LONDON IN STEREO // HOOKWORMS

FEB R U ARY 2018 ISSUE 56 // FREE

HOOKWORMS

P R E S E N T S

03 | 02 | 18

THE MENZINGERS - O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE -

14 | 04 | 18

THE VACCINES - ALEXANDRA PALACE -

13 | 02 | 18

22 | 04 | 18

JEN CLOHER

AWOLNATION

01 | 03 | 18

22 | 04 | 18

- DOME, TUFNELL PARK -

ALBERT HAMMOND JR - DINGWALLS UT OUT LD O | 03 | 18 - 10 | 03 | 18 09 SOLD SO

THE HOLD STEADY - ELECTRIC BALLROOM -

- SCALA -

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN - ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL -

27 | 04 | 18

BARENAKED LADIES - ROUNDHOUSE | 05O|UT 03 18 SOLD

15 | 03 | 18

DAHLIA SLEEPS

GOMEZ

- THE LEXINGTON -

22 | 03 | 18

- ROYAL ALBERT HALL -

- SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS DALSTON

GOMEZ

ROZELLE

05 | 05 | 18

27 | 03 | 18

- O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -

30 | 05 | 18

THE WOMBATS - ALEXANDRA PALACE -

27 | 03 | 18

BULLY

- MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY -

30 | 05 | 18

VÖK

THE BREEDERS

- OSLO, HACKNEY -

- ROUNDHOUSE -

29 | 03 | 18

20 | 06 | 18

CALEXICO

BELLY

- O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE -

29 | 03 | 18

- O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE -

- CAMDEN ASSEMBLY -

EXTRA DATE ADDED - TICKETS ON SALE

30 | 03 | 18

O|UT | 06 27 18 - 28 06O|UT 18 SOLD SO|LD

HVMM

26 | 06 | 18

GOAN DOGS

- HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN SHOREDITCH

JACK WHITE - EVENTIM APOLLO -

10 | 04 | 18

02 | 07 | 18

- MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY -

- O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON -

FENNE LILY

EELS

T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M

SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - STARGREEN.COM EVENTIM.CO.UK - ROUNDHOUSE.ORG.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK

P R E S E N T S

Belle and Sebastian 28.02.18

ROUNDHOUSE LO N D O N

PLUS

16 & 17 March 2018

TROXY

belleandsebastian.com

LONDON

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL

B Y A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H X R AY

PLUS SPECIAL GUEST

ALBERT HAMMOND JR

- UK TOUR 2018 SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY

O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON LONDON

JD McPHERSON PLUS

CHARLEY CROCKET

FRIDAY 02 MARCH 2018

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE LONDON

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA AGENCY

T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M

SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - EVENTIM.CO.UK ROUNDHOUSE.ORG.UK - STARGREEN.COM - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK

1 & 2 JUNE 2018

fielddayfestivals.com ticketweb.co.uk

WELCOME

HOOKWORMS COVER STORY

A new year and some unexpectedly good news to start it off. As you well know, we’re all about gigs and live music over here, so just imagine our joy when the government decided to back the agent of change rule this January! It’s too late for some and just in the nick of time for others but overall this feels like a recognition of the value of live music and the basements, halls, theatres and – more often than not – pubs that host it.

This all comes up together at a rather excellent time as we're given another reason to celebrate while Independent Venue Week takes over the country. Check the site for our exploration around the thrills and spills of running a London venue.

Also, news just in: you can now subscribe to London in Stereo for a mere £2.50 a month. Head to the site and click subscribe to find out more.

PAGE 22

STAFF ON REPEAT

GWENNO

the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: Daniel Avery - Slow Fade DAVE: Superorganism - Everybody Wants To Be Famous LOKI: Car Seat Headrest - Nervous Young Inhumans DANNY: Nakhane - Clairvoyant GEMMA: Gwenno - Tir Ha Mor JACK: Titus Andronicus - Number One (In New York) RACHEL: Farida - You LiS 05

ROUNDHOUSE

FESTIVAL S UPPORT E D BY

DIS C OV E R TO MORROW’S HEADLI NERS 2 1 F E BRUARY – 4 MARCH

LITTLE SIMZ PRESENTS WELCOME TO WONDERLAND: THE EXPERIENCE JUNGLEPUSSY | LIONESS | IAMNOBODI | TAWIAH | EZRA COLLECTIVE | CLEO SOL VANJESS | OTG | MCKAY FELT | COREY WASH | DJ MILLER | + MORE TBA RISING FUTURES . BLAIR DUNLOP + AILBHE REDDY . JAZZ REFRESHED .

BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING . RISING SOUNDS ALBUM LAUNCH . RISING SOUNDCLASH .

FESTIVAL PRODUCERS DAY: ‘ROUND OUR PLACE’ . ARTIST TOOLKIT DAY AT YOUTUBE SPACE

In 2010 Little Simz started on our young creatives programme. In 2017 she supported Gorillaz on their worldwide tour. Now she’s headlining our Main Space.

CONTENTS 10

NEW SOUNDS

46

14

U.S. GIRLS 18

GIGS OF THE MONTH

Our pick of February’s best shows

Lanark Artefax, Sidney Gish & more

48

FULL FEBRUARY GIG LISTINGS

EVENTS

65

TALES FROM THE CITY

by Frigs

Sweet stuff happening soon in London

22

HOOKWORMS

67

IN LONDON

with Chemtrails 28

ON THE STEREO

with Roundhouse Rising

69

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

by Lucie Grace

32

38

D DOUBLE E

ALBUM REVIEWS

Wild Beasts, Ought, Ezra Furman, Rhye, Car Seat Headrest, Imarhan & more

U.S. GIRLS

(Photo Colin Medley)

Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@londoninstereo.co.uk

Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk

Sub-Editor : Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk

New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways

Advertising sales@londoninstereo.co.uk

Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin

Photography: Hookworms cover: Hollie Fernando (holliefernandophotography.com) Hookworms feature: Andrew Benge (andybenge.com) Contributors: Rachel Grace Almeida, Tim Hakki, Hassan Anderson, Rhian Daly, Simone Scott Warren, Emma Madden, Katie Thomas, Geoff Cowart, Thomas Hannan, Lee Wakefield, Nick Mee, George O’Brien, Henry Wilkinson, Lucie Grace. londoninstereo.com @londoninstereo LiS 07

THE TEXAS GENTLEMEN

BLACK MOTH + GRAVE LINES

YUNG LEAN THE KING’S & SAD BOYS PARADE

HAUS

WED 07 FEB

THU 08 FEB

THU 08 FEB

SAT 10 FEB

HOLLIE COOK

JAMILA WOODS

ELLI INGRAM

KALI UCHIS

WED 14 FEB

TUE 27 FEB

WED 28 FEB

THU 01 MAR

CHE LINGO

R.LUM.R

CHRIS ROBINSON KAMAAL BROTHERHOOD WILLIAMS

WED 07 MAR

WED 07 MAR

FRI 16 MAR

ZAK ABEL

CARPENTER BRUT JESSIE WARE

BUSH HALL

+ GENERAL ROOTS JAZZ CAFE

THE OLD BLUE LAST

+ REX ORANGE COUNTY

THU 22 MAR

BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

BIRTHDAYS

+ YOUTH CODE

O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

FRI 23 MAR

ESKA

GUNDELACH

KOKO

+ REX ORANGE COUNTY

THU 12 APR

RICH MIX

SAT 12 MAY

THE PICKLE FACTORY

COURTYARD THEATRE

JAZZ CAFE

ULU

+ REX ORANGE COUNTY

D OUT WEDSOL28 MAR & THU 29 MAR

EVENTIM APOLLO

RAY + REX ORANGE COUNTY LAMONTAGNE WED 16 MAY THU 17 MAY

EVENTIM APOLLO

OMEARA

ELECTRIC BRIXTON

THU 22 MARCH

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

HER TUE 10 APR

JAZZ CAFE

ROO PANES

+ REX ORANGE COUNTY

WED 23 MAY

O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

VISIT METROPOLISMUSIC.COM FOR TICKETS + TO SIGN UP FOR LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW SOUNDS LANARK ARTEFAX For a rising electronic music producer, there could scarcely be a more auspicious beginning than having Aphex Twin and Björk drop your tracks into their DJ sets. Combine that with securing the support of UIQ’s Lee Gamble and Whities-boss Nic Tasker, plus a commission from Red Bull Music Academy to create an immersive audio-visual installation exploring performatism, and you’re beginning to get a sense of the uniquely privileged position that Lanark Artefax – real name Calum MacRae – currently occupies.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this 23-yearold, Glasgow-based producer cites Aphex Twin, Autechre and Mike Paradinas of Planet Mu as influential figures. His own ambitions are a little

