P R E S E N T S T | 19 08 | 03 | 19 - 09 03OU SO|LD
THE HOLD STEADY - ELECTRIC BALLROOM T | 19 SO|LD 10 03OU
| 19LD- OU 08 | 02SO 09T| 02 | 19
12 | 02 | 19
THE VACCINES
PRETTY VICIOUS
- ROUNDHOUSE -
- CAMDEN ASSEMBLY -
THE HOLD STEADY - HACKNEY PICTUREHOUSE T | 19 SO|LD 10 03OU
T | 19 14 02OU SO|LD
WHITE LIES - 02 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
THE HOLD STEADY 07 | 03 | 19
SHE DREW THE GUN
- OSLO -
- THE GARAGE -
19 | 02 | 19
20 | 02 | 19
- ELECTRIC BRIXTON -
- PICKLE FACTORY -
NISKA
JAMMZ
06 | 03 | 19
19 | 04| 19
VIC GODARD & THE SUBWAY SECT
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN
- MOTH CLUB -
- THE PALLADIUM -
22 | 02 | 19
POM POKO - SHACKLEWELL ARMS
T | 19 SO|LD 28 02OU
28 | 02 | 19
- ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
- THE LEXINGTON -
ÁSGEIR
PARK HOTEL
T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M
SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - THELONDONPALLADIUM.CO.UK STARGREEN.COM - ROUNDHOUSE.ORG.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK - DICE.FM
P R E S E N T S
04 | 05 | 19 - 05 | 05 | 19
DEAD CAN DANCE - EVENTIM APOLLO
08 | 03 | 19
17 | 04 | 19
VÖK
LAMBCHOP
- SCALA -
- HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN
- EARTH HACKNEY
HENGE
21 | 04 | 19
08 | 05 | 19
dEUS
- ELECTRIC BALLROOM
30 | 04 | 19
11 | 05 | 19
SAINT LEONARD
DISTURBED - ALEXANDRA PALACE
- OMEARA -
17 | 05 | 19
19 | 04 | 19
SOAK
SLEAFORD MODS
- ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
- MARGATE DREAMLAND
14 | 05 | 19
ROBERT FORSTER - UNION CHAPEL -
16 | 05 | 19
31 | 05 | 19
TOM WILLIAMS
JACK SAVORETTI
- SCALA -
- SSE ARENA,WEMBLEY -
T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M
SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - STARGREEN.COM SSEARENA.CO.UK - AXS.COM - EVENTIM.CO.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
Academy Events present ACADEMY EVENTS by arrangement with X-ray presents
Blue October plus special guests
SATURDAY 30th MARCH 2019 O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON LONDON
willeandthebandits.com
I H o p e Yo u ’ r e H a p p y To u r plus special guests
SATURDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2019 O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE LONDON New Album I Hope You’re Happy Out Now
blueoctober.com
0 /blueoctober 1 @blueoctober 1 @justin_5591 3 blueoctoberband
LIVE PERFORMANCE & EXCLUSIVE SCREENING OF THE DOCUMENTARY LIBERATION DAY
FRIDAY 1st MARCH 2019 O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE, LONDON LAIBACH.ORG AN ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTATION Academy Events by arrangement with ATC LIVE presents
ACADEMY EVENTS by arrangement with PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL and SPIDER TOURING presents
LOVE FROM
In support of the upcoming album “Paths”
An Academy Events presentation by arrangement with Midnight Mango
Academy Events & CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH present
STOURBRIDGE 20 1 9
SATURDAY 13th APRIL 2019 O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN, LONDON PERFORMING
FACEBOOK.COM/SLEEPEROFFICIALLY
THIS IS THE DAY... IN FULL PLUS OTHER FAVOURITES
G U E S T
D J
MILES
S E T
F R O M
HUNT
ATARI TEENAGE RIOT
SATURDAY 6th APRIL
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE LONDON
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON, LONDON 02.05.19
NEDSATOMICDUSTBIN.COM | POPWILLEATITSELF.NET
ACADEMY EVENTS by arrangement with UTA presents
Academy Events by arrangement with Coalition Talent presents
presents
FRIDAY 17TH MAY 2019 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON, LONDON
2019 UK TOUR WITH SUPPORT FROM
CHAPTER 2 SATURDAY 4th MAY 2019
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON LONDON
‘YOURS TO KEEP’ AVAILABLE FEB 8
FRIDAY 10th MAY O 2 A CADEMY ISLIN GTON LON DON showhawk.co.uk
STICKYFINGERSTHEBAND.COM
TICKETMASTER.CO.UK ALL USUAL AGENTS
TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
It's strange to me what a naturally transitory time the New Year is. I mean, there's no real reason for it, no real markers for change, but whether it's self-improvement, struggling with something, or just reassessing, the change in the air is palpable. So surely the only thing to do is embrace it? I mean you could maintain the status quo, you could refuse to acknowledge what's in front of you, but to instead use that fear and anxiety to embrace something new... well, you simply never know what might happen. Just know that the days will keep going by and the rain will keep falling. It won't always be so scary. Whatever you're doing, whatever new things you're welcoming into your life, do it with the heart-stopping new Sharon Van Etten album, and you're off to the best start.
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Chynna – Fuck Wit Me Dave: Queen Key - Ratchet Loki: Charlotte AdigÊry - High Lights Danny: N0v3L - Natural Gemma: Weyes Blood - Andromeda Jack: Lizzo - Juice Beth: Yugen Blakrok - Obsidian Night LIZZO
Katie: Jacques Greene & CID RIM - Kids Return London in Stereo: 07
A TRIBE CALLED RED
THE MODERN STRANGERS
KOVIC
FUTURE BOUNCE LIVE PRESENTS: SCOTT XYLO, PIP MILLETT & HARVE MON 11 FEBRUARY
WED 06 FEBRUARY
+ CASSYETTE THU 07 FEBRUARY
MON 10FEBRUARY SEPTEMBER FRI 08
OMEARA BUSH HALL
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
KODIE SHANE
THYLA
KALEEM TAYLOR
MIKE YUNG
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
WED 13 FEBRUARY
THU 14 FEBRUARY
FRI 15 FEBRUARY
BLACK COFFEE
KELVYN COLT
SAT 16 FEBRUARY
SAT 16 FEBRUARY
STRANGE BONES + RASCALTON
HOLIDAY GHOSTS
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
THU 21 FEBRUARY
THE LEXINGTON
SHACKLEWELL ARMS
JEROME THOMAS
JOSIN
KALIN WHITE
WED 27 FEBRUARY
WED 27 FEBRUARY
MASHROU’ LEILA
XOYO
WED 13 FEBRUARY
9PM – 4AM 18+
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
TANK AND THE BANGAS
THOUSAND ISLAND
THE LEXINGTON
XOYO
+ SWEET CRUDE TUE 26 FEBRUARY
WED 27 FEBRUARY
JAZZ CAFE
THE COURTYARD THEATRE
TIANA MAJOR9
PAROV STELAR
JAY PRINCE
ELECTRIC BALLROOM
THU 28 FEBRUARY
HOXTON HALL
FRI 01 MARCH
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
THU 07 MARCH
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
+ CHARLOTTE
JAZZ CAFE
SAT 23 FEBRUARY
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
THU 07 MARCH
ROUNDHOUSE
VISIT METROPOLISMUSIC.COM FOR TICKETS + TO SIGN UP FOR LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS
INTERVIEWS 20
30
WHAT’S ON
DAWN
16
SHARON VAN ETTEN SIR BABYGIRL
36
50
55
GIGS OF THE MONTH
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
FEATURES 12
24
27
EVENTS
Sharon Van Etten Cover Story: Page 30
NEW SOUNDS
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 75
77
IN LONDON
THOUGHTS...
