FEB R U ARY 2017 ISSUE 45 // FREE
JENS LEKMAN
P R E S E N T S
P R E S E N T S
WELCOME This issue marks four years of London in Stereo, and I cannot believe it’s been that long. I mean, even if I could get my head around the fact, I would never ever have predicted how things would be now. But then, I think when we started London in Stereo I didn't consider the future at all. Sure, I would get a mild panic attack when I thought about having to do that again every month, but beyond that, it was too much for my mind to cope with. So it’s not a stretch to say this whole experience, and the amount of things we’ve achieved, has been beyond my wildest imagination. And well – to celebrate – I hope you enjoy our design refresh. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and see you again in March. Next time, sans heart-attack. JENS LEKMAN (interview, pg: 24)
STAFF ON REPEAT the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: Elf Kid - Reload That DAVE: Gorillaz - Hallelujah Money LOKI: Diet Cig - Tummy Ache DANNY: Arcade Fire, Ft. Mavis Staples - I Give You Power GEMMA: Blanck Mass - Dead Format JACK: Allison Crutchfield - I Don't Ever Wanna Leave California ALLISON CRUTCHFIELD
RACHEL: Georgia - Feel It
(interview, pg: 14)
LiS 05
DISCOVER TOMORROW’S HEADLINERS
NINE DAYS OF NEW MUSIC, MASTERCLASSES AND MORE
SATURDAY 11 – SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2017
LITTLE SIMZ PRESENTS
WELCOME TO WONDERLAND: THE EXPERIENCE WITH MICK JENKINS + SPECIAL GUESTS 4TH PROJECT • ABNORMAL SLEEPZ • ARA HARMONIC • AWATE BOKO! BOKO! • BORN N BREAD • CALVA LOUISE • CATHOLIC ACTION ESTÉE BLU • DJ FUNKZ • INGOODCOMPANY • ISAIAH DREADS K2RAH’S SO FUTURE • KANIVA • KOKOROKO • MAYA LAW MISTA SILVA • DJ P MONTANA • S I S T E R • SUMOCHIEF SWIMMING GIRLS • TOM GRENNAN • VANT • ZUZU
TICKETS FROM £5 (BOOKING FEES APPLY) ROUNDHOUSE.ORG.UK
CONTENTS 10
NEW SOUNDS
LONDON IN STEREO IS:
Nadia Rose, Trace & more 14
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
INTERVIEW
Allison Crutchfield 17
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
TALES FROM THE CITY
by The Antlers’ Peter Silberman 20
Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@londoninstereo.co.uk
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Sub-Editor : Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
What’s going on in London this month
24 COVER STORY
Advertising sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
LiS meets Jens Lekman 30
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
ON THE STEREO
with Fortuna Pop! 34
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin Photography: Jens Lekman cover story: Tim Boddy (timboddy.com) Allison Crutchfield interview: Sonny Malhotra (sonnymalhotra.com)
INTERVIEW
Maggie Rogers 37
IN A DAY’S WORK
A day in the life of...a music PR 40
Contributors: Kate Solomon, Rhian Daly, Lee Wakefield, Thomas Hannan, Geoff Cowart, Simone Scott Warren, Rachel Grace Almeida, Tim Hakki, George O’Brien, Grant Bailey, Henry Wilkinson, Hassan Anderson, Nick Mee, Sam Hurst, Nate Rockwell.
ALBUM REVIEWS
Dirty Projectors, Meat Wave, Sampha, Los Campesinos!, Kehlani & more 48
GIGS OF THE MONTH
Our picks of the best shows this February 52
FULL LISTINGS
Your full guide to all the month’s gigs 69
IN LONDON
with Super Best Friends Club 70
LIVE REVIEWS
The Flaming Lips, Puma Blue & more 73
DIRTY PROJECTORS (album review, pg: 40)
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
by Kate Solomon LiS 07
londoninstereo.com @londoninstereo
COSIMA
CHAIN OF FLOWERS
SOURCE
FEB 02 PECKHAM LIBERAL CLUB
FEB 08 LOCK TAVERN
CARYS SELVEY
GRIZ
TS E BI OM A H ER ZY R J A L CA OS
CROOX
FEB 15 THE ISLINGTON
FEB 16 HEAVEN
TOUCHÉ AMORÉ W/ ANGEL DU$T
SUNDARA KARMA
FEB 23 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
ODDISEE & GOOD COMPNY MAR 11 ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
FEB 11 THE VICTORIA
FEB 20 THE WAITING ROOM
CARNAGE MAR 09 HEAVEN
FEB 24 O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
CLUB DRIVE
DOC BROWN
MAR 14 THE GARAGE
MAR 28 XOYO
THE BEST IN NEW LIVE MUSIC L O
N
D
O
N
@LNSOURCE LIVENATION.CO.UK
NEW SOUNDS NADIA ROSE
by Gemma Samways
Though SBTV subscribers will have had Nadia Rose on their radar since 2015, it was last summer that Stormzy’s cousin broke through to a broader audience via her single, ‘Skwod’. A powerful celebration of female friendship, it introduced the charismatic, Croydon-raised MC via a single-shot video that showcased her effortlessly spitting rhymes while sashaying up the streets of South London, flanked by dancers. As first impressions go, it was pure dynamite. In recent months you’ll have no doubt seen the 23-year-old in ‘Tips for 2017’ round-ups, recommended by everyone from iD to the BBC, or perhaps even on New Year’s Top Of The Pops reprising
her vocal for ‘Crank It Woah!’ with Kideko & George Kwali. The hype is 100% justified. Like her hero Missy Elliott, Rose boasts unfuckwithable confidence, quickwitted lyrical prowess and a masterful flow, effortlessly delivering knockout blows like, “Them bitches say they’re bad / But I’m from where the fuckin’ devil is”. And while she shares Missy’s love of sparse yet deeply-kinetic production, Rose’s use of doomy bass, claustrophobic electronics and chiptune effects lend her work a distinctly British flavour. Check out January’s Highly Flammable mixtape for a taster of Rose’s range and potential, and then get very excited for the next 12 months.
IN TEN: NEW SOUNDS BY NEW ARTISTS CODE WALK FEAT. SMERZ GUESS WHAT
VENTRE LOWS BRENDA
JAY SOM
KELLY LEE OWENS FEAT. JENNY HVAL
JAY SOM
PORTER RAY
RYAN PLAYGROUND
NNAMDI OGBONNAYA
NO ROME
LOYAL
SOLEIMA
ANXI
SACRED GEOMETRY
LET GO OF MY EGO
MOVING AS ONE
THE BUS SONG
HOW ABOUT WE BELIEVE
FLOWERS ON MY NECK / BREAKING
CRACKS
FOLLOW OUR NEW MUSIC PLAYLISTS ON LONDONINSTEREO.COM, EVERY WEEK
NADIA ROSE
LISTEN TO: Skwod LIVE: Village Underground, April 20th @nadiarosemusic
TRACE
by Jess Partridge
There’s something distinctly Los Angeles about Trace’s sound, full of heart but somehow laid back, gentle but with a considerable weight. Selfdescribed as “lonely, with a beat”, debut EP Low (and the following actual track titled ‘Low’) has simplicity at its core. Reminiscent of the endlessly talked about Scandinavian pop we love, she marries addictive melodies, her sharp, natural vocal and crisp production to create emotionallycharged dark-pop sounds. Already making a huge splash on Spotify, her tracks reside on countless blandlynamed playlists that belie the level of talent and beauty in her music.
