London in Stereo // Dec 2017 - Jan 2018

DECEMB E R 2 0 1 7 JANUA RY 2 0 1 8 ISSUE 55 // FREE

NEW SOUNDS 2018

P R E S E N T S T - 08 | 12 | 17 | 12OU | 17 07 SOLD

29 | 03 | 18

BERNARD FANNING

CALEXICO

- THE GARAGE, HIGHBURY -

- O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

09 | 12 | 17

GOLDIE LOOKIN’ CHAIN

29 | 03 | 18

HVMM

- OSLO, HACKNEY -

- CAMDEN ASSEMBLY -

03 | 02 | 18

GOAN DOGS

30 | 03 | 18

THE MENZINGERS - O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

- HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN SHOREDITCH

22 | 04 | 18

13 | 02 | 18

JEN CLOHER

AWOLNATION - SCALA -

- DOME, TUFNELL PARK -

28 | 02 | 18

THE FRONT BOTTOMS

27 | 04 | 18

BARENAKED LADIES

- ROUNDHOUSE -

- ROUNDHOUSE -

02 | 03 | 18

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS

27 | 04 | 18

JD McPHERSON - O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

T - 10 |LD T OU OU | 18 | 18 09 03 SO|LD SO 03

THE HOLD STEADY - ELECTRIC BALLROOM -

- THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY T OU | 18 03 05 SO|LD

GOMEZ

- ROYAL ALBERT HALL -

05 | 05 | 18

15 | 03 | 18

DAHLIA SLEEPS - THE LEXINGTON -

GOMEZ

- O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -

30 | 05 | 18

16 | 03 | 18 - 17 | 03 | 18

BELLE & SEBASTIAN - TROXY -

BULLY

- MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY -

20 | 06 | 18

22 | 03 | 18

ROZELLE

- SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS DALSTON

BELLY

- O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

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UK TOUR 2018

TUESDAY 27 MARCH

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SATURDAY 14 APRIL 2018

ALEXANDRA PALACE

T H E W O M B AT S . C O . U K

LO N D O N

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA AGENCY

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

- UK TOUR 2018 SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY

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WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2017

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WELCOME

SIGRID

RAYE

IT’S THE END OF THE YEAR! Well almost, it’s so close I can nearly taste it. This year has been a funny one, huh? A goddamn rollercoaster if you will? The news cycle has been relentless, the music has been top notch (anyone who disagrees can come fight me), and we go into 2018 with a huge dose of optimism underpinned by a continuous anxiety about what’s coming next.

This issue is almost all about looking forward and celebrating our favourite new acts, which means having a double cover because, really, who wants to pick between Sigrid and Raye?

You'll also find our 30 tracks of year which was basically impossible to pick because this year has been on fire. I’m sure we've omitted your fave so feel free to let us know what’s missing.

I go into 2018 with hope that we can continue making visible progress in equality, do more to amplify voices that deserve to be amplified and maybe just maybe you'll see the In Stereo family growing too.

See you on the other side.

STAFF ON REPEAT

NABIHAH IQBAL

the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: Ho99o9 - Neighbourhood Watch DAVE: Nabihah Iqbal - Zone 1 to 6000 LOKI: Pussy Riot - Police State DANNY: Ought - These 3 Things GEMMA: Yaeji - Raingurl JACK: Hookworms - Negative Space RACHEL: Sunflower Bean - I Was a Fool LiS 05

31 JANUARY – 10 FEBRUARY 2018

OUMOU SANGARÉ JIMMY WEBB PORTICO QUARTET LEVELLERS NADINE SHAH BETH ORTON GOGO PENGUIN CHIP

+ Roundhouse Resident Artists Intimate, seated shows that put you closer to the music

CONTENTS 10

LONDON IN STEREO IS:

TRACKS OF THE YEAR Our favourite 30 songs of 2017

Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk

NEW SOUNDS 2018 14

SIGRID - INTERVIEW

18

RAYE - INTERVIEW

23

DRAHLA, IDER,

27

NADIA ROSE

33

CONNIE CONSTANCE, BILLIE EILISH, RINA SAWAYAMA, IAMDDB, DAMA SCOUT, AMA LOU, CLARA LA SAN, POM POKO, JEVON, LIA LIA

37

TALES FROM THE CITY

30

Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@londoninstereo.co.uk Sub-Editor : Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk Advertising sales@londoninstereo.co.uk New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin Photography: Sigrid cover story: Tim Boddy (timboddy.com) Raye cover story: Poppy Marriott (poppymarriott.co.uk)

by Shitkid 38

DECEMBER/JANUARY EVENTS

42

ALBUM REVIEWS

The best upcoming stuff in London

Contributors: Kate Solomon, Simone Scott Warren, Katie Thomas, Rhian Daly, Lee Wakefield, George O’Brien, Hassan Anderson, Tim Hakki, Jake May, Tom Walters, Nick Mee, Geoff Cowart, Thomas Hannan.

RAYE

Shopping, Shame, Monster Rally, Dream Wife, The Go! Team & more 50

GIGS OF THE MONTH

55

FULL LISTINGS

(interview, pg: 18)

Our pick of the best shows coming up Full guide to December & January’s gigs 72

LIVE REVIEWS Wishing we were still at Iceland Airwaves

76

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

by Danny Wright LiS 07

londoninstereo.com @londoninstereo

FINDLAY

+ MARTHAGUNN

YUNG LEAN & SAD BOYS

FRI 08 DEC

TUE 12 DEC

WED 17 JAN

ESKA

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DONAE’O

BLACK COFFEE

THU 18 JAN

THU 18 JAN

DEER TICK

CLASH MUSIC PRESENTS

BLACKWATERS FOREVER CULT BEACH RIOT

WED 06 DEC

THE OLD BLUE LAST

FREE ENTRY

OSLO

FUTURE BOUNCE PRESENTS

MAC AYRES + YAZMIN LACEY

ROUNDHOUSE

HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN

THE SIXTEEN CONCERT THU 25 JAN

EXCLUSIVE 5 HOUR SET 10PM - 6AM

SCALA

ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL

SAT 27 JAN

NIGHTMARES ON WAX

BLACK MOTH + GRAVE LINES

THE KING’S PARADE

ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL

FRI 2 FEB

THU 08 FEB

THU 08 FEB

HOLLIE COOK

GEORGIE KELLER HOLIDAY GHOSTS

RICH MIX

TUE 30 JAN

+ GENERAL ROOTS

KOKO

THU 22 FEB

BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS

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SERVANTS JAZZ QUARTERS

ZAK ABEL

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WED 14 FEB

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KOKO

TROXY

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THU 29 MAR

OSLO

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THE LONDON IN STEREO TRACKS OF THE YEAR The London in Stereo weekend is spent devouring as many songs as possible, all in the name of getting our weekly playlists together. It’s a process that mostly results in shrugged indifference, occasional utter despair and a belief we’ll never hear a good track again and then, out of the blue, a sparkling burst of pop wonderment that restores our faith in music and the world in general. The 30 songs below have shone like proverbial diamonds in our sky during 2017, whether from artists that have broken through and dominated, returned on glorious form, exploded into our lives from nowhere or simpy conjured up the year’s best lyric (“They’ll hang us in the Louvre, Down the back, but who cares, still the Louvre” - @ us if you want), they’ve all made our weekends, and year, a whole lot better.

EMPRESS OF GO TO HELL

DAVE 100M’S

LORDE THE LOUVRE

KESHA HYMN

CLARK PEAK MAGNETIC

JAMILA WOODS HOLY

LiS 10

KELELA LMK

IVY SOLE ROOFTOP

CHARLI XCX BOYS WEAVES FT TANYA TAGAQ SCREAM

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR photo: Tim Boddy

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR OMNION

GIRLHOOD TOGETHER

LIZZO WATER ME ALDOUS HARDING HORIZON

GIRLHOOD photo: Phil Sharp

MAVIS STAPLES IF ALL I WAS WAS BLACK

VINCE STAPLES BAGBAK

INDIAN WELLS FLICKERING

KELLY LEE OWENS FT JENNY HVAL ANXI

ALEX CAMERON STRANGER’S KISS YAEJI DRINK I’M SIPPIN’ ON

KELLY LEE OWENS

VENTURE LOWS BRENDA

ST VINCENT NEW YORK

DIET CIG TUMMY ACHE

GNUCCI I'M GOOD YOU’RE GOOD...

GRANDADDY A LOST MACHINE TENNIS MODERN WOMAN

DIET CIG photo: Nick Grennon

NOGA EREZ OFF THE RADAR

AJ TRACEY QUARTERBACK

SUPERORGANISM SOMETHING FOR YOUR M.I.N.D.

