out - don’t laugh!). There’s truly no feeling like mixing a show sometimes I still look out at an ocean of people having the time of their lives from the safety of my front-of-house lifeboat and think "wow, I can’t believe this is my job’

So, why ceramics? It probably seems that the only things clay and rock’n’roll have got in common is that they’ve both got geology related names, but I promise you I get the same sense of satisfaction, of creativity, and of inner calm that I do from smushing lumps of clay as I do from mixing on massive PA systems. When I’m in "show mode’, and I’m really tuned into using my audio frequency analysers (ears), there’s a sense of being completely present with the here and now that is precious and fulfilling, and I’ve found that I can actually reach a similar headspace when I’m making wobbly pots out of clay. Now don’t get me wrong, I miss shows more anything. 31

I miss meeting friendly and brilliant musicians, I miss having a mooch in the aisles of records before soundcheck (one of my home venues is Rough Trade Bristol), and I miss friends coming up to FOH and giving me a fist bump and a smile, but with ceramics I’ve found relaxation and preoccupation, and that’s really important for surviving this strange time. Will I keep all my wonky children? Who knows, but I’m definitely going to continue frowning at lumps of clay to keep my mind fresh while I can’t frown at mixing consoles. Follow me on instagram at @soundbyfiona & @clamsandvulvas.

IN FOCUS

CRAZY HAIR:

GROWING UP MIXED-RACE IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE TOWN My band has a song called The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, in which I mention the "terrorist of Talbot Street’. The largest known domestic haul of bomb-making chemicals in England belonged to Robert Cottage, an ex BNP candidate who lived in my hometown. There are many things I love about Colne, from the beauty of its semi-rural landscape to its incredible music community, which has hosted Europe’s largest rhythm and blues festival for the last 30 years. Yet, juxtaposed

with its regressive values, an undercurrent of racial intolerance and historical taste for far-right nationalism - I can’t say, even with the privilege of being mixed-race, that it was an easy place to grow up. If you type "rock musician’ into Google, the results are predominantly male. If you backspace and type in "female rock musician’, the results are predominantly white. That is what it is like to be one of the only black 32

faces in town: you don’t see yourself represented. I never had a black teacher; I never had a black doctor; there were no black business owners; there was no black Disney princess and no black women were rock musicians. Growing up in the "Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That’ generation, the prejudice I experienced wasn’t like the overt racism directed towards the local Pakistani community or refugees; small in numbers, we were seen as more of a novelty than a threat.

local pub), my street was rammed with people who valued diversity, and when I moved to Headingley in my third year of studies, Magid Magid: a black, Muslim, refugee candidate for The Green Party was elected as our local Member of the European Parliament. Just 48 miles along the Leeds Liverpool Canal was a place where black people could be anything - anyone could be anything. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better. Post-grad Everyone thinks that Brudenell depression kicked in when I moved back home during Social Club is on Brudenell Brexit. Working in a pub, I Road, but it’s actually on was so much more aware of Queen’s Road - I know this my blackness. Hearing racial because I lived a few doors slurs from the other side of down during my second the bar, I would tell myself year at Leeds College of it was nothing because if I Music. When Jeremy Corbyn acknowledged it I would speak addressed a rally outside this up, and if I spoke up, there stalwart indie venue (and my Wandering hands grabbed the "crazy’ hair I was given by my Dominican grandmother, but I never saw it celebrated on television or in magazines. When the popular boy at school told everyone I would be fit if I wasn’t black, it confirmed long-standing feelings about where my place was in society, and I think those feelings of low self-worth have certainly influenced many of the lyrical themes of my music.

Words by Lily Fontaine / English Teacher

I am writing this on the 33rd anniversary of Dianne Abbott becoming the first black woman to be elected as a Member of Parliament. She said, “the reason why it’s important to have people of colour in senior positions is that you can’t be what you can’t see”. It is less than three weeks until I move back to Leeds to try and become a rock musician. I hope that if I succeed, a young black girl might see me and think that she too can be that one day.

Illustration by Raphael Dada

portrait & press photography

@andrewbenge andrewbenge.com

was no one to protect me and there was no way I was keeping that job.

BURY TOMORROW January 2020 saw a busy year of touring and new music on the horizon for British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow, but as frontman Dani Winter-Bates juggles a rapidly accelerating music career with working for the NHS, his year has proved to be demanding for other reasons. 34

Coasting on the expanding fan bases in the UK and Germany as a result of their last album "Black Flame’, the boys were set to have their biggest year of touring in their fifteen year-long careers. Now, three months after their latest album "Cannibal’ was set for release, Dani Winter-Bates still finds himself doing press interviews. "It’s like the worst feeling in the world.’ He laughs. "It is always an agony from the time you get the masters back or finish recording, to the time you start showcasing it. That ramps up as you start releasing singles as we wait to get it out. We’ve basically had to cancel our whole year, which is something you never want to do as a band. In our whole career, we’ve cancelled maybe three or four shows up till now.’ The band’s trajectory has been put on hold due to COVID 19 and lockdown, as is the case for people all over the world. To lose a year of live shows, the lifeblood of any band is frustrating however Dani knows to hit the venues a year from now will be all the sweeter. "People say absence makes the heart grow fonder and it truly does.’

"We are filming a new video and getting fans to send in videos of them reacting and singing along to the record … To have them on the record is so fitting because they played a part in the making of it.’

"THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A UNIFYING CASE LIKE IT, WHERE PEOPLE ARE DRIVEN TO THANKING THE NHS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT WORKS FOR THE NHS IS PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE."

taken lightly from a man like Dani who has worked for the NHS for the past ten years and knows his facts when it comes to mental health. He currently works as a program leader for wellbeing in Southampton, specialising in among other things, the mental wellness of the hospital staff. The program has become even more essential during the COVID pandemic as the staff are under heightened levels of stress.

Mental health is a central theme of "Cannibal’, born out of Dani’s personal experience with mental illness. After finding time to reflect on the success of "Black Flame’, Dani found something was missing from their previous releases. "I’ve always been vocal about normalising discussions around mental health. It got to a stage where I started thinking to myself, how can I honestly tell people to have these discussions when I can’t even do it myself, especially when I have this huge platform. That opened the doors for me to be really honest. I got six or seven songs into the writing process and realised that they all came from a similar place The anticipation that comes emotionally. The boys came to with the promise of new music The fans mean a lot to Dani. me and said if we are going to is enough without the added He talks proudly of the do this we might as well do it as unpredictability but he finds active connectivity Bury one unified thing.’ solace in the uniting nature of Tomorrow has with their "We have got to a point in our this situation. "If it had been for listeners, understanding the career where we have not only any other reason I think it would increased necessity of such got a platform where that is have been a lot harder but support during the isolation of accepted and fans trust us because it is such a worldwide lockdown. This support network but I’ve also got four other thing it helps our conscience.’ goes both ways. individuals who are absolutely Despite the isolation, there is a "The fans are my support driven on positive mental heightened sense of community system as well. I gained just as health.’ as these trying times bring us much from those conversations together and as a band, they with fans and safe spaces as "It’s about opening that book have been doing their bit to they gained from me having that about being honest with our check up on fans and lift spirits. conversation.’ fans and the world and myself Bury Tomorrow has always been "The really important about exactly how that felt.’ dedicated to fan interaction thing about quarantine is and connection. "Black Flame’ understanding that it’s not As mental health has become their most successful era to social distancing, it is physical a part of both his musical and date, saw fans give their input distancing. Even though that NHS career, Dani’s two worlds on exclusive projects. Now, phrase has been taken as the have collided. While many following on from that success, universal phrasing actually musicians may see this time 500 fans were given the chance when you think about it, it as a period to self-reflect and to have their signatures printed fundamentally doesn’t make focus on their art, for Dani it inside the cover of the deluxe any sense because we should is business as usual. Balancing edition of "Cannibal’ and if remain as socially connected music and the NHS is a delicate that’s not already enough, Dani as ever.’ act but Dani continues to covertly mentions plans to get give equal energy to both fans in upcoming music videos. Such a statement shouldn’t be aspects of his life. "I’ve had the 35

