BANDS ON FILM
Photographs Interviews
February - April 2022
Cover: Gustaf Windmill Brixton November 11th, 2021
BANDS ON FILM
Photographs and Interviews from February & March 2022
After two years of Covid restrictions, one of which was without any concerts, I’ve been trying to find my way back into photography since the second half of 2021. We have sadly lost some venues due to lock-downs but we have also gained some new bands coming out of them. Seeing the music scene come back to life was such an emotional moment – that’s why I thought it was time for another zine. All photographs (apart from the cover photo) were taken in February March and April this year. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to photograph and interview so many amazing bands again. A big thank you to everyone who put me on the list, especially to LNZRT. I have made a playlist with all bands featured in this zine which is available on Spotify and via Bandcamp. If you like any of the songs make sure to give the bands a follow and maybe even buy a song or two. Thank you so much for supporting my work. Nina Rädel April 2022
Spotify Playlist:
Bandcamp Playlist:
← CLT DRP At Signature Brewery Haggerston February 17th, 2022
↑ Tommy Cossack & The Degenerators At The George Tavern February 2nd, 2022
↑ Kyoto Kyoto At The Victoria Dalston February 19th, 2022
→ Cassels At The Victoria Dalston February 19th, 2022
ĠENN Is there much of a music scene in Malta and what is it like? OH Malta is tres COOOL , there is a lot going on and there are some really amazing musicians there like JOON , Michael Azzopardi and my all time favorites BRODU ( the drummer used to be in this band called Plato’s dream machine - they are easily one of my favorite bands till this day, sadly they are no longer together but every now and then I put there album up and listen to it non stop.) I miss going to the Cinema and Theatre and being invited to exhibitions, there is a lot of talent in Malta and I wish I could just tell everyone about it. previous two pages:
Ġenn At The Ivy House February 24th, 2022
Three of you are originally from Malta, what made you move to the UK? The perks of being on an Island is because you are literally so close to everything and Malta is just amazing for that, not to mention the Sea and the sun. That can also be a draw back for musicians wanting to make a name for themselves as you cannot really tour in Malta due to its size and small proximities. Fia was mainly the number 1 reason we wanted to move though, it would have been impossible to have 1 member in a country and the 3 three in another one. Coming from such a small island we felt like we wanted to explore what’s out there as well as get involved in the Brighton and London scene. We really wanted to just make a name for ourselves, which we are still trying to establish. Your sound has developed quite a bit in the last years. What is your goal when writing music and what inspires you? I think we definitely became closer as individuals, and that really helps a lot because in some way when we play together. It feels like we can be vulnerable and we play for each other, if that makes sense, not to please anyone or anything. To elaborate, I feel like we’ve created this safe haven within each other and that really pushed a lot of boundaries music wise. We are very much inspired by the visual and the sonic world. Cinema is a huge inspiration for me and I draw a lot of visual narratives from films I like and they really play a huge role in my lyrics and writing. I do like reading a lot as well when I’m not watching any Rohmer or Varda. I am currently reading ‘The waves’ By Virginia Woolf. If you could write a new soundtrack for a film, which film would you choose? Oh this is a very tricky question! Thanks for asking me this. Well, if you were to ask me this last month I would have probably said ‘Salut Les Cubains’ but my response now would be ‘Mauvias Sang’. I am having a bit of a Leos Carax obsession at the moment. Their debut EP “Liminal” came out last year.
M(H)AOL
You’re split between Ireland, London and Bristol. How do you manage to keep the band going long-distance? Róisín: It’s honestly a logistical feat. There is an extremely active band group chat where myself and Connie (the drummer) discuss band stuff separately, maybe every day at the moment? Also, our live shows tend to be pretty immersive as we all have to travel to them and feel like massive sleepovers.
Your lyrics span across topics of dogs, women in history and rape culture. What has drawn you to write about each of these topics? Róisín: You can thank Connie for all of the dog songs. She has a deep love of animals and they are featured heavily in our songs early on. As an Irish woman it’s impossible not to be aware of our history and how devastating and inspirational it is in equal measures. At our core we are a political band, and rape culture is something that affects everyone who lives in this society, so it seemed pertinent to write a song about it. ‘Asking for It’ is my favorite song I’ve ever written. I wrote it before the band went on hiatus in 2016. When I returned to it in 2020 I realised how much victim blaming the lyrics contained. It got a lyrical overhaul before we re-recorded it. I think of it as a testament to the power of change. “Ó Ró Sé Do Bheatha Bhaile” is a hauntingly beautiful ballad. What made you cover a song in Irish and what is your relationship with the language? Róisín: Ó Ró is a very famous ballad about a legendary pirate queen called Gráinne Mhaol. We did a cover of it for a few reasons. My dad suggested it, and since we are named after Gráinne Mhaol we wanted to do it as a tribute to her. Both myself and Connie speak Irish fluently so we were very keen to do a song in Irish as well. Are there any cool Irish bands that we aren’t hearing enough about in the UK? Róisín: We are massive Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra fans. They are incredible. Their debut EP “Gender Studies” is out now.
