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HANDS OFF GRETEL
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20 | 09 | 19
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You know when people say they like ‘all kinds of music’ and it’s really annoying? Well, I’d actually like to put it to you that, in fact, it’s the question that’s annoying (and whilst we’re at it, somewhat redundant but that’s a whole different column), and we can all like all different types of music. That’s the only way I can explain our selection of established stars Hot Chip on the cover, blissedout talent Lava La Rue, absolute legend Will Young and newcomer Yizzy all being featured in this one issue. If our magazine is the meeting of worlds then I can only stand by with pride. Elsewhere we had a really lovely (maybe too lovely?) time at both The Great Escape (as always) and SPOT festival in Denmark this month. Fingers crossed the next month brings as many delights and, in the meantime, feel free to throw some milkshakes at racists. That, my friends, is always okay.
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: FKA Twigs - Cellophane Dave: Kelly Lee Owens - Omen Loki: IDLES – Mercedes Marxist Danny: Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE Gemma: slowthai - Dead Leaves Jack: Alex Cameron - Miami Memory Beth: Tik&Borrow - Angel TYLER, THE CREATOR (photo: Sam Rock)
Katie: India Jordan - DNT STP MY LV London in Stereo: 07
Music Creativity & Technology
18.19.20 July 2019 Barcelona
a$ap rocky, amelie lens, andy c, arca, bad bunny, blawan & dax j, body & soul (6h set), caterina barbieri live av, daniel avery, daphni, deena abdelwahed - khonnar live, disclosure dj set, dixon, dj koze, floating points (6h set), four tet, jlin, kaytranada, louie vega & honey dijon, octavian, paul kalkbrenner, peggy gou & palms trax, sho madjozi, skepta, underworld, vince staples and many more. Buy your tickets from SonarTickets by StubHub I www.sonar.es An initiative of
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INTERVIEWS 22
28
REVIEWS
YIZZY
46
80
HOT CHIP
36
LAVA LA RUE
40
WILL YOUNG
20
76
LIVE
WHAT’S ON 16
FEATURES 12
ALBUM RELEASES
NEW SOUNDS
EVENTS
56
GIGS OF THE MONTH
59
FULL JUNE LISTINGS
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 78
85
IN LONDON
THOUGHTS...
Hot Chip 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: Hot Chip cover story: Mike Massaro (mikemassaro.co.uk) Contributors: Hassan Anderson, Grant Bailey, Caitlin Clark, Kezia Cochrane, Geoff Cowart, Thomas Hannan, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Emma Madden, Sammy Maine, George O’Brien, Stephanie Phillips, Kelly Ronaldson, Harriet Taylor, Lee Wakefield, Henry Wilkinson, Madeline Wrench. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 09
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FRI 30 AUGUST
WED 11 SEPTEMBER
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ARCHIVE
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FRI 11 OCTOBER
TUE 15 OCTOBER
ELECTROWERKZ
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JORDAN RAKEI
KOVIC
BIIG PIIG
THU 17 OCTOBER
FRI 18 OCTOBER
ROUNDHOUSE
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
EARTH
RYAN ASHLEY
BLANKET
JAMILA WOODS
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THU 24 OCTOBER
FRI 25 OCTOBER
THU 14 NOVEMBER
WED 13 NOVEMBER FRI 15 NOVEMBER
BORDERLINE
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+ LOVEDAY
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FRI 27 SEPTEMBER
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LP @ THE CURTAIN HOTEL
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FRI 18 OCTOBER
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THU 17 OCTOBER
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HEAVEN
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JUST MUSTARD (photo: Karl Walsh)
IDER (photo: Ade Udoma & Michelle Janssen)
TOP TEN: New Sounds Ider - Wu Baby Megan Thee Stallion - Realer Trace - All My Friends Gemma - Til We Lose the Feeling Quantic - You Used to Love Me (feat. Denitia) Faye Webster - Right Side of my Neck Askjell - To Be Loved ((( O ))) - One, Two Wilson Trouvé - VII Lil Halima - Who Do u Love
YAEJI (photo: Micaiah Carter)
FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