by Gemma Samways less predictable, with him reportedly finding the proposition of scoring films far more attractive than the prospect of packing out dance floors. Consequently, his output to date ranges wildly, taking in spacious and serene experimentalism like ‘Flickering Debris’, the IDM-meetsclassical hybrid of ‘Voices Near The Hypocentre’, and club-friendly electro on 2017-breakout track ‘Touch Absence’.

MacRae’s latest track is the glitch-heavy ‘Styx’, written for Houndstooth’s In Death’s Dream Kingdom compilation, which is comprised entirely of compositions inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem ‘The Hollow Men’. Suffice to say, attempting to second-guess MacRae’s next move would be futile so we’ll be watching him very closely instead.

IN TEN: NEW SOUNDS

GHOST & THE CITY

SUSPECT

SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST

LEYYA HEAT

GHOST & THE CITY

FAZE WAVE

SOCCER MOMMY

KISSISSIPPI

SHIRT

ART MAXIM

FARIDA

OPAL

NWTA

YOUR DOG

FLIGHT HOME

YOU

LEAGUES

CUT YR TEETH

4AM START

COCO MIYAKI

FOLLOW OUR NEW MUSIC PLAYLISTS ON SPOTIFY AT LONDONINSTEREO EVERY WEEK

LANARK ARTEFAX

LISTEN TO: Touch Absence @l_a_n_a_r_k

@lanark.artefax

/lanark-artefax

SIDNEY GISH

by Jess Partridge

LISTEN TO: I'm Filled With Steak, and Cannot Dance @sidneyg156

@sidneygishmusic

/sidneygish

LiS 11

Okay, so Sidney Gish might be on her second album already, but at only 20 years old we feel this Boston talent is fresh enough to be considered New Sounds.

Sidney has just self-released new album No Dogs Allowed – which is full of confident bedroom-pop brilliance like recent single ‘I’m Filled With Steak, and Cannot Dance’ alongside the clever sampling of ‘Sin Triangle’ – and to be honest we’re just as hooked as everyone at Pitchfork, Stereogum and The Fader seems to be.

THU 1 FEBRUARY BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB

ADAM FRENCH SEA GIRLS THE BARR BROTHERS CLUBNIGHT FAVELA DERMOT KENNEDY NICK HAKIM CHARLOTTE CARDIN TYPHOON RY X TALOS VAN WILLIAM THU 1 FEBRUARY OMEARA

THU 1 FEBRUARY UNION CHAPEL

SUN 4 FEBRUARY NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB

MON 12 FEBRUARY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH

TUE 13 & WED 14 FEBRUARY SCALA

WED 14 FEBRUARY KOKO

MON 26 FEBRUARY THE LEXINGTON

TUE 27 FEBRUARY & FRI 2 MARCH THE LEXINGTON

THU 1 MARCH SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL

THU 1 MARCH HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN

SAT 3 MARCH OMEARA

TUE 6 MARCH ARCHSPACE

AMAROUN VANCE JOY JOSEPH J. JONES PALACE WINTER BANFI NADA SURF BRYDE BRUNO MAJOR DOTAN SUSANNE SUNDFØR BUSHSTOCK FESTIVAL WED 7 MARCH O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY

THU 15 MARCH OSLO

TUE 20 MARCH SEBRIGHT ARMS

THU 22 MARCH OSLO

WED 18 APRIL THE DOME, TUFNELL PARK

TUE 1 MAY OMEARA

WED 9 MAY VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

THU 10 MAY BUSH HALL

MON 21 MAY BARBICAN

SAT 23 JUNE SHEPHERD’S BUSH

COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK

COMMUNION PRESENTS

TICKETS FROM COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK

interview

.S. Girls began as Meg Remy’s project in 2007 and her fifth LP Half Free, released via 4AD, expanded her fanbase internationally. Until now her work had a certain consistency: drone washes and timeless pop melodies collided in a perverse Scott Walkeresque way, while a parade of often victimised and downtrodden female narrators lent their voices to songs that felt more like sonic short stories.

experimentation was instrumental in creating something that wasn’t some variation on the lobotomised corporate muzak selling volumes today.

“I don’t ever wanna be making an album thinking people may not get it. If you’re concerned with that then the vision is tainted and you’re just making commercial music. It’s not expression anymore.

Capitalism has taken all the mainstream currents of culture and crushed their soul because in order to mass produce and sell in that kind of way it needs to be very basic, On follow-up In A Poem Unlimited, Meg’s like white rice. I’m proud to have an album got eight-piece Toronto group The Cosmic that’s a tough sell. I’m not giving up on Range providing the score. Thanks to their people. I think they’re hungry for meaning backing U.S. Girls sounds slicker and sexier, and complexity.” an observation that’s difficult to voice when Still, for listeners this is the easiest U.S. you note that a few of these songs are about Girls album. It’s okay hardcore emotional and to opt out of the lyrics physical abuse and “I’m not giving and enjoy the sonic violence. When I grab cradle provided by its Meg on the phone I tell up on people. shining melodies and her that it feels like a instrumentation. But I think they’re feminine Tarantino flick.

Remy has left lyrical She laughs. hungry for meaning plums to find all over it “I’m trying to tell for those looking. and complexity.” some stories from my ‘Pearly Gates’ features own life” she explains. a woman awaiting the “I’m trying to be honest about some things eternal verdict who feels coerced into that I’ve experienced and witnessed, and fucking St Peter for ascendance. On ‘Poem’ I’m trying to open it up to the public in a we get the most universal statement, made healing way for myself and maybe for others not through narrative songwriting but with as well. I’ve gotten so much courage from Meg’s own reflections. “That’s just me reading things that people have written post-Trump,” she says, recalling her when they’re sharing their truth, and I frustration with the man who grabbed really think that this stuff is evidenced by America by the pussy. #MeToo. This is something that gets spread In A Poem Unlimited is an album that and it’s something that needs to get spread. reminds us in every song of the dire state of And although I feel exposed in doing it and things. But the record’s call to unite isn’t it’s a risk and the harder sell and all that, I contained in any pithy line or couplet. It’s just can’t keep my mouth shut.” contained in the possibility that perhaps music and storytelling like this means more At its core The Cosmic Range takes the than anything hate speech ever could. LiS U.S. Girls sound into deeper creative waters. They channel glam rock (‘Velvet 4 In a Poem Unlimited is released February 16th via 4AD. Sale’), disco (‘M.A.H.’), industrial LIVE: Scala, May 16th. (‘Incidental Boogie’) and funk (‘Time’) among others. For Meg, freewheeling @yousgirls LiS 14

U.S. GIRLS

words:

Tim Hakki

photo: Colin Medley

LiS 15

FEB 2018

FABRIC

CRAIG RICHARDS & RICARDO VILLALOBOS (ALL NIGHT LONG) TERRY FRANCIS ANASTASIA KRISTENSEN ANDY BUTLER ANSWER CODE REQUEST ATJAZZ BICEP CASSY CJ JEFF D'JULZ DAVE ANTHONY DENNIS FERRER DJ SPEN HARD TIMES HEIDI JONAS KOPP KEMET DEEP SESSIONS MANOO PARIAH PAUL WOOLFORD RANCIDO STEVEN DUNN TONY HUMPHRIES VOIGTMANN ZENKER BROTHERS + MANY MORE...