LISTEN TO: Low @listentotrace LiS 11
Academy Events present
ACADEMY EVENTS AND TIJ PRESENT
Academy Events by arrangement with ITB presents
ELISA Plus Special Guests
SATURDAY 11TH MARCH 2017 O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE · LONDON ELIOELESTORIETESE.IT ACADEMY
EVENTS
PRESENTS
Thursday 23 February 2017 O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE LONDON PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
/elisaweb @elisatoffoli @elisatoffoli
elisatoffoli.com
JAMBINAI ACADEMY EVENTS and MJR by arrangement with EARTH BEAT present
plus special guests
Wednesday 26th April O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON · LONDON @jambinaiofficial
THURSDAY 20TH APRIL O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON
Friday 21st April O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON
TWITTER.COM/WEAREAFTERHOURS | INSTAGRAM.COM/AFTERHOURS_OFFICIAL AFTERHOURS.IT | FACEBOOK.COM/AFTERHOURS
Chameleon Tour 2017
TICKETWEB.CO.UK · 0844 477 2000 & ALL USUAL AGENTS
AN ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTATION
Academy Events present ACADEMY EVENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPIDER TOURING AND THE MAGNIFICENT AGENCY PRESENTS
THE DAMAGE AND JOY TOUR
WEDNESDAY 5th APRIL O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE LONDON NEW ALBUM ‘DAMAGE AND JOY’ OUT 24TH MARCH 2017 THEJESUSANDMARYCHAIN.UK.COM CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. & Academy Events presents
+ + CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. DJs
WEDNESDAY 15TH MARCH 2017 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON
TICKETWEB.CO.UK · 0844 477 2000 & ALL USUAL AGENTS
interview
If you listen to an artist long enough, one that lays herself bare through shattering, sobering lyricism, you start to believe you really know them. I’m probably guilty of doing that with Allison Crutchfield. From the rampant venom of Swearin’ to the intriguing pairing of the Crutchfield siblings themselves (Allison and sister Katie, of Waxahatchee fame) in Bad Banana and PS Eliot, she provided support during choppy teenage years, a defiant soundtrack to the fucked up bewilderment of growing up. I don’t just plaster stickers of any old band over my belongings, you know... But 2014’s Lean In To It, a tentative debut stab at solo work, offered a far more fascinating proposition. While it was still lyrically stinging, gritty and instantly familiar, Crutchfield incorporated synths alongside the snarl of prickly guitars and percussion. Thankfully, the intoxicating melodies remained and naturally became slightly more expansive. Is Tourist In This Town, the first full-length released under her own name, a direct extension of that EP? “Well, it’s different to Lean In To It which was shitty drum machines and very lo-fi. I think of it as a work of fiction and Tourist In This Town as absolute non-fiction, completely autobiographical down to every detail and that was kind of obsessive on my part. I wanted it to be raw and very real, like a scrapbook, and very detailed. The new record is…” she pauses, before adding: “big.” An accurate assessment, if perhaps not complimentary enough. On first listen, it’s a jarring, powerful experience: as Allison declares, big. But it takes less than two minutes before her voice melts into ‘Broad Daylight’s joyful synth hook and it’s clear she’s crafted something extraordinary once again. “The idea was to do a synth record but have live drums, live bass, live energy
but also keep it very eighties-sounding,” she confirms, ‘Mile Away’ and ‘Secret Lives And Deaths’ proving to be impeccable melding of styles. These are arguably the finest clutch of songs Crutchfield has released and, away from “Swearin’s very strict no keyboard policy”, she repeatedly references a newfound freedom when discussing its development. “Writing for Swearin’ was always tricky for me and that had a lot to do with the dynamic. When I started in the band, I was a woman, I was younger than everybody else and I think I was still feeling a little insecure or at least seeking everyone’s approval.” Perhaps those difficulties established a better songwriter in the long run, I ponder. “I would be backed into a corner by my own self-consciousness, definitely,” she admits, “and I think that something about writing for myself is really different. I’m the only person I have to answer to. I can just write a song I enjoy, not having to stress about people going through my lyrics and deciphering them and wondering if I’m saying stuff about them. I was really in my own head and that’s not the case anymore – it’s nice.” Despite the presence of keyboards throughout, Allison considers Tourist In This Town to be crafted in the style of a folk record, mostly due to its “pretty apparent” themes. “It’s obviously a breakup record but I think of it as very much a feminist break-up record. It’s about being at your worst and accepting yourself, knowing you can be that person for as long as you need to be.” While the heartbreak and alienation that litter the album still lingers, Allison remains resolute: “for the first time, I’m doing it 100% for myself and not speaking on behalf of other people.” On Tourist In This Town, it shows. LiS
allison crutchfield words: lee wakefield - photography: sonny malhotra
“I wanted it to be raw and very real, like a scrapbook� Allison releases Tourist In This Town, February 3rd via Merge Records. @aqcrutchfield LiS 15
@allisoncrutchfieldandthefizz
S U N DAY 1 6 T H J U LY 2 0 1 7
V I CTO R I A PA R K LO N D O N
T H E U LT I M AT E S U M M E R S U N DAY
T I C K E TS F R O M £ 3 9 . 5 0 + B F AT C I TA D E L F ES T I VA L .C O M F U L L L I N E - U P TO B E R E V E A L E D S O O N
S U B J E CT TO L I C E N C E
We ask artists to tell us stories of times spent in London...
by PETER SILBERMAN In early September of 2012, I was staying with a friend around Camden Town on the back end of playing a few late-summer UK festivals with The Antlers. That morning, she’d gone to work and I’d slept in another hour. I was in an extra-vivid dream thanks to weedlessness that past week. In the dream, I was walking a grassy, wooded trail with a decades-old version of my family. Their body language in that environment felt so familiar to me that I awoke confident it wasn’t newly-generated, but instead an uncovered memory from my early childhood. Displaced in time, I dressed and ate, and left for a walk. I scanned the map for green spaces, finding Regent’s Park to be the closest. Strolling down Camden’s winding side-streets, I came upon Primrose Hill first, and ascended until I was high enough for the city to spill below. I remained there for a few minutes, before descending to Regent’s north entrance. Through the late morning light, I followed the careful paths along the lake and around the rose garden’s loop. I could have woven those walks for hours. But the grounds were filling with a sizable wedding party, and I took that as a cue to leave. I checked the map again and found Hyde Park wasn’t too far, so I set myself in that direction. When I arrived, I noticed the park felt more exposed than Regent’s, with more expansive spaces.