Just Mustard by Gemma Samways Call it a scene, call it sheer coincidence, but Dublin and its immediate surrounds are responsible for many of the most talked-about young bands of 2019. But while the wiry punk of Fontaines D.C., and the Nick Cave-ish leanings of The Murder Capital are relatively easy to define, Just Mustard are a more nebulous prospect altogether. Formed in Dundalk in 2016, the five-piece actually received a Choice Prize nomination for their 2018 debut, Wednesday. It’s taken the rest of the world a little longer to catch up, but following their incendiary performance at The Great Escape, plaudits are now steadily rolling in for their labyrinthine compositions. MYSIE (photo: Marcus Maddox)
How to describe their sound? Take the witchy vocal incantations of Warpaint, the smudged atmospherics of Slowdive, and the serrated edges of Girl Band, then combine with the claustrophobic loops of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack, and you’re in the approximate vicinity. They’re only getting more intriguing, too. Released as part of a double A-side single, new track ’Frank’ is a hypnotic swirl powered by Katie Ball’s wraith-like vocals. On the flip side, the searing ‘October’ takes a scorched earth approach with its sawn-off guitar sounds and caustic feedback. Those seeking dark thrills need look no further. LISTEN TO: Frank @justmustard
@justmustardmusic
Mysie by Jess Partridge There's a rich depth to Mysie's vocal, with a velvet feel and the strength of impossible-to-corrode stone. Her debut single 'Rocking Chair' is a crescendo of subtlety, led by piano and whisked away on her layered vocals. It's impossible not to be moved by it. With a strong emphasis on aesthetics (and we're not talking about the orange suit but seriously, how good?), London-based Mysie makes raw and impacting videos to accompany her music that you won't regret looking for. Expect to be completely floored. LISTEN TO: Fall Away @mmmmysie
@mmmmysie London in Stereo: 13
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on MATT CORBY
Bushstock There’s really not enough love for West London out there in the music community but with a range of great venues, a rejuvenated theatre and some A+ pubs it’s high time you got over there for the wonders that Bushstock’s got to offer. Presented by our friends at Communion Music and hosted over six venues (including one outdoor stage which we promise will be basking in sunshine), with a line-up that ranges from delicate to celebratory. It’s a feast of the most moving and affecting new music. Headliners include Matt Corby, Gang of Youths and Novo Amor. Do not miss under any circumstances Ider, Laurel and Rosie Lowe, and keep an eye out for some tasty last minute surprises, they always deliver. JUNE 15TH. VARIOUS SHEPHERD’S BUSH VENUES bushstock.co.uk / @BushstockFest
Get Up Stand Up This summer season Somerset House bring you a true and expansive celebration of Black creativity in Britain and Beyond. Using art in all mediums to trace more than a century of collective history, over 100 artists will come together to illustrate the importance of Black experience and influence as related to wider cultural and political events. With a wealth of new pieces having been commissioned for the exhibit and many never-before-seen items from personal collections it’s going to a be a truly remarkable and inspiring walk through the decades. JUNE 12TH-SEPTEMBER 15TH. SOMERSET HOUSE somersethouse.org.uk // @SomersetHouse
Secret Samosa Club The brainchild of Joti Sohi, AKA London’s ‘Samosa Queen’, and Rick Matharu, Secret Samosa club is coming to the Tuk Tuk Bar in Shoreditch every Thursday to Saturday night for a three month residency. A snacky delight of a menu will feature such wild creations as a Tandoori BLT naanwich, dosa samosas and Punjabi cheeseburgers. After a completely sold out 2-week stint in February, we know this one will be popular. MAY 10TH FOR 3 MONTHS. THE TUK TUK BAR, E2 8DA / @secretsamosaclub
The Festival of Football Matches (obviously), exhibitions and cultural events will be at the heart of this celebration of women’s and non-binary football, coinciding with the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Held across east London venues, including The Book Club and Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, and presented with established wxman team, Goal Diggers, there’s even a chance to try out a training session and take up playing regularly. To top it all off? All proceeds will be heading to Football Beyond Borders and LGBTQ+ Youth Homeless Charity, AKT. JUNE 1ST-JULY 9TH. VARIOUS EAST LONDON VENUES thefestivaloffootball.com // Facebook @thefestivaloffootball
