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GOMEZ
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FLIPPER
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EDWYN COLLINS
HILLTOP HOODS
- O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
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CRAIG FINN & THE UPTOWN CONTROLLERS
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T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M
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P R E S E N T S
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SKATING POLLY SHE MAKES WAR
TE DNESS
POM POKO
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JAMIE CULLUM - THE PALLADIUM -
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It feels like this year has simultaneously been going on forever and has only just started. I think that’s what the beginning of festival season always does to us; get a few in and you don’t remember a time before you were drinking warm beer in sun-drenched (or just drenched) fields. Things are getting exciting this July though because the IDER album is finally here, and it’s everything we wanted from this stunning duo. There’s just nobody quite like our cover stars this month. In other news, as always, we’re super-excited for Visions Festival this year. It’s another killer line-up but this year stands out as a melting pot of such a wonderful array of our faves; Kedr Livanskiy, Skygirl, Anna Meredith will all be there and inside this issue you’ll find our other faves, Squid, letting you know what they’re most excited for too. Catch us there. Oh and last, but by no means least, I want to say a warm goodbye to our lovely online editor, Beth Sheldrick, as she goes on to huge things. And welcome the brilliant Kezia Cochrane who is taking over from Beth. Exciting times!
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Jai Paul - Do You Love Her Now Dave: Lil Nas X ft Cardi B - Rodeo Loki: Margaret - Serce Baila Danny: Girl Band - Shoulderblades Gemma: Metronomy - Lately Jack: Whitney - Giving Up Beth: Jay0117 - Day In The Life Of LIL NAS X
Katie: Special Request - Ardkore Dolphin London in Stereo: 07
GIGS Thundercat supported by Onyx Collective
24 Aug Royal Festival Hall
Peaches presents:
There’s Only One Peach with the Hole in the Middle
Planningtorock Powerhouse 17 Jul Queen Elizabeth Hall
28 Aug Royal Festival Hall
Ă“lafur Arnalds Presents: OPIA 8 Nov Across the site
SOPHIE 10 Aug Royal Festival Hall
Jungle 5 Aug Royal Festival Hall
Derrick May and the Orchestra 29 Aug Royal Festival Hall
Visit southbankcentre.co.uk for tickets and to sign up for the latest announcements
INTERVIEWS 22
CUCO
28
34
REVIEWS 44
76
IDER
16
BABII
FEATURES 12
20
73
LIVE
WHAT’S ON
AFRODEUTSCHE 38
ALBUM RELEASES
NEW SOUNDS
EVENTS
54
GIGS OF THE MONTH
56
FULL JULY LISTINGS
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 74
81
IN LONDON
THOUGHTS...
IDER cover story: page 28
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
Online Editor: Beth Sheldrick beth@londoninstereo.co.uk
Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@londoninstereo.co.uk
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
Advertising: sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
Photography: IDER cover story: Mathew Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Contributors: Hassan Anderson, Caitlin Clark, Kezia Cochrane, Geoff Cowart, Lauren Down, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, George O’Brien, Stephanie Phillips, Nate Rockwell, Kelly Ronaldson, Harriet Taylor, Albert Testani, Lee Wakefield, Madeline Wrench. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 09
ARLO PARKS (photo: Chris Almeida)
YIZZY (photo: Eva Pentel)
TOP TEN: New Sounds King Princess - Cheap Queen Kirby Forest - I Don't Care Satica - Check$ Pan Amsterdam - Kubrick Yizzy - On A Low Lava La Rue - Moschino In 83 Keyah/blu - Choker Sal Dulu - Buzzcut Bree Runway - 2on Hanne Hukkelberg - Crazy FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
Arlo Parks by Gemma Samways Few of us escape adolescence unscathed, but it’s even rarer to emerge from those trials with the self-possession of Arlo Parks. Speaking about her school years now, the south west Londoner recalls feeling isolated and out of sync with society’s frustratingly narrow expectations, being “a black kid who can't dance for shit, listens to emo music and has a crush on some girl in my Spanish class." Just two years on, the 18-year-old singer-songwriter is thriving, channelling her generation’s experiences into the some of most startlingly soulful pop we’ve heard in a long time. Citing authors Allen Ginsberg, Haruki Murakami and Nayyirah Waheed as being every bit as influential on her craft as
Chet Baker, Earl Sweatshirt and Sufjan Stevens, it’s not surprising that Parks’ bittersweet ballads possess remarkable depth. On new single ‘george’, she explores how the trope of the tortured artist is used to excuse emotional manipulation, while on April’s ‘Super Sad Generation’ she demonstrates how drugs, depression and a lack of direction are at the root of Gen Z malaise, wearily explaining, “We’re trying to keep our friends from death.” It takes an extraordinary talent to deliver a refrain like that without seeming alarmist. The effortlessness with which Parks pulls it off elevates her to another level entirely. LISTEN TO: george
CHLOBOCOP
@arloparks
@arloparks
Chlobocop by Jess Partridge Glasgow’s Chlobocop has been making big moves for a while now, with 2018’s ‘Lil Red Riding’ from the Hood mixtape flexing an incredible amount of understated talent. It’s with the recent release of new track, ‘Narcotics’ though that we’ve been completely hooked. Laid back but never lazy, there’s a precise sharpness to her rhymes that bring tantalizing energy to every track. Catch her supporting AJ Tracey at XOYO on July 8th before she blows up. LISTEN TO: Narcotics @chlobocoppp
@chlobocoppp London in Stereo: 13
WHITE REAPER
JMSN
COMMON TUE 10 SEPTEMBER
CHE LINGO
TUE 27 AUGUST
FRI 30 AUGUST
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
THU 12 SEPTEMBER
YOU AM I
VICENTE GARCIA
LIL HALIMA
SNOH AALEGRA
THU 12 SEPTEMBER
FRI 20 SEPTEMBER
MON 23 SEPTEMBER
ARCHIVE
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE
MONARCHY
ALEXANDRA PALACE THEATRE
FRI 04 OCTOBER
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
FRI 11 OCTOBER
THYLA
JOSIN
THE DIVINE COMEDY
JORDAN RAKEI
THE COURTYARD THEATRE
THU 17 OCTOBER
FRI 18 OCTOBER
BANG BANG ROMEO
BIIG PIIG
RYAN ASHLEY
THU 24 OCTOBER
THU 24 OCTOBER
THU 24 OCTOBER
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
THE GARAGE
FRI 27 SEPTEMBER
TUE 15 OCTOBER
ELECTROWERKZ
KOVIC FRI 18 OCTOBER
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
ELECTRIC BRIXTON
EARTH
THU 17 OCTOBER
OMEARA
THE COURTYARD THEATRE
WED 09 OCTOBER
EVENTIM APOLLO
EARTH
JAZZ CAFE
TUE 24 SEPTEMBER
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
HOUSE OF PHARAOHS O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
ROUNDHOUSE
LP @ THE CURTAIN HOTEL
VISIT METROPOLISMUSIC.COM FOR TICKETS + TO SIGN UP FOR LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on
image: Uniform
Turning Tides Festival It’s not often we turn to the Greenwich peninsula to be at the cutting-edge of music, art and wellness happenings, but this July Turning Tides Festival is coming to change that. Having teamed up with our friends at Village Underground, the musical offering is what has us playing close attention, with live sets from the likes of Gaz Coombes, Laura Mvula, Oumou Sangare and Melt Yourself Down alongside the ridiculously fun times of Sink The Pink and Rockaoke. And, it’s all for free (yes, free, we know). And with riverside sculptures from the likes of Damien Hirst, it’s the perfect summer treat. JULY 5TH-7TH. JULY 12TH-14TH. GREENWICH PENINSULA TURNINGtides.london // @thepeninsulist
Olafur Eliasson In Real Life Olafur Eliasson’s work is interactive in an unusual sense. He has such a skill for making you part of it, whether it’s walking through it, absorbing it from different angles or forcing you to examine your environment in a different way, this interaction between society and what surrounds them is vital to his work. Eliasson’s solo show brings together some of his most awe-inspiring works to date, of which, only one has been seen in the UK before. Taking over a huge chunk of the Tate Modern there’ll be a spectacular sculpture situated outside the museum and an updated terrace bar menu to complement Eliasson’s works. Go along and immerse yourself. JULY 11TH-JANUARY 5TH. TATE MODERN tate.org.uk // @tate
Romantic Comedy Q&A plus live score The music of Summer Camp has always leaned on TV and cinema, so it feels a very natural progression that Elizabeth Sankey’s made a documentary about romantic comedies, celebrating and questioning the on-going popularity of this really quite odd genre. This special screening at the BFI will also be accompanied by a live score by Summer Camp and a Q&A, so get along and embrace all things rom-com. JULY 13TH. BFI Southbank whatson.bfi.org.uk / @BFI
Kiss My Genders The Hayward has been on incredible form this year, so we’re not surprised to see them adding another to this great run of shows. Kiss My Genders presents a mix of no less than 100 artworks by celebrated international artists for a deep exploration of the gender spectrum including trans and intersex identities. With such a vast array of backgrounds, life spans (the work is from the last 50 years) and mediums, it’s the kind of wonderfully diverse and boundary pushing exhibit the Hayward has become known for. JUNE 12TH - SEPTEMBER 8TH. HAYWARD GALLERY, SOUTHBANK southbankcentre.co.uk // @southbankcentre
Summer Screen
Luciano Castelli. Lucille/self portrait, 1973 ©Luciano Castelli
Olafur Eliasson Den Blinde Passager / Fog Walk 2010. Courtesy the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin. © Olafur Eliasson. Photo: Thilo Frank
Okay so this isn’t until August, but it’s real important you get organised before then because these are all gonna sell out (we’re not just saying that, they do every year). For fourteen nights the stunning Somerset House courtyard will be transformed into the cinema of your dreams, including DJs and BBQs, while you revisit so many old favourites with the likes of The Princess Bride, Clueless, Get Out and Reservoir Dogs playing. AUGUST 8TH-21ST SOMERSET HOUSE somersethouse.org.uk // @somersethouse London in Stereo: 17