opportunity to make myself incredibly busy because of the needs of the staff that I work with. I’ve worked 60-70 hour weeks for the past fifteen weeks, trying to make sure our staff are supported. I work at one hundred miles an hour and it’s the same with the band. When I’m working with the band I make sure I am the best I can be. I think the hard thing is that they are not compartmentalised anymore.’ "It used to be the band and the NHS separately as two different things but actually the message is the same these days and as we get older the lines are completely blurred. The message that I give our fans applies equally to our staff. I can get the same feeling of gratitude through the feeling of doing something right from the work I do in both camps.’ His first-hand experience working in hospitals during COVID 19 means he knows better than most how seriously it should be taken and it is understandably frustrating to see people disregarding the risks. "I think the vast majority of people have done what they can. I’m not going to say that the entire nation has flouted the rules blatantly. I think there are a lot of people out there that have sacrificed and suffered a great deal over this time. I think as a nation we didn’t respond quickly enough. I think our government has a lot to answer for with mixed messaging and blurred lines, which has allowed some people to feel they can act in that way.’ "The thing that makes me angry the most is when conspiracy theorists talk about it as though it’s not actually happening or not that bad. It’s not like flu as some people think and if you get sick you can get very, very sick and people are dying. We are still talking about a reduced rate of death of 189 people dying a day in this country as a result of COVID, that’s 189 people and 189 families. If that was my family and I had been not only affected by it but had lost someone then I think I’d care less about when the pubs Words by Ella Cockerill

are opening.’ He carries a valuable perspective on the gratitude expressed through Thursday applause, for hospital staff and other key workers and sees the good and the bad in this act. "I think it’s lovely. I’m disgracefully optimistic and for me understanding that the nation has finally woken up to the fact that we need the NHS is a great thing.’ Dani remains hopeful that the current events will help people see the importance of the NHS which will lead to greater funding and the scrapping of threats for privatisation but despite seeing the positive side to the expressions of gratitude, he has reservations towards our government’s intent when it comes to the future of the NHS. "There is a large level of hypocrisy when it comes to our prime minister, one of the people who are very much on board with privatisation and is friends with a man over the pond who is an appalling human being in all senses. I think the hypocrisy of him standing outside number ten after receiving COVID treatment is absolutely ridiculous. But there has never been a unifying case like it, where people are driven to thanking the NHS and understanding that every single person that works for the NHS is putting their lives on the line. They are putting serving others in front of their mental and physical health. That goes for all key workers." "As a nation, in Britain, I think our first thing isn’t to receive gratitude, our first thing is probably to bat it off. There’s a psychological disconnect with the word “heroic” and we’ve often heard the term “NHS heroes” which doesn’t land well with a lot of the staff because they feel like they aren’t heroes they are just doing their job.’ "I do appreciate it although I don’t identify with it as a lot of the staff don’t. I feel the people clapping outside their door is not for me, it’s for the people putting their lives on the 36

line when it comes to treating people as well as all the people we’ve lost, that’s who I clap for. We’ve had two or three staff members in South Hampton that have passed away and we’ve also had many patients that have died and continue to die, so I think they deserve the applause.’ With everything going on in the world today with COVID and the Black Lives Matter protests, we find ourselves in constantly changing times and emotions are running high. With a back catalogue that articulates feelings of high emotion and frustration, Bury Tomorrow’s music feels particularly apt for the current climate. "There’s a lot of fire in the world. The prejudice and inequality that goes on is not a new thing. This is something that has happened for hundreds and hundreds of years and unfortunately, the people responsible are the people that look like me. There is a strong disconnect with white straight males and our band is made up of four white straight males and so understanding that privilege is really important for us to be able to have a more inclusive message as a band.’ "Not only can people find solace in music and aggression and power but they can also understand that we are educating ourselves further.’ Now is the time to pause for self-reflection, even with a schedule as hectic as Dani’s. If anything good has come out of these trying times, it is the ability to re-evaluate our values as well as those we contend with on a global scale. Now we must embrace the action taken to better the world we live in. "It may not be new, but it is being highlighted on a global scale and that can only be a good thing." The new album "Cannibal" is out now on Music For Nations.

Images courtesy of Music For Nations

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

NEWCASTLE

INTRODUCTION Ten months ago I moved to Newcastle, to work in music, to be closer to my rapidly growing group of friends and to be inspired by a new city and all its pros and cons. There is no place I would have rather been during a lockdown. To see how this versatile city and its creative businesses cope with a pandemic is inspiring and brings a smile to my face. As the lockdown made us unable to go outside, to meet in groups and to browse vinyl, CDs and books in our favourite shops. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy to be able to shine a light on the businesses that found inventive ways to keep their businesses running without endangering their clientele.

BEYOND VINYL Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been very lucky to have had a lot of sunshine during this lockdown and David of record store Beyond Vinyl took the weather and turned it into the perfect time for him to deliver online ordered products to his customers, by bike! The independent record store has been developing into a versatile business with offering recording sessions and live instores. Sadly his store had to be robbed a few months back, but David does not get discouraged easily and the support of his loyal customers was a big help in that! beyondvinyl.co.uk

LITTLE BUILDINGS Independent live music venue Little Buildings is run by local hero Allan Scorer and has been closed for a while last year because of troublesome landlords, it's reopening in the old Kaleidoscope Records office was a victory for both the owners and the local music scene. Even though the lockdown threw a spanner in the works, Scorer took his time to finish the new venue

and make sure that once the lockdown is lifted, the new Little Buildings will be ready to go!. littlebuildingslive.com

that have used the lockdown in their favour. The band have released their first big hit "Mannerism’ at the start of March and have released their second single "Blessed Through The TV’ at the end of June. Both tracks are incredibly infectious and showcase a simple yet positive vibe which was exactly what a lot of people needed during the global pandemic. I asked singer Mary-Ann how they found releasing a track while being in lockdown and not being able to rehearse or come together as a band. “We were lucky we had the song recorded before lockdown began so that made it easy to just send it off to the producer. We miss the fun of rehearsals and hearing live music. We’ve been keeping in touch though so it’s all good and we’re getting ready for the future!.

COBALT STUDIOS Run by Kate and Mark, inspired by community and bringing people together for the love of art, not for the love of money. Cobalt Studios moved into their home about twenty years ago and started as a social hub for creators that rented studios and a facebook.com/catryan17 bar that would pour drinks for its customers. Cobalt has developed into a 250-cap venue that hosts emerging artists from all over the country within all genres. The lockdown saw Kate and Mark having to temporarily close the venue, yet with the help of their close community, they will hopefully be able to open again soon! NORTHERN MUSIC COLLECTIVE cobaltstudios.co.uk Newcastle’s local collective of music industry professionals has launched a series of interviews hosted by local music outlet Spotlight Music. The series of interviews introduce the Northern Music Collective members and what they have been up to before the lockdown, during the lockdown and what their plans for the future are. The collective CAT RYAN has been a great tool to Only just appearing in the promote communication and scene right before the prevent gig clashes between lockdown, Cat Ryan are an promoters and venues. exciting and emerging artSome of the members of the rock band local to Newcastle Words and main image by Laura Rosierse

Northern Music Collective are Afterlight Management, Unison Music and Events and Northern Electric Festival. All interviews with the members of the Northern Music Collective can be found on the website of Spotlight Music. facebook.com/ NorthernMusicCollectiveNE

SHOE TREE CAFE I first visited the Shoe Tree Cafe on an evening back in September, when Sofar Sounds Newcastle took place and the intimate cafe had been turned into an acoustic live music room. For the night only the cafe was pouring beers as well as coffee and all chairs and tables had been put aside. The everfriendly staff, owners and its visitors made for a very atmospheric night full of live music and friendly chatter. Tougher times were ahead for the cafe yet they have pulled through! To be able to pay their staff their full wage while the cafe was closed, the owners of Shoe Tree Cafe set up a Crowdfunder that they successfully achieved! Even though I am very happy that at least the cafe will be open again, I can’t wait to go back to Shoe Tree Cafe for a fresh cup of coffee and a vegan red velvet cake! facebook.com/shoetreecafe

Main image styled by Andrew Benge

PHOTO BOOTH

LUCY FELIZ Lucy Feliz finds ways to sustain her creative outlet during a lockdown. Her upcoming release is just around the corner and she is grateful to have a project to keep her busy during these unprecedented times. Her optimism is the driving force in the unknown landscape ahead and nature is the most reliable source of her inspiration. 01