Frank Bowling Ah Susan Whoosh 1981 Private Collection © Frank Bowling
Frank Bowling Exhibition The first major retrospective of 85-year old contemporary artist, Frank Bowling, is a shining example of progress and experimentation. Never one to shy away from expressive colour, his work has maintained a hungry vividity throughout his 60 year career. From painting at the Royal College of Art with David Hockney, to experimenting with his famous drip effects, this still-active artist has an astonishing way of making his work both recognisable and constantly surprising. MAY 31ST-AUGUST 26TH TATE BRITAIN tate.org.uk // @Tate London in Stereo: 17
CLUBNIGHT SUN 2 JUNE
YOKE LORE TUE 18 JUNE
CUB SPORT THU 17 OCTOBER
WINNIE RAEDER MON 3 JUNE
TORA MON 24 JUNE
AMBER RUN SAT 19 OCTOBER
NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
BENE WED 5 JUNE
THE WAITING ROOM
LEIF VOLLEBEKK MON 10 JUNE SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
HEAVY HEART TUE 11 JUNE
SEBRIGHT ARMS
BALCONY THU 13 JUNE SEBRIGHT ARMS
BILLIE MARTEN THU 13 JUNE
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
SWITCH THU 13 JUNE OMEARA
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
THE LOCK TAVERN
IDA MAE THU 11 JULY THE KING’S HEAD
NICK MULVEY SUN 18 AUGUST REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE
SAN SCOUT THU 19 SEPTEMBER THE LEXINGTON
ANOTHER SKY TUE 24 SEPTEMBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
ELOISE WED 2 OCTOBER HOXTON HALL
SAINT SISTER WED 2 OCTOBER OMEARA
ZACH SAID THU 13 JUNE BASTILLE FRI 14 JUNE
TWIN PEAKS WED 16 OCTOBER
STUDIO 9294
ROUNDHOUSE
HEIN COOPER NICK MURPHY MON 24 JULY
CHRISTOF VAN DER VEN TUE 8 OCTOBER
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
SCALA
THE LEXINGTON
TUFNELL PARK DOME
FKA CHET FAKER TUE 22 OCTOBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
SYML TUE 29 OCTOBER SCALA
HONEYBLOOD THU 31 OCTOBER ELECTRIC BRIXTON
PICTURE THIS FRI 1 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE
FINK SAT 16 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE
LUNA BAY THU 21 NOVEMBER SCALA
NIKKI LANE SAT 23 NOVEMBER DINGWALLS
THE PAPER KITES SUN 15 DECEMBER
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
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This is the first year we’ve partnered with the trail-blazing, boundarypushing festival that is Sónar, and we really could not be happier to be on-board with such a great event. With over 140 shows across nine stages in the heart of Barcelona, its thrilling day and night programmes go hand-in-hand to make sure you get a taste of so many of the best electronic-influenced acts across a multitude of genres. Alongside the main festival get tickets for the conference Sónar+D, which this year concentrates on artificial intelligence and experimental design. Before all that, let us talk you through five acts we can’t wait to see, and tracks we hope to hear. LiS Sónar takes place in Barcelona, July 18th-20th. Sónar+D runs 17th-20th. tickets: sonarplusd.com
ARCA REVERIE Alejandro Ghersi is Arca, an amorphous and visionary musician whose work is at once ARCA deeply personal yet otherworldly. Hailing from Venezuela, nowhere does his childhood influence show more than in ‘Reverie’, a cut from his 2017 self-titled album which borrows lyrics from fellow Venezuelan Simón Díaz’s Caballo Viejo, his operatic vocal inspired by a soaring, aching style of singing known as tonadas. Expect one of the most poignant and challenging performances of the festival. JLIN
JLIN THE ABYSS OF DOUBT After releasing one of the most lauded records of 2017, Black Origami, via Planet Mu, last year saw Jlin achieve a lifelong dream – composing music for dance. The result was Autobiography, a collaboration, arranged by Unsound, with British choreographer Wayne McGregor. Having progressed from a footwork background, Autobiography cut ‘The Abyss of Doubt’ is Jlin at her fierce, precise and startling best, as heavy, industrial textures and harrowing shrieks sampled from horror films come crashing together.