IDA MAE THU 11 JULY
THE KING’S HEAD
CITADEL SUN 14 JULY
GUNNERSBURY PARK
SORCHA RICHARDSON TUE 23 JULY SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
ZACH SAID THU 15 AUGUST
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
NICK MULVEY SUN 18 AUGUST
CHRISTOF VAN DER VEN TUE 8 OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
SEA GIRLS
THU 10 OCTOBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
FINK SAT 16 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE
HOLLOW COVES TUE 19 NOVEMBER
TWIN PEAKS
MATTHEW AND THE ATLAS WED 20 NOVEMBER
WED 16 OCTOBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
WED 16 OCTOBER THE DOME, TUFNELL PARK
CUB SPORT
THE TESKEY BROTHERS TUE 3 SEPTEMBER
AMBER RUN
SAN SCOUT THU 19 SEPTEMBER
NICK MURPHY
THE LEXINGTON
ELECTRIC BRIXTON
RICHARD FAIRLIE
REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE
JAZZ CAFE
HALF MOON RUN THU 7 NOVEMBER
THU 17 OCTOBER SCALA
SAT 19 OCTOBER ROUNDHOUSE
FKA CHET FAKER
DINGWALLS
EARTH
CINDERS, CANYON CITY, ALL FACES WED 20 NOVEMBER THE WAITING ROOM
FOY VANCE THU 21 NOVEMBER LONDON PALLADIUM
TUE 22 OCTOBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
LUNA BAY THU 21 NOVEMBER
BRISTON MARONEY
NIKKI LANE SAT 23 NOVEMBER
KYAN THU 3 OCTOBER
SYML
JENS KUROSS WED 27 NOVEMBER
MARTHAGUNN THU 3 OCTOBER
HONEYBLOOD
DUNE RATS WED 4 DECEMBER
FIONN REGAN MON 7 OCTOBER
PICTURE THIS
THE PAPER KITES SUN 15 DECEMBER
ANOTHER SKY TUE 24 SEPTEMBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
ELOISE WED 2 OCTOBER HOXTON HALL
OMEARA
SEBRIGHT ARMS
EARTH
MON 28 OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
TUE 29 OCTOBER SCALA
THU 31 OCTOBER THE GARAGE
FRI 1 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE
SCALA
DINGWALLS
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
THE GARAGE
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
the
SQUID guide to Visions Festival
INTRO Visions Festival is always one of our favourite days of the year. A joyful coming-together of a whole bunch of our favourite acts, great venues, rooftop drinks, incredible food and the eversainted dog show. Oh god, the dog show. And all for just £30! What’s not to like? Rather than us banging on about it though, we’ve asked Ollie, from the legends that are Squid, to talk us through five acts he can’t wait to see. Are we furious Anna Meredith’s not on the list? Find us at the dog show and let’s talk about it privately. Oh god, the dog show. LiS
SQUID
Visions takes place August 3rd over various Hackney venues. Tickets: Visionsfestival.com Squid rule. Listen to Houseplants. @squidbanduk
@VisionsFestival
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD SUNGLASSES I don’t think a band have excited me this much for quite a while. A few years ago I had a ticket to see Slint and I couldn’t BLACK COUNTRY NEW ROAD make it for some reason, I was very upset. Fast forward four years, I saw Black Country, New Road for the first time and realised that they’re a better live band than Slint and it doesn’t really matter that I'll never see them live. Anyway, the Slint comparison is a bit tired and boring because BCNR are a great band in their own right. SCALPING
photo: Rowan Allen
SCALPING CHAMBER Laurie and I snuck into the back of Green Door Store in Brighton to see this lot (sorry!). Visually and sonically it’s a real head-fuck with equal measures of metal, punk and techno being thrown about for 40 unrelenting minutes. Bristol has a real knack for making stuff like this, with The Naturals, Giant Swan and Young Echo being a set of humble forefathers of this sound. Don’t go if you have a headache or get motion sickness.
LAZARUS KANE NOTHING Laurie, Arthur and I saw these lot in sweaty pub basement the other week, they were great. A bit like New Order at their pop peak but fronted by Elvis. Don't fight, Mr Kane will see you now. LAZARUS KANE
SHYGIRL photo: Eric Johnson
SHYGIRL MSRY I’ve really liked Shygirl since Sega Bodega released the track ‘CC’ with her. She’s got a wicked deadpan delivery and this interesting way of using her voice as another instrument in the track. She’s basically a bit like Missy Elliot but if she had a Saturday job at Cyberdog. GREAT DAD
GREAT DAD CHURCHY I have to confess that we’ve played with Great Dad about 3 or 4 times and I've still not seen them live because of terrible hangovers and/or hunger. The second I sat down to write this I had just finished listening to their album for the first time and it’s amazing!! Particularly the track ‘Churchy’. It’s intensely weird, disturbing and beautiful. London in Stereo: 21
words: Hassan Anderson photography: Cameron Postforoosh
C
uco
or someone with perhaps one of the most relaxed personas you will ever encounter, 21-year-old Cuco, aka Omar Banos, leads an extremely hectic schedule. After several attempts to meet and chat over the phone while playing shows in UK then Europe, we eventually manage to FaceTime while he’s taking a rare pitstop at his home in LA. “It can be exhausting, yeah, but I am still loving touring. The shows can get really crazy with fans but I really enjoy seeing people who know my music… It’s also nice to come back to my bedroom though because I can actually do some writing. I find it really hard to do anything on the road because there’s no time.” Despite the fact that his schedule has been fairly constant since he was discovered by his manager in 2017, Cuco has still found time to complete his debut album Para Mí, which he is now on the cusp of releasing.
A fact that he himself is even surprised about: “I’m just really proud that I actually finished my first album and I hope people will like it…I kinda suck at writing, I prefer just making music for other people”. This type of reply is typical of Cuco, I slowly start to gather. Though he has found a big audience quickly via his hazy love songs (see latest single ‘Bossa No Sé’ or the casually catchy ‘Summer Time’), he is surprisingly humble when it comes to talking about his abilities or success: “To be honest, I find it hard to talk about my music. When people ask me how I’d describe it I just wanna say ‘it’s soup’.” Cuco’s soup has a uniqueness to it that stems from his background as a Mexican-American, something that he’s proud of and keen to represent, “It’s definitely important to me. The fact that I am from a minority background and that I am Mexican, especially today... It influences my music and I wanna be someone that represents that culture for sure. At the same time, of course I’m just doing me and I’m going to represent myself too.”
“The fact that I am from a minority background and that I am Mexic an especially today... It influences my music and I wanna be someone that represents that culture for sure...�
London in Stereo: 23
Cuco’s moniker is a name given to him by his mum when he was a kid, it means ‘crazy’ in Spanish (English equivalent: ’Cuckoo’). As a kid growing up he was an only child who quickly took to music and despite keeping to himself would always be ready to burst into performance and had a natural flair for entertaining others. “It honestly just comes out, I don’t even really think about it”, Cuco explains in his typically understated way. Anyone who follows Cuco’s twitter will see that it’s much like his music: humble, honest and often funny. Sometimes it seems he’s living the life of his dreams and other times his tweets read like the philosophical outpourings of a modern day Young Werther. “I do have to step away from music every now and then, because it can get a bit overwhelming,” he explains. This stepping away, Cuco tells me can take the form of sightseeing on tour (Favourite sight in London? “Nando’s”), working on his own fashion line (Fantasy Easy Living) or “just kicking it with friends and watching car videos”. Car videos? “Yeah, like rare Japanese imports. I actually own an ‘89 Toyota Supra. I get really into learning about the mechanics of them and the different parts that you customize on cars,” he elaborates. This obsessiveness for even his past-times is perhaps key to Cuco’s casually hectic life, he falls in love with something then makes it his goal to become master of every detail of it. So far this trait has taken him around the world and back and, luckily for his fans, has produced a wonderful debut album. Para Mí is released July 26th via Interscope. @Icryduringsex
@Thefineforest
Twenty Years of Moshi Moshi Records A very special limited edition coloured triple LP compilation of some of Moshi Moshi Records’ finest moments featuring:
Sukpatch, Girl Ray, Invisible Minds, Disclosure, Charles Watson, The Wave Pictures, Anna Meredith, Slow Club, Meilyr Jones, Hot Chip, The Very Best, Au Revoir Simone, Kindness, Teleman, Lykke Li, Friendly Fires, Wesley Gonzalez, Matt and Kim, Florence and the Machine, Kiran Leonard, The Drums, Pillow Person, The Mae Shi, Silver Columns, Fimber Bravo, Hercules & Love Affair, Tilly and the Wall, Late of the Pier, Hot Club de Paris, Casiokids, Best Fwends BUY HERE: www.moshimoshimusic.com @moshimoshimusic www.moshimoshimusic.com
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words: Charlotte Krol photography: Mathew Parri Thomas
“Because we’re best mates, what we do is talk about stuff and figure things out together. Everything is a process and we’re kind of helping each other out through writing songs...”
ne in four, one in four, we must be the saddest generation, is there any hope for us at all?” laments the chorus of IDER’s ‘Saddest Generation’. The track, taken from the London duo’s debut album released this month, references the WHO statistic that one in four of us will experience adverse mental health in our lifetime. ‘Saddest Generation’ is the apex of Emotional Education, a record of pointed rhetoric about identity, millennial angst and mental well-being. In it, best friends Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville pose questions about mid-late twenties experiences across what they call a “genreless” collection of songs that retain their sublime, interactive harmonies. But Emotional Education’s power lies less in operating as a handbook for all of life’s answers than an open musing on its complexities.
