3 minute read
GINEVRA / MILAN
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH MILAN, ITALY
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WITH GINEVRA
INTRODUCTION
Since I started as the Magazine Assistant here at Come Play With Me, I’ve been wanting to write about GINEVRA, one of my favourite artists on the Italian indie scene.
GINEVRA’s songs blend innovation and tradition, creating a world between FKA Twigs and Lucio Battisti, one of the most appreciated Italian songwriters of the 70’s.
She’s from Turin, but for the last 10 years, she has been based in Milan, the driving force of the music industry in the country.
VENUES
Speaking to GINEVRA on the phone, she told me all about her favourite venues in Milan, starting from the
outside stage at ‘Triennale Milano’, where she was able to perform over the past couple of years in spite of the pandemic.
`Magnolia’, she said, it’s also a must of the Milanese scene. With its multivenue space close to the ‘Idroscalo’ park, it’s also the home of ‘MIAMI’, one of the most important\ influential festivals in the country for emerging talents.
There are also a couple of venues she’s got her eyes on to perform, she adds, TUNNEL CLUB and the celebrated Fabrique, where FKA twigs and Little Simz have also hosted their Italian tour dates this year.
ARTISTS\BANDS
Over the past 5 years, Milan has become the centre of Italian cultural life - a city with international aspirations and filled with talent.
GINEVRA’s favourites are Tropea, an indie-pop band with unmatched live energy and Venerus, a born-and-bred Milanese artist with an international, Brit-inspired sound.
When I ask her what female artists she’s been listening to, the name ‘La Nina del Sud’ comes up immediately. ‘La Nina is not only an artist that I admire, but also a friend’ she says, ‘our creative visions align, and we’ve been growing together as artists over the past few years.’ In 2021, La Ninā and GINEVRA collaborated on a musical short film called ‘La Notte Delle Lumere’, in celebration of an ancient Neapolitan festivity, honouring their ancestors and the occult.
LGBTQ+ SCENE
Talking with GINEVRA about the LGBTQ+ scene in Milan was really interesting. I haven’t lived in Italy for years and it’s hard for me to fully understand the cultural shifts that are happening in our country. Italy as a whole is still a problematic place to exist for the queer community, but Milan is quickly becoming a model of openness and inclusion. GINEVRA tells me about Porta Venezia District where there are lots of safe spaces for the queer community to party and socialise, like the ‘Love’ and the ‘Rainbow’. We also talked about fluid and queer artists in Milan, like David Blank, Boyrebecca and M¥SS KETA, who are championing representation in the media and driving cultural change.
VINYL SHOPS
Finally, I ask GINEVRA about the best spots for a vinyl hunt in Milan and she mentioned two: ‘Dischi Volanti’ (flying vinyl), for vintage and contemporary records, and ‘Serendeepidy’, a new spot focused on electronic music and techno.