700 BLISS
700 BLISS COSMIC SLOP DJ Haram and Moor Mother, two artists that have flourished as part of Philadelphia’s DIY scene, have been collaborating as 700 Bliss since 2014. ‘Cosmic Slop’ comes from their 2018 project Spa 100, a five-track effort combining Moor Mother’s powerful spoken word with DJ Haram’s distinctive flair for club rhythms.
SEVDALIZA DARKEST HOUR With spine-tingling piano melodies that showcase her vocal better than ever before, Sevdaliza’s ‘Darkest Hour’ sits somewhere between James Blake and ABRA. For Sónar 2019 the Dutch Iranian artist presents The Great Hope Design, a show curated and directed by herself that will showcase her own music alongside theatre and choreography.
SEVDALIZA LORENZO SENNI
LORENZO SENNI ELEGANT, AND NEVER TIRING Nouveau trance Warp-signee, Lorenzo Senni, presents Stargate at this year’s edition of Sónar. The project sees him working with a full band, with frequent collaborator Eddy Current on the guitar. ‘Elegant, And Never Tiring’ is taken from 2014 LP Superimpositions. With blissed-out trancey synths and no drop to be heard, Senni was a few years ahead of earning a place in Objekt’s “no-kick rollers” folder. London in Stereo: 21
“I ’ m sti l l tr yi ng to fi nd my way… I ’ m ver y muc h a student of the g a me...”
izzy is many things: a listener, a learner, a high-octane performer, a lover of grime, an incendiary MC and (as of now) a headliner. But when we speak over the phone; he at home and me cramped into the farthest corner of a coffee shop with next to no signal, he’s a determined young man from Lewisham, waiting patiently to tell his story. “I’m still trying to find my way…I’m very much a student of the game,” he tells me very frankly. There are so many small niches of music, subgenres and cultures dotted across London, each one more enticing and exciting than the next, but Yizzy was drawn to lyrical ability, high-tempo rapping and raw passion. “When you mix all of that together it’s like everything you could want from a genre.” The 20-year-old pulls from the speed of Griminal, the depth of Ghetts and the quick-wit of Dizzee, the soft revolution of reggae played at his mother’s house, the youthfulness of house and profundity of old school hip-hop to add something even fresher to a relatively new genre in UK music. Grime – or at least the re-imagining
of it in the last 5 or so years – is the Gen-Z of genres. It’s one that has grown up with Snapchat and Instagram and feels more at home talking to strangers on Twitch than calling their own grandmothers. And while I’m 90% sure Yizzy calls his grandmother at least once a week, his sound is the newest of the new. Bursting onto the scene during his final year of GCSEs, Yizzy’s sound was impossible to ignore. S.O.S was an EP with bars that burned like white hot coals on a barbeque, igniting a 20-year old genre with something a bit special. Within the same year, we heard the Lady Leshurr-esque ‘Hype Ting’ and ‘Keep Chasing’. Almost overnight, the name ‘Yizzy’ spun webs across London. “When I was at school it was the same, when I was working 9-5 it was the same…A lot of late nights between 3 and 5am.” This is what he eats, sleeps and breathes. Yizzy found his feet on pirate radio stations across London. “It gave me the chance to hear my voice on radio through actual speakers, when I didn’t have an opportunity to, when I didn’t have the funds or access to a microphone.” Meanwhile, his EP racked up over 1 million Spotify streams. A feat almost unheard of for a small, underground grime artist at only 19 years old. Like wildfire, the word spread quickly, gaining traction every metre it made.