01 LUCY FELIZ INTRODUCTION 02 MAGIC HOUR PRINT 03 LUCY FELIZ 04 PRE-LOCKDOWN SHOW 05 ELLIE PRATT PAINTING 06 BOTANICAL GARDENS 07 SITTING ROOM STUDIO 08 ALBUM TEST PRESSING

IN FOCUS

LOTJE HORVERS

TOUR MANAGING, LOCKDOWN & FESTIVAL LINE-UPS After tour managing for over 17 years, Lotje Horvers has travelled all over the world. Her interest in the industry began while she was 16 years old in high school, as she was interested in rock music. There weren’t, however, any gigs close enough. She began organising her own at a school festival, and also at a venue near her town. After completing a college course, an internship and gaining experience in the industry,

she now runs Ghostlight Productions, alongside Peter Hamilton. Based in Holland, she has worked behind the scenes with the likes of Robyn, Karin Dreijer, Ionnalee, and Susanne Sundfør, to ensure every show runs smoothly. During this period of Coronavirus, Horvers has been keeping herself busy by continuing to teach and inspire others, as well as growing her own skills. “I have done some webinars 44

about tour management and met up one on one (some online, some offline) with aspiring female tour managers. I have also taken online courses (such as advanced Excel), gone on lots of walks in the countryside, binged Netflix and baked cookies just like everyone else, and spent time with my parents gardening. Since last week I have been working as an ex-pat broker, helping expats arriving in Amsterdam to find housing and get

settled.”

long time. The Netherlands might be handling things While the U.K. is still in a relatively well, but the state of lockdown, you may same can not be said of a wonder what the situation lot of other countries. Only is in Horvers’ native time will tell!” country, the Netherlands. “In March we went into Despite Coronavirus lockdown. The PM made stopping any planned it clear that out of three festivals in their tracks, options (stay in lockdown festival line-up’s and until the virus has gone women in the industry away, stay open and let the have been particularly hot virus run free, or re-open topics. Earlier this year, gradually to try and flatten journalist and creator, Lucy the curve so that hospitals McCourt, photoshopped are not overcrowded), various major festivals, the latter was the only and female artists were realistic option. We were highly conspicuous by told to prepare for the their absence. It might be fact that we might get shocking to see, however, sick at some point. To it is encouraging that some achieve this, they had bands such as Dream Wife, to go into a pretty strict are stepping forward. They lockdown at first to stop are actively choosing an the exponential growth all-female production team happening at that time. for their music, and other Since then, the country bands are only performing has gradually reopened at festivals that have an and been successful at equal gender split. keeping new cases down. Life in Amsterdam is now This is further noted by almost back to normal, Horvers when discussing but with far fewer tourists, her roster, which includes and no events. There has trip-hop artist, Fever Ray, been financial support and electro-pop duo, The for businesses and selfKnife. “Fever Ray is the solo employed people affected project from Karin Dreijer, by the crisis.” she’s one half of The Knife, with her brother. They’re At the moment, so many really strong feminists and people are trying to very politically active, so prepare by predicting the when they put together next stages of the music the tour for The Knife in industry. It's interesting 2013, they wanted to have to consider how far it will an all-female crew. On have to change following the Fever Ray tour, we the pandemic. “That is were 50/50, women and the big question that no men. However, the band one knows the answer were all female. They’re to! Like all of my touring kind of pushing against colleagues, I would love the norm. It’s exciting to to resume my job as soon work with a band who as possible, but I am very are thinking about these aware that it won’t be for a things. They refuse to play Words by Camilla Whitfield

at festivals where there isn’t a 50/50 gender balance on the bill. They get to because they are a popular band. I think it’s an important thing. I like seeing that the attention to so many festivals having such a male-dominated bill is increasing. Perhaps that's why I haven’t been to Rock Am Ring, Reading and Leeds and stuff. I’ve been taken to a lot of smaller festivals.” We can only hope that the tide is turning on the gender imbalance in the industry. Ultimately, the role of a tour manager can only be understated, as it is a lot more complex than most would believe. Horvers knows this all too well. “The booking agent will book the shows, but it’s up to the production and tour manager after that, to actually build the tour and make it happen. It’s a really fun job with so many aspects to it. You just learn with experience.” If you've ever wanted to learn more about the production side of the music industry, here is your chance. As part of her company, Ghostlight Productions, Lotje Horvers along with Peter Hamilton are currently offering various opportunities, such as mentoring, podcast guest appearances and industry webinars. Find out more at ghostlight.eu

DREAM WIFE Mixing nostalgia, introspection and tour experiences in their sophomore LP "So When You Gonna..." 46

How do you react when you're about to release one of the most important projects of your life, and the world is experiencing a full-blown pandemic? Dream Wife are one of the many bands that have had to navigate the current climate while prepping for the release of their highlyanticipated, sophomore album "So When You Gonna…" I caught up with Rakel (virtually of course), who was spending her lockdown in Reykjavik (Iceland) to discuss the band's hopes and dreams when it comes to their second album, as well as the hard-hitting reality of Covid-19 on the international music industry.

Great Escape, and we met all these bands from Brighton! And we were being written about as part of the Brighton DIY scene. We thought it was so funny to come back to Brighton and people were like "Yeah, you're part of the Brighton scene."

"YOU NEVER LEAVE ART SCHOOL. WE'VE TAKEN WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT THERE AND SOMEHOW PUT IT IN OUR LIVES."

first album, versus that of the upcoming one. "There are some of the firstever songs we wrote as a band, and some of the songs we wrote just before we walked into the studio to record them. And also it was the first time we had ever been to the studio as a unit. We also recorded everything in 5/6 days (with two shows in between)…so it was really fast!"

On the other hand, the second album materialised after the touring whirlwind that accompanied their first album. "When we came off that tour and took a few weeks off to breathe, and we came back to the writing space, we sort of realised that we were much Dream Wife's formation story is tighter as a unit, like musically," well-documented. Rakel Mjöll she continues. "So when it When it comes to Dream (vocalist), Alice Go (guitarist), came to writing the second Wife's visual aesthetic and and Bella Podpadec (bass) one, we wrote it in about 6 their creative process, Rakel decided to form a band as an months, so the whole album is art school performance project mentions how, in reality, "You written in the same period. We never leave art school. We've with the intention of going to Canada. The rest, as they say, is taken what we have learnt there were like giddy kids being back together in the writing room… and somehow put it in our history. it was nice to have a set time lives." frame to do it." Hundreds of shows later, the Despite their busy schedule band has cemented itself as a and growing professional team, The touring lifestyle seems to force to be reckoned with and the trio very much enacts a DIY be an omnipresent factor in a live powerhouse – ready to the band members' lives, and break down the patriarchy, one spirit when it comes to their band: they design most of their Mjöll discusses how "So When show at a time. You Gonna…" is a reflection visual output too – including two of their latest music videos of the two years of constant Rakel Mjöll fondly recalls her, touring and its inevitable - Hasta La Vista and Sports! Alice's and Bella's time at art consequences. "You really have school – "When we were in Their 2018 debut album "Dream to fully be there; you can't Brighton, we weren't part of have your mind wandering Wife" received raving reviews the music scene...we were in somewhere else. You kind of by all major publications, and our art school bubble," she have to brace it. That's how you catapulted them into a world confesses. get the most out of touring, and of touring. "The first album is the most of music and the live a collection of songs written "It wasn't until we came to show and can be yourself fully London that we became part of at various times and spaces. on stage and give it all you got, the scene, and that was through The first album is more of like every night." a "Hello! We're Dream Wife! Polyester Zine – the collective What's up?" – an introduction," of young creatives in South Touring is an essential medium says Rakel when I ask about London. And then we went through which Dream Wife use the creative process of the back to Brighton to play the 47

their platform to bring more awareness to an issue that they're heavily involved with – feminism and womxn in music. Back in 2018, the band put out an open call for support acts – catering specifically to nonbinary and female-identifying musicians. Within a week, they received a whopping 500 responses. "It was incredible! There's so much incredible talent," says Rakel – and I can hear the genuine elation in her voice. "There was a question – tell us about your local music scene, and it was really eye-opening. Sometimes, you're in your own bubble, and you're like – oh, things are good here, there's equality here – and then you read about certain places where it's so hard to get a gig because there's this one group of promoters that are all friends, all guys, and they would just put their bands up. So it's even difficult to get your foot in the door." In addition to this excellent initiative, Dream Wife recently released the "So When You Gonna…" podcast, which features one-on-one interviews with different female and non-binary creatives. "A lot of people that we interviewed in our podcast are people that we're very excited about what they're doing in the scene, and are also our collaborators and friends," Rakel explains.

on a bigger platform. And did they record this podcast series specifically during Covid-19? "No!" she exclaims, "We recorded this in February. It's all face-to-face conversations. That would have been smart!"

