London in Stereo // Caribou

SALVATION JAYNE Old Blue Last London 01 | 02 | 20

HIBOU

Sebright Arms London 01 | 02 | 20

RAINN BRYNS Old Blue Last London 04 | 02 | 20

GEIKE

St Pancras Old Church London 05 | 02 | 20

EVIL SCARECROW

Eventim Apollo London 15 | 02 | 20

THE MENZINGERS O2 Forum Kentish Town London 15 | 02 | 20

NOVELIST

Village Underground London 16 | 02 | 20

The Lexington

London 20 | 02 | 20

DADDY LONG LEGS Paper Dress Vintage

London 24 | 02 | 20 - 25 | 02 | 20

KID KAPICHI Moth Club London 11 | 03 | 20

JAMIE CULLUM Palladium

LANA DEL REY

London T - 19 | 03 | 20 18 03OU | 20 SO|LD

The O2

London T OU 25 | 02 | 20 SOLD

London 26 | 02 | 20

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY

THE FAMILY RAIN London 10 | 03 | 20

Pin Ups

London T OU 07 | 02 | 20 SOLD

London 12 | 02 | 20

London 09 | 03 | 20

GOAN DOGS

ROE

SETH LAKEMAN Southwark Cathedral

Colours

London 16 | 02 | 20

KANO

The Drumshed

SPUDDZ

The Dome

LEVELLE LONDON

The Waiting Room

Omeara

London 22 | 03 | 20

FEE GONZALES

SHOCKTOWN

Camden Assembly London 26 | 02 | 20

Camden Assembly London 25 | 03 | 20

SEASICK STEVE Roundhouse

PARIS YOUTH FOUNDATION

The Waiting Room London 28 | 02 | 20

London 04 | 04 | 20

BROKEN WITT REBELS 100 Club

CHLOE FOY

London 04 | 04 | 20

Pin Ups

London 04 | 03 | 20

THE HOLD STEADY Electric Ballroom

London T 06 | 03 | 20 - 07 | 03OU | 20 SOLD

AGNES OBEL

Eventim Apollo London 09 | 04 | 20

THE HOLD STEADY

BARENAKED LADIES

London OU 08 | 03 |T 20 SOLD

London T 11 | LD 04OU | 20 SO

Bush Hall

Royal Albert Hall

@CROSSTOWN_LIVE @CROSSTOWNCONCERTS CROSSTOWNCONCERTS CROSSTOWNCONCERTS.COM INFO@CROSSTOWNCONCERTS.COM TICKETS FROM SEETICKETS.COM

P R E S E N T S

THE CAT EMPIRE WITH LUCY LU

UK 2020 THURSDAY 12 MARCH

EXTRA DATE ADDED FRIDAY 13 MARCH O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE LONDON THECATEMPIRE.COM/TOUR

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH UNITED TALENT AGENCY

2 5

Y E A R S

O F

A S H

2020 TOUR

WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2020

27.03.20

Roundhouse LONDON

DVK RǎFLDO.com By arrangement with X-Ray

2 5

Y E AR S

O F

A S H

Teenage :LOGOLIH CD/LP Out 14 February 2020

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE LONDON

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PARADIGM AGENCY

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

SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM EVENTIM.CO.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK - DICE.FM

GIGS

Concrete Lates

Plaid + Kelly Lee Owens (DJ) FRI 28 FEB ‘uncanny and otherworldly’ Resident Advisor

B R U TA L LY G O O D M U S I C

FEBRUARY DAYO BELLO 11THE IVY HOUSE FEBRUARY CAGE THE ELEPHANT 22 ALEXANDRA PALACE FEBRUARY ZUZU 26 DINGWALLS IAMDDB 2O2MARCH ACADEMY BRIXTON 12 MARCH JNR WILLIAMS OMEARA APRIL VIOLET SKIES 6THE LEXINGTON 21 APRIL DO NOTHING THE LEXINGTON APRIL EMILY BURNS 30 DINGWALLS MAY BAD SOUNDS 12 LAFAYETTE MAY JC STEWART 20 SCALA LONDON

CLUB - SATURDAY 14 MARCH

ORBITAL

CONFERENCE - FRIDAY 13 MARCH

ORBITAL ANDREW WEATHERALL NINJA TUNE SOUNDCLOUD RESIDENT ADVISOR ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS PRS FOR MUSIC STEVE HOGAN GEORGIA TAGLIETTI RICHARD ZJILMA MUSICIANS UNION + MANY MORE TBA

JOY ORBISON ROSS FROM FRIENDS (DJ) OVERMONO (LIVE) JENNIFER CARDINI PEACH CROMBY SALLY C TIMMY STEWART SWOOSE CARLTON DOOM DART

Tickets + free Conference signup at avafestival.com/london

welcome

Caribou cover story Page 24 SEGA BODEGA

Happy 2020! New year, new us. Well not actually, but we're fresh and ready to go at the very least.

We're kicking the new year off in style with the actually ridiculously lovely Caribou on the cover celebrating his brand new album (yes it was very much about time for another) and taking a walk in the E17 wetlands.

This year has really kicked off in style: not only are we chatting to the likes of Katie Gately, Banoffee and Shopping, but our weekly playlists are bursting at the seams with great new tracks (head to the website to keep updated). Truly everyone is looking to put their best foot forward this year and I for one appreciate it.

So whether your new year’s resolution is to listen to more new music, or actually get out to more shows, we're here for you. And something tells us it's going to be a good one PS it's okay if you use your extra leap year day to stay in bed, we completely approve.

STAFF ON REPEAT

the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Amindi - Love Em Leave Em (Feat. Kari Faux) Dave: Rina Sawayama - Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) Loki: Georgia - 24 Hours Danny: LA Priest - What Moves Gemma: Sega Bodega - Salv Goes To Hollywood Kezia: NAKED - Tear Katie: Local Group - Baby Talk Jack: Summer Camp - Women In Love LiS: 07

contents INTERVIEWS BANOFFEE

20

24

32

36

REVIEWS 42

WHAT’S ON

CARIBOU

16

SHOPPING 52

KATIE GATELY 55

FEATURES 12 73

ALBUM RELEASES

EVENTS

GIGS OF THE MONTH

FULL FEBRUARY LISTINGS Caribou cover story: page 24

NEW SOUNDS

TALES FROM THE CITY 74 77

IN LONDON

THOUGHTS...

Editor: Jess Partridge jess@instereomag.com

Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@instereomag.com

Online Editor: Kezia Cochrane kezia@instereomag.com

Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@instereomag.com

Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@instereomag.com

New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways

Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin

Advertising: sales@londoninstereo.co.uk

Photography: Caribou cover story: Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Contributors: Geoff Cowart, Georgia Evans, Thomas Hannan, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Nick Mee, Robin Murray, Stephanie Phillips, Ari Sawyer, Simone Scott Warren, Harriet Taylor, Lee Wakefield. londoninstereo.com

@londoninstereo

LiS: 09

229.LONDON 229 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN 2 FEBRUARY

CUTTING TEETH

8 FEBRUARY

HEATHENS TO MURGATROYD 2

1 MARCH

DRAGONU, EL NINO AND SAMURAI 3 MARCH

THE KYLE GASS COMPANY

13 FEBRUARY

6 MARCH

14 FEBRUARY

14 MARCH

15 FEBRUARY

19 MARCH

19 FEBRUARY

21 MARCH

NIGHT VERSES

SKILTRON WHO’S WHO

SLABDRAGGER

SMALL FAKERS

ASHESTOANGELS

LISA CANNY

LAZULI

21 FEBRUARY

10 APRIL

21 FEBRUARY

14 APRIL

THANK YOU SCIENTIST CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL

22 FEBRUARY

THE REZILLOS

28 FEBRUARY

PENDRAGON

Irina Rimes

Torpor + Archelon

17 APRIL

RED

19 APRIL

Dommengang

22 APRIL

Heather Peace

DEB NEVER

TOP TEN:

New Sounds

Chassol - Savana, Céline, Aya, Pt. 2 Hayley Kiyoko - She Inger Nordvik - Lost NNAMDï - Wasted Porridge Radio - Sweet Lauren Auder - June 14th Amindi - Love Em Leave Em (Feat Kari Faux) Baby Goth - Afterparty Hula - Yass Hook - Bad Bitty

GLOO NNAMDÏ

FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC

new sounds D eb N ever by Gemma Samways LISTEN TO: Swimming

If success was measured purely on the company one keeps, Deb Never would already be a huge deal universally. Take recent co-signs from Brockhampton, Tommy Genesis, Shlohmo, Dominic Fike, and Dylan Brady of 100gecs out of the equation however, and you’re simply left with one of the most intriguing new artists in the world right now.

Raised largely in the Pacific Northwest, interspersed by spells in Korea and Malaysia thanks to her pastorfather’s missionary work, Deb has been writing music since the age of 15, inspired groups like Radiohead, Brand New and Nirvana. Since moving to L.A., however, she’s truly found clarity with her songwriting, and in the process some influential

@debnever

collaborators in the shape of West Coast collective WEDIDIT. Indeed, her debut EP was exec-produced by key member D33J and put out through their eponymous imprint.

Released last August, the House On Wheels EP showcased Deb’s unique take on singer-songwriter fare, blurring the boundaries between emo, grunge and hip hop brilliantly.