London in Stereo: 29
“Yes, and the question I often ask is: is [this anxiety] particular to our generation?” Somerville says. “Or does it just appear to be because it seems like the last generation have all got it sorted? I don’t know, but I do think that we're at a point now in Western culture where we just have so much choice and so much opportunity and it's crippling. Particularly with social media. There are so many options, there’s so much freedom, but The self-professed “sisters”, who met while also so much pressure to be something and studying Popular Music at Falmouth achieve something and be a certain way,” University in 2012, have long reckoned she says. “I do think with the idea that it's quite a difficult songwriting is about “I do think it's quite a difficult time to be young and more than just making figure out who you music. The themes time to be young and figure out are in that kind of explored in Emotional setting. It's not just Education have been who you are in that kind of about survival natural reactions to, anymore. It's about, setting. It's not just about or the retellings of, like, 'Who are you?’ their own life stories. survival anymore. It's about, like, and 'What are you “There was never any going to do for the set intention of what 'Who are you?’ and 'What are you world?'” the album would be about,” Somerville going to do for the world?'” Much of this continues. “I think in examination of identity the sense that the rears its head in music that we write is based so much on our IDER’s single ‘Mirror’, which was released friendship – and how we are able to be so last October and features on the album. honest with each other – is how we're also Born of a relationship breakdown, the able to be so honest in our music. That's chorus lyrics read: “I keep looking in the essential. So [the album] was always going mirror, 'til I see myself, I see myself [...] I to be real and honest and raw. We really wake up in the middle of the night, I don't pushed for that.” like the stranger in the bathroom light.” If Somerville and Markwick’s songs on “That song came from a breakup and the Emotional Education don’t provide feeling of not really knowing who you are solutions to life’s upheavals, such as the now that you're not with that person,” repercussions of having an absent father on Markwick explains. “They've been such a big ‘Busy Being A Rockstar’ or helping a friend part of your life and your identity, it's kind of who’s struggling with their mental health on untangling yourself from them and ‘Clinging To The Weekend’ (not that it’s rediscovering who you are again. And that's incumbent on them to do so anyway) – then where it started. But for both of us – we’d it’s at least a companion for turbulent times, both been through breakups around a especially so in the context of young similar time that were quite formative.” adulthood. Are the anxieties of the so-called ‘quarter-life crisis’ something they’ve ‘You’ve Got Your Whole Life Ahead Of You discussed much among themselves and Baby’, another album song about youthful their friends? malaise that the pair initially dropped as a “There's, like, a healing that comes from music and for us there's a therapy there,” Markwick says inside a north London cafe on a drizzly May morning. Somerville agrees, adding: “Because we’re best mates, what we do is talk about stuff and figure things out together. Everything is a process and we're kind of helping each other out through writing songs.”
single in 2018, has resonated strongly with listeners. Many fans have sent the pair messages to say just how much they relate to the lyrics about feeling lost in your twenties. “It feels amazing to have that response. It’s really, really special,” says Markwick. “It’s so important to connect with people. We’ve had people come up to us after shows and say that our music has got them back to work. It really does make you feel like there's a responsibility, doesn't it?” She looks to Somerville across the table. “But not in a bad way, in a good way. It's all positive.”
Despite releasing their debut EP Gut Me Like An Animal in 2017 as well as a string of singles between 2016 and 2019, the 27-year-olds regard Emotional Education as their “first big body of work”: the culmination of years spent writing songs together in their north London bedroom. Somerville is from Tamworth but has lived with Markwick since leaving uni, not far from where the latter grew up in north London. Now, the pair pull pints a couple of times a week at local pubs in between making music and performing live. London in Stereo: 31
Although they still write all their songs, Markwick and Somerville enlisted MyRiot and Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, Sampha) to help produce Emotional Education. It’s a bold, idiosyncratic record – “the IDER genre”, Markwick says – who emphasises that their folk-indebted harmonies are still the lifeblood of their creations but there’s no single genre they stick to. “This album is a blend of genres and it really does feel like that,” says Markwick. There’s fleshy, piano pop R&B on ‘Brown Sugar’, dubby climes on ‘Busy Being A Rockstar’, euphoric synth pop on ‘Wu Baby’. There’s even what the girls call their “EDM country song”: ‘SWIM’. “We listen to a lot of music and we take inspiration from all sorts of artists. And it's kind of a combination of all of that. It's a new sound,” Markwick says. Looking ahead, the pair are “really, really excited” to get the album out and tour with a new, live drummer in tow. “The shows are just going to be bigger and better than ever,” Somerville says. “They’re a real
opportunity to just have a fucking good time and empower people. They also give people a bit of an insight into who we are and our friendship together. We don't really take ourselves that seriously even though some of our music maybe is a bit more serious. So it's an opportunity for people to understand there's a bigger picture.” “And that we are playful,” Markwick adds. “We've been so invested in all this,” Somerville says. “It feels like our first big body of work. We've been so focused on finding our own identity and building that.” With an arresting debut album that expertly holds a mirror up to 21st century anxieties, IDER’s own emotional education is, well, paying dividends. IDER release Emotional Education July 19th, via Glassnote LIVE: Moth Club, London, July 16th. Thekla, Bristol, February 4th. Electric Brixton, London, February 5th. @weareider
@weareider
THE STROPPIES THURS 18 JUL THE LEXINGTON HAND HABITS MON 19 AUG CHATS PALACE SAM EVIAN TUES 27 AUG THE LEXINGTON BEDOUINE SAT 7 SEPT QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL GIANT PARTY TUES 17 SEPT ELECTROWERKZ STEVE GUNN TUES 17 SEPT OMEARA NATALIE EVANS THURS 19 SEPT THE ISLINGTON ELSA HEWITT TUES 24 SEPT RYE WAX BABII THURS 26 SEPT SET DALSTON PLASTIC MERMAIDS THURS 3 OCT SCALA
BESS ATWELL THURS 10 OCT OMEARA
SHURA THURS 14 NOV ROUNDHOUSE
GHUM THURS 10 OCT THE WAITING ROOM
EZRA FURMAN THURS 14 NOV O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
ROZI PLAIN TUES 15 OCT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
KATHRYN JOSEPH MON 18 NOV EARTH HACKNEY
KELLY MORAN WED 16 OCT KINGS PLACE
KEDR LIVANSKIY THURS 21 NOV BLOC
SKINNY PELEMBE WED 16 OCT MOTH CLUB
ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND TUES 26 NOV RICH MIX
EGYPTIAN BLUE WED 23 OCT SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
SIR WAS WED 27 NOV SCALA
ROSIE LOWE WED 23 OCT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
BC CAMPLIGHT THURS 28 NOV ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
LISA MORGENSTERN THURS 24 OCT SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
FAT WHITE FAMILY MON 2 - THURS 5 DEC EARTH HACKNEY
GEORGIA TUES 5 NOV SCALA
IDER WED 5 FEB 2020 ELECTRIC BRIXTON
GIRL BAND TUES 5 NOV ELECTRIC BALLROOM
SLEATER-KINNEY WED 26 FEB 2020 O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
PALACE SAT 9 NOV ROUNDHOUSE
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words: Katie Thomas photography: Felipe Pagani / Lucie Rox
Afrodeutsche “ I j u st fu ck ing love m us ic ...m us ic is innat e ”
i! Really like your work! Okay, bye!” Like us, Henrietta Smith-Rolla, aka Afrodeutsche, has a little obsession with Marie Davidson. Unlike their first interaction, whereby Smith-Rolla blurted out a compliment and promptly walked away (been there, done that), the next encounter saw Davidson letting loose on the dance floor during an Afrodeutsche DJ set. The two later met for a drink, which led to a first remix (the sentimental and otherworldly ‘Day Dreaming - Afrodeutsche Remix’), and a serendipitous connection of two women who share similar values, similar ideas, and similar ways of thinking about melody. As we speak over the phone just hours before her debut show at Tresor, Berlin, a shared love of Marie Davidson is just one of many examples of Afrodeutsche’s captivating and down-to-earth nature.