REVIEWS 42
ALBUM RELEASES Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
Online Editor: Beth Sheldrick beth@londoninstereo.co.uk
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@londoninstereo.co.uk
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
Advertising: sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
Photography: Sharon Van Etten cover story: Mathew Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Contributors: Kezia Cochrane, Geoff Cowart, Lauren Down, Thomas Hannan, Ross Jones, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Kiran Leonard, Emma Madden, Robin Murray, George O’Brien, Stephanie Phillips, Kelly Ronaldson, Harriet Taylor, Simone Scott Warren. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 09
SASAMI
FLOHIO (photo: Jenn Five)
TOP TEN: New Sounds Take a Daytrip - Stressed (feat. Octavian) S3nsi Molly - Work Shay Lia - Feels LaLa & Why? - Siren 042 Ego Ella May - Table For One Ellis May - The Distance Flohio - Pounce (Feat. Clams Casino) Hunnah - Crush Lil Halima - Hold Me Dreezy - Chanel Slides (Feat Kash Doll)
YAEJI (photo: Micaiah Carter)
FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
Sasami by Gemma Samways For almost a decade, Sasami Ashworth was happy to assume a supporting role in music, be that composing film scores, arranging strings for Vagabon and Wild Nothing, undertaking production for Soko, or playing synths with Cherry Glazerr...
the nature of human connection, while showcasing Sasami’s skill as a songwriter and arranger. Stereolab fans might recognise the Motorik rhythms of ‘Morning Comes’ (and there’s definitely a whisper of Lætitia Sadier in her diaphanous coo), while Cherry Glazerr devotees should enjoy the halo of guitar distortion that surrounds ‘Callous’. From delicate ballads (exquisite Devendra Banhart duet ‘Free’) to sun-dappled dream-pop (‘Not The Time’), it’s an immersive, sensitively-arranged set that will prove once for all that Sasami is more than capable of entrancing listeners as the headline act.
It was while still working with the latter that the L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist first made steps to strike out alone, writing material between shows, before finally quitting the band at the start of 2018. Her eponymous debut arrives in March via Domino, and it’s a total gem. Inspired by “everyone I fucked and who fucked me last year”, the record dissects damaged relationships and meditates on QUEEN KEY
LISTEN TO: Not The Time SASAMIASHWORTH
@sasamiashworth
Queen Key by Jess Partridge What is it about Chicago that just KEEPS GIVING? Barely a second to breathe and another great rapper is brought to our attention (thanks, The Fader). Queen Key excels in deep bass beats and lines dripping with confidence and laced with a teasing grin, and you just know she’s got even more up her sleeve than the pure gems we’ve already heard. We slept on last year’s mixtape, Eat My Pussy, but it’s become a fast fave - it simply refuses to ever get less fun. Don’t stop watching because with this much talent and energy, we’ve got a feeling she’ll sure as hell surprise you. LISTEN TO: Ratchet @KeyisQueen London in Stereo: 13
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on Bill Viola Performer John Hay, Courtesy Bill Viola Studio, Photo Kira Perov
EartH Kitchen - photo: Tom Bowles
Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth You might wonder, quite rightly, why the works of two artists, born centuries apart, would be displayed together at the Royal Academy of Arts. However it is quickly apparent (although not a line we necessarily would have drawn ourselves) that the works of Viola and Michelangelo are linked through the strength and beauty of their most imposing works and the delicacy and detail of their finer pieces. It will be nothing short of a spectacle. Make sure you leave time to wander the other (free) galleries of the RA, you never know what else you’ll happen upon. OPEN NOW UNTIL MARCH 31ST. ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS royalacademy.org.uk / @royalacademy
The Festival of New Masculinity Alongside the momentum behind conversations of feminism and the rights of those of all genders, over the last couple of years, we’ve also seen a muchneeded re-examining of the limits of masculinity (not least of all by our own Jack Urwin’s book, Man Up). From now until March, one of the sites leading this conversation, The Book of Man, is hosting no less than 10 events as part of their ‘Festival Of New Masculinity’. From panel discussions to live podcasts with the likes of Professor Green, get involved and find out more about the changing perceptions of masculinity and femininity alike. NOW UNTIL MARCH. HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN + BOOK CLUB. thebookofman.com // @TheBOMmedia
EartH Kitchen We’ve been huge fans of Dalston’s newest venue EartH since it opened last year. It’s delivering wholeheartedly on its promise of a diverse and exciting programme, but what’s the one thing we didn’t realise was going to happen? We never guessed it was going to have the former executive chef from none other than St John heading-up their brand new restaurant. As if we needed more reasons to be there... OPEN NOW AT EARTH. 11-17 STOKE NEWINGTON ROAD, earthackney.co.uk // @earthackney
CRAFT BEER RISING
Diane Arbus: In The Beginning Diane Arbus is one of few photographers that could consider herself a household name, but The Southbank are here to show you a time before she’d made such an indelible mark on the world. Concentrating on her first seven years of work, predominantly in New York, this is the first solo exhibition of Arbus’ work in the UK for 12 years. FEBRUARY 13TH - MAY 6TH HAYWARD GALLERY, SOUTHBANK CENTRE southbankcentre.co.uk // @southbankcentre
Craft Beer Rising
Jack Dracula at a bar, New London, Conn. 1961 (detail). 9 3/4 × 6 5/8 in. (24.8 × 16.9 cm). Promised Gift of Doon Arbus and Amy Arbus, 2007 Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York/ Copyright © The Estate of Diane Arbus, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
FESTIVAL OF NEW MASCULINITY
Craft beer is having a bit of a backlash at the moment, with people complaining about price, pomposity and the sense of pretentiousness around it, but you know what? We think it’s super exciting to see the sheer amount of creation and innovation flourishing at the moment. From the imagination that goes into the packaging, right through the astonishing variety of beer, this has to be seen as a golden era for smaller-scale beer production. With more than 175 beers under one roof at Craft Beer Rising, there’s no better place to celebrate. FEBRUARY 21-23RD THE OLD TRUMAN BREWERY craftbeerrising.co.uk // @craftbeerriseuk London in Stereo: 17
TH O M A S DY B DAH L
JUNIUS M E Y VANT
AN OTH E R S K Y
1 4 F E R B U A RY
2 5 F E B R U A RY
2 8 F E B R U A RY
U N ION CHAPE L
VI LL AG E U N DE RG ROU N D
RICH M IX
SEA GIRLS
FR E YA R I D I N G S
I DA M AE
8 MARCH
11 MARCH
13 MARCH
H E AVE N
ROU N DHOUSE
OM E AR A
ADAM FR E N C H
AP R E
S AM FE N D E R
1 APRIL
3 APRIL
OSLO
OM E AR A
6 M AY
O2 SH E PH E RD’S BUSH E M PI RE
DAWN
words: Charlotte Krol
photography: Robert Arnold
here is a new movement of people coming. It’s with creatives, it’s with artists, it’s with women. We are no longer silenced by the things we felt we had to be,” Dawn Richard asserts over the phone from LAX. Now under the moniker of DAWN (FKA D∆WN), the American artist, who as we speak is about to wrap up a tour with her old US chart-topping group Danity Kane, rattles answers out at a frenetic pace. This is a woman with passion and cynical know-how that’s indebted as much to her upbringing in New Orleans as it is to her switch from pop star to independent solo artist...