Peter releases his debut solo album Impermanence February 24th via Transgressive Records. @PSilb
Kicking through tall grass in an overgrown yard, I reached the bank of the Serpentine. On the opposite shore, I saw picnickers and pets laid out on the lawn, backlit by the afternoon’s sun and distant enough to appear painted. I sat there awhile, examining the brushstrokes, considering the possibility that I’d remained in my dream. LiS 17
photo: Kain Balzary
TALES FROM THE CITY
EVENTS a selection of upcoming stuff happening in London we’re excited about
A THOUGHTFUL THING
WOMEN OF THE WORLD FESTIVAL The Southbank’s Women of the World Festival returns in March, stretching over the best part of a week. It’s an event with a focus on equality: no matter your age, background, history or gender, there is something for you here. Compiled of individual events including workshops, talks, exhibits and panels, the central themes that run through them all examine the everyday obstacles that can keep women and girls from reaching their full potential. In the past they’ve had some incredible speakers such as Malala Yousafzai, Julie Walters, Shami Chakrabarti and Gordon Brown among others. Come celebrate, embrace and learn how together we can change things for the better. WHEN: MARCH 7TH-12TH WHERE: SOUTHBANK CENTRE, SE1. INFO: southbankcentre.co.uk/wow // @WOWtweetUK
A MUSIC THING
PIANO DAY A day for celebrating the piano I hear you say? But why? In 2015 Nils Frahm decided his beloved instrument, and the untold joy (and of course sadness) it’s brought people over centuries should be honoured. Once again it is to be held on the 88th day of the year and will inspire events, radio shows, releases and discussions across the globe. In London the beautiful Union Chapel will be the centre of the celebrations, with an incredible and eclectic line-up that includes Trim teaming up with Matthew Bourne, Dead Light accompanying contemporary dance group Neon Dance and a nod to the important role the instrument plays in jazz with Bugge Wesseltoft.
BUGGE WESSELTOFT
WHEN: MARCH 29TH WHERE: UNION CHAPEL, N1 2UN INFO: wearefloat.co.uk // pianoday.org // @UnionChapelUK
A GIN THING
GIN FESTIVAL LONDON 2017 We went to this last year, and do you know what we found? Gin. Lots and lots of wonderful gin. Know what we’re doing this year? Going back for the gin. With over 100 types of gin on offer, and a bunch of new brands this year, this is the best way to get your fill of all things that go best with tonic. Get in quick. WHEN: FEBRUARY 17TH-19TH WHERE: TOBACCO DOCK, E1W 2DA. INFO: ginfestival.com // @GinFestival
AN EXHIBITION THING
THE JAPANESE HOUSE Featuring work not seen before in the UK, this exhibition at The Barbican takes a close look at Japanese architecture in Tokyo post World War 2, where the extent of the damage led to a major undertaking of rebuilding the city, and a re-considering of what the family house needed to be. Innovationled solutions to changing lifestyles resulted in some of the most thrilling modern architecture of our times. WHEN: MARCH 23RD - JUNE 5TH WHERE: BARBICAN CENTRE, EC2Y 8DS. INFO: barbican.org.uk // @BarbicanCentre
AN ART THING
DIY ART MARKET If you’re looking for unique, independent art then this is very much the place to be. Whether you’re looking for zines, prints, jewellery, comics, screen prints, books or records, there will be something for you here - and it’ll be something that most other people don’t have. So get along, and investigate London’s independent art scene. WHEN: FEBRUARY 12TH WHERE: EPIC, DALSTON, N16 8BH INFO: diyartmarket.com // @diyartmarket LiS 21
“Your 30s are just, like, a sad Judd Apatow movie or something...�
interview
Jens Lekman words: Kate Solomon photography: Tim Boddy
It’s an intimidating start to an interview when an artist looks you dead in the eye and tells you this interview is going to be like a therapy session. “You’re the therapist,” Jens Lekman tells me as I stutter something about ‘oh er not sure I’m qualified haha but let’s give it a go’. In a way, it’s the perfect way to treat a discussion of his therapeutically-minded new album, Life Will See You Now, a record about doubt and death and anxiety and aging that’ll have you dancing in the streets. Jens Lekman songs have always tended to be tiny biographies where the lines between art imitating life and life imitating art blur. At times, this album is no different - in ‘Hotwire The Ferris Wheel’, for example, a real life line from a real life friend is a repeated refrain over a languid calypso beat: “If you’re going to write a song about this then please don’t make it a sad song.” Talking to Jens, I get the impression that this could so easily have become an album of sad songs. Getting it cracking was a struggle, so he set himself the task of writing and releasing a song once a week every week for a year throughout 2015. “I started Postcards just after I’d been through this really big struggle with whether I should do music and where I was going - really doubting myself, my ability to write and everything in my life,” Jens explains. He describes Postcards as the musical equivalent of signing up to the gym - and posting the final song felt as gargantuan as a physical achievement. “I felt like I was on top of Mount Everest or something. I cried a little when I did that.” LiS 25
interview
After working through that self-doubt, he was left with 52 new songs and the very beginning of the idea that would become Life Will See You Now - but it still took a bit of work to figure out exactly what it was going to be. “Usually albums are very much like greatest hits collections of that period in my life, but now it’s very much about finding that theme for the record and what that record is about - and why I’m releasing the record at all. For this one it took a long time to see what it was about.” What it wasn’t about, it turned out, was men, despite the rule he imposed on himself at first to only write songs about them. “I’d written so many songs about female characters,” he explains. “But it didn’t
case of ‘How Can I Tell Him’ there was some sort of genuine longing for it to change - but in a lot of the other songs it just became so dark and so hopeless.” ‘Dark’ and ‘hopeless’ are not two words you would use to describe Life Will See You Now, despite its existential question marks and overarching anxieties. It’s bursting with Latin rhythms and jaunty hooks that get stuck in your head for days on end (take a bow, ‘What’s That Perfume That You Wear?’). As an album it stretches gently into new musical territory for Jens - “Oh you’re making your Latin party dance record,” producer Ewan Pearson kept telling him while they were recording - so playing the songs live for the first time to a dedicated fanbase was
“Writing about masculinity was just very depressing. It was not a happy path to take.” work out completely. There were a few songs that worked, that ended up on the record but writing about masculinity was just very depressing. It was not a happy path to take.” One of those songs that did make the cut was ‘How Can I Tell Him’, an acoustic love song about the platonic love between two friends. Amid gentle strings and piano trills, Jens critiques the toxic masculinity that stops men from expressing their feelings for each other. “It’s so deep within me, the way a man should be/Passed on through generations of men before me”, he sings before ending with, “Before he’s gone he shouts ‘later dude’/I think ‘yeah, I love you too’”. “I don’t think I have a very bright idea of masculinity, basically,” he explains when we discuss why it was so hard to write about men. “I see a lot of problems that I struggle with myself; there’s a genuine sadness in there that can work - in the
“nerve-wracking”, he says. “It feels like introducing your new girlfriend to your friends who really liked your old girlfriend. And they’re like, why are you with this new person?” Even more nerve-wracking is playing songs to the people who are literally in the songs, although he tends to write more fictionalised accounts now than he used to. “I make stuff up more these days,” he says. “Everything on this record is stuff that I’ve experienced or felt, or that close friends of mine have experienced - I wouldn’t write about something that I hadn’t experienced. But I’ve become pretty interested in magical realism.” The books of Junot Diaz, the DominicanAmerican author of The Brief But Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, were a big influence on his lyrics. “I love how he mixes the mundane with this very colourful, magical realism. That was
LiS 27
interview
a very big inspiration for the lyrics and the stories for this record.” So if you’re wondering if he and Tracey Thorn actually hotwired a ferris wheel... probably not. Ultimately, what Life Will See You Now is about is aging. Being 30-something and still not quite having it all figured out, watching as the consequences of your youthful decisions play out, years too late to do anything about them. “It’s very much a 30s crisis album. Your 30s are a transitional period in your life that’s not very romantic or glamorous - like the teenage years but without all the romanticism and rebellion and all this pop culture that you can relate to and want to be part of, and all these roles that you can play.” “Your 30s are just, like, a sad Judd Apatow movie or something. I hate that when you see depictions of people in their 30s in popular culture, they’re always
these pathetic, sad people. I think that’s problematic because there’s a lot of stuff that you go through at this time of your life – all of a sudden you realise how serious it is, in a way, and how every time you cross a bridge it burns behind you. You can’t go back. It creates a lot of anxiety. I’m hoping that someone will be able to relate to it that way and get something from it.” Is life getting easier or harder? Have we made good decisions? Did we just have a successful therapy session? Neither Jens nor I have the answers - but while he may be riddled with doubt about life, one thing is for sure: the soundtrack is pretty damn good. LiS Jens releases Life Will See You Now February 17th via Secretly Canadian. LIVE: Oval Space, March 29th. @JensLekman
JensLekmanOfficial
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ON THE STEREO with WITHERED HAND
Last year, iconic indie record label Fortuna POP! announced it was to stop being an iconic indie record label, or any kind of record label at all - but not before bowing out with one hell of a party.