"IF YOU CAN SEE IT, AND YOU CAN VISUALISE WHAT YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE CAN HEAR."

Releasing such a precious project during the Covid-19 period is bound to be tough. Rakel agrees but is also hopeful. "There is a certain formula, how it is to release an album, especially with live and press… and it involves a lot of travel… However, I'm happy that we're gonna be releasing it…'cause I don't wanna wait. I just want people to hear it. I'm really happy with the album. It's such a great thing for it to be out in the world, you know? It's almost like a chapter can continue once you release it."

Unlike other bands who have tried to explore other ventures such as live-streamed gigs and "The first conversation with Marta (Salogni) (The new album online meet-and-greets, Dream Wife have been surprisingly producer)– was important quiet in this regard. Rakel to introduce the album." It's incredibly rare for records to be explains why: "Personally, for me, I'm not really into it, but produced by a female or nonalso because I've been spoiled binary producer, and Dream Wife's podcast aims to open up by living in London. I was looking at my diary the the conversation and share it Words by Janelle Borg

other day, and I was trying to find an entry that I've written – and I saw an entry from the end of February, and it was like 'Rakel, you've got four gigs a week this month. You really need to slow down, and you should be very chilled in March.' Who knew that it was going to be the most chilled March I've ever experienced in my life?!" With that in mind, Rakel mentions how considering everything, it's more vital than ever for music-lovers to truly realise how essential the live aspect of music is. "I hope that people appreciate how much work there is when putting a gig together – how many jobs are connected to it – from the promoter to the bar staff to every single aspect of the live gig – and I hope people will appreciate the beauty of a live show." Considering Dream Wife's relatively "quick" ascent beyond the traditional DIY scene and straight into the professional music sphere, I was curious to see what the secret to Dream Wife's success formula is. I must admit, Rakel concluded with some sage words: "From a songwriting aspect, I think one of the best advice I got is "Write what you know" and if you can see it, and you can visualise what you're writing about, that's what people can hear. Once you show your truth, hopefully, other people can see it too." The new album "So When You Gonna..." is out now.

Photography by Sarah Piantadosi

5 QUESTIONS

GUM COUNTRY WHO ARE YOU?

Gum Country is me, Courtney Garvin, playing guitar and singing and writing the songs. Connor Mayer plays drums and keyboard at the same time, and our friend Halle Saxon Gaines joins us on stage on bass!

WHAT DO YOU DO?

We do the local band thing in Los Angeles. That used to mean playing gigs and practicing and stuff, but I’m not too sure what it means these days. I play in another band called The Courtneys, which is something I’ve been a part of for about 10 years now. Outside of music, I’m also a Storyboard Artist at an animation studio called Titmouse. I’m also a jock and would play tennis all day if I could. I know that sounds like a lot of stuff, but I can assure you I spend most of the day staring into space. Connor is working on his PhD at UCLA, and Halle has an amazing band called Automatic.

WHY DO YOU DO IT?

I started Gum Country to try being a songwriter/front-person and see how it felt. So far it’s been really cool. I consume and treasure so much music. And I think my hope is to be able to create that experience for others. I’m also happiest when I’m creating. My dream has always been to write a guitar part that everybody learns at their first guitar lesson. Something really easy but also really satisfying, like Smoke On The Water.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

Well, it has been interesting. I’ve been in isolation in my apartment for nearly 3 months. Me and Connor both picked up COVID-19 in mid-March and my recovery in particular, has been long and gnarly. I’ve been mainly just meditating, painting, taking a lot of baths, and counting my many blessings. We live in Hollywood, and Black Lives Matter protests have been going on in 49

our neighbourhood for a while now. Yesterday there were 20,000 people protesting peacefully in the street. It’s incredibly moving.

WHAT'S THE HOT TOPIC?

It feels a little conflicting to me to be releasing and promoting my music at this moment, to say the least. Advocating for racial justice is what matters right now, and forever in the future. As a white musician, I am totally indebted to the sacrifices of black folks. So educating myself, donating to organisations, and most importantly creating more space for POC is definitely on the forefront of my mind. It’s an incredibly frightening time we are living in, but the way people have been coming together and showing up for justice in the wake of George Floyds’ murder has been inspiring and gives me some hope. The debut album "Somewhere" is out now.

DIGGING DEEPER

LIBRALIBRA WHY DO WOMEN OFFEND?

I am a woman and I front a band. This does not make our band fall into a specialised genre, this is not a gimmick, this is my profession, I welcome the days where I am taken seriously but I’ve lost count of how many times I am not. Sorry for the dramatic introduction but we as women are faced with ridicule and prejudice every day of our lives, however much you think things are changing they

can suddenly go ten steps back and although finally there is a conversation about sexism in the music industry, it is still rife, it is still an almighty challenge, not just in music but in life. And this leads me to my question, "Why do women offend?’ From a young age, I quickly understood or was led to believe that for a woman there were certain rules which would help you be successful. By the 50

age of 13, I was used to being bullied for being the "fat girl’ but up until that age, it didn’t fully affect me. It was like I could put on a mask and be somewhat oblivious to the hate. I loved to sing and dance and that year I was desperate to be Tula in Bugsy Malone. Long story short I accidentally overheard a fight between my music teacher and dance teacher, due to the fact my dance teacher was adamant although I had

the best voice I couldn't possibly play the part as I was too fat, it would be embarrassing and I wouldn’t fit into the dress she was having made. Now I buried that, I didn’t get the part, a year later I stopped eating and yes I think that probably played a small part as to why but for a while I kept trying. Now I’m 15, my school is a girls school partnered with a boys school on the other side of town - every year the boys' school has this rock concert, where all the boys that are in bands get to perform and the girls' school are invited like it's a great honour and we can go and ogle and swoon over these wannabe rockstars. I had this burning desire to be in a band, I was in all the choirs, and surprisingly enough after developing anorexia the same dance teacher that couldn't bare having me play Tula, cast me as the lead in that year's musical. So I couldn't understand what the problem was when my friend and I decided we wanted to start a band and play at the rock concert, her sister was learning drums, my sister was learning bass, she played the guitar and we started learning all these covers, like The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog’ and Fountains of Wayne "Stacey’s Mom’, we were excited we wanted this to be something. When we first asked if we could play we were told plain and simple ’No’ this was for the boys and the girls Words by Beth Cannon

were invited to watch and not participate. I couldn’t stand for it, I was angry, hurt and I persisted, and we were relentless until finally, the boys' school said we could be "allowed’ to perform.

to go there again, not just because of those events, life happens and we all have our traumas to bare, but I believe this played a huge part in that and I still to this day can’t understand why it was so offensive that we were young women who wanted to be in a band? Why was it so offensive that because I "WHEN WE FIRST was deemed "fat’ it would ASKED IF WE COULD be embarrassing for me to PLAY WE WERE TOLD play a part. Women face judgement every day and PLAIN AND SIMPLE unfortunately being in a ’NO’ THIS WAS FOR band comes with all sorts THE BOYS..." of judgements, and that plays a huge part as to why our music is lairy, it is loud and it is proud. It is All I can remember from a massive "fuck you’ to all that night is a hall full of the bullshit that not just mainly boys laughing, the women, but we as society reason why? They switched endure on the day-to-day. my mic off during our set We want our music to be a and sat back and watched safe space, a place where as I desperately tried to you can be whoever you sing with no sound. This want to be. We want to was our first ever gig, this create hope for anyone first proper time I was using who has been told they a mic, we were confused, can’t do something, we we couldn’t understand want to provide solace. why we couldn’t hear anything. The whole thing And sorry I’m not sorry if was a disaster because you find it offensive. for some reason it was offensive that we as young Our EP "Hail Mary" comes women wanted to perform out on August 14th 2020. alongside a group of young men and be equals. After that, I went back to my choirs and singing arias at classical sit-down concerts. I went back to believing the bands were boys and I gave up on the dream that I could be an equal in this "boys club’. I didn’t start believing I could be in a band again until I was 23. I wasted years of being too afraid 51

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

NEW ORLEANS

INTRODUCTION / VIDEO AGE Hi, we’re Ross and Ray from Video Age. Our third album “Pleasure Line” comes out August 7th on Winspear. We’ve never been to Great Britain before, but whenever this pandemic is over, we’re going to come see what all the fuss is about. Right now we’re sitting next to Big Lake in New Orleans City Park, happy to

share about some of the great things going on in our home city.

nature, turns very personal stories into epic emotional anthems, like a wolf howling at the moon.