FEB — MAR 2018

ALIX PEREZ ASTROPHONICA SHOWCASE DJ HYPE (3 HOUR SET) ED RUSH EVIL B VS B LIVE FABIO & GROOVERIDER GET HYPE HAZARD HOLY GOOF HOSPITALITY JAMIE DUGGAN KINGS OF THE ROLLERS LONDON ELEKTRICITY MARKY (2 HOUR SET) MIKE SKINNER OM UNIT P MONEY ROYAL T SKANKANDBASS SPEARHEAD RECORDS THE PROTOTYPES + MANY MORE...

11pm—7am www.fabriclondon.com

EVENTS

Coming up in London soon, and guaranteed to be great.

A CAMDEN TAKEOVER THING

ANNIE MAC PRESENTS AMP SOUNDS 2018 We already knew Annie Mac had impeccable taste: with her DJing, radio show and regular nights she’s always curating the freshest of the best and leading the way when it comes to being an ambassador for new music.

This month she’s got an incredible array of our favourite acts and she’s coming for Camden with no less than nine huge shows from KOKO to Jazz Cafe and up to Roundhouse. Featuring everyone from Superorganism, Mostack, Tom Misch, Jessie Ware, Sunflower Bean and a surprise line-up for the huge closing party, each and every event is going to be a celebration of the most exciting talent around.

Tickets are going fast so don't wait.

Head to bit.ly/ampsoundsnow for details.

WHEN: February 1st-24th. WHERE: Various Camden Venues INFO: anniemacpresents.com/amp2017 // @AnnieMac

A GREAT PIZZA MOVES CENTRAL THING

SANTA MARIA PIZZA, FITZROVIA “It’s the best around,” people tell us. “But they’re only in Ealing and Chelsea,” we reply fully aware our postcodes (low-Ns/mid-Es) already boast pizza options we could only dream of five years ago. Now though, now we get to find out for ourselves because Santa Maria is bringing Neapolitan joy to Fitzrovia and we couldn’t be happier. The oven is crafted from Sorrento bricks, the tomatoes are San Marzano D.O.P, the decor will echo the Italian coffee bars of 60s Soho. If authenticity, passion and charm = amazing pizza (which it def does), then we can expect to spend a lot of time in W1 from now on.

WHEN: Soft launch, Feb 1st. WHERE: 160 New Cavendish St, W1W 6YR INFO: santamariapizzeria.com // @SantaMariaPizza

A DRAWN-SOUND SYNTHESISER THING

DAPHNE ORAM & MINI ORAMICS Pioneering electronic musician Daphne Oram is best known for her work at the BBC which included cocreating the instantly-recognisable Doctor Who theme music. She also designed and built a number of synthesisers through her life and now artist Tom Richards has created her never-finished Mini Oramics machine from her notes. Camden Arts Centre welcomes visual scores from a number of artists alongside in-depth talks on her work and the world of synths.

WHEN: FEBRUARY 1st-24th WHERE: CAMDEN ARTS CENTRE, NW3 6DG camdenartscentre.org // @CamdenArtsCtr

Motspur Park Station © James Ward

A THOROUGHLY ORDINARY THING

BORING TALKS “Ernold Same caught the same train... next to same old what’s his name...”

If there’s one thing Britain actually excels at it’s the mundane, the gentle plod through life. The second Boring Talks focuses on ‘boring lives’ - our travel habits, our food routines and more. Looking closely at our dull existence to find something fascinating (but not too fascinating) lurking under the surface. A variety of speakers will investigate our ordinary time on this planet, and who knows what intrigue they might find.

WHEN: FEBRUARY 28th, 19:00 - 20:30 WHERE: KNOWLEDGE CENTRE, THE BRITISH LIBRARY TICKETS: £12. INFO: bl.uk // @britishlibrary

A HUGE BEER AND FOOD AND MUSIC THING

CRAFT BEER RISING 2018 You don’t get to be an annual fixture in our Events guide without delivering something we really care about, and doing it really well. CBR 2018 will see The Old Truman Brewery heaving with craft beers and ciders, top street food and a DJ lineup which – for a change at beer events – is genuinely really good (Massive Attack’s Daddy G, Don Letts and A Guy Called Gerald for starters). Mostly though, this is all about the beer and we’re excited to see London faves like Redchurch, Hammerton, Brixton & Crate up against the best of the rest.

WHEN: FEBRUARY 22nd-24th WHERE: THE OLD TRUMAN BREWERY, BRICK LANE INFO: craftbeerrising.co.uk // @craftbeerriseuk LiS 19

WINTER / SPRING 2018 ~ LIVE ~ 01.02 03.02 08.02

Prom /

No Hot Ashes / 21.02

27.02 01.03

Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets) DJ

Rider /

09.02

22.02

07.02

Sid Batham /

Talos /

06.03

27.03

20.04

21.03

Boy Pablo /

Shanghai Blues /

Nathan Hector

Adrian Daniel / 23.02 Rumours 28.02

Alice Merton / 09.03 Yves /

Brent Faiyaz /

After London

13.02

Lee Ranaldo – Electric Trim Trio /

15.03

11.04

02.02

Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn /

Colouring /

28.03

12.04

Keels /

22.03

30.03

14.03

Brent Faiyaz

Wyvern Lingo

Goan Dogs

Bitzen Trapper /

Indian Queens / 27.04 Courts /

Two Another

17.04

10.05

Little Hours

Toundra

Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com

| HOXTONSQUAREBAR

SOLD OUT OUT D SOL D OUT D OUT SOL SOL D OUT SOL OUT D SOL D OUT D OUT SOL SOL D OUT SOL OUT D SOL D OUT D OUT SOL SOL OUT D SOL SOLD OUT OUT D SOL D OUT D OUT SOL SOL OUT D SOL

SOLD OUT OUT D SOL D OUT D OUT SOL SOL D OUTOUT SOL OUT D SOL D OUT D SOL SOL SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

OUT D SOL D OUT D OUT SOL SOL SOLD OUT

MORE INFO & TICKETS MORE MORE MORE INFO INFO INFO && &TICKETS TICKETS MORE INFO &TICKETS TICKETS

BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET

HOOKWORMS LiS 22

“I kind of had certain topics I wanted to approach on this record and it was like ticking them off...�- MJ

words: Rachel Grace Almeida photography: Andrew Benge

LiS 23

interview

t’s been three years since the last Hookworms record was released, and a lot has changed. From the start, singer Matthew Johnson – MJ – had a clear idea of what he wanted to write the new record, Microshift, about, and he put it as bluntly as possible. “I kind of had certain topics I wanted to approach on this record and it was like ticking them off – Alzheimer’s, the death of a friend, depression, a breakup, masculinity, emotional labour, body image and anxiety in public spaces,” he tells me. Straight to the point.

“Working out how to approach these things without it being crass was really hard and I hate writing in the first person – I spent about a month sat in the car park this summer pulling all the lyrics together.”

Most importantly, Microshift has provided the band a space in which to process all of their emotions without the added stress of everyday life. In a way, this record served as a timeless bunker away from reality, despite the record specifically being about crushing pains of reality. “I think for the first time ever, I forced myself into an uncomfortable place to make the record and it’s really hard to write that without sounding like a pretentious artist,” he says, with a hint of uneasiness. MJ tells me that songwriting has been undoubtedly cathartic – almost like he’s been fighting off sadness with sadness – and more often than not, uncomfortable reflection is a necessary process.