MARTHA
Twenty Years Of Trouble sees a raft of acts from the Fortuna POP! stable playing across London for five glorious March nights. From long-time LiS faves Comet Gain and Darren Hayman, to current marvels Martha and The Spook School, this week celebrates all the best music from an institution we’re going to miss tons. fortunapop.com //
@fortunapop
all tickets available at wegotickets.com
Here, label owner Sean Price talks us through five key moments from the Fortuna POP!’s history.
March 22nd: 1st night meet-up with DJs & surprise guests (5 Day Pass holders only) - Moth Club. March 23rd: Withered Hand, The Ballet, Pete Astor, Would-Be-Goods - Bush Hall. March 24th: Butterflies Of Love, Sodastream, Flowers, Darren Hayman - Islington Assembly Hall. March 25th: (all-dayer) Comet Gain, The Loves, Bearsuit, Tigercats & more - Tufnell Park Dome. March 26th: Martha + Joanna Gruesome + The Spook School + Chorusgirl - Scala.
2. WITHERED HAND KING OF HOLLYWOOD In which Dan Willson aka Withered Hand tells of a tale of a trip to L.A. with his best bud King Creosote. God only knows what they got up to, the lyrics take some deciphering, but it’s a raucous, foot-stomping, country delight. Also notable for the best (only?) lyrics ever written about watching a buzz band at a music industry event.
3. THE BUTTERFLIES OF LOVE ROB A BANK
COMET GAIN
1. COMET GAIN - YOU CAN HIDE YOUR LOVE FOREVER David Charlie Feck inverts Orange Juice’s album title and comes up with a stone-cold indie classic... It’s the old, timeless story, as our fey, Pastels badge-wearing hero courts his Godardian muse via the medium of mixtapes. David would eventually get the internet and a mobile phone and is now all over Tinder (he isn’t). You can sing along if you want to.
The first truly great record on the label, I heard John Peel play this and wrote to them begging to release it in the UK, only to get back an undecipherable letter in spidery scrawl on prison notepaper. Turned out singer Jeff Greene ran a prison art programme. It still sounds incredible: a woozy, Galaxie 500-esque love song about blowing up buildings.
4. MARTHA - PRESENT, TENSE The last band to release an album on the label will be the last band to play the festival, which seems appropriate because Martha are The Future, which is where we’re all heading, like it or not. Proper DIY punk, with real Northern accents. Everyone goes nuts to this one when they play it live, and we all sing along in fake Northern accents.
5. ALLO DARLIN’ MY HEART IS A DRUMMER Talking of the future, we already said our goodbye to Allo Darlin’ in December, so they won't be playing, but we’re mightily pleased that Elizabeth Morris’ new band Elva will be playing their first show as part of Twenty Years Of Trouble. The video was made by the lovely Simon Taffe of End Of The Road festival, who covered his entire house in brown paper for it. LiS 31
ALLO DARLIN’
FEBRUARY 2017 ~ LIVE ~ 1st 5th
MissDefiant /
Peggy’s Big Sunday /
8th
6th
3RD
Oscar Jerome + Babe
Camden Cox + Catherine McGrath
Sounds Familiar Music Quiz / 16th
Il Teatro Degli Orrori / 24th
SisterRay /
27th
9th 21st
Gospeloke /
15th
Huntar
The Station Breaks
Khalid /
28th
Plested
& VISION SOUND SOUNDTRACK SCREENINGS Free Monday screenings ft. Purple Rain, Pulp Fiction etc.
~ LATE ~ 4th February
11th February
BUSHWICK BOOGIE
TIM WESTWOOD
Two rooms of hip hop, R&B,
Exciting bi-monthly residency
house, garage and bashment
from the big dog himself
18th February
25th February
every friday
NIGHT CALL
MOHO
SOUL FOOD
90s hip hop and R&B knees
Soulful selections
Weekly
up for all you cool kids
across the board
Friday Club
Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com
| HOXTONSQUAREBAR
maggie rogers words: rhian daly
“It’s so new and anything can happen. That’s incredibly freeing and exciting.”
interview
’m so stinking excited right now!” gushes Maggie Rogers down the phone from New York. Who wouldn’t be in her shoes? The 22-year-old NYU graduate has the world at her feet. When we speak, she’s days away from heading out on her first ever tour while her debut EP for new label home Polydor is in the process of being revealed to the public, one song at a time. We should all be as excited as Maggie is. By now, you’ll likely have heard all about her wowing Pharrell Williams during her college’s masterclass session, the rippling, electronically-tinged folk-pop of ‘Alaska’ near enough rendering him speechless. She’s way more than just a viral video clip, though - Now That The Light Is Fading, that aforementioned EP, introduces an artist that’s as playful as they are thoughtful, as infectious as they are experimental. The record might be the start of her journey in most people’s eyes, but for Maggie herself it’s a sign of her moving on to the next chapter. “I wasn’t really expecting to feel anything at midnight [on New Year’s Eve] because time is linear hypothetically - but I actually felt such a sense of relief when the year changed,” she explains. “2016 has been this year marked on my calendar since I was born. It’s the year I graduated college and started my career. The EP release feels like the last part of that - I made all these songs on this record when I was still in college. Once it’s out, everything else that I make is part of this second chapter. It’s so new and anything can happen. That’s incredibly freeing and exciting.” Maggie grew up in a “sort of farmland” in Maryland and that peaceful, countryside existence continues to inform her music even now she’s a resident of New York City. There are the sounds of nature scattered throughout her songs - a cricket chirp
here, a morning dove cooing there - and EP closer ‘Better’ finds her dealing with the dichotomy between her rural upbringing and city-dwelling. “‘Better’ so perfectly encompasses my relationship to city and to home, and realising that I don’t really fit in either space,” she says. “There’s parts of each that I love and I think being a part of both worlds really informs the music I make.” A couple of years ago, though, her songs were strictly folk. Those limitations led to a long period of writer’s block, solved by introducing elements of dance music into her writing. “I’ve always put myself in one box as a creator. Since taking those walls away it’s been really fun to find out how I interact as a creative human.” Looking further down the line, Maggie’s aims are ambitious, but simple - to “make people feel better” and “make music that I’m really proud of my entire life”. For now, she’s trying to keep those dreams alive by working on an album, although not even she knows how it will turn out yet. “I’m interested to see how touring changes the way I make things,” she says. “I really did make these songs to play them live. I played a lot of quiet shows and was ready to be loud and jump around, which is funny because, even though that was the goal, I still made really mid-tempo songs. There’s no banger!” She laughs loudly down the line. “Maggie Rogers claims ‘bangers to come!’ Or maybe I will just shut myself in the woods and write a really sad folk record.” Whatever she ends up doing, you should probably get on board now. It’s bound to be exciting. LiS
LiS 35
