London in Stereo // July 2017

JULY 2017 ISSUE 50 // FREE

MURA MASA

P R E S E N T S

29 | 07 | 17 - 30 | 07 | 17

10 | 10 | 17

T - 21 |LD T OU | 17 | 17 20 09OU SO|LD SO 09 22 | 09 | 17

JOLIE HOLLAND + SAMANTHA PARTON - UNION CHAPEL, ISLINGTON -

- EVENTIM APOLLO HAMMERSMITH

LAMB - O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE –

INDIGO GIRLS

- ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL -

SIGUR RÓS

13 | 10 | 17

25 | 09 | 17

16 | 10 | 17

ROBERT FORSTER

ÁSGEIR - ROUNDHOUSE -

25 | 09 | 17

STEVEN PAGE - BUSH HALL -

- SHAW THEATRE KING’S CROSS

JEN CLOHER

27 | 10 | 17

- THE LEXINGTON -

04 | 11 | 17

T OU | 17 SO|LD 30 09

PETER PERRETT - ELECTRIC BALLROOM -

- THE O2 -

ZOLA JESUS - VILLAGE UNDERGROUND -

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS 30 | 09 | 17

07 | 11 | 17 26 | 11 | 17

PHOENIX

- ALEXANDRA PALACE -

03 | 10 | 17

JIM WHITE - DINGWALLS 30 | 11 | 17

DARLIA

TOM- BUSH WILLIAMS HALL -

- SCALA -

09 | 10 | 17

STEVIE PARKER - MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY -

01 | 12 | 17

JESCA HOOP - UNION CHAPEL, ISLINGTON -

09 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2017

ONBLACKHEATH - BLACKHEATH, LONDON SE3 QUA In partnership with John Lewis A L L T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M

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P R E S E N T S

special guests

and his banD friday 18 august 2017 london o2 Shepherd’s

Bush Empire

TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2017

ELECTRIC BALLROOM

184 CAMDEN HIGH ST - LONDON - NW1 8QP

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNITED TALENT AGENCY

BY A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H X- r ay

TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2017

THE GARAGE - LONDON IN ASSOCIATION WITH AT C L I V E

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EXTRA DATE ADDED

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

SONGKICK.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - SEETICKETS.COM TICKETWEB.CO.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK - STARGREEN.COM

WELCOME Whoa, we made it to 50 issues. I know, right? I distinctly remember the moment when the first magazines arrived and I was so pleased it was over, and then realised that it had all only just begun. I mean, it has got easier: right at the back of this issue I've written a piece about all the things I've learned over the years, to help remind myself of how things have changed (though, my god, there’s not enough paper in the world for that list to actually cover it).

Most importantly though, it’s amazing how so many people come together to create this tiny thing. From the PRs to the printers, to our incredible team that help out on whatever they can all the time (I would have given up so long ago if it wasn’t for all of them being so amazing), and to everyone who picks up a copy every month. I swear I say this all the time but it really is mind-blowing that it all comes together really.

So thanks, and here’s to another 50.

MURA MASA (interview, pg: 24)

STAFF ON REPEAT

GIRLHOOD

the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: Girlhood - Together DAVE: Soccer Mommy - Allison LOKI: Alvvays - In Undertow DANNY: Vince Staples - Rain Come Down GEMMA: Bicep - Aura JACK: Sportsfan - Gabriel RACHEL: Lorde - Supercut LiS 05

CONTENTS 10

NEW SOUNDS

LONDON IN STEREO IS:

Jerkcurb, Ivy Sole & more 14

Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk

INTERVIEW Poppy Ackroyd

17

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

TALES FROM THE CITY

Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@londoninstereo.co.uk

by Japanese Breakfast 20

JULY EVENTS

The best stuff happening in London this month

Advertising sales@londoninstereo.co.uk

24 COVER STORY LiS meets Mura Masa 30

New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin

ON THE STEREO

Photography: Mura Masa cover story: Mathew Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Waxahatchee interview Rachel Lipsitz (littletrousers.com)

with Visions Festival 34

INTERVIEW Waxahatchee

37

IN A DAY’S WORK

In A Day’s Work Illustration: Liyv (liyv.co)

Anonymous tales by...a studio engineer 40

ALBUM REVIEWS

Contributors: Woodrow Whyte, Geoff Cowart, Kate Solomon, Tim Hakki, Rachel Grace Almeida, Rhian Daly, Lee Wakefield, Grant Bailey, Katie Thomas, Thomas Hannan, Tom Walters, Hassan Anderson.

Shabazz Palaces, Daphni, Haim, Cornelius, Lapalux, Toro y Moi & more 48

GIGS OF THE MONTH

Our pick of the best shows this July 52

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

FULL LISTINGS

Your full guide to all the month’s gigs 69

IN LONDON

with Fake Laugh 70

LIVE REVIEWS

WAXAHATCHEE

Re-live Field Day & NOS Primavera Sound.

73

(interview, pg: 34)

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

by Jess Partridge LiS 07

londoninstereo.com @londoninstereo

SMINO

R.LUM.R

MON 06 NOVEMBER

FRI 07 JULY

THU 20 JULY

MUTEMATH

SNAKEHIPS

MATISYAHU

TOM GRENNAN

WED 23 AUGUST

FRI 08 SEPTEMBER

MONDAY 11 SEPTEMBER

WED 27 SEPTEMBER

THE HUBBARDS

ZAK ABEL

MURA MASA

JORDAN RAKEI

SAT 07 OCTOBER

TUE 10 OCTOBER

THU 19 OCTOBER

O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE

KOJEY RADICAL

LITTLE DRAGON

ROMARE

MON 23 OCTOBER

WED 25 OCTOBER

SOLD FRI 27OUOCTOBER SAT 28 OCTOBER

SAT 11 NOVEMBER

GOLDIE

EIVØR

SUN 19 NOVEMBER

TUE 28 NOVEMBER

MONTE BOOKER

WILDWOOD KIN

THU 06 JULY, WED 02 AUGUST

THE ISLINGTON

TUE 06 JULY

BIRTHDAYS

BORDERLINE

O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

SEBRIGHT ARMS

SCALA

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

KOKO

O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

SCALA

SEBRIGHT ARMS

KOKO

FRI 20 OCTOBER

T

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

TROMBONE SHORTY THE SUFFERS & ORLEANS AVENUE MON 13 NOVEMBER

JAZZ CAFE

TUE 14 NOVEMBER

DINGWALLS

ROUNDHOUSE

& THE HERITAGE ORCHESTRA

ROUNDHOUSE

KOKO

BUSH HALL

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK & VENUE BOX OFFICES

070 SHAKE

GROUPLOVE

SIGRID

AUG 08 XOYO

AUG 23 KOKO

SEP 14 SCALA

LAZY DAY

AQUILO

PORTUGAL THE MAN

SEP 21 THE LEXINGTON

SEP 22 O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

SEP 27 HEAVEN

ASTRID S

BECKY HILL

SUNDARA KARMA

OCT 10 HEAVEN

OCT 19 KOKO

TIMBER TIMBRE

MUNA

OCT 16 OSLO OCT 17 BUSH HALL

OCT 31 HEAVEN

OCT 05 O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

ALEX LAHEY NOV 08 BOSTON MUSIC ROOM

THE BEST IN NEW LIVE MUSIC L O

N

D

O

N

@LNSOURCE LIVENATION.CO.UK/SOURCE

NEW SOUNDS JERKCURB

by Gemma Samways

“The average British person will spend 8,760 hours in a pub during their lifetime,” Jacob Read explains in the press release accompanying his latest single for Handsome Dad Records, ‘Voodoo Saloon’. He continues, somewhat tangentially, “I had the opportunity to have a Bar Mitzvah when I was 13 years old, but I turned it down. I never became a man.” Nonsensical as the statement seems, the juxtaposition provides a suitably absurd introduction to the disorientating world of Jerkcurb.

An artist and animator by day, the South London singer-songwriter delights in blurring creative mediums.

His songs are often inspired by his illustrations, evoking everything from vivid, post-apocalyptic landscapes, to a “theme-park version of Wetherspoons”. Musically, imagine a less psychopathic Timber Timbre, all melancholic, punchdrunk guitars and creeping rhythms, topped with crooning vocals that aren’t a million miles away from those of Read’s former collaborator, King Krule.

From the wistful swoon of debut single ‘Night On Earth’ to the richly-layered and suspenseful ‘Voodoo Saloon’, via the Twin Peaks-esque atmospherics of ‘Somerton Beach’, Read effortlessly draws you into his world, and leaves you baffled but intrigued, and craving more. The full-length can’t come soon enough.

IN TEN: NEW SOUNDS S4U

TOO MUCH

SORCHA RICHARDSON 4AM

S4U

FAKE LAUGH

GIRLHOOD

RAY BLK

BASEMENT REVOLVER

G.SMITH

BICEP

TESS ROBY

POPPIES

SHORT OF BREATH

OH MY MY

X

BALLAD 5

TOGETHER

JOHNNY PT. 2

AURA

DUMB ADVICE

FOLLOW OUR NEW MUSIC PLAYLISTS ON LONDONINSTEREO.COM, EVERY WEEK

JERKCURB

LISTEN TO: Voodoo Saloon LIVE: The Lexington, October 11th @jerkcurb

/jerkcurb

IVY SOLE

by Jess Partridge Okay, so normally we wouldn't put someone who’s already put out an album and just released an EP in New Sounds because well, that's not particularly new. Sometimes, though, you hear an artist that you want to shout about. I mean really want to shout about, the kind that you send to five people the second you hear it. The kind you just know about. Ivy is one of those: dreamy beats hit her rapid, uniquelystyled bars to create a whole world of summer hits and we’re completely hooked.

LISTEN TO: Everything To Lose @IvySole

@ivysolemusic

/ivy-sole

LiS 11

fabric — July 2017 Craig Richards Terry Francis Ricardo Villalobos Edward (Live) Gunnar Haslam Guy Gerber Henning Baer Ion Ludwig (Live) KiNK (Live) Mall Grab Mark Ernestus Mind Against Monki Nastia Nicolas Lutz Romans Ross From Friends (Live) Seth Troxler Thugfucker Willow

www.fabriclondon.com

JULY 2017

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photo: Kat Gollock

“Everything feels very audible and exposed and that is very exciting.”

words: Geoff Cowart

It’s great to see the minimal music of pianist Poppy Ackroyd finally getting some love. Newly signed to Bjork’s One Little Indian label, Poppy is celebrating with Sketches, a new 10-song overview of her work as a solo artist. Reissues of her earlier albums and a fresh new album are set for later this year...

LiS 14

interview

ou may not have heard of the thoughtful 36-year-old musician but she’s got big friends in quiet places. Nils Frahm and Hauschka, both pioneers in the meditative piano scene, have tipped her as a force to be reckoned with.

For Poppy, the process of creating the handy guide to her music was one that felt like she was reinventing, rather than introducing herself. “It surprised me how much work it took me to nail down the 10 tracks for Sketches,” she says.

Originally it was just supposed to be simple re-takes on existing material. But Poppy admitted she became “obsessed” about curating it. “I wanted to really focus on the compositions and it took me a huge amount of time. I’ve gone on a massive journey with some of these songs. Like ‘Birdwoman’. I originally wrote it in 2009 for a short black and white animation for an artist in Edinburgh. And that became a track that I worked into my second album, and now I’ve reworked it into a solo piano piece.”

Although Poppy plays violin and keyboards in the rather more bombastic band, Hidden Orchestra, with her partner Joe Acheson, she has long craved the opportunity to concentrate on her solo piano playing.

“I’ve always wanted to do more solo work.

I’ve been talking about it for years,” she admits. “There is something really special about communicating simply through the instrument alone. In a band, there is always something to hide behind. But with only the piano you can focus on your technique and expression, everything feels very audible and exposed and that is very exciting.

Especially when playing live.”

Born in London Bridge, she grew up in a warehouse that she describes as being in a nice neighbourhood – these days, at least.

Her father is a dogged piano player, she

says, who’s been playing the same handful of tunes and improvisations for most of her life. “We’ve always had a piano. He plays lots of Irish folk melodies,” she explains.

“And he plays some Mozart. But generally he just picks up a melody and plays harmonies around it for, like, 10 years.”

Poppy was only seven or eight when she decided that her future career would be as a pianist. Her choice was informed by listening to a cassette of pianist and Ealing resident Murray Perahia play Schubert’s Impromptus in the family car. “My father had a Bob Dylan cassette as well,” she says with a laugh.

But Poppy’s tastes were always closer to the Impromptus with their spacious, unhurried setting. The first time her father heard her playing any modern classical pieces – by composers such as Toru Takemitsu and Helmut Lachenmann – he told her simply: “You are outrageous!”

“I don’t think he understood,” she says. “I think it was his polite way of saying to me that it was horrible.” While these modern composers were big influences, the most important were electronic pioneers such as Aphex Twin and Steve Reich. Her own music is made in a similar fashion by being carefully constructed from loops of her keyboard musings with a digital pick up and the help of Ableton. The rest is down to her – the use of strategic pauses and repetition to ratchet up the dramatic tension, and how she lets the room provide the natural atmospheric details.

“With loops, it’s always the trick of trying not to repeat yourself – but also to avoid being too theatrical or grandiose. I love music that creates a tranquil mood. I wanted to hold back.” LiS

LiS 15

Poppy releases mini-album Sketches July 14th via One Little Indian. A full-length record follows in October. @poppyackroyd

@poppyackroydsounds

Academy Events present

Academy Events by arrangement with Sedate Bookings presents

Langhorne

AC ADEMY EVENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTERY GLOBAL PRESENTS

Slim plus special guests

PLUS GUESTS

DER REST

Thursday 31st August 2017 O2 Academy2 Islington London

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

EXCLUS IVE

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W EDN ES DAY 1 3 T H S EP T EM B ER 2 017 O 2 A C A DEMY I S L I NGTON

THURSDAY 24TH AUGUST O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON . LONDON

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AN ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTATION

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presents

ACADEMY EVENTS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH IBD PRESENT

23.10.2017 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON

WEDNESDAY 8TH NOVEMBER 2017 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON IGORRR.COM

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LAIBACH.ORG NEW ALBUM ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA OUT ON 14 JULY 2017

ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTS

ACADEMY EVENTS by arrangement with AGMP presents

THE FAMILY SILVER Featuring

MATT DEIGHTON

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

(Mother Earth, Paul Weller, Oasis and Bill Fay)

DAMON MINCHELLA

(Ocean Colour Scene, Richard Ashcroft, The Who)

STEVE WHITE

(Style Council, Paul Weller, Ian Dury and Jon Lord) plus special guests

TUESDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2017 O 2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON I N T E R VA L S M U S I C . N E T

Friday 24th November 2017 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

WINTER GATHERING THURSDAY 14th DECEMBER 2017

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN LONDON

LONDON

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thefamilysilver.co.uk

A N A C A D E M Y E V E N T S P R E S E N TAT I O N

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TALES FROM THE CITY We ask artists to tell us stories of times spent in London...

by JAPANESE BREAKFAST photo: Ebru Yildiz

her in a small room a long time ago in Philadelphia and am such a fan. My friend Paul from Philly plays guitar in the band and it was nice to see him. It’s great to see your friends playing big rooms, eating prosciutto backstage and living the dream.

The next day I got to browse Rough Trade and eat fantastic Indian food at Dishoom with the label. I learned you guys call popsicles ice lollies and about brown sauce. I got to see my friend Vagabon play to a sold out Electrowerkz and got to hang out with her and Sasami from Cherry Glazerr at Wetherspoons, which I hear is a bit of a drinking institution. It reminded me of Olive Garden, which is an Italian restaurant chain we have in the US. They made insanely strong tequila sodas.

I’ve been to London three times and have always had a phenomenal time. This last time I was there in May for press and had a pretty perfect day. The weather was lovely. I took a quiet train in from Paris and listened to the new Aldous Harding record on the way over. I got in late and took a cab to the Roundhouse to hang out with the Dead Oceans folks at the Angel Olsen gig. By the time I got there she’d already finished playing, but I got to meet her and she was very nice and told me she liked my record, which was surreal. I saw

We finished the night off dancing at the Lexington with Kane Strang. Sasami and I pretended to be flight attendants and I drunkenly attempted to practice my Korean with her. I mostly just embarrassed myself. Then I begged my project manager to get fried chicken with me. Last time the band played in London we had a crazy night at Dalston Superstore that resulted in some wasted running in the streets with a shared box of fried chicken, so I was really hoping to recreate that moment, but we got kebobs instead. I literally fell asleep at my airbnb eating it. It was the best night ever.

LiS 17

Japanese Breakfast release new album Soft Sounds From Another Planet, July 14th via Dead Oceans.

LIVE: The Dome, November 7th @Jbrekkie

@japanesebreakfast

13 SEPT.

Charly Bliss Old Blue Last

rockfeedback.com

30 JUNE.

14 SEPT.

27 OCT.

The Finsbury

The Lexington

O2 Academy Brixton

Wesley Gonzalez

Henry Green

MØ

18 JULY.

14 SEPT.

30 OCT.

Moth Club

The Garage

The Lexington

Meatbodies

Chastity Belt

The Dream Syndicate

19 JULY.

20 SEPT. (early & late show)

31 OCT.

Birthdays

St. Pancras Old Church

Electric Ballroom

Free Money

Kiran Leonard

Kevin Morby

22 JULY.

22 SEPT.

02 NOV.

Dreamland Margate

Featuring Jacco Gardner Moth Club

Electric Ballroom

Slaves 05 AUG.

Visions Festival East London 09 AUG.

W.I.T.C.H 26 SEPT.

Anna of the North Omeara

!!!

03 NOV.

Francobollo Moth Club

07 & 08 NOV.

Holy Fuck

29 SEPT.

Father John Misty

23 AUG.

Dreamland Margate

10 NOV.

Jazz Cafe

By The Sea Festival

Eventim Hammersmith Apollo

Adam Torres

02 OCT.

Julien Baker

29 & 30 AUG.

The Waiting Room

11 NOV.

Sebright Arms

Malahini

Union Chapel

Beach Fossils

03 OCT.

Pissed Jeans

04 SEPT.

Oslo

17 NOV.

Moth Club

EMA

Waxahatchee

05 OCT.

04 & 05 SEPT.

Brixton Electric

The Garage

Upcoming London Shows

TICKETS & INFO:

Ben Frost

Electric Ballroom

Cristobal & The Sea Moth Club 23 NOV.

Courtney Marie Andrews

17 OCT.

Marika Hackman

Roundhouse

23 NOV.

07 SEPT.

18 OCT.

Mammút

Village Underground

The Pickle Factory

24 NOV.

Bush Hall

Girlpool

Johnny Flynn Crooked Colours

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Sebright Arms

08 SEPT.

18 OCT.

Blaenavon

KOKO

Moth Club

30 NOV.

Alvvays

Frankie Rose 25 OCT.

Dream Wife Scala

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Puma Blue

Corsica Studios

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

A CHICKEN THING

CHIK’N OPENS ON BAKER STREET If you’ve been concentrating you’ll know that Chik’n is the latest venture from Chick‘n’Sours champs Carl Clarke and David Wolanski. If not, here’s the deal: Early-morning to late-night fast-casual fried chicken in many wondrous forms. Top of our hangover wish list is the breakfast CHIK’N sausage, egg & cheese muffin but the menu through the whole day – from buns to wings to nacho fries and more – sounds incredible. Plus, this all comes with an ethical commitment that ranges from the quality of the chicken, to the healthiest ways of cooking, to the pay of staff. Feel good about yourself and eat the best fried chicken? Winnerwinner.

WHEN: OPENS MID-JULY. WHERE: 134 BAKER STREET, W1U. INFO: chikn.com // @lovechikn

Bernar Venet, 11 Acute Unequal Angles, 2016 Corten steel. Photo Credit: Xinyi Hu, Paris, Bernar Venet Archives, NY. Courtesy of Blain | Southern

AN OUTDOOR ART THING

FRIEZE This year Frieze takes advantage of the beautiful British summer to bring you the weird and the wonderful in Regent’s Park with its annual sculpture exhibition. Wander through the 25 unique works, have a picnic next to them, shelter from the inevitable rain or simply stare in awe at their impact, unusual surroundings and vibrance. Whichever way you do it, it’s a winner. With the works of internationally recognised artists like Alicja Kwade, Thomas J Price and Reza Aramesh on display, this year is set to be one of the most interesting yet. Don’t forget to download the app for a guided tour from curator Clare Lilley (Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park) it’ll be well worth your time.

WHEN: JULY 5TH-OCTOBER 8TH WHERE: REGENT’S PARK. PRICE: FREE INFO: frieze.com/article/frieze-sculpture-2017 // @FriezeArtFair

A FETE THING

HACKNEY SUMMER FETE Not much gets into our Events section three years running, but such is the feel-good factor of this day, that we just have to put it in. This is your proper summer fete, full of local community coming together - and also includes all the things that keeps LiS happy. So, that’s Signature Brew making sure the beer is top notch, our pals at Visions Festival supplying the music, Paper Dress putting on a vintage market and yes! - a dog show. There’s even a roof-top after-party this year, hosted by Suncut Records. Idyllic times.

WHEN: JULY 8TH. FREE ENTRY WHERE: ST JOHN AT HACKNEY, E5 INFO: @hacksummerfete

A SEASIDE FESTIVAL THING

VILLAGE GREEN - FESTIVAL OF ART AND MUSIC Is this in London? Well, no - but Southend, as all purists know, is truly England’s riviera. So get yourself to the town of the world’s longest pier for this day which aims to celebrate the positivity of protest and community. We’d go for the Grrrlzine Fair stage alone, with the likes of Big Joanie bringing the tunes alongside exceptional art and prints, workshops, a sculpture garden and an immersive zine library(!). Plus you’ve got the likes of Southend native Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. and Kate Nash supplying the pop magic.

WHEN: JULY 8TH. PRICE: ADULTS - £15 IN ADVANCE WHERE: CHALKWELL PARK, SOUTHEND ON SEA INFO: villagegreenfestival.com // @vg_festival

A BEER THING

LONDON VEGAN BEER FESTIVAL We’re very aware these pages rarely cater for our vegan friends when it comes to food and drink picks, so let’s put that right. Presented by Fat Gay Vegan, this huge event (the 5th annual one) sees a beer hall, a beer market and a beer cafe serve up a vast array of vegan booze and grub to celebrate all things plant-based and tasty. It’s like a regular beer fest, only with less guilt!

WHEN: JULY 15TH. PRICE: TICKETS FROM £5 WHERE: HACKNEY DOWNS STUDIOS, E8 2BT INFO: veganbeerfest.co.uk // @VeganBeerFestUK LiS 21

TUE 4 JULY SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

JADE BIRD RAE MORRIS RIVER MATTHEWS CITADEL FESTIVAL FEAT. FOALS, BONOBO,

WED 4 OCTOBER OMEARA

NOCTÜRN TALOS DOTAN TORA FIONN REGAN NADINE SHAH DAN OWEN FREYA RIDINGS PICTURE THIS FOY VANCE NICK HAKIM SYLVAN ESSO FINK LEIF VOLLEBEKK NICK MURPHY FKA CHET FAKER

WED 12 JULY ICA

WED 4 OCTOBER THE WAITING ROOM

THU 13 JULY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH

FRI 6 OCTOBER ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH

SUN 16 JULY VICTORIA PARK

MON 9 OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON

MICHAEL KIWANUKA & MORE FRI 21 JULY OMEARA

JUNIUS MEYVANT KIAH VICTORIA BOO SEEKA BANFI JAKE ISAAC HEIN COOPER LISA MITCHELL JOHNNYSWIM THØSS SUSANNE SUNDFØR FYFE TUE 25 JULY SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS FRI 11 AUGUST THE WAITING ROOM

TUE 12 SEPTEMBER THE LEXINGTON

WED 20 SEPTEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL THU 21 SEPTEMBER SEBRIGHT ARMS MON 25 SEPTEMBER BUSH HALL TUE 26 SEPTEMBER SCALA

SAT 30 SEPTEMBER SEBRIGHT ARMS MON 2 OCTOBER UNION CHAPEL TUE 3 OCTOBER DINGWALLS

SAT 14 OCTOBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THU 19 OCTOBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE WED 25 OCTOBER OMEARA

THU 26 OCTOBER ST GILES IN-THE-FIELDS WED 1 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THU 2, FRI 3 & SAT 4 NOVEMBER UNION CHAPEL WED 8 NOVEMBER KOKO

WED 8 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THU 16 NOVEMBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN TUE 21 NOVEMBER MOTH CLUB TUE 5 DECEMBER TROXY

COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK

interview

“I had this hunger to get to the heart and grit of music culture in the UK which, really, exists in London.”

Mura Masa words: Woodrow Whyte photography: Mathew Parri Thomas

Alex Crossan is reminiscing about his misspent youth. It’s a familiar tale of hanging out, drinking on beaches and little else. “It was literally a simpler time because there’s not an awful lot to do there”, he tells me. “But because of that your friends and the people you grow up with have a weird unspoken bond. We have this cultish understanding of what it was like to live there.”

He needn’t explain the humdrum realities of living in a place where nothing ever happens to this provincial seaside town escapee. The 21-year-old producer, who goes by the name Mura Masa, grew up in Guernsey, a British crown dependency in The Channel Islands. Despite being physically disconnected from the mainland, with no discernible music scene on the island to involve himself in, Crossan, armed only with a good internet connection and a healthy curiosity for musical subcultures, has now amassed a huge online following, an army of A-List collaborators and is poised to release an exhilarating debut album that’s chock-full of summertime bangers. For Alex, his remote upbringing

was fundamental in informing perspective as a musician.

his

“Observing things from afar, you’re always going to get a different impression of what they actually mean, than if you’re physically present for them” he muses over Skype from his flat in Peckham. “I think I have an interesting, or original, take on some of the musical ideas because of that.

It’s an important point about how proud I am to be from a place Guernsey and letting that be my identity rather than trying to run from it or anything.”

By the time Alex finally experienced club culture and underground movements up-close while studying in Brighton, he had already built a sizeable Soundcloud following and label interest. Rather than getting involved with the scene there, he says he mostly kept to himself. “I kinda stayed doing my own thing because I figured that’s what makes me special, this outsider status and skewed look at what was going on in music at the time” he explains. “I had this hunger to get to the heart and grit of music culture in the UK which, really, exists in London.”

LiS 24

interview

And so he dropped out of his course and headed to the land of hopes and dreams, Brixton. His first few weeks were “horribly intimidating...I remember seeing all the different people out the window and all these different little cultures that were existing and I remember thinking it reminded me of some strange pirate port where everyone’s meeting in this weird middle place and that really stuck with me.

But I learnt to love the chaos of it.”

listen to some music and took a folder of his beats – perhaps to do a Stormzy later down the line. “I don’t want to over-blow the whole Kendrick thing too much because the truth of it is that I just happened to be in the studio across from him and he very kindly took a moment out of his day to come say hello and to listen to a few beats.” I can practically hear him blushing down the line. But neither compares to meeting his childhood heroes, Dick & Dom, down the pub. “Oh my god” he exclaims in an unintentionally hilarious Alan Partridge voice. “The best moment of my life!”

London looms large over his eponymous debut album, which is loosely themed on a bus journey around the city, a carnival of sweltering sounds, breezy textures, shiny With such a diverse set of collaborators on pop hooks and enough collaborators to sink his album, it’s impressive how cohesive the a small canal boat; A$AP Rocky record comes across despite its rapid (‘Love$ick’), Christine & The Queens changes in styles. Most of the songs (‘Second 2 None’), Charli XCX have one thing in common, (‘1 Night’), Desiigner Alex suggests. “The “I don’t want (‘All Around interesting to over-blow the The World’) and thing that comes many more. For up a lot in my whole Kendrick Crossan, the music is love, thing too much...”

Gorillaz second as a theme. It album Demon Days comes in all music – and its collage-style approach that’s what a lot of people are to making an album was a big writing about – but when they work with influence.“ It flits around on the wings of me it happens to be romance.” Why? “I different genres and has lots of different don’t know. Maybe what I do sonically is collaborators and flavours. It was great to asking for it? I think all music is about have Damon Albarn on there (‘Blue’) as a people and how they feel, I guess, so it’s reference to that.” What was he like to work bound to be a common theme but I thought with? “I was very intimidated by the it was an interesting thing that again and concept of meeting Damon Albarn at first. again people talk about romance.”

But it’s one of those things...as soon as you How Crossan approaches artists in the first meet him all the worry washes away and instance is “definitely targeted and an you’re just in his wonderful, friendly, open individual offering” he explains. “I’m not presence.” sending the same beat out to 20 different Crossan’s luck didn’t run out there. Stormzy nicked one of his tunes to use on the opening cut of his album – without Alex knowing (“Yeah, that’s true”, he says with a laugh, as if he can’t believe it happened either). Kendrick Lamar dropped by to

people and seeing who’s up for it. It’s always who I’m a huge fan of and would love to hear interpret those ideas.” And what if they come back with something you don’t like? “It’s just living with it for a while and trying to understand why they have

LiS 27

interview

made those choices and coming to terms with it and ending up loving it. But there are times when I think the lyrics could be stronger or have [a greater] depth, and in that case it’s about being honest with the person. Is this the best you can do, or is this a good representation of what you want to say?” How very...diplomatic. Previously, Crossan had admitted to feeling too inexperienced to write his own lyrics. “I’m so young...I probably don’t have much to talk about” he quipped.

So what constitutes having something to say?

“I think a really important message that exists right now in music culture is about race, gender and sexuality. Those are things that really need to be spoken about, now more than ever. I am a white, cis-gendered, straight male, so for me, trying to find something to talk about that isn’t personal or to do with relationships or emotion is difficult. Even with political messages, I just think there are better qualified people than me to speak on things like that. I think it’s wonderful as a producer to be able to take on people’s voices and be a platform, as a project, to talk about whatever they want to talk about.”

He might feel like an outsider looking in but as Mura Masa he’s created an inclusive and communal project, with songs that feel like a splash of cool water to a sun-kissed face.

Given his trajectory so far, it makes you wonder whether Alex Crossan will be the outsider for much longer. LiS Mura Masa releases his self-titled debut album July 14th via Anchor Point.

LIVE: Alex plays a weekend of special shows and events in Peckham over the weekend of album release. See muramasa.me for full details.

O2 Academy Brixton, October 19th. @mura_masa_ @MuramasaMusic LiS 28

ON THE STEREO with

Visions Festival is one of the first dates we put in our calendar every year - always an incredibly fun day, each edition of the festival has seen a wonderful line-up featuring the type of acts that you’d never normally see on one bill. Be it noisy-as-all-hell rock, sweetly-swaying indie serenity, big hitters or barely-heard-of future stars, everything goes at Visions.

It’s this eclecticism which really marks the day out as special.

There’s something for everyone, and a whole host of new favourites to discover and, phew, the dog show’s back! To build up the excitement, the Visions team talk us through 5 acts they’re especially excited to see this year. LiS

1. FRANKIE COSMOS SINISTER Possibly the loveliest track of a whole selection of lovely songs from last year’s Next Thing, ‘Sinister’ is Frankie Cosmos at her finest. How she manages to regularly fit in so much catchiness and staying-power into under three mins of music, no one will ever truly understand. This one is made all the more sweet by the chorus mentioning the late great Arthur Russell, “Sometimes I just feel sinister, can't always be like Arthur”.

FRANKIE COSMOS

Visions takes place August 5th in various Hackney venues. visionsfestival.com @VisionsFestival

@visionsfstvl LiS 30

3. MATT MALTESE AS THE WORLD CAVES IN This guy is absurdly good.

All his tracks will get you a bit teary but this is the most potent of all. It's compositionally and melodically beautiful but carries a healthy dose of doom, gloom and dread to keep that optimism firmly grounded.

MATT MALTESE

GOAT GIRL

ZEBRA KATZ

2. ZEBRA KATZ HELLO HI Last winter we were gifted with a brand new track from Zebra Katz and it was worth the wait indeed.

If you were there last time he was in London you’ll remember how wall-shakingly (literally) huge this one sounded. Gonna be good!

5. LIARS MESS ON A MISSION

4. GOAT GIRL - COUNTRY SLEAZE Presumably a nod towards the criminally good and sadly inactive Country Teasers, Goat Girl’s ‘Country Sleaze’ captures the same discordant, repetitive style as the cult legends but with a fresh new take. Part of a great scene of excellent new bands from South & South East London, the tracks we've heard so far bode very well for their first full length release via Rough Trade.

LIARS

Liars are one of our headliners at Visions this year and we personally can't wait to hear the band blasting this one out; especially when that screaming fuzzy drone knocks you off your feet halfway through. “Facts are facts and fiction’s fiction”.

LiS 31

SUMMER 2017 ~ LIVE ~ 01.07

Illa J /

02.07

Kioko /

04.07 07.07 12.07

Daniel Caesar [sold out]

Girls & Boys: Scors + HÅN + Sunken

Sound Familiar Music Quiz /

25.07

Jessie Reyez /

28.07 12.09

03.07

Daniel Caesar [sold out]

Faers /

Welshly Arms / 22.09

27.07

24.08

20.07

Gospeloke

Sola Rosa Sound System

Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place

14.09

Coquin Migale /

Massmatiks /

29.09

15.09

Ine Hoem

Avec Sans + Fours

~ LATE ~ every fIRST Friday

01.07

08.07

NIGHT CALL

THE DOCTOR’S ORDERS

KATE BOSS

Alt-Pop and

Exploring every year of the

A proper old school

Contemporary Sounds

40+ year history of hip hop

discotheque

15.07

29.07

THROWBACK

BOUJI BODEGA

80s & 90s house designed

Representing the multicultural

to keep you dancing

nature of London’s club scene

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

| HOXTONSQUAREBAR

DEVENDRA BANHART WED 18 JULY OUT SOLDEMPIRE HACKNEY TOM HICKOX WED 19 JULY OSLO HACKNEY SIOBHAN WILSON SAT 29 JULY THE ISLINGTON D.D DUMBO TUES 22 AUG OUT SOLDAUG & WED 23 OMEARA NOTHING SUN 27 AUG THE LEXINGTON CAR SEAT HEADREST TUES 29 AUG O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN THE KVB TUES 19 SEPT OSLO HACKNEY

THIS IS THE KIT THURS 21 SEPT O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THE NATIONAL MON 25 SEPT, TUES 26 SEPT, WED 27 SEPT T LD OUSEPT & THURSSO28 EVENTIM HAMMERSMITH APOLLO BECKIE MARGARET THURS 28 SEPT THE WAITING ROOM MICAH P. HINSON MON 2 OCT SCALA AIR TRAFFIC WED 4 OCTD OUT L SCALA*SO MON 9 OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL

EASTERN BARBERS TUES 17 OCT THE LEXINGTON KELLY LEE OWENS THURS 19 OCT OSLO HACKNEY THE BIG MOON FRI 20 OCT KOKO

CHRISTIAN LOFFLER & MOHNA TUES 31 OCT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND INSECURE MEN WED 8 NOV SCALA LOW ISLAND WED 8 NOV & THURS 9 NOV CORSICA STUDIOS

(SANDY) ALEX G TUES 24 OCT SCALA

ANNA MEREDITH THURS 16 NOV OVAL SPACE

DIET CIG WED 25 OCT MOTH CLUB

LUKE HOWARD FRI 17 NOV ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH

IDER WED 25 OCT & THURS 26 OCT ARCHSPACE YANN TIERSEN MON 30 OCTOUT SOLD HALL ROYAL ALBERT

FUTURE ISLANDS LD OUT MON 20SONOV & TUES 21 NOV O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

DEAD PRETTIES THURS 12 OCT BOSTON MUSIC ROOM PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM

interview

s Katie Crutchfield talks candidly about her new album, Out in the Storm, it becomes clear it marks something of a change for her. “This record has a different tone to my others,” she says. “It’s a little more confident, it’s a little more angry, it’s a little more shouting out, rather than looking inward, so it felt more cathartic to make.”

As she toured her last album Ivy Tripp, Crutchfield found herself in the midst of a poisonous relationship.

The result is an explicitly autobiographical and searingly honest album. “A lot of the things on the record are things that I didn’t get a chance to say so this was my chance to. Like writing a letter to someone and never sending it, it’s my way to process it.”

Has that person heard the record, I ask? She shifts slightly in her chair. “I don’t know. Probably…”

If they have, they’ll know that songs like ‘Sparks Fly’ - the centre point of the record - feel like they’re talking directly to them. “I guess that song is like a message to a person, but mostly it was a snapshot to give to a person from the past: this is where I am now.”

The record does sound cathartic - like an artist who has found renewed energy. It perhaps helped that this was a new way of working: the first time she recorded in a studio and the first time she worked with a producer - the legendary John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Patti Smith). She also assembled a highly talented band - her sister Allison, Katherine Simonetti on bass, Ashley Arnwine on drums and Katie Harkin from Sleater-Kinney on lead guitar - who played together, recording the album live. Not that that was the original intention.

“We didn’t plan to do it live at all. I said ‘Don’t focus on playing well together because that doesn’t matter - we’re not gonna play live’. Then the first day we went to the studio, John said ‘I really think you should do this live’.”

“I’m glad we did it - there’s something about the energy of the songs that really sounds like a band. I really wanted to lean on the styles of the band: showcase Ashley’s drumming, Katherine’s bass playing, Katie’s guitar playing. They were brilliant they’re so talented but there was no ego.”

LiS 34

“I’ve never really felt like the live show sounded like the record before, but with this one I’m excited about playing these songs live. My band is all women, my crew is all women. We have suits we’re going to wear and it’s going to be full, loud rock band. I think it’s going to be powerful.”

And it’s not just powerful personal messages that Crutchfield has been making. “I’ve always been politically vocal but obviously now it feels like actual action is important, so I’ve really been trying any chance I have to give a song to a comp or play benefit shows.” She recorded a song the day after Trump was elected and also - after a lot of deliberation - decided to join

Waxahatchee words: Danny Wright // photography: Rachel Lipsitz

“With Waxahatchee I hold myself to an impossible standard - the vocal rhythms, the syllables, they all have to be perfect.”

Lena Dunham’s Lenny tour before Dunham’s ill health saw it being cancelled (“I knew people were going to be alienated by it but at the end of the day I thought doing it was better than not doing it.”)

Yet amid this shifting landscape - personally, professionally and politically - Crutchfield maintains a strict control over one thing -

her lyrics. “Writing songs is easy for me - the lyrics are the hard part. With Waxahatchee I hold myself to an impossible standard - the vocal rhythms, the syllables, they all have to be perfect.”

“John would sometimes say, ‘Can we add an extra verse here or repeat this?’ I said ‘I’m sorry I can’t do that, the lyrics are perfect how they are’. In other things I’m so open minded because he’s made albums for 30 years and who am I to shut down his idea but with lyrics I just can’t.” LiS Waxahatchee release their new album, Out In The Storm, July 14th via Merge Records.

LIVE: End Of The Road Festival - September 3rd.

The Garage - September 4th.

LiS 35

@k_crutchfield

@waxahatchee

illustrations: Liyv (liyv.co)

IN A DAY’S WORK

by A Studio Engineer I'm waiting for a band to turn up at the studio. I power on all the equipment and make sure none of the gear decided to stop working during the night. They're late.

Bands are always late, but this time punctuality would be nice because they're a "we haven't got any budget, can you do us a deal" band and we'll be working against the clock trying to squeeze 6 tracks into a weekend. Optimistic.

Before working with an artist I always see them live first. Seeing them live will help me get a better gist of a band's vibe but also when they're performing in a big room with a lighting rig and a decent PA, bouncing off a sweaty and (hopefully) responsive crowd, there'll be an energy in their performance that I would have missed if my experience of them was limited to pre-production in a rehearsal room or, god-forbid, Garageband demos.

Today I have none of these things to go on, just a list of their favourite bands and an email explaining their lineup. I haven't actually even met them. A friendly bunch of early 20-somethings turn up, we have a cuppa and get straight into it. Drums and bass are set up, snare drums and cymbals are swapped out until we settle on something. This guy is a great drummer, he

could be playing any kit and it'll sound exciting. I try to quickly set up which microphones/preamps/maybe some compression/EQ will make this drummer sound even better on record. Normally I'd be thinking about the bigger picture with the kinda sound I'm looking for but as I'm going in blind on this and won't hear other instruments until we get to them later, compromises have to be made and I follow my gut.

We have all the drums done by lunch and the guitars by early evening. These guys are solid players and there's an unusual lack of time-wasting. Now the guitars are down the bass just doesn't sit right with them so I get the bass player to redo all his parts on a different bass and it works a treat.

Before the band heads off we all grab a beer in the pub and I finally get something to eat. There's still some editing that needs to be done so I head back to the studio. I bring up all the faders, press play and, half surprised/half relieved, I'm happy that this awesome band sounds fucking great.

Tomorrow we'll finish off some synths and vocals and I'm pretty confident the band will end up with a great record. I pour myself a whisky and smile to myself content that I'm working in my dream job.

LiS 37

DHP PRESENTS

OLD

OUT

S THU.29.JUN.17

KYLE LIONHART

THOUSAND ISLAND

THU.27.JUL.17

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FRI.28.JUL.17

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MON. 13.SEP.17

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THE SHELTERS

THE BORDERLINE

+THE MOONLANDINGZ O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

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CHASTITY BELT

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CATS IN SPACE

THE BORDERLINE

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MON.14.SEP.17

THE WAR ON DRUGS

FRI.08.SEP.17

THE GARAGE

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THE GARAGE

OUT THU.14.SEP.17 OLD S

TASH SULTANA

WED.12.JUL.17

THE SMITH STREET BAND

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FOURS

THE BORDERLINE

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SLOW READERS CLUB THE GARAGE

MON.24.JUL.17 TUE.25.JUL.17

UT DO WED.26.JUL.17 SOL

JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

THE LEXINGTON

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ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL

TUE.07.NOV.17

ANGUS AND JULIA STONE O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY

TUE.14.NOV.17

THE WAR ON DRUGS ALEXANDRA PALACE

FRI.13.OCT.17

BELINDA CARLISLE INDIGO AT THE O2

SAT.21.OCT.17

LIGHTYEAR

THE GARAGE

TUE.07.NOV.17

CAP’N JAZZ

MOTH CLUB

THU.16.NOV.17

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FRI.13.OCT.17

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WED.1.NOV.17

INTO THE ARK THE GARAGE

SAT. .25.NOV.17

ENTER SHIKARI

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PETIT BISCUIT ELECTRIC BALLROOM

MON.13.NOV.17

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SKINNY LIVING WED.18.OCT.17

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KADHJA BONET WED.18.OCT.17

WED.08.NOV.17

TORRES

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MON.20.NOV.17

CIGARETTES AFTER SEX

THE BORDERLINE

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+ MICHAEL CHAPMAN UNION CHAPEL

WED.13.DEC.17

DINOSAUR JR

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ALBUM REVIEWS RECORD OF THE MONTH SHABAZZ PALACES QUAZARZ: BORN ON A GANGSTER STAR QUAZARZ VS. THE JEALOUS MACHINES Sub Pop Records July 14th

Quasars are powered by supermassive black holes and emit powerful electromagnetic energy. First detected in 1963, the strongest ones burn significantly brighter than our humble Milky Way. As if powered by the same infernal energy Shabazz Palaces return with no less than two new albums. The 23 wild songs see the otherworldly Southern California rappers Ishmael Butler and multi-instrumentalist Tendai ‘Baba’ Maraire eclipse their lean and combative 2014 effort, Lese Majesty. With more space, these exquisite new sonic meanderings conjure up the ghost of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Akin to the Outkast formula, the first half serves as a playground for Ishmael’s audacious rapping. The second as a showcase for Baba’s synth-heavy mindbenders. On both, the Sub Pop duo allow their songs to relax and stretch out. Occasionally it sounds a bit like the Pet Shop Boys. Well, that’s true of the five-minute ‘Moon Whip Quaz’, at least, where Ishmael calmly raps among a sea of glittery synths and disco beats: “I rolled in on a light wave/ I’ve never been a good slave/ I kissed the Queen of Zanzibar/ I blew up the Death Star.” He laughs audibly at the end of the verse as if to acknowledge his sheer nerve.

Elsewhere, the certifiable single ‘Shine a Light’ shows a killer instinct thanks to its lush strings and rubbery slink.

However, its sister album is far more bizarre. By then, the central character of Quazarz has found a hostile world where humans have developed a weirdly sensual relationship with the technological gadgets that crimp their imaginations.

The proceedings are positively scorched from their red-hot intensity, even if they burn slower. Just listen to ‘Effeminence’ as it marries a Philip Glass-like loop with a snaking syncopation straight outta Persia. The effect is devastating. Now drop in the snappy drawl of Ishmael and you’ve got a party: “Lo and behold here it is/ Your favourite rapper/ His jaw clenched into a Xanax glove/ His heart is scrolling to and fro/ He’s focused on the blurry blur”.

If any health warning is to be slapped on this double-pack it’s that the albums demand repeated listens. Yet while sprawling and ungainly your patience will reveal a galaxy of wonders. Geoff Cowart STAND OUT TRACKS: Shine a Light, Quarzarz on 23rd, Moon Whip Quaz, Parallax. @shabazzpalaces

LAPALAUX RUINISM

Brainfeeder // June 30th

Since releasing his first official EP in 2011, Lapalux – aka Stuart Howard – has been a quiet master of electronic music, straying away from the maximalism that filtered through the notoriously vague genre. You could say that, to him, less is more – and that’s no different on his latest effort, Ruinism. The record was created entirely on hardware, re-pitched and manipulated, and that approach is at the core of the atmosphere Howard creates – it’s warm and analogous, but also feels futuristic and otherworldly. More is up for interpretation – the samples are more scintillating, the vocals are more elevated and abstract, ultimately making this his most dramatic record yet. This sound is an even more experimental direction for Howard, who until now, has managed kept his feet firmly in down-tempo, off-kilter glitch music that his label Brainfeeder champions so much. In Ruinism, Lapalux isn’t exactly demanding space – he’s creating it.

Rachel Grace Almeida

CELEBRATION

OH WONDER

WOUNDED HEALER

ULTRALIFE

Bella Union July 7th

Island Records July 14th

Wounded Healer floats on the mercury of a cooling thermometer. In the three years since the bluesy Albumin, Celebration have given their sound time and space to move closer to heat death. The result is a synth sound cosily swaddled in midlife crises and pop nostalgia, from a band ageing with grace. It takes time to sink its claws in, but Wounded Healer finds the way. There’s the hot, Low-era Bowie synths on ‘Stevie’ offering some of Celebration’s typically dark bounce, tailed by gargling riffs and saxophone shrieks; an ominous carnival inside the blacked-out big top of ‘Healer highlight ‘Georgia Roots’. Then Future Islands’ Samuel T. Herring, always the treat as rattling doomsayer, elevates the toybox ‘Paper Trails’ into a seductive piece of new age pop. Grant Bailey

The follow-up to their 2015 debut, Ultralife is Oh Wonder’s more exuberant self; rich with analogue synths and technicolour textures. So while some of the wistful vulnerability from that debut is lost, they make up for it in exploring the catchy pop hook. Take lead single ‘Ultralife’, ‘High on Humans’ and desire-driven ‘Heavy’ where “I could be the only one” could be sampled from a Janet Jackson record. True, the cohesion can sometimes be disrupted by unnecessary interludes or samples like the guitar in ‘Lifetimes’ or autotune in ‘Waste’, and piano-led ballads like ‘Bigger than Love’ fall short as formulaic, but overall Oh Wonder’s forte (intimate vocal harmonies that retain sweetness without excess) shines throughout Ultralife. Katie Thomas LiS 41

HAIM // SOMETHING TO TELL YOU Polydor // July 14th

If Charlie Brooker’s shimmering digital posthumous utopia San Junipero really existed, Haim would be its matinee stars.

They’re the MTV generation incarnate: three Californian sisters whose spotless craft produced 2013’s Days Are Gone - the sugar-spun indie debut that made the world over kvell. Never mind three, four, or even six singles. It had seven.

Fast forward four years and we’re all emotionally wizened. We lost serious troops last year, among them The Purple One. Haim’s sophomore LP Something To Tell You moves beyond their Tango In The Night-invoking debut to embrace Prince’s experimental bombast, especially notable in the songwriting of ‘Right Now’ but liberally scattered in various sonic pockets throughout.

Really, STTY manages to be heavier and lighter than anything they’ve done. There are tasteful forays into chart-conquering territory in obvious singles ‘Want You Back’ and ‘Little Of Your Love’. And nestled two tracks from the end is the Grimes-indebted ‘Walking Away’, a sexy after-midnight number with some of the best vocal layering to be found in 2017.

They do harmonies like no other pop group and their sound is a perfect synthesis of that quarter decade when music television was pop’s de facto weapon of mass dissemination.

If you could turn abstract nouns into music, Haim would be ‘joy’ or ‘love’ or something.

For those reasons they’ll be a dandy treat in the digital afterlife, but ‘til then, l’cHaim!

Tim Hakki

DAPHNI // FABRICLIVE 93 fabric // July 21st

To be eagerly anticipating a new record and have it arrive in the form of a lengthy FABRICLIVE mix is jarring, to say the least.

After stumbling upon the album announcement, a nagging sense that my nights were about to be consumed by far-flung Facebook pages dedicated to identifying track ID’s loomed. Thankfully, FABRIC93 finds Dan Snaith taking the unprecedented step of constructing a mix of twenty-three unreleased Daphni songs and four edits. A salivating prospect for any fan or fabric devotee.

Despite Snaith outlining his newfound freedom in stitching together a mix of organic tracks, the first half hour feels surprisingly laboured, lacking any meaningful hooks and overcooking a grating sample that blights ‘Hey Drum’ beyond repair. No matter, for what follows is one of the most diverse and joyous mixes that fabric have put their name to.

‘Tin’, a woozy dream sequence of a track and granted a release after its mysterious debut in 2012 prompted a plethora of pleading YouTube comments, feels like the catalyst.

Snaith weaves ferocity (‘Joli Mai’) into a delicate whisper (‘Nocturne’), nostalgic garage vocals (‘So It Seems’) alongside big band theatrics (‘Vs’) and funnels it all into the mammoth dancefloor wrecker that is ‘The Truth’. Incredibly, none of it sounds out of place, exquisitely arranged by Snaith and proving that, when legs are tiring and minds are unravelling, Daphni can deliver one hell of a second act. Lee Wakefield

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE HUG OF THUNDER City Slang July 7th

CHILDHOOD

UNIVERSAL HIGH Marathon Artists July 21st

Childhood introduced themselves in a rush of heady, hazy psychedelia on 2014 debut album Lacuna. On its followup, the London four-piece have switched lanes completely. Universal High is one of the smoothest records of 2017, but under its caramel grooves and glassy melodies lies heartbreak. “I never learnt to love as well as I could tell a lie,” Ben Romans-Hopcraft admits on the dusky ‘Californian Light’.

On ‘Melody Says’ he warns “They'll only love you ‘til the end of the night”, while on the vintage ’Don't Have Me Back’ he’s yearning for “the only thing that hurts”. It's a record full of growth, and in balancing lyrics full of despair with rich, texture-filled sounds, Universal High transcends Childhood's past work and lifts things to new stratospheres. Rhian Daly

Seven years is a long time in most contexts, but in socially-aware indie rock, it's an age. Dunno about you, but compared to the grotesque technicolor of today, I remember 2010 in black and white, and Broken Social Scene when it was all fields.

Their first album since then starts by trying to calm our nerves with 'Halfway Home', a slice of driving euphoric alt-rock that sounds… a bit like BSS by numbers to be honest, but hey, at least it sounds like BSS. From there, Hug of Thunder does stretch out a little – the uneasy funk of "Stay Happy" and motoric grooves of "Towers and Masons" are highlights – but mostly it’s a case of them doing what they do best, if little else. Thomas Hannan

WASHED OUT

MISTER MELLOW Stones Throw Records June 30th

Chillwave had its heydey in 2009, a confusing time when global economies bombed and everyone got really into Glee. Since 2017 is shaping up to be even more of a shit show, perhaps it is comforting to know that Ernest Greene aka Washed Out is still out here doing his reverby thing, his imagined nostalgia now legitimately nostalgic for itself which is surely the epitome of what he is going for. Where most Washed Out releases sound like one long song, Mister Mellow shakes things up with some BPMs potentially even seeing you break a light sweat from something more than sipping on a frozen marg. But the vocals are still as languid as ever.

Lie in the park and let the album wash over you.

Then put it away until next summer, when you’ll go “oh yeah, chillwave. Huh.” Kate Solomon LiS 43

CORNELIUS

MELLOW WAVES Rostrum Records // July 21st

Isn’t it great when an artist does your job for you and reviews their own album in the title of the record? And in only two words too. So many thanks to Keigo Oyamada. The Japanese polymath’s new record - his first since 2007’s Sensuous - is all rippling streams of playful jazz and avant-electronica and gorgeous, effortless melodies. It’s an understated and gently joyous sonic cocktail, coalescing into, er, mellow waves of sound.

It’s so mellow, in fact, that sometimes it passes warmly over you. Yet just when you think you’ve got a grasp on the album something like ‘Helix / Spiral’, which sounds like Daft Punk having a beautiful malfunction, comes along, or ‘Sometime / Someplace’ suddenly unfurls, revealing layers of dazzling sound. He remains pleasingly genre-defying. I’m eagerly looking forward to his next album Every Sound Since 1972 Mixed-In-A-Blender released in 2024. Danny Wright

TORO Y MOI BOO BOO

Carpark Records // July 7th

On Boo Boo, Chaz Bundick returns to the Toro y Moi moniker and says that recently, music became “a form of therapy” for him and that he “fell in love with space again”. Boo Boo is unquestionably a pop record, but its songs can certainly occupy many spaces - ‘Mirage’, ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘Girl Like You’ are smooth dancefloor starters with smart, lavish production akin to 2012’s revered Anything in Return, whereas the album’s middle chunk - from ‘Don’t Try’ to ‘Windows’ to ‘Embarcadero’ - are introverted, beautifully atmospheric meditations that display Chaz’s sensitivity without smothering it in uplifting beats.

Boo Boo is as widescreen and elastic as pop albums get, proving that Chaz doesn’t need a band to mould his best ideas - and this record has loads. Tom Walters

SHEER MAG

NEED TO FEEL YOUR LOVE Static Shock Records // July 14th

It’s hard not to feel something akin to a sugar rush listening to Sheer Mag. The DIY Philly rockers have released a string of EPs which demonstrate their penchant for combining feel-good pop melody with ego-inflating, retro rifferry. The band’s debut album, Need to Feel Your Love, provides much of the same but cleverly expands on their sound by drawing from “the bizarre intersection of disco and rock from the late 70s”, as well as introducing more tender moments via power-ballads. Thematically too, there is much beneath Sheer Mag’s sugary surface, from nuanced takes on love in ‘Just Cant Get Enough’ to a self-aware critique of America’s sickening history on ‘Expect the Bayonet’. With Tina Halliday’s powerful vocals melting into distorted guitars like cheese on beef in a Philly cheesesteak, Sheer Mag’s debut is one for anyone with an appetite for feel good riffs beneath heartfelt cries. Hassan Anderson

saturday 1 july | 11:00

saturday 14 october | 7:00

saturday 7 july | 7:00

WEdnesday 18 October | 7:30

WONKFEST

THE ALGORITHM sunday 16 july | 7:00

OBEY THE BRAVE

saturday 5 August | 7:00

AVERSIONS CROWN + VENOM PRISON friday 1 september | 7:00

MARTYR DEFILED

saturday 2 september | 2:30

COLD HARD TRUTH

sunday 17 september | 7:00

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE DOWNTOWN BOYS + PRIESTS thursday 19 October | 7:00

DESPERATE JOURNALIST saturday 21 October | 7:00

THE FLATLINERS

tuesday 24 October | 7:00

KING DUDE

friday 27 October | 7:00

SATURNUS

thursday 2 november | 6:30

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE LEPROUS + friday 29 september | 7:00 AGENT FRESCO MONDAY 6 november | 7:00 BLACK FOXXES saturday 30 september | 7:00 DYING FETUS KADAVAR tuesday 7 november | 7:30 wednesday 4 october | 7:00 JAPANESE BREAKFAST GALACTIC EMPIRE wednesday 8 november | 7:00 thursday 5 October | 7:00 ALEX LAHEY FRANCK CARDUCCI wednesday 8 november | 7:30 saturday 7 October | 7:00 TORRES wednesday 8 november | 7:00 THE KENTUCKY COUNTERPARTS HEADHUNTERS Monday 9 october | 7:30

SHANNON AND THE CLAMS

thursday 12 October | 7:30

DEAD PRETTIES

saturday 25 november | 7:30

BURNING

saturday 9 december | 7:00

GIMP FIST

friday 15 december | 7:00

CAIRO

GIGS OF THE MONTH

Our pick of the best upcoming shows around London

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

THE GOOD SHIP

FEIST

BLACK POPE + ESPER SCOUT + WORM HEARS + TWO TRIBES

July 27th, 28th, 29th £26.50adv // @o2sbe

Shepherd’s Bush FEIST

July 19th £4adv // @thegoodshipnw6

Kilburn

O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON FAULTS July 15th £10adv // @O2Islington

THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

CHARMPIT

KIAH VICTORIA July 25th £7adv // @ServantJazz

Angel

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

July 14th FREE // @shacklewell Arms

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

SKINNY GIRL DIET

THE LOCK TAVERN DREAM NAILS + LAZY PILGRIMS + FOR BREAKFAST July 13th FREE // @thelocktavern

Chalk Farm / Camden Town

THE DOME

THE LEXINGTON

WONK UNIT + SPRING KING + THE PARKINSONS + THE MURDERBURGERS + MORE

SKINNY GIRL DIET + THE FRANKLYS + FIGHTMILK + GUTTFULL

July 1st £20adv // @DomeTufnellPark

Tuffnell Park

Angel

BRIXTON WINDMILL

BOSTON MUSIC ROOM

FREE MONEY + GORGEOUS BULLY + THE DEATH OF POP + MORE

THE ALGORITHM July 7th £8adv // @BostonMusicRoom

July 20th £8adv // @thelexington

Tuffnell Park

July 15th £6adv // @WindmillBrixton

Brixton

MOTH CLUB

PICKLE FACTORY

MEATBODIES + THEE MVPS + DRAHLA July 18th £13adv // @Moth_Club

ANDREW ASHONG + CHERRIE FLAVA

Hackney Central

HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN SCORS + HÅN + SUNKEN July 7th FREE// @HoxtonSquareBar

Old Street

July 2nd £7.50adv // @PickleFactoryE2

Bethnal Green/ Hoxton

THE TOOTING TRAM & SOCIAL BOYS + TALK SHOW HOST + MORE July 22nd £3adv // @TootingTram

Tooting Broadway

THE WAITING ROOM BAYWAVES July 6th FREE // @WaitingRoomN16

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

DEERFUL

MONTAGUE ARMS DEERFUL + CAT APOSTROPHE + JUST BLANKETS July 2nd Queens Road Peckham / New Cross Gate £5adv // @Montague_Arms

JAZZ CAFE

THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB

SMINO July 7th £10.00adv // @TheJazzCafe

TYLER CHILDERS Camden Town

PAPER DRESS VINTAGE

July 25th £8adv // @slaughteredlam

Farringdon/ Old Street

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

SHANNON SAUNDERS July 20th £8.50 // @paperdressed

BAYWAVES (photo Andrea Vega)

RUNTOWN Hackney Central

July 7th £25adv // @O2ForumKTown

Kentish Town

OSLO

FABRIC DAPHNI + MARK ERNESTUS + MORE

TOM HICKOX

July 21st £20adv // @fabriclondon

July 19th £11adv // @OsloHackney

Farringdon/ Chancery Lane

LiS 49

Hackney Central

FULL JULY LISTINGS

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

Saturday 1st July

Sunday 2nd July

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Tuesday 4th July

Monday 3rd July

Wednesday 5th July

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JULY LISTINGS

Thursday 6th July

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Friday 7th July

Saturday 8th July

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JULY LISTINGS Tuesday 11th July

Sunday 9th July

Wednesday 12th July

Monday 10th July

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Friday 14th July

Thursday 13th July

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JULY LISTINGS

Saturday 15th July

Sunday 16th July

Monday 17th July

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Tuesday 18th July

Wednesday 19th July

Friday 21st July

Thursday 20th July

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JULY LISTINGS

Sunday 23rd July Saturday 22nd July

Monday 24th July

Tuesday 25th July

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Thursday 27th July

Wednesday 26th July

Friday 28th July

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

FULL JULY LISTINGS

Sunday 30th July Saturday 29th July

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Tuesday 1st August

Saturday 5th August Wednesday 2nd August

AMBASSADEURS + DEBORA IPEKEL + BASSALA DANZA £TBC / 10PM / THE YARD, HACKNEY WICK

Thursday 3rd August

Friday 4th August Sunday 6th August

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

AUGUST LISTINGS Monday 7th August

Tuesday 8th August

Wednesday 9th August

Saturday 12th August

Thursday 10th August

Friday 11th August

Sunday 13th August

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Tuesday 15th August

Wednesday 16th August

Saturday 19th August

Thursday 17th August

Friday 18th August

Sunday 20th August

Monday 21st August

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

AUGUST LISTINGS Tuesday 22nd August

Wednesday 23rd August

Friday 25th August

Saturday 26th August Thursday 24th August

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Wednesday 30th August

Sunday 27th August

Thursday 31st August

Tuesday 29th August

FOR THE VERY LATEST LISTINGS, AN D TO SIGN UP TO O U R GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAI L , VISIT LON D ONIN STERE O. C O M

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

07—17

Lanzarote

MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Tuesday 4 July

BENJAMIN BOOKER Friday 7 July

A GUY CALLED GERALD Tuesday 8 July

THE MEATBODIES Thursday 3 August

ADULT. Shacklewell Arms 71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Thursday 6 – Saturday 8 July

BLEAKENDER III Thursday 20 July

TAFFY Monday 24 July

THE HAYMAN KUPA BAND Friday 28 – Sunday 30 July

GNAR TAPES WEEKENDER The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Friday 14 July

BIRDSKULLS

lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks

presents

Thursday 20 July

XARAH DION Thursday 27 July

COSMIC STRIP Saturday 29 July

BROKEN ENGLISH CLUB The Lock Tavern 35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Saturday 8 July

SPILT MILK ALL-DAYER Sunday 9 July

THE SHIVAS Thursday 13 July

DREAM NAILS Saturday 22 July

HERETIC The Montague Arms 289 Queen’s Rd London SE14 Sunday 2 July

DEERFUL Wednesday 5 July

PINATA Thursday 6 July

MOONOVERSUN

photo: Freddy Sheed

IN LONDON with FAKE LAUGH Why do you live in London?

I studied here and stayed on afterwards. I’ve just moved to New Cross after having spent a year and a half with my family in Berlin. It’s nice to be back.

What are your go-to places for food & drink?

I seem to have found myself in the Brockley Barge ‘spoons a fair amount recently. The scope of their condiment selection is really quite impressive.

“I haven’t written a ‘Waterloo Sunset’ or anything like that yet” It’s summertime in the city - how do you like London when the sun’s shining?

London in the summer is a beautiful thing, even the grottiest spots have their charm when illuminated by the sunlight. Telegraph Hill is at the top of my road too which is a true treat.

Favourite outdoor spaces?

Victoria park is big and beautiful, should probably make a point of heading up there more often.

If you could live anywhere in London where would it be?

Islington is a pretty cute zone and it was where I used to visit my friend when I first started spending time in London, so maybe there. Pretty happy in South East though, to be honest.

What’s the worst thing about London?

All the haters everywhere. But it’s also the best thing, because I live for the haters.

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

I’ve only just moved back so I’m not sure if I’ve quite got the formula for the perfect day on lock. That said, I do recall a friend’s birthday a couple summers back spent in Brockwell Park, followed by a boogie at Effra Social Club in Brixton, which was pretty sweet. Got really funky in there.

Do you have any favourite venues?

I like the Shacklewell Arms for shows, very solid venue with a nice garden. I recently went to the Ivy House in Nunhead for the first time and they have live jazz there every Sunday. Was very wholesome in there, so want to try and go as much as possible.

Does living here influence the music you write?

I think so. Your surroundings always influence you in some sense, though I haven’t written a ‘Waterloo Sunset’ or anything like that yet. It’s funny though, when I moved back I found myself revisiting songs that I started writing when I was here before.

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

I’m still working on that myself, but there is truly such an abundance of good stuff around.

I guess people can get fairly stuck in the zone they live, which is a shame because all corners of the city offer different delights. So maybe I’d advise to keep doing loops of this big old city. Get a canal boat.

LiS 69

Fake Laugh release their self-titled debut album July 28th via Headcount Records.

LIVE: Rough Trade East, August 1st. @FakeLaughMusic

LIVE REVIEWS FIELD DAY, VICTORIA PARK, JUNE 3RD photo: Carla Salvatore

The sun shone brightly over revellers at this year’s Field Day, a marked difference to the persistent drizzle and waterlogged underfoot of 2016. Spirits were high and Aphex Twin t-shirts aplenty as the crowds descended on Victoria Park for a day of sunburn, diverse music and, generally, improved sound.

New to Field Day this year was cavernous new indoor space The Barn. Main stage headliners have often suffered due to residential sound restrictions in the latter hours of the festival. With the mighty Aphex playing his first London show in five years, compromised sound was not an option. For this alone, creating an indoor main stage was an excellent idea.

Wandering into the vast hangar-like structure to a thumping but sparsely attended Marcel Dettmann set, eyes widened. The techno matrix. The Ostgut Ton mainstay’s selection of unwavering industrial techno showcased the potential of The Barn’s soundsystem for later. A stop at the sun kissed Bleep Bandstand caught the end of Ikonika. Wearing her trademark Teklife cap, the Hyperdub artist celebrated the Friday’s release of her third LP with tracks from RiRi and DJC.

Warp signee Gaika brought his gothic and commanding presence to the London in Stereo stage where his fusion of grime, dancehall and r&b was met with equal parts hesitation and appreciation. Loyle Carner had a charming grin and a freestyle about Field Day at the ready for the Eat Your Own Ears stage, closing with ‘No CD’ and, as ever, clutching his Eric Cantona shirt in memory of his stepfather. Unfortunately the sound in the Bugged Out! tent fell short. Job Jobse reached for crowd-pleasers with Bicep’s ‘Let No Man Put Asunder’ edit to no avail, and Fatima Yamaha’s live show felt flat and repetitive save for the inevitable roof raising sing-a-long during ‘What’s A Girl To Do?’.

Over in The Barn Nicolas Jaar teased us with long atmospheric crescendos of acidic bleeps and keys, flirting only momentarily with the drop; ‘Space is Only Noise if You Can See’ was satisfying if fleeting. Aphex Twin was just as much of a brilliant headfuck as anticipated. Two hours, heavy in lasers, dry ice and trippy visuals, included tracks from Kamixlo, Underground Resistance, Lorenzo Senni and Squarepusher. It was challenging, occasionally undanceable and totally uncompromising; an extraordinary sensory overload of the highest order.

Katie Thomas LiS 70

LIVE REVIEWS NOS PRIMAVERA SOUND, PORTO - JUNE 8TH-10TH My earliest festival memories are all waking up at 7am in a tent scorched by a furious sun/collapsed under the weight of apocalyptic storms. Always one of those. You had three choices: cry, have a warm Fosters or cry and have a warm Fosters. Warm Fosters got drunk and you pushed yourself through another torturous day inevitably headlined by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

How the hell festivals have survived as a means of entertainment is beyond me.

Thing is, you just gotta festival smarter.

And, honestly, what I mean by that is literally come to Porto and rejoice in NOS Primavera Sound. The city is beautiful and has one of the raddest bridges around. And a funicular. We drink sangria in the three holy forms of red, white and sparkling, we try port, we eat like the champions we believe we are (miss you already Tapabento) and we hang on the beach drinking cold Sagres. You can do this stuff because the festival starts at a civilised 5pm-ish and when 5pm-ish comes around you’re really ready for music. This review kinda starts in the next paragraph, but the bit above is more important, cos line-ups change, but all this good Porto stuff will still be here in 2018. I love a funicular.

The site is hilly and grassy and exactly the right set-up to allow you to engage with bands as much or as little as you like. We don’t engage with Miguel’s very sincere and very terrible racket, but we’re all fired-up for Arab Strap’s brilliantly acerbic malevolence. Run The Jewels are a bit one-trick but, like the kid in the Academy Awarddrenched Mighty Ducks who can only hit the puck hard but when he connects sweetly it’s the most awe-inspiring thing, when they get it right they are unstoppably awesome. It’s the blissful part of the next day and everyone’s bathed in the sun’s gentle glow. Angel Olsen is being incredible. Let’s be clear, Angel Olsen just is incredible. Whether gently Nashvilleing or caning the hell out of the soundsystem, we don’t really deserve this greatness. Teenage Fanclub play ‘The Concept’ and ‘Everything Flows’ which is how you say Teenage Fanclub are perfect. Do you know about Julien Baker? Not many people here seem to.

People are fools, she is wonderful. It’s day three.

“Food is the most important thing to me in the world” says Mitksi, cementing her place harder in our hearts. Mitski rules, but you know that. Please put Metronomy on at every festival. They are the ideal festival band. We dance so hard, my friends.

Japandroids are typically boisterous fun, even if they lose some immediacy in huge fields. Aphex Twin is an entirely astonishing deathly comedown. Complex, intricate, oddly party, pretty damn scary and a real thrilling finale. Dave Rowlinson

photo: Hugo Lima

LiS 71

PRESENTS

PLUS VERY SPECIAL GUESTS

FRIDAY 08 DECEMBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS What 50 issues of London in Stereo taught me by Jess Partridge So I know I’ve already banged on about this whole 50 issues thing, but I’m serious when I say it’s remarkable. After that first issue arrived – that had taken months of work – I saw a selection of covers from another magazine and, seriously, only at that point did it dawn on me that I would have to do it again, and again, and again. If I had realised it before I don’t think I would have made it through the first one. Call me an idiot, but I have a feeling it was survival instinct.

The last four-and-a-bit years have taught me so much I barely even know where to begin. Consistency is the main thing, when I first sent out our basic-as-fuck mailer to the 25 people who signed up to our mailing list, it felt stupid, but now people tell me all the time how useful it is, people I’ve never even met. It’s super weird (good weird). I’ve learned you don’t need to do what everyone else is doing, you don’t need to write about the same bands (but also it’s fine if you do), just try and support stuff you like. Sounds simple, right? But the longer you go, the harder it gets to keep focused on that. Which brings me onto my final point (for now): concentrate on what you’re doing, not what everyone else is doing. We’re all guilty of this to some degree, those pangs of jealousy when you see a smug social media update from someone else. Well this whole thing can be a bit like that too “why did they get that?” “why won’t this person reply to me?”. But you’re never going to know, you don’t see the 3am deadline, the bruises on shoulders from carrying heavy bags of magazines, the pain of something great falling through. You can only keep trying, working and caring, you can’t control anyone or anything else. Create something you're proud of and support the things you love. Easy.

Jess Partridge is editor of London in Stereo.

LiS 73

PRESENTS

FRIDAY 08 SEPTEMBER

The Garage

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

plus ULRIKA SPACEK

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN TUESDAY 7 NOVEMBER