With a moniker inspired by Underground Resistance’s ‘Afrogermaniac’, a childhood soundtracked by Friday nights with her mum listening to Soul II Soul and Sade on Top of the Pops, and formative memories that involve running around the house as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s 1900 composition ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ blared through the living room stereo, the Afrodeutsche sound is unique. Blending Drexciyan electro with hip-hop grooves and an appreciation for pattern and melody that harks as far back as the arpeggios in The Sound Of Music, Smith-Rolla makes compassionate and playful machine music that’s both dark and bright, hyperactive and fluid. “Filmic electronica electro stuff, I guess”, she says in her own words, explaining how she likes to tell stories with her music. Afrodeutsche’s debut album, 2018’s Break Before Make, tells a story of heartbreak. “This wouldn’t be the end of me,” she says, “I had to be broken before I could make sense of everything. It's a very personal album.” Released on Skam Records, the legacy UK rave label specialising in London in Stereo: 35
industrial-leaning electro, Break Before Make exemplifies Afrodeutsche’s ability to awaken feeling in the mechanical, finding a space that bridges loss, optimism, and wit. Showing her playful side, album cut ‘HIAEA’ hilariously, if slightly heart-wrenchingly, stands for Habitat, IKEA, Argos, eBay, ASOS. So, we picture Smith-Rolla sitting heartbroken in an empty flat with nothing but her music gear and a hefty shopping list for company. Rather than matters of the heart, Afrodeutsche’s new material revisits feelings of identity, deeply personal once again as she continues an ongoing search for her father. Having grown up in the south west of England, never having met her father, she’s now tracing her Ghanaian, Russian and German heritage in a bid to learn more about him. 2019 marks another year of debuts for Afrodeutsche. This summer will see the Manchester-based producer, composer and DJ play her first shows at Dekmantel in Amsterdam and Sónar Barcelona, two festivals right at the forefront of electronic music. Afrodeutsche might be making waves, impressing further still with the adventurous sonic of her recent 90 minute Dekmantel Podcast, but she still gets those pre-show butterflies. “Don’t say that!” she squeaks nervously as I highlight the importance of both brands. “Honestly, I’m still in shock that they’ve even asked me to do it,” she says of her Dekmantel performance. “I’m going to bring all sorts of wonky stuff with me; lots of hardcore, gabber, jungle, rave”, she says, and I can hear her smiling through the phone, “I’m going to have a really, really nice time.” Later, Afrodeutsche mimics the shriek of excitement her mum let out in the moment she learned her daughter had been booked to play Sónar. “It’s a kind of cosmic situation,” Smith-Rolla says, telling me how she recently unearthed her Sónar tote from her first visit as a punter in 2003. “Can you believe it?” said a friend on Facebook, “we went all those years ago, and now you’re playing!”
Afrodeutsche has been busy touring of late, with recent shows taking her across Germany, Portugal and the UK. “I always miss it when I’m away,” she says of her beloved hometown Manchester. Fittingly, it’s a flurry of local names that spring to mind when I ask her about the music she’s feeling at the moment. Space Afrika’s live show gets a shout out, as does Anz and her brilliant recent EP Invitation 2 Dance, and then Croww, whose hybrid live/DJ sets that blend noise with gabber and 90s vocal samples, Smith-Rolla affectionately calls, on more than one occasion, “magical”. What’s clear is that Henrietta Smith-Rolla is appreciating every moment. Her peers are “magical”, the promoters she works with are “so sound”, the sound system at a recent show in Leipzig was “audible heaven”. There’s more than one occasion in which I get the feeling that she genuinely can’t believe her luck. But it’s not luck, it’s Afrodeutsche. “I just fucking love music”, she says. “music is innate.” LIVE: Oval Space, July 12th. Sonar Music Festival, Barcelona, July 18th. Dekmantel Festival, July 31st August 4th. Redbull Music Festival, September 14th @AFRODEUTSCHE_AD
@afrodeutsche0
words: Kezia Cochrane photography: Kasey Warne
“ I like trying to figure out situations that probably won’t happen in real life, and using that as my point of reference for
BABii
making something.”
etting foot in BABii’s sonic world feels at once like being in a shimmering dream-state and an ominous, nightmarish realm. There’s a sweetness and serenity intertwined with bristling, spectral entities that glide throughout BABii’s creations. “I think it’s because it’s just a representation of myself, I guess,” BABii, aka Daisy Warne, muses on the balance of cute and somewhatsinister that’s innate to her sound. “I’ve got quite a childlike voice and I still look like a baby and all these kinds of things,'' she quips. “And I guess I’ve been through some stuff as well but it’s covered up by a façade of sweetness and cute childlikeness. That’s generally who I am so that comes out in the way I do things. I also quite like the juxtaposition. I couldn’t make just a dark song if I tried, it’s not me”.
There’s a particular, transcendental physicality to the soundscapes Warne crafts, as if adventuring through a vibrant, fantastical fauna which, across the tracks on HiiDE, oscillate between floating through moments of ethereal delicacy and wading through a certain saccharine yet thorny viscosity. “I’ve kind of always been drawn to otherworldly things, I just set up fictional environments in my head to make things around. I did a remix recently where I decided I wanted it to sound like a sword fight in a pub,” she says gleefully. “I like trying to figure out situations that probably won’t happen in real life, and using that as my point of reference for making something.” Talking further about this vivid, textured quality to BABii’s compositions Warne continues “I guess it’s the thing of me using fictional environments in my head but sometimes it can be quite abstract. It’s fun to play with sound design to make something feel physically easy or hard to get through, be really floaty or spiky. I think texture is really important to me, actually.
London in Stereo: 39
I do think about it a lot and when I listen to other people’s music, I think ‘ah this song’s quite round, or this song’s quite spiky’,” Warne adds laughing. Given that Warne’s music embraces such a kaleidoscopic, visual essence it makes sense that film and TV inform her creations quite heavily; “I think because I like stories, rather than just sound, that maybe pours into my music a little bit and I feel like films are more of an influence on me than music.” With a background in graphic design, and with her other creative projects – including making costumes for Iglooghost – it feels natural that BABii’s sound creates such an immensely tangible space for the listener to crawl into. “It’s a case of going into a flow state while I’m doing music. It’s why I enjoy doing it so much, ‘cause it’s meditative. And anytime I’m making anything else it’s super-conscious, whereas with music it just slips out of my brain. It’s so natural it’s like a bodily thing that happens.” Having written the tracks on her debut album without “the intention from the beginning of it being a thing” Warne
expresses how exciting it feels to finally be getting HiiDE out in the world. Contemplating her relationship with the tracks on the album now she says “It was definitely cathartic when I made them. It’s all about stuff that happened a really long time ago. Sometimes I get little waves of how the song, the subject, made me feel. It’s sort of like therapy but also you repeat the story so many times that it becomes like a different thing detached from your body. Like this old memory that hurt me and I’ve taken it out of my body and it’s flown away from me but I play it sometimes,” she details, in her particular, charming manner. “It’s kind of nice as well because I was really sad when I made this album and was going through a lot of stuff but I feel much happier now and it makes me feel good that I’ve come through the other side,” she concludes with a disarming calmness and composure. HiiDE is released July 5th via Deathwaltz Originals LIVE: Banquet Records, July 6th. 100 Club, August 2nd. Waiting Room, September 26th @BABii_mp3
@babiibabiibabiibabii
+200 acts
16 + 17 + 18 August 2019
Biddinghuizen | The Netherlands
www.lowlands.nl
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THE FLAMING LIPS KING'S MOUTH July 19th, Bella Union
Despite being equally capable of producing some of the most incredible music ever recorded (The Soft Bulletin), or really disappointing dirges, The Flaming Lips still remain a treasured act – writing ‘Do You Realize??’ will always buy some breathing space – whose every album announcement is met with the hope they’re back to doing what they do best; making some of the oddest and most affecting pop music around. Have they done it on The King’s Head? Danny Wright got Simone Scott Warren and Caitlin Clark together to find out... Does a new Flaming Lips album still fill you with excitement? Simone: I love the Flips live, I love looking around and seeing the faces of people thinking that they are at the best kids party they've ever been at. But they've been a bit poor for a while on record, if we're honest. Caitlin: Honestly, no. The thought of it kinda filled me with dread a little. Is that bad? I mean, this is the fifteenth album, it could
THE FLAMING LIPS (photo: George Salisbury)
have gone either way. And yes, on record, they've been… mediocre. Simone: You could argue that this is Flips by numbers - with the whole kids fairy tale thing. But it’s also the best thing they've done in ages. We could probably say it's a 'return to form'? So what has made the last few albums mediocre do you think? And what's different about this? Simone: There's just a level of batshit crazy that you can take before you're a bit like, ‘Okay, I get it Wayne, you're kooky.’ Also, and let's be brutally honest; he can't really sing - and knowing where that works or not hasn't really been their forte. It works here because the slightly off-key crooning is when his vocals sound good. Caitlin: Flips have always been on the right side of wavey surfer rock to me. But the last few albums felt too forced, like they were trying to push ALL THE BOUNDARIES AT
ONCE instead of just… making something. This feels like the right side of psychedelia. Simone: It's basically pop with a psyche twist. And it's helped by Mick Jones’ narration. It's so droll, it makes Coyne sounds just the right side of fairytale. I was going to ask about Mick Jones. Does the narration add something? Simone: Without the narration, this wouldn't work. Caitlin: I love it, it really adds to the ridiculous kid's story narrative. Instead of it just being this hunk of warbly psyche pop, the narration gives it a backbone. And was Jones the perfect choice? Simone: It's either him or Phil Daniels, isn't it? I'd like to hear Kylie do it though. Caitlin: Or Stephen Fry. Simone: They should get loads of different versions with different narrators. But Mick Jones did a great job. Isn't it weird though that you don't question that they got a member of the Clash to narrate a kids story on their record? Caitlin: He sounds like the baddie in an animated kid's film. I feel like only Flaming Lips could have made this album. It's not like anything we'll ever hear from any other artist again. What songs stand out? Caitlin: ‘Electric Fire’ got me all kinds of excited. It's like falling into a real bad trip and finally emerging out the other side and realising you cooked yourself a pizza. I enjoyed it. Simone: ‘How Many Times’ is pretty glorious, right? And then the orchestras on ‘Funeral Parade’ - there's something pure Disney going on there. But if Disney had been done by Tim Burton. The album’s part of a wider project which is very Flaming Lips. Would you read the book now? Visit the installation? Simone: I was actually really sad that I'd not seen the art installation.