But that wasn’t the only important process that was employed to make this record. The way Microshift was written, recorded and produced was entirely different this time – it was mostly built on a computer. On first listen, this comes as no surprise – their sound has taken a brighter-sounding turn, with nods to the DFA-inspired synths everyone loves the record label for. “This time, the songs again came from a loop or

bassline, but rather than playing them out in a room, we added synths drums and guitars around them one by one and then I arranged a lot of it around the vocals I wrote. Most of the melodic movement in the band comes from me and Sam, whereas Jonny, Matt and Nash are largely locked-in with each other,” he tells me. The way they interact as a band is largely based on a push-and-pull dynamic; if a song is getting too ‘poppy’, someone interjects the track with something more experimental for the sake of balance. “I think Hookworms works, not because we have egos, but because we’re mature enough to have let it go from the beginning. So much of what each of us is doing individually is incredibly dull – and we’re good musicians, it’s just no one feels the need to show off.”

This ideology not only exists in their music, but also in their personal lives. MJ regularly engages in the discourse surrounding mental health and the stigma surrounding it – especially when it’s a result of toxic masculinity.

“I think something I experienced a lot over the last couple of years that is reflected in this record is male friends that come to me asking for help because they’re scared of their mental health – especially people experiencing it for the first time,” MJ sighs. “I think it’s really scary that as a society we’re still at a stage where poor mental health is symptomatic of a failure of masculinity.”

Both issues exist on the same plane and feed into each other – yet, somehow, there is a collective failure to recognize both issues as one big sum, rather than individual problems that negate each other.

And it’s this same failure of masculinity, always spoken about in hushed tones, that inspired one of the most prevailing topics on this record: body image and anxiety in public spaces. These problems are usually seen as ‘feminine’ mental health issues, but MJ is quick to point out that its effects are debilitating to everyone. “I know loads

LiS 24

“I think it’s really scary that as a society we’re still at a stage where poor mental health is symptomatic of a failure of masculinity...”

LiS 25

- MJ

“I think this record gave me the chance and time to reflect on experiences in a way we don’t often let ourselves...” - MJ of men that have supreme hang-ups about their bodies, but these problems are always presented through a male gaze of virility, rather than how much societal expectations fuck us up. And those same societal expectations teach us to repress emotions beyond being angry. I think finding a way to have a public conversation about it without stepping on the toes of feminism is something we haven’t quite worked out yet.

So much of the dialogue is built entirely in opposition to feminism which isn’t helping anyone,” MJ tells me.

Since their previous record, The Hum, MJ has faced grief in its various forms. After the death of a friend, his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease shortly after – something he has been extremely vocal about ever since. “The song ‘Ullswater’ is incredibly important to me – it’s about my dad, and how Alzheimer’s is taking his memories. I first wrote about that on the b-side to ‘Radio Tokyo’ in 2013 before he’d had a diagnosis. That song is called ‘On Returning’, and it’s about coming though the other side of depression and wishing you’d been there before

everything changed. Then I did ‘On Leaving’ for The Hum which is about someone else’s depression and wanting the best for them. I feel like ‘Ullswater’ is a companion piece to those, because depression is a huge part of dementia and it doesn’t get talked about enough,” he says with conviction.

But despite it all – through all of the trauma, hardships, setbacks, grief and inexplicable loss – Hookworms are moving forward. Even though at times it’s a hard listen, Microshift served Hookworms in the way they intended for it to; a collection of complex and challenging songs, used as a vehicle for self-expression and, ultimately, comfort. “I think this record gave me the chance and time to reflect on experiences in a way we don’t often let ourselves. At some points over the last couple of years, it felt like we’d never make a record again, but now I don’t have that fear anymore.” LiS Hookworms release Microshift February 2nd via Domino.

LIVE: Rough Trade East, February 9th.

Electric Brixton, March 24th

LiS 26

@Hookworms

ON THE STEREO with

Back for a glorious ninth year, Roundhouse Rising returns to Camden this February with an astonishing assortment of up-andcoming talent, established stars and a wealth of panels and workshops that will provide an invaluable insight into the industry. The music programme is headlined by our absolute favourite, and former LiS cover star Little Simz, who’ll be presenting a sequel to last year’s Welcome To Wonderland show.

You’ll also find Soundclash hosting four UK collectives competing to be Rising Soundclash Champions 2018, a sweet jazz and hip-hop night care of Jazz Re:freshed and, well, too much to list. To help us out Roundhouse Rising here talk five artists and tracks that are sure to rule the festival. LiS

LITTLE SIMZ OUR CONVERSATIONS The North London native that needs no introduction, Little Simz is at the top of her game. A locally loved global star, her Welcome to Wonderland Part II full day takeover is a showcase of some of her most revered artists of the moment plus her most local creatives. Bigging up rising stars Junglepussy, IAMNOBODI and many more, she’s not one shy of a collab. Arguably done best here with BADBADNOTGOOD. LITTLE SIMZ

Roundhouse Rising takes places February 21st to March 4th.

Tickets: varying from free to a max of £30 roundhouse.org.uk @RoundhouseLDN LiS 28

MVNGO AND LASHES - STOOSH Mvngo and Lashes are a dream duo from East London, blessed with serious talent and inimitable attitude. ‘Stoosh’ showcases these ladies wicked talent for storytelling with velvet vocals. Served up live with a hefty dose of signature sass, their Roundhouse Rising performance is hotly tipped by those in the know.

AWATE

AWATE - GEMS Camden-raised Awate has been honing his craft since he was just 12, going on to carve out his name at iconic hiphop spot Deal Real. An unsung hero, his accolades are many – touring with Ghetts and the mighty Blackstar (Mos Def & Talib Kweli). We love ‘Gems’, taking elements of music from across the globe, home truths flow behind bars narrating his journey from Camden and beyond so far.

TRIFORCE ELIJAH’S REMEDY Triforce are a force to be reckoned with, another group of insanely talented young musicians pushing the boundaries of the London jazz scene to new levels.

Fusing funk laced bass, jazz percussion and retro guitar chords, they’ve carved out a beautiful sound, powerful enough to transport listeners into a whole new realm. Very excited for this crew to be joined by Ayo Salawu and Fred Fredas with the mighty Jazz Re:freshed.

MVNGO AND LASHES

BLAIR DUNLOP - KILLING TIME Blair Dunlop first made waves as a young’un in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, playing a young Willy Wonka. Fast forward and he’s carved out a name for him as an incredible musician playing dreamy folk and moving blues like this track ‘Killing Time’ with Larkin Poe. TRIFORCE

LiS 29

WWW.ROCKFEEDBACK.COM

interview

D Double E “ I’ve gone back to being in my own space and just cooking up the magic that makes me become me.” words: Hassan Anderson o yeah ‘jackuum’; it’s a word I’ve been saying for 10-15 years. It basically means to reload. To ‘jack it back’ historically means to reload. And the phrase ‘jack ‘em’ actually means to rob someone. My word ‘jackuum’ means reload but because it’s a phrase, you get the other meaning as well. And every time you hear it at a rave, you’re going to want to reload. When I touch the mic, I get a ‘jackuum’, and that’s what I’m known for.”

The best grime MCs have bars that act as a kind of signature, lyrics that let you know it’s them and only them you are hearing. D Double E on the other hand has his own vocabulary. The legendary grime rapper has been dubbed ‘the MC’s MC’ and for good reason: his distinctive flow and unique bank of signature sounds have become emblems of grime, often inciting the loudest crowd reactions at a rave. Now, over 20 years into his career as an MC, Darren Dixon, better known as D Double E, is releasing his debut album Jackuum! on his own label, Bluku Bluku Music.