“I realised that that woman was someone I was never going to be: someone who I wasn’t raised to be...” “You know, as a black woman,” she says, reflecting on her early career, “I’ve had to pander and I’ve had to be quiet. We listened because we were afraid to lose our jobs. I realised that that woman was someone I was never going to be: someone who I wasn’t raised to be.” DAWN is talking about the message at the core of her forthcoming record, new breed. The album, which arrives three years after the conclusion of her solo album trilogy, is an uncompromising calling card for honouring the true self. What separates this record from the triptych is Richard’s move back to New Orleans (her family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina in
2004 and relocated to Maryland). But, she stresses, her solo work has always carried the torch for self-preservation and for marginalised voices. This time the sights, sounds and people of her hometown have rekindled a fire inside her. The result is a record that repurposes New Orleans’ music with DAWN's stamp of Afro-futurism. As our conversation races ahead it becomes clear that Richard’s uprooting in 2005 contributed towards her losing her artistic vision. As the hurricane hit, Richard’s pop career was kicking off with Making the Band, the MTV series that established Danity Kane. Her second band, Dirty Money, folded in 2012. She looks back on those early years as being, in part, a victim of the homogenised pop machine. “I thought that to be grateful meant to be quiet,” she says, thinking it a necessary evil. But that silence left her creatively unfulfilled. “This new album really speaks to the history behind why I chose to be an indie artist even though it was a really hard run,” DAWN explains. “I was told, ‘If you just do this and just be like this then you can have the career you want.’ But that just wasn’t me. I owe that all to the foundation of where I come from.” The submissive nature of the pop industry she discusses sits at odds with the spirit of New Orleans. “Where I come from, the Mardi Gras Indian, the woman, the queen, the kings, they are proud people – we are proud people. This album speaks to who I was and who I am now. This album speaks to every girl, every man, every gay, every person who’s ever felt they’re new – they’re a new breed of person – and they’re refusing to be unapologetic for being exactly the fuck themselves.” With new breed, DAWN has found a way to channel this outlook. The title track, at points carrying remnants of New Orleans bounce, is full of proud proclamations dotted over hulky polyrhythms – “I am a lion, I am a woman,” she sings. At the end of the carnivalesque ‘dreams and converse’, Richard introduces Mardi Gras field recordings. It’s the first of London in Stereo: 21
many spoken-word vignettes that bind the old New Orleans with the new: the resilient, musical city, and the modern electronic sounds Richard so boldly experiments with. Though largely a self-produced album, Richard worked with Derek Bergheimer to create original sounds. “I wanted to make sure that I didn't lose anyone but I also wanted to include New Orleans”. She “would never want to just take samples”, however, “I wanted to make it all me.” Long time fans of Richard’s solo work will know that authenticity is her weapon.
“Where I come from, the Mardi Gras Indian, the woman, the queen, the kings, they are proud people – we are proud people. This album speaks to who I was and who I am now...” When the subject is broached about whether the music industry is finally catching up with female producers like herself, she says it is, but slowly. “With goldenheart in 2013 I was doing alternative underground stuff at a time when people weren't really celebrating a girl without a label. In 2015 everyone was like, ‘Oh [FKA] Twigs, SZA, Kelela...we get it.’ Don’t forget, I was blessed [in Danity Kane] to be part of something that was a hit but I want people to catch up a little faster.” She mentions Janelle Monáe. “We’re only just catching up with her as a beautiful brown girl who’s doing something that isn't just R&B.” Richard wants to “champion” these women, “especially chocolatey brown girls doing great things in electronic music.” Even in the midst of her own promotion DAWN speaks up for others. A new breed; a new dawn is coming. new breed is out now via Local Action Records/Our Dawn Ent. @DawnRichard
@DawnRichard
PRINTWORKS FEB - APR 2019 A-Z
ANNIE MAC ALAN FITZPATRICK BEN KLOCK CAMO & KROOKED DERRICK CARTER DJ KOZE EATS EVERYTHING FLOORPLAN GREEN VELVET GORGON CITY LIVE HUNEE
PRINTWORKSLONDON.CO.UK
JME KERRI CHANDLER KÖLSCH MALL GRAB MATADOR LIVE NASTIA OR:LA RØDHÅD SPECIAL REQUEST SOLARDO SKREAM AND MANY MORE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
with INTRO Things that London loves? Festival line-ups so innovative they’re actually thrilling and, well, brutal architecture (I challenge you to walk around the city for more than ten minutes without seeing one of those ‘BRUTAL’ tote bags). Not necessarily an easy mix but our friends at Krankbrother are here to prove it can be done in serious style: a multi-venue, multi-sensory festival with as much emphasis on how the surroundings and lighting affect you as the music. It’s about inspiration and celebration, the way the audio and visual intersect, the way that spaces influence our enjoyment. But mostly, it’s about that incredible line-up. We got Krankbrother themselves to pick out five of the performances they’re most excited about. LiS RE-TEXTURED runs March 28th-31st in various London venues. re-textured.com // facebook.com/ReTextured
JASSS ORAL COUTURE JASSS’s debut album Weightless, which came out in 2017 saw her strike the perfect balance JASSS between soundscape and dance floor. It has since seen her fast become one of the most exciting breakthrough acts in techno whether playing live or dj’ing. For Re-Textured she will bring the UK debut of her A/V show called STEAM alongside Theresa Baumgartner to Walthamstow Assembly. She will be joined on by Alva Noto, Andy Stott and Mortiz Von Ozwald. ALVA NOTO
ALVA NOTO UNI MIA Alva Noto has been exploring the boundaries between music, art and science for decades. He is a pioneer in every sense of the word. His 2018 album Unieqav is a perfect example of doing a lot with little as he effortlessly weaves ambient, drone and techno together. For Re-Textured he will bring his awe inspiring A/V show to Walthamstow Assembly. We’re particularly excited to see this piece of work presented in a club environment where people can dance as opposed to his recent seated shows at the Barbican.
CATERINA BARBIERI
GIANT SWAN THE PLAQUE Giant Swan apply a punk ethos to their brand of techno. The distortion, the aggressiveness, the noise and of course the sheer intensity of their live show make them stand apart from most acts. Their energy is infectious. What they bring to the festival, no else does. GIANT SWAN
CATERINA BARBIERI SOTRS Experimental producer Caterina brings a rare colour and melody to drone. Her two albums are breathtaking in their minimalist beauty. For Re-Textured she brings a UK debut of her AV show alongside Ruben Spini in the imposing brutalist Silver Building. It’ll be the perfect sound to end the four-day festival. DEMDIKE STARE
DEMDIKE STARE AT IT AGAIN The Manchester duo have pushed boundaries with their dark brooding music for a decade. Their AV show with Michael England promises to be even more special as its taking place at the rarely used brutalist masterpiece 180 The Strand. London in Stereo: 25
ROYAL ALBERT HALL PRESENTS
Representing London’s most vital, dynamic and original artistic perspectives. Co-curated by Cassie Kinoshi and Moses Boyd.
Call: 020 7589 8212 royalalberthall.com
@RoyalAlbertHall
“I remember London being rainy and grey, but colourful in another way...” by
Josin
The first time I came to London was when I was 15 years old. My father was singing at the Royal Opera House – I think it was Boulevard Solitude – and me and my mom flew over from Germany for a visit. I was probably expecting a cool trip for a teenager, but thinking about that specific time of my life, I remember that my parents were putting a question mark over their relationship. So this visit turned out to be pretty emotional!