BANDS / ARTISTS Esther Rose folk-country singer-songwriter with a deep understanding of musical tradition, propels her to craft breathtakingly poignant melodies for the modern ears. She also toured with your boy Nick Lowe.

facebook.com/ julieodellmusic

estherrose.net

Voodoo Fest personal highlights from past years: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, The Cure, Wilco.

Sexy Dex future funk cyborgs can get any party started. facebook.com/ sexydexandthefresh Julie Odell musical force of 52

LIVE MUSIC Jazz Fest personal highlights from past years: Chaka Khan, Aaron Neville, The Roots, Irma Thomas.

Also check out: Essence Fest, French Quarter Fest, Buku Fest

STUDIOS & RECORDING The Living Room our favourite studio in the city! Built in a 1930s wood-frame church, they’ve got good vibes and great gear for days. thelivingroomstudio.com Ross Farbe / Video Age Studios Here comes a shameless plug! I’ve been working as a freelance engineer/producer in the city for about 10 years. I’m equally at home behind a big console and 24-track tape machine as I am with a cassette 4-track or a laptop. The 4 of us in Video Age also love to do studio work together- let us be your backing band/ production powerhouse!

SUPPORT The Roots of Music empowers the youth of New Orleans through music education, academic support, and mentorship. The program provides music history and theory as well as instrumental instruction and ensemble performance preparation. Serves kids ages 9-14 from low-income households. therootsofmusic.org

Words by Video Age

Girls Rock New Orleans summer Rock Camp brings together girls, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth ages 9-15 to learn to play an instrument, attend cool workshops, and form bands in which they write original songs to perform for their friends, family, and community. girlsrockneworleans.org

LGBTQIA+ House of Tulip building an inheritance for trans and gender non-conforming community in Louisiana. Visit at houseoftulip.org to read about their vision in full. LGBT Community Center of New Orleans the center’s mission is to combat homophobia, transphobia, racism and misogyny by supporting community-driven projects and organizations in the greater New Orleans area.

records, tapes and CDs from all genres. euclidrecordsneworleans.com

INSTRUMENT SHOPS Webb’s Bywater Music the go-to neighbourhood shop for essentials, repairs, and used gear. Strange Guitarworks full service guitar repair shop doing A+ work. strangeguitarworks.com FISHING SPOTS City Park tons of small and medium sized ponds, great for laid-back bass fishing. neworleanscitypark.com Bayou St. John on the weekend it may fill up with YOLO Boards and kayaks, but if you can find a quiet spot, this is another good place for largemouth bass.

lgbtccneworleans.org RECORD STORES Domino Record Shack small, well curated shop located in the 7th Ward. They’ve got more reggae and international records than anyone else around. The owner Matt makes incredible mixtapes.

Lake Pontchartrain you might catch a big redfish, a bull shark, or hub cap.

dominosoundrecords.com

pontchartrain.uslakes.info

Euclid Records bigger shop in the Bywater with a very good selection of new and used

The new album "Pleasure Line" is out 7th August via Winspear.

Main photograph by Alex H. Payne

AWAY FROM THE NOISE

CRONICLE I’ve always been into speed sports thanks to my dad. He was a car racing driver when he was young and he’d bring me to races when I was a kid and speed on the highway whenever there was an opportunity to. I loved every second of it and I still do. One of my earliest memories is from a race where I got to sit next to one of the drivers during a warm-up lap. It was so much fun. Speed has always been a thing that has cheered me up no matter what state I’ve been in. It makes me feel alive, excited and so awake. I think it’s what led me into boardsports.

LOVE OF BOARDSPORTS...

old and I broke my wrist straight away without actually noticing it. The tears didn’t arrive until I realised the injury would jeopardize my at the time current part in a big musical production of The Wizard of Oz in Stockholm that I had just landed. Since then I’ve broken my arm twice while snowboarding - the last time I managed to break it in three different places although I was wearing wrist protection. It’s the only board sport I’m still trying to accept my body might not be able to handle… Just a few months ago I managed to fracture my tail bone because of it.

I tried snowboarding for the first time when I was 11 years

First time I rode down a hill on a skateboard I was probably 54

about 10 years old. Then I got my own first board at 14. It was a really nice longboard at the time and it became a part of me - I brought it with me everywhere. It annoyed me when people started calling me Avril (which in my head translated to poser) in high school, but I was pretty good at laughing things off and not caring too much. At the end of the day, it’s what made my previous rock band and the best years of my life happen. One day in the school corridor, some boys at my school asked if I wanted to sing in their skatepunk band just because they knew I skated. It kicked off a 6 year-long awesome adventure with some guys that became my best friends and brothers. When

I turned 18 I befriended the guys who started the Swedish skateboard brand "Urskog’ they were bartenders in a bar next to the cafe where I worked part-time. It didn’t take long until they came to a show to check out my band. Soon after, they started endorsing me with their amazing boards and I’ve been proudly repping them ever since. Boards in water environments gotta be my favourite though. I’ve loved wakeboarding ever since I tried it for the first time when I was 13. It’s probably the thing I’m most skilled at too, probably because I won't break anything if I try a trick and fall. The worst thing you can get (ish) is a face plant which makes the taste of blood occur in your mouth. I’ve prioritised my piano and guitar playing way before getting skilled at tricks in skateboarding but on a wakeboard, I can do a few things that I guess are

considered pretty credible when you’re a blonde regular (goofy actually) chick like me. Surfing - I take every chance I get to practice it and I can catch a good wave but I wouldn’t call myself a surfer. I’ve done it for almost half of my life but it takes months of doing it regularly to become really good and I just haven’t had time to go away for that long and focus on something that isn’t music. There’s just something about boards. The way they let you cruise on pretty much anything, pretty much anywhere. A dark summer eve when you let the wind hit your face and your focus intensifies on not falling, not getting hurt. It’s self-love in the best shape. The sound of rolling wheels against concrete, hitting small stones and traffic far away is the only thing disrupting your mind. The thoughts are never clearer,

Words by Melanie Molkhert / CRONICLE

never as still. Adrenaline pumps through your veins when you finally catch that perfect wave or nail a 360. There’s nothing like the joy and pleasure that occurs when you slide around on crystal clear, mirror-like water behind a boat from where your friends are smiling and are almost as excited as you just watching. It can be a heavy work-out and a risky business but you never want it to end. You go to the gym just to be able to do it as much as possible - for as long as possible. It might have given me broken bones, dislocated shoulders, knees and internal head bleeding but it’s really nothing compared to how it enriches my life. It’s something I do for me and only me. There’s nothing to achieve or any goals lined up. I can just be myself, by myself and love myself for it. The single 'Need U 2 Want Me' is out now.

5 QUESTIONS

WHO ARE YOU?

OXYMORRONS

Your favourite neighbourhood band of blacks and Latinos, OXYMORRONS! *airhorns* An alternative rock/hip-hop group from Queens trying to reclaim the rock space, kick over dumpsters, fight the power, and have some fun along the way.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

We’re here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and we seem to be all out of gd bubblegum.

WHY DO YOU DO IT?

We’re here to make the music we want to make, shake up the norms of what it means to be “hip-hop” or “rock,” and to be unapologetically ourselves. We want to be a voice for the unheard, the weirdos, the geeks, anyone who was told they need to act a certain way or be a certain type of person based off of where they live or what they look like. We have been told numerous times over the years that we were too black for rock, and too rock for hip hop. So as a result, we’re here to ruin your day

and just give you the music that we love influenced by every band we ever cared about.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

Our new single “Justice” just dropped under 333 Wreckords. We’re super excited about the record itself, but also the message. All revenue from streaming, merchandise, and downloads both now and in the future from this song will be given back to the community through various charities, non-profits, and movements. We want this to be a never-ending gift to our people to continue to develop the youth, enhance our culture, and fight the inequalities that we have suffered for too long. Other than that, gearing up to tour again once the COVID is under control. We are ITCHING for it. Have a ton of great records in the chamber that we can’t wait to release. Then a full length after that. We’re just getting started!