TOMMY GENESIS TOMMY LiS 11

CRAIG RICHARDS TERRY FRANCIS ABDULLA RASHIM ADAM SHELTON AMELIE LENS ANCIENT METHODS B2B VATICAN SHADOW ANTHONY ROTHER (LIVE ELECTRO SET) BECKA DIAMOND BEN KLOCK BODDIKA DANIEL AVERY DVS1 HENNING BAER JK FLESH (LIVE) KIM ANN FOXMAN KOBOSIL MAYA JANE COLES NICOLAS LUTZ PAULA TEMPLE PETRE INSPIRESCU RARESH REDSHAPE RHADOO RPR SOUNDSYSTEM RYAN ELLIOTT SLAM SUBB-AN THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS www.fabriclondon.com

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11pm—7am www.fabriclondon.com

interview

“No, it’s not about a guy!

Women are capable of saying more than, ‘ooh, I just got hurt by this guy’...” ure, 2017 may have been a burning pile of trash but stop for a moment and think of the abundance of repeat-worthy pop songs it has graced us with - we’ve been busy thinkin’ bout Boys, having Wild (wild wild) Thoughts, wanting that Green Light and cutting to the feeling all year. And right up there with these all- conquering hits is 21-year-old Norwegian Sigrid’s first single, ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’. You won’t have found it in the charts (unless you’re an avid watcher of the top 75) but it’s currently sitting at 25 million streams on Spotify and was near inescapable this summer. An anthem for people sick of being patronised, it was inspired by a writing session with some old white dudes who basically acted like Sigrid wasn’t there - and if there’s a better way to get back at a couple of know-it-all songwriters than with a huge, scathing chill-pop hit about them, we’d like to hear it.

“People have been so nice to me though!” she exclaims, insisting that she didn’t intend to start a beef before listing all the kind, decent people she’s worked with and making us wonder if she regrets telling the song’s origin story in the first place. “I was really worried about telling the story, but I showed the song to a friend and he was like, is this about a guy? No, it's not about

a guy! Women are capable of saying more than, ‘ooh, I just got hurt by this guy’.

That's why I wanted to tell it.”

Anyway, you don’t get 25 million streams out of songs about nice people - and it turns out you don’t write a song like ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ without an inkling that it’s special. “I knew it was different to other stuff I'd been writing,” she says. The way that the cool, controlled verses give way to reverb-dipped stadium drums and righteous gang vocals is pure pop mastery. “I think it has a really good message to it too, and that is to speak up - you can never get tired of hearing that because we should all speak up. It helps!” She seems grateful but not surprised that the song took off, or that she’s played Glastonbury and Roskilde and been on TV with James Corden this year.

Perhaps she’s just been patiently waiting for all this, having been in line for a record deal since she was discovered through Norway’s equivalent of BBC Introducing while still in school.

Despite being influenced by the social and political turbulence of the year (“We were in the studio on the day of #metoo and I found it really hard to say something about it, so we wrote a song about it instead,” she says of the recent inescapable tsunami of

LiS 14

words

kate solomon photography

NEW SOUNDS

2018

tim boddy

SIGRID

“Writing is a rollercoaster.

Sometimes you have a dip and you feel it’s not so good, and then something happens...” sexual harassment allegations), not every Sigrid song is a call to arms. ‘Fake Friends’ and ‘Plot Twist’, also on the Don’t Kill My Vibe EP, are more energetic but less resonant tunes dealing with friendships and love. Her most recent single, ‘Strangers’, is a huge dancefloor filler about the surprisingly long time it can take to realise that real life relationships are nothing like those on the silver screen. It laments the disintegration of a something that seemed perfect but didn’t survive beyond the credits rolling. “You and I, not like in the movies”, she sings, “Our story’s after the end.” Its contemplative lovelorn verses are underpinned by a muted, pulsing ‘Dancing On My Own’ riff that clicks into sharp relief in the banging chorus. There are hints of Lorde, dashes of Haim, the odd Taylor Swift slurred woop and a big flashing arrow pointing at Sigrid that reads ‘popstar’.

With an album currently in progress that she hopes to release in 2018 she’s been writing feverishly all year, recording voice memos on tour and collaborating with the likes of Noonie Bao and Oscar Holter (who together co-wrote ‘Run Away With Me’ with Carly Rae Jepsen) and longtime collaborator Martin Sjølie. “Writing is a rollercoaster. Sometimes you have a dip and you feel it's not so good, and then something happens - you meet someone or you end things with someone - that can trigger a lot of cool stuff.” For pop music’s sake, let’s hope that Sigrid has plenty of fruitful encounters ahead of her. LiS Don’t Kill My Vibe Sigrid’s Don’t Kill My Vibe EP is out now via Island.

LIVE: O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, March 14th.

LiS 16

@thisissigrid

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

PERFORMING IN THE ROUND

11 & 12 April 2018 EXTRA DATE ADDED

13 April 2018 THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY axs.com — ticketmaster.co.uk — goldenvoice.co.uk A Goldenvoice, Live Nawtion and Parallel Lines presentation in association with CAA

NEW SOUNDS

2018

RAYE

interview

words

rachel finn photography

poppy marriott

kind of just hammered it, did everything

I

could,

took

every opportunity, played every shitty gig, busking on the street, charity shows, used to sing at church...”

Speaking on the phone during a hectic day of commitments around London, there’s no doubt that Raye - real name Rachel Keen knows what she wants and how she’s going to get it. But it’s not that her career so far has been without any risk. The 20-year-old South Londoner was a Brit school attendee for two years before dropping out to forge her own path, but if there’s one thing Raye has proven so far, it’s that risk can be worth it.

She’s since released two EPs - 2014’s self-released Welcome to Winter and 2016’s Second via Polydor - and counts collaborations with Stormzy, Charli XCX, Jax Jones and Jonas Blue amongst early career successes. But it was a spot on this year’s BBC Sound Of 2017 poll that proved a pivotal moment in Raye’s breakthrough.

“I literally started crying like such a baby…” she remembers of receiving the call to say she’d come in third place. “I think growing up watching those lists and always wondering if I’ll ever be on them, let alone to come third, it was just insane.”

That being said, Raye is an artist still in the process of defining her sound. Look to the YouTube comments of last year’s track ‘Shhh’ and you’ll see fans claim that the song, with its multiple key changes and unconventional song structure, has created a “new genre”. In contrast, there’s her refreshingly straightforward summer pop hits - this year’s ‘The Line’ and last year’s Charli XCX co-written ‘I, U, Us’ - or latest single ‘Decline’, a no-nonsense noughtiesdrenched track which samples Ja Rule’s 2001 Ashanti-featured hit ‘Always on Time’.

“I kinda wanna dig in to the whole early 2000s thing,” Raye explains of where she sees her sound fitting into the UK music landscape. “Music’s about to evolve somewhere. Like, it needs to evolve somewhere now. The whole kinda drop section after your chorus is kinda reaching its end.”

She counts Jorja Smith, Stefflon Don and Mabel as her contemporaries likely to make it big in 2018. “It doesn’t feel mathematical. It just feels fresh and really exciting,” she says. “I just have so much respect for the UK females doing it in the scene right now.”

But not one to be satisfied with simply performing her own songs, Raye is eager to also become a songwriter in her own right after meeting and “completely hitting it off” with Charli XCX at a songwriting camp in LA. “She was kinda like the first example of me really wanting to dig into my writing

LiS 19

“Music’s about to evolve somewhere.

Like, it needs to evolve somewhere now.” for other artists and projects as well as my own,” Raye explains, who’s since received songwriting credits on Charli’s ‘After The Afterparty’ and ‘Dreamer’, Snakehip and MØ’s ‘Don’t Leave’ plus Blonde’s ‘All Cried Out’, among others. “She’s so driven, so hard-working, and it really motivated me to wanna to do the same thing and so she’s been a massive inspiration to me.”

Another of her famous supporters includes Stormzy, who Raye describes as “like my big brother“. The pair first talked via Twitter, before Raye met him at one of his gigs in Sweden and they decided to work together; he later appeared on her track ‘Ambition’. “I think if he’s taught me anything it’s just to be nice to everyone because you never know what assistant or runner is gonna become the next CEO. You just need to treat everyone with respect.”

Raye comes across as an artist very sure of the direction she wants her career to head in, so what can we expect from her in 2018? First up, she’s set to release a mixtape of collaborations in January before playing a few shows and beginning the writing process of her debut album.