Read more from this interview on londoninstereo.com Maggie releases her debut EP Now That The Light Is Fading February 17th via Polydor. @maggierogers
UpcomingLondon LondonShows Shows Upcoming tickets and more info at www.rockfeedback.com tickets and more info at www.rockfeedback.com
IN A DAY’S WORK by A Music PR I wake up around 7.30am. My first thought is to check if Pitchfork has emailed overnight. No email. The great thing about Pitchfork not covering your band is that one day Pitchfork might cover your band. P4k is the proverbial threesome, idyllic in theory, but prone to leaving the publicist with a sense of emptiness, asking where do I go from here? The morning is spent “pitching”. By pitching I mean emailing people I know, or at least follow on Twitter, and trying to make them laugh so they might write about my band. A lol gif in return for a considered and lengthy album review. A fair exchange. Planning meetings are a good way to get out the office in the afternoon. What makes them so great is that they are all essentially the same and nothing ever gets decided. The TV plugger says something about Saturday Kitchen and references Jools Holland’s producer by name, the radio plugger bangs on about what “Lauren is feeling” like some third-rate therapist. Then it’s my turn and I talk for so long people stop listening - which is perfect. An evening means a gig and drinks with a journalist. The golden rules here are get drunk quickly and don’t sleep with anyone. You can expense the booze but nothing compensates the ‘how can I still pitch this person after that’ feeling. Being a music PR is basically pretty fun: you get to talk to your mates all day and work with bands you’ve loved since you were a kid. But it can be pretty one-sided conversation, full of unreplied emails and unclicked gifs, so self-belief and tenacity are a must. Oh, and having good bands that’s kinda important too. LiS 37
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ALBUM REVIEWS RECORD OF THE MONTH DIRTY PROJECTORS
DIRTY PROJECTORS Domino Records // February 24th
Dirty Projectors was always Dave Longstreth but, at its best, it was also so much more. It wasn’t until their fifth album - 2007’s not really a Black Flag covers LP Rise Above - that vocalists (and arguably muses) Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian were brought in to the fold, their uniquely brilliant vocals drastically altering both Dirty Projectors’ sound, and their fortunes; by the time they had a starring role on follow up Bitte Orca, they’d become a big reason that the band were, for a time, the best in the world. Ten years on, Dirty Projectors finds Dave back on his lonesome. But this luscious and melodically rich outing isn’t a return to either the lo-fi indie or impenetrable rock operas that made up the first four DPs albums, which he also largely made solo. Nor is Amber Coffman completely absent; she doesn’t play or sing on the record, but the demise of her and Longstreth’s romantic relationship is the record’s one and only theme. In some respects it’s the Dirty Projectors album most indebted to her, and she haunts proceedings exquisitely. Finally delivering the (not even that alternative) Alternative R&B album Longstreth has long threatened to make, the aforementioned breakup is detailed both meticulously and beautifully. Many songs, most notably the chopping and changing lead single lament of ‘Keep Your Name’ and wistful reminiscence of early romantic bliss ‘Up In Hudson’ are
addressed directly to Coffman, but deal with themes so universal none in earshot should have a hard time relating. Despite its theme of heartbreak, it’s hard to imagine anyone having a hard time with any of it. Sonically, it’s remarkably upbeat, and the arrangements, melodies, mastery of instruments and production are all staggering. This is particularly true of the record’s remarkable parting pairing of songs; ‘Cool Your Heart’ - which features Dawn Richard in a starring vocal role and sounds like Jamie xx negotiating a barefoot walk over some hot coals - might be the best thing Longstreth’s ever done, while the finale of "I See You" manages to detail sorrow in the frankest of terms while conjuring emotions more suited to the joy of a wedding (the church organ helps, in that respect). In fact, it might only be a tough listen if you, yourself are Amber Coffman or Dave Longstreth. The rest of us have really done pretty well out of their turmoil. Thomas Hannan STAND OUT TRACKS: Cool Your Heart, Up In Hudson, Keep Your Name, Winner Take Nothing. LIVE: Koko, March 21st. @dirtyprojectors
OLIVER WILDE
POST-FRENZ CONTAINER BUZZ Howling Owl Records // February 17th
Somewhere between bewildering and familiar is where Oliver Wilde’s music lies. Following a long break from music, he’s back with his third full-length record, Post-Frenz Container Buzz, marking a significant step forward both sonically and personally. Although he continues to create reluctant, downtrodden bedroom pop, these songs are easily the most accessible he’s written yet – lead single ‘Good Kind of Froze’ follows a galloping groove doused in distortion and theatrics that isn’t far off the delivery of Sparklehorse or Alex G. But the time lapse between then and now has forged a new relationship between him and his lyrics. Before, Wilde buried issues he couldn’t face into complex musical auras, but now he’s tackling them head-on with the help of cliché pop structures. Undoubtedly his most complete record to date, Post-Frenz Container Buzz is a body of work that reveals more as it goes on – about Wilde, his view of the world and his new lease of life. Rachel Grace Almeida
LOWLY
SAMPHA
Bella Union // February 10th
Young Turks // February 3rd
HEBA
PROCESS
Heba is a product of the environment that surrounded its creation. Broad skies, peaceful water, clean architecture framed in blue. Lowly have taken the semblance of Denmark’s pragmatism, expansiveness and sense of cool and soaked their sound in it. ‘Still Life’ moves along natural lines and an intuitive melody. The bass thrum of ‘Deer Eyes’ makes it one of the more tangible tracks among the atmospheric indie, where the edges of tracks like ‘Cait #2’ and ‘No Hands’ bleed into others. Mood and texture are given prominence over pop sensibility, though there are injections of synth sugar. ‘Word’ is instrumentally ambitious, and the juddering ‘Prepare The Lake’ lifts us out Heba’s comforting buzz, but for the most part Lowly are content to sound effortless. Grant Bailey
If you take this long crafting your debut album, you better hope it’s of a higher calibre than most. And while it would be all-tooeasy to lump him in with the trend of artists that possess a soulful croon and maybe not a lot else, Sampha has the instrumental chops to match: ‘Reverse Faults’ shimmers with glacial, ambient beauty while ‘Blood On Me’ thunders with deafening euphoria, proving that Process is a record littered with radio friendly singles as well as ‘(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano’, a gorgeous ballad that represents the album’s stunning midpoint. For all his elegance and deft touches, no one has a firmer grip of 2017 than Sampha – Process informs us that we’re in safe, soothing hands. Lee Wakefield
LiS 41
MAGGIE ROGERS
NOW THAT THE LIGHT IS FADING EP Polydor Records // February 24th