← ↑ M(h)aol At The Ivy House February 24th, 2022
→ Shame Windmill Brixton February 20th, 2022
↑ Girls in Synthesis
↓ Slap Rash
At The Shacklewell Arms February 25th, 2022
At Signature Brewery Haggerston February 256h, 2022
↑ Sit Down At Signature Brewery Haggerston February 26th, 2022
SIT DOWN You have grown into a three-piece in the last year. Why did you feel it was time for a new member? Katie: Greg and I have made music together for so many years always liked the challenge of just how much noise we can make live with only two bodies. But after a while it started to limit our growth in songwriting, and we were creating stuff that we just couldn’t physically play live. Once shows opened up again after lockdown it felt natural and right to start inviting our talented friends on board to see if they wanted to join the ride and help us build something bigger and better than the two of us. Lilly is a fantastic bassist and musician and we were lucky to have such a great first addition. We’ve definitely had the ego death of it not having to be just about us and more about creating a mad fun experience for all, and I look forward to us growing and growing in the future.
Greg started his own label “Trashtown Industries” a few years ago. How did that come about? Greg: It’s less of a record label and more just a dumping ground for mine and my friends projects that we don’t know what to do with haha. Its based on a concept we created at the very beginning of Sit Down about this imaginary world called Trashtown, which links a few of our early songs together. Its a world where all these characters and stories interweave and collaborate so we thought Trashtown Industries would be a good way to represent, that as a fictional record label in our fictional town. There is a phenomenon in the scene of men showing up to shows with female bands and taking up space in the front, which rarely happen for small male bands. Have you noticed that at your shows and how do you feel about it? Katie: It’s funny because we’ve done two big support tours in the last year, both times supporting a band that had 4 members with 1 female member. In the first band, the non-male member was the frontwoman, and in the second the non-male member was on drums. On that first tour we could barely see beyond the bank of older men with big flashing cameras front and centre snapping the vocalist and us from every angle, and on that second tour I don’t think a single gig had photographers beyond people with their phones, despite the crowds on that tour being much greater, and notably, younger. So very often we see this, the front of the crowd almost exclusively dominated by older men around the 40-60 mark right up in your business with lenses and flashes and phones filming, and It’s impossible not to feel this as an extension of the male gaze sexualising you. It’s a fact that nearly every rude lewd or disrespectful remark I’ve received over the years has been from someone in that demographic and there’s definitely an entitlement to your time and attention that you don’t see as much elsewhere. However it would be hypocritical for me to completely demonise this because ultimately I can’t say we don’t benefit from it in some way. These men taking photos and taking up the space are also buying our merch and music so we can continue doing what we love, often whilst using the pics they take in the process. I think it’s important to admit to that because it’s not a one-dimensional issue. While it’s easy to view it as black and white, the truth is there is an equilibrium you must maintain when you’re part of a game rigged against you. It’s all about finding ways in which you can still win when you have to play. After new single “14 Tonnes” - what’s next for you? Katie: we’ve just returned from an incredible UK tour and are looking forward to laying down the groundwork for our debut album we hope to record this summer!