WHAT'S THE HOT TOPIC?

the hot topic right now in music is what’s literally going on in the world. Police brutality and racism towards black people across the United States are not only on the forefront of everyone's minds, but the core topic of the majority of music that is being released. As a band that is usually on the front lines, we are happy that so many artists (both POC and allies) are speaking out against injustices against our people. However, we hope this is not just a “trend” and this fight and outspokenness stay constant throughout the music industry as a whole. Not exploiting the same people that built the culture a lot of the music industry is based on. Systematic changes need to happen in the music industry as well as our government, prison system, education system, and our police. We just want artists to stay vigilant and continue to walk the walk speaking out against how corrupt the system has become. The single "Justice" is out now.

Based off of all current events, 56

Photography by Vee Sanders

Cards or Die Board Game Events bringing people together with boardgames

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IN FOCUS

HERFEST After the release of the shocking Summer 2017 festival statistics, stating that only 14% of all acts across all UK festivals were femaleidentifying, the passion for change reached a new peak and the founders decided to take matters into their own hands. Her Music PR, a female ran, female-focused music PR agency, joined forces with social enterprise Come Play With Me and the idea for HERFEST was born, an allday music event celebrating female-identifying musicians and marginalised genders. Since its launch at the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, in October 2018, the stage has been graced by many an impressive name. Liverpool’s art-pop sensations "Stealing Sheep’ hit the ground running in 2018 followed by

the prestigious band "The Orielles’ headlining a sell-out show in 2019. 2020’s line-up promises another fantastic day, showcasing more amazing female-identifying talent and is immensely proud to have GIRLI headlining their stage this year. With her music highlighting extremely important topics such as feminism, sexuality, queer culture, and mental health, GIRLI mirrors HERFEST’s ethos and passion for change perfectly. GIRLI says: “I've been waiting a long time to play an allfemale/femme line-up, and HERFEST is a breath of fresh air. It's funny that having anfemale line-up for a festival is such a piece of news, as most people wouldn't (and don't) bat an eyelid at all-male or majority male line-ups, which 58

are still all too common.” Supporting headline PEANESS also back the ethos saying “We can't wait to get back out and play, and what makes it sweeter is getting back on stage to perform surrounded by like-minded people! Local talent PEAKES are the third headline gracing the stage this year and lead singer Molly Puckering says: "We're really excited to be a part of HERFEST this year! It shouldn't be a novelty to get to play alongside so many incredible female musicians but sadly it is. That's what makes events like HERFEST even more necessary! HERFEST would like to thank PRS for Music Foundation, Brighter Sounds, Arts Council England, Youth Music and Leeds Inspired, as it has been made possible by their generosity and support.

5 QUESTIONS

MODEL MAN WHO ARE YOU?

people we know and places we visit.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

We just released the song "Why?’ which is kind of upbeat for us. It’s part of a 4 track EP called "Don’t Cry’ that comes out early August. We’ve had DJ Seinfeld and some other great artists remix some stuff so we’ll get that out soon.

We are two brothers and we call ourselves Model Man. We make electronic music around a piano and then there’s a sort of documentary element we try to incorporate by filming and recording interviews and the atmospheres of different cities and people and incorporate that into the songs.

WHY DO YOU DO IT?

It’s all just a documentary. Our exploration of sound through travelling. Everything really, we use a lot of sounds from our home videos when we were younger and things like that as well. It’s all just a collage of the

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

We’ve just finished a couple of remixes for Prospa and Willaris K too that we’d like to get out there.

WHAT'S THE HOT TOPIC?

Being able to play live again. There are loads of mad ideas going around about how to perform to an audience. People are getting a bit tired of the traditional live 59

streams. There loads of weird digital warehouse raves and concerts in games happening. Love that. So we gotta find our way of using some mad tech to do some of the things we’d like to do there. And also actually getting out of the house would be nice. Since we’ve started we’ve played one live show, then COVID happened. It was such a fun show too. Full band setup took a while to work out. Now we have all new songs and it feels like a reset. Some artists are doing shows in big empty arenas and halls and things like that. We love all that. The acoustics in some of these places without the audience there is really different.

SAN CISCO They might be jumping back into the scene with a refined sound, but their ever-endearing authenticity and infectious charm is unmistakable. Or it could be that sweet Aussie drawl. Either way. This is San Cisco. 60

It’s been almost 10 years since San Cisco burst onto the Australian independent scene with their first charting single, Awkward. The record became an instant hit, being certified platinum by ARIA and amassing an impressive 31 million streams in the years since its first release. Two years after the release of the spangely synth-pop album, The Water, this indiepop trio have re-emerged with a stripped-back sound. With three singles and an EP released this year, plus talk of an album on the way, I hopped on a call with the band to talk new releases, the WA scene and inevitably, Coronavirus... San Cisco’s latest EP, Flaws, showcases a softer, more vulnerable side to their music. The heartfelt lyrics of the title track seems a far cry from the cheeky to and fro of Awkward, but this contrast appears to come as a natural progression and a sign of this band's maturing sound. While they haven't strayed too far from their instantly recognisable sunny melodies, this welcome change sees frontman Jordi’s simple, but rich, vocals given the opportunity to shine. “It feels really good,” he explains, “I think this new music is something we haven't done yet, but it's still in the vein of what people like about San Cisco." Authenticity seems to be at the core of this band, and playing together since the tender age of sixteen means growth really isn't something they shy away from. With Scarlett out of town, Josh and Jordi sat down to discuss how their ability to embrace change has brought

a welcome new dimension to their gigs. “This new music of ours is all quite personal stuff...therefore there is actually this whole other enjoyable element to performing it and playing it.”

"WE HAD TO CANCEL 50 SHOWS, IT'S BEEN VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I THOUGHT THE SECOND HALF OF MY YEAR WAS GONNA BE LIKE!" “When we play Awkward and Fred Astaire, it's awesome because the crowd loves it” Jordi explains, “they are partying, so we're loving it too, but these new songs... hopefully, crowds can connect with it like that, but there is also that deeper level." It's clear that this newfound vulnerability has the capability to further connect this band with their eager fans, but also offers a new kind of catharsis to the band members themselves. “It means a lot to me” Jordi muses over the EP’s title track, “and it's quite therapeutic to be sharing that with people who can possibly relate to it." It would be hard to spend much time talking to anyone right now without touching on the current pandemic. While things remain quite hectic on our side of the world, the boys assure me that Perth is pulling through.

laughs. Despite this, there has been an undeniable impact on the live music scene. Like many other artists, San Cisco have found their plans turned upside down. "We had to cancel 50 shows, it's been very different from what I thought the second half of my year was gonna be like!" "It's really uncharted waters.” explains Jordi, but as always this chirpy frontman is eager to find a silver lining, “The WA border is locked down to the rest of Australia, so we are talking about doing a big regional tour, which we probably wouldn't do otherwise!” But as eager as these three are to get back to doing what they love, that doesn't mean there aren’t plenty of risks involved, and Jordi isn’t shy to admit he has a few fears surrounding the future of live music postpandemic. "I think that one thing that could happen is that the live music market is going to be flooded with every act wanting to get back on the road all at the same time. People are going to be inundated and maybe not have the funds to go and see a bunch of acts.” We both laugh and cross our fingers that San Cisco’s cheery tunes are WA’s panacea of choice. And so they should be, their wholesome discography of feel-good indie-pop is a sure-fire way to blow away those quarantine cobwebs.