Other than that? “I’d a love a UK top five. I would absolutely love that!” she shares. If all goes to plan, it seems to be a goal well within her reach. LiS Decline LIVE: O2 Academy Brixton, April 4th (with MØ) @raye LiS 20

WINTER 2017/18 ~ LIVE ~ 01.12

Gwen and The Good Thing / False Heads /

03.12 12.12

27.02

Blanco White /

05.12

WOWH /

02.12

09.12

Mac Ayres /

17.01

30.01

Alex Vargas /

03.02

09.02

Sid Batham /

21.02

Duke Of Wolves Fujiya & Miyagi

21.01

Kaleem Taylor

Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn

Rider /

27.02

Lee Ranaldo Band

Two Another / 01.03 Talos / 14.03 Brent Faiyaz / 30.03 Goan Dogs ~ NYE 2017 ~ 31st december

THROWBACK A Disco Space Odyssey with Luke Solomon & Wolf Music Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com

Show your gig ticket when ordering any signature sandwich or basket of wings and get a FR EE portion of curly fries, courtesy of our food partners The Orange Buffalo. w w w.theorangebuffalo.com

| HOXTONSQUAREBAR

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT SOLD OUT SOLD OUT SOLD OUT

14 — 05 — 2018

Ólafur Arnalds Live at the Royal Albert Hall

ólafurarnalds.com

NEW SOUNDS

photo: Bianca Wallis

2018

DRAHLA

peaking down the line from Barcelona, where Drahla open for Metz tonight, Luciel Brown is weighing up the reality of 2017 versus the trio’s initial expectations. “I think we’re all pretty blown away by where we are now,” she muses, before being momentarily distracted by bandmates Rob Riggs and Mikey Ainsley ordering drinks and tapas. Red wine requested, she continues: “We started creating music purely for our own satisfaction - as most people do - so the opportunities we've had so far have just been incredible.”

Aside from the aforementioned European dates - incidentally, their first ever tour the Leeds-based trio cite performing with their heroes Wire at the Brudenell Social Club as a particular highlight of the year.

And that’s before you even broach the calibre of their recorded output this past 12 months. November’s self-released EP Third Article and preceding singles ‘Faux Text’ and ‘Fictional Decision’ were all produced

by Hookworms’ MJ, and have rapidly cemented Drahla’s reputation as one of the UK’s most promising new bands.

The seeds were first sown for the project back in 2015. Rob and Mike had been in a band together previously, and Luciel and Rob were working on home recordings as a

duo, but when the three of them attended a mutual friend’s wedding, they agreed to book a practice space together the following week. In the intervening period, they’ve developed an economical but brutally effective sound, that’s progressively becoming increasingly experimental. Often characterised by serrated guitar feedback, rumbling bass lines, and the deadpan, drawled vocals delivered alternately by Luciel and Rob, their compositions bring to mind a composite of Gang Of Four, Swell Maps and Ought, with the odd nod to No Wave ringleader James Chance. And speaking of Montreal’s finest, Drahla have just been confirmed to open for Ought on their UK tour next year.

There will be plenty more live dates in 2018 too, as well as time dedicated to recording new material. Luciel becomes more guarded when I broach the subject of debut albums and record deals, but there’s a sense that there are some very exciting developments on the horizon. Quite right too: if anyone deserves success it’s Drahla.

Gemma Samways

LiS 23

Form Of Luxury @drahlamusic

/drahla

NEW SOUNDS

2018

IDER f delicate electro pop with a hint of R&B is your thing, then we’ve got some good news for you; Ider are going to be your new favourite band. Having met at university, Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville moved to London, holed themselves up in their flat and set about creating some of the most beautiful, delicate and uplifting tracks you’ll hear this year.

Debut single ‘Sorry’, with its finger clicking percussion, dropped in 2016, and immediately garnered the pair attention from Shura, who went on to produce ‘Does She Even Know’ for the duo. Since then, they’ve been busy gathering traction; from appearances at Reading Festival, Iceland Airwaves and End Of The Road, sold out support dates with Ibeyi, to soundtracking FIFA 18 with the blissful ‘King Ruby’. The later is a glorious ode to a friend’s recovery from a serious car accident, and it’s genuinely brilliant, empowering stuff. In 2017, they released their debut EP, Gut Me Like An Animal, the title track showcasing the band’s gorgeous vocals in an a cappella style. EP opener ‘Face On’ showcased their versatility, with dark, stark synths underpinning, before the soaring chorus kicks in.

With such stunning tracks under their belts, it’s unsurprising that labels started knocking at their door, and earlier this year, IDER inked a deal with Glassnote Records, home of Daughter, Flo Morrissey and Childish Gambino. They celebrated the union by releasing the effortless beautiful ‘Learn To Let Go’, all glassy synths and haunting harmonies. And after finding themselves with two sold out dates at London’s Archspace, Meg and Lily ended the year by releasing the brilliant ‘Body Love’. Describing it as “kind of a ‘thank you for breaking my heart’ sort of thing,” the single once again played on the band’s biggest strength; their intertwining vocals.

As for what 2018 will bring, whilst we’re all crossing our fingers for an album, Ider have booked their largest headline show to date at Rich Mix in March, so at least we know we’ll be getting our fix of their electro-folk goodness then. See you down the front, yeah?

Simone Scott Warren

LiS 25

Nevermind LIVE: Rich Mix, March 27th @weareider

/weareider

LORD HURON TUES 23 JAN O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE MARY EPWORTH TUES 23 JAN OSLO HACKNEY THIS IS THE KIT THURS 25 JAN O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE A.SAVAGE (PARQUET COURTS) FRI 2 FEB THE GARAGE WILD BEASTS SAT 17 FEB EVENTIM APOLLO

INSECURE MEN THURS 8 MAR SCALA SOLOMON GREY THURS 8SOLD OUT & FRI 9 MAR ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH HOOKWORMS SAT 24 MAR ELECTRIC BRIXTON IDER TUES 27 MAR RICH MIX AIR TRAFFIC FRI 13 APR KOKO

ARCADE FIRE WED 11, THURS 12 & FRI 13 APR THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY EZRA FURMAN WED 23 MAY O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON ROSTAM MON 14 JUNE SCALA JOSE GONZALEZ THURS 20 SEPT ROYAL ALBERT HALL

PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM

NEW SOUNDS

2018

photo: Ray Fiasco

NADIA ROSE n her latest single ‘Big Woman’, released in late October, Nadia Rose exudes a bright, empowering strength. Nadia’s razor sharp lyrics take no prisoners, abrasive yet embracing atop vibrant production that reaches to grime, afrobeat and hip hop landscapes; there’s no mistaking that Nadia Rose is here, she’s fearless, she’s the Big Woman in town.

The 24 year old grew up in Croydon to a Ghanaian mother and Jamaican father.

Music runs in the family, her dad was a dancehall DJ and MC. With a focus on her lyricism as she strove to develop her sound, Nadia used to sleep with a dictionary by her bed, always working to expand her vocabulary. Eventually balancing a job in a betting shop with studying gave way to a full time career making music, when a bidding war amongst major labels resulted in Nadia signing to Relentless Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music.

2017 has been a big year for Nadia Rose, starting with a bang in January with the release of her debut EP, Highly Flammable.

The nine track effort features appearances from Thai’Chi Rose, Red Rat and Alika and presents her music in all its versatility, drawing from dancehall, bashment, grime,

hip hop, garage and afrobeat in its influence. The artwork features Nadia Rose’s trademark pair of cute buns on top of her head. This time, though, flames curl up from her hair; testament to Nadia being on fire, figuratively of course.

Embracing a fierce femininity and a hunger for unity, Nadia Rose encapsulates the same fun, technicolour and intelligent feminism displayed in her heroes, Missy Elliott and the Spice Girls. Both influences can be found in her 2016 MOBO winning visual for ‘SKWOD’, an ode to Nadia’s close friends and family that have unwaveringly stood by her since day one.

“I am the lion in this jungle”, Nadia spits on Highly Flammable’s ‘Puddycat’. After her Mother taught her that as black women they must work the hardest, Nadia Rose has a steadfast work ethic with no boundaries and the drive to try anything once. The future is bright for this young artist, striving to make a difference and encouraging celebration of individuality and uniqueness.

Katie Thomas

LiS 27

Big Woman @nadiarosemusic

/nadiarosemusic

photo: Cameron Postforoosh

CONNIE CONSTANCE

BILLIE EILISH COPYCAT

Let Go

Sometimes a sound comes along so naked that it feels like it’s been staring us down the whole time. Connie Constance has been variously labelled ‘soul’, ‘dance/electronic’ and ‘alternative/indie’ but the truth is she’s all feels. Tunes like ‘Stars’ and ‘Answer’ are built sparsely, often incorporating a keyed chord progression. What’s front-and-centre are her lyrics, which with classic British wit (she’s professed a love for Weller and The Libertines) often explore themes of selfhood in love and in our environments.