Arrangements are refreshingly simple throughout, be it the naked angst of ‘Ugly’ which is set to sparse piano and ticking percussion, or the lightlyAutoTuned vocals that undulate over programmed beats on ‘Swimming’.

It’s a compelling introduction to an authentic new voice who’s undoubtedly bound for bigger things.

S ofia K ourtesis

by Jess Partridge

LISTEN TO: Sarita Colonia @SofiaKourtesis

SOFIA KOURTESIS

Equally attention-grabbing and soothing, Sofia Kourtesis first came into sight last year her with much lauded self-titled EP. It's a record that pulsates with a wild energy, enough to make you want to move but harnessing an undercurrent of restraint, displaying her bold and brilliant production skills. Her sound is confident without ever being cocky and precise without ever feeling too polished. With the recent announcement of a new EP out February 14th, and thrilling title track ‘Sarita Colonia’ on repeat already, it's going to be an exciting year for this Peruvian-born, Berlin-based producer.

LiS : 13

BIRD ON THE WIRE PRESENTS

Black Country, New Road TUE 4TH FEB VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

otta

Damien Jurado

Omar Souleyman

Angel Olsen

+ AUNTIE FLO (DJ) + STILL MOVING

+ HAND HABITS

THU 6TH FEB EARTH

TUE 11TH FEB EVENTIM APOLLO

TUE 11TH FEB ELECTROWERKZ

The Goon Sax

Alice Boman

Mikal Cronin

+ DANA GAVANSKI

Motorama

+ ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND

WED 12TH FEB SET

FRI 21ST FEB EMMANUEL CENTRE

Girl Ray

Big Thief

WED 26TH FEB ELECTRIC BALLROOM

THU 27TH FEB EVENTIM APOLLO

THU 27TH FEB FRI 28TH FEB ROUND CHAPEL

WED 4TH MAR OMEARA

THU 5TH MAR PRINTWORKS

Charlotte Dos Santos

Douglas Dare

Maria McKee

Porridge Radio

Squid

TUE 10TH MAR VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

MON 16TH MAR OMEARA

TUE 31ST MAR EARTH

WED 1ST APR COLOURS

THU 2ND APR SCALA

Nadia Reid

Braids

Jonathan Bree

black midi

Destroyer

THU 16TH APR OSLO

FRI 24TH APR MOTH CLUB

FRI 1ST MAY DINGWALLS

SAT 2ND MAY QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL

TUE 5TH MAY VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

Peaness

Sorry

Jackie Lynn

Aldous Harding

Weyes Blood

WED 6TH MAY THE LEXINGTON

THU 7TH MAY VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

MON 18TH MAY MOTH CLUB

WED 20TH MAY BARBICAN HALL

WEDS 10TH JUN O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

SUN 23RD FEB THE VICTORIA

TUE 25TH FEB UNION CHAPEL

TUE 25TH FEB MOTH CLUB

A Winged Victory For The Sullen

Modern Nature

Tycho + POOLSIDE

MORE INFO & TICKETS

BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET

COLA BOYY THU 06 FEBRUARY

THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS

HOUSE NANCY + DEEPPHARAOHS TAN + ELISD OF

LIL MOSEY

DYO

MURA MASA

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

MON 10 FEBRUARY

THU 20 FEBRUARY

BERHANA

SAINT JHN

SiR

MON 24 FEBRUARY

TUE 25 FEBRUARY

CERTIFIED HITMAKER TOUR 2020

THU 06 FEBRUARY

THE WAITING ROOM

R.Y.C WORLD TOUR 2020

ALEXANDRA PALACE

THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

THE MARCUS KING BAND

THE ESTEVANS

METROPOLIS MUSIC & THIS FEELING PRESENTS

THE HUBBARDS

HOTEL LUX

TUE 25 FEBRUARY

THU 27 FEBRUARY

THU 27 FEBRUARY

TUE 03 MARCH

FRANC MOODY DREAM IN COLOUR TOUR

YAEGER

WIKI

GHETTS

O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

TUE 10 MARCH

WED 11 MARCH

SAT 14 MARCH

TNGHT

CIGARETTES AFTER SEX

KLANGSTOF

LITTLE DRAGON

MON 16 MARCH

TUE 24 MARCH

THU 26 MARCH

THU 26 MARCH

THU 20 FEBRUARY

ELECTRIC BALLROOM

THU 05 MARCH

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

MON 24 FEBRUARY

THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY

THE WAITING ROOM

EVENTIM APOLLO

THE WAITING ROOM

OMEARA

COLOURS

O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

THE WAITING ROOM

+ CHE LINGO

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

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

events Masculinities: Liberation through Photography

20th FEB - MAY 17th February barbican.org.uk

.

Barbican, EC2Y 8DS

Sunil Gupta Š Sunil Gupta. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2019

I don't know if you've noticed, but the Barbican Centre exhibits over the last year or so have been incredible. Their latest, a group exhibit documenting the ways in which masculinity is experienced, displayed and socially constructed in photographs from 1960 onwards, is just as on point. An in-depth and spiralling exhibit, it includes work from more than 50 artists, photographers and filmmakers, featuring famous names like Peter Hujar, Robert Mapplethorpe and Annette Messager and some brand new (to the UK, at least) and younger artists like George Sureau, Marianne Wax, Hank Williams and more.

.

Insiders/Outsiders Festival There is no better time than right now to shine a light on and celebrate the contributions of refugees from Nazi Europe to British culture. Taking place not just in London but all over the UK, Insiders/Outsiders is a month packed full of events, talks, walks and celebrations of the rich tapestry of culture woven by those who sought refuge in the UK during and after the Second World War. From art to architecture, from publishers to art dealers, there are far too many events to even touch on here so make sure you check them out on the site.

MARCH 2ND-31ST . Various Venues . insidersoutsidersfestival.org

ANNIE MAC

photo: Milly Fletcher

Bancone We eat a lot of delicious junk but sometimes we do wonder about what, y’know, grown-ups eat? What about places where foods arrives on plates(!), where the staff compliment your wine choice (third from the top - always) and everything just feels quite...civilised? Bancone is exactly the place to experience this. The restaurant is exquisite, with an open kitchen and a huge olive tree inside which you can sit around, counter-style. Amongst all that though, it’s the pasta that steals the show. Honestly, just look at the bucatini and mussels up there. It’s food that makes you feel good about yourself and briefly better about the world. And with all the mains around £10, Bancone’s both an affordable treat, and an exciting glimpse into civilised life.

OPEN NOW . 10 Lower James St, London W1F 9EL . bancone.co.uk

Idaho 4 Boasting an alumni that counts the likes of Doe and The Spook School amongst its numbers, the Idaho shows may not happen as often as we’d like, but when they do, we know we’re all in for the best time. So it’s real exciting to know that a day has (to the best of our knowledge) been specifically added to the calender to accommodate Idaho 4. Yep, February 29th (who knew?) will see us all gathered at The Victoria, to witness probably their biggest and most fun line-up yet - headed up by truly lovely Lazy Day, and joined by Ex-Void, Cheerbleederz and tons more.

FEB 29TH . The Victoria, Dalston, E8 3AS . tickets on Dice

AMP Collected and conference Annie Mac's AMP Collected events return and they're better than ever: a series of shows, spread over four days, packed with the best new music (we're especially excited for Beabadoobee, The Big Moon, Lava La Rue and Arlo Parks) take over our favourite venues. If that wasn't good enough there's also a star-studded conference featuring the likes of Rina Sawayama, Maya Jama, Jodie Harsh and more. Snap up tickets now.

MARCH 4TH-7TH . Various London Venues . anniemacpresents.com LiS : 17

CLUBNIGHT SUN 2 FEBRUARY

NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB

RICHARD FAIRLIE TUE 11 FEBRUARY

HALF MOON RUN THU 12 MARCH ROUNDHOUSE

JAKE ISAAC WED 15 APRIL BUSH HALL

LILLA VARGEN

THE WAITING ROOM

HIGHLY SUSPECT WED 18 MARCH

ROMAN LEWIS FRI 14 FEBRUARY

SEAFRET WED 18 MARCH

OUTLYA

JADE BIRD THU 19 MARCH

IDA MAE

ZIGGY ALBERTS SAT 21 MARCH

LEIF VOLLEBEKK

THE COURTYARD THEATRE

GILL LANDRY WED 19 FEBRUARY

THE OLD QUEEN’S HEAD

LOUIS DUNFORD TUE 25 FEBRUARY PINUPS

BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH THU 27 FEBRUARY

ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH

THE STAVES WED 4 MARCH THE DOME

FRIEDBERG THU 5 MARCH THE WAITING ROOM

MICHAEL KIWANUKA THU 5 MARCH O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

PATRICK WATSON FRI 6 MARCH BARBICAN

ELECTRIC BALLROOM

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

ROUNDHOUSE

SCARYPOOLPARTY TUE 24 MARCH SCALA

SAM FENDER THU 26 & FRI 27 MARCH ALEXANDRA PALACE

FLAWES TUE 31 MARCH OMEARA

MARTHAGUNN THU 2 APRIL COURTYARD THEATRE

JONATHAN WILSON WED 8 APRIL LAFAYETTE

JUNODREAM WED 8 APRIL MOTH CLUB

RATIONALE THU 9 APRIL

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

WED 15 APRIL OMEARA

FRI 17 APRIL OMEARA

WED 22 APRIL BUSH HALL

MON 27 & TUE 28 APRIL BUSH HALL

NATHANIEL RATELIFF WED 29 APRIL ROYAL ALBERT HALL

THE LONE BELLOW TUE 5 MAY EARTH

HOLLOW COVES WED 6 MAY LAFAYETTE

BENEE MON 18 MAY LAFAYETTE

MICHAEL KIWANUKA FRI 27 NOVEMBER ALEXANDRA PALACE

interview

Banoffee words: Gemma Samways photography: Julian Bouchan

“This album exists because I got to go somewhere and feel safe, and rebuild, and look at it all from afar.”