You know Maggie Rogers. I know Maggie Rogers. At some point we’ve all been Maggie Rogers. She’s the girl in that music class you decided to take at Tisch. You’ve spoken to her intermittently and concluded that she’s a quiet duck. She’s fleetingly mentioned her gap year in Europe, something about a ‘religious experience’ at Berghain, but you’re convinced it’s all a euphemism for MDMA. An email informs you that Pharrell will be attending next week to give a masterclass. You spend all week putting the finishing touches on your latest natty beat. Pharrell arrives. He listens, he comments, he encourages. You feel validated. Maggie walks to the front and plays hers. As if reliving memories from his pre-uterine life as a seal, Pharrell is moved to tears. Even you’re moved to tears. Why are you not Maggie Rogers right now? To boot, footage of your shoddy work juxtaposed with Maggie’s goes viral on YouTube. Then she releases an EP. You listen. As opener ‘Color Song’ fills the room you hear her dulcet harmonies. “I could do that… if I was even into harmonies”, you reassure yourself. By the time you’ve heard the vertiginous delights of ‘On and Off’ and gotten some way into ‘Dog Years’ you’re crying again. You head for the Atlantic and walk east. As the waves roll softly over your head you make like the seal and keep going. Deeper. Tim Hakki
KEHLANI
SWEETSEXYSAVAGE Atlantic // January 27th
“Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger” goes the much quoted Nietzsche paraphrase, equating to something like ‘pain is formative’. It is a view that Kehlani voices in the intro to her much lauded 2015 mixtape You Should Be Here and one that she amps up, along with her sound, on her debut album SweetSexySavage. The record sees the Grammy nominated 21-year-old standing defiant against much of the online controversy she faced across 2016, after a turbulent break up and a very publicised suicide attempt. “You can tell the world I’m a narcissist and they would probably listen to you” she declares on the D’Angelo style opener ‘With You’. It’s gracefully followed by ‘Distraction’, one of many tracks across the album that takes the Neo-soul format and supercharges it with a range of different styles from early 2000s RnB to trap. Though Kehlani’s debut is clearly a piece of work that intends to express an inner sentiment (note the various confessional skits ranging from poet Reyna ‘Biddy’ Mays to UK pal Little Simz), it would be an injustice to mark the entire album as merely a ‘road to recovery’ style epic. Singles such as ‘CRZY’ and ‘Do You Dirty’ show a playfully fierce side to Kehlani that bring to mind another paraphrase of Nietzsche’s: “Whatever is falling, give it a push, no need to be gentle”. Hassan Anderson
MEAT WAVE
THE INCESSANT Big Scary Monsters // February 17th
TEN FÉ
HIT THE LIGHT Some Kinda Love // February 3rd
It’s the seamless diversity that makes Hit The Light such an achievement. Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan, who operate under the Ten Fé moniker, manage to effortlessly blend glamorous synth-pop - ‘Twist Your Arm’ - with the inspiring, driving Americana moments of ‘Overflow’ and ‘In The Air’. The relentless rhythm which pounds through these, nods to The War On Drugs-led revival of this genre, while the stunning ‘Elodie’ recalls the timeless indie-folk balladry of Phosphorescent. The result of four years musical endeavour, Hit The Light brilliantly explores themes of renewal, touching an impressive array of emotions in its eleven tracks: from the dancing ‘Make Me Better’ to the aforementioned touches of melancholia, we’ve been invited on Ten Fé’s journey and we’ve seen the light. George O’Brien
Meat Wave's third album almost didn't see the light of day - not in the form we find it now, at least. Written after frontman Chris Sutter came out of a 12-year relationship, the 24year-old nearly scrapped the whole thing and started again. Give thanks to the voice in his head that stopped him - The Incessant is a tremendous step up and, without those whispers, its incredibly personal, unforgivingly raw odes to the anxiety, self-loathing and fear Sutter felt in the aftermath would never have been heard. Could we live without the spiralling, convulsing ‘Bad Man’, the brutal-but-brief thwack of ‘Mask’ or opener ‘To Be Swayed’’s desperate cries to “burn it down”? If we had to. Would we want to? Absolutely not. Rhian Daly
TIM DARCY
SATURDAY NIGHT Jagjaguwar // February 17th
Ought front-man Tim Darcy goes it alone with debut album Saturday Night; a poetic pop record haunted by abstract and obtuse folk influences at every turn. ‘Tall Glass of Water’ is a brash opener recalling Loaded-era Velvet Underground but it doesn’t take long for a more existential tone to creep in, ‘Joanne Pt 1,2’ giving way to something that could have been conceived of in Bradford Cox’s bedroom. Darcy’s songs are both liberating and painful, as with the lysergic swamp-reverie of ‘First Final Days’, and the strung-out confession in ‘Found My Limit’. “They say creation is the loudest reach of escape / Which explains why mine sounds like a scream” he sings on ‘St Germain’. Saturday Night though is one of the most articulate screams you’ll hear. Henry Wilkinson LiS 43
LOS CAMPESINOS! SICK SCENES
Wichita Recordings // February 24th
Football. Ex-girlfriends. Football. Death. Anxiety. Football. Football. Football. Los Campesinos! are back and thankfully, they’re on fullthrottle form. Opening number ‘Renato Dall Ara (2008)’ sneaks up like the party’s in a different room before launching into a joyful assault, and sets the early tone of the record as a proper kick in the balls. ‘I Broke Up Amarante’ is the obvious contender for a future Match of the Day soundtrack, and ‘Flucloxacillin’ is easily the best song you’ll hear about antibiotics this year. But it’s the change of tempo for ‘A Slow, Slow Death’, that is particularly special, the aural equivalent of a nice back rub; beautiful, kinda soothing, except obviously, we’re all dying. These are sick scenes, sure, but they sound bloody marvellous. Simone Scott Warren
PISSED JEANS
WHY LOVE NOW Sub Pop // February 24th
There’s a lot to love about this fifth album from the hard-working and loud-rocking Philly dude band. All of their traditional hallmarks are here. The demented selfdeprecating humour. The vocal-cord shredding antics of frontman Matt Korvette. The piss-taking. And the quartet’s relentless, nihilistic sludge punk. What’s new is their deviation into the world of fetish webcams (’Ignorecam’ – “I love that idea of guys paying to be ignored,” Korvette says…) and office supplies delivery fantasy (‘I’m a Man’). But it’s the assured cold sneer of ‘Love Without Emotion’ and its Mission of Burma-like grind that tops the album off. That said, you’re best advised to catch them live to fully appreciate Korvette’s persuasive tomfoolery. Watch this space for London dates. Geoff Cowart
JESCA HOOP
MEMORIES ARE NOW Sub Pop // February 10th