Y I Z Z Y
words: Caitlin Clark photography: Eva Pentel
London in Stereo: 23
Now we’ve been served the icy offering ‘Freeze’ with Devilman – a first cut from a forthcoming EP Welcome to Grime Street and a signal of change for the young MC. While S.O.S may have appealed sonically to the grime community, 2019’s record delivers conceptually as well. “I want people to understand me a bit more as an artist, the songs are a lot more mature. The concepts on the EP are very deep and meaningful to me. One of my favourite ideas on there is one about how much we as people take life for granted – it’s the little things in life that make it worth living.” Yizzy certainly hasn’t taken his opportunities for granted, grappling with the edge of the mainstream ahead of his headline show at the O2 Academy Islington. This is a kid who went from sitting in his bedroom dreaming of being the next Wiley,
to cutting a track with the man himself. “There’s a version [of ‘Freeze’] floating around in the cloud with me and Wiley, yeah. It might see the light of day…” There are lots of little things that make up a great grime artist: dedication, drive, talent, a story to tell, and a sense of humility while still knowing full well you’re here to stay. As Yizzy closes out our chat, I’m pretty sure he has all of the above. “I sit in a place where I’m the new poster boy for grime. With the music I’ve got out, the live shows and the live energy…All of it screams a breath of fresh air for grime and for the UK music scene.” Welcome To Grime Street is released June 7th via DMY. LIVE: Field Day, Dr. Martens Stage, June 7th-8th. @OfficialYizzy
@Official_Yizzy
MAYRA ANDRADE
STARCRAWLER
HOLLY HERNDON
THURSTON MOORE’S GUITAR ENSEMBLE
XYLOURIS WHITE
MURKAGE DAVE
DAS BODY
THE DREAM SYNDICATE
GIRLPOOL
CHROMATICS
14 May Tamesis Dock
31 May EartH
ANEMONE / CORRIDOR 1 June The Lexington
WIRE
1 June EartH
MOBY: THEN IT FELL APART
3 June EartH
CASS MCCOMBS
6 June EartH
MATMOS
11 June Jazz Cafe
LUCY LU
11 June Camden Assembly
COMPOSHER 12 June EartH
26 June The Dome 2 July Moth Club
4 July Sebright Arms
CLOUD NOTHINGS
ORVILLE PECK
COSMO SHELDRAKE
PUMA BLUE
ADULT MOM
ERIN RAE
DAKHABRAKHA
ANNA OF THE NORTH
VISIONS FESTIVAL
CHARLY BLISS
WILLIAM TYLER
OSCAR JEROME
CRUMB
ELDER ISLAND
GIA MARGARET
THE YOUNG GODS
9 July Moth Club
10 July Oval Space
25 July The Lexington 26 July EartH
3 Aug London Fields
REGGIE WATTS
4 Sep The Dome
KEVIN MORBY
19 June O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
HILANG CHILD & PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS 20 June St Pancras Old Church
21 Oct Scala
27 Oct Roundhouse
25 Aug Cafe Oto
15 June EartH
18 Oct Studio 9294
8 July Moth Club
YEAR 0001 SHOWCASE 13 June Electrowerkz
16 Oct Barbican
5 Sep St Pancras Old Church
28 Oct Scala
30 Oct EartH
4 Nov The Lexington 6 Nov Heaven 6 Nov Scala
19 Nov Heaven
20 Nov Roundhouse 27 Nov The Garage
THE MYSTERY LIGHTS
12 Sep Dingwalls
MÚM
21 Sep Union Chapel
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Academy Events present
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photography: Mike Massaro
ery expensive, fine pastries. That’s what the best producers bring to the table, according to Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor. “It seemed to go down well with the rest of the band,� he admits. And with that admission, I start to understand why the band opted to work with outside producers for the first time in their long career, specifically on their seventh album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy. It boasts all the shimmering hallmarks of a Hot Chip record, nine tracks of sublime kaleidoscopic pop, but it’s arguably the most immediate and leanest body of work they’ve recorded in some time.