Lockdown might have put a stop to the bands' international tour but they certainly haven’t let it get them down - in fact, it seems like the break from their usual routine has provided “We went to the city on Friday them with time to reflect both night and it was pumping!” Jordi on a professional and personal 61

level. “Over the last 10 years that has been the process: recording, releasing, touring... and then going back into the studio” recounts Jordi. But it's clear that a little time off the road has proved invaluable to him. “I think I've learnt a lot, I just need to chill out more and stop worrying about always catching up with people and feeling like I'm letting people down, or like I should be doing this or should be doing that.” he explains. With Perth being the home to a vibrant scene of up and coming musicians, I wanted to delve a little deeper into what makes the community of independent artists in Western Australia so special. “It's a small tightly knit

community,” Jordi explains, "I think everyone is very supportive of what everyone else is doing and no-one can really swerve into each other's lane too much because it would be really obvious, the pond isn't

"IT'S A SMALL TIGHTLY KNIT COMMUNITY... THINK EVERYONE IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING..." very big." Maintaining creative ownership over their music is important to the band and naturally integral

to what it means to be an independent artist. “We were kind of born into it…” remarks Josh, and he isn’t wrong. The band are managed by Phil Stevens, founder of the legendary North Fremantle music venue, Mojo’s, and manager of Jarrah Records, an independent label that also represents the highly acclaimed John Butler Trio. He’s been heavily involved in the WA independent music scene since the ’80s and father to Scarlett since '92." “We had the knowledge and the support to be independent and I think it was the right idea.” and it’s true, they have an army of loyal fans across the country, but as Jordi aptly points out, “the rest of the world is a very big place.”

Words by Lolly Cooper

Photography by Pooneh Ghana

CURRENT ARTISTS

THESE ARE THE ARTISTS WE'RE WORKING WITH, LISTEN + FOLLOW ON SPOTIFY

IN THE MORNING LIGHTS

CHANTE AMOUR

STRAIGHT GIRL

SUNFLOWER THIEVES

LENU

VAN HOUTEN

Open Spotify App > Search > Camera > Scan

AWAY FROM THE NOISE

WINTER CONNECTING WITH NATURE... Winter is a dream-pop artist from Brazil currently living in Los Angeles. There’s a makebelieve, fairy tale surrealism to her Technicolour brand of shoegaze, and new album Endless Space (Between You & I) perfectly encapsulates that. Her third record, it's a work that is deeply introspective, turning inward to examine Samira’s esoteric world whilst inviting you in to experience its kaleidoscopic wonder. Like most of us, however, Winter has been stuck at home the last few months, and whilst she has found joy

in both yoga and studying astrology, the lockdown has given her a chance to connect with nature on the hikes she has been going on. She explains: “Every Saturday me and my partner made a pact to go on a hike or go to the beach. Ever since the quarantine began I felt this urge to connect with nature where usually I wouldn't prioritise it in my schedule and now it's actually become a hobby that I've incorporated into my life. When I go on these hikes, usually somewhere in the Angeles Mountains, I find myself feeling a lack of time and space in the best way 63

possible. My mind is clear and nothing else really seems to matter besides focusing on the next step to take. It's the one day of the week where I completely allow myself to let go of any anxieties or pressures of "productivity" and just walk through a new trail, a new challenge, a new place to reflect.” The new album "Endless Space (Between You & I)" is out 24th July via Bar/None Records.

Photography by Walker Lewis

IN FOCUS

THIS IS NOT YOUR PUNK REMEMBERING QUEERCORE

As queer art and life has moved closer and closer to the mainstream, the kind of work that’s being produced has become more and more respectable. The queer anarchy and disgust of the early films of John Waters, or the popart wastelands of Gregg Araki have been replaced by the acceptable face of queer cinema: coming out films like Love, Simon. One of the most interesting, and strangely appealing artefacts of queer art is the short-lived queercore movement; an offshoot of

punk and hardcore that’s rooted in the political and personal concerns of queer performers and bands. The lasting appeal of queercore exists irrespective of the varying quality – both technically and otherwise – of the albums that came out of the movement. If anything, the appeal comes from the fact that they’re imperfect; the production is grainy, things get lost or muddled in the mix, but this DIY charm is something that feels tragically missing in a 64

lot of more contemporary queer art, which feels more manufactured, designed to be palatable to a wider audience. The great joy of queercore comes from how unapologetically queer it is, embracing the energy and political edge of punk in a way that allows for the creation of something uniquely queer, and refreshingly angry. Listening to Team Dresch’s debut album Personal Best – named for and taking its cover image from the lesbian-themed film of the same name – has a certain

kind of cathartic joy to it, from the scream of “you” that punctuates the first verse of album opener "Fagetarian and Dyke,’ to the ways that the song brings out the anger that comes from fighting back against the repression of desire, it resonates because it’s about fighting back. Listening to lines like “You were not right, I have some guts somewhere,” even 25 years later, feels like a call to arms, a way to wake up and insist that you’re not the way that other people might think, or might want you to be.

insides all over your hands,” celebrates the idea of being out and unapologetic, not self-censoring because of what other people want.

Songs like "Hate the Christian Right!’ feel like the antithesis of the respectability politics that have become part and parcel of contemporary pride. You’ll find nothing close to corporate-friendly rainbow capitalism here, refusing to play nice with lines like “You never wanted to care; you fuck, you fuck, you fuck!” But there’s more than just political anger in queercore; it marries the personal and the political in a way that’s rare in its candour, never letting melancholy fall into selfloathing, but instead finding power and resistance within the act of making music, the act of simply existing. The second album by Excuse 17 (with a pre-fame Carrie Brownstein), Such Friends Are Dangerous, features the wonderful "This Is Not Your Wedding Song.’ While its full of melancholy, this never comes from a kind of queer shame; it’s a breakup song about a woman’s ex-girlfriend who’s getting married to a man. Lines like “Don’t think you can start again/You’ve got my

In the end, that’s what makes queercore not only something worth revisiting, but also something that can be learnt from moving forward; the fact that the politics, and personal exploration that the music explores is something that exists for queer people, speaking to queer experience without needing to crush itself under the burden of universality. The declarative chorus of Team Dresch’s "She’s Amazing’ – “She’s amazing, her words save me/She holds her head as if it’s true” – feels powerful because it speaks to something unique to a kind of queer experience. It’s easy to treat the political concerns of queercore as part of a holistic grievance that defines a lot of punk, but doing so does a disservice to not only the music itself, but the movement(s) that it came from. Even something as simple as band names resonate as an act of reclamation, with bands like Pansy Division, and Limp Wrist attack queer stereotypes head-on.

Words and artwork by Sam Moore

"IF ANYTHING, THE APPEAL COMES FROM THE FACT THAT THEY’RE IMPERFECT; THE PRODUCTION IS GRAINY, THINGS GET LOST OR MUDDLED IN THE MIX..."

Limp Wrist fight for a seat at the table when it comes to punk and hardcore, rooting queer experience into an environment that often feels overtly masculine and heterosexual, at odds with the equality that should come hand-in-hand with the political message of punk rock. Songs like "Cruisin’ at the Show’ literally bring together the environment of punk rock gigs and cruising for sex, creating something that, for all of its musical anger, is open and welcoming. The lyrics “we met up later that night, messed around over and over cuz we knew it was right” retain their power now, creating not only a kind of safe space for queers, but a reminder that we’ve always been here, and always will be. One of the biggest problems with a lot of contemporary queer culture is that it acts as if queerness itself is a fairly recent invention; the constant rehashing of coming-out stories places an entire subculture into a kind of arrested adolescence, repeating it over and over again until everyone else understands. But queercore never did that. There was never any kind of assumption that the music would need to speak to a wider audience than just queer people who were looking for catharsis and solidarity. And now, decades after the peak of the movement, this is still something worth celebrating, remembering, and being proud of.