I

t’s 6pm in Melbourne and today’s climate change rally is just beginning, staged in response to the bush fires currently decimating huge swathes of the country. “There are protests in every city in Australia right now, trying to get the government to actually do something,” Banoffee explains over the phone. “I mean, we're all walking around in gas masks and the cities are full of smoke.”

“I definitely wouldn't have been able to make an album any earlier,” she reflects on the delay. “Banoffee was very much something that could have faded out of existence a couple of years ago, because it wasn't my all.”

It was the positive influence of L.A., following a mental breakdown back in Melbourne, that shifted her attitude towards the project.

“When I moved to L.A., instead of using Banoffee as a project that I could slip in and out of, I became it, like a transition into a new body. To start afresh gave me the strength to speak about the themes I do. This album exists because I got to go somewhere and feel safe, and rebuild, and look at it all from afar.”

Though born and raised in Melbourne, Banoffee - real name Martha Brown - is only back for the holidays, having relocated to L.A. in 2017. When she eventually returns to the U.S., her long-awaited debut album will be out, a milestone made even more significant by the fact she’s been solo for almost a decade now, following the dissolution of her previous band, Otouto.

As is implicit in the title, Look At Us Now Dad is an unapologetically personal record, and one that finds the 30-year-old singer/ producer confronting her experiences with abuse, depression, bereavement, addiction, and intergenerational trauma head on. That she does so while ultimately leaving the listener uplifted is testament to her skill as a lyricist and songwriter.

LiS: 21

interview

Sonically, the arrangements are so vivid they’re practically tangible, which Banoffee credits to a mild form of synesthesia that causes her to view sounds in terms of texture. You could loosely define the collection as electronic-pop, but with a range that extends from PC Music-style wonkiness (‘This Is For Me’ and ‘Ripe’, which features production from former-roommate SOPHIE), to the haunting minimalism of ‘Permission’. Indeed, the vocal treatment for the latter is paced around the emotion of the piece, allowing Banoffee moments to cry, which she confirms “happens a lot” during live performances.

The record was largely written on the road, while supporting Taylor Swift as part of Charli XCX’s band, an overwhelmingly positive experience which she says “put a fire in my belly, because it made me want to be able to sing to a crowd where everyone knows my songs.” Musically, she and Charli seem like birds of a feather, as committed to innovation as they are crafting huge pop hooks. Is that where the similarities end?

“We both have that restless drive that a lot of people see as unhealthy,” Banoffee considers, adding with a laugh, “but Charli's a Leo and I'm a Virgo - neurotic.”

Self-deprecation aside, it’s precisely this willingness to appear vulnerable as well as offer strength that makes Look At Us Now Dad such a special record. On the title track, she traces familial traumas so as to better understand herself and, as she explains, the title is intended as an affirmation rather than a reproach.

“There have definitely been countless times where I really didn't think I was going to live through the year. So it's about saying to my dad, and to myself, that although there were moments in both of our lives where we weren't sure if we were going to survive, we did. And I remind myself of that every day.”

Look At Us Now Dad is released February 21st via Cascine @banoffeemusic

@Banoffeeme

cover story

Car i bo u words: Katie Thomas photography: Parri Thomas

I

t’s midsummer in Muskoka, Ontario, or, as Canadians affectionately refer to it, cottage country. Two friends, headphones on, sit side by side on the dock, looking out over the lake as family and friends socialise behind them. The friends are Jeremy Greenspan and Dan Snaith. Snaith, the man behind Caribou and Daphni, is listening to new Jessy Lanza music that Greenspan (Junior Boys) has been working on. Jeremy is listening to a new Caribou album, a project that was finished and sent off for mastering just days before the pair arrived in Muskoka for their annual summer holiday.

LiS: 25

cover story “You can probably tell I’m a water person”, Dan chuckles as we chat over coffee before this cover shoot on the Walthamstow Wetlands. The wind is bitterly cold today, but Dan is undeterred. By the water — like his yearly retreat to the lakes of Muskoka — is Dan Snaith’s happy place. His landmark 2010 record was called Swim, and the cover of this new project (Suddenly lands on February 28th) is of bright, inviting blue water. In Dan’s words, it’s calm, tranquil, and reflective - an image that represents the music.

Snaith is at his most reflective and melancholy, still he wants for optimism and joy. “That’s what music is for me,” he says gratefully, “it’s to get that feeling of release, and euphoria and happiness.”

It’s been five years since the release of Our Love, a period during which Dan and his family have experienced great change. His family has grown, with the birth of his second daughter, now three. And his family has been struck by loss, with the passing of his brother-in-law. Second single, ‘You and I’ is a tribute, an ode to the relationship between son and mother. In this sense, Suddenly is a diary, reflecting in the record’s tone and lyricism the things that have been happening in Dan’s life, and in the lives of those close to him. It’s a diary told in the most intimate way — with his voice, for Suddenly sees Dan’s vocal at the forefront more than ever before.

music is for me...

The album also chronicles his listening, a diary of discovery, so to speak. For Dan, who considers himself a fan first and music maker second, Suddenly brings together “everything that follows my excitement about the music I’ve been hearing.” Where Swim was informed by London’s bubbling late-night landscape at the time — Theo Parrish in Plastic People, Floating Points, Hessle Audio — Suddenly takes inspiration from a world of woozy, spacious R&B and hip-hop production that’s grown from Drake’s OVO Sound label. On his new record, Dan seeks to strip away familiar rap cadences, leaving behind the “weird, ethereal bits.”

There are plenty of weird, ethereal bits: Suddenly is littered with fuzzy keys, dissonant melodies and affecting string sections. And as we’ve come to expect from all Caribou music, the record glows with a familiar warmth and softness. Even when Dan

“That’s what it’s to get that feeling of release, and euphoria and happiness.”

Dan might find happiness of his own when he’s making music, but he also delivers moments of euphoria for his listeners too — ask anyone who’s experienced a live rendition of ‘Can’t Do Without You’ as the sun dips over a festival site. We anticipate many more of these moments as Caribou set off on their next string of live shows. With crisp, groove-led percussion, soaring synths and catchy riffs, ‘Ravi’ and ‘Never Come Back’ are custom-built for a festival crowd. Look for those slightly-sunburnt faces, belting the words as if their hearts might burst. “It’s always better when I’m with you,” goes the former. “You and I were together/ Even though we both knew better,” goes the latter.

LiS: 27

“Sometimes I’m in the studio and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I can’t wait to play this at a festival,’” Dan says. Whilst he makes Caribou music alone in his basement studio, the band has become one of his favourite things about being a musician. The Caribou live show informs, to a point, what Dan creates in the studio, but he’ll never leave something off a record on the basis it may not work in a live capacity. “I’ve made this deal with myself,” he explains. His method is to produce many (and by many, we mean upwards of 900 for this record alone) thirty-second clips, each representing a potential blueprint for an album track. He ranks the clips in vague order of preference, and then starts to flesh out the ideas, from half a minute to a fully-formed track.

Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, is a crucial part of this process, often, Dan says, rescuing ideas from the bottom of the pile. “There’s such potential for me to get lost in the wormhole,” Dan admits, before jokingly mimicking Kieran’s aghast exclamation of “Dan! Finish this fucking track!” ‘New Jade’, a shimmering cut with wicked drums that speaks of optimism and new beginnings, is one of three or four tracks on the album that Kieran literally saved from the trash.

“It’s amazing that we found each other,” Dan says. “He’s like a brother to me.”

Dan Snaith has a PhD in Pure Maths, but he wonders if that gives people a misinformed view of the way his brain works, or indeed the way he makes music. The mathematics we learn in school is logical, methodical, black and white.

But beyond school, maths is wildly abstract, a playground of ideas. It’s a way of thinking that’s invisible to most of us, and it’s that kind of mathematician that Dan associates with most.

“They’ve got some kind of beautiful, weird thing going on in their heads,” he says.

And speaking of beautiful and weird, Dan has an especially heartwarming story to tell about Colin Fisher, the Canadian multi-instrumentalist and improv-virtuoso who has contributed to Suddenly on guitar and tenor saxophone. Dan affectionately describes him as looking like the Buddha, with a crazy hyena laugh. One weekend in the summer, Colin came to stay with Dan to work on the album, picking up a Turkish flute on

cover story a stroll down Stoke Newington High Street.

Dan’s eyes light up as he recalls a scene in his garden, Colin playing a flute, one daughter bouncing on the trampoline, and the other running circles in the grass. “It made me so happy, to be making music with this wise, amazing person whose ideas I value so much,” he smiles, “and also just for my kids to have this life, where it’s normal for these wonderful, unusual people to drop into their lives.”