New tune ‘Let Go’ is the first taste from her upcoming Boring Connie EP and it’s the best place to start. Lyrically razor sharp, it’s a deeply human account of the end of a relationship and the bipolarity of those contradicting emotions. Tim Hakki

“Stop telling everyone you’re gonna make it, just mind ya business and go make it,” tweeted Billie Eilish recently, presumably with a heavy eye-roll too. It’s fitting, not just as a put down of big-talking imposters, but as a summation of the 15-year-old’s precocious work ethic and ambition.

Eilish (‘eye-lish’) grabbed the world’s attention with viral-hit ‘ocean eyes’ in 2016, a lilting lullaby with the power to crack the coldest hearts. Naturally, she followed that up with pop-oddity ‘Bellyache’, written from the perspective of a, err, psychopathic killer.

Her music is brimming with contrasts and ideas like this, and Eilish serves it with a natural swagger that marks her out as of one of 2018’s boldest young talents. Ignore her at your peril. Woodrow Whyte

You may well recognise Rina Sawayama from as far back as 2013 and her seductive slow jam ‘Sleeping In Waking’ – or perhaps from 2015’s Jessie Ware-ish ‘Where U Are’ – but 2017 was the year the Niigata-born, London-based singersongwriter showed her true potential. Working with indie-electro oddball Clarence Clarity, Sawayama mischievously played with ideas of “good taste” and distilled influences as diverse as Blackout-era Britney, gaming and Utada Hikaru into one of the year’s most intriguing mini albums. Though broadly rooted in sleek digi-pop, Rina’s diverse productions span from swooning R&B (Shamir-duet ‘Tunnel Vision’) and 80s retro-futurism, complete with fretless bass and hair metal shredding (‘Alterlife’), to powerballads inspired by connected culture (‘Cyber Stockholm Syndrome’) and the best *NSYNC song that never was (‘Take Me As I Am’). Expect the unexpected in 2018. Gemma Samways

RINA SAWAYAMA Take Me As I Am

IAMDDB might advertise her style as an amorphousNEW sounding, “Wave of Clouds SOUNDS and Vibes. New Era. Urban Jazz,” but the reality is a whole lot more memorable.

Yes, the 21-year-old Manchester MC and singer imbues her bars with a wonderful, natural breeziness, but there’s a potency to her unshakeable, trap and reggae-inspired productions.

Take ‘Shade’, the standout track from her latest mixtape, Hoodrich Vol. 3.

Bringing together a minimal synth motif with clipped beats, elastic subs, and Shade IAMDDB’s luxurious partspoken, part-sung flow, it’s a slick, crossover hit in waiting. So when, in the bridge, she asserts, “You can't even level with a boss / Don't play round with my sauce,” it sounds like anything but empty braggadocio. If you didn’t catch her opening for Syd or Bryson Tiller in 2017 – or performing as part of the Awful Records takeover at M.I.A.’s Meltdown – don’t worry: she’s destined to be everywhere in the next 12 months. Gemma Samways

2018

IAMDDB

Glasgow-via-London trio (singer/ guitarist Eva Liu, bassist Lucci Rossi and drummer Danny Grant) came out of the starting gates fast back in late 2016, quickly attracting all the right attention.

And then, almost as quickly as they emerged, things went quiet.

Instead of thoughtlessly grabbing at any leg-up that came their way, the band instead opted to slow things down and take their time to master their craft. Their debut self-titled EP, released in November, saw them return even stronger and more exciting than before; four tracks of unique, Tightrope charming and - most importantly - addictive art-rock that pack more ideas into 12 minutes than some bands manage in an hour. ‘Tightrope’ especially stands out as a late contender for one of the songs of the year, building from bass-heavy foundations to fully fleshed-out, sugar-coated noise that'll leave you giddy. Whether a full album follows in 2018 remains to be seen, but one thing is certain - Dama Scout are no flash in the pan. Rhian Daly

DAMA SCOUT

LiS 31

AMA LOU Lost My Home

Ama Lou’s ‘Not Always’ is an attention grabber. It’s not your run-of-the-mill pop track, it’s an addictive slice of beautifully produced, confident soul that won’t let you go. It was that song that caught out attention last year, that had us running to Sticky Mikes Frog Bar at The Great Escape Festival instead of seeing Kano. To keep our hearts racing she doubled down with ‘Lost My Home’ and had us completely hooked.

With ‘Said It Already’ she hints at a more soulful and alluring sound that doesn’t miss a beat. She faces songwriting like the difficult subjects she rights about, with passion and honesty that shines through at every second. From what we hear of 2018 plans, Ama Lou is set to do something real special, and we can’t wait. Jess Partridge Pom Poko have only been Pom Poko since late 2016 but their wonderfully wonky brand of alt-pop feels far more finessed. The Norwegian quartet blend mind-bendingly rhythmical instrumentation - often driven discodancing basslines and chord progressions with infectious power-pop work that sits somewhere brilliantly between The Knife and Tune-Yards. The melodies which soar out above the intricate backing play an integral part in the success of Pom Poko. Strip away the icy, hypnotic accompaniment in the verses of recent single ‘You’ll Be Fine’ and you’re left with the bones of a beautiful ballad; hit the chorus though and the quartet unleash their most crowd-pleasing, smileinducing and wholly empowering idea to date. Stick with Pom Poko in the year to come and you’ll be more than fine, you’ll be great. George O’Brien

CLARA LA SAN Feel Good

Clara La San arrived late in my 2017 via the extraordinary ‘Feel Good’, which dished up casual scorn for an ex over beats icy enough to save the polar icecaps and a “Yeah, I got this” interpolation of Shalamar’s ‘I Can Make You Feel Good’. If I’d been concentrating harder I’d know the producer has been garnering attention for a while via Soundcloud smash ‘Let You Go’ but hey, I’m here now. Clara’s late-November mixtape Good Mourning forms a first official release and is filled with bedroom-produced wonder which every time you reckon you’ve got a handle on (downtempo club tracks for clubs I can’t get into) throws thrilling curveballs like pop gem ‘Strangers’ or piano-drenched weepy ‘Guide Me’. 2018 will deliver the actual stars to Clara La San. Dave Rowlinson

POM POKO

Jazz Baby

One tweet on Jevon’s Twitter feed reads ‘real bad boys NEW make apple crumbles with SOUNDS their daughters’, showing a pic of him and his daughter together at work in the kitchen.

This seems somewhat emblematic of Jevon’s more reflective form of UK Rap, which does not shy away from the harshness of London’s surroundings but simultaneously does not surrender to them.

This is none more evident than on ‘Do the Road’. The video opens with a spoken word piece and blooms into a drill-infused depiction of a past that Jevon states he Do The Road has left behind, but nevertheless knows belongs to him. The dreamy production and poetic tone of the track combined with bravado flow makes Jevon sound something like the UK’s answer to Kendrick Lamar. With a debut album promised in several posts, 2018 is definitely a year to get excited about this genre blending producer and MC. Hassan Anderson

2018

JEVON

Lia Lia crash-landed into our lives this April, armed with a song named ‘Olymp’, and things have never been quite the same since. A woozy evocation of heartbreak, summer nights and gin & tonic comfort, it claimed my Debut Single Of The Year, trophy and nothing has come close since. Ridiculously, it turned out to not even be the best song she released this year.

We’ve just been treated to the playful ‘Yin Yang’, replete with the ‘Say what now?’ lyric “Your Kids binary code is my DNA, code me baby”, and which also includes our favourite pop trick of saying your name in a song (we really love it at LiS when artists say their own name in a song). Best of all though is ‘Kids’ which, not to drown it in hyperbole or anything, is exactly what I want pop music to sound like right here in 2017, and going forwards forever. Almost impossibly sad, there’s still not a moments hesitation in diving straight in to its hopeful/hopeless world. If she does nothing in 2018 I’ll go back to ‘Kids’ and just call it the best song of that year whatever, but really hands are firmly together in prayer for more from this exceptional talent. Dave Rowlinson

LIA LIA

LiS 33

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Islington Assembly Hall

We ask artists to tell us stories of times spent in London...

by SHITKID photo: Ashley Connor

One time we were playing in London and I was waiting to be interviewed in some sort of green room. I saw a really tall guy with a lot of face tattoos and asked him for cigarettes. But then I saw he was smoking weed so I asked for weed instead. He gave me weed to smoke/inhale and said he could take me into a VIP room. It was pretty cool. He told me he was a tattoo artist with 70k followers on instagram and I got impressed and was looking for a shout out. I asked him if his dick was tattooed and he said “yes, even the head”. I asked him if it hurt and he said he’d been a heroinist so nothing hurt anymore. After the interview he invited me and my bandmate Linda and a really famous young artist named Moa Romanova (@moaromanova) who is making a documentary about us to his apartment. It was a really nice apartment, not fancy but a good feeling and nice feng shui. He gave us some nice t-shirts and gave us lemonade and weed. Then he said that we had to meet Georgie and went into a room and came out with a really big bunny. It was so soft and a bit skittish. We then laid on the floor petting the bunny and making its fur jiggle and the bunny seemed to like it. Then the young artist got too high and was a bit freaked out and had to go home. Linda disappeared after the gig and we found her the day after outside a church eating a bag of crisps and a sandwich. We almost missed our flight but we didn’t. It was a hahaha-really good time. The word count is at 287 now so I can also tell you that we met a really cool guy in a park outside Bush Hall in Shepherd’s Bush. He was also very tall. 6’5”. I remember this because he added his number to my phone as 6’5”.