I remember London being rainy and grey, but colourful in another way, and inspiring. A constant atmosphere of profound tradition and the new, without really knowing why. It’s a feeling that I still get when I’m in London just by walking around and it seems to be more present here that in a lot of other cities. I had never experienced such diversity of cultures in a European city like this before and there was ultimately something that made me want to be a part of it. So swapping a cheerful vacation for a serious one – involuntarily
seeing the city through more grown-up eyes – happened for me very unexpectedly, but was nothing I regretted...maybe some of the melancholia in my music and my love for rain started there? My second visit would have been one or two years later to see friends - but I can only remember the food! That’s a little alarming, but I guess if you love food, London is a place that can make you forget about your friends. Since then, I’ve returned to London through my music. Not often, but enough to feel something intense and curious about the people, and about how art is being experienced in very natural way. London, sometimes you speak too fast, giving me a hard time, but I like you very much and can’t wait to see you again. Josin’s debut album, In The Blank Space, is out now via Dumont Dumont / MVKA Records. LIVE: Courtyard Theatre, February 27th @JOSINMUSIC
@josinmusic London in Stereo: 27
WINTER 2019 ~ LIVE ~ 02.02
Parra For Cuva / 05.02 Clara Mae & Dylan 08.02
Diskopunk /
13.02 15.02
11.02
Kodie Shane /
Scott Xylo
14.02
Polyna
Isaac Waddington + ViVii / 16.02 Kelvyn Colt
20.02
Cautious Clay / 22.02 Bedroom Boredom Kalin White /
27.02 04.03
Fokn Bois /
18.03 23.03
14.03
Houssein
28.02
Oli Fox /
Marina Satti /
22.03
15.03
XY&O
Neon Waltz
Tennyson / 02.04 Nick Brewer / 17.04 Vรถk 09.05
Giant Rooks /
04.06
17.05
Childcare
Low Cut Connie /
24.06
Tora
Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com | HOXTONSQUAREBAR
Sharon Van Etten words: Lauren Down photography: Mathew Parri Thomas
“ It’s this
snowballing of verything changed in that moment.” A contemplative Sharon Van Etten sits next to me on a cold November morning, our hands mirroring one another’s clasped around warm coffee cups. She’s musing on the origins of ‘I Told You Everything’, the understated drama of her statement matching the gravitas of the song’s expansive piano keys - keys that mark the beginning of her fifth studio album, Remind Me Tomorrow. “I remember it was 2013, I was rehearsing with my drummer. We were getting ready to go on tour with Nick Cave. I couldn’t afford to bring my whole band so I decided to make it as dynamic a set as possible, just guitar and drums, minimal synths. Both of us were in unhealthy relationships and after every rehearsal we dragged our feet going home. We just went to the bar by our practice and grabbed a drink and talked about where we were in our lives. I told this really heavy story about something that happened to me in my early 20s. It was one of those things that I took for granted that he knew about me. It’s a story that I’m still learning how to tell people. I don’t know how publicly I’ll say it yet. Hopefully, I’ll do it within my lifetime.”
real life shit. It’s not just about heartbreak or your lover. It’s life, and it’s overwhelming... ” “I told him the whole story. I remember the bar so clearly, all of a sudden his face just changed. It was like he knew me in a different way, like he now understood me. I remember that so clearly. It was transformative for me. We fell in love on that tour. We couldn’t act on it because we were with other people but we acknowledged it. We waited a year before we returned to that feeling and we’ve been together ever since. That song really sums up everything and I felt like it was the appropriate way to bring people in. The whole record is about this life that we’ve created for each other.” London in Stereo: 31
Her first record in four years, Remind Me Tomorrow has a lot of life to speak of: going back to school to pursue her long-term goal of becoming a therapist, starring in The OA and becoming a mum all while writing the Ry Cooder Paris, Texas-inspired score for Katherine Dieckmann’s Strange Weather. Van Etten speaks about these experiences in such rapid succession with an infectious, almost enviable, energy that I begin to see how Remind Me Tomorrow came together in stolen scraps of time. “The whole time I was writing a record and I didn’t know it! I feel like there are very different time periods in each song. There’s a little bit of all of it. I would just put on headphones, listen to demos, and write lyrics while [my son] was napping just to be creative while I was home and nursing, but never with the intention of making a record. Maybe I just don’t know how to stop?” Then one day, when her son was about six months old, she realised she had about forty demos and confessed to her partner that she had written all these songs. “He was like, ‘Oh really, can you play me some?’ Then all of a sudden I’m playing to him and he says, ‘You wrote a record’.” Van Etten’s simple reply, “Shit, did I?!” “You did!” I laugh ... and what a record. Remind Me Tomorrow is new territory for Van Etten: She has taken these years of change and transformed them into 10 stunning songs - each one built upon familiar intimate narratives but framed by new experimental sounds. ‘I Told You Everything’ was chosen as the introduction not only because it represents the catalyst for the entire record but to connect with people. “To show them that this is still me. I’m still very vulnerable and I’m with you but things are about to change.” Sonically, the traces of records past - those stark melodies, delicate harmonies and slow builds - are most evident in the album’s opening and closing ‘Stay’. Everything in between - from the sweeping nostalgia of ‘Seventeen’ to the defiant cries of synth-
scored return, ‘Comeback Kid’ and the indestructible momentum of ‘Hands’ - is edgier, daring even… a brave and hopeful face presented to a world full of political and personal upheaval. “It was really psychedelic. I was six months pregnant when Trump got elected into office,” Sharon says when we talk about doubt and fear and the maternal instinct to protect. “I was home alone watching the election, so that played a big part.” “There is an overall feeling of knowing that it’s a dark period, but there is this sense of responsibility to be positive and to be a good role model, to rise above it. Looking at my kid who’s just so helpless and happy, so innocent … you don’t have that very long. I feel that my job is to instil that in him as much as I can. Even though I’m terrified, he doesn’t need to know. When I started writing all these songs they were love songs to my partner and then when I finished, they were more like love songs to my child. As we get older we see ourselves in our kids, we see where our parents are and we feel our own mortality. It’s this snowballing of real life shit. It’s not just about heartbreak or your lover. It’s life, and it’s overwhelming.” Beyond the swirling uncertainties of the world at large, Van Etten’s new direction can in part be attributed to microcosmic circumstances. The guitar fatigue brought on by creating the soundtrack for Strange Weather drew Van Etten to the synths and keyboards of her practice space pal Michael Cera. “It was fun to have them around” she explains whilst laughing to acknowledge the randomness of this situation. “It was good to think about things differently just to clear my head. I gravitated towards his instruments because they weren’t mine. I had no preconceived notions of what they sounded like or how they worked. He had this vintage organ and I would fuck with it and plug it in, amp it, and reverb it like crazy, or add a bunch of delay, and just make it sound like it’s not supposed to sound. It created these drones and I ended up liking the tone and how dark and weird it was.”
“ ...this is
still me. I’m still very vulnerable and I’m with you but things are about to change... ”
London in Stereo: 33
Van Etten clearly wanted a record that was “very drone-centric, very bass and beats-orientated”, adding that “Suicide, Nick Cave’s Skeleton Tree and Portishead” were her main points of reference. She also knew she wanted to work with someone else: “I felt like every time I was hands-on in the recording process, and the production process, that I was actually holding myself back. If I was really going to challenge myself as an artist, the biggest challenge was going to be to let go.”
“ ...there is this sense
of responsibility to be positive and to be a good role model, to rise above it... ” What safer hands to trust with something like this than John Congleton’s?! “He enhanced the darkness and he picked really amazing musicians. That was another thing that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. The moments in my life where I feel the strongest are ones where I’m moving forward, but learning from the past is about looking backwards so how do I apply that?” At its core, Remind Me Tomorrow attempts to answer that question how to do both? In that answer, Van Etten seems to find balance - the balance of intimate intricacies and bolder sounds, the balance of lives and dreams past and present, the wanting of everything, of healing turned to hope and to the future.
Sharon Van Etten’s Remind Me Tomorrow is out now via Jagjaguwar. LIVE: Roundhouse, March 26th. @sharonvanetten @SharonVanEttenMusic
“My mom raised me to deeply respect Whitney Houston as the most important diva...”