‘Jackuum’ is one of D Double E’s signature terms and it contains a lot of history. It pertains to the practice of ‘reloading’ at grime raves, pulling a track back to the start when energy levels reach boiling point. Rather than serve as a move to

ensure that decibels are kept at an acceptable health-and-safety level, a reload doubles the hype and usually results in pandemonium once the track begins again.

Reloading is no cheap trick however and any attempt to try and pull a track back when the energy is not a climax point will totally fall flat. Procuring reloads at raves requires a skilled MC and there are perhaps none more skilled at them than D Double E. The East London raised lyricist is perhaps one of the only MCs that can get a reload with as little as just a noise (search ‘Just Jam 009’ on YouTube), but it’s not just at raves that he has made a mark. His signature tracks such as ‘Street Fighter Riddim’ and ‘Bluku Bluku!’ are staple grime numbers that are regularly quoted by fans and artists alike, whenever grime or D Double’s name comes up in conversation (see the YouTube video on the phrase ‘Bluku, Bluku’ as an example).

Given D Double’s reputation and his well-sustained career as an MC, it’s an astonishing thing that he’s yet to have released a proper full length. As he explains over the phone however it is only over the last few years when he has focused more on his work as a solo project (as opposed to the group that he founded with fellow MC Footsie, Newham Generals) that he has been able to start formulating an album’s length worth of songs:

LiS 32

LiS 33

“My mum listens to my music a lot. Not in the car like banging it out but she keeps up to date with what I’m doing...”

“Now it’s just fully me. Now I’m just in the space that I was in when I was becoming an artist. Where I would just look and just do my own thing. I’ve gone back to being in my own space and just cooking up the magic that makes me become me.”

The new album doesn’t disappoint. It is littered with heavy bangers and contains a range of select features, from ‘the godfather’ Wiley, on to one of the kings of the new generation, AJ Tracey. AJ is another one of D Doubles big fans, as D Double explains: “I sent the track ‘Natural Organic’ over to AJ and he loved it. He went to the studio straight away. We met at a show not too long ago and he just said let me know if there’s anything I need. So yeah I feel AJ like that.”

As well as AJ Tracey, one of D Double’s other biggest fans is his mum, who is always on top of what releases D Double is putting out, as he notes warmly: “My mum listens to my music a lot. Not in the car

like banging it out but she keeps up to date with what I’m doing. I don’t have to tell her that I have a new track out, she’ll be aware of it. If I’ve got a new track out I’ll see her message underneath one of my videos.”

D Double seems confident about his mum’s reaction to his new work. He explains she always give him her honest opinion and she has been positive about what she has heard so far: “It’s like if I play a beat to my mum or something she might instantly be like ‘I don’t like this tune’, you get me, but today she might hear it and enjoy it. I think it all sounds a bit more professional than before.”

He pauses for a moment before adding: “She always says good things about my music but she does tell me to stop smoking”. A resolution to enact perhaps after the album party celebrations are over.

It’s been a long time coming. LiS Jackuum! is released this February via Bluku Bluku Music.

LiS 34

@DDoubleE7

@itsddouble

At Fabric Andrea Oliva Big Miz Calvin Clarke Camelphat Christoph Claptone (All Night Long) Darius Syrossian Detlef Eli Brown Dixon Avenue Kölsch B2B Basement Jams Michael Mayer East End Dubs Latmun (Four Hour Set) Monki Pat Wilson B2B Ross McCormack Pete Zorba

london ec1— www.fabriclondon.com

Pirate Copy Shadow Child Theo Kottis Yousef

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ALBUM REVIEWS which is essentially a live set – really helps you realise they’re all good songs.

RECORD OF THE MONTH Last Night All My Dreams Came True marks a farewell gesture from former LiS cover stars Wild Beasts, so Danny Wright gathered Gemma Samways and Lee Wakefield to look back, look forward and talk all things WB. First up: how do you feel about Wild Beasts?

Were you sad when you heard the news about them calling it a day?

LW: I’ve been a big fan since I unwittingly saw them at Reading 2010 while waiting for Kele’s solo show on the NME stage. I’ve always thought they were extremely consistent with every album and, despite Mercury nods, always underrated.

GS: Agreed. I’ve loved them since Two Dancers, and every album since has pushed their sound forward. They remain totally unique voices. And I think they're still capable of polarising opinion, which I love. They will be hugely missed.

Did you both enjoy Boy King?

LW: I wasn’t keen at first, I thought they’d lost some of their intimacy, but it really grew on me and the songs are ridiculously catchy and atmospheric. In hindsight it feels like a crowning glory to bow out on.

GS: It was predatory and guitar-heavy, and so felt quite a leap away from Present Tense, but it wasn’t necessarily an unwelcome development. It’s probably the Wild Beasts album I go back to least, but hearing songs like ‘Celestial Creatures’ here alongside ‘All The King’s Men’ – in the context of a compilation

Which leads me nicely on to a question about whether it was a good idea to make it a ‘live studio album’?

LW: I definitely agree with Gem about the strength of the tracks on this compilation. I would’ve personally liked some more oldies but it’s a pleasure to hear a band demonstrating how strong they are live on their farewell.

GS: 100%. They’re such an incredible live band, it makes sense for their swan-song to celebrate that, and this is a great demonstration of that. It’s not my dream set list (I would have enjoyed more Smother material, personally) but it was never going to be super-nostalgic, was it?

LW: What I’ve loved about them is all there: those unique drum patterns, the electronic flourishes, those glorious voices entwined.

GS: There’s a sense they're holding nothing back. It’s a great eulogy.

You've both answered my next question about whether it’s a fitting document to them as a band. What's one song you wish was on there that isn't?

GS: ‘End Come Too Soon’. But maybe that's too fitting, bordering on cheesy?

LW: As it’s so Boy King heavy, I’d like ‘Ponytail’ on there as well.

GS: And ‘Plaything’ to raise the smut quota.

I’m going to miss them so much.

LW: My mum is heartbroken too, Gem. She’s a huge fan. We’re going to the farewell show together.

GS: See you there! I’ll hug your mum during the gig.

LW: Thank you! She’ll appreciate the support.

LiS 38

Do you think you'll feel emotional at that show - or do you think they'll get back together in two years time?

GS: I think so, simply because they occupy such a unique space - nobody sounds like them. And they're uniquely British, in the best possible sense. To know that’s the last time you'll hear Hayden and Tom's voices intertwined… I have no idea what they'll do next. If they do reform in two years I'll probably go to the show.

LW: As much as I’ll miss them, I’d rather they didn’t cash in. This feels suitably fitting. But yeah, I’d still go to the reunion! Everything feels like it’s clicked into place and they’re going out on their own terms - which they’ve done their whole career.

The press release talks of a sense of prescience about topic about toxic masculinity and gender fluidity. Do you think they were ahead of their time in some ways?

GS: Definitely. They were broadly fixated on sex and power, but not in an alienating, macho way.

I think a lot of that came down to the language used and their turn of phrase.

LW: 100% agree. I listened to a lot of crap guitar bands when I first heard Wild Beasts and they were a breath of fresh air in every way, including those lyrical themes. It really blew my mind as I started pinpointing my musical tastes.

GS: Do you want to name and shame those bands?

LW: Anything on that Reading 2010 line-up tbh. Considering I was mainly there for the Libertines reunion and left a Wild Beasts fan!

What's your favourite song or memory of them?

I can't get past ‘All the King's Men’ but it seems so obvious.

GS: I remember seeing them do Smother in full at The National's ATP - that's a pretty fond memory. And for a song, I really love ‘All The King's Men’ too. It’s totally overdramatic and flamboyant and melodic and perfect.

LW: I always think of a ‘A Simple Beautiful Truth’.

Last Night All My Dreams Came True is released February 16th via Domino Documents.

LIVE: Eventim Apollo, February 17th. @WildBeasts

ALELA DIANE // CUSP AllPoints // February 9th

We imbue everything new with hope. A new year, a new album.

But there’s nothing which dumbstrucks us more than the sight of a new-born baby. “My brother had a daughter, the beauty that she brings - illumination”, Sufjan Stevens sang on an album rife with death and devastation. Cusp is Alela Diane’s take on motherhood, though it’s not all hope. It’s filled with awe and terror in equal measure, and of just feeling “so tired”. That contrast presents itself everywhere, from the weary and plonking piano on ‘Albatross’ to Ryan Francesconi’s soaring orchestration which competes with Diane’s low and honeyed vocals throughout.

Cusp is exactly the kind of album you’d hope to hear two months into a new year. It is triumphantly gorgeous, but above all, it gives us the “weightless, brightness abandoning” hope that 2018 might bring something better. Emma Madden LiS 39

OUGHT

ROOM INSIDE THE WORLD Merge // February 16th

Montreal quartet Ought look upon post-punk as a limitless landscape. On their previous two records they’ve proven themselves as adept at scrunched-up song structures and balancing melody with discordance as any of their peers, but on third album, Room Inside the World, they do away with everything that isn’t unique to their particular band. In dialling up their idiosyncrasies, they’ve expanded the very horizons of the genre. Ought’s biggest gift is for making tropes you think you know inside out sound fresh as a daisy by taking the road less travelled whenever possible. The structure of these tunes, their lyrics, melodies, guitar lines and rhythms, on first listen, all are ever so slightly… off.

Initially, the effect is peculiar and occasionally maddening. On second spin however, ideas that struck first as insanity reveal their hidden genius, and one can begin to fall in love with this fine LP. There’s much beauty on display, not least the new found grandiosity on opener ‘Into the Sea’ and gentle semi-shoegaze of the closing ‘Alice’, but the disarmingly clean and sweet ‘Desire’ is the true standout. One of few tracks with a bona fide chorus, listen closely and you’ll even be able to make out a choir cooing in the background.

A versatile record suited to both poring over and allowing to drift by, Room Inside the World is full of surprises, and your appreciation of it will only grow as the shocks wear off.

Now that’s clever. Thomas Hannan

STEF CHURA

GEOWULF

MESSES

GREAT BIG BLUE

Saddle Creek // Feb 2nd

37 Adventures // Feb 16th

When one of Stef Chura’s best friends passed away, she told herself she had to make at least one record before she died. After years of home-recording, the Michigan musician made it into a studio and ended up with Messes, the debut album she self-released last year, since picked up by Saddle Creek. Inspired by folk greats and 90s feminist punk, the record marries a ton of emotion with bold collages of spiky guitars. ‘Faded Heart’ an ode to her late friend - puts Stef’s trembling voice front and centre, while on ‘Thin’ she sings sighs of world-weary disappointment. Not everything is so despondent - musically, Messes is full of warm indie rock, like ‘Spotted Gold’’s mile-a-minute dash, that feels like riding through life’s disorder on a lightning bolt.

Rhian Daly

It’s maybe not so surprising that Geowulf - a duo made up of childhood friends Star Kendrick and Toma Banjanin - met on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. On first listen Great Big Blue is an album that oozes sunny laid-back charm, the sonic equivalent of driving down an empty road by the beach, sun blazing, saturation up high. Yet, underneath its poppy, blissed-out instrumentals, the album explores an expanse of late-night heartbreak. From the poppier end of the scale, where ‘Drink Too Much’ relays the experience of getting in trouble with a partner after drinking one too many, to the darker-sounding ‘Only High’, which laments someone only confessing their love for you whilst under the influence, Great Big Blue is a much-needed dose of summer come early with substance at its core. Rachel Finn LiS 40

“...a much-needed dose of summer come early with substance at its core.”

Rachel Finn on Geowulf’s Great Big Blue

RHYE

BLOOD Caroline International // February 2nd

PUBLIC ACCESS TV STREET SAFARI

Cinematic Music Group // Feb 23rd

Enthusiasts of such timehonoured rock excess (wild allnighters, band punch-ups, narcotics) that implosion seemed inevitable, New York’s Public Access TV found stability through rehab and restraint prior to their second album. But would temperance curb the creative dynamic of a quartet who shared more with their city’s late-Seventies scenesters than just a preference for hedonism over hygiene?

Happily not. Street Safari is brimful with melodious new wave and catchy white funk that sits alongside the best Big Apple pop. Anti-army rocker ‘Rough Boy’ sounds like the Ramones might’ve if they’d learned to play; ‘Metrotech’ grooves with a Tina Weymouth cool; ‘Lost in the Game’ ups the feel-good factor to full-Kid Creole; while ‘Shell No 2’ could have been penned in the Brill Building.

Seems there’s something to be said for sobriety after all. Nick Mee

When Mike Milosh sings, his silky countertenor floats like satin; he’s whispering only to you. Rhye’s music is effortlessly intimate; seductive and shimmering as Milosh and Robin Hannibal explore the intricacies of relationships. Blood is their second album - the follow up to 2013’s Woman – and it’s a cathartic narrative that makes your heart hurt and soar in equal measure.

‘Taste’, ‘Feel Your Weight’ and ‘Phoenix’ build up from funky bass guitar rhythms, and ‘Blood Knows’ and ‘Softly’ enjoy gently undulating downtempo melodies.

In the fuzzy chords of ‘Stay Safe’ a blissful new relationship blossoms: “You wanna lay low… make love all day”, Milosh croons. Rhye’s sound remains an ode to the sensual R&B ideas of Sade; gently undulating bedroom tunes with added inflections of Zero 7-esque cinematic strings and Nile Rodgers disco guitar riffs. Katie Thomas

VARIOUS ARTISTS VOYAGER INTERSTELLAR RECORD Ozma // February 16th

You’re off to spin tunes for aliens – but your playlist can be just 31 songs? This was the challenge facing sci-fi author and astronomer Carl Sagan when he curated the golden record shot into space in 1977 aboard NASA rockets Voyager 1 and 2. Bach and Beethoven made the cut. Same for Blind Willie Johnson, Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry, as well as Benin percussion, Solomon Island panpipes and even the sound of birds and trains. It remains an intriguing and exotic artefact of human culture and its hardback book reissue set is equally majestic.

The slightly speedier Voyager 1 is already more than 21 billion kilometres away and we may never know if our messages have been received… but it was worth a shot. Geoff Cowart LiS 41

EZRA FURMAN

TRANSANGELIC EXODUS Bella Union // February 9th

Ezra Furman’s new record is not, he’s been at pains to point out, a concept album. Except, it clearly is. Transangelic Exodus tells the love story betwixt Ezra and a persecuted angel, on the run from the government, wrapped up in religious allegories. Although there’s a shift from the indie-doo-wop of 2015’s Perpetual Motion People – this is more aggressive in tone – Furman is still rooted in the same Lou Reed garage rock vein. ‘Love You So Bad’ will appeal to the fanbase, and ‘Psalm 151’ is a delicate, epic beauty. But it’s ‘Come Here Get Away From Me’ that stands out, ominously; “I believe in God, but I don’t believe we’re getting out of this one,” he sings.

We’re all screwed, then. Oh well. Simone Scott Warren

CAR SEAT HEADREST TWIN FANTASY

Matador // February 16th

The Will Toledo story is a heartwarming one. One to inspire garage-bound bands and bedroom-stuck songwriters the world over. In late 2011, the mind-bogglingly prolific Virginian self-released his sixth studio album in the space of 18 months in the shape of Twin Fantasy. It was a work to which he knew he would return and sure enough just over six years later, without laptop-limitations, and with Matador Records and a well-oiled band alongside him, he has.

Somehow Toledo has managed break the shackles to create a euphoric, festival-ready, rock‘n’roll record, while still maintaining the DIY, scuzzy, boy next door, coming-of-age angst that deservedly won him such a unique blend of cult and critical acclaim. The Car Seat Headrest fantasy roars into its epic next chapter and it’s a pleasure being part of it.

George O’Brien

IMARHAN TEMET

City Slang // February 23rd

Algerian 5-piece Imarhan return with their second full length, bringing with them a more colourful arsenal of sounds and leaving their desert-blues origins on the periphery.

Opening track and lead single ‘Azzaman’ bears funk and even Italo disco influences in the percussion, while ‘Ehad Wa Dagh’ pushes the group’s impressive musicianship to the fore.

There’s certainly a broader remit throughout and the songs promise a breathless live show, but; and perhaps it’s a consequence of this, it’s the quieter moments that standout. The elegiac ‘Tarha-nam ’and campfire folk of ‘Zinizjumegh’ are high points. Either way, this is a band whose name will creep higher and higher up on 2018’s festival bills. Henry Wilkinson LiS 42

NTS PRESENTS: JOYCE WRICE + JAJA KISSES LEWIS PARKER + IVAN AVE + FRED FADES RHYTHM SECTION PRESENTS: WAYNE SNOW THE MOUSE OUTFIT NILUFER YANYA DEGO + ALEXANDER NUT THE LONDON AFRICAN GOSPEL CHOIR PRESENTS: GRACELAND NYE: GREG WILSON DJ

thejazzcafelondon.com

wednesday 24 January | 7:00

friday 2 MARCH | 7:30

saturday 27 January | 7:00

saturday 3 MARCH | 7:00

WAND

WITT LOWRY

friday 2 february | 7:30

HOT SNAKES

thursday 8 february | 7:30

BLACK MOTH

friday 9 february | 6:30

NILE

saturday 10 february | 7:00

HIGHER POWER

sunday 11 february | 7:00

DESPISED ICON

monday 12 february | 7:00

VENENUM

OTIS

PROFANATICA

sunday 4 MARCH | 7:00

BUTCHER BABIES monday 5 MARCH | 7:30

THE GLORIOUS SONS thursday 8 MARCH | 7:00

HOLDING ABSENCE + LOATHE thursday 8 MARCH | 7:00

ASTROID BOYS

saturday 10 MARCH | 7:00

MORTIIS

monday 12 MARCH | 7:30

tuesday 13 february | 7:00

ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF

thursday 15 february | 7:00

CASEY LOWRY

THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING

THE SOFT MOON

NE OBLIVISCARIS

JEN CLOHER

friday 16 february | 7:30 saturday 17 february | 7:30

LA GUARDIA

Friday 23 february | 7:00

BACKTRACK

Friday 23 february | 7:00

MAN WITH A MISSION saturday 24 february | 7:00

HOT VOX: ROGUES GALLERY

MONDay 26 february | 7:00

CARNIFEX

thursday 1 MARCH | 7:00

TRAITORS

friday 23 MARCH | 7:00

friday 30 MARCH | 7:00

saturday 31 MARCH | 5:00

ESOTERIC

friday 6 april | 7:30

ANTILOPEZ

friday 6 april | 6:00

IMMOLATION + FULL OF HELL

saturday 7 april | 7:00

MAGENTA

saturday 7 april | 7:30

LA FRONTERA

friday 13 april | 7:00

CASEY

GIGS OF THE MONTH O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE REBECCA FERGUSON

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

February 11th £30adv // @o2sbe

Shepherd’s Bush

February 8th £20.20adv // @O2Islington

Angel

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS MARTIN KOHLSTEDT February 7th £9adv // @ServantJazz

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

THE LOCK TAVERN FRAUDS + JOHN + SIT DOWN February 17th FREE // @thelocktavern

LINA TULLGREN

Chalk Farm / Camden Town

THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS

JEN CLOHER

LINA TULLGREN + TIGER LION February 8th £7adv // @shacklewell Arms

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

THE LEXINGTON GEOWULF February 28th £8adv // @thelexington

THE DOME

THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY

JEN CLOHER + HACHIKU February 13th £10adv // @DomeTufnellPark

FIZZY BLOOD Tuffnell Park

February 28th £8adv // @CamdenAssembly

BOSTON MUSIC ROOM

BRIXTON WINDMILL

NAOMI SMALLS

SEAN NICHOLAS SAVAGE

February 22nd £15adv // @BostonMusicRoom

Angel

Tuffnell Park

February 28th £11adv // @WindmillBrixton

Chalk Farm / Camden Town

Brixton

MOTH CLUB

FABRIC

SHOPPING

BICEP DJ SET + ANDY BUTLER + GIDEÖN + JONAS KOPP + ANASTASIA KRISTENSEN + TERRY FRANCIS

February 6th £9adv // @Moth_Club

Hackney Central

February 24th £21adv // @fabriclondon

THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB

Farringdon/ Chancery Lane

MATTHEW LOGAN VASQUEZ + CHARLOTTE CARPENTER February 2nd £12adv // @slaughteredlam

Farringdon/ Old Street BICEP

MIRANDA AT ACE HOTEL

PAPER DRESS VINTAGE

079ME February 3rd £5adv // @miranda_ldn

Shoreditch High Street

BEACH TAPE + COLD BOYS February 13th Donations on door // @paperdressed

JAZZ CAFE

Hackney Central

HOLLIE COOK + GENERAL ROOTS

HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN

February 14th £15adv // @TheJazzCafe

SID BATHAM

Camden Town

February 9th £6adv // @HoxtonSquareBar

Old Street

THE WAITING ROOM LEYYA NABIHAH IQBAL

ARCHSPACE

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

NABIHAH IQBAL February 22nd £10adv // @Archspace_Ldn

February 17th £7adv // @WaitingRoomN16

PETIT BISCUIT Haggerston

BUSH HALL

February 10th £22adv // @O2ForumKTown

Kentish Town

OSLO

JESSIE WARE

PUBLIC ACCESS TV + WHENYOUNG

February 12th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush Donation // @Bushhallmusic

February 22nd £10adv // @OsloHackney LiS 47

Hackney Central

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

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

Thursday 1st February

Friday 2nd February

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS

Saturday 3rd February

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Sunday 4th February

Monday 5th February

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS Wednesday 7th February

Tuesday 6th February

Thursday 8th February

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Friday 9th February

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS

Saturday 10th February

Sunday 11th February

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Monday 12th February

Wednesday 14th February

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Roundhouse Rising

BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING

Wednesday 28 February

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A.SAVAGE (PARQUET COURTS) FRI 2 FEB THE GARAGE MARTIN KOHLSTEDT THURS 7 FEB SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS HOLY THURS 8 FEB SEBRIGHT ARMS WILD BEASTS SAT 17 FEB EVENTIM APOLLO LEYYA SAT 17 FEB THE WAITING ROOM SPINNING COIN WED 28 FEB THE VICTORIA TONY NJOKU THURS 1 MAR DIY SPACE INSECURE MEN THURS 8 MAR SCALA

SOLOMON GREY THURSLD8OMAR UT & FRISO9 MAR ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH MARTHA FFION THURS 8 MAR THE WAITING ROOM ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND TUES 13 MAR SEBRIGHT ARMS SIR WAS WED 14 MAR THE LEXINGTON THE GARDEN WED 21 MAR ELECTRIC BALLROOM HOOKWORMS SAT 24 MAR ELECTRIC BRIXTON IDER TUES 27 MAR RICH MIX RINA SAWAYAMA WED 28 MAR T LD OU THESOBORDERLINE

HANNAH EPPERSON TUES 10 APR SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS ARCADE FIRE WED 11 APR, THURS 12 APR, & FRI 13 APR THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY GWENNO THURS 12 APR HOXTON HALL AIR TRAFFIC FRI 13 APR KOKO JAMES ELKINGTON SUN 15 APR THE ISLINGTON GOAT GIRL TUES 17 APR THE GARAGE LUCY DACUS WED 25 APR OMEARA KATIE VON SCHLEICHER THURS 26 APR THE ISLINGTON

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PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM

photo: Kain Balzary

TALES FROM THE CITY

photo: Chelsee Ivan

by FRIGS Our first proper tour as a band was in the UK in May of 2016, which is kind of insane when I think about it - that doesn’t happen for many North American groups. Jet-lagged and completely thrown out of our comfort zone, we landed in London with a very rough idea of where the hell our Airbnb was. I remember the smell of that Airbnb very vividly - cheap cleaning products mixed with an intense musk - and every time we go back to London, I somehow manage to smell it, and I immediately feel like I am nursing an extreme hangover.

The day of our second show in London, we find ourselves in Camden playing at The Lock Tavern. We wouldn’t have even had a second London show if it wasn’t for the help of a stranger at the time, Cal McRae, who we had met the previous night at our show at the Moth Club. We roll up to the venue with our stuff, hungover and still jet-lagged, and are met by Cal. Set times are up in the air so, in the meantime, Cal

suggests we should go down the street to this pub and have a pint…

We walk down the block and make a turn onto a side street where we then enter this seemingly chill and distinguished pub. We walk in and immediately everyone inside the bar is yelling, not in anger or really about anything, just almost as a greeting to Cal. The bartenders (Sam Conway and Bradley Griffiths of Bloody Knees) proceed to blast Oasis on the stereo, climb up on the bar and sing/scream along to ‘She's Electric’, all while pouring us each a pint and a shot of Jäger. The entire bar starts freaking out and singing along. It was complete madness and probably the most goddamn British thing I had ever seen in my life. That fucker had brought us to the Hawley Arms... Bria

LiS 65

Frigs releases their debut album Basic Behaviour February 23rd via Arts & Crafts. @FRIGSband

@FRIGSBAND

02—18 MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Thursday 1 February

JAWS OF LOVE Tuesday 6 February

SHOPPING Monday 12 February

DRAB MAJESTY Tuesday 20 February

GUN OUTFIT Shacklewell Arms

Lanzarote

lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks

Programming

The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Thursday 1 February

KOB ONYAME Wednesday 7 February

BLACK GOLD BUFFALO Saturday 3 February

INTERSTELLAR FUNK Thursday 15 February

LEYENDEKKER Friday 23 February

HALO MAUD

71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Friday 2 February

MOONWALKS Thursday 8 February

LINA TULLGREN Saturday 10 February

PELUCHÉ Thursday 15 February

THE MOLOCHS Friday 16 February

THE MYRRORS Saturday 24 February

COTILLON

The Lock Tavern 35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Thursday 8 February

LYLO Sunday 11 February

IRMA VEP Saturday 17 February

FRAUDS Thursday 22 February

ABJECTS Saturday 3 March

ORCHARDS

IN LONDON with CHEMTRAILS Why do you live in London?

Most of us went to uni here, and after living in London for a few years it becomes impossible to leave - you get totally institutionalised to the point that the rest of the UK seems really unfamiliar. It is nice here though.

Where do you like to eat and drink?

Mia: Mestizo is a Mexican restaurant that has ‘Mexican Night’ every Thursday in the basement, which is primarily aimed at Mexican people, but gringos and gringas are welcome too. Delicious/dirt cheap tacos, margaritas and beers. In fact it’s where we first met our lovely bassist Laura Sumner.

What’s the best way to get through winter?

Mia: Mulled wine, cider, gin, etc. Got some special mulling tea bags for Christmas last year and we’ve been mulling the shit out of everything since. I don’t recommend mulled White Lightning though.

Laura O: It’s an outrage there aren’t more mulled drinks all year round.

Favourite outdoor spaces?

Sam: Hampstead Heath!

Laura S: Maybe Ally Pally because the night skyline is insane.

What’s the worst thing about London?

Laura O: The density of rich pricks.

Mia: The tube at rush hour. And the pricks.

What’s the best way to spend a day here?

Laura O: Parks and Recreation (I don’t actually watch the show, just enjoy those things).

Do you have any favourite venues?

Laura S: Probably The Social. Really small, intimate, loud, great atmosphere, great variety and line ups and Huw Stephens’ night is hosted there and it’s always wicked.

Mia: Jamboree in Limehouse. Such a cool atmosphere and ramshackle style. Des Was a Bowie Fan club night has some exceptionally banging music Does London influence the music you write?

Mia: Not so much the sound or the tunes but it probably influences the lyrics. Living in a city with such visible inequality is a constant reminder of how totally fucked up the state of affairs is.

How would you advise someone to get the most out of being here?

Laura O: There are a lot of free nights, amazing cheap places to eat, lovely parks… But don’t ever dream of owning property - I mean you could afford it if you didn’t constantly spend all your money on avocados on toast.

LiS 67

Chemtrails release their debut album Calf of the Sacred Cow February 9th via PNKSLM Recordings.

LIVE: New Cross Inn, April 4th @Chemtrails_LDN

chemtrailslondon

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PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS For What It’s Worth by Lucie Grace In mid-January, a former pop star sold their Brit Award trophy on eBay for £66,100. That in itself gives us a lot to talk about; the true worth of awards, the price of fame, the pointlessness of such trinkets in an industry as transient and fickle as music, the colossal waste of time and money that is awards ceremonies, the fundamental purpose of music and indeed creativity as a whole.

But wait. There’s more. Said pop star was a member of none other than telly hopefuls S Club 7. “Which one?” I hear you cry. The hot one who appeared in FHM on the regs? The awful one from who picked on Shilpa Shetty in Celebrity Big Brother? Bradley the break-dancer? No, no, you’d have to keep guessing as the seller of his year 2000 Brit Award for Best Newcomer was the S Clubber that time forgot, Paul Cattermole, who to be fair to him, went quietly into his post-fame life without any desperate attempts to cling to the dream and has seemingly grown into a really nice everyday bloke with good taste in specs and a very laid back attitude towards hoarding silverware.

The first thing I’d like to ask Paul is “Why sell it?” The automatic assumption is man has bills to pay but he has admitted (in his updated eBay listing) that he did not in his wildest dreams expect the auction to rise to this tasty height. Was Paul cleansing his past? Saying goodbye to his youth as a new year turned? Starting a new chapter, free of the deadweight of teen popularity that forever haunts your ego like a dead best friend? I like to think that Paul simply gives zero fucks and sold his Britannia for a laugh. I mean he didn’t even polish it first. And to put a cherry on it, he’s just listed his second and final Brit Award for 2002 Best Single. Bidding currently at £65,900. Damn the industry man, Paul Cattermole. We salute you. May the fruits of your exploited youth bring you comfort in your twilight years.

Lucie Grace is a writer and DJ who’s currently working on a travel book, as well as building a campaign to bring back MTV2. Find Lucie on Twitter at @luciegraces

LiS 69

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16 FEB EVENTIM APOLLO

21 FEB LEXINGTON

22 FEB BORDERLINE

ALICE M E R TO N PLUS BAD NERVES

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01 MAR GARAGE

02 MAR THOUSAND ISLAND

06 MAR HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN

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10 MAR ALEXANDRA PALACE

13 MAR ELECTROWERKZ

14 MAR THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY

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28 MAR KOKO

04 APR O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

05 APR O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

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06 APR O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

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