Shitkid’s new EP, This Is It is released January 19th via PNKSLM Recordings. @shitkidmusic LiS 37

photo: Kain Balzary

TALES FROM THE CITY

EVENTS Stuff that’s happening soon which we think will be real great

A NEW MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA THING

BEST FIT’S FIVE DAY FORECAST 2018 As we emerge into January, beaten and weary by festive excess, there’s always one prospect on the horizon to keep our spirits up - the Best Fit Five Day Forecast. Now entering its fourth year, this is as reliable a guide as you’ll find to the acts you need to be keeping a close eye on going into 2018. Peppered with a bunch of our favourites including Soccer Mommy, previous LiS cover stars Girlhood and new Norwegian sensation Fanny Anderson, this is always a celebratory and entirely party week which kicks the year off with much-needed positivity. Plus, it always sells out so get your tickets now.

WHEN: January 8th-12th. Tickets: £8 / £32 five-day wristband Where: The Lexington, N1 9JB INFO: thelineofbestfit.com // @bestfitmusic

A LIGHT-UP LONDON THING

LUMIERE LONDON Last year you might have noticed - on Instagram or elsewhere (let’s face it, this is very Insta-friendly) interesting light installations appearing around London. Giant fish swam above Regent Street, Trafalgar Square fountains glowed, phone boxes mysteriously lit up...and it was all down to the Lumiere Light Festival. Created to get us thinking about public spaces in new ways and bringing light to long winter nights, more than 40 artists are invited to brighten up the city. It happens all over London, so check the map and see how many you can get to over the three days, or maybe just keep your eyes peeled because you might very well stumble across some anyway.

WHEN: January 18th-21st. WHERE: Across London.

INFO: visitlondon.com/lumiere

AN COLLABORATIVE FESTIVAL THING

LABEL MATES FESTIVAL KIASMOS

Heading into its fourth year, Label Mates is back and better than ever with more venues, more labels and duh, more bands. Supporting the best new and independent labels, from our favourites Art Is Hard to indie veterans Fire records they’ll all be curating stages of the best up and coming acts they work with for a two day party across East London. For now the line-up remains shrouded in mystery but keep an eye out for a big announcement early in December and get ready to buy some tickets to find yourself a new favourite act.

A NEW YEAR DANCE THING

E1 OPENS If you're going to open a new dance and electronic music focussed venue, you couldn't do much better than start it all with a huge line-up and 27-hour party over New Year’s Eve. That's the genius move made by the team behind new east London venue E1. The opening night is a carefully curated mix of old school heavy weights like ÂME and Blawan alongside favourites like Kiasmos and Denis Horvat and this open space, that will be looking to join the likes of Fabric and Printworks as one of London's premiere dance venues, will be on display in all its shiny new glory.

WHEN: JANUARY 26TH-28TH WHERE: VARIOUS HACKNEY VENUES

WHEN: DECEMBER 31ST - JANUARY 2ND WHERE: WAPPING, E1W 2BB INFO: e1-london.com // @E1LDN

A FREE NEW MUSIC SHOWCASE THING

THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY’S ‘SPOTLIGHT’ The Camden Assembly has had quite the year after transforming into a go-to spot for the best burgers, a top-spec venue and one of London’s best programmed clubs. Now, to kick off the new year with a bang, they’re joining up with tons of great partners to create ‘Spotlight’, a run of free gigs to showcase the best up-and-coming acts. There’s a bit of everything in there - on our very own stage you’ll find the south London writer and producer Byfyn, joined by the blissed-out sounds of Tree House. Reserve a ticket and get ahead of the crowd now.

WHEN: THROUGHOUT JANUARY. COST: FREE WITH RESERVED TICKET WHERE: THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY, NW1 8AN INFO: camdenassembly.com // @CamdenAssembly LiS 39

TUE.28.NOV.17

THU.07.DEC.17

MON.18.DEC.17

MON.05.FEB.18 TUE.06.FEB.18 THU.08.FEB.18 FRI.09.FEB.18 SAT.10.FEB.18

TUE.28.NOV.17 FRI.12.JAN.18 FRI.08.DEC.17 WED.07.FEB.18 WED.29.NOV.17 THU.25.JAN.18 SUN.10.DEC.17 WED.07.FEB.18 WED.29.NOV.17 THU.25.JAN.18

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THE ESKIES

THU.15.FEB.18 www.theeskies.com www.facebook.com/TheEskies www.twitter.com/theeskies www.youtube.com/user/TheEskies Having been cast out, blacklisted, rejected and ejected from gentlemen's clubs far and wide, five dejected cast asides joined forces in what was to be their own celebration of commonality.

FRI.09.MAR.18 SAT.10.MAR.18 SUN.11.MAR.18

WED.18.APR.18 THU.19.APR.18

SAT.26.MAY.18

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MON.17.SEP.18

Purveyors of music that meanders from sea soaked waltz to Italian tarantella, from Brassy funeral march-esque lament to weep along Klezmar knees up, from chain gang holler to rag time finger snap. Skipping through the dark side of anything that makes you want to dance, steeped in melodrama and usually with not a small amount of tongue in cheek.

The Eskies have brought this unique brand of folk noir/gypsy jazz/sea shanty and swaggering stage spectacle to ballrooms and booze houses far and wide, sullying soirees and lowering inhibitions of get togethers and social occasions wherever they have ventured.

Their debut album 'After The Sherry Went Round' is in shops now and is also available for download from iTunes.

THU.15.FEB.18

SAT.10.MAR.18

TUE.20.FEB.18

FRI.04.MAY.17

FRI.14.SEP.18

THU.22.MAR.18 THU.24.MAY.18

THU.22.FEB.18

THU.20.SEP.18

WED.04.APR.18

THU.01.MAR.18

THU.08.MAR.18

FRI.09.NOV.18

RECORD OF THE MONTH SHOPPING THE OFFICIAL BODY FatCat Records // January 19th

Back in my day* indie music was consumed with occult dedication by its worshippers.

Myspace was where we got it, and Islington was where we took it on a night out, the ethanol in our bodies crossing our blood-brain barrier faster than it ever would again in our lives thanks to a tip-off from everyone’s mate Smithy [lad] about a 65p drink called White Ace. Indie’s troubling wilderness period, marked by the closure of various venues around London, and the ubiquitous national presence of ‘She’s So Lovely’, left the genre open to attack from commercial styles helmed by more media-savvy artists with slicker backers. Like all waves of indie before it, the billows eventually broke upon the shores of time and changing interests.

Except indie fought tooth and nail to survive, and almost managed it. Shopping (whose latest album comes highly recommended by me, if you were waiting for me to get to the point) emerged from the remains of Covergirl. They found artistic kinship amongst kindred spirits espousing queer and feminist ideologies in the musical haven of Power Lunches, an East London venue that, in an all-too-tragic and self-parodic pattern, closed down two years ago.

Collectively scarred by the decline and fall of ‘indie’ and all its connotations, we’ve relabelled it ‘DIY’, and as if keen to forget the sins of its past, it’s become even less compromising under this new moniker.

What you’ll hopefully hear on The Official Body is a DIY album with massive crossover potential that finds its identity through not trying too hard to give a shit. Like The Raincoats thirty eight years prior, it’s an album made perfect by its imperfections.

You’ll hear some fudged notes, like they probably should have pressed harder on the strings. You’ll hear little dissonances occasionally when they sing together. But most importantly, you’ll hear a group conscious of the fact that music is fun.