Sir Babygirl words: Kezia Cochrane photography: Eli Raskin
wanted my name to be the resume, the cover letter,” Kelsie Hogue says of her creative alias Sir Babygirl, and it certainly does that, conveying the playful pop vitality and subversion of gender that Hogue’s music, and identity, embody. Throughout her debut Crush On Me there’s an immediately tangible theatricality and high-octane charisma. “Sir Babygirl is just like a blown up, exaggerated version of certain aspects of me,” Hogue expresses. “I think of Sir Babygirl as like a gay clown”, a caricature that aptly sums up the innate fusion of astute humour and melodrama within her music. “Clowns are incredible because they’re so, so broken and sad and are constantly working through that to find resilience and that’s a huge thing for me,” she muses, “using humour as a form of healing and resilience as opposed to deprecation.” Channelling the spirit of influential pop and punk icons, from Kathleen Hanna to Britney Spears, the album offers narratives of queer
experience, alighting on social anxieties, with an overarching air of enthusiasm and absurdity. “My mom raised me to deeply respect Whitney Houston as the most important diva,” Hogue details. Having studied musical theatre, spent time as a stand-up comedian, as well as going through a wide-ranging spectrum of musical phases “I wanted to be a jazz saxophonist in third grade ‘cause I discovered Lisa Simpson,” Hogue anecdotally recounts – she states “discovering PC Music made me go back to all of the pop music that I formatively grew up with.” And through this rediscovery she reached the distinctive bubblegum pop fused with hardcore punk energy that comprises Sir Babygirl’s kaleidoscopic sonic cosmos. “It had that harder edge that I felt I could access emotionally and then it was like ‘holy shit’, all of that music that I thought, because of my internalised misogyny in college, was stupid it’s the best shit I’ve ever heard.” Not only did this offer the perfect sound but also the scope to explore and adopt personas and identities within that space: “I’d done all this work and was a total theatre kid so I loved playing all these characters but none of
London in Stereo: 37
them fit perfectly. And then I was like everything else can go into pop music and to me, I don’t think it’s true for everyone, but for me it helped. I think pop music, ’cause it’s so image based, it’s a world-building type of music,” she enthuses. “It’s all there, I feel like it’s the perfect container for everything.” As we discuss the significant rise in prominence of queer pop artists in recent years Hogue reflects “I think it’s in conversation with the Internet, I think it’s hugely fuelled by stan Twitter and Instagram. With the Internet, more queer people, and more marginalised voices in general, are allowed to have more of a platform and there are more communities online that help nurture that. I think when people ask me what does it feel like to be a queer musician it’s like well, we’ve always been here,” she pertinently articulates. “I think it’s funny ‘cause we always place whiteness and heteronormativity and cis-normativity as the default, but it’s not the default, it’s just the most privileged. It’s funny because every campaign has an angle and a sexuality or an explicit non-sexuality so now we’re actually getting a wider range of that.”
“I think pop music, ’cause it’s so image based, it’s a worldbuilding type of music... it’s all there, I feel like it’s the perfect container for everything.” Alighting on the intersection between comedy and pop, something undeniably essential in the lyrical narratives and delivery of Sir Babygirl, Hogue emphasises “Comedy’s always been inherent in whatever I do,” adding “for me, sense of humour is so imperative in pop because I both take pop music deadly seriously and it’s a joke. It’s both things constantly. I think the best pop artists always have a tongue in their cheek”. And Sir Babygirl is absolutely one such artist. Crush on Me is released February 15th via Father/Daughter Records @sir_babygirl
@sirbabygirl
CLOUD NOTHINGS
DU BLONDE
ELDER ISLAND
ORVILLE PECK
31 Jan EartH 1 Feb EartH
TEMPOREX 2 Feb Moth Club
26 Feb The Lexington
28 Feb The Islington 1 Mar Servant Jazz Quarters 2 Mar Shacklewell Arms
LULUC
BUKE & GASE
SEGA BODEGA
CROOKED COLOURS
SHABAZZ PALACES
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
5 Feb The Lexington 7 Feb Hoxton Hall 7 Feb Jazz Cafe
FM-84
16 Feb The Garage
TANUKICHAN 17 Feb Sebright Arms
BILL RYDER JONES 19 Feb EartH
OSCAR JEROME 20 Feb EartH
TOY
20 Feb Village Underground
OSQUELLO 23 Feb The Lexington
5 Mar The Lexington 7 Mar Scala
8 Mar Roundhouse
RINA MUSHONGA 19 Mar Shacklewell Arms
WOMAN’S HOUR 22 Mar The Dome
ANNA OF THE NORTH 26 Mar Village Underground
MALIK DJOUDI 27 Mar Pickle Factory
OUMOU SANGARÉ 10 Apr EartH
GO DARK
12 Apr Old Blue Last
ANNA ST. LOUIS ELENA SETIEN
18 Apr The Lexington
TELEMAN 24 Apr EartH
WILLIAM TYLER 25 Apr St John on Bethnal Green
FIL BO RIVA 1 May Oslo
LONNIE HOLLEY 8 May St John on Bethnal Green
G FLIP
15 May The Garage
JACCO GARDNER 22 May The Dome
STRAND OF OAKS 27 May OMEARA
MAYRA ANDRADE 30 May EartH
CASS MCCOMBS 6 June EartH
KEVIN MORBY 19 June O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
rockfeedback.com
DHP PRESENTS
WED.13.FEB.19
SAT.02.MAR.19
MON.25.MAR.19
THU.14.FEB.19
SAT.02.MAR.19
WED.03.APR.19
WED.27.FEB.19
THU.14.MAR.19
THU.28.FEB.19
FRI.22.MAR.19
TUE.09.APR.19
WED.10.APR.19
THU.11.APR.19
FRI.03.MAY.19
WED.24.APR.19
WED.08.MAY.19
FRI.28.JUN.19
TUE.01.OCT.19
FRI.26.APR.19 TUE.14.MAY.19
THU.02.MAY.19
WED.29.MAY.19
SAT.18.MAY.19
It seems wild now that we first saw Girlpool way back in 2014, but that’s a fact we’re just going to need to deal with. The band have been a big part of our collective world ever since those early shows, so the announcement of a new record is always reason to celebrate. That being the case, Danny Wright gathered Stephanie Phillips and Kezia Cochrane together to talk all things What Chaos Is Imaginary. Have you been a fan of the band since they started? Kezia: Definitely! I first came across them when I heard their cover of Radiator Hospital's 'Cut Your Bangs' and instantly fell in love with their sound. And then Before The World Was Big came out at a time when quite a lot of their lyrics really resonated with where I was at at the time personally – and I’ve followed what they've been doing ever since. Stephanie: I first heard about them via their first EP. I loved their lo-fi vibe. It reminded me a lot of Bratmobile and that chaotic approach to indie and punk. I really like a few songs on Before the World was Big. Mostly I enjoyed that their vibe seemed to be two people indulging in the best of girl culture and not being afraid to show that.
photo: Ilana Kozlov
Was it the personal nature of what they do that got you interested too? Stephanie: It was definitely a positive. They seemed like a band that every girl and teen needed to find at some point. It changes your approach to your own creativity and what you can achieve. Mainly I loved the sing-song nature of their vocal styles and the fact that they always sang in unison. It added to the child-like glee of their lyrics. Kezia: That was part of it for sure; the relatability of their songs is something I always found reassuring. Their close friendship is so tangible in their music. It feels like being granted a special invitation into their worlds - something which is particularly shown in their vocal harmonies. So does this record retain all of that? Kezia: I think it's definitely still there but in a less immediate way. I think Powerplant already took their sound on from those earlier harmonies but on this record that difference is much more apparent.
Stephanie: It’s quite a departure from their earlier work, a fully grown-up record. But I always felt like their harmonies were an integral part of the band so now it’s almost like a completely different band. If I didn't see their name I wouldn't have known this was them – that brings up the question ‘What happens to an artist when they no longer have the sound that made them famous?’. How would you describe this new sound? Stephanie: It seems more like a step to the side, rather than a step up – like they're chasing the Waxahatchee sound, with influences from mid '90s rock like Pavement. The additions of the drum machines and the country-style guitar licks were really interesting - but overall I feel like the record meandered quite a lot. Kezia: I think actually, after a good few listens, this record is my favourite of theirs! Having listened to the music they've been creating separately as well it all makes sense together. It reflects their personal growth and identities in the particularly honest way that's always been at the heart of the songs. The sound is less immediate but I find it leaves more of an impression - like the strings on the title track. It's interesting seeing them explore such different sounds. They've both been through a lot personally. How clearly does that come across? Stephanie: The music feels particularly reflective, like a record you put on after you've had a bad day. There aren't any upbeat tracks on here. Even the slightly faster ones sound aggressive and angsty. Kezia: Overall it feels very pensive and that's particularly conveyed sonically. Lyrics naturally play a part but the overarching atmosphere of the record is really more brooding and downtempo than before. Which tracks stand out? Stephanie: I enjoyed ‘Hire’. It feels like a song that's about venting after feeling defeated. The instrumentals are particularly beautiful and show how adept they are at their craft. ‘Pretty’ also stands out. It's bedroom dancing material and reminds me of ‘Your Dog’ by Soccer Mommy.
photo: Benedict Brink
Kezia: I think the drum machine on 'Minute In Your Mind' is really immediate and potent, and ‘What Chaos is Imaginary’ stands out with the really striking fusion of strings and vocals For the fans who’ve grown with the band, do you think this feels like a next shared step or is it more about the personal journey of the band? Stephanie: It seems like the band thought about it more as a personal journey considering everything they've been through. But it could be true that their fans will be looking for something new to connect with. Kezia: I think it's more about their personal journey - while there's still this feeling of sharing in their world, naturally their lyrics reflect what they've personally experienced. The difference between their first and second album was so great that it's not surprising that this record takes Girlpool to somewhere different yet again. What Chaos Is Imaginary is released February 1st via Anti- Records. @girlpool
@GIRLPOOOL London in Stereo: 43
SNEAKS
HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS Merge Records January 25th
ELDER ISLAND THE OMNITONE COLLECTION Self-release February 8th As kids, we’re encouraged to respect our elders, but at a certain point in life, we start to question that notion with the scepticism gained through experience. Before I’d even listened to the new album from Elder Island, The Omnitone Collection, I instinctively wavered between instant deference to their musical authority and my ongoing desire to be mildly subversive. I often feel like a kid when listening to music. It’s part of the fun. As the best adults do, it won me over, gained my admiration quickly and completely. As the best adults do, it combined youthful energy, joy, curious wisdom, and ‘Kape Fear’ allowed me to dance in my pants around my living room without inhibition. This album pulses with vibrant life. Jon Kean
After years carving out a musical identity as a one-woman punk band, on her third release Sneaks, aka Eva Moolchan, focuses on forging the DIY practicality of the lo-fi world with her need for avant-garde experiments. Highway Hypnosis veers between diluted versions of 90s rave culture and bass-heavy hip-hop. It’s an approach that bubbles and bounces quietly on the experimental r&b number ‘Ecstasy’, while the sultry ‘Suck It Like a Whistle’ is a ready-made electroclash club banger. The album is also awash with samples of conversations and percussive household items, heard on ‘Money Don’t Grow On Trees’. The result is an album that evokes the same cut and paste feel as the zines from the punk culture Sneaks came up in and clearly is still loyal to. Stephanie Phillips
GUM TAKES TOOTH Arrow
Rocket Recordings January 25th Wait! You haven’t put your Panda Bear LP in the wrong sleeve. It’s the lovely distorted warble of singer Jussi Brightmore on opener ‘Cold Chrome Hearts’ that is playing tricks on you. Listen closer… You’ll hear the hyper-kinetic London duo revelling in their expansive new sound which is laced with shimmering keyboards, hypnotic drumming from Tom Fug and a groovy psychedelic nod to the Krautgods. It’s an oddly beautiful – if unexpected – departure from their earlier noise assaults. While it generally gets bolder and brighter as it unfolds, it also manages to conjure up an acidic and claustrophobic smog. Look no further than the frightening bass rumble of ‘Seizure’. The duo have created a wild landscape where you forget where you’ve been and can’t see where you’re going. Geoff Cowart
AJ TRACEY AJ TRACEY Self-release February 8th Right now the world is at AJ Tracey’s feet. A storming 12 months have seen the West London rapper seize control, with his Not3s-aided single ‘Butterflies’ providing last summer with arguably its most seductive, entirely irresistible soundtrack. With two EPs and a bulging bag of singles behind him, he has every right to approach this debut full-length with confidence. Able to call on some of the biggest producers in the game, he’s largely shunned this path, matching red-hot beatmakers – step forward man of the moment Steel Banglez – with artists more neatly aligned to the underground. The result is a punchy but broad selection, moving from road rap to chrome-plated hip-hop, while fusing elements of afrobeat, grime, and more into a sound that neatly sums up where UK underground music is at in 2019. Opener ‘Plan B’ twists and turns on its spine-shattering electronics, while ‘Double C’s’ has that ice cold Eski feel. New single ‘Psych Out’ might come with a trademark lavish video, but the beat is sheer London, while the Landlord himself, Giggs, guests on riotous club burner ‘Nothing But Net’. ‘Doing It’ is a return to his early grime sound, while Conducta channels the ghosts of UKG on ‘Ladbroke Grove’, a homage to AJ Tracey’s roots both sonically and physically. Indeed, that’s exactly what makes his debut album so emphatic – AJ is able to stretch, to absorb new influences, while remaining completely true to himself. It’s a triumph. Robin Murray
BEIRUT
HOMESHAKE
4AD February 1st
Sinderlyn February 15th
GALLIPOLI Zach Condon’s fifth studio album came together after doing what so many of us have threatened but failed to do in response to a domestic political “shit-show”; that is, move to, like, Berlin or somewhere (specifically in this case: Berlin). As influenced as his work as Beirut ever was by his extensive travels across Europe, the splendid if familiar Gallipoli sounds everywhere and nowhere, with a spirit that flits between restless and serenely spacedout. If in a correctly fragile mood, it’s also downright tear inducing; ‘On Mainau Island’ sounds like being on a desert isle if all the discs Lauren Laverne packed you off with had started to warp, while the title track is quintessential Beirut, its beautifully maudlin brass melodies nostalgic yet at-once unplaceable. Thomas Hannan
HELIUM
Helium is a brilliantly apt title for the new record from Homeshake. Peter Sagar’s follow-up to 2017’s Fresh Air is a gossamer collection of late-night cuts, from the heady, hypnotic highlight ‘All Night Long’, which cleverly evokes both Mac Demarco and Frank Ocean, to the laid-back r&b jiving of ‘Just Like My’. Punctuated with soporific interludes, the LP drifts by effortlessly, thanks to loungey moments of romance (see the falsetto cool of ‘Nothing Could Be Better’) and subtly-infectious 80s pop of ‘Another Thing’. Helium is not short of gentle vulnerability and feeling, with the swaying chorus of ‘Like Mariah’ showcasing the Montreal-based artist’s knack for soulful melody. Homeshake goes from strengthto-strength and it’s a treat to float away with Helium. George O’Brien London in Stereo: 45
YAK
PURSUIT OF MOMENTARY HAPPINESS Virgin EMI / Third Man Records February 8th The desire for contentment in creativity heavily informs Yak’s second effort, Pursuit of Momentary Happiness. Driven to near breaking point by the hunger to create the record, frontman Oli Burslem led two tumultuous years to reach this point. What’s come of it is a record that ultimately hints at the grandeur to equate for its fervent beginnings, yet doesn’t provide enough substance or cohesiveness to carry it. When basking under strident brass and the colossal sound of guitars, Yak thrive. Yet when Burslem tones everything down to just his own voice, it shows their lack of density through throwaway lyrics that come off as some forced attempt at pertinence. It’s a record that lacks the consistency to exercise the truly eye-opening bite they desired. Ross Jones
HOCKEYSMITH
TEARS AT MY AGE EP Ex-Local // January 25th Cornwall-based sisters Hockeysmith were quite the buzz band five years ago. ‘Let’s Bang’ was stirring dream-pop, while the darkwave acid house trip of ‘But Blood’ was a masterclass in fusing guitar and synth. Now, with Annie Hockeysmith continuing without guitarist Georgie, she’s produced an EP that keeps experimentation alive but introduces flushes of pop. ‘Lonely Loving You’ is Annie’s catchy “Kylie-on-acid” number. Elsewhere, inspired by ‘90s IDM and Cornwall’s historical rave subculture, Annie employs dance samples such as York’s ‘On The Beach’ for ‘Messed Up’. This ode to self-destruction shapeshifts fluently from Balearic to slowcore. With shoegaze guitars, ‘Tears At My Age’ is the most idiosyncratic ‘old’ Hockeysmith song – almost as if Georgie’s back – though Annie proves she can do it alone. Charlotte Krol
MERCURY REV