People come into our lives, and they leave our lives too. Sometimes they are taken, and it’s painfully untimely. Such was the case with the late Julia Brightly, who worked with Caribou as their sound engineer for a decade.

It’s now been almost six years since Julia passed away, and Dan has written the album cut ‘Magpie’ for her. “So much has changed, so much is new, and now/ And yet there’s still so high to climb,” he sings. Julia grew up vulnerable and isolated in 1950s Britain, later coming out as trans whilst touring with the band. “It was this amazing flowering of her personality,” Dan recalls of her experience. “‘Magpie’ is a letter to Julia, reflecting on how much the world has changed with regards to trans rights and the awareness of trans issues. It would mean so much to her.”

There’s a point in our conversation where Dan refers to himself as a magpie, referring to his tendency to pick up on music from all different times and places. A magpie is extraordinarily intelligent, and, of course, known as a bit of a kleptomaniac with a penchant for shiny things. At first glance, the bird is black and white, but look more closely and the black feathers glow with an almost iridescent hue of purples, blues and greens.

It’s Dan in a nutshell really: collect lots of shiny ideas, methodically arrange them into a list, deliver something luminous.

Suddenly is released February 28th via City Slang BRISTOL - April 6th, O2 Academy LONDON - April 7th, O2 Academy, Brixton LISBON - July 10th, NOS Alive Festival BERLIN - August 15th, Spandau Citadel @caribouband

@caribouband LiS: 29

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interview

“There was a lot of change in circumstances, a lot of upheaval and risks; risks were a big theme on the record.”

SHO PP ING

words: Stephanie Phillips photography: Matt Draper

op’ is the word of the day for Shopping. It rears its head in every direction our conversation travels down and contorts each band member’s face into jovial masks each time it is uttered. “We definitely wanted to up the pop factor a little bit,” explains bassist, Billy Easter on their obsession. Their pop offering can be heard on All or Nothing, the band’s fourth album and their most hipshaking to date, bringing together the jittery, bass-centric post-punk they’re known for, with a new wave dance-punk, Chicago house, and pop sensibility.

So have the UK post-punk band gone full pop then? Well the answer is ‘probably not’, but it’s a goal that keeps the band fired up.

Easter explains: “I feel like it's something we're always striving for. We want to write pop songs, but we write the songs that we write.” Guitarist, Rachel Aggs (also a member of Trash Kit and Sacred Paws) agrees, adding: “In our heads, any sort of deviation from the most minimal way that we sounded when we first started is radical to us and I think, maybe for someone listening in, it still sounds like us.”

Though Britney mics and synchronised moves aren’t on the cards in the band’s near future, they have come a long way from their scrappy beginnings. Formed in 2012 out of the embers of the short-lived London DIY band, Covergirl, Easter and Aggs, along

with drummer Andrew Milk, released their debut album Consumer Complaints, encapsulating an era in DIY punk history with their spiky, tumultuous rhythms.

Following the release of their second album, Why Choose (2015) when they lost their practice space to gentrification and Andrew moved to Glasgow, they pushed through and came back with the elastic funk spirit that was 2018’s The Official Body.

Now with Aggs and Milk both permanently relocated to Glasgow and Easter based in LA, the band are as dedicated to Shopping as they’ve ever been, carving out time to

get together and write when they can. It is an approach demonstrated in their fearless new album title, which became a motto for the group during the writing and recording sessions. “It ties back into the whole pop production thing,” says Andrew Milk. “Since we were going to try and do something a bit more poppy sounding, we were just like, ‘sure, let's just add more. More production.’

There's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek reference at our own process for the record.”

They haven’t gone full throttle for a Spectoresque wall of sound. Working with producer Davey Warsop, All or Nothing fills in the LiS: 33

interview

blank spaces of Shopping’s usually sparse arrangements. They were inspired by artists who reached a wider audience while staying true to themselves, whom they defined as Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeahs Yeahs, and Public Image LTD. The dance-forward outlook can be heard on ‘Initiative’ which reaches a climax of buzzing synths and choral harmonies as Aggs demands you “show some initiative.” ‘For Your Pleasure’ bounces around with even more wild abandon when a crisp sampled snare beat enters the conversation. Creating a record that would appeal to a wider audience and bring even more juddering dancers to their anticipated tours was a top priority. “We were consciously trying to make things a bit more melodic at times because I think it's quite easy for us to write a certain type of song that's maybe a bit monosyllabic,” says Aggs.

Though monosyllabic, a Shopping song could always pack out a dancefloor in seconds, even when the subject matter drew on the chaos of the world outside the club.

On first listen, All or Nothing sits in the same vein as previous Shopping releases,

drawing on the issues of work-life pressures, privacy, identity, and fear of false prophets.

It’s only on further listen that it becomes clearer that worries closer to home were also on the band’s mind. “There are quite a lot of legit personal issues that are going into the songs and the songwriting on this record,” says Milk. “There was a lot of change in circumstances, a lot of upheaval and risks; risks were a big theme on the record.”

Taking risks has given the band permission to write more openly, and grow into a new sound, expanded beyond drums, bass, and guitar. It is a growth which fans at their upcoming shows will be delighted to witness, and which bring us back to the word of the day: “Our live set is going to be quite different now,” boasts Easter. “Not giving anything away. It’s going to be more along the lines of a pop show.” Maybe there’ll be Britney mics after all.

All Or Nothing is released on February 7th via FatCat London - Rough Trade East February 7th, Lexington, May 5th.

Bristol - Rough Trade, February 9th Berlin - Urban Spree, May 11th @SH0PP1NG

@weareshopping

interview

katie gately words: Charlotte Krol

photography: Steve Gullick

W

hen LA-based experimental musician and sound designer, Katie Gately was close to finishing the follow-up to her 2016 debut Colour, her world was suddenly shattered. Her mother was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer that would prove terminal. Shortly before the diagnosis in the spring of 2018, Gately’s mother saw her daughter perform live for the first time. She loved a song that would develop as ‘Bracer’, the visceral panic attack lead single from Gately’s new album, Loom. “I got that feedback and I built the album from there,” Gately explains. The producer parked most of the ideas explored before her mother’s diagnosis, finding herself writing intuitively about the multifaceted emotions experienced while dealing with a colossal uprooting.

“I haven’t had to experience a lot of grief, which is fortunate, but I wasn’t aware that there was a lot of anger that naturally comes with it,” Gately continues over the phone. “Luckily, I didn’t want to throw that anger at people. I wanted to throw it at sound. A ‘fuck you’ to cancer. I think that’s exactly what my mother would have done.”

“...the primary thing that motivates me is exactly what I get from other people’s music, which is that it makes me feel less alone.”

Gately speaks of being ‘hyperactive’ while looking after her mother in the family’s hometown of Brooklyn, where she would use the small hours to work on Loom. “I got hypervigilant – I couldn’t sleep,” she says. “I was almost in a flow state, like a bad flow state.” The album became her response to her mother’s illness, both musically and lyrically. “Every song is in a minor key, quite funereal,” Gately adds, as if to explain how reality informed the music. “On the other hand, there’s an energy: there's percussive elements and it’s faster in some parts, slower in others. And lyrically, I really

wanted to acknowledge the kaleidoscope of things you feel when you’re having this kind of experience.”

She recalls pinballing in panic. “I got very attentive to the way my mother looked, like, ‘uh-oh, I think something bad is about to happen,’ and then there was this other side where I was like, ‘Fuck this; fuck cancer.’ But there was also this part where I wanted to understand it: ‘what is this disease, how does it work?’ All of those voices, feelings and memories ended up in the music, she says, such as super processed audio from her parents’ wedding.

LiS: 37

interview Loom is a different beast from Gately’s maximalist debut, Colour; the latter is a sensory overload stuffed with inventive field recordings and bold mutations of sound. On Loom, Gately’s voice is positioned front and centre. Sonically speaking, it’s more occupied by drone and deeply ruminative textures. Her wildly creative sampling remains – from bull whips to machine guns – but their dynamics are softer in the mix and are better suited for nighttime listening (perhaps resultant of Gately’s nocturnal writing routine).

“I feel like music tells me what I’m feeling before I know how I’m feeling,” she says, touching on the process behind creating songs such as ‘Allay’. The album track is a haunting cacophony of overlapping choral vocals, gongs and actual earthquake recordings – representative of the thing that shook her world – and is sung from the perspective of her mother’s disease. “That idea just came very naturally. It’s true that cancer will come for you and you won’t get better sometimes,” Gately says. There’s an acknowledgement that composing helped her face and cope with the ordeal.

“On this record, I just sort of intuited what to do,” she continues. “I wouldn’t want to go through the grief process again, but I’m hoping that something about opening up in a big way emotionally will help my future work. I think I feel, oddly, more confident in trusting myself now. All I’ve really had and trusted is my ear.

The way I put things together, I feel it’s pre-lingual. Emotions are bumping into each other and I’m just assessing whether or not they feel right.”

Ultimately, Gately has made something expressive, beautiful and necessary in Loom.

The record may be dedicated to her mother, but there’s ample space for others to seek solace. “I feel dorky saying this, but the primary thing that motivates me is exactly what I get from other people’s music, which is that it makes me feel less alone.”