Caitlin: Honestly all I want to do is take a chonging great pill and fall head-first into it. Simone: I wonder if it'd have made the record evoke something else? Because when I'm listening to ‘How Can A Head’ - and okay, it's no ‘Do You Realize??’ - but it's in that same vein - it sounds so, so joyful. What if the artwork for it is as dark as dark can be? Like when you see a film and it's not as you saw it when you read it… but with a record. Caitlin: I also sort of wonder though, why does it come as part of this package? Did it not do enough on its own to stand by itself? Or is it trying to represent different facets of this King's Mouth? Finally, what did you learn from this album? Simone: That I really really want someone to throw glitter over me whilst riding a unicorn again. That's the thing, I actually want to see this one live. Caitlin: There really aren't any limits to the expanse of drug-fuelled space that is Wayne's brain. I would definitely love to see this on a festival stage. It would be so immense on a good sound system, in the right environment. Simone: Flaming Lips live shows are great big children's parties. Makes sense to create a record that is posing as a kids story. Caitlin: It's not really one to digest every bit of, rather just enjoy it as a whole while being covered in pizza, acid and glitter. Riding a unicorn. LIVE: O2 Academy Brixton, September 7th @theflaminglips
@flaminglips London in Stereo: 45
BLEACHED DON'T YOU THINK YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH Self-Release July 12th
CARMEN VILLAIN BOTH LINES WILL BE BLUE Smalltown Supersound July 12th It’s a brave move for an artist to sidestep their usual set up and craft an album made up entirely of instrumentals, but Carmen Villain has good reason on Both Lines Will Be Blue; “Leaving out my voice and lyrics got me out of my own head a bit, which I needed,” she explains on the subject. “Working with sound is to me the ultimate meditation and is a more unconscious way of expressing whatever is going on inside.” The way she conveys her depth of feeling through soothing tracks such as ‘Are You For Real’ and ‘Sometimes I Love You Forever’ is breathtaking, with much of the journey backed by flute-based melodies and unhinged improv. A combination you probably didn't know you needed. Lee Wakefield
The Clavin sisters are back with their sea-soaked, West Coast garage punk and a new sense of perspective following their newfound sobriety. As a result, the album is awash with survivor anthems and reflections on their past lives. Lead single ‘Hard To Kill’ is an indie disco bop reminiscent of The Gossip circa 2009, while ‘Heartbeat Away’ possesses the power chord-heavy pop-punk of Charly Bliss and the catchy love-struck joy of Carly Rae Jepsen. The band cast a wide musical net, incorporating post punk on ‘Get What I Need’ and a dreamy girl group sound on ‘Somebody Dial 911’. Despite the dark times that influenced it, the record leaves one buoyant; a reminder that daybreak is always on the horizon. Stephanie Phillips
DORIAN ELECTRA FLAMBOYANT Self-Release July 12th Ever since 'Career Boy' strutted across my phone screen last year Dorian Electra has been melting my mind with their saccharine satire. Hooked up to a caffeine drip and chained to a filing cabinet, Electra goades “C'mon, hit me with your ledger”, applauding and lamenting nine-to-five pen-pushers and never for one second without a hint of hilarity. Flamboyant is pop to the core. The sleazy synthesisers, staggering amounts of autotune and trashy hooks were enough to bring on my hyperglycaemia, thus rendering it difficult at times for me to process the excellent commentary Electra provides on the ridiculous social constructs forced upon all of us, especially the queer community. If Axel von Fersen found the flux capacitor and wound up at Danceteria, this is what would happen, hopefully. Madeleine Wrench
GRUFF RHYSS & OTIM. Photo: Denholm Hewlett
AFRICA EXPRESS EGOLI Africa Express Records July 12th With such a vast collective of artists in just 18 tracks, you might be forgiven for wondering if the old “too many cooks” saying is true. Thankfully, EGOLI sidesteps the stereotype; it’s jam-packed, fizzing over with the electricity of South Africa in ‘City in Lights’, languishing in the sunshine of ‘Where Will This Lead Us To?’ and fighting revolutions in ‘Africa To The World’. The pre-released single ‘Johannesburg’, featuring Gruff Rhys, unearths novels of African history in its lyricism, while simultaneously feeling light and effortless in its contemporary percussion and rhythms. It’s a great choice for a lead album single; one that balances the customary with the current. EGOLI as a whole tells a coming-of-age story of the continent. Up-and-coming afrobeat artist Muzi contrasts the yodels of Zola 7 and Mahotella Queens on ‘The River’ that carry the heartbeat of community-driven music in Africa. He joins Ghetts for ‘No Games’ which features a hook that definitely fits the aesthetic of a Friday night set in Dalston Superstore. Together, the mesh of genres and histories makes for an engaging listen from start to finish. Damon Albarn, the leader of the collective’s efforts, has allowed each track its own sense of ambiguity, meaning you’d do more harm than good in not listening to all 18 tracks in one sitting. Indulge yourself the time to pull at each thread of this tightly-woven tale of African heritage. Caitlin Clark
FREYA RIDINGS
FREYA RIDINGS Good Soldier July 12th Moulded from the ashes of isolation, regret and vulnerability, the highlyanticipated debut album from Londonborn artist, Freya Ridings, is a thunderstorm of raw emotion. Blurring the lines between deep melancholia and electro-pop empowerment, the album transitions effortlessly between waves of emotional intensity, as Freya's renowned, vocal-heavy approach succeeds in highlighting her strongest attributes. 'Poison' softly opens the record with a delicate piano melody, gradually building to a plethora of haunting orchestral elements, before the singles 'Lost Without You' and 'Castles' provide a flawless indication for what’s to come. However, while ‘Love Is Fire’ reaches into anthemic territory, and ‘Holy Water’ rivals the back catalogue of Adele, the most impressive track on the record undoubtedly comes in the form of the fierce yet ethereal ‘Ultraviolet’. Kelly Ronaldson London in Stereo: 47
PENELOPE ISLES
UNTIL THE TIDE CREEPS IN Bella Union July 12th You can choose your bandmates. You can’t choose your siblings. It’s good fortune, therefore, that Jack and Lily Wolter, half of Penelope Isles, not only tolerate each other, but also collaborate beautifully. Listening to this idyllic, harmonious collection of songs, you’d be hard-pressed to imagine Lily insulting Jack as ‘a man holding a fork in a world of soup’, as Noel Gallagher said about his brother. Until The Tide... is a generous, lively dream-pop offering. 7 of the 10 tracks exceed four minutes. ‘Leipzig’, at two-and-a-half minutes, feels substantial (Saxony Tourist Board – take note). They soar like Spiritualized; they simmer and shimmer like Mazzy Star. On seven-minute epic, ‘Gnarbone’ they go motorik, using found sound like PSB. I’m defo going to the Penelope Isles for my summer holidays. Jon Kean
BRIAN ENO
APOLLO: ATMOSPHERES & SOUNDTRACKS UMC July 19th Fifty years ago, the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon. This seismic anniversary prompted veteran music-maker Brian Eno to revisit his flawless Apollo soundtrack and create an album’s worth of new material. He needn’t have bothered – Apollo was already regarded as an ambient masterpiece. Recorded by Eno, his brother Roger and Daniel Lanois in 1983, it was commissioned as the soundtrack for Al Reinert documentary, For All Mankind. Sure, it’s been nicely remastered (again) but this hardly qualifies it as essential. Meanwhile, the new Apollo songs return Eno to Earth with a bump. Their brittle and oddly poppy approach lack any of the brooding weightlessness of the originals. Sadly, this anniversary gimmick mission should have been aborted. Geoff Cowart
DUDE YORK FALLING Hardly Art July 26th On their fourth full-length album, Dude York, the Seattle-based indie-rock/garage-pop trio, have produced an excellent record that demonstrates range without sacrificing cohesion or quality. The fuzz-laden guitars and vocal harmonies of 'Only Wish' have a stuck-to-the-bottom-of-your-shoe catchiness similar to early records by Yuck, while the upbeat tempo of the title track wouldn't be lost on a pop-punk record. The band’s latest shares the energy of (and nods lyrically to) influences like The Ramones, but can deftly transition to acoustic introspection, shoegaze and back. Range aside, this pop-at-heart record – see 'I'm the 1 4 U' – is a refreshing all-round album that utilises the infinite fracturing of genre. Albert Testani
TYCHO
WEATHER Ninja Tune July 19th Heading into Weather, opening track ‘Easy’ does very little to win over Tycho’s detractors. Whilst the band’s music swells with a certain cinematic grandeur, it often feels unsurprising – for instance, where one could picture bursting through a layer of cloud cover as the sun births the plane in a fresh light, another sees economy class air travel. Sometimes the destination simply isn’t enough when the journey lacks excitement. Though this is apparently a false start. When Saint Sinner – aka Hannah Cottrell – crops up, things start to get interesting. Her delicate, drifting vocals aren’t an overbearing presence amidst the heady swirls of Tycho’s instrumentals; in fact, they’re the perfect accompaniment: slick and subtle, the missing ingredient that adds some depth and flavour to the sometimes otherwise watery soup. Harriet Taylor
KAINA