↑ Saloon Dion At MOTH Club March 2nd, 2022
← Sit Down At Signature Brewery Haggerston February 26th, 2022
SPRINTS
You just got back from SXSW – how was that experience? Probably one of the best experiences we’ve had as a band so far! Our first time playing America, our first time in Texas, seeing so many other bands there too was just great. We made some friends along the way and there are some people I can’t wait to hang out with again. The folk of Austin are also so friendly too, it was just a great experience all around. I think we kept having to pinch ourselves throughout the week to make sure it was real. We had some great gigs too, I’ll never forget playing Hotel Vegas at 1am last night, and seeing cowboy hats being thrown around a mosh pit. Very surreal. Your new EP “A Modern Job” just came out, presumably written during lockdown. What inspired these songs? Life in Dublin inspired these songs. I think mostly, at the time of lockdown, all we had was our home to experience and lots of spare time. Having the time to work on demos and stuff helped shape the songs too. I think we also manage to inspire each other a lot when writing, and that keeps us excited throughout the process. I remember being very giddy when Karla sent the first demo for ‘Modern Job’. I think two of the songs were born when we first jammed after a few months of not being able to, there’s a lot of ways these songs were inspired. Do you think the recent success of bands like Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital is helping Irish bands like you to be noticed in the UK and internationally? I think the success of Fontaines DC definitely gave Irish bands a new belief, because for so long there hasn’t really been anyone. Gilla Band were on the up and up, but then they took a hiatus, now they’re back which is great. But I think at this point in time, it’s not just bands like the Fontaines and Murder Capital that are helping Irish bands. The Irish music scene right now is just full of great bands, and they are deservedly all getting noticed. I think we could all be inspiring each other, they are definitely inspiring me. Bands such as Pillow Queens, Just Mustard, Newdad, The Love Buzz and Melts. These are really solid bands who will all have a great future. Personally I think Fontaines or no Fontaines, these bands would have got noticed anyway, because they are all that good. You recorded a cover of “Chaise Lounge” by Wet Leg. What other new bands do you like at the moment? Too many to choose from...But I will list just a few. Gustaf, The Lovebuzz, Newdad, Magazine Club, Prima Queen, Saloon Dion, Nealo, Pom Poko, English Teacher, Banrion, BuzzardBuzzardBuzzard & Frendan. There’s so many more, but that’s enough for now I guess. Their new EP “A Modern Job” is out now.
← ↓ → Sprints At MOTH Club March 2nd, 2022
→ Prima Queen At MOTH Club March 2nd, 2022
LAMBRINI GIRLS First things first, why is Lambrini not sponsoring you (yet)? Lilly bricked their offices once and Phoebe and Catt will only drink petrol out of respect for the film - Cars 2. Previous page:
Lambrini Girls At Camden Assembly March 7th, 2022
You’re based in Brighton which has a very active music scene that sadly has a problem with predatory men in bands. It’s so great to see bands like you calling that out. How do you see people dealing with this problem? It’s one thing to uphold beliefs but it’s another to action them. There’s a big problem in our scene, yet the majority claims to be against abuse so it becomes very difficult to differentiate the performative from the genuine. Everyone seems to be on the same page, constantly sharing infographics until it’s no longer convenient for them to cut out their friend who has assaulted someone. The only way to really get a result is to make sure your actions mirror your beliefs. If you see something questionable in a venue, tell someone. If your mate has done something dodgy, don’t ignore it. If someone comes up to you and says ‘hey I don’t feel comfortable with your friend being here’ get your mate to leave the venue. It is not difficult just to do the right thing, we have all had to cut out good friends who have turned out to be bad people. As a result, it feels like there has been a new scene forming for some years, consisting of people who are sick of seeing this. Do you feel like there’s been a bit of a split? There’s an issue with people struggling when it comes to gaining success and compromising values. Some bands and promoters have refused to bystand, others not so much. Promoters have told us they can’t take abusers off bills because of the ‘inconvenience’ or ‘because they don’t want to cause drama’ whilst other promoters will kick abusers off bills without blinking (which is how it should be done). Gigs have to be a safe place for anyone to express themselves freely and openly, we do that on stage and ask that our audiences, venues and promoters to uphold that. People in the music scene who care, actually do something about it and the ones that don’t really care, do fuck all and carry on associating with predators so that’s kind of what creates the split. Craig David invites you to record a charity cover with him. Which song do you pick? Tubthumping by Chumbawumba UKG upcycled version featuring Craig David What are Lambrini Girls’ plans for the future? Massive vibes. Their new single “Big Dick Energy” is out now via the Small Pond Emerging compilation.