TOOLBOX

STARTING A RECORD LABEL WITH BOB BRAZILL OF MONOMYTH RECORDS

Starting a record label can be tough. Without any form of guidance, help or financial support the task can feel mammoth, and with so much to consider it might seem impossible to get things up and running. So, what should you do? For this first edition of artist toolbox, we’ve curated the ultimate guide for budding label creators. After the rapid success of Leeds own Monomyth Records, we spoke with founder Bob Brazill to find out exactly what is essential in the initial stages of making a label. From the get-go it’s clear that there’s a whole lot to consider before kickoff; it isn’t just about having a collection of

artists under your belt and interest in your local music scene, there’s an excess of behind-thescenes responsibilities you need to try and tackle

"WE’VE ALWAYS MADE SURE THAT OUR PRODUCT IS OF A HIGH STANDARD AND SO IN MOST CASES WE’VE BEEN INVITED BACK..." too. "I think there’s a lot of transferable skills needed when first setting up as you’re usually the A&R, the producer, web designer, accountant, roadie, tea maker, councillor and more. On the practical 66

side, you’ll need the basics to create a good social media campaign and presence, a distribution outlet for digital sales, a clear identity and brand, a bank account, a label website with clear routes for contact visible and, of course, a mission statement.’ But these skills aren’t acquired overnight, and if you’re planning on getting started sooner rather than later, it’s a tightly-knit team of knowledgeable people that’ll act as your saving grace. "Our biggest resource is definitely our team; producers, writers, engineers, video directors, photographers and social media experts, as well as a whole host of music business professionals are

always willing to help when called upon.’

artists on board, how do you start building a brand that people want Without these assets at to work with? At the very your fingertips things might core is investing time in get a little tricky, and, of relationships that’ll benefit course, the subject of your fledgeling label. "Our money springs to mind brand has been built when we’re talking about over a 3-year period in getting a crew together. several different ways. Speaking with Bob, it We know that we’re a seems Monomyth Records micro-independent label didn’t start with an eyeand this means that in watering cash flow to begin some cases we act as a with, and in reality, it’s not bridging and development the be-all and end-all to platform for artists. Over being successful. Yet when this time, we’ve looked asked about anything he after fifteen acts in various would’ve done differently, stages of their career it still boiled down to paths and worked closely fiscal means. "I’d definitely with local music industry borrow more money. It’s a stakeholders, fostering fact of life that in today’s relationships with various industry, having a healthy companies, venues, bank balance is helpful in distributors, shops, blogs lots of ways, from paying and media outlets.’ for rehearsals to producing merch, and physical Forming these media. That being said the relationships over a long label has done very well period of time seems to with the budget we have be the key to success in been afforded, so it isn’t the early stages; you want impossible to be successful other brands, individuals without a large sum behind and companies to see what you.’ you’re doing and want to work with you, so it’s also With enough money at important to make sure hand and a selection of that what you’re creating is Words by Abi Whistance

worth investing in. 'We’ve always made sure that our product is of a high standard and so in most cases, we’ve been invited back to work with them again. This is so important in establishing a brand, and it’s worked wonders for us. The usual graphic branding is important too; as well as regular good quality content on social media from the label and the artists themselves.’ So, plain and simple, starting a record label isn’t a walk in the park. It’s clear from our chat that time, money and a whole lot of effort needs to be invested for a label to get off the ground, but once you’ve started to reap the rewards, trust us, they’ll keep on comin’. Working with some of your favourite artists and watching them grow is an incentive like no other, so with this push in the right direction, what better time to get this show on the road? Get in touch with Monomyth Records at monomythrecords.com

IN FOCUS

BLACK BOYS IN ROCK

Back in 1983, David Bowie was interviewed by MTV. He posed the important question of why black artists were under-represented on their network, why are there “so few black artists featured [on MTV]?”. “I think we're trying to move in that direction,” answered Mark Goodman- but it’s been almost 30 years since and the unrequited sentiment of Bowie’s concern chime louder than anytime since. “Should it not be a challenge to try and make the media far more integrated especially in, if anything, in musical terms?” The only contrast between 1983 and 2020 is the video resolution of inequality. You see in real-time the symptoms of inaction; you may call it a far stretch to suggest that the chasm of black rock bands, the deaths of unarmed

black men and systemic racism are dichotomised, but I’d suggest otherwise. We still have huge underrepresentation of BAME artists in the rock and indie music scene.

I’m Jim, lead singer of the Leeds based alt-rock duo Blue Kubricks. I have a story worth hearing: my brother and I write and record all our own music and have been rigorously gigging the Yorkshire circuit for upwards of three years. We are black boys in rock; our mother is from Finland and our father from Ghana, and in light of the recent Black Lives Matter movement it is time for our voices as black rock artists to be heard. Too often we are mistaken for rappers; we joke too often that 68

when we tell people that we’re musicians, their response is almost always "So what kind of rap music do you do?’. People are surprised to see two black boys playing rock music rather than rap or drill, and this stereotype needs to end. We want to inspire the next generation of black kids to not succumb to the cultural pressure dictated by the colour of their skin, but instead know they can too pick up a guitar. If young black boys are pushed into drill, the central message of drill being violence and misogyny, it only perpetuates these features within black communities; the perception of them and the objective corollary of knife crime becomes embedded within these groups. It can be easy, if not educated, to view the two as inextricably linked. H. L. Mencken said that “For every complex

problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”. I do not attest to solving complex issues with simply prescribing a shift in musical taste, I do however offer a hypothesis: would the world not be a better place if we sang and venerated not violence but love? I understand that drill is a symptom of poverty, but we need to eradicate this at its root, not pull at the leaves. The rock scene in Leeds is remarkable. We love it here and the musicians we collaborate with are second to none. We relocated to Leeds to pursue a career in music three years ago, and we are the only BAME-led rock band in Leeds that we have come across. Throughout the years we have played almost every venue in Leeds, from the smallest pubs and bars to the O2 Academy, and we are the minority. Despite Leeds being such a diverse city, this whiteness is part of the wider racial disparity at large within the music community. We are saddened, but not shocked, to have heard about the racial injustice in our community (we donut want your Nazi donuts,

thanks Temple!), but we’re pleased that people are finally speaking out. We feel it is time that the industry celebrates our niche position as a black rock band, something that we are extremely proud of. There are a number of record labels in Leeds that sign bands at our level of notoriety, yet if you look through their roster of artists they again lack diversity – there are no black faces. Given that rock music was founded on black musicians, we want to see more black people at the forefront of our scene. Jimi Hendrix fundamentally inspired my writing as a child, and it’s safe to say that the white rock scene of today would be nothing without him. Blue Kubricks want to change the status quo and disrupt the current whitewash; we want to be our generation’s pioneers of black rock. Considering the BLM movement, we believe that genuine allyship comes from collective action. The industry responded fantastically to the need for more female voices in rock music and answered the call to sign more female-led bands. This is the exact step-up that we need to

Words by Jim Dubnium / Blue Kubricks

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Pre-lockdown, we were on the cusp of embarking on our UK-wide spring tour. Naturally, we were shattered that this couldn’t go ahead, but we are excited to thrive in a scene that is unafraid to have these difficult conversations. Ultimately, we want to challenge the notion that the rock scene is best served white. For more on Blue Kubricks see officialbluekubricks.com.

Photography by Jason Duah & Joseph Huggins

Last

of the

Sun

by Lucy Feliz

Pre-order Album on Digital + LP Available 28th August 2020 www.lucyfeliz.com

see from labels, radio, venues and journalists for black artists. We need more than Blackout Tuesday. As a band, we found this counterintuitive, as real change comes from actively championing voices like ours, rather than blacking us out. If we want to see real change in the world, it takes action, not symbolism. We are the sum of our parts and closing your eyes to the blinding monochromatism in rock music is as counterproductive as it is to simply post a black square on Instagram.

AWAY FROM THE NOISE

SFVEN

camera to experiment with he suggested the Olympus Mju, a little 35mm point and shoot. Point and shoots are amazing cause they mean that someone with very poor camera skills, like myself, can take a decent photo without I thought I’d write this feature having to bother about focus etc. So armed with my pretty about photography, I don’t affordable new toy and rolls really know anything about on rolls of film I was ready. it and it’s something that I’m I got the camera early last not very experienced with, summer so it was perfect but I love it. I got into the timing really cause festivals idea of photography whilst were just starting to happen I was away in Berlin hanging and I’d also planned a trip out with my mate who goes under the name Glashier (he’s to see the grandparents in the states so there were lots wicked so would deffo check out his stuff). We would often of cool things to document. Something I’d always wanted find ourselves in that classic debate of "analogue vs. digital’ to do was incorporate photos in music and photography and that I’d taken into artwork for the songs and it’s cool cause after saying I was interested all of the art for the singles in getting a cheapo film ON PHOTOGRAPHY... Hello, I’m Jamie and I’ve been making music under the moniker Sfven for the past 2 years now. I used to live in Leeds but I don’t anymore and I love pizza.

and cover of "The Honey EP’ are photos that I took whilst out in the states. I also wanna say that I still know nothing about taking a decent photo. I never even really took photos before getting the camera but it can be a lot of fun so if, like me, you fancy it I would very much recommend the Olympus Mju cause it’s cheap and easy. I’m supposed to use this last section for any release details that I wish to share so here goes: My second EP ’The Honey EP’ is out in September and you can listen to the first single "Saint’ now if you fancy, the second single "Changing’ is out on the 24th of July, which is also my birthday… cool! Photography by Sfven

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