Typically filed under folk, Jesca Hoop bends the parameters of classification due to her versatile vocal that traverses everyone from Tori Amos to PJ Harvey and Margo Timmins, and even John Lydon on the gritty, metronomic ‘Cut Connection’. On her first solo album for Sub Pop, Hoop, who swapped Santa Rosa sun for Manchester murk, delivers a broad collection using little more than voice, guitar and percussion. A woozy bass-string pizzicato underpins the excellent title track, there’s a scissor-snip rhythm to ‘Animal Kingdom Collective’; and her sharp poetic tongue is evident throughout, notably on bluegrassy social-media takedown ‘Simon Says’. On ‘The Coming’, Hoop, brought up a Mormon, analyses her loss of faith to leaden guitar. Its portentousness closes the album, one of those rare songs that cannot be followed. Nick Mee
WednesdaY February | 7:00 SUNdaY 02 01 OCTOBER | 7:00
HOTEL BOOKS DIY ALL DAYER FEAT PRIDES02 + MORE ThursdaY February | 7:00 MONdaY 03 OCTOBER AARON WEST| 7:00& THE NE OBLIVISCARIS ROARING TWENTIES TUESdaY 04 OCTOBER | 7:30 FRIDAY 03 February | 7:00 OSCAR DEAD! WEDNESdaY 05 OCTOBER FRIDAY 03 FEBRUARY | 7:00 | 7:00
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MITSKI VIVE LE VALENTINE FRIdaY 07 OCTOBER | 7:00 | 7:30 WednESdaY 08 FEBRUARY GUITAR WOLF CHROME + TEETH OF SAT 08 SEA & SUN 09 OCTOBER | 3:00 THE LIVE EVIL 2016 THursday 09 FEBRUARY | 7:00 MONdaY 10 OCTOBER | 7:00 ESTRONS CHUCK MOSELEY friday 10 FEBRUARY | 7:00 WEDNESdaY 12 OCTOBER | 7:30 AMBERIAN DAWN TURNOVER saturday 11 FEBRUARY | 7:00 FRIdaYINTERRUPTERS 14 OCTOBER | 7:00 THE DEAD 15LETTER CIRCUS WEdnesday FEBRUARY | 7:00 FRIdaY 14 OCTOBER | 7:00 YOUNG LEGIONNAIRE FRANCIS DUNNERY thursday 16-19 FEBRUARY | VARIOUS SATURdaY 15 OCTOBER | 7:00 ANOTHER WEEKEND KERBDOG OF DISCONTENT ‘17 Sunday21 16febrUARY OCTOBER || 7:00 7:00 Tuesday CARCER CITY BRITS WEEK: THE 1975
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DECADE INME thursday | 7:00| 7:00 SATURdaY09 22march OCTOBER JULY TALKBUNGET NEGURA wednesday MArch || 6:30 6:00 SUNdaY 23 15 OCTOBER
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CROWBAR BLACK FOXXES wednesday 22OCTOBER March | 7:30 SATURdaY 29 | 7:00 HURRAY FOR THE RIFF STRAIGHT LINES RAFF SATURdaY 29 OCTOBER | 8:00 friday 24 March | 7:00 ROZALEN WE ARE THE| OCEAN MONdaY 31 OCTOBER 7:00 saturday 25 march | 3:00 BLANK MANUSCRIPT FORTUNA POP!:| 7:00 20 Wednesday 02 NOVEMBER YEARS OF TROUBLE SHVPES tuesday 28 march | 7:00 | 7:00 THURSdaY 03 NOVEMBER
NEW CARNIVAL BLACK TUSK wednesday 29 NOVEMBER march | 7:00| 7:00 THURSdaY 03 MONdaY 17 Thursday 23OCTOBER febrUARY| 7:00 | 7:00 SINKANE TELEGRAM & TRAP THEM JESSARAE SATurday 1 april | 7:30 PHOBOPHOBES TUESdaY 25 18 OCTOBER saturday febrUARY| 7:00 | 6:00 STEVE ‘N’ SEAGULLS 04 & SAT 05 NOVEMBER | 6:00 THEELEPHANT MAHONESMUSIC FRI BAD STATIC SHOCK WEEKEND
GIGS OF THE MONTH THE LEXINGTON
Our pick of the best upcoming shows around London THE GOOD SHIP
TIM DARCY (OUGHT) February 20th £9adv // @thelexington
Angel
HONEY LUNG + COROLLA + FURS & MASKS + DIRTY PALACE February 15th £4adv // @thegoodshipnw6
Kilburn
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY TOUCHE AMORE + ANGEL DU$T + DEPARTURES February 23rd £tbc // @O2Islington
Angel
TIM DARCY
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS OLIVER WILDE February 23rd £8.50adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE TEENAGE FANCLUB February 26th £21adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
THE LOCK TAVERN SPORTS TEAM February 2nd FREE // @thelocktavern
Chalk Farm / Camden Town TEENAGE FANCLUB
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS THE DOME
THOUGHT FORMS February 17th £8adv // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
KEVIN DEVINE February 3rd £12adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Tuffnell Park
OVAL SPACE BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS + DORISBURG (LIVE) + MAKAM February 24th £10adv // @OvalSpace
Bethnal Green/ Hoxton
BOSTON ARMS MUSIC ROOM ESTRONS February 9th £8adv // @BostonMusicRoom
Tuffnell Park
BUSH HALL
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN OSCAR JEROME + BEN HAYES
BASEMENT + HIGHER POWER
February 3rd FREE // @HoxtonSquareBar
March 4th £16adv // @Bushhallmusic
Old Street
Shepherd’s Bush
OSLO
THE TOOTING TRAM & SOCIAL
ANCHORSONG
DESERT PLANES + BLUSH + CASSICUS
February 23rd £13.50adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
MONTAGUE ARMS
February 23rd FREE // @TootingTram
THE PICKLE FACTORY
PELUCHÉ + MEATRAFFLE + VÏSTA
THE GOLDEN FILTER
February 9th Queens Road Peckham / New Cross Gate £7adv // @Montague_Arms
February 2nd £7.50adv // @PickleFactoryE2
THE 100 CLUB
WHITE POST CAFE
KARL BLAU
HOLLIE CARMEN + VANESSA JAMIE
February 14th £12.50adv // @100clubLondon
Tottenham Court Road
JAZZ CAFE SOCCER96 + LUNCH MONEY + DONNA LEAKE February 24th £8adv // @TheJazzCafe
Tooting Broadway
Camden Town
February 23rd FREE // @white_post_cafe
Bethnal Green/ Hoxton
Hackney Wick
MOTH CLUB MENACE BEACH February 8th £9.50adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE DINGUS KHAN + FIGHTMILK + MX TYRANTS + HURTLING February 17th £5 // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
THE WAITING ROOM BAYONNE February 15th £8adv // @WaitingRoomN16
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
MENACE BEACH
LiS 49
CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
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02—17 Shacklewell Arms 71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Saturday 4 February
PSYCHIC MARKERS Thursday 9 February
MOONWALKS Friday 17 February
THOUGHT FORMS Friday 24 February
NOVELLA Monday 27 February
LAS ROSAS
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
presents
Monday 13 February
OMNI Tuesday 21 February
GILLBANKS The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Wednesday 1 February
VOGUE NOIR Saturday 11 February
RAPHAEL TOP SECRET Wednesday 15 February
BAYONNE Tuesday 28 February
The Lock Tavern 35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Saturday 4 February
LIKE A MOTORCYCLE Sunday 12 February
FOX CHAPEL Wednesday 15 February
TABLE SCRAPS The Montague Arms 289 Queen’s Rd London SE14 Thursday 9 February
PELUCHE
SAPPHIRE SLOWS MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Wednesday 8 February
MENACE BEACH Friday February
YOUNGHUSBAND Saturday 11 February
TWIN PEAKS (All Ages Matinee) Saturday 18 February
WILD NOTHING Friday 24 February
COSMONAUTS
IN LONDON with SUPER BEST FRIENDS CLUB
SBFC release their new album Love Blows this Spring. LIVE: Jazz Cafe, March 2nd. @Superbestfc
Why do you live in London? Because every time I walk out my door I'm interested. Art galleries, board game bars, basketball, ultimate frisbee and music music music... Where are your go-to places for food? Tre Viet in Hackney does a good pho, Sushi Waka in Camden for Japanese, Jah Krishna in Finsbury Park for amazing cheap Indian food and Akdeniz Bakery in Stoke Newington for gözlemes and bread. We’re in the depths of winter now, how do you survive the shivering months? I climb into bed and listen to Melvyn Bragg. Your favourite outdoor space? I spent a lot of my young adulthood on Hampstead Heath swimming and playing but these days I actually love Hackney Downs. There’s so much going on there you can get involved with. What’s the worst thing about London? Great independent venues being knocked down to make more overpriced flats. Does living here influence the music you write? You know, I don’t think it does so much.