NEXT THE THE SUN Sooper Records July 12th Emitting an emotive warmth and vitality, Next To The Sun – the debut record from Chicago based artist, KAINA – is imbued with a glistening, rich humanity. On the title track she softly sings “Tell me what you think about me, dancing with my duality,” and across the album explores her personal heritage and identity, drawing influence from her Latina roots and Chicago’s rich music scene. Weaving soulful, lilting layers of sound, KAINA possesses a particular capacity for crafting beautifully tender tracks at once deeply intimate and inviting, within which her velvety, effervescent intonations flow with an entrancing gracefulness. A record through which KAINA meditates on the ever-fluctuating experience of self-exploration, acceptance, and growth as an individual, Next To The Sun offers up a space of resplendent, uplifting serenity. Kezia Cochrane
KHRUANGBIN
HASTA EL CIELO Night Time Stories July 12th Texan trio Khruangbin - Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums - are responsible for helping psychedelia somewhat out of the underground and on to daytime airwaves, thanks to their cooler-than-cool yet accessible brand of exotic funk. Inspired by 60s and 70s undiscovered soul from Thailand, the Mediterranean and Middle East, you’d be forgiven for thinking Khruangbin’s music is reserved solely for cratediggers, revelling in the obscure, but moments into Hasta El Cielo - a dub version of 2018’s much-loved Con Todo El Mundo - you’d be hard-pushed to find someone who doesn’t fall for the beautifully transportative, wavy dub sounds of bumbling bass, gently crunching guitar and tidy drums. Take a moment away from the frantic world we live in to relish the blissful sounds of Khruangbin. George O’Brien London in Stereo: 49
ANGIE MCMAHON (photo: Paige Clark)
ANGIE MCMAHON SALT AWAL // July 26th Why, in 2019, can art still think of no better subject matter than heartbreak? Maybe because it ultimately transcends all individuality, all nuance, and taps into the rotten core of our shared human experience. Not that we forget the nuance, for the nuance is key, but we fall all the same. The individual experience made universal through a string of idiosyncrasies. For Melbourne native Angie McMahon, heartbreak’s idiosyncrasies play out under fluorescent chicken shop signs, in her disaster of a bedroom, in the enduring and enviable love of her parents, in the hope of a better future, in pasta, and in the strength of being a woman. Routed in country and folk traditions alike, McMahon’s debut album, Salt, turns from driving anthemic rock to intimate melancholia in an instant – her incredible vocals and self-deprecating humour permeating 11 raging, hopeful, vulnerable, invincible and delicate songs that address romance, toxic relationships and female empowerment in equal measure. Lauren Down
SARATHY KORWAR MORE ARRIVING The Leaf Label July 26th
Sarathy Korwar’s extraordinary More Arriving is both thrillingly modern and wonderfully traditional, as though knowing the rules is just as important as breaking them. Opener ‘Mumbay’ finds Korwar’s dense, bracing sonics used as a foundation for MC Mawali’s lyricism, while bulging brass and corrosive electronics unite against Prabh Deep and Delhi Sultanate on the thrilling ‘Coolie’. Spoken word artist Zia Ahmed dominates the sparse, percussion-led ‘Mango’, a daring collaboration that recalls the seismic work of The Last Poets while delving into the experiences of the South Asian diaspora. Pitting a composer steeped in Indian classical music and spiritual jazz against a crack team of Indian MCs, More Arriving is an extraordinary, exuberant exposition of new ideas that deal with the sub-continent’s past, present, and future. Robin Murray
2 Jul
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BILL RYDER-JONES SOLD OUT
St Matthias Church 2 Oct
DU BLONDE Moth Club 3 Oct
BILL RYDER-JONES
Moth Club 9 Jul
St Matthias Church 9 Oct
Moth Club 10 Jul
Moth Club 16 Oct
CLOUD NOTHINGS
FAR CASPIAN
COSMO SHELDRAKE
HOLLY HERNDON
MELT YOURSELF DOWN
MURKAGE DAVE
Oval Space 17 Jul
The Lexington 25 Jul
ADULT MOM
The Lexington 26 Jul
DAKHABRAKHA EartH 3 Aug
VISIONS FESTIVAL
London Fields 25 Aug
WILLIAM TYLER Cafe Oto 4 Sept
CRUMB
The Dome 5 Sept
GIA MARGARET
Barbican 18 Oct
Studio 9294 19 Oct
DEEPER
Shacklewell Arms 21 Oct
THE DREAM SYNDICATE Scala 24 Oct
CHASTITY BELT
Islington Assembly Hall 24 Oct
PEGGY SUE The Dome 27 Oct
CHROMATICS Roundhouse 28 Oct
CHAI
St Pancras Old Church 12 Sept
Village Underground 29 Oct
Dingwalls 21 Sept
Camden Assembly 30 Oct
THE MYSTERY LIGHTS
MÚM
Union Chapel 26 Sept
MARIKA HACKMAN
Islington Assembly Hall
RAYANA JAY PUMA BLUE EartH 4 Nov
ERIN RAE
The Lexington
6 Nov
ANNA OF THE NORTH Heaven 6 Nov
CHARLY BLISS Scala 10 Nov
THE RAINCOATS EartH 12 Nov
FLUMESOLD OUT
O2 Academy Brixton 19 Nov
OSCAR JEROME Heaven 20 Nov
ELDER ISLAND Heaven 24 Nov
NITZER EBB
Village Underground 26 Nov
RADICAL FACE Union Chapel 27 Nov
THE YOUNG GODS The Garage 28 Nov
KOKOKO! Fabric 3 Dec
SARAH KLANG The Lexington
UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS rockfeedback.com
our selection of the best shows coming up this month
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
JENNY LEWIS
BLACKWATER CONSPIRACY
July 25th £26.80adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
July 24th £16.90adv // @O2Islington
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE WAITING ROOM
SORCHA RICHARDSON
JAPANESE TELEVISION + NUHA RUBY RA
July 23rd £6adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
SORCHA RICHARDSON
July 24th £7.50adv // @WaitingRoomN16
THE LEXINGTON
ROTHWELL + CHINCHILLA + TAMZENE
ADULT MOM
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
Angel
GHUM
NIGHT BIRDS Tuffnell Park
July 13th Dalston Junction / Kingsland £16.60adv // @shacklewell Arms
BRIXTON WINDMILL
THE DOME
MASSY FERGUSON + PETER BRUTNELL
DRUG CHURCH July 13th £13adv // @DomeTufnellPark
July 25th £8.80adv // @thelexington
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
July 15th £12adv // @BostonMusicRoom
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
ADULT MOM
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
July 12th £4adv // @CamdenAssembly
Angel
Tuffnell Park
July 17th £8adv // @WindmillBrixton
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL
GIRLPOOL
THE RHYTHM METHOD
July 8th £13.75adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
July 4th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £11adv // @Bushhallmusic
THE RHYTHM METHOD (photo: Lewis Robinson)
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN GIRLPOOL (photo: Gina Canavan)
THE OLD BLUE LAST
July 20th £35.25adv // @O2ForumKTown
Old Street / Liverpool Street
SUNTRIP ALL DAYER: LITTLE TRIGGERS + THE ROVES + THE CRETINS
THE SEBRIGHT ARMS
July 6th £5adv // @paperdressed
DAS BODY + TIBERIUS B + INKA UPENDO
JAZZ CAFE
July 4th FREE // @SebrightArms
Bethnal Green/ Cambridge Heath
XOYO
Hackney Central
ONIPA + PENYA + DOWDELIN July 31st £15adv // @TheJazzCafe
Camden Town
OSLO
NO JUMPER: AJ TRACEY + CHLOBOCOP July 8th £15adv // @XOYO_London
Kentish Town
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
OLYMPIA July 22nd FREE // @theoldbluelast
NEUROSIS + GODFLESH + YOB
ANOUSHKA LUCAS
Old Street / Liverpool Street
July 11th £10adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
MUEVETE
CLOUDY GALVEZ + JOEY CLARKSON
July 27th £4adv // @NHAClub
Notting Hill Gate
July 4th £10adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street London in Stereo: 55
FULL JUKY LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month. Monday July 1st
Wednesday July 3rd
Tuesday July 2nd
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Thursday July 4th
Friday July 5th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JULY ISTINGS
Saturday July 6th
Sunday July 7th
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday July 8th
Wednesday July 10th
Tuesday July 9th
Thursday July 11th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JULY LISTINGS
Friday July 12th
Saturday July 13th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday July 15th
Tuesday July 16th
Sunday July 14th
Wednesday July 17th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JULY LISTINGS
Friday July 19th
Thursday July 18th
Saturday July 20th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday July 22nd
Tuesday July 23rd
Sunday July 21st
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JULY LISTINGS Wednesday July 24th
Friday July 26th
Thursday July 25th
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday July 27th
Monday July 29th
Tuesday July 30th
Wednesday July 31st
Sunday July 28th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
AUGUST LISTINGS Thursday August 1st
Friday August 2nd
Sunday August 4th
Saturday August 3rd
Monday August 5th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday August 9th
Tuesday August 6th
Wednesday August 7th
Saturday August 10th
Thursday August 8th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
AUGUST LISTINGS Tuesday August 13th
Wednesday August 14th
Sunday August 11th
Thursday August 15th
Friday August 16th
Monday August 12th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday August 20th
Saturday August 17th
Wednesday August 21st
Sunday August 18th
Thursday August 22nd Monday August 19th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
AUGUST LISTINGS Sunday August 25th
Friday August 23rd Monday August 26th
Tuesday August 27th
Saturday August 24th
LONDONINSTEREO.COM/SUBSCRIBE
GET THE NEW ISSUE OF LONDON IN STEREO DROPPING THROUGH YOUR LETTERBOX EACH MONTH see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
07/08/19 The MOTH Club Valette Street, London E8 Monday 8 July
GIRLPOOL Wednesday 10 July
SHOW ME THE BODY Thursday 25 July
POST ANIMAL Saturday 27 July
HELICON Thursday 29 August
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St, N16 Wednesday 3 July
BECOMING REAL Thursday 4 July
CAITLYN SCARLETT Wednesday 24 July
JAPANESE TELEVISION Friday 16 August
MINAMI DEUTSCH Thursday 5 September
TACOCAT
JOHN EATHERLY
The Shacklewell Arms
Studio9294
71 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 Monday 8 July
STEAL SHIT DO DRUGS Thursday 11 July
EARTH TONGUE Saturday 13 July
GHUM Tuesday 16 July
RAYS Friday 2 August
ZAMILSKA
92 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN Thursday 8 August
CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO Tuesday 27 August
WAND Wednesday 28 August
KIKAGAKU MOYO Saturday 7 September
CRACK CLOUD Thursday 12 September
FROTH
BY
METZ
“Naturally, I bought the entire pub a round of drinks...”