Destroy Boys At Camden Assembly March 7th, 2022
← Wunderhorse At The Lexington March 10th, 2022
→ and following page: Lambrini Girls At The Victoria Dalston March 15th, 2022
↓ Oscar Browne At The Lexington March 10th, 2022
↑ Butch Kassidy At The George Tavern March 16th, 2022
↓ UH At The George Tavern March 16th, 2022
↑ → Loose Articles At The Shacklewell Arms March 19th, 2022
→ YOWL At The Shacklewell Arms March 19th, 2022
LUMER Previous pages:
Lumer At The Shacklewell Arms March 22nd, 2022
Your new single “Hatred Is A Passion Of Theirs” is less dark and noisy than your previous releases. What can we expect from any upcoming music? I think potentially a lot more differences to our older material. I like to believe as a group, especially due to now having my brother Will and Ben join the group, that we have advanced the sound a lot and in a sense are experimenting with different sounds and not being scared to not be as heavy like in previous times. I also find it personally very exciting as it feels like we are rediscovering our sound and something about that just makes writing so much more fun! The UK music industry is incredibly London-centred. Do you feel you have a disadvantage because you’re from Manchester and Leeds? I think it’s been this way since the dawn of UK music unfortunately. I think there is a lot more industry moving up for bands, especially in recent years in Manchester. I don’t believe we are at any disadvantage though, we come down to London as often as we can and a lot of contacts in a sense can be met virtually. I’d say a positive we can take from this is that our rent is a hell of a lot cheaper! If you could tour anywhere in the world where would you like to play? We were having this conversation the other day. Often big dreams in a small van. We would love to tour Japan as I’ve always wanted to go. I think as well most of Europe we’d still love to tick off our list like Germany, Italy and Spain. I’d be lying if the US wasn’t a huge one. I think it’s the dream for any musician to tour the states. What are you currently listening to? The main ones I’d say we always stick on are Automatic and Sweeping Promises. Other than that, I’ve been loving the new Bambara EP, a lot of Shuggie Otis and this great band Black Pumas. Also both Crows & Ditz have released absolutely great albums recently, so a lot of listening to both those! Their new single “Hatred Is A Passion Of Theirs” is out now.
DITZ How does it feel for your debut album to be out and how long has it been in the making? We started recording it back in early 2020 but some of the songs are almost 6 years old by this point, so it feels great to finally put them out. Hopefully the next one will take less time now. What are your favourite lyrics on your album? Probably the last part of ‘Instinct’. It’s a track about me not really knowing whats good for me and working counterproductively. I’ve been getting into using stronger, more vivid imagery in lyrics and i think the last part of this song is probably where its pulled off the best on the album. Which band would you love to play with one day? I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Fugazi reunion. They’re the absolute number one for me personally. There is plenty of other unrealistic ones I could say. Radiohead? Death Grips? Slint? Sonic Youth? The Pixies? You just finished a long UK tour. How was that experience and do you have any good stories? The tour was great. It was really validating to see people responding to the album and even singing along. The best stories all come from the french leg. Our van broke down on two separate occasions. The first time was after we woke up in the morning in Calais. We ended up sitting in the lobby of this hotel for about 5/6 hours before we finally got on the road again. We arrived at the show at nearly 10pm. Luckily the audience who had all been there for 2 hours were taking it in turns to do an open mic stand up while they waited for us. The second time we left the lights on over night and when we went to turn it on in the morning the battery was dead. We called Holiday Ghosts who had been staying at the same hotel as us for a jump start. Luckily they hadn’t gone far yet. Their debut album “The Great Regression” is out now.
← Predeceased At The Shacklewell Arms March 24th, 2022
↓ → Ditz At The Shacklewell Arms March 24th, 2022
RY-GUY How would you describe your music? I’d describe my music as a dripping tie-dye of psychedelic impulse and orchestration What influences your song writing? My influences tend to revolve around various things such as everyday people, heritage, art, nature and an urge to convey a message. At your last show you were wearing custom-made trousers. Can you tell us more about your stage clothes? I see fashion as an extension of our expression and culture. For my last gig at the Windmill in Brixton, the custom-made trousers I wore (Made by Emma Lisa Johnson) payed homage to two iconic eras; The 60’s & 70’s. I’m highly influenced by the music, culture and activism of these era’s so I personally feel a calling to carry that torch in my own style because I realise the great impact those times have had on my own life. If you could go back to any concert in history which would it be and why? I have to go with my instincts and choose Jimi Hendrix: A Band of Gypsies at Fillmore East, 1969. This band were dedicated to making a huge statement in a fresh, head-melting way. The 12:46 minutes of ‘Machine Gun’ being performed is one of the most monumental things I’ve ever heard. To stand there (or crowd surf) and soak in every wave of vibration they were blazing out would be an otherworldly experience. What can we expect next from RY-GUY? I’m currently working on my debut EP titled ‘Re-Directing To Planet Phantasia’ so you can expect new releases along with more live show dates!
↑ RY-GUY At Windmill Brixton March 25th, 2022
↓ → Skating Polly At The Lexington March 28th, 2022
Bodega At MOTH Club March 29th, 2022
↑ M(h)aol At MOTH Club March 29th, 2022
↓ bdrmm At Studio 9294 March 30th, 2022
↑ Bambara At Rough Trade East April 5th, 2022
↓ Junodef At Oslo Hackney April 7th, 2022
↑ Florence + The Machine At Theatre Royal Drury Lane April 19th, 2022
↓ → King Hannah At Oslo Hackney April 20th, 2022
Hussy At Oslo Hackney April 20th, 2022
BANDS ON FILM
February - April 2022