There exists another plan for this review, where I unpack the record on a finicky technical level, but for some reason I don’t think it’s as apt. Tim Hakki *The days of Underage Festival before the Great Fire of Nambucca

LiS 42

STAND OUT TRACKS: Discover, New Values, Asking For A Friend, Shave Your Head @SH0PP1NG

@weareshopping

THE SPOOK SCHOOL

COULD IT BE DIFFERENT? Alcopop! Records // January 26th

The Spook School are that special type of band that not only write great records, but important ones too. Songs about gender identity, abusive relationships, body insecurity, sexuality, toxic masculinity, and mental health mix with a stubborn optimism, positivity and defiance that will and has provided hope, comfort and inspiration for many who might be going through similar things. Could It Be Different?, the Glasgow four-piece’s third record (and first not with the already much-missed Fortuna POP!), is a confident and acclaimed continuation in their knack for writing noisy, danceable and charming indie pop with meaning. Eleven tracks of fast-moving, relentlessly catchy, hairs-on-end hits with hugely quotable choruses that feel liberating and powerful to dance and shout along to. The Spook School will be long remembered. Jake May

PORCHES

THE GO! TEAM SEMICIRCLE

THE HOUSE

Memphis Industries January 19th

Domino Records January 19th

If the world feels a bit crappy, the winter nights are dragging you down, then fear not, because if there's anything that can lift spirits, it's a new Go! Team record. Their fifth outing, Semicircle is another unashamedly joyful affair, from the opening Morse code of ‘Mayday’ to the brass band belter ‘Semicircle Song’.

Less of a solo effort than 2015’s The Scene Between, the full live band were involved in this album, alongside The Detroit Youth Choir, who are glorious on uplifting album closer ‘Getting Back Up’. ‘All The Way Live’ is a funktastic swampout, and ‘The Answer's No Now What's The Question’ stands out with its wall-of-sound 60s vibe. Strap on your dancing shoes and get ready to grin until your face aches.

Simone Scott Warren

When Porches broke through with their scrawny, thrashing debut Slow Dance in the Cosmos, no one saw them signing to Domino and releasing an emo-indebted synth-pop follow-up.

Clearly their transformation wasn’t due to end there, as The House finds Aaron Maine enlisting alternative music’s craftiest chameleons (Alex G, Dev Hynes) to create a meditative record that’s beholden to the dancefloor. While The House sounds like a step back from some of Pool’s more chorus-driven pop, it’s undeniably gorgeous and songs like ‘Now The Water’ and ‘Country’ envelope with such pristineness that it feels like you’re freefalling in a gaussian blur. The House feels like another chapter closing for Porches - we’ve seen the Pool, zoomed out to The House - now is Maine ready to take on The World?

Tom Walters LiS 43

SHAME

SONGS OF PRAISE Dead Oceans // January 12th

Whether trashing chandeliers at festivals, vomiting on other bands’ equipment, or taking down Theresa May with their acerbic single ‘Visa Vulture’, Shame have been pretty consistent in their unapologetic, ‘no bullshit’ approach ever since they first emerged at the tail-end of 2014. Happily, the South London punks continue to be led by the gut on this, their incendiary full-length debut.

Recorded in just ten days, Songs Of Praise is entirely flab-free, and ably captures the visceral energy and the grimy, claustrophobic feel of the five-piece’s legendary live performances. Frontman Charlie Steen spends the set flailing between studied apathy, simmering contempt and explosive fury, his sneering put-downs usually liberally doused in caustic wit. “I’d love to pick you up, but I would rather watch you fall,” he taunts on ‘Donk’ before collapsing into ragged screams, cutting a compelling contrast with his faux-sweetness on ‘Friction’ as he delivers the line, “In a time of such injustice how can you not want to be heard?”

Melodically, the songwriting here is as magnetic Steen’s delivery. Showcasing a range that extends from The Fall at their most menacing (‘The Lick’) and brattish punk spleen (‘Lampoon’) to dreamy jangle-pop (‘Angie’), their debut set is richly realised and so instantaneously infectious that it practically has a ring of a greatest hits about it. Put it this way: if Songs Of Praise doesn’t end up one of the most acclaimed British debuts of 2018 I’ll be amazed. Gemma Samways

MONSTER RALLY

FLOWERING JUNGLE Gold Robot Records // December 15th

It’s been decreed, by those that know better than us, that as soon as one of the more majestic species of whale is on television, doing majestic whale stuff, that Sigur Rós must be wheeled out to soundtrack those descents into unimaginable depths. It works, y’know, and Attenborough’s dulcet tones always match so sweetly.

I’m here today, though, to nominate Monster Rally as the soundtracker extraordinaire for when we get out the drink and onto dry land, for times amidst the vibrancy of rainforest flora and jungle fauna. And Dave can take five in a hammock, these numbers need no narration. Ohio-born crate digger Ted Feighan has been quietly amassing a treasure trove of sun-soaked instrumental hip-hop collages for years now (see the much-adored Coral collection, the exceptional Japan-influenced Sunflower EP and the sparkling collaboration with rapper Jay Stone that formed Foreign Pedestrians), and nobody captures the music-as-escapism concept with more aplomb and transportative pop suss. As we sink deeper into the grey slab of miserablism that forms the London winter Flowering Jungle does everything you want from a Monster Rally album, and more. I can prescribe nothing better for your icy soul than to close your eyes and collapse deep into this realm where songs named ‘Sunny Sloth’ are more languid and sol-kissed than the titular mammal, where no human voice will disturb you for 37 minutes (a ghostly, whistled refrain of ‘Unchained Melody’ on ‘Jungle Cruise’ aside) and you can be part of vivid worlds oceans away without switching on the television, let alone opening the front door onto real life. Dave Rowlinson LiS 44

“If Songs Of Praise doesn’t end up one of the most acclaimed British debuts of 2018 I’ll be amazed.” - Gemma Samways, on Shame’s first album.

PBR STREETGANG

LATE NIGHT PARTY LINE Skint // January 26th

MMODE

MMODE Marathon // December 9th

MMODE’s debut album speaks to the idea of trying to find your place in the world something Belfast-raised siblings Thomas and Lucy Gaffney had moved to London to do when they were forced to return home after Thomas fell ill.

Back in Northern Ireland, they went through a period of rediscovery, which happily ended in their equallyexploratory debut album. A gorgeously crafted collection of widescreen beauties, songs like highlights ‘Lazy Sun’ and ‘Would It Be Wrong?’ traverse lush art-pop and emotional folk, but, ultimately, Mmode is a testament to making the best of a bad situation and the consequential rewards. “I'll wake up to all of this/I see stars,” Lucy sings on the title track, leaving a stirring reminder that even life's curveballs can conjure magic.

Rhian Daly

PBR Streetgang are renowned for their considered, meticulous approach as selectors and, if Late Night Party Line is anything to go by, Bonar Bradberry and Tom Thorpe have adopted a similar process when piecing together their debut long player.

Summer may be a hazy memory but the Loleatta Holloway-sampling title track is primed for smouldering festival sets, and it looms large over this body of work too, mainly because it ensures everything around it, ‘Montu’ and ‘Pork Chop Express’ especially, sounds pretty underwhelming.

Their debut album was never going to be a disjointed affair, and it flows by pleasantly enough, however PBR Streetgang don’t do enough to entice you for the full fifty minutes. Still, Late Night Party Line is undoubtedly worthy of a party playlist or two.

Lee Wakefield

DREAM WIFE

DREAM WIFE Lucky Number // January 26th

Despite being one of the most exciting new bands around, there’s something very familiar about Icelandic-British trio Dream Wife’s self-titled debut.

Though we’ve become accustomed to bands arriving fully formed before disappearing after an unmatchable first album, Dream Wife’s opening salvo feels like indie debuts of old; a 34-minute cobwebclearer with a few middling-to-good songs and a handful of spectacular ones.

The brattish punk of ‘Hey Heartbreaker’, decidedly early Hole-esque ‘Let’s Make Out’ and scathing attack on victim blaming that is the standout ‘Somebody’ deserve endless plaudits, even if they struggle to match those highs elsewhere.