My memories of London are always jumbled. I can never seem to separate one visit from another. Maybe that’s a good thing. It creates this mystique in my mind of such a huge captivating city. One thing that is consistent is that we are always made to feel welcome, are well fed and end up leaving with more friends than we had when we arrived. Whether it’s eating jellied eels, or recording at the BBC, or simply enjoying some rare sunshine in the backyard of a friend’s flat. London has been good to us. On one occasion that I can isolate in my memory, I played trivia in a pub against a room full of strangers. I was on a team with other non-UK natives and somehow we tied with a local favorited team that plays weekly. It came down to either a
final question or the game of chance, Over Under. For those who are unfamiliar with this game, which I was at the time, the MC pulls out a deck of cards and places one on the table. The player then hypothesizes whether the next card will be over or under the face-up card. Miraculously, I successfully predicted each card 7 times in a row and won the trivia and the money pot of £600. I immediately felt terrible for taking the money that had probably been an existing pot that had grown each week with the contributions of regular players. Naturally, I bought the entire pub a round of drinks. Hayden Menzies Metz release their rarities collection, Automat, July 12th via Sub Pop. LIVE: 9294, June 28th @metztheband
@metz London in Stereo: 73
PIXX (photo: Steve Gullick)
with
Taliwhoah
“South has Morley’s, but Morley’s wouldn’t even have existed without CHICK-KING!!!”
Wherabouts do you live London? I live in Tottenham, right behind Spurs’ stadium. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? When I’m local it’s definitely Jerky’s Caribbean! East London is definitely my go-to though. I love Cafe East, Pizza Union in Dalston, Alchemist, Patty & Bun, and Yalla Yalla!! But you can never go wrong with a Nando’s! Where’s a good place to spend time on your own? I really like Green Room Cafe in Stoke Newington! It’s a cute, quiet cafe right next to all things inspiring and brilliantly British! Summer keeps threatening to almost happen, do you like London when the sun’s shining? If the sun was always shining here I literally would NEVER leave! London is the best when it gets a real summer! Everyone’s smiling, parading the streets, energies are high and infectious! There’s nothing like it! What’s the bit of London you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t? One thing that Tottenham has that most places in London doesn’t is consistent banging chicken and chip shops! All the best chicken and chips are in Tottenham! Yeah, South has Morley’s, but Morley’s wouldn’t even have existed without CHICK-KING!!! What’s the best way to spend one great day here? An ideal in London for me would be attending a dope exhibition or gallery in the day time. Then going to an outdoor brunch or something with live performers (there’s always a dope open mic going on somewhere here). Then maybe seeing a rooftop film in Peckham then finding a bar/restaurant to eat at! Do you have any favourite venues? I think my fave venue was always Visions. From a young age I was always so intrigued with how vital it was to our culture and scene here in London. Does living here influence your music? 1000%. Being privileged enough to experience and be exposed to all these cultures helps me to tell my stories the way I do!
3 Steps to a Taliwoah LDN
Chick-King WHERE? 755 High Road, Tottenham, N17 8AH
Green Room Cafe WHERE? 113 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0UD
What’s the worst thing about London? The grey clouds! I don’t mind the rain or the cold weather even, but the clouds just make it harder to appreciate. How would you advise someone to get the most out of living here? I would say come with an open mind and an open heart! A lot of the media’s portrayal of us has shaped a very jaded perspective, but contrary to some beliefs the people here are amazing, and so is the food!!! Taliwoah releases her debut album, Another Dimension, July 11th via Rostrum. @Taliwhoah
@Taliwhoah
Patty and Bun WHERE? Various branches over LDN London in Stereo: 75
Field Day The Drumsheds, Meridian Water June 7th-8th words: Nate Rockwell
Ever since we were blessed with the televisual splendour/genuine horrific shitstorm that was the Fyre Festival documentary there has only been one standard to which all other gatherings of people and music are judged against, especially when things don’t go exactly to plan. The card machine not working for 10 minutes at a food stall? It’s Fyre Festival! Bit of a queue at the bar? It’s Fyre Festival! Hint of rain? It’s Fyre Festival! Bit of a wait to get in to the festival? Call Ja Rule now, cos you better believe it’s motherfucking Fyre Festival! So with clouds choking the sky, and Twitter exploding with scare stories (none of the stages are built, it’s a swamp, all of the bands are cancelled, it’s Fyre Festival!) you’d be forgiven for approaching the latest vision of Field Day with a degree of trepidation. You accept this might be the last thing you’ll ever do, you check over your will, send a couple of nice messages to the family so they’ll remember you well, leave something unfinished at work so some other mug has to do it and prepare to trek to Tottenham. So, look, Field Day 2019 is not perfect. The main stage area is covered in stones like Brighton beach, which is very hard and tiring to walk on which is not really a big deal but, honestly, are we not tired enough already? One narrow track of rubber runs across the stones which is not enough tracks of rubber
running across the stones and is a bit of an accessibility ’mare. There’s a very weird policy of no entry after 8pm which it seems literally nobody knows about and screws over people who might have to come after work and get stuck in the gridlocked traffic or in the queue for the one tap-out at the brand new Meridian Water station. The Crack stage keeps seeing waiting crowds being emptied out and having to queue to get back in again so the stage can be changed over for the next acts which is... ridiculous? Like, that’s not something I’ve ever seen before. Ever. There’s not enough toilets. The Dr. Martens stage is rendered an irrelevance by the sound leaks from other stages. The bars close too early. Lads, it’s Fyre Festival! Except, of course, it’s not fucking Fyre Festival. It’s a brand new set-up with some teething problems which are all very fixable. Field Day is not Fyre Festival. Field Day is Field Day. But, that does kinda beg the question: what the hell is Field Day these days? For so long it was a fairly cutesie indie festival in Victoria Park. The fucking Horrors were likely to be playing. There were sack races and good food and we all complained about the beer prices and drank lots of beer and always had the best time. And the last one, with The Barn and Aphex Twin was probably the best of the lot. Then it moved to Brockwell Park and was a jazz-heavy lovely day out in a beautiful park surrounded by uppity south London dickheads who didn’t want a festival near them. There were sack
LiS staff writer Danny Wright having a lovely time.