BOBBIE GENTRY’S THE DELTA SWEETE REVISITED Bella Union // February 8th The idea of one artist reproducing the work of another isn’t new, but put all thoughts of Ryan Adam’s reworking of T Swift’s 1989 to one side, because Mercury Rev’s loving tribute to Bobbie Gentry’s flop 1968 masterwork is something else. Featuring different female guest vocalists on each track, the overall effect is more shimmering than the original; even ‘Ode To Billie Joe’, the only hit from the record, in the hands of MRev and Lucinda Williams sounds more glossy, but desperate, than Gentry’s more passive version. Swapping out the guitar for keys on ‘Courtyard’ with Beth Orton is gorgeous, Lætitia Sadier’s almost Carpenters-esque take on ‘Mornin’ Glory’ is exquisite and ‘Reunion’ with Rachel Goswell is glorious rather than the footstomping Gentry version. Brilliant. Simone Scott Warren
JESSICA PRATT QUIET SIGNS City Slang February 8th Only today's greatest musicians are able to convey absolute solitude — it's there in Frank Ocean's echoey soliloquies, and there in Grouper's lonely hiss. Now it's here again in Jessica Pratt's Quiet Signs. Pratt's third album is that rare thing, where the music is so preternatural that it's almost impossible to understand how the musician got there. The songs are melodically and hypnotically simple, with each sound seeming to melt into one another in a cosy similitude, while Pratt sings entirely untethered. And that's something that often goes unfortunately unremarked — Pratt's phenomenal singing range. She glides into soprano and skids into a croaking bass effortlessly, re-enacting the sounds that we likely heard from inside our mother's stomachs in utero. How anyone is able to convey that is near miraculous, but it's what happens when you can tell that the musician has no audience inside of their head, only sound. Emma Madden
HEALTH
VOL. 4 :: SLAVE OF FEAR Loma Vista Recordings February 8th Paying heed to the steady slew of collaborations HEALTH released recently, you’re able to see a band continuing to fight the lingering, oppressive and clumsily applied labels that have clouded perceptions of their music for over a decade. Following on from 2015’s Death Magic, Vol. 4 still packs a fair punch, but once more redraws the lines of what to expect from this atypical heavy band in 2019. Giving Duznik’s candid ruminations further opportunity to breathe and reach out beyond layers of tortured synths and industrial riffs is working wonders – as on ‘Decimation’ – providing additional depth and a stirring desire to replay. At least half of the songs present on Vol. 4 are among the best HEALTH have committed to record; its missteps, entirely forgiveable. Harriet Taylor
JULIA JACKLIN CRUSHING
Transgressive Records February 22nd Despite spending a significant part of last year working on indie-pop side project Phantastic Ferniture, Australian artist Julia Jacklin returns this month with another captivating musical offering. Following up her acclaimed 2016 debut Don’t Let the Kids Win, Jacklin’s latest release Crushing is an emotive time-capsule that solidifies the singer’s identity and radiates an impeccable sense of selfassurance. Lead single ‘Body’ marks an intimate opening while the unapologetic ‘Head Alone’ sees the musician taking control and setting boundaries, before ‘Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You’ floats by in the form of a soulful post-rock masterpiece. Expressing the inner workings of Jacklin’s mind as she challenges expectations, Crushing expertly showcases a plethora of human emotion through a blend of intricate melodies, romantic narratives and raw vocal talent. Kelly Ronaldson London in Stereo: 47
SOLD OU
T
PEEPING DREXELS THURS 7 FEB BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB PUBLIC PRACTICE THURS 7 FEB SHACKLEWELL ARMS TAYLOR SKYE MON 11 FEB SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS ODETTA HARTMAN TUES 12 FEB PAPER DRESS VINTAGE BESS ATWELL FRI 15 FEB ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH ANGELO DE AUGUSTINE MON 18 FEB OSLO HACKNEY KATHRYN JOSEPH TUES 19 FEB UNION CHAPEL YANN TIERSEN TUES 19 & WED 20 FEB ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL NATALIE EVANS WED 20 FEB SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS JUNGLE OUT THURS 21 FEB SOLD ALEXANDRA PALACE LALA LALA THURS 21 FEB SEBRIGHT ARMS THE WAVE PICTURES THURS 21 FEB KOKO SHYGIRL & COUCOU CHLOE THURS 21 FEB CORSICA STUDIOS
PALACE TUES 26 FEB OUT SOLD VILLAGE UNDERGROUND MOTHERS WED 27 FEB OSLO HACKNEY LEIF ERIKSON THURS 28 FEB TUFNELL PARK DOME GENTLY TENDER WED 6 MAR OSLO HACKNEY GIANT PARTY WED 13 MAR OSLO HACKNEY PLASTIC MERMAIDS WED 13 MAR THE LEXINGTON JERSKIN FENDRIX THURS 14 MAR WHIRLED CINEMA ROSIE LOWE THURS 14 MAR OMEARA
GHUM THURS 4 APR BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB HANNAH PEEL & WILL BURNS THURS 4 APR CECIL SHARP HOUSE KELLY MORAN FRI 5 APR PURCELL ROOM STEVE GUNN FRI 5 APR OSLO HACKNEY ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND WED 10 APR OMEARA BC CAMPLIGHT THURS 11 APR SCALA STATS WED 17 APR BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB
BEDOUINE FRI 22 MAR PURCELL ROOM
TIRZAH TUES 23, WED 24 & THURS 25 APR SCALA
EMPRESS OF TUES 26 MAR SCALA
ROZI PLAIN TUES 7 MAY OSLO HACKNEY
SHARON VAN ETTEN TUES 26 MAR ROUNDHOUSE
GUIDED BY VOICES WED 5 & THURS 6TJUNE OU SOLD VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
BECKIE MARGARET THURS 28 MAR THE ISLINGTON
THE STROPPIES THURS 18 JUL THE LEXINGTON
KARPE UT TUES 2 APR OLD O SCALA S
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
our selection of the best shows coming up this month O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
AMINÉ
GAAHLS WYRD + TRIBULATIONS
February 24th £23.75 adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
February 25th £25.85adv // @O2Islington
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE LEXINGTON
VANESSA ANNE REDD + PHOEBE COCO
DU BLONDE
February 7th £5adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
Angel
February 26th £10adv // @thelexington
Angel
THE WAITING ROOM TWO TRIBES February 28th £5.50adv // @WaitingRoomN16
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
POM POKO LEIF ERIKSON (photo: Paul Phung)
THE DOME LEIF ERIKSON February 28th £10adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Tuffnell Park
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY NORTH PARADE + LYENA + LOST NEAR BLUE APE + POLSKY February 23rd £7adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS POM POKO February 22nd FREE // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
BRIXTON WINDMILL
DRUG CHURCH + SINGLE MOTHERS + ROUGH HANDS
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD + SISTERTALK + PREGOBLIN + POSA
February 8th £9adv // @BostonMusicRoom
Tuffnell Park
February 2nd £5adv // @WindmillBrixton
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL MIGHTY OAKS + NOVAA
MOLLY NILSSON + SKIING February 6th £13.75adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central MOLLY NILSSON
February 22nd Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £14adv // @Bushhallmusic
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN KELVYN COLT February 6th £9.50adv // @HoxtonSquareBar
Old Street
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE FIEH February 6th £8adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
FIEH
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN LISA MERCEDES + TRILLARY BANKS + ALICAI HARLEY + RAIN LOTTS + NOLAY February 9th £25adv // @O2ForumKTown
Kentish Town
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
LAKIKO
HIDDEN ORCHESTRA
February 3rd £5adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street
XOYO
Waterloo / Embankment
OSLO
OPTIMO + JAYE WARD + JOSHUA JAMES February 23rd £8adv // @XOYO_London
February 30th £15adv // @southbankcentre
ANGELO DE AUGUSTINE Old Street / Liverpool Street
February 18th £12.50adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
JAZZ CAFE
EARTH POPPY ACKROYD + JULIA KENT
SHABAZZ PALACES
February 12th £18adv // @ServantJazz
February 7th £15adv // @TheJazzCafe
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
Camden Town London in Stereo: 51
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month. Friday 1st February
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday 2nd February
Sunday 3rd February
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
Monday 4th February
Wednesday 6th February
Tuesday 5th February
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday 7th February
Friday 8th February
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
Saturday 9th February
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday 11th February
Sunday 10th February Tuesday 12th February
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
Thursday 14th February
Wednesday 13th February
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 15th February
Saturday 16th February
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
Tuesday 19th February
Sunday 17th February
Monday 18th February
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday 20th February
Friday 22nd February Thursday 21st February
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
Saturday 23rd February
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday 26th February
Sunday 24th February
Monday 25th February Wednesday 27th February
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS
Thursday 28th February
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
S H A R O N VA N E T T E N REMIND ME TOMORROW TOUR
MARCH 2019 THU 21 BIRMINGHAM THE MILL FRI 22 MANCHESTER ALBERT HALL UT D O2 O LN SSU 4 G L AS G OW ST LU K E ' S TUE 26 LONDON ROUNDHOUSE WED 27 BRISTOL SWX S H A R O N VA N E T T E N . C O M
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Friday 1st March
Saturday 2nd March
Sunday 3rd March
Monday 4th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
MARCH LISTINGS Wednesday 6th March
Tuesday 5th March
Thursday 7th March
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Saturday 9th March
Friday 8th March
Sunday 10th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
MARCH LISTINGS
Monday 11th March Wednesday 13th March
Tuesday 12th March
SUBSCRIBE NOW LONDONINSTEREO.COM/ SUBSCRIBE GET THE NEW ISSUE OF LONDON IN STEREO DROPPING THROUGH YOUR LETTERBOX EACH MONTH
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
02/19 The MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Wednesday 6 February
MOLLY NILSSON Thursday 14 February
SURFBORT Sunday 17 February
CHRISTIANE F Tuesday 19 February
PETRIE Wednesday 20 February
LOYAL Wednesday 23 February
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Thursday 7 February
SOVIET SOVIET Saturday 9 February
KRIS BAHA + KIARA SCURO Wednesday 13 February
UNHAPPYBIRTHDAY Wednesday 20 February
KYOTI Wednesday 27 February
DIE SELEKTION Thursday 28 February
VINYL STAIRCASE
TWO TRIBES
The Shacklewell Arms
UNGE FERRARI
Tuesday 12 March
71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Saturday 2 February
THE MURDER CAPITAL Tuesday 5 February
IAN SWEET Tuesday 19 February
OHMME Thursday 21 February
BREATHE PANEL Wednesday 27 February
CID RIM
Studio9294 Monday 4 —Thursday 7 February
KEXP: IDLES, GHOSTPOET Saturday 9 March
RENDEZ-VOUS, FIRST HATE Saturday 27 April
TEST PRESSING FESTIVAL: MOON DUO, WARMDUSCHER Thursday 23 May
VIAGRA BOYS
“The Shakespeare in Stoke Newington is a class old pub with a real community spirit...” - Josh
with
Woman’s Hour
Why do you live in London? Will: Because it is the opposite of where I was brought up and I wanted to try something different. Fiona: Because you can be anonymous. Josh: I moved to London to be in the band, but it ended up that my closest mates from up north live here too. What are your fave places to eat and drink? Fiona: E5 bakery by London Fields does the best toasted sandwiches. Will: In Finsbury Park I like The Oak for wine and Brave Sir Robin has great beer and an excellent kitchen. Josh: The Shakespeare in Stoke Newington is a class old pub with a real community spirit that is missing from a lot of establishments! Apollo Pizza is also my favourite. Do you have any favourite venues? Will: The Dome, Tufnell Park! Josh: The Lexington holds a dear place in my heart. What’s the worst thing about London? Fiona: The pigeons. Will: The pollution. Josh: The lack of a horizon.
What's the best way to spend one really good day here? Fiona: Go and get a David Shrigley tattoo Will: I like doing the Parkland Walk from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace which has great views of the city. Josh: Go to the Castle Climbing Centre early doors, then to The Hunterian Museum (when it’s open), finish off with a few Guinness at The Auld Shillelagh. Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces? Fiona: My friend recently had a bath installed on her balcony so she can have baths outside which I think is very cool... Josh: Walking around The Barbican. What’s the bit of London that you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t? Fiona: My dog, Otto. Josh: The best Turkish restaurants in town. Does living here influence the music you write? Fiona: Most certainly. How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? Will: Try walking around rather than taking public transport and look up as much as you can. Josh: What Will said. Woman’s Hour release their new album, Ephyra, February 15th via Practise Music. LIVE: The Dome, Tufnell Park, March 22nd @womanshourband
@womanshourband London in Stereo: 75
PRESENTS
ST PATRICK’S DAY
SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2019 CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
Rhythm and Knowledge (for Sue Tompkins) by Kiran Leonard Her phrases frame thoughts and memories that once lacked articulation, and they are all the more perfect for it because they never make sense. To listen to The Leanover, even for the hundredth time, is a personal experience, because in trying and failing to ascribe sense to its disjointed, half-light images, and thus surrendering ourselves to instinct and subjectivity, we find our own history being read aloud on record. Somehow she captures those desires which diminish as soon as we have to organise them in speech, as if she were a voice from our past that even we were not aware of. Nothing, I feel, approaches this pleasure: of having our inner chaos affirmed, read back to us, in words from an outside point of contact. Cixous: ‘[For] this is what nourishes life—a love that has no commerce with the apprehensive desire that provides against the lack and stultifies the strange; a love that rejoices in the exchange that multiplies’. Most of us don’t want to talk about love, we just want it to be transmitted. Although we talk and we think with words, our thoughts, in trying to articulate our feelings, are governed by a vocabulary without grammar, something which terrifies us. In trying to refine the unspeakable into harsh sentences, we reach a total impasse. But her words are evocative precisely because they transmit past the tyranny
of a false grammar, of things unjustly made to make sense. Within them, there is no time for ingenuousness (unless we are being ingenuous to ourselves). Each phrase comes spiralling immediately from its point of contact. Contact. The words are coming from points of contact. It’s not the other way round: here, words cannot substantiate what has contacted them. Words that try to be substantial flee from contact with their tail between their legs. There is no misplaced authority of explanation here: there is only the joy and the rhythm of senseless expression. There is somebody she wants to see and there is a closed door. There are high heels; she dances and she is, and she is when she dances. And there is responsibility, always somebody’s responsibility. Glimpses like this perhaps provide more substance than others: I like you mostly late at night. And we can take it back. And we can keep us together. We can venture to say, at most, that the speaker’s burden of expressing her love directly, and of explaining herself when it has disappeared, is pointedly forfeited. But this has nothing to do with us. All she leaves us with is nostalgia for the original point of contact: the first, the last, the only. And we share in this nostalgia. Nothing is explained, but everything is said, which is what makes it ours. It did not have to make sense. There is no reason.
Kiran Leonard is a 23-year-old musician from Saddleworth, Greater Manchester. In addition to an overwhelming slew of Bandcamp releases, he has released four studio albums in recent years through Moshi Moshi. The latest of which was Western Culture. Kiran Leonard + band will be touring and playing festivals throughout 2019.
London in Stereo: 77
PRESENTS
J AWS THU 25 APRIL ELECTRIC BALLROOM
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
PLUS LET’S EAT GRANDMA
07 FEB / ALEXANDRA PALACE
22 FEB / ROUNDHOUSE
27 FEB / ROUNDHOUSE
21 MAR / ELECTRIC BRIXTON
ALICE M E RTON PLUS THE NIGHT CAFÉ & VISTAS
24 MAR / SCALA
26 APR / ROUNDHOUSE
THE BLINDERS 30 APR / SCALA
01 JUN / LONDON STADIUM