But Dream Wife is a gripping record all the same, and a fine introduction to a band still growing into the formidable force they could become. Thomas Hannan LiS 45

HANZ

PLASTY I Tri Angle Records // January 19th

North Carolina producer Brandon Juhans has been busy tweaking his fragmented hip hop collages. His notoriously blunted rhythmic mash-ups have now reached a profound new level. Plasty I is part one of two forthcoming EPs which see him pushing a full spectrum of new sonic envelopes, from oscillating static and strings to Jeff Mills-esque beats. The results are evocative – yet far slicker and colder. It’s unsettling stuff. Over these seven tracks and 19 minutes, the compositions are notable for their lack of compromise and sheer atmospheric power. Melodies hang unresolved. Noises are chopped, screwed and sliced with precise digital abandon. Beats and vocal snippets appear only to disappear. It still represents his unfailing devotion to hip hop. It’s just a much more complicated love letter. Geoff Cowart

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

HOW TO SOLVE OUR HUMAN PROBLEMS Matador Records // December 8th

At a time when we are all swamped by gargantuan, seemingly never-ending sociopolitical issues, it’s apt that Belle & Sebastian release a piece of work with such a title. And, although the five-track - the first in a trilogy of EPs from the Glasgow icons - may not have all the answers, it certainly provides thought-provoking yet smile-inducing respite. For the former, we are presented with the trancey, almost New Order-esque, ‘We Were Beautiful’, which builds out of its electronic drumwork, spoken word verses and dark synth sound towards a typically anthemic Murdoch chorus. ‘Sweet Dew Lee’ and real highlight ‘Everything Is Now’ - complete with flute-clad jam - provide some joy, filled with the kind of wonderfully wistful, yet intricate pop we’ll continue to love from the ever-important indie outfit. George O’Brien

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE LIVITY

Versatile Records // December 8th

French collective Zombie Zombie’s fifth album peaks early – first track ‘Livity’ is a pulsing piece of tribal hypno-techno, layered with bustling percussion, flecks of acidy synth and a lilting metallophone refrain. At a largely unwavering nine minutes it’s a little overcooked, and the album’s six subsequent tracks follow its cyclical kraut-trance formula, a couple of them perhaps constrained by being composed for film, failing to impact without a visual element. Those that step out from the recess go big on percussive bells and whistles, or throw quirky human enhancements into the automated instrumentals. ‘Hippocampe’ bounces along courtesy of Cosmic Neman’s dynamic use of the kit; ‘Looose’ churns squawking sax into its disco mix; and ‘Acera’ goes full motorik to underpin adventurous analog-synth runs. The opener’s heights are never again reached, however. Nick Mee LiS 46

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friday 1 december | 7:00

thursday 16 december | 7:00

BROKEN WITT REBELS MICHAEL MONROE friday 1 december | 7:00

DAISYHEAD

saturday 2 december | 7:00

HOT VOX: ROGUES GALLERY sunday 3 december | 1:00

MASQUERADE II: MAGIC PIE thursday 7 december | 7:00

CAIRO

TALL SHIPS

sunday 31 december | 9:00

ULTIMATE POWER NYE friday 12 January | 7:00

WATAIN

fri-sun 12-14 January | VARIOUS

SWEATFEST 2017

wednesday 24 January | 7:00

WAND

saturday 27 January | 7:00

NORMANDIE + WILLIAM RYAN KEY

WITT LOWRY

ROAM

thursday 8 february | 7:30

THE PALE WHITE

sunday 11 february | 7:00

VUUR + SCAR SYMMETRY

monday 12 february | 7:00

GIMP FIST

tuesday 13 february | 7:00

AREA 11

friday 16 february | 7:30

friday 2 february | 7:30

friday 8 december | 7:00

HOT SNAKES

friday 8 december | 7:00

BLACK MOTH

saturday 9 december | 7:00

DESPISED ICON

saturday 9 december | 7:00

VENENUM

monday 11 december | 7:00

JEN CLOHER

tuesday 12 december | 7:30

THE SOFT MOON

CLOUD NOTHINGS + THE HOTELIER

thursday 22 february | 8:00

AREA 11

CARNIFEX

WILD LIES

PROFANATICA

ANGEL NATION

NADA SURF

tuesday 12 december | 7:00

wednesday 13 december | 7:00 thursday 14 december | 6:30

NAOMI SMALLS

MONDay 26 february | 7:00 saturday 3 MARCH | 7:00 WEDNESDAY 18 april| 7:00

GIGS OF THE MONTH O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

Our pick of the best upcoming shows around London O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR

BONE THUGS N HARMONY

December 8th £20adv // @o2sbe

January 31st £30adv // @O2Islington

Shepherd’s Bush

Angel

THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS HATER + PLASTIC PINKS December 1st FREE // @shacklewell Arms

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

THE LEXINGTON HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR (photo: Tim Boddy)

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

January 12th £8adv // @thelexington

O GENESIS & FRIENDS December 19th £8adv // @ServantJazz

SOCCER MOMMY + SNAIL MAIL + HONEY HARPER Angel SOCCER MOMMY

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

THE LOCK TAVERN MADONNATRON + LEATHER PARTY + SEX CELLS December 14th FREE // @thelocktavern

Chalk Farm / Camden Town

THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY

THE DOME

BYFYN + A HOUSE IN THE TREES + BOYAN LEVCHEV

CLOUD NOTHINGS + THE HOTELIER December 12th £17.50adv // @DomeTufnellPark

Tuffnell Park

Chalk Farm / Camden Town

BRIXTON WINDMILL

BOSTON MUSIC ROOM

THE FRANKLYS + LONG TEETH + THE SNIDES + HUSSY

THE PALE WHITE December 8th £8adv // @BostonMusicRoom

January 15th FREE // @CamdenAssembly

Tuffnell Park

January 12th £5adv // @WindmillBrixton

Brixton

HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN

MOTH CLUB DUTCH UNCLES + WARM DIGITS + MALIHINI December 16th £13adv // @Moth_Club

Hackney Central

Old Street

JAZZ CAFE

FABRIC MAYA JANE COLES + KIM ANN FOXMAN + TERRY FRANCIS + MORE December 16th £21adv // @fabriclondon

FUJIYA & MIYAGI December 9th £11adv // @HoxtonSquareBar

Farringdon/ Chancery Lane

NILÜFER YANYA + JOE FOX + WESTERMAN December 16th £8adv // @TheJazzCafe

Camden Town

NILÜFER YANYA ALDOUS RH

THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB

PAPER DRESS VINTAGE

SNAARMAARWAAR

ALDOUS RH + WHARFWHIT December 4th £6adv // @paperdressed

Hackney Central

A GRAVE WITH NO NAME + HONEY HARPER

079ME Shoreditch High Street

ARCHSPACE

January 25th FREE // @WaitingRoomN16

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

TAWIAH December 5th £7adv // @Archspace_Ldn

Farringdon/ Old Street

THE WAITING ROOM

MIRANDA AT ACE HOTEL

December 9th £10adv // @miranda_ldn

December 12th £12adv // @slaughteredlam

SONGHOY BLUES Haggerston

BUSH HALL

January 25th £23.50adv // @O2ForumKTown

Kentish Town

OSLO

THE OH HELLOS + CAROUSEL

FINDLAY + MARTHA GUNN

January 31st Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £17.50adv // @Bushhallmusic

December 8th £10adv // @OsloHackney LiS 51

Hackney Central

G THE INTRODUCIN

ST WORLD’S FIR

£5 LAUNCH PRICE

FEATURING ORIGINAL RECORDINGS BY

OSCAR CASH (METRONOMY) & MC CASHBACK! Surprise a friend with the funked out jam ‘Pizza Time’ or wish someone happy birthday with the suitably wonky Casio version of the Birthday song!

DELIVERY PIZZA THAT SINGS! — Watch the promo & order via: yardsalepizza.com/musicalpizza PLEASE BE AWARE: For best effect, minimise background noise and gather in close when opening your musical pizza box surprise with guests!

FULL DECEMBER LISTINGS

LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month.

Friday 1st December

Saturday 2nd December

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Monday 4th December Sunday 3rd December

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL DECEMBER LISTINGS

Tuesday 5th December Wednesday 6th December

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Thursday 7th December

Friday 8th December

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL DECEMBER LISTINGS

Saturday 9th December

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Monday 11th December

Sunday 10th December

Tuesday 12th December

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL DECEMBER LISTINGS

Wednesday 13th December

Thursday 14th December

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Friday 15th December

Saturday 16th December

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL DECEMBER LISTINGS

Monday 18th December

Sunday 17th December

Tuesday 19th December

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Wednesday 20th December Friday 22nd December

I KNOW WHEN THOSE SLEIGH BELLS RING...