races and good food and we complained about the beer prices and drank lots of beer and had the best time. The fucking Horrors didn’t play. And now? Now it’s the rave, mate. And also it’s pretty rap. And, honestly, it’s all the better for it. The fucking Horrors probably haven’t even been told it’s happening. It’s overlooked by Ikea which is ideal for hot-dog chat (the best chat) and kind of in the middle of nowhere so nobody complains about it being there and the indoor venues are cavernous sheds where the sound is absolutely impeccable. The food is great. There are no sack races. The beer is £5.80 a can, but the cans are basically pint size and when was the last time you complained about a £5.80 pint in London? The stones are annoying but they are also really good for not being a swamp when it rains (which it does a bit Friday and not at all Saturday). You can just walk up from Tottenham Hale and avoid Meridian Water and have a lovely stroll through the marshes. The indoor stages all flow nicely and look
mind-blowing. It’s pretty Insta-friendly (important). It’s a different crowd to other years, which makes sense cos it’s different music to other years but the atmosphere is real friendly and chill and if someone looked me square in the eye and was all “Did you have a good time at Field Day?” I’d look them back square in the eye and say “I had a a really, really great time, I actually kinda love the new Field Day”. Music? Pusha T won the weekend with a show of pure kinetic force, Earl Sweatshirt had no energy but he doesn’t like going outside and he was still real good. HAAi will be put in charge of all parties from here-on-in cos HAAi is pure party. Marie Davidson was not happy but even an unhappy Marie Davidson is better than pretty much anyone else. George Fitzgerald’s sumptuous electronics are a literal dream and sounded incredible in the sheds and, honestly, when Diplo dropped ‘Old Town Road’ it might have been the... best thing that’s ever happened anywhere? London in Stereo: 77
Primavera Sound Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, Spain May 27th-June 3rd words: Danny Wright
Primavera has always felt like a festival ahead of the curve. So while over 100 festivals made promises to establish a 50/50 gender split by 2022, Primavera decided to get the job done now. “Because we should have done it ages ago. Because, looking back over our previous line-ups and despite the progress in the last few editions, we needed to go further,” they admitted. So here we are. The ‘new normal’, Primavera’s branding declares right across the sprawling concrete festival site which hugs the coastline of Barcelona. And it does feel normal. Natural. But also refreshing. Refreshing to see a diverse range of acts on each stage rather than sullen white men hunched over guitars on every one. The line-up was announced with fairly little fuss and why should it? These are artists who have made the best music of the last 12 months. As you bounce between stages, the sun dropping behind the sea, hip-hop mingles with electro, techno blends into disco. The first day starts with the brilliant cartoon flow of Danny Brown before Christine and the Queens put on a sparkling show. In a billowing red shirt she sashays across the stage, gifting us with mesmerising versions of ‘Comme si’ and ‘Girlfriend’ while an a capella version of ‘Heroes’ is spine-tingling. “Fuck the norm,” she tells the crowd, like she’s been fed the line by the festival.
Over in the Primavera Bits, Marie Davidson is playing to a crowd on a vast expanse of beach, her eviscerating techno and brilliant deadpan delivery the perfect soundtrack. Christine makes another appearance with Charli XCX later to drop a new single which kind of sounds like Charli XCX songs sound now. Fun but not the future of pop like we used to think. But still, she plays ‘Boys’ and ‘Boys’ is brilliant. Then it’s FKA Twigs. On an amphitheatre overlooking the sea at 3am she puts on an astonishing show. It’s a masterful performance, her voice soaring and soothing, her ‘Cellophane’ pole-dancing and graceful sword-fighting spell-binding. It’s the highlight of the weekend. The sword theme continues the next day as Carly Rae Jepsen is handed an inflatable one by the crowd (because, of course she is). Bop after bop is played. ‘Call Me Maybe’ is chucked into the middle of the set. The crowd sing back. Hearts are clutched. The day suddenly accelerates away. From CRJ into Janelle Monae, Miley Cyrus, Tame Impala, Robyn. Janelle and Robyn shine the brightest. Joyous, open-hearted shows celebrating acceptance and diversity. Janelle calls people on to the stage to show they’ve ‘got the juice’ and ‘Tightrope’ has the whole crowd going. But of course it’s ‘Dancing On My Own’ which owns the night. The chorus hugging the air as it’s sung back by the crowd, the whole audience seemingly in one embrace until Peggy Gou waves them off into the sunrise at 6am.
CARLY RAE JEPSEN photo: Eric Pamies
LIZZO
photo: Paco Amate
The sun blazes down on the concrete on Saturday. It begins with Haru Nemuri, a Japanese artist weaving together beats and techno and screamo and telling us she loves us, always. It’s the type of discovery festivals are made, as it ends with her striding through the crowd, an ear-shattering cry bringing the set to a close. If you looked up the ‘new normal’ in the dictionary you’d find a picture of Lizzo roller-skating across a stage while thousands of people danced on a beach. Her set is iconic. Flanked by her backing dancers, The Big Girls, the show is all about celebrating difference while dancing to disco. ‘Phone’,
TIERRA WHACK
photo: Sharon Lopez
ROBYN
photo: Sergio Albert
‘Boys’ and the joyful funk jam ‘Juice’ – featuring Lizzo on the flute – are thrilling. It sets the scene for Tierra Whack and her surreal, kaleidoscopic midnight trip into Whack World. Vivid colours and word searches illuminate the stage. As the glassy melody of ‘Only Child’ bounces around the stage and you realise she’s one of the best rappers out there right now, it makes a mockery of the protestations of other festivals that there isn’t enough female talent out there to fill a festival. This weekend is overflowing with it. The new normal is here and it’s anything but ordinary. Other festivals need to catch up. London in Stereo: 79
ON BEING THE COWBOY by Katie Goh You may have noticed that the cowboy is having a bit of a moment. From Mitski telling us to Be the Cowboy, to Solange’s When I Get Home film which reimagines the forgotten history* of black cowboys, to Lil Nas X and Cardi B donning Stetsons, the yeehaw agenda is all over contemporary music, particularly music by people of colour, particularly women of colour. In film, the Western is having a resurgence with films like The Rider, Western and Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts exploring ideas of nationality, vengeance and solidarity through a reimagining of the genre. Notably, all three films are directed by women. The cowboy has traditionally stood as the epitome of white man authority: the John Wayne cowboy rides into town, scares away the Natives and rides off into the sunset with the girl. The cowboy has been essential to North American mythos – which
is why it’s the perfect figure to be claimed by those marginalised in society. When Mitski says Be the Cowboy she means to stride into a room with the cowboy’s gait and swagger. The cowboy does not apologise. The cowboy is entitled and arrogant and takes up space. For a woman of colour to be the cowboy is radical. It feels incredible. Riding into towns that don’t want him, the cowboy is a perfect alien. Ironically, I’ve always thought the closest archetype we have to the cowboy in 2019 is the immigrant: transient, lonely, always on the outside looking in with nowhere to go. “Be the cowboy” has become my mantra for getting through the day, week, year. When I whisper it to myself as I walk out the front door, I am the cowboy on the open road, powerful in my loneliness, hand on my hip, just me and my horse, riding into a sun-flared future.
Katie Goh is a freelance arts writer and The Skinny's Intersections editor. She tweets at johnnys_panic.
*smithsonianmag.com/history/lesser-known-history-african-american-cowboys
London in Stereo: 81
FRIDAY 12TH JULY OMEARA
WEDNESDAY 24TH JULY OMEARA
+ ASHNIKKO + HAVELOCK
+ SUPPORT
SUNDAY 28TH JULY OMEARA
DIRTWIRE
MOON HOOCH
FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST OMEARA
WEDNESDAY 7TH AUGUST OMEARA
TUESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER OMEARA
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
OSCAR SCHELLER AND FRIENDS
LAVILLE
CC SMUGGLERS
+ SUPPORT
DYLAN LEBLANC
THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER THE LEXINGTON
FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER OMEARA
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
JOHN PAUL WHITE
SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
THE DELTA RIGGS
EVENTIM APOLLO, HAMMERSMITH
THURSDAY 10TH OCTOBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
+ OHMME
+ SUPPORT
WILCO
SEA GIRLS
WINTERSLEEP
FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER DINGWALLS
RYAN MCMULLAN + ROE
EVENTIM APOLLO, HAMMERSMITH
TUESDAY 15TH OCTOBER
TUESDAY 15TH OCTOBER SCALA
WEDNESDAY 16TH OCTOBER 100 CLUB
+ SPECIAL GUESTS
+ SUPPORT
+ JOHN MURRY
KATE TEMPEST
THE ACADEMIC
CURSE OF LONO
THURSDAY 17TH OCTOBER PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
FRIDAY 18TH OCTOBER THE PICKLE FACTORY
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR
TUESDAY 22ND OCTOBER OLD BLUE LAST
THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER HEAVEN
FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER CORSICA STUDIOS
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
CALLUM PITT
EUT
FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
ROBERT ELLIS + SUPPORT
TUNGZ
LADYTRON
TUESDAY 22ND OCTOBER 100 CLUB + SUPPORT
ALICE JEMIMA
THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBER OMEARA
THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBER DINGWALLS
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
HARRISON STORM
VISTAS
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
04 OCT / ELECTRIC BALLROOM TAME IMPALA
KELLY 08 OCT /JONES SCALA D O N ’ T L E T T H E D E V I L TA K E A N O T H E R D A Y A SOLO TOUR
PLUS THE WIND + THE WAVE
08 JUN / THE O2
16 JUN / EVENTIM APOLLO
09 OCT / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
10 0CT / ELECTRIC BRIXTON
25 ELECTRICPARK BALLROOM 10 SEP OCT / TUFNELL DOME
30 SEP / OSLO, ELECTROWERKZ 16 OCT HACKNEY
22 OCT / O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
26 OCT / ALEXANDRA PALACE
04 OCT / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
04 OCT / EVENTIM APOLLO
22 NOV / O2 SHEPERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
12 OCT / EVENTIM APOLLO WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
25 NOV / EartH THEATRE
06 NOV / ELECTRIC BRIXTON
RAZORLIGHT
01 FEB 2020 / THE O2