@superbestfriendsclub
What part of London would you love it live in? Probably right where I'm living. We have underfloor heating and a group of very friendly crack addicts who live across the street. The fates are starkly different but it’s also surprisingly intimate. Do you have any favourite venues? Total Refreshment Centre in Dalston, Servant Jazz Quarters and Vortex in Dalston, Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney, Hootananny in Brixton, The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick and the Young Vic Theatre in Waterloo. How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? First go do all the free stuff on the South Bank because it’s amazing - Tate Modern, BFI, National Theatre, Young Vic, and The Cut is great too. Then go to the Vortex and see some jazz. Check out the little venues and food places in Dalston. Just don’t waste your time shopping in central London. It’s just a bunch of chains. I’m sure there’s loads of great stuff in south London that I don’t know about too. Your SBFC guide to London provided by Jordan Copeland, on bass, vocals and frisbee enthusiasm.
P.S. Gözlemes get mentioned so often in this feature, but we didn’t know what they were, so we investigated and they’re a Turkish flatbread which look real great - Akdeniz Bakery is at 60 Stoke Newington High St. LiS 69
LIVE REVIEWS A DISAPPEARING EXHIBITION - SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS - JANUARY 18TH In late January we put on A Disappearing Exhibition with anonymous gift-giving angels This Must Be For You. The idea: get a bunch of awesome bands to play, and at the same time host a photography exhibition with everything displayed free to take home. Suffice to say, it was an incredible night. Carolina Faruolo was there, camera in hand, to capture the whole thing... We’ll be doing it again, so keep an eye on @MustBeForYou.
HER’S
FISH
THE FLAMING LIPS - BRIXTON ACADEMY - JANUARY 21ST 18 years ago The Flaming Lips released The Soft Bulletin, created the greatest live show the world had even seen and instantly became the most lovable band on the planet. The following near-two decades have seen dwindling musical returns, the live show get preposterously bloated and Wayne lurch through what you might generously call ‘one huge motherfucking blowout of a mid-life crisis’. Tonight though, tonight sees a band that just might be back from the brink. New album Oczy Mlody is lyrically ridiculous (make sure you get the unicorns with the purple eyes, the ones with green eyes shit everywhere - just so you know), but hidden in the sonic swamp are glimpses of Soft Bulletin-esque melodic wonder. More importantly, though, tonight feels inclusive, focused and vital. Wayne’s back on the humble grace and eulogising about love, and ‘Race For The Prize’, ‘Yoshimi...’ and ‘A Spoonful Weigh A Ton’ remain some of the most life-affirming songs any band possess. Plus, of course, after all these years ‘Do You Realize??’ remains as profound, joyous and ‘oh-god-my-poor-heart’ as ever. Welcome back guys, we’ve really missed you and, boy, does the world need you right now. Nate Rockwell
PUMA BLUE - THE OLD BLUE LAST - JANUARY 16TH Puma Blue. A Google Search that will throw up pages of shit trainers and one unique band from Southy Easty. Puma for the cagey, twitchy power of singer/ head-honcho Jacob Allen. Blue for the feels you get when listening to his sexy falsetto mingle with what Brainchild Festival’s precis astutely described as the downtown saxophone present across their music. Frontgeezer Allen has an emotive, fragile voice that you feel could go anywhere, but mainly sticks around the middle-C of your heart strings, strumming away in the Lauryn Hill-approved manner. The band seem to have a strictly no-dancing policy, despite hitting out some very groovable tunes, and the jazzy/soul influences of the group give the whole thing a Chet Baker ‘Big-City-Lonely-Little-Boy’ vibe that makes you look back on the night as if it all happened in black-and-white. Would be good sex music for sure.
The show was part of DIY’s annual ‘Hello <insert year>’ promotion, which is like a “Come and see these bands we think are gonna be big this year!” kinda deal. This great series of shows is free (so go next year!). But the fact there’s free entry can in no way be used to detract from the fact that this was the most packed venue I have ever been to. Seriously, you couldn’t move enough to throw up some ironic gang signs it was rammed. Even more impressively for Puma Blue, when I managed to un-sardine myself at the end of the set, there was a queue stretching all the way from the front door of the building to the venue entrance upstairs. Have you ever seen people queueing inside a pub? It’s disconcerting. Pubs and queuing are both proud British Institutions, but they certainly don’t mix naturally. It’s not normal behaviour. If a band can get people excited enough to make an orderly queue inside a pub, then something big must be happening. Sam Hurst LiS 71
PRESENTS
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PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS by Kate Solomon At the ripe old age of 30, I bought my first guitar - although I strongly doubt there will be a successor. Carrying it home, every man who passed me felt some need to comment. “Play guitar do you?” Turning my head, I’d call into my wake, “Haha, try to”, then roll my eyes and wish I wasn’t carrying what was increasingly turning out to be a lightning rod for dickheads. Much as I would have liked to have thrown their implicit misogyny back in their faces by busting out some impressive guitar stuff right there on Kingsland Road, it’s true that I didn’t do much more than try to play guitar then. It never occurred to me to try before. But I’m pleased to say that 24 months of sporadic YouTube tutorials later, I can competently play a handful of chords as long as you give me a minute to frown down at the neck and arrange my fingers one by one. Far from untangling music as I hoped it would, learning this extremely small amount of guitar has made the alchemical mystery of magicking a song out of nothing seem even less fathomable. Knitting chords together, weaving melodies between beats, jigsawing samples into place - people spinning songs into being are sorcerers to me. Even the worst song, the crappiest piece of crap Slaves shit out, seems like a little slice of wonder now. Honestly, men talking to me in the streets, existential confusion and somehow ending a column by complimenting Slaves: I wish I’d never picked up that goddamn guitar, I really do. Kate likes pop hits more than you like pop hits, is part of the exceptional club night U Suck, and writes for many fine publications – often about Carly Rae Jepsen. Find Kate on twitter: @katiesol
LiS 73
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
PLUS GUESTS
09 MAR / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
PLUS GUESTS
12 APR / O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
PLUS GUESTS
PLUS RORY WYNNE + TOUTS
21 MAR / XOYO
27 APR / DINGWALLS
PLUS FULL SUPPORTING CAST
PLUS GUESTS
SOLD 12 OUT / 13 / 14 / 15 MAY / ROUNDHOUSE
21 MAR / ROUNDHOUSE
PLUS GUESTS
PLUS GUESTS
17 MAY / KOKO
29 MAR / KOKO
PLUS THE MAGIC GANG + INHEAVEN
31 MAR / O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
PLUS MYSTERY JETS
SOLD SOLD 29 / 30 OUT JUNE + 01 OUT JULY / ALEXANDRA PALACE
0844 811 0051