Loom is released on February 14th via Houndstooth LIVE: Cafe Oto, April 1st @kgsounds

@katiegatelymusic

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album of the month Soccer Mommy colour theory Loma Vista February 28th

SOCCER MOMMY (photos: Brian Ziff)

Mostly there was that "I don’t wanna be your feral hog" tweet on sainted Twitter day, August 6th 2019, but there's also been exceptional music.

From the 2017 compilation, Collection, through to 2018's Clean, the transformation of Soccer Mommy – the nom de plume of Nashville native Sophie Allison – from bedroom project to full band has been a joy to watch, and to listen to. That being the case, Danny Wright gathered Stephanie Phillips and Georgia Evans together to find out if new album, color theory, sees that trajectory continue...

Have you been a fan of Sophie Allison/ Soccer Mommy since Clean?

With color theory, it’s clear she’s been through a lot. Does it feel like a heavy record?

Stephanie: I really loved Clean and heard about her then. Songs like ‘Last Girl’ and ‘Your Dog’ were stuck in my head for ages.

She seemed to be referencing 90s acts like Liz Phair or Bratmobile, which I really loved.

Stephanie: It’s certainly a melancholy record. On songs like ‘nightswimming’ and 'yellow is the color of her eyes', the trauma she’s coping with becomes more apparent.

Georgia: Yes! I love that about her. Her lyrics are incredible too.

Stephanie: I was so surprised when I found out her age. I’d say she's well beyond her years, but realistically she's just found her calling earlier than most do.

Georgia: Though it touches on heavy subjects such as depression, self-harm and terminal illness, it doesn't feel heavy. The production still has you singing and swaying along, but when you look back and read into it, you can see that actually there’s some pretty dark stuff in there. I think ‘circle the

drain’ is a prime example of this. I also really love ‘royal screw up’ too. I’ve had that in my head for days. It perfectly sums up that feeling of thinking everything you do is wrong. But the two you've mentioned, Steph, are painful to listen to.

I had a tear in my eye listening back to 'yellow is the color...'.

Stephanie: Yeah - it doesn't leave you feeling depressed. You're just aware of the sensation and memory.

Georgia: There's beautifully done.

real

balance

-

it's

Stephanie: With ‘crawling in my skin’, at first I'm moved by the girl group-style beat, but then, obviously, the image of someone uncomfortable in their skin is deeply sad.

And sonically does it feel like an evolution from Clean?

Stephanie: I think very subtly. She's clearly still developing her style and knows what works for her. There isn't anything on color theory that seems out of left field, but there are extra additions that build on her style. More electronic and atmospheric background sounds all add depth to the record.

Georgia: Agreed. I really like the production. She’s toying with samples now too, so tracks like ‘night swimming’ are really beautiful, with the sampling running underneath, which quite dramatically cuts out as she sings about sinking. There's certainly a fuller feel to it.

She's said that every song began with a live take done to tape. Can you hear that?

Georgia: Yeah, I think you can hear it, but she's clearly got an idea of how she wants to sound, so it doesn't feel like she's strayed too far away from what we're used to.

Stephanie: The essence of her sound has been her and a guitar, so keeping that element raw was a good idea. It also connects color theory back to Clean and makes sure it still feels like a Soccer Mommy release.

She said she wants the album to sound like “a dusty old cassette tape that has become messed up over time” - has she achieved her goal?

Stephanie: Thematically, the album is as relevant now as it would have been 30 years ago, so in that sense, I could imagine finding this at the bottom of a box of tapes in a local record store. In terms of the production, there's been great care taken to emphasise the core elements of each song: her voice and guitar. Nothing has been overly produced or warped beyond recognition.

Georgia: There are points where the samples sound a bit worn or distant, but it’s not too inyour-face and I like that subtlety. Thematically, there's definitely a timeless quality to it.

You mentioned Liz Phair before, Steph. Are there any other influences you hear?

Stephanie: Maybe more ‘contemporaries’, but there are a lot of similarities with Girlpool. And in terms of influence, maybe (loosely) bands like Pavement or Jimmy Eat World.

Georgia: I read that she's a fan of Elvis Depressedly too, and you can kind of see where the lo-fi comes from. (Sandy) Alex G has that same kind of style too.

Stephanie: She's definitely from the church of less is more.

And the final question - do you think this is an album that will stay with you?

Georgia: Yes - I can't stop listening to it!

Stephanie: Yeah, I think it will definitely stay with me. Songs like ‘bloodstream’ or ‘crawling in my skin’ keep circling in my head. There's a lot on this album and it gets much more enthralling with each listen.

Georgia: You hear something different each time you go back.

LIVE: Berlin - Frannz Club, June 9th London - Electric Ballroom, June 18th Bristol - Trinity Centre, June 19th @sopharela

@soccermommymusic LiS: 43

album reviews Nicolas Godin Concrete And Glass Because Music January 24th

Moses Boyd Dark Matter Exodus Records February 14th

Jazz is alive and well in London. Want proof? Look no further than Catford drummer, Moses Boyd.

Already a well-known name on the scene thanks to collaborations with tenor saxophonist, Binker Golding, his debut album represents a chance to test his own vision and chops. With previous sessions with Gary Crosby and Nubya Garcia under his belt, his jazz credentials are assured.

Yet Moses can also claim mixes from Floating Points and Four Tet. Now, these 10 tunes offer a delicious fusion of his highly-syncopated drumming with some exquisitely lush grooves, topped off with an electronic flourish. Think Weather Report jamming with an African Highlife lounge band in Rye Lane and you’re getting close.

Guest vocals from Poppy Ajudha, Obongjayar and Nonku Phiri add another, slicker dimension. Geoff Cowart

Godin’s follow-up to Contrepoint is less complex and classically minded than its Bachinspired predecessor, but is again motivated by a single theme, that of architecture – Godin is a graduate in the field and has composed a site-specific tribute to modernist structures. But shorn of its sense of place, does it work for a listener inhabiting, say, a Barratt semi? If they favour the sonorous ambience of Godin’s primary band, Air, then probably, though this album’s layered electro-pop is slighter.

Guest vocalists include Alexis Taylor and, on the catchy ‘Back to Your Heart’, Kate NV, while Godin’s overuse of the vocoder taints ‘The Border’s ethereal drift like a garish paint-job on a minimalist façade. It’s the album’s instrumental infrastructure – its taut beats and warm synths – that give most pleasure: firm foundations, at least.

Nick Mee

Destroyer Have We Met Dead Oceans January 31st

Have We Met is a refinement of the shimmering indie-pop Dan Bejar’s Destroyer perfected on 2011’s Kaputt, and while there’s little to be found that will surprise anyone who’s followed his career trajectory over the past few decades, there is more than enough that will delight.

Continuing the tradition of there really not being any bad Destroyer albums, Have We Met has a number of peaks that put it among Bejar’s best. The gorgeous ‘It Just Doesn’t Happen’ is one of his most rewarding compositions, and of course it’s peppered with the sort of turns of phrase that see him regarded as one of rock’s most skilled lyricists (“The television music supervisor says ‘I can’t believe what I’ve done’…” being a favourite).

Thomas Hannan

Pet Shop Boys Hotspot x2 Records/Kobalt January 24th

What exactly do you want from a Pet Shop Boys record in 2020? Because, if the answer is “another synth-tastic pop-romp, please,” Hotspot has you covered. Recorded in Berlin’s Hansa studios, made famous by Bowie during his Berlin period, the studio’s influence seems mostly that it’s sonically less ‘digital’ than its predecessor, 2016’s Super.

Which is not to say the duo have gone full analogue, (as if). There’s one acoustic-y number, the sublime ‘Burning The Heather’ (featuring Mister Bernard Butler on jangly guitar duties). As Neil Tennant croons about how he’s “just the singer of the song…,” we can just be glad he is, as the track itself is a reminder that, for those of us who love Tennant’s yearning, emotive vocals, he can still envelop you like an old favourite cardigan. It’s a feat he constantly repeats on Hotspot, whether hanging out with Years and Years on ‘Dreamland’, or on the more wistful ‘Hoping For A Miracle’ (think ‘Kings Cross’ and you’re kinda there).

The title of ‘Will O-The-Wisp’ might evoke childhood memories of Mavis Cruet for those of us old enough to remember the 80s teatime cartoon (which probably has nothing to do with it, but thanks for the memory anyway), but also seems to contain momentary fragments reminiscent of ‘It’s A Sin’. It’s just in the opening few seconds (before it transforms into an absolute belter), but it’s surely deliberate, designed to remind you that, in the past, present and hopefully future, Tennant and Lowe remain genuine National Treasures.

Simone Scott Warren

Beach Bunny Honeymoon Mom + Pop February 14th

Scattered with power-pop remnants of decades passed, Beach Bunny’s forthcoming debut marks a fresh and optimistic take on love. Aptly set for a Valentine’s Day release, Honeymoon branches away from predictable, woe-is-me songwriting, opting instead for a hopeful and unapologetic approach as vocalist Lili Trifilio embraces the positivity of love.

While ‘Cuffing Season’ and ‘April’ deal with the process of recovering from a broken heart and learning to be alone, the latter half of the record turns towards excitement, heart-bursting crushes and opening ourselves up to new possibilities. From the hazy melodies of ‘Promises’ and ‘Ms. California’ to the stripped-back intimacy of ‘Rearview’, Honeymoon is empathic and confessional, presenting love and romance as a blissful awakening, without falling into the trap of lyrical cynicism. Ari Sawyer LiS: 45

Allie X Cape God Twin Music Inc February 14th

‘Fresh Laundry’, the first track on Cape God, is also the earliest taste we had of new Allie X material. Confronted by unnerving versions of herself against a backdrop of moody electronic growls and the unshakeable hook of “I want to be near fresh laundry; it’s been too many years of not folding,” it’s visually astounding and sounds phenomenal. Consider it a tone-setter, because everything on Cape God resembles only the most infectious, sleekest cuts of pop. Highlights come thick and fast: ‘June Gloom’ is reminiscent of Prince at his funkiest; the Mitski-featuring ‘Susie Save Your Love’ is a shimmering ballad and the exhilarating ‘Life of The Party’ and ‘Super Duper Party People’ go for the throat. 2020 should be dominated by Allie X. Lee Wakefield

HAAi Systems Up, Windows Down Mute February 14th

Australian-born, London-rooted producer, HAAi – real name Teneil Throssell – links with legendary imprint Mute for a new EP, and it refuses to disappoint. Six tracks of sweaty, cramped, digital hedonism, it matches her predilection for working the room with a penchant for sound design that pairs industrial tones with something rather more playful.

Opening with ‘Don’t Flatter Yourself Love’ - its spacious arrangement akin to a soundsystem slowly leering into life – the EP moves through warped heads-down techno chuggers, Aphex-leaning atmospherics, and the subtle dub-inflected sparsity of ‘6666’. Probing yet light-spirited, HAAi refuses to be hemmed in. Ending with that magnificent title track, she is truly laying down a marker, following those sought-after London residencies with a fine, nuanced, and endlessly exhilarating new EP. Robin Murray

Squirrel Flower I Was Born Swimming Full Time Hobby January 31st

What noises have you made when pleasantly overwhelmed by the power of new music – when you expected it to be good, but you didn’t expect it to be quite so good? Whatever quirky sound you made, be prepared to emote that way again when you blast (please, please play it loud) I Was Born Swimming by Squirrel Flower.

Why turn the volume up on this album? Because it is so sensitively produced. You can hear hand movements along guitar frets, as on ‘Headlights’. Its moments of quiet have a profound atmospheric depth and a high emotional volume. ‘I-80’ and ‘Red Shoulders’ provide a breathtaking opening. Later, when she sings, “My body’s buzzing as I start to dance” on ‘Street Light Blues’, yours ought to follow suit. Jon Kean

Summer Camp Romantic Comedy Apricot Recordings February 14th

photo: Kate Cox

It’s in the sweeping, sophisticated grandeur of ‘Woman In Love’, it’s in the tender story-telling of ‘Danny and John’ (the sweetest and saddest country-kissed love song since the Magnetic Field’s peerless ‘Papa Was A Rodeo). It’s in the ruminative, haunting instrumentals that adorn Romantic Comedy. It’s all very clear - if this isn’t exactly Summer Camp all grown-up (because who wants that from your pop bands?), it’s definitely the sound of them more sophisticated, more considered and, ultimately, more rewarding - a band you could see yourself growing old(er) with. In the evolution of Summer Camp it all makes perfect sense. Sure Romantic Comedy starts with a spoken word sample and a gentle, chugging beat that recalls their sainted ‘Ghost Train’ and it’d be easy to think we’re back in treasured Summer Camp territory - where their earliest songs (the impeccable observation of the Young EP, especially) existed in a teen movie-fixated world; all messy parties with those red plastic cups, confusion, desperation, people disappearing into one of a puzzling amount of bedrooms, unrequited love if not exactly getting requited then definitely, y’know, getting a quick fix, all youth skipping past you in a hazy blur. Romantic Comedy, though, is the logical step from pop rushes and speedy crushes to something more tangible, more satisfying - with a few sweet crushes thrown in on the way, of course.

Teen movies can’t offer this tangibility. You might be rooting for these kids in the moment, but their fickle, callous nature – their youth – can’t promise happy-ever-afters. No one believes that Rachel Leigh Cook, 15 years on, is exhaustedly yelling at Freddie Prinze Jr. to “Please, for the love of God, let that fucking hackysack drop,” and, Lord knows, nobody wants to see it.

Increase the age bracket though, add some experience, some smarts, some adjusted expectations(?), and it’s not difficult to imagine Hugh waking up one morning and saying for the hundredth time “Really, how did you not notice it was raining?” or Meg and Tom, retired in Florida, laughing off that awkward bit where he, lol, destroyed a treasured dream in the pursuit of ruthless capitalism. So, sure, we all know it’s ridiculous (hear the demands for movie love in “Barefoot In the Park’), sure we know we ain’t getting this stuff (hear the crestfallen acceptance in the absolutely divine ‘It Happened One Night’) but romantic comedies still give us all hope (which runs so deep through the dreamy beauty of ‘You Complete Me’). We’re invested because we believe in them, and we still want to know what happens once the credits roll. We still want more. And so it is with Summer Camp; Romantic Comedy is Elizabeth and Jeremy feeling newly profound, believable and more loveable than ever. Dave Rowlinson LiS: 47

Beatrice Dillon Workaround Pan February 7th

Unfurling with meditative intricacy, Workaround proffers an infinitely textural, explorative sonic fauna. Illustrating Beatrice Dillon’s creative dexterity and far-reaching inspirations, her debut full-length fully encompasses and demonstrates Dillon’s ingenuity and innovation as an artist.

Whilst Workaround captures the hypnotism of sultry, dusky nights in the club, drawing on the spaciousness of dub and experimental electronica, it’s also an incredibly intimate record, deserving of attentive solitary listening.

It’s not surprising that these compositions were inspired by choreographer Rudolf Laban and the abstract drawings of Tomma Abts or Jorinnde Vogt, amongst others, given the innate tangibility to Dillon’s work. Each note feels like a vibrant brushstroke and each beat fabricates the complex architectural structures of her sonic world, and Workaround demonstrates exactly why Dillon’s such a revered musician and DJ. Kezia Cochrane

Poliça When We Stay Alive Memphis Industries January 31st

Carrying on is hard to do.

Physical and emotional trauma can leave us cynical and world-weary at best. The idea of totally shedding your skin and approaching life with unbridled optimism after the fact is a common lie passed about way too freely in pop culture. Which is why When We Stay Alive feels more truthful than that. At the heart of the album lies acceptance: examining the curious relationship of embracing pain over total resilience and sometimes surrendering the belief that you have control under the whims of natural chaos.

The contrasts between Channy Leaneagh’s ethereal hyper-pop vocals and sardonic lyrics steeped in cryptic metaphor are exquisite – an aural to-and-fro that seems to epitomise this whole process of realising one’s vulnerability. Definitely their finest, most fully realised album to date. Harriet Taylor

Okay Kaya Watch This Liquid Pour Itself Jagjaguwar January 24th

Considering it took Kaya Wilkins five years from her first SoundCloud upload to release an album, it seems doubly surprising to receive the follow-up less than a year later.

Upon listening, however, the alacrity of the NYC-basedNorwegian makes total sense.

Characterised by brutal candour that’s often dredged through gallows humour, Watch This Liquid Pour Itself is very much a companion piece to 2019’s Both.

Impressively, it’s even more droll, dissecting sex and bipolar depression in wicked soundbites like, “What if the pills I take will stop me getting wet?” and, “Netflix and yeast infection.”

Wilkins is more adventurous in her arrangements this time round too, dabbling in woozy disco (‘Mother Nature’s Bitch’) and Cate Le Bon-ish indie (‘Psych Ward’), via an a capella hymnal with disconcertingly Nico-esque vocals (‘Zero Interaction Ramen Bar‘).

Gemma Samways

WHAT'S ON CAFE QUIJANO 31ST JAN REN-CORE EVENTS

BATUSHKA

BY KRISS DRABIKOWSKI 3RD MAR AEON PROMOTIONS

INSIDE THE ROPES: GRILLING JR LIVE! 7TH FEB

REPUBLICA

THE STAVES 4TH MAR COMMUNION MUSIC

8TH FEB

BORN OF OSIRIS

THOSE DAMN CROWS

6TH MAR LIVE NATION + UNITED TALENT

12TH FEB KILIMANJARO LIVE

BURR FEST 2020

DANCE WITH THE DEAD 14TH FEB LIVE NATION + AVOCADO BOOKING

BEANS ON TOAST 15TH FEB DHP FAMILY

7TH MAR BURR FEST

...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD 10TH MAR DHP FAMILY

EVIL SCARECROW

WOLF PARADE

16TH FEB CROSSTOWN CONCERTS + TKO

11TH MAR PARALLEL LINES

COUNTERPARTS

LONDON CHESSBOXING: ST PATRICK'S DAY BASH

20TH FEB LIVE NATION + KINGSTAR MUSIC

14TH MAR LONDON CHESSBOXIN4

CATALEPTIC RITES FESTIVAL 22ND FEB RAT KING MUSIC

GRAND MAGUS + WOLF 15TH MAR BORN AGAIN CONCERTS

THE MYSTERINES 26TH FEB DHP FAMILY + SJM

JARED JAMES NICHOLS 28TH MAR KILIMANJARO LIVE

chaos theory festival: 10 years of CHAOS

GENDER ROLES

29TH FEB CHAOS THEORY

3RD APR PINK MIST

TICKETS: WWW.DOMETUFNELLPARK.CO.UK

gigs of the month

our selection of the best upcoming shows

O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

KIM PETRAS

NOVATINES

February 11th £29.65adv // @o2sbe

Shepherd’s Bush

KIM PETRA

February 26th £9adv // @O2Islington

Angel

BOSTON MUSIC ROOM PKEW PKEW PKEW February 8th £11adv // @BostonMusicRoom

Tuffnell Park

THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS COLA BOYY February 6th £7.50adv // @shacklewell Arms

Dalston Junction / Kingsland LIZ LAWRENCE

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS CHARLOTTE SPIRAL February 4th £6.50adv // @ServantJazz

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY LAURAN HIBBERD February 20th £10adv // @CamdenAssembly

Chalk Farm / Camden Town

THE WAITING ROOM

COLOURS

MOIR

LIZ LAWRENCE

February 15th FREE // @WaitingRoomN16

February 19th £10adv // @ColoursHoxton

Dalston Junction / Kingsland

WERKHAUS

THE DOME MALDITA NEREA February 28th £20adv // @DomeTufnellPark

Old Street

YELLOW TULIP Tuffnell Park

February 8th FREE // @werkhauslondon

Liverpool Street

PAPER DRESS VINTAGE

BUSH HALL

FLAMINGODS + FAMOUS + ELLIE BLEACH + HAIRY RECORDINGS DJS + CHERRY B DJS

TOM GRENNAN

February 1st £10adv // @paperdressed

Hackney Central

February 13th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush Donation // @Bushhallmusic

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN THE GAME

FLAMINGODS

February 5th £34.75adv // @O2ForumKTown

Kentish Town

BARBICAN EFTERKLANG February 29th £20 // @BarbicanCentre

Barbican / Old Street ERIKA DE CASIER

NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB TAMZENE + MICHAELA + KIRA February 13th FREE // @NHAClub

Notting Hill Gate

MOTH CLUB MIKAL CRONIN + SHANNON LAY February 25th £14.30adv // @Moth_Club

Hackney Central

XOYO DUSKY + ROMARE + IONA + ELIZA ROSE + FARO February 21st £13.50adv // @XOYO_London

Old Street / Liverpool Street

JAZZ CAFE ERIKA DE CASIER + TERTIA MAY February 19th £15adv // @TheJazzCafe

Camden Town

OSLO SKOTT February 5th £12adv // @OsloHackney

Hackney Central

ROUNDHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB

CALVA LOUISE + YOUTH SECTOR

LUCY FARRELL + ANDREW WAITE

February 20th £10adv // @RoundhouseLDN

February 12th £12adv // @slaughteredlam

Camden Town

Farringdon/ Old Street LiS: 53

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.

Saturday February 1st

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Sunday February 2nd

Tuesday February 4th

Monday February 3rd

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

Full February Listings Wednesday February 5th

Thursday February 6th

visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Friday February 7th

Saturday February 8th

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

Full February Listings Sunday February 9th

Monday February 10th

Tuesday February 11th

see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Thursday February 13th

Wednesday February 12th

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

Full February Listings

Friday February 14th

find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Saturday February 15th

Sunday February 16th

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

Full February Listings Wednesday February 19th

Monday February 17th

Tuesday February 18th

Thursday February 20th

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

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Friday February 21st

Saturday February 22nd

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

Full February Listings Sunday February 23rd

Monday February 24th

see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Wednesday February 26th

Tuesday February 25th

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

Full February Listings Thursday February 27th

Friday February 28th

see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues

LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo

Saturday February 29th

WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing

March Listings Sunday March 1st

Monday March 2nd

Wednesday March 4th

Tuesday March 3rd

see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues

2 Feb

MICHAEL HEAD AND THE RED ELASTIC BAND

EartH 3 Feb

COLOSSAL SQUID The Lexington 5 Feb

ALGIERS

Village Underground 5 Feb

MODEL MAN

Studio 9294 7 Feb

26 Feb

POTTERY SOLD OUT

Brixton Windmill 27 Feb

TONY NJOKU SET 4 Mar

THE ORIELLES

Electric Ballroom 5 Mar

MARIKA HACKMAN

11 Apr

OLLIE WRIDE

Lafayette 15 Apr

DANA GAVANSKI The Lexington 16 Apr

DEVON WELSH Omeara 18 Apr

HAPPYNESS

6 Mar

Moth Club 22 Apr

Omeara 7 Feb

The Lexington 13 Mar

Lafayette 28 Apr

Cafe Oto 11 Feb

EartH 14 Mar

STRAND OF OAKS LONNIE HOLLEY

POLICA

Village Underground 12 Feb

JADE IMAGINE

The Waiting Room 12 Feb

TWEN

Shacklewell Arms 13 Feb

O2 Forum Kentish Town

KONRADSEN LOUIS COLE ONE FEST EartH 17 Mar

HARVEY CAUSON Electrowerkz 18 Mar

STONEFIELD Moth Club 23 Mar

KLEIN

LUCAS SANTTANA

14 Feb

The Lexington 2 Apr

SET 20 Feb

Oslo 4 Apr

Underworld 14 & 15 Feb LOSSOCAMPESINOS! OUT Hall LD Islington Assembly

JUNIOR BROTHER

LAURAN HIBBERD

Camden Assembly 21 Feb

GENGAHR EartH

Rich Mix 1 Apr

HONEY HARPER HENRY GREEN

MAYRA ANDRADE Electric Brixton 9 Apr

PEGGY SUE

The Dome

MELT YOURSELF DOWN PHARMAKON

Studio 9294 29 Apr

FAR CASPIAN Lafayette 15 May

ALTIN GUN EartH 21 May

WIRE

Islington Assembly Hall

25 - 28 May

SWANS

EartH 27 May

BONIFACE Omeara 18 Jun

SOCCER MOMMY

Electric Ballroom UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS

rockfeedback.com

DEVENDRA BANHART TUES 4 FEB O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

KENNETH WHALUM TUES 25 FEB SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

CHARLOTTE SPIRAL TUES 4 FEB SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

SLEATER-KINNEY WED 26 FEB O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

IDER WED 5 FEB 2020 ELECTRIC BRIXTON

SOL CROFT WED 26 FEB SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

ANNA MEREDITH WED 5 FEB 2020 EARTH HACKNEY

OH BROTHER TUES 3 MAR THE LEXINGTON

SOPHIE JAMIESON WED 5 FEB CHATS PALACE

OKAY KAYA WED 4 MAR SET DALSTON

JAPANESE TELEVISION THURS 6 FEB DALSTON VICTORIA

LADY LAMB THURS 5 MAR CHATS PALACE

SINEAD O’BRIEN THURS 6 FEB SET DALSTON

ALBERTA CROSS TUES 10 MAR OMEARA

RICHARD WALTERS THURS 6 FEB THE WAITING ROOM

CAROLINE POLACHEK WED 11 MAR OUT HEAVEN SOLD

YEULE TUES 11 FEB ELECTROWERKZ

JESSY LANZA WED 11 MAR SPACE 289

(SANDY) ALEX G WED 12 FEB OUT SOLD EARTH HACKNEY

WOLF PARADE WED 11 MAR TUFNELL PARK DOME

HARRY EDWARDS THURS 13 FEB SET DALSTON

JERKCURB THURS 12 MAR BUSSEY BUILDING

TAYLOR SKYE THURS 13 FEB BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB

GEORGIA THURS 12 MAR HEAVEN

ROSIE LOWE WED 19 FEB EARTH HACKNEY

SHYGIRL THURS 12 MAR OUT SOLD SPACE 289

ISAAC DELUSION TUES 25 FEB OMEARA

PETER IBBETSON THURS 19 MAR BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB

PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM

ALL WE ARE TUES 24 MAR COLOURS HOXTON KEDR LIVANSKIY WED 25 MAR STUDIO 9294 EGYPTIAN BLUE WED 25 MAR THE LEXINGTON LUKE DE-SCISCIO THUR 2 APR SET DALSTON ANDY SHAUF WED 8 APR O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE HINDS WED 22 APR ELECTRIC BALLROOM JUNIORE WED 29 APR BUSH HALL NURIA GRAHAM THUR 30 APR THE LEXINGTON PUBLIC PRACTICE TUES 5 MAY ELECTROWERKZ LISA MORGENSTERN WED 6 MAY SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS BAMBARA WED 20 MAY TUFNELL PARK DOME RINA SAWAYAMA THURS 21 MAY BRIXTON ELECTRIC THE STROPPIES THURS 21 MAY OSLO HACKNEY THIS IS THE KIT THUR 1 APR 2021 ROYAL ALBERT HALL

tales from the city

by

Tennis words: Alaina Moore

My first dj set was during a terror attack.

It was June 3, 2017. I was backstage at Omeara, where my band had just played our last headlining show of tour. A friend sent us champagne to celebrate. As we poured glasses and began to toast, blue lights began photo: Cáit Fahey strobing through the greenroom window. We gathered around to look. A crowd of people were running down the middle of the street. At first I thought it was a marathon. Then I noticed the street clothes, the distinct lack of running shoes. People were looking back over their shoulders as they ran.

There was a knock on the door. The promoter told us we needed to go downstairs to the bar.

He was apologetic as he explained that the venue was going on lockdown. Police had already arrived. There was no other information yet.

The bar in Omeara was packed. People were clustered into groups, refreshing twitter for news. No one had any idea what was going on.

I asked a woman if she had heard any news.

She shook her head. “After your show ended I walked outside and saw people running. I thought I saw a body on the ground. I couldn’t tell if they had fallen or what. But everyone was running so I turned around and ran back inside the venue. I didn’t know what else to do.” We hung out at the bar speculating, doing our best not to succumb to a feeling of dread as police sealed the exit with chains and a padlock.

My bandmates and I took over the unmanned dj booth. It was clear we weren’t going anywhere and the lack of house music wasn’t good for morale. I had never DJ-ed before and

this was a rough night to start. It wasn’t a party.

It was 300+ people locked in a room during what twitter was officially calling a terror attack. Is a song on earth appropriate for such fucked up circumstances? I wanted to maintain positivity without pretending some unknown horror wasn’t unfolding beyond the padlocked doors. I started with the songs I’ve always loved the most. As soon as ‘Praise You’ came on there was a collective energy shift. People began laughing and dancing. I played hits from The Beta Band, Len, Sublime. I went for full nostalgia. People started making requests, getting into it, and the night really bloomed.

Hundreds of us belted out ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. People brought us drinks and offered us places to stay. I hugged and danced with a lot of strangers. There was a powerful feeling of camaraderie in the room. It felt like the end of the world and we were reminded of the fact every time the police asked me to stop the music so that they could make an announcement. “We don’t know what has happened. There is a bomb threat, but you are all in the safest place you can be.”

By 3am the dance floor was losing steam.

People found discreet places to sleep, curled up in corners. We dj’ed for close to four hours that night and only stopped when the police made their final announcement. At 4am they released us. The scene outside was apocalyptic — too quiet, too empty, police tape everywhere. There were no people, no cars, no tube. Everyone left on foot, wordlessly. My bandmates and I carried our equipment for blocks until we reached the end of the cordon and called a car. We arrived at the airport 30 minutes before our flight took off.

It was only then that we learned what had happened that night.

I will never forget the way London Bridge looked that night. I will never forget singing Bittersweet Symphony with the kindest humans you could ever share a police cordon with.

Tennis releases their new album, Swimmer, February 14th via Mutually Detrimental. @TennisInc

@tennisinc LiS: 73

PLAID

in London

with

Plaid Why do you live in London?

It’s been a wonderful place to live. It’s full of memories, friends and the potential to create more of both.

What are your go-to places to eat and drink?

Connubio de Fabio in Muswell Hill. It’s a short walk away, the food is superb and he has some awesome wines. For general wandering Southbank, Upper Street or Soho.

Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces?

Hampstead Heath for summer mooching, Primrose Hill on a clear evening.

And the best place to get some peace and quiet?

Coldfall Woods or Alexandra Park.

Do you prefer London in the sun or in its regular overcast glory?

In the sun unless there have been more than a few days of it. We tend to start finding it a problem after a few days for some reason.

Where’s your favourite place to hide from the rain?

The pedestrian tunnels on the Southbank of the river between Southwark and London bridges.

What’s the bit of London you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t?

It’s over the lip of the basin so the air is fresher. We’re surrounded by large green spaces in N10.

What’s the best way to spend one great day here?

Be with people you love. Chat over bread, cheese and a bottle of wine or two in Alexandra Park then wander into Muswell Hill for dinner.

Do you have any favourite venues?

The Southbank Centre (and we’re not just saying that because we’re playing there soon). It’s the diversity of spaces in that complex, their program and the surrounding area that make it a great place to go out night or day.

Does living here influence your music?

Possibly, it feels like people are busy around us even when we’re in the studio.

That energy must account for something.

What’s the worst thing about London?

The cost of accommodation.

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

Go and see as many shows and exhibitions as possible, you’ll learn the layout of the city and perhaps meet a few new friends in the process.

Plaid play Concrete Lates at Southbank Centre, February 28th

@plaidmusic

@plaidofficial LiS: 75

feb mar = lanzaroteworks.com—@lnzrt MOTH CLUB Tamaryn • Night Shop • Tempers • Nimmo • Hak Baker SHACKLEWELL ARMS Cola Boyy • Gwenifer Raymond • Phoebe Green • Las Kellies • Lice THE WAITING ROOM WIll Samson • Roe • Hotel Lux • Friedberg PECKHAM AUDIO Sunda Arc • Finn Foxell • Sink Ya Teeth • Automatic STUDIO 9294 Molchat Doma • Pharmakon • Brooke Candy • Kedr Livanskiy WIDE AWAKE 5/6/20 Brockwell Park Hackney Dalston

/ /

mothclub.co.uk

shacklewellarms.com

/ /

@mothclub

@shacklewellarms

Stoke Newington / waitingroomn16.com / @waitingroomn16 Peckham Hackney

/

peckhamaudio.co.uk

Wick

/

studio9294.co.uk

/

peckham_audio /

@studio_9294

...thoughts celebrating & suppor ting a new Vintage

by Paper Dress Vintage’s Steve Dix Praise be! After years of lobbying by the mighty Music Venues Trust, the Arts Council have listened and recognised that grassroots music venues need - and deserve - help to survive and flourish. The Arts in the UK is woefully under-funded compared to some of our European neighbours. Rents and rates, particularly in London, are eye-watering which means paying the bills has to be the priority. In the past, the only money available was directly for programming which meant you had to come up with some elaborate box-ticking proposal and that money had to be used to put on an event, not to invest in all the key infrastructure you need to be able to do so!

We were one of the first in the country to be supported from the new £1.5m fund and £36k has gone in our direction to install a new PA, lighting rig and put in a badly needed new floor, extend our stage and a bunch of other improvements.

We’re relaunching the venue to coincide with Independent Venue Week (27 Jan - 2 Feb) which celebrates the importance that venues like Paper Dress play in the music ecosystem.

We’re putting on a week of shows celebrating the diversity of our programming, culminating in a big party on Saturday February 1st where we just announced Flamingods as our secret guest headliner. They played their first ever gig with us back in 2010 and now are touring the world playing on much bigger stages than ours, it’ll be great to have them back.

Most bands start out on the grassroots circuit, developing their craft and evolving into the bands we know and love.

I’m preaching to the choir here as, chances are, if you’ve picked up this brilliant guide, you’re already on board, but this Tory government aren’t going to be rushing to throw money into the arts, so it’s up to all of us to bridge that gap and support live music, the arts and our local scenes.

Don't pester your mate in a band for guestlist, pay to get in, get down early to see the support bands, buy drinks and cherish these spaces. You don’t realise what you’ve got till they’re gone.

Steve Dix is co-owner and programmer at Paper Dress Vintage and a director of artist management company Liquid Management, currently managing Flamingods, LIFE, Ren Harvieu, Pat Dam Smyth & Ryan Vail Paper Dress Vintage’s run of shows to celebrate Independent Venue Week happen January 27th to February 2nd.

Check paperdressvintage.co.uk for tickets to the week’s shows. @paperdressed

@paperdressvintage

LiS: 77

TUE 4 FEBRUARY

WED 12 FEBRUARY

O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

+ THE CREEPSHOW + MAID OF ACE

+ EVE OWEN

ANTI-FLAG

MATILDA MANN

SAT 15 FEBRUARY

WED 19 FEBRUARY

HOXTON HALL

THU 13 FEBRUARY

BOSTON MUSIC ROOM

KING NUN

THU 20 FEBRUARY

AMIGO THE DEVIL

THE GRACE

HONEY LUNG

THE OTHER PALACE STUDIO

SAT 22 FEBRUARY

THU 27 FEBRUARY

THU 27 FEBRUARY

THE PRESSURE

DUB FX

CHEAP TEETH

+ CHRISTIAN HEDE + BOSS CAINE

MOTH CLUB

ELECTRIC BRIXTON

FRI 28 FEBRUARY

MON 2 MARCH

EMILY CAPELL

LADYTRON

DINGWALLS

+ JOE SLATER + KATIE OWEN [DJ]

HEAVEN

ROSS GOLAN

FOLKLORE

MON 2 MARCH

ELECTRIC BALLROOM

THE SHERLOCKS + IVORY WAVE

THU 05 MARCH

FRI 13 MARCH

SAT 14 MARCH

THUMPER

BAD//DREEMS

DANI SYLVIA

WED 18 MARCH

THU 19 MARCH

FRI 20 MARCH

HEIR

BROOKE BENTHAM

DANCING ON TABLES

THE ISLINGTON

CAMDEN ASSEMBLY

WED 25 MARCH THE GRACE

OSLO

OMEARA

THU 26 MARCH

ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH

RETRO VIDEO CLUB

WHITE TAIL FALLS

SAT 28 MARCH

SAT 28 MARCH

THEYOUNGSUBWAYS FOR ETERNITY

TUNGZ

O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN + ARTBRUT

MOTH CLUB

OMEARA

OLD BLUE LAST

THU 26 MARCH

THE WAITING ROOM

RONDO MO

THU 02 APRIL

ELECTRIC BALLROOM

PINEGROVE

+ KATY J PEARSON