Thursday 21st December

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL DECEMBER LISTINGS Saturday 23rd December

Wednesday 27th December

Thursday 28th December

Friday 29th December

Saturday 30th December

SUNDAY 31STDecember DECEMBER Sunday 31st

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Monday 1st January

Wednesday 10th January

Friday 5th January

Saturday 6th January Thursday 11th January

Sunday 7th January

Monday 8th January Friday 12th January

Tuesday 9th January

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JANUARY LISTINGS Monday 15th January

Tuesday 16th January

Saturday 13th January

Wednesday 17th January

Thursday 18th January Sunday 14th January

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Monday 22nd January

Friday 19th January

Tuesday 23rd January

Saturday 20th January

Wednesday 24th January

Sunday 21st January

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JANUARY LISTINGS Thursday 25th January

Friday 26th January

Saturday 27th January

Sunday 28th January

visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Wednesday 31st January

Monday 29th January

Tuesday 30th January

FOR THE VERY LATEST LISTINGS VIS IT LON DON IN S TEREO.COM

SIGN UP TO OU R GIGS OF TH E W E E K EMAIL TO REC EIVE OUR REC OMMEN DED S H OWS AND N EW MU S IC PLAY LIS T S IN YOU R IN B OX EVERY MONDAY

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LIVE REVIEWS ICELAND AIRWAVES Reykjavík and Akureyri November 1st-5th Words: Dave Rowlinson

LiS 72

here’s not much getting away from the fact that Iceland is one of the oddest places on this planet. Hardly anyone lives here (population is just over 300,000), if there are trees I don’t see them, the landscape seems to be a slab of lava-kissed molten rock. It’s real cold but the water in outside lagoons is real warm. If the whole place isn’t a giant volcano then I want an actual volcanologist to sit down with me and be all “Mate, of course it’s not one giant volcano”. Iceland is also, for the above any many more reasons, one of the most incredible places to spend time and you should absolutely be planning to visit.

Wanna soak up the Reykjavík experience?

Know that there is zero more important than the lobster soup at Saegreifinn which is cheap and which makes your soul sing.

Locals are sniffy about the Blue Lagoon, if you’ve not been ignore the locals and go because it’s honestly great. You can eat hot-dogs all day every day and you should and don’t worry about finding ‘the’ stall, they are all good. Instagram the concert hall Harpa, it guarantees numbers. Get the Appy Hour app and halve your beer bill.

Bring gloves. Go back to Saegreifinn again.

That to one side, we’re here for Iceland Airwaves 2017, a festival we always see friends at and seethe with barely contained jealousy. What should you be jealous of? Well a) there’s just, y’know, being here and b) there’s the ridiculously rich line-up of acts we know and acts we don’t know spread across Reykjavík venues and Akureyri in the north. Of the non-Scandi acts we see Aldous Harding breaks our lousy hearts in a church, Ider’s pop magic gets us dancing in a lake-side venue that’s serving snacks at the bar (tip: when in Iceland, accept any free food and smile knowingly at your wallet), Mura Masa treats the Art Museum to a partyparty set that sees actual jackets being removed,

acerbic Scottish miserabilists Arab Strap are divinely suited to this landscape and in the odd setting of a Hard Rock Cafe basement both Fazerdaze and Nilüfer Yanya transport us to other, prettier, places.

Vagabon soothes those previously broken hearts, and we’re very grateful. More than these though, we’re totally blown away by Kelly Lee Owen’s set. Thrilling complex, totally accessible and a real testament to one of the year’s standout artists.

Outside of the music there are conferences aplenty to sit down and do some learns the pick of which is presented by PRS Foundation’s Keychange, a passionate Europe-wide project whose aims include achieving gender equality on festival line-ups. Airwaves, credit where due, is years ahead and already boasts this. No coincidence then that the majority of our favourite shows from Iceland’s own music scene are by women. Absolute star dj. flugvél og geimskip is the musical equivalent of eating a box of the most sugary cereal, and the toy inside, and letting your senses spin wildly out of control. There is no higher compliment in my pop universe. Wherever you look, the Reykjavík rap institution Reykjavíkurdætur are there and whether obliterating the Art Museum or cramming way-too-many people into hotel lobbies they’re a presence not to be missed. Heaven knows why the Icelandic hip-hop scene is so fantastically bouyant, but it’s so exciting being in the thick of Reykjavík, bouncing from bar to bar and always finding gold like Fever Dream’s old-school beats and fiery delivery at Loft or the more deceptively ominous and chill sounds of Alvia Islandia at the essential venue Húrra.

Long story short: Iceland is a mind-blowing place to be and Iceland Airwaves is the single best time to be here.

In a time when the festival circuit can feel predictable and played-out, there’s nothing else quite like Airwaves. And, seriously, get that lobster soup.

LiS 73

12—17

Lanzarote

MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Saturday 16 December

DUTCH UNCLES Tesuday 19 December

JAMES YORKSTON Sunday 31 December

CAVE CLUB Wednesday 24 January

lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks

Programming

Friday 8 December

RAMZI Saturday 13 December

TOTALLY Sunday 31 December

MANFREDAS NYE The Lock Tavern 35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Tuesday 12 December

SNAPPED ANKLES

CANSHAKER PI

Shacklewell Arms

DEATH HAGS (DTCV)

71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Thursday 14 December

MEATRAFFLE Friday 15 Decemeber

ORB Sunday 31 December

DANCING IN THE DARK 80S NIGHT NYE Wednesday 10 January

MADONNATRON The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Thursday 7 December

FREUDS

Thursday 21 December

Sunday 31 December

MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM NYE Thursday 12 January

ATOMIC SUPLEX The Montague Arms 289 Queen’s Rd London SE14 Sunday 3 December

GOAT GIRL Wednesday 13 December

CAVES Wednesday 20 December

BYRON Sunday 31 December

PASSIONATE NECKING NYE

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

PENNY FOR YO What does 2018 have in store?* January 2018 The BBC Sound Of 2018 winner is announced. It's a white man with dreadlocks. He will go on to sell 8 records and disappear within 6 months. It will emerge he went to Eton.

Kendrick wins every single Grammy including Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Tropical Latin Album.

February 2018 The pair of scissors Noel Gallagher used on Jools Holland becomes known as Scissor McScissorface and reaches number 1 after a social media campaign.

At the Brits James Cordon poses with Jacob Rees-Mogg, Piers Morgan and a hologram of Hitler. He says they’re all ‘great for the banter’.

March 2018 Sam Smith announces he is moving to San Francisco, and is 'proud to be the first gay man to do so.'

Joanna Newsom releases an album from the perspective of a magical otter.

TV channel Dave announces a new show - The Britpop Empire - about former Britpop stars working at a municipal swimming pool in Kentish Town. Rick Witter, Johnny from Menswear and the drummer from Cast share tales of times past in The Good Mixer. The Pilot episode bombs.

April 2018 As records get longer and longer Kanye releases a concept album about trainers that is over a week long and features 1,456 guest collaborators.

May 2018 Arctic Monkeys return with Alex Turner’s Elvis transformation almost complete. He has put on six stone, wears rhinestone boots and only speaks in an American accent.

Inspired by the success of HMLTD, The Bravery announce a comeback tour.

June 2018 The much-hyped 'Tory festival' takes place. 100,000 posh people drink cider in a field, wear red trousers and chant 'Oh Jacob Rees-Mogg'.

‘3 Lions ‘18’ is released - the 17th version of the song. This time it has an added 'Brexit verse' from John Terry.

After finishing their tour, LCD Soundsystem announce they will split once more after a final farewell show.

LiS 76

UR THOUGHTS

by Danny Wright July 2018 The most watched event of the summer is a pay per view boxing match between Liam and Noel.

Bonehead is special guest referee. It's stopped in the third round for hair pulling.

Carly Rae Jepsen releases the song of the summer. It sells 37 copies but is loved on Twitter.

August 2018 Morrissey becomes leader of UKIP, inspiring supporters with his slogan 'England is mine, it owes me a living'.

Bjork arrives at an awards show dressed as the metaphysical feeling of ennui.

The nu-rave renaissance begins.

September 2018 The nu-rave renaissance ends.

The Good, the Bad and the Queen release Cream tea or National Sovereignty, a concept album about the state of the nation.

October 2018 Jai Paul accidentally pocket calls his manager. It's put up on Soundcloud and hailed as 'a brave and important' piece of art.

Frank Ocean starts teasing an album that will be released in 2023.

November 2018 The John Lewis ad, telling the story of a benevolent Christmas chaffinch, features a twee version of Skepta’s ‘That’s Not Me’.

Grimes releases a grime album.

LCD Soundsystem reform.

December 2018 A cat wins X Factor.

A day later the world is destroyed following a devastating nuclear war. Bono is one of only 25 people chosen to board a spaceship to start the human race again. Due to a administrative error so is Gemma Collins. *All predictions correct at time of print. London in Stereo cannot be held responsible if any of the above events fail to materialise, no matter how much we want that Kanye record.

LiS 77

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS

08 DEC BOSTON MUSIC ROOM

09 DEC O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

STUDENT CENTRAL (ULU)

14 / 15 / 16 DEC

25 JAN SCALA

10 FEB O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

13 FEB KOKO

LD

SO

T

OU

LD

SO

T

OU

THE BLINDERS 21 FEB THE LEXINGTON

10 MAR ALEXANDRA PALACE

14 MAR OMEARA

05 APR O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN