SOULECTION YUNA THE SOUND OF TOMORROW
SAT 09 JULY
KOKO
TUE 20 SEPTEMBER
SCALA
MURA MASA JONES THU 29 SEPTEMBER
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
THU 29 SEPTEMBER
OSLO
KOJEY RADICAL THU 22 SEPTEMBER
JAZZ CAFÉ
BISHOP NEHRU SAT 01 OCTOBER
OSLO
BJ THE SNAKEHIPS GOAT CHICAGO KID
+ JOSEFIN ÖHRN & THE LIBERATION
SUN 02 OCTOBER
THU 06 OCTOBER
TUE 18 OCTOBER
KIKO BUN
JMSN
NAO
THU 27 OCTOBER
MON 31 OCTOBER
JAZZ CAFÉ
KOKO
THE CORONET
THU 03 NOVEMBER
XOYO
JAZZ CAFÉ
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM GIGSANDTOURS.COM & VENUE BOX OFFICES
WELCOME METRONOMY
So, July might be a quieter month from a gig and new release point of view, but somehow we find ourselves busier than ever. July, it turns out, is London festival season. I mean, we already kicked it off with Field Day, Found and Bushstock but July sees everything ramp up. Citadel, Lovebox and Sunfall are firmly in our diaries and we leave one of our favourites until last, with Visions just sneaking into August. Anyway, we still have an impressive month for you regardless. Metronomy woo us with Summer 08, Clams Casino chat the route from cloud rap to a debut album, on page 67 you'll find more information about a new project we're part of called Support Act. The brilliant Rachel Grace Almeida writes a passionate and personal piece about guns too. See you in one of London’s many brilliant parks this month. LISA PRANK
STAFF ON REPEAT
the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: FLAMINGOSIS - BELIEVE IN ME DAVE: THE AVALANCHES - FRANKIE SINATRA LOKI: FAKE LAUGH - ICE DANNY: BECK - WOW GEMMA: MERCHANDISE - FLOWER OF SEX JACK: TRUST FUND - TOGETHER CHARLIE: LISA PRANK - STARTING AGAIN LiS 03
CONTENTS 08. ON THE STEREO
LONDON IN STEREO IS:
13. NEW SOUNDS
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
17. TALES FROM THE CITY
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
20. CLAMS CASINO
Online Editor: Charlie Mock charlie@londoninstereo.co.uk
26. METRONOMY
Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki Lillistone sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
32. ALBUM REVIEWS
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Gemma Samways, Jack Urwin.
40. EVENTS
Photography: Metronomy cover story: Tim Boddy (timboddy.com)
45. GIGS OF THE MONTH 48. LIVE LISTINGS 67. SUPPORT ACT 69. IN LONDON 70. LIVE REVIEWS 73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Contributors: Simon Scott Warren, Rhian Daly, Rachel Grace Almeida, Nick Mee, Geoff Cowart, Kate Solomon, Thomas Hannan, Jamie Milton, Woodrow Whyte, Sarah Sahim, George O’Brien, Lee Wakefield, Grant Bailey, Nate Rockwell.
CLAMS CASINO
londoninstereo.com
@LondonInStereo
/londoninstereo
/london-in-stereo
londoninstereo LiS 05
JULY 2016 ~ LIV E ~ 1st 2nd
Club CloseUp: Native People
Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson 4th
7th
Tones /
5th
The Strumbellas
Origins East Photography Exhibition launch /
9th 13th
Blossoms* /
11th
Lisbon
Sound And Vision: Heart Of A Dog
Sounds Familiar Music Quiz / 16th
8th
15th
Club CloseUp: WØlffe
London Afrobeat Collective /
27th
Fullee Love
~ LATE ~ every friday
2nd
9th
NIGHT CALL
THE DOCTOR’S ORDERS
KATE BOSS
Weekly Friday Club
K ings of the capital’s
A proper old school
hip-hop scene
discotheque
16th
23rd
30th
SOUL FOOD
THROWBACK
TUCK SHOP
Soulful selections
80s & 90s house designed
A fresh new slice of global
across the board
to keep you dancing
& tropical sounds
Dates, times & tickets: www.hoxtonsquarebar.com *Tickets available via nme.com
| HOXTONSQUAREBAR
COLLIE BUDDZ ELECTRIC BALLROOM JUN 30
ODDISEE & GOOD COMPANY
FIDLAR ELECTRIC BRIXTON JUL 12
THE GARAGE JUN 30
SAMARIS
HOPSIN
CHIMES
THE CLF ART CAFE BUSSEY BUILDING JUL 13
ELECTRIC BRIXTON JUL 14
THE OLD BLUE LAST JUL 20
IZZY BIZU
SUNDARA KARMA
DANIEL DOCHERTY
KOKO SEP 14
HEAVEN SEP 16
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON2 SEP 20
NORMA JEAN MARTINE
KELVIN JONES
LOCAL NATIVES
THE BARFLY CAMDEN OCT 20
KOKO NOV 02
OSLO SEP 21
THE BEST IN NEW LIVE MUSIC L O
N
D
O
N
@LNSOURCE LIVENATION.CO.UK
ROSIE LOWE
ROSIE LOWE
ULRIKA SPACEK
One of those tracks that gets looped and looped as soon as you hear it for the first time. The vocals are really nice and silky (with a verse courtesy of none other than Little Simz) with some cool pitch-shifting effects throughout which give it this extra soulful vibe. At times it is almost straight up R&B, but simultaneously weird and twisted. The great Dave Okumu collaborated in producing it too. What an absolute dream team.
Just released as a new single and video, ‘Ultra Vidid’ shows a slightly softer side to Ulrika Spacek’s sound, although the song is as melodic as ever; a trait that shines through even on their more fuzzed-out tracks. Wait for the outro and bask in sonic bliss. Although this is a special track worthy of recognition in its own right, the entire album, The Album Paranoia, is absolutely killer. Jump straight on that train if you’ve missed it up until this point.
SO HUMAN
ULTRA VIVID
FULL LINE UP: Young Fathers // Anna Calvi // ESG // Lindstrøm // Lightning Bolt // Cate Le Bon // Jessy Lanza // Mykki Blanco // JD Samson // Gengahr // Bleached // The Japanese House // Dream Wife // Rosie Lowe // Let’s Eat Grandma // Bad Breeding // Kelly Lee Owens // Show Me The Body // Elf Kid // Gabriel Bruce // Pumarosa // Drones Club // Ulrika Spacek // Japanese Breakfast // Babeheaven // Aldous Harding // Meatraffle // Wesley Gonzales // Iglooghost // Baba Naga // Deep Throat Choir + Craft beer and food festival, dog show, black metal yoga, record fair, brewing class, screen print classes and tattoo flash day.
CATE LE BON LOVE IS NOT LOVE From this year’s Crab Day, this one always stuck out as a favourite from the record; all the instruments have so much space between them and the way the piano chords and the dissonant guitar lines bounce off each other is great. Also just released as a single with a church-setting video shot in Berlin. Lovely!
LINDSTRØM
CLOSING SHOT ‘Closing Shot’ came out of the blue this March to everyone’s very happy surprise. The bassline is so cool and the ascending synth that comes in midway with the interweaving lead line is heavenly. This one is going to be out of this world come August!
CATE LE BON
WESLEY GONZALEZ I SPOKE TO EUAN
One of two excellent singles recently released by Wesley, this one got the video treatment last month which features Wes in a surreal, semi-virtual chat show setting. It’s got a great melody throughout which is introduced with a pretty Mellotron line, and it of course comes as no surprise that the lyrics are brilliant too. Visions Festival runs across six Hackney venues Saturday August 6th. ONLINE: visionsfestival.com // @VisionsFestival // facebook.com/visionsfstvl
WESLEY GONZALEZ LiS 09
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10 – 11 S E P TE MBE R
2016 SAT URDAY 10 T H SEP T EM BER
PRIMAL SCREAM | HOT CHIP | RÓISÍN MURPHY LONELADY | ROSIE LOWE PRE SEN T S
THUNDERCAT | CONNAN MOCKASIN
DJS
L AURA GROVES | A.R. KANE | DUVAL TIMOTHY ALEX ANDER NUT | BULLION | JAPAN BLUES | MUSIC TO EASE YOUR DISEASE SUNDAY 11 T H SEP T EMBER
BELLE & SEBASTIAN | JAMES | SQUEEZE | SOAK & FRIENDS PRESEN T S
SAINT ETIENNE | EDWYN COLLINS
NIGHT BEATS | THE PARROTS | AMBER ARCADES | HEAVENLY JUKEBOX DJS AL SO FE AT URING
NENEH CHERRY (DJ) | JA Z ZIE B (SOUL II SOUL) | DON LE T TS | CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB JOHN LE WIS F OOD VILL AGE
CHEF ’S CLUB | CHEFS’ DEMO S TAGE | AWARD-WINNING S TREE T FOOD ANNA MAE’S MAC N CHEESE | LE BUN | SMOKES TAK | & MANY MORE
OnBlackheath.com
25% O F
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B L A CK HE AT H , L ON D ON S E3 0U A
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BIRD ON THE WIRE PRESENTS
Visions Festival
Angel Olsen
The Weather Station + Gun Outfit
Jenny Hval
SAT 6TH AUG HACKNEY / LONDON FIELDS
THU 25TH AUG THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
Moonface and Siinai
MON 27TH JUN HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
Mac DeMarco
Imarhan
MON 5TH SEPT THE LEXINGTON
Laura Gibson
MON 5TH SEPT THE COURTYARD THEATRE
MON 27TH JUN UT ELECTRIC BRIXTON DO SOL JUN TUE 28TH KOKO
Basia Bulat
Alex Cameron
Amanda Bergman
WED 29TH JUN THE WAITING ROOM
Little Scream MON 4TH JUL SEBRIGHT ARMS
The Very Best TUE 5TH JUL XOYO
Allah-Las THU 14TH JUL OSLO
TUE 6TH SEPT OSLO
WED 7TH SEPT THE LEXINGTON
Frankie Cosmos THU 8TH SEPT THE DOME TUFNELL PARK
Lionlimb
WED 14TH SEPT THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
Grandbrothers THU 22ND SEPT CORSICA STUDIOS
Weaves
Ulrika Spacek
Public Access T.V.
NZCA LINES
THU 14TH JUL SHACKLEWELL ARMS
SAT 23RD JUL THE OLD BLUE LAST
TUE 27TH SEPT ELECTROWERKZ
WED 28TH SEPT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
MON 17TH OCT KOKO
WED 19TH OCT OSLO
Porches
MON 24TH OCT THE DOME TUFNELL PARK
Suuns
TUE 25TH OCT RICH MIX
Tim Hecker
FRI 4TH NOV BARBICAN CENTRE
Preoccupations MON 7TH NOV OVAL SPACE
Julia Holter
MON 14TH NOV O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
Ryley Walker
THU 17TH NOV ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
Keaton Henson FRI 18TH NOV LONDON PALLADIUM
The Color Bars Experience plays Nick Drake
MON 5TH DEC ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
MORE INFO AND TICKETS BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET
NEW SOUNDS
by Gemma Samways
ARISTOPHANES 貍 photo: Etang Chen
If the internet gives us unlimited access to the world’s music, why is it that the majority of us Brits rarely look beyond the UK or North America? Pessimists might argue it’s solipsism; that we’re too self-involved to enjoy songs performed in other languages. More likely, we simply don’t know where to begin our search, which is why guidance from trusted sources is vital. When Grimes previewed Art Angels with ‘Scream’ last November, she gave a platform to Taipei-based rapper Aristophanes 貍 - real name Pan Wei Ju. Listening to the latter spit in Mandarin over ominous surf-guitar, it remains impossible not to be awed. Darting between a seductive whisper and a curdled cry, her lightning-fast flow is dripping with dreamy sensuality and visceral menace. Drill down into the lyrics and you realise the poetic
power of her rhymes, which are littered with couplets like, “A herd of deer run past the window and at the same time / Blue winds are dispelled so quickly, wiping out the foams on the margin of the world.” Her solo work is equally impressive, be it the electronic, jazz-inspired atmospherics of January’s No Rush To Leave Dreams EP or the aptlytitled track ‘3001: a space disco’, which was produced by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler. We owe Grimes a huge debt of thanks, and we owe it to ourselves as music fans to look beyond what’s familiar. LISTEN TO: 3001: a space disco ONLINE: facebook.com/aristophanesmusic // @AristophanesTW // soundcloud.com/aristophanesmusic LIVE: Birthdays, July 8th. LiS 13
b y P IN E G R Y IT C E TH M O FR S TA LE
I’ve always been a wired sleeper: a nap-taker, a true snoozer, a stay-up-later-and-later sort of guy. You know, all of the deviant sleep habits. Basically I eat and sleep when I want, and don’t bother with daylight normativity stuff. So I figured when planning my UK trip that no preparation was necessary, that since I had no circadian rhythm anyway it wouldn’t be so hard to just adopt a new one. Well. The flight over was a red-eye, so I thought, “Cool, I’ll drink enough beer before the flight to feel snoozy (a prudent strategy), then I’ll sleep some, flight’ll feel short, boom, wake-up there ready to take on the day!” So I guess this story properly starts at 9:30am Greenwich time, zoned and babbling to no one in Heathrow arrivals. My new friend Tom picks me up. Tom is extremely friendly and helpful and my eyes feel like tumbleweed. We arrive eventually in Kingston for the show at Banquet which was surprisingly good and, of course surreal, given everything. After the show we get a train back to London proper where I fall asleep quickly (and on new pal Tom’s shoulder?). We stop to get a beer (or two) where, despite best efforts, I nod off a little at the table, but nothing major. We grab a train toward what’s allegedly the best curry spot this side of Delhi, telling myself I will absolutely not fall asleep this time. I’m woken up at our stop and ushered out by Tom who is, by this point, my Best Friend. The curry was as good as advertised! So a few beers and a spicy dish and all of a sudden I am very awake! I feel like partying and adventuring around this new, beautiful and unusual place! I stay up till 5am.
OVE
I wake up at 8am. :( Why am I awake? I do the math. ‘Okay yeah, I guess it’s 1pm EST’ I drearily figure. Um, right. After three hours of blasting my data plan into oblivion I’m startled awake at 1pm and late for the thing I had planned at NME! We hustle effectively and make it on time. Cruising on the adrenaline of it, I’m back to a reasonable amplitude! I wanna eat food and drink beer! I wanna see everything. We walk around a lot which is, of course, kind of a lot but still really nice and cool. I look at the sun and as we enter the station for the Underground I wonder why there is apparently no correlation whatsoever between what time it is and if I’m tired or not. Then I wake up on the train wondering where I am and happy to see my best friend Tom sitting next to me, smiling and patting my head, tucking me in. It feels so lucky and luxurious that there’s such a lush bed in the middle of this train, seems strange, though who am I to question foreign customs? The train lifts off and suddenly breaks into the night sky and over the Atlantic. Over Iceland, then Greenland, then Newfoundland, then Tom is gone and I am floating back over the U.S. of A drifting into the fog of it and rumbling closer and then finally rumbling there, texturally, deeply in my own bed. I dream I’m rafting my bed through the Thames. I sleep forever. Evan Stephens Hall Pinegrove release Cardinal July 1st, via Run For Cover. LIVE: September 4th, End Of The Road. September 13th, The Lexington. ONLINE: @PinegroveBand // pinegrove.bandcamp.com LiS 17
fabric July 2016 Craig Richards / Terry Francis / Ricardo Villalobos Agents of Time (Live) / Danny Daze / DJ Skirt Egyptian Lover (Live) / Ellen Allien / Gerd Jansen Jackmaster / Jay Haze aka Fuckpony (Live) Jay Tripwire / Joseph Capriati / Lee Curtiss Magic Mountain High (Live) / Mr. C NoĂŤl Jackson / Radio Slave / Robert James Ryan Crosson / Shaun Reeves / Subb-an Surgeon (Live) / Truss / Zip / Plus many more...
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all photos: Nick Griffiths
clams casino words: simone scott warren “I don’t know if I’ll ever really feel like an artist...” Clams Casino confesses down the line from his New Jersey abode. “That’s kinda happened on its own. I mean, I never really wanted to do that. I just set out to be a producer for other people, I never really saw myself as the artist. It was never on purpose, you know...”
Regardless of what he considers his role, it was probably inevitable that Mike Volpe, the man behind Clams, would eventually find himself pushed to the forefront. Since bursting on to the scene back in 2011, he's already spearheaded a new genre, cloud rap, with his three Instrumental mixtapes that gloriously showcased the beats beneath his work with the likes of Lil B and Soulja Boy. But despite all his experience producing The Weeknd, Vince Staples, FKA Twigs and more, the road to the release of his own grandiose debut, 32 Levels, hasn't exactly been easy. “I had never done a project like this from the start...” he points out, “The mixtapes were things that I had laying around, things that people had used already. So that was a brand new thing for me. I was lost for a little bit, I wasn’t sure what to do for a while…” To add to the challenge, Mike also had to teach himself how to make the sounds from scratch, rather than delving into the thousands of samples he's collected over the years. “Sometimes you make something that’s restricted from coming out, sometimes you’re just not able to get something properly released because of legal issues, and it gets a little frustrating. I had to teach myself how to make things sound like I found them... Now I know how to do it very quickly, I can do it very LiS 21
comfortably and fast, but that took a few years to get to that point.” Despite having worked together since 2008 when Mike originally reached out to the rapper over MySpace, this was also the first time that Clams Casino found himself in a studio with Lil B, who lays down his ferocious rhymes on a couple of tracks at the start of the record. And there must have been a bit of a fear that working together in person would be completely different from internet chatter. “I had done three or four shows opening up for him, but we had never really met, we would kinda just say ‘what’s up’ passing each other.” He tells us, “I didn’t know what was going to happen. We’ve been talking and working online for almost ten years, so I was a little bit nervous at first, but it was really cool. I felt maybe from the work that we had done over the internet, it was real. We didn’t really have to think about it, it just came really naturally. Thankfully.” That Lil B, along with A$AP Rocky, appear on 32 Levels isn't a surprise (although 'Be Someone', featuring all three, together will definitely have fans salivating); to begin with, there's a sense that this record picks up where his earlier work left off. But as the record progresses, and Clams explores newer directions, some of the guest artists seem like more leftfield choices. Especially when Future Islands' frontman Samuel T Herring steps up to the mic for the extraordinary 'Ghost In A Kiss'. “I was a fan of Future Islands, I love that album that came out a couple of years ago. I didn’t know what was going to come out of it, and that was a huge surprise, I would never have expected to make anything like that...” “And that’s kind of the big pay off for me, for what I wanted to do with this album,” Mike considers, summing up 32 Levels in two words, “Just experiment...”
“I never really saw myself as the artist. It was never on purpose, you know...” Clams Casino’s debut album 32 Levels is released July 15th via Columbia. ONLINE: clammyclams.com // @clammyclams // facebook.com/clammyclams
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hen Joe Mount answers the phone he seems surprised. There’s the noise of children playing and water being splashed in the background. “It’s the kids’ bath time - I completely forgot you were calling,” he laughs. When you’re the father of two young children it can be hard to find a minute for interviews. Yet, it also acts as a neat contrast with his latest album, Summer 08, a concept album that looks back to 2008 and the release of Metronomy’s breakthrough album Nights Out; a time when he was drunk, living in “crappy shared houses” and the band started touring. LiS 27
“I certainly don’t look back and think ‘Oh things were better then’. Things are way better now...”
The album, though, is more of a symbol of that time rather than an autobiographical account. “The title is more about making reference to it as a time when everything started. It was the first time that Metronomy got any real attention. Part of the reason for calling the record 08 was that it was a really fun time, doing things for the first time: going to Australia, touring for the first time, and getting that first feeling of being adrift from normal life.” Being adrift meant guilt at missing the weddings and birthdays of loved ones. “The year after Nights Out I had this idea for a record about the year that I’d just missed. It’s funny, I was talking about this album, ‘2008’, to friends for so long it became almost an in-joke. So when it was announced a few weeks ago I got a text message from an old tour manager and they said ‘Ah, finally!’ But it’s something I think I left long enough that it became a nice idea.” In those eight years since Nights Out, Mount and the band have released The English Riviera and Love Letters, more expansive albums, recorded in bigger studios. It was an opportunity to get those ideas out of his system - but Mount realised this was the time to return to that earlier, rawer sound. “The attitude to the album was very similar to the attitude behind Nights Out. I did it in a very self-sufficient way and I didn’t really think about playing live. It was very straightforward: take yourself away and make an album.” It also meant trawling through “loops and tiny fragments of songs” to see what would work. “[First single] ‘Old Skool’ is a song that has existed since English Riviera but it worked in an incredibly different way - it was an instrumental and it didn’t have half as much going on. And there are a lot of songs like that. I think ‘Night Owls’ has been around since
even before Nights Out.” “Every time I start a record I go through all my old hard drives and listen to little old things I’ve done. With ‘Old Skool’ it was just drums and bass guitar and nothing else. But I was like ‘Ah, OK this feels kind of good’. It was the right time for ‘Old Skool’.” Having four albums under your belt also meant he has the opportunity to ask some big names to perform too. Step forward Mixmaster Mike who appears on ‘Old Skool’. “I don’t know him but I wanted a scratch break on ‘Old Skool’ and we thought we’d try him. Luckily we’re at the point now that people can look at us and say, ‘Yeah, OK it’s worth doing’. I’ve always been a fan and I’d never thought I’d formulate a plan where he would work with me.” Robyn also guests on ‘Hang Me Out To Dry’. “I knew her already. There’s a song called ‘A Thing For Me’ on Nights Out which is me singing in a high-pitched voice in the chorus trying to sound like a girl. So when I was doing this I thought I should probably actually get a girl to sing! There’s a version of me but it sounded crap and I thought ‘No, the song deserves more than that’.” Being at this level not only means attracting big names, it also means you can make important decisions about what’s best for you as a band. Since Nights Out Joe and the band have been on a near constant touring cycle. But that’s not happening with this album and the decision not to tour freed him up to experiment in new ways. “There’s something very relaxing about knowing you’re not going to have to go off and ditch your family for a few months.” “You look at really huge artists and it doesn’t work like that for them. It’s a problem being a band at our level and if you’re smaller then you definitely have that pressure to tour and tour and tour. It is what it is and you get paid really well for playing live but if you tour for three years LiS 29
you’re three years older. It doesn’t feel that long ago that we started touring and I was 23 and in those ten years that have gone past I’ve made five albums which isn’t a bad strike rate compared to most people.” And from the funkadelic ‘Back Together’ to accelerating kinetic ‘Night Owl’, 08 is an album that Mount describes as ‘a mature, quite eclectic pop record’. It’s one that, like all Metronomy records, that uses off-kilter, wonky funk to slowly seep into your brain until it’s lodged there for days. Mount has talked of his love for OutKast, Bowie and old Daft Punk – those ideas certainly filter through. And there was also inspiration from a more surprising direction. “I was listening to the Kendrick Lemar album a lot - it’s the only album I’ve really listened to in a while. The thing with Kendrick is he makes this album which is just the perfect thing he’s able to do: it’s musically brilliant, politically very intelligent and also so relevant to the lives of his biggest fan base.” “If you take that out and apply it to Metronomy obviously there’s not such lofty things in there but I think you can take that and musically make the best thing I can do and make it relevant to my fan base. I mean it sounds kind of ludicrous but you should always be trying to outperform yourself.” So while Summer 08 might be a homage to a different time in his life, a past that no longer reflects where he is now, it’s also the sound of a musician outperforming what’s gone before. “It’s nice to think about what you’re up to then and what you’re doing now. It feels like an achievement. I certainly don’t look back and think ‘Oh things were better then’. Things are way better now, but it was such a significant time. And I think there’s also something nice about the fact that that young version of me got me here.” As the sound of children laughing continues to flutter in the background, and with Metronomy having made perhaps their finest record yet, ‘here’ feels a pretty good place to be.
Metronomy release Summer 08 July 1st via Because Music. ONLINE: metronomy.co.uk // @metronomy // facebook.com/metronomy
ALBUMS
RECORD OF THE MONTH SHURA
NOTHING’S REAL Developing as an artist in 2016 is not straightforward. The most exciting beginnings are rarely given the time and attention to flourish and potential is allowed to fade all too easily. At the beginning of 2014 a track hit the internet that set the so-called blogosphere alight. ‘Touch’ put Shura on the map, opening our eyes to the new RnB-tinged electro-pop artist. Countless ones-to-watch lists and 26 million YouTube views later and the half-Russian, Shepherd’s Bushbased songwriter/singer/producer has a finished debut album that feels not only like the realisation of potential, but also like the record Shura wanted and deserved to make.
Polydor // July 8th Stand Out Tracks: Nothing’s Real What Happened To Us Touch Tongue Tied
Painstakingly recorded over this two year period (even sparking hasshurafinishedheralbumyet.com) Nothing’s Real Live: July 1st, BST, Hyde Park July 28th-30th, LeeFest is a collection of songs that showcase Shura’s array of Sep 1st-4th, End Of The Road inspirations and songwriting skill. Fans of ‘Touch’, and the tracks that teased this release, will be pleased to hear Online: @weareshura existing favourites punctuating proceedings. ‘Indecision’ facebook.com/shuramusic remains a bouncing pop-disco affair that lodges between the ears and demands dancing, likewise the swinging, string-infused title track and ‘2Shy’ are romantic, relatable slow-jams for the sensitive side. ‘Kidz N Stuff’ too provides a gossamer, emotional break-up moment, building into its pulsating, hypnotic outro. It’s when Shura picks up the pace that Nothing’s Real feels really exciting though. ‘What’s It Gonna Be’ is a Springsteen-inspired highlight with irresistible 80s power flavours shining through. An even better example of this guitar-driven development comes with ‘What Happened To Us?’, its pounding bass line thunders the action along below her effortlessly hushed vocal, telling another tale of love and loss - a theme that dominates Nothing’s Real. There are shades of the underrated HAERTS at play as the track inspires and uplifts, while simultaneously recalling a saddening memory. ‘Tongue Tied’ also stands out as a chunky, Jungle-esque disco cut with its big synth sound marrying effortlessly with reverb-heavy guitar work, before ‘Make It Up’ – which could sit very comfortably on a new Haim record – continues the six-string motif that is wonderfully wrapped-up by the elongated wig out at the end of ‘White Light’. Something for everyone then, and this is the beauty of the album; a long time in the making it may have been but Shura has been able to create a full-length that represents her growth and breadth as an artist and as a person, with childhood anecdotes littering the record. Nothing’s Real she says, but out of unreal early attention we find a very real artist indeed. George O’Brien
BAT FOR LASHES THE BRIDE
Parlophone // July 1st A decade on from Fur And Gold, Natasha Khan returns with a near-flawless set examining intimacy and societal expectation via the concept of a doomed wedding. Khan is cast as the titular bride-to-be - widowed on the eve of the ceremony - and embodies the role with grace and empathy as she journeys from fear and anger, to acceptance and hope. Her sombre subject-matter is mirrored in comparatively subdued arrangements throughout, but within these there’s real variety. ‘Honeymooning Alone’ utilises sonorous guitar and clipped drum-rolls to evoke a Southern gothic-feel redolent of Timber Timbre, while ‘Strange Encounters’ conjures Angelo Badalamenti-esque atmospherics to stirring effect. Best of all is ‘I Will Love Again’, a gorgeous, slow-burning statement of defiance which only confirms Khan’s status as one of the UK’s finest singer-songwriters. Gemma Samways
SANFORD PARKER LASH BACK
My Proud Mountain // July 22nd Lashing back? Or just lashing out? It’s not entirely clear who’s giving or receiving here – but it’s a pummelling either way. Chicago’s fearsome metal producer and electronics shaman Sanford Parker is clearly not in the mood to explain as he unleashes 41 minutes of darkened, twisted noise. At times the lockstep programmed drums and harsh distorted fuzz recalls a nightmarish My Bloody Valentine. Elsewhere the assault is just an exercise in foreboding industrial beats and power dynamics. This album is hard to listen to, impossible to dance to and lacks any sense of a programmatic message. But if you’re patient he redeems it with a simple break midway through ‘Slow Children’, detonating the tune’s glacial monochromatic stuttering into a wild-eyed orchestral flaying of epic proportions. Geoff Cowart
NO JOY
DROOL SUCKER Topshelf Records // July 15th Montreal’s No Joy are sticking two fingers up at everyone that’s ever tried to pigeonhole them via a series of EPs that aim to blast all of your preconceived notions right out of the water. Drool Sucker is the first in that series and its three tracks showcase a band refusing to be pinned down. ‘A Thorn In Garlands Side’ begins quietly, with a phone dial tone and soft, crunching drums, before exploding into life, all blistering riffs and singer Jasamine White-Gluz’s silvery vocals gliding through the noise. ‘XO (Adam’s Getting Married)’ is bruised and dark, indie-rock that’s swollen and sullen, while ‘Theme Song’ is the kind of shoegaze-y sweetness they made their name on. Lesson learnt. Rhian Daly LiS 33
THE AVALANCHES WILDFLOWER
XL Recordings // July 8th People dismayed that The Avalanches’ return to “live” performance mostly turned out to be DJ sets are missing the point – the Australian duo are first and foremost weapons-grade cratediggers rather than an act you’d want to sit and watch play, like, instruments. Wildflower, their first record since 2000’s classic sample collage Since I Left You, could just as easily be titled Here’s All the Cool Shit We’ve Heard in the Last 16 Years, With Some Cool Vocalists We’ve Met Too, as there’s no shame in calling this what it is: another patchwork masterpiece. Pinpointing the genius of what the duo actually do is as difficult as it is pointless. ‘Frankie Sinatra’ is more of an electro-swing remix of Wilmouth Houdini’s ‘Bobby Sox Idol’ with Danny Brown and MF Doom trading blows rather than anything you could call songwriting, but damn if it isn’t excellent. Similarly, I’ve not spotted where the samples heavily deployed on ‘Subways’ and the particularly fabulous ‘Wozard of Iz’ come from yet, but when I do, it won’t stop me humming them any time the sun’s out. True, you might expect more progression from a band who’ve been AWOL so long, but their proudly displayed influences have always contained so much wistful nostalgia that it seems a moot point. Yes, this sounds a lot like Avalanches circa 2000. It also sounds like the pop music of the 1940s, or 60s, or 2020s. It sounds like summer. Thomas Hannan
BLOOD ORANGE
FREETOWN SOUND Domino // July 1st Unapologetic is the word that first springs to mind when thinking of Dev Hynes’ music. It’s a word that, for all intents and purposes, perforates most of his musical endeavours, but none perhaps so much as his work as Blood Orange. Freetown Sound, the latest in this vein, comes as the next in a long line of bold beats and even bolder mantras; Hynes has described it as a “clap back” but in reality, it’s much, much more. Opener ‘By Ourselves’ samples spoken word artist Ashlee Haze’s stirring poem For Coloured Girls (The Missy Elliot Poem). A defiant statement of black female empowerment, Haze doesn’t just set the tone of the album, she sets the agenda: one of strength-in-self. The track screams “you are enough” from the top of its lungs and lets the words ring out until long after the last track’s final refrain. Whilst the record racks in at 17 tracks and can come across a little intimidating at first, it more than compensates with the seamless variety and flawless features. From Debbie Harry on ‘E.V.P.’ to Nelly Furtado on ‘Hadron Collider’ - not forgetting longtime collaborator Carly Rae Jepsen on ‘Better Than Me’ - Freetown Sound welcomes new textures without departing from the funk-laced pop notes that have come to be so recognisable as Hynes. It’s a Blood Orange record - there’s no two ways about it - but it’s one with infinitely more social standing than ever before, and it’s all the better for it. Charlie Mock
MARTHA
BLISTERS IN THE PIT OF MY HEART Fortuna POP! // July 8th Martha have a lot to live up to with their sophomore record, and they deliver beyond expectations. Produced by the fantastic MJ from Hookworms, his take on indie rock with tighter-than-tight guitars allows for depth in the hazy mess of it all. ‘Chekhov’s Hangnail’ may open with the line “Well I've never been any good at poetry and I stumble over words from to time”, but at their core Martha are storytellers, and such open ones at that. Their appeal lies in the way they connect to listeners with tales of mental health, financial issues, ill-fated romance and their innermost vulnerabilities. Sharing songwriting and vocal responsibilities makes for a multifaceted and deeply personal record for each member. Delivered with such a joyful and infectious pop undercurrent, you can't go wrong. Sarah Sahim
LOU RHODES
BADBADNOTGOOD
Nude Records // July 22nd
Innovative Leisure // July 8th
There’s a woody resonance to Lou Rhodes’ fourth album, not only because it was recorded in rural Wiltshire. The clarity of its analogue performance and production enables the listener to picture strings quivering over sound holes, fingers triggering piano hammers, beaters bouncing off skins, bows curling at cellos. The former Lamb vocalist wrote theeyesandeye in “a positive frame of mind” and the wistful folk of ‘All The Birds’ and ‘All I Need’ are pretty celebrations of affection. Yet there are spits of anger, too. ‘Sea Organ’ is an environmental battle cry awash with harp rising and falling like waves, while the haunting ‘Them’, about the demonisation of the other, is set to soft martial rhythms and reminds us of humanity’s incessant taste for the tragic, even among all this love. Nick Mee
On IV BadBadNotGood push their jazz element to new limits. The beats tighter and melodies more playful than those of the comparatively subdued III, with the band sounding creatively juiced. Here, as with the Ghostface Killah’d Sour Soul, it’s the guests that steal focus, though the pairings here feel more tailored to the band’s intricate hip-hop than the Wu-Tang rapper’s unapologetic accompaniment. After BBNG’s input on 99.9% standout ‘WEIGHT OFF’, Kaytranada repays the favour with the silky ‘Lavender’, while the shift from Sam T. Herring’s baritone rasp on ‘Time Moves Slow’ to Colin Stetson’s barbed sax on ‘Confessions Pt II’ is an exotic pleasure. The dusky romance of their previous releases might feel absent here, but what it lacks in noirish mystery it makes up for in their tastiest jams yet. Grant Bailey LiS 35
THEYESANDEYE
IV
CLAMS CASINO 32 LEVELS
Columbia Records // July 15th Remember when cloud rap was a thing? If so, you're probably familiar with producer Clams Casino. His woozy, dreamlike beats featured on career-defining releases by A$AP Rocky, Lil B and Vince Staples, and formed the bedrock of his wildly popular Instrumentals mixtape series. His debut album 32 Levels is his most significant solo work since the Rainforest EP (his finest achievement to date) and features old and new friends alike. Kelela predictably kills it on the sultry rumbles of ‘A Breath Away’ while ‘All Nite’ is a banging sequel to Clams/Staples collab ‘Norf Norf’. Not all the partnerships are as rewarding (stay clear of the Future Islands track) but overall the evolution of Clam’s sound on 32 Levels is a welcome treat. Woodrow Whyte
COLD PUMAS
THE HANGING VALLEY Faux Disc/Gringo // August 19th Plenty have fought for the same standing, but Cold Pumas are the poster-boys for frazzled, frustrated punk, with endless 9-to-5 shifts and forgettable weekends making up their mantra. 2012 debut Persistent Malaise set the formula, and The Hanging Valley goes several steps further, with every open-ended guitar note sharp as a knife, fraught with purpose. The same goes for the band’s self-professed disgust at Planet Earth. In the interim between records, days have grown darker, #content a bigger drain, the world a more confusing and detached place. It’s reflected in the thick chug of ‘Open Mouth of Dusk’ and ‘Fugue States’’ perfectly-built charge, the line “I retake my dusky position, at the bureau in slick transition,” barked out with sinister authority. In a low-key way that best suits the band, they’ve penned anthems for a fucked-off, gentrification-aware generation. Jamie Milton
TTNG
DISAPPOINTMENT ISLAND Sargent House // July 8th In a recent interview concerning new song ‘Coconut Crab’, Henry Tremain namechecks ‘One Thing’ by Amerie, ‘Hey Ya!’ by OutKast and “any Talking Heads song” as pop songs that successfully “jam on the same idea for a whole song using dynamic, textural and melodic variations to keep the interest”. While ‘Coconut Crab’ doesn’t skyrocket to the pop stratosphere, as Tremain admits, “it’s pretty close for a TTNG song”. Despite the band being down on numbers on Disappointment Island, this their first as a trio, it makes little noticeable difference. The dizzying knot of complex riffs and intricate time signatures remains because, well, that’s what TTNG do, but tracks such as ‘Whatever Whenever’ and ‘Sponkulus Nodge’ bristle with a playfulness not heard before. It’s math rock, with a welcome injection of giddiness. Lee Wakefield
Goldenvoice Presents THE STRUMBELLAS
YAK
AIDA VICTORIA
HONNE
GIRLI
CROWS
ALLIE X
ISLAND
LEO KALYAN
WAND
MEADOWLARK
BILLY BRAGG & JOE HENRY
12.07.16 OUT SOLDGARAGE THE
13.07.16 OSLO
26.07.16 THE PICKLE FACTORY
27.09.16 THE WAITING ROOM
THE MAGIC GANG 28.09.16 SCALA
THE INVISIBLE 28.09.16 OSLO
28.10.16 ROUNDHOUSE
31.10.16 100 CLUB
02.11.16 SCALA
04.11.16 BOSTON ARMS
07.11.16 UT SOLD O CHAPEL UNION 08.11.16 UT SOLD O CHAPEL UNION
SLEAFORD MODS 10.11.16 ROUNDHOUSE
THE SPECIALS
25.10.16 ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
15.11.16 THE TROXY 16.11.16 THE TROXY
JP COOPER
TOURIST
KHRUANGBIN
26.10.16 O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
02.12.16 OVAL SPACE
JUNE – NOV
07.07.16 SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
27.10.16 SCALA
goldenvoice.co.uk
05.07.16 HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
5mm 210mm
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EVENTS
a selection of new stuff we’re excited about: VISIONS FESTIVAL 2016
ELF KID
You’ll notice that we’re going to have a lot to say about Visions over the coming weeks and there’s two main reasons for that. Reason One: We’re media partners again with the festival, which is incredibly exciting for us. Reason Two: Visions is always an incredible day (which is why we’re so happy to be involved) for music fans. The line-up is always absolute magic. A place where genre concerns are laughed at in favour of bringing us a world where Jens Lekman, Girl Band and Loyle Carner can play the same day and you’ll see the same people in each crowd. This year’s edition is even better and we’re already limbering up to make sure we can get between venues to see the likes of Lightning Bolt, Jessy Lanza, Elf Kid and Let’s Eat Grandma. Seriously, where else are you going to find this kind of eclecticism for this price? The first three years sold-out, so get on it quick. August 6th, Various Hackney venues. Tickets: £35. visionsfestival.com // @VisionsFestival
YARD SALE PIZZA IN FINSBURY PARK Give us music and pizza and you’ve got London In Stereo about as happy as we get. Maybe throw in a beer, too? Two years ago Yard Sale did all this for us when Macaulay Culkin’s Pizza Underground christened their Clapton branch with a quite astonishing performance of pizza-pun fuelled mayhem. Now, Mac hasn’t been to their new Finsbury Park branch yet, but we have and we’re here to tell you it’s every bit as awesome as the original, plus it’s got more seating space to enjoy your Holy Pepperoni in. Finsbury Park has long been home to Rowan’s infamous bowling alley, a couple of decent pubs and not much more we’re aware of, but now it can also call itself home to some of the very best pizza you’ll find in London. Guess we’ll be coming out this way a lot more now. Open now. 54 Blackstock Road, N4 2DW. yardsalepizza.com // @YardSalePizza LiS 40
HACKNEY SUMMER FETE We went to this last year and spent a beautiful summer’s day, with a couple of beers, lounging in the grounds of the church. So, pretty idyllic stuff. Between the Five Points Brewing Company setting up a Brewer’s Market, an array of local companies dishing up some of the finest food the borough has to offer, a host of your typical and not-sotypical fete activities and with all proceeds going to Hackney Night Shelter and Hackney Food Bank. this is the kind of wholesome fun we need once in a while. Plus, no kidding, there’s a dog show. July 9th, St. John @ Hackney Church, E5 0PD. Free entrance. facebook.com/hackneysummerfete
DALSTON MUSIC FESTIVAL VOL.2 Given the success of last year’s inaugural event it’s no surprise to see this eight-venue festival returning once more to the streets of N16, ready to dance from 1pm-6am. With a central hub based in Gillett Square (where a bunch of free live shows, and entertainment for kids will be happening), your wristband will see you into the likes of Servant Jazz Quarters, POND Dalston and Arcola Bar to see Laura Groves, Zombie Zombie, Fumaça Preta, Deek Recordings and many more bringing all the party you can imagine. July 9th, Various Dalston venues, N16. Tickets: £20 @DalstonMusic // dalstonmusicfestival.com
AN EVENING WITH TIM BURGESS The Charlatans were an early favourite band of the oldest member of LiS, but we probably wouldn’t have bet on the guy who told Smash Hits he was a ‘shit singer’ to still be part of our lives. Here we are though, and Tim Burgess is about to release his (brilliantly titled) second book Tim Book Two. Not an autobiography this time, but a journey through his love of vinyl, taking in record shops and album recommendations from the likes of Iggy Pop and Cosey Fanni Tutti. This one-off night of talks and more celebrates all that good stuff. July 19th. Cecil Sharp House, NW1 7AY. Tickets: £14. @FaberSocial // timbooktwo.co.uk LiS 41
MELANIE DE BIASIO THURS 30 JUNE JAZZ CAFÉ GRACE LIGHTMAN TUES 19 JULY SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS SERATONES THURS 1 SEPT THE LEXINGTON FAT WHITE FAMILY + THE BLACK LIPS SAT 17 SEPT O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
WILD BEASTS TUES 4 OCT & WED 5 OCT ROUNDHOUSE BEATY HEART THURS 6 OCT BUSSEY BUILDING MITSKI THURS 6 OCT TUFNELL PARK DOME SNOW GHOSTS THURS 6 OCT THE WAITING ROOM
EZRA FURMAN MON 31 OCT ROUNDHOUSE THIS IS THE KIT TUES 1 NOV UNION CHAPEL MERCHANDISE WED 2 NOV THE LEXINGTON THE BIG MOON THURS 3 NOV SCALA
DILLY DALLY THURS 22 SEPT SCALA
PARQUET COURTS TUES 11 OCT O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
LA FEMME THURS 17 NOV O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
LOOSE MEAT FRI 23 SEPT MOTH CLUB
MARTHA FFION FRI 21 OCT SEBRIGHT ARMS
ANNA MEREDITH WED 23 NOV SCALA
CHELOU WED 28 SEPT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
GLASS ANIMALS TUES 25 OCT ROUNDHOUSE
PALACE WED 23 NOV BRIXTON ELECTRIC PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
GIGS OF THE MONTH
OUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN JULY 2016
THE OLD BLUE LAST
LIFE // SHAME // THE ORIELLES // HAPPY MEAL LTD A third birthday celebration for So Young magazine as they gather a bunch of their favourite, and very great, new bands
02/07/16 FREE @theoldbluelast OLD STREET
SHACKLEWELL ARMS
THE LEXINGTON
Toronto’s Weaves have found a wonderful middle-ground between the Pixies and The Unicorns, creating brilliantly twisted pop tunes. Suffice to say, we’re a little bit smitten with them, and we reckon this is one not to be missed.
A show put on by the good people of Baba Yaga’s Hut, so you know to expect something a) out-of-the-ordinary and b) quite brilliant.
WEAVES
14/07/16 £7adv @Shacklewell Arms
ENDLESS BOOGIE // CASUAL NUN
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND SLABDRAGGER
24/07/16 £13adv @thelexington
BRIXTON
KAMIO
A$AP NAST This new venue at Red Gallery looks sweet inside, and will look even better with the A$AP Mob in town... 25/07/16 £12 @iamkamio
OLD STREET
BRIXTON WINDMILL
SUMMER SIZZLER WEEKENDER - GURT // DIESEL KING // SLABDRAGGER // IRON WITCH Summer Sizzler might seem a bit of a misnomer for this weekend of noise, but there’s a bbq and Slabdragger are punishingly awesome, so we’re in. 22-23/07/16 - £18 weekend ticket // @windmillbrixton
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB L.A. SALAMI
Thing 1) That’s his real name. Thing 2) This Sunday Best signee has been garnering all kinds of praise for his folk and postmodern blues.
BRIXTON
04/07/16 £4adv @slaughteredlam FARRINGDON LiS 45
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE GOOD SHIP
A debut London show for this incredibly talented purveyor of gothic-tinged deep southern blues. Be able to say ‘I was there’.
Amazing show here: the band that coined the phrase ‘dream pop’, influencing MBV, Slowdive et al, finally back in London!
07/07/16 £8.50adv @ServantJazz
13/07/16 £10adv @thegoodshipNW6
ADIA VICTORIA
A.R.KANE // PLASTIC FLOWERS
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
BORDERLINE
JESSE MALIN // DON DILEGO AND THE TOURISTAS “He’s a kickass storyteller. He doesn’t just sound like he’s singing the songs. He sounds like he IS that person.” - Ryan Adams
OSLO
15/07/16 £15adv @theborderline TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
HOXTON BAR AND KITCHEN
ALLIE X
WØLFFE // BROOKFIELD
Her last London show was just about the most fun we’ve had this year - a total explosion of twisted pop joy, performed by a real star. Seriously, don’t miss this. 13/07/16 £10adv @OsloHackney
KILBURN
Hilly Dilly and Neon Gold approved pop noir, Wølffe is on the up-and-up so catch while you still can.
HACKNEY CENTRAL
15/07/16 £6adv @HoxtonHQ
OLD STREET
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY
NEW CROSS INN
MUDHONEY
EVANS THE DEATH
Evans The Death celebrate their new LP ‘Vanilla’ - it’s still their indiepop thing, but more experimental and intriguing.
The very best (no arguments please) band from those Seattle days are back on our shores and as awesomely scuzzy, gritty and noisey as ever. What a band.
14/07/16 £4 @NewCrossInn
15/07/16 £18.50adv @O2Islington
NEW CROSS / NEW CROSS GATE
ANGEL
THE DOME MARTHA
We’re huge fans of Martha’s indie power-pop, and it’s ace to see them playing venues this size. Check out our album review on page 35, then just admire that press shot on the left. TITUS ANDRONICUS LiS 46
22/07/16 £10.50adv @DomeTufnellPark
TUFNELL PARK
FLAVA D
FABRIC
FLAVA D // D DOUBLE E // JUSTIN MARTIN + MORE With releases on Butterz and a lightning fast trajectory, Flava D’s take on UK Garage is getting everything spot-on right now. 15/07/16 £10adv @fabriclondon
FARRINGDON
WAITING ROOM FYFE
A real under-play here for the returning Fyfe as he brings his new ‘Stronger’ EP to life. Get on this one quickly. 05/07/16 £9adv @WaitingRoomN16
BIRTHDAYS
ARISTOPHANES // CHIARA NORIKO // SATU We’re really excited about this show. Read our Aristophanes ‘New Sounds’ (p.13), and get ready for this Grimes-approved magic.
BEDROOM BAR
KID CUPID // HOLLIE APRIL + MORE New indie-electro sounds from Kid Cupid, gathering comparisons to the likes of London Grammar and Young Galaxy. 20/07/16 FREE @Bedroom_Bar
OLD STREET
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
08/07/16 £10adv @_Birthdays DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE ALEXIS TAYLOR
Well, that’s just the Hot Chip star playing his new album ‘Piano’ in this wonderfully tiny setting. What a show. 21/07/16 £10adv @paperdressed
HACKNEY CENTRAL
THE LOCK TAVERN
100 CLUB
We’re big fans of Brunch and their Pavement-tinged delightfully-skewed rock, so a free Brunch show is 10/10 with us.
Adrian Sherwood and Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah’s seminal band, this dub-reggae ensemble bring all the party imaginable.
09/07/16 FREE @thelocktavern
27/07/16 £15adv @100clubLondon
BRUNCH // FOLLY // AARON KING
CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN
AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD LiS 47
presents
COSMO SHELDR AKE
& THE IMPROMPTU ENSEMBLE
TRUDY & The ROMANCE
SHACKLEWELL ARMS
BUSSEY BUILDING
THE VICTORIA
Tuesday 05 July.
Wednesday 06 July.
ODETTA HARTMAN
THEME PARK
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTER
MOTH CLUB
CECIL SHARP HOUSE
Wednesday 13 July.
Friday 15 July.
Tuesday 19 July.
VISIONS FESTIVAL
WILLIS EARL BEAL
KIR AN LEONARD
LESS WIN
Tuesday 12 July. FABER SOCIAL: An evening of talks with
TIM BURGESS Sharon Horgan / Andrew Weatherall / Pete Paphides
VARIOUS, HACKNEY
THE FORGE
100 CLUB
Saturday 06 August.
Tuesday 09 August.
Wednesday 24 August.
SUNFLOWER BEAN
COLLEEN GREEN & CASSIE R AMONE
CHAD LAWSON
SCALA
MOTH CLUB
THE FORGE
Thursday 15 September.
Thursday 22 September.
Thursday 29 September.
WOLF ALICE SUPER FURRY ANIMALS WILD BEASTS & MORE
OSCAR
SWANS
DREAMLAND, MARGATE
THE DOME
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
Fri 30 Sept & Sat 01 Oct.
Tuesday 04 October.
Thursday 13 October.
SWANS
POLIÇA
AMBER ARCADES
BY THE SEA FESTIVAL
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
ROUNDHOUSE
MOTH CLUB
Friday 14 October.
Wednesday 19 October.
Thursday 20 October.
MØ
HALEY BONAR
SPRING KING
ROUNDHOUSE
MOTH CLUB
KOKO
Saturday 22 October.
Thursday 27 October.
Friday 28 October.
KEVIN MORBY
FLUME
WILLIAM TYLER
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
ALEXANDRA PALACE
BUSH HALL
Tuesday 08 November.
Thursday 17 November.
Sunday 20 November.
JULY’S FULL LISTINGS
FRIDAY 1ST JULY
YOUR DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO ALL THE GIGS, AT ALL THE VENUES, IN LONDON THIS MONTH. FOR ALL THE LATEST & MOST UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM FRIDAY 1ST JULY
SATURDAY 2ND JULY
SUNDAY 3RD JULY
ARISTOPHANES Birthdays Friday July 8th
JAMIE XX Sunfall Festival Saturday July 9th
TUESDAY 12TH JULY
MONDAY 11TH JULY
WEDNESDAY 13TH JULY
THURSDAY 14TH JULY
FRIDAY 15TH JULY
SATURDAY 16TH JULY Theme Park Moth Club Friday July 15th
MONDAY 18TH JULY
SUNDAY 17TH JULY
TUESDAY 19TH JULY
WEDNESDAY 20TH JULY
THURSDAY 21ST JULY
FRIDAY 22ND JULY
FRM £25ADV / 7.30PM / ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL SATURDAY 23RD JULY
SUNDAY 24TH JULY
MONDAY 25TH JULY
TUESDAY 26TH JULY
THURSDAY 28TH JULY
WEDNESDAY 27TH JULY
FRIDAY 29TH JULY
SUNDAY 31ST JULY SATURDAY 30TH JULY
07—16 Shacklewell Arms 71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Tuesday 5 July
LESS WIN Thursday 14 July
WEAVES Saturday 16 July
TRASH KIT Wednesday 27 July
TALL JUAN Thursday 25 August
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
presents
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Tuesday 5 July
FYFE Thursday 7 July
NOVO AMOR Wednesday 14 July
THUNDER ON THE LEFT Wednesday 20 July
ODONIS ODONIS Tuesday 9 August
THE WEATHER STATION
LABARADOOR
The Lock Tavern
MOTH Club
35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Friday 8 July
IDER Tuesday 19 July
ALL THE PEOPLE Friday 22 July
MILIONS Saturday 6 August
ABJECTS Sunday 7 August
SULK
Valette St London E8 Friday 1 July
BEYOND THE WIZARDS SLEEVE Saturday 2 July
PAWS Wednesday 6 July
LOLA COLT Sunday 10 July
TREMBLING BELLS Wednesday 13 July
MARTIN CREED
RAISING FUNDS FOR REFUGEES VIA LIVE MUSIC There’s a refugee crisis at the moment, it feels like we're told daily on the news of another horrific tale, another disaster, another needless loss of life. It is undeniable. It is fact. Sometimes this makes it hard to remember we’re talking about individuals, people with different stories, a different way they were forced to flee their homes. Because the issue is so vast, the humanity of it so hidden, it can be impossible to know how to help. Where do you begin? How can you make any kind of difference to a life? For us, hearing about the amazing work that Plus1 were doing in Germany was a turning point. Asking for just €1 from those lucky enough to have a guestlist place to gigs had already raised €40,000. What a simple idea, what an easy way to contribute. So that’s what happened: with a fantastic team of people, from across all areas of music who felt similarly helpless in the face of crisis, we’ve created and developed Support Act, the UK equivalent to Plus1. Donating funds to two incredible charities, Road To Freedom and Refugee Action, and with some of the finest promoters and venues the city has to offer already onboard (from Eat Your Own Ears to Village Underground, Bird On The Wire to The Shacklewell Arms), together we can help create change, help foster compassion and be pro-active – in whatever small way – to get aid to those in need. Find out more about the two wonderful charities we're donating the money to, follow us on social media and, if you’re on the guestlist (or not) for a gig, drop a pound in when you see our collection tins on the door.
@SupportActUK // facebook.com/supportactuk // support-act.co.uk/ LiS 67
IN LONDON IZZY BIZU w ith
Why do you live in London? I love the vibe in London, it’s got a great art and culture scene and on top of that I was born here so it feels like home. Where do you like to eat and drink? I’m in East London right now answering these questions at a place called Morito, it’s right near The Premises Studios where I'm rehearsing. Delicious and convenient! I also really like eating at The Premises Cafe when I'm there with the band. Then there’s Beam and Banners in Crouch End, and Frank’s in Peckham is fun in summer. Summer’s (sort of) here, what’s the best way to enjoy London when the sun’s shining? Going to the park and playing rounders, getting up and going for a run. I’m playing a bunch of festivals this summer and that’s always nice for catching up with friends and having a few drinks in the sun (if it’s shining). Your favourite outdoor space? My favourite space is still my old neighbours rooftop in Crouch End. We did our first ever roof top sessions there, way before I had a record deal. Which gig venues do you like? Oslo, XOYO where I played my first ever open mic night for ILuvLive, Ronnie Scott’s because I like the lamps (and the jazz). Best London show you've ever played? Probably Hoxton Hall. It’s such a beautiful venue to look out at from the stage. Does London ever influence the music you write? Sometimes it does, especially the Underground and all the strange characters you see and meet. I also tend to write a lot from my own personal experience so it’s not always about where in the world I am but more about how I'm feeling. How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? London’s such a diverse city - I'd say get out and go for a cycle or walk into a random bar or cafe and strike up a conversation with a stranger.
Izzy’s debut album A Moment Of Madness is released September 2nd via Epic/Sony. ONLINE: izzybizu.com // @IzzyBizu // facebook.com/IzzyBizu LIVE: Lovebox Festival, July 15th // Koko, September 14th. LiS 69
LIVE
Our annual jaunt to Brighton was as fun as ever, running around the seaside we found Craig David, some hills, a lot of Diet Cig and tons more...
THE GREAT ESCAPE - Brighton, various venues, May 19th-21st The sky is clear, the sun is hot and the entire music industry is decamping to Brighton for The Great Escape, its 450-strong line-up as intimidating and eclectic as ever. Anna Meredith does her best to turn 4pm in a community centre into 2am in a club. The venue provides zero vibes and a flat sound but she somehow achieves the impossible with her live band leaving us all thinking, “hmm, maybe I should take up the tuba.” Onwards and pop-wards we go, with Frankie Cosmos’ short, sweet set getting us hyped up in time for Dagny’s energetic Abba-esque dance tunes before we trek up or possibly down another hill for Let’s Eat Grandma’s tantalising weird-pop. The two teens have the room mesmerised for blog-hit ‘Deep Six Textbook’ before getting brattier and poppier as the set wears on. Truly a Daphne and Celeste for our times. It isn’t hard to tell how much of Craig David’s crowd is there ironically (100%) but the man knows how to throw a party. He plays the wedding DJ set of dreams peppered with his own hits, every so often dropping the music out, clutching a headphone and crooning “craiiiig daaaaviiiid” over the top. It’s silly and wonderful and we all have a lovely time. It’s a woozy start to the second day, with Amber Arcades’ soundcheck proving a bit more exciting than their actual set and Mothers’ swoony existential vignettes dovetailing into Meilyr Jones, who is playing a twenty-
minute walk away to a crowd that is as dedicated as it is small. Neither are really Friday night fare so we have high hopes for The Invisible’s return but it isn’t so much triumphant as relentlessly groovy and exhausting. To get to Diet Cig and Elf Kid you have to go up a hill, but it’s just one hill so we’re up the hill and we see two of the weekend’s most party sets. Plus we’re at the top of the hill so momentum is on our side to get to new shows. We try to get into this and we try to get into that but that’s the way of TGE. You don’t get to see some of the things you want to because the rest of Brighton is trying to cram itself into the same venue. Sometimes you just end up listening to Beyoncé on the beach, downing vodka and Club Mate. Saturday starts gently, as Saturday should, with Kloe’s sweet and gentle pop. We accelerate hard with a second helping of Diet Cig who are righteously Diet Cig, which is the best thing to be. Then we get burgers because we want to be the best people we can possibly be. Strengthened, inspired, on it: we want to dance but the queue to dance to NZCA Lines is a no-go. We dance hard to ** ***** even though they are terrible. We end Great Escape bargaining our way into Loyle Carner and celebrating our chutzpah to the heavens because our cover star alumni turns in a weekend-stealing show, full of wit, charisma and just absolute total pophits. We’re happy. We’re done. Kate Solomon & Nate Rockwell
Field Day is always one of the best weekends of the year, regardless of the weather. Skepta, The Avalanches, Loyle Carner, our DJ sets (of course) and Kelela totally ruled, but here are our five highlights:
FIELD DAY in 5 - Victoria Park, June 11-12th ANNA MEREDITH: There’s one major problem as far as having Anna Meredith playing at Field Day early on Saturday afternoon is concerned: nothing else quite manages to live up to it. ‘Almost annoyingly talented’ seems to be the general consensus surrounding Meredith et al, and while the melding of modern classical and electronic elements of recent album Varmints is an intriguing proposition on record, her live show takes it up several notches to make her one of the most compelling performers of the year. Jack Urwin GOLD PANDA: Legging it from our stage in the middle of the festival down to the Crack stage, soundtracked by the sweet beats of London in Stereo cover star Gold Panda was a kind-of-euphoric, who-gives-a-shit-about-the-rain sort of moment. Scanning the edge of the packed out tent for a break in its defences, as others embraced dancing in the rain, there was no better pick me-up, no better joy, than the optimistic sounds of one of this year’s best albums. Jess Partridge TOASTED CHEESE SANDWICHES: It’s reasonable, I guess, that there’s music at music festivals. You don’t want Trades Descriptions having a field day fun. Food, though. Food keeps humans alive. Field Day did food real good this year. Mother Clucker, Voodoo Rays, Butchies - all A.O.K emoji. But, The Cheese Truck. The Cheese Truck do the best thing you can do to cheese: they put it between bread and melt it. Then we eat that cheese, oozing through the just-right crunch and chew of thick, perfect toast. As our half-full mouths mumble “Is it still raining? I hadn't noticed,” the look in our eyes says “it’s all going to be ok.” Dave Rowlinson
Skepta photo: Chloe Newman
MOLLY NILSSON: While I had a total blast on the Saturday of Field Day, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t stare at my mud-caked trainers and wonder whether I could face doing it all again the day after. The memory of swaying to Molly Nilsson’s calypso-tinged, reggae-laced pop on the Sunday - just as the grey clouds parted, and the sun kissed the edges of the London In Stereo tent - is one of many reasons I’m very glad I did. Gemma Samways PJ HARVEY: I always like to close my festivals by watching a musician wielding a saxophone, dressed in green feathers and accompanied by a nine-man band - and PJ Harvey’s performance was imperious. The set opened with tracks from The Hope Six Demolition Project, took in ‘Down By the Water’ and ‘To Bring You My Love’ and ended with ‘A Perfect Day Elise’, and she never let her herself drop below ‘mesmerisingly intense’ throughout. Danny Wright LiS 71
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by Rachel Grace Almeida When I was eight years old, my friend and next-door neighbor Jonathan accidentally shot himself in the chest. On that day, I saw him find the gun and immediately froze –– I knew it was the real thing. So, I called my dad – who was no less than 100 feet away from me next door – and asked him to pick me up. A few moments later, we heard a shot go off. Jonathan’s father held a legal permit to a concealed weapon that he kept in his study that frequently doubled as our playroom. Jonathan’s death was one that caused silent hysteria in our small, South Florida neighborhood. People were absolutely horrified that this could happen, yet most of them continued to possess guns in their homes “just in case”. In all of my infantile confusion, I was terrified, paranoid and devastated, as was everyone around me. There were a lot of empty prayers and contrived candle-lighting ceremonies, but there was no action. Everyone floated around in gun limbo, waiting for the next inevitable casualty –– a position we’re still in, sixteen years later. I didn’t understand why my friend died. I didn’t understand guns. I still don’t. Unfortunately, uncommon tragedies like the ones we’ve been facing recently always serve as a trigger to a traumatic event in my life that refuses to stay in the past. Living in England, it’s usually the first question people ask me about back home. Do you have a gun? Do your friends have guns? The answer is obviously no, but it’s something that we as Americans have to keep in our consciousness every day, because that moment could come at the turn of a corner. I don’t confront people on the street for doing something wrong; I don’t honk my horn if I’ve been cut off in traffic. I adjust my personality entirely because the paralysing fear of being shot over a banality is something that hangs over my head, like a stray hair that refuses to stay in place. Ultimately, Americans love guns because it feeds their entitlement. This isn’t about protection, it’s about arrogance; it’s not about constitutional rights; it’s about the justification of the violence living inside of people. Time and time again, I’ve seen hometown friends belittle my stance on gun control by simply reducing it to being an “opinion”. At least my opinion doesn’t have death tolls.
LiS 73
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