London in Stereo: 29
The outsiders in question are Rodaidh McDonald (David Byrne, Sampha) and Philippe Zdar (Cassius, Phoenix), who, of course, brought more than just tasty baked goods to the process. While the latter lent a “great enthusiasm and energy to proceedings”, the former would push the band to craft better hooks and choruses for their arsenal of pop hits, leaving Alexis to reflect: “I think it was quite good having both producers involved as it gave us a new lease of life and got us out of some old habits.”
seeking something fresh. One of very few bands in modern times to be embraced by indie discos, underground dance-floor dwellers and pop aficionados alike, A Bath Full Of Ecstasy is no radical departure. It simply refines in meticulous detail what the band have been doing so well for so long, and sends it stratospheric.
Few artists craft singles as consistently bombastic as Hot Chip and the propulsive ‘Hungry Child’ continues that trend, but more understated tracks such as ‘Positive’ and the glitchy ‘Clear Blue Skies’ “We know how to make a feel like the work of a band savouring a Hot Chip record, we’ve done new beginning. It only clicks, Alexis it many, many times before feels, because of the band’s natural but we don’t know how not rapport.
“We know how to make a Hot Chip record, we’ve done it many, many times before but we don’t know how not to make a Hot Chip record, if you know what I mean,” Al Doyle tells me. “So that was the to make a Hot idea with this: to recognise that, if we genuinely want to do something that’s a bit different, that requires a sense of letting go on our part, and it was quite freeing to do that. It’s a weird thing for a band that’s so deep into album seven to have never worked with a producer before. It’s quite nice to be able to do that at this stage of your career and to experience what that feels like.” “Every time we felt like we were recoiling from what Rodaidh and Philippe were doing, we had to remember that was actually a positive. Feeling a little bit freaked out by that process is probably a good thing, so there was an element of trust. But it felt really good to come back to the room and hear something quite wild and be really excited by it ourselves because it made everything feel quite new and risky and dangerous. Letting go was very worthwhile in retrospect.” Fifteen years since debut album Coming On Strong, it feels natural for Hot Chip to be
Chip record...”
“I think there’s always been a very intuitive approach to music-making, particularly between me and Joe [Goddard], but actually all of us. It’s not a discursive process, taking apart the meanings and the ideas behind songs. It’s all understood. We all get where each other’s coming from and don’t have to ask too many questions. And also maybe some of the things one of us is singing about are not always the easiest subjects to talk openly about, that’s why they appear in song, I think. There’s a bit of respect and breathing space for people to say what they want to say, lyrically and musically.” Al Doyle
That sense of freedom amongst the band encouraged lengthy improvisation but also pushed the band to be “vicious with how many songs went on the record”. Al reveals: “We were doing huge, long jam sessions with a bunch of really interesting keyboards that Philippe had set up and generated a lot of material that way that then has to be sifted through and analysed, basically a grading of what was interesting
or what can be discarded. That’s something we’ve got better at over the years, trying to figure out what is useful and what is a bit indulgent when it comes to that process. It can end up being completely endless and all of us can happily do that for days on end, so it’s good to try and get something that is useful and bring something different to the music. Luckily, there’s never been a shortage of that. We’re endlessly prolific people, it’s actually the ending process that’s a bit more difficult for us rather than the generation of ideas.”
“Maybe we were quite excited to be making music together again because we’d had a bit of a longer break,” Alexis ponders. “Not everybody in the band does so much extra curricular activity so maybe there’s a desire to make the most of those times in the studio for some.” “I’m a bit of a sucker for making albums and touring them, even if it’s not always the most fruitful thing to do in terms of being successful. I just enjoy it as a process and enjoy making those records and being creative and doing something different London in Stereo: 31
“...there’s a real sense of coming together and enjoying making something really special, and capturing that enthusiasm in the studio.” Alexis Taylor from one record to the next and playing with different people on stage. I can’t really get enough of doing that and I feel like that’s what I’m meant to be doing with my time,” he admits, having released several solo records since 2014. “But that’s not what everyone does, so there’s a real sense of coming together and enjoying making something really special and capturing that enthusiasm in the studio.” “That freedom to go and do things outside the band, and also not just being allowed to do that but wanting to do that, I think is quite healthy. Operating in different circumstances
results in much more interesting music rather than just being rigid in your work. It allows Hot Chip to change.” While a continued urge to connect with each other and explore new musical territory feels significant and welcome, one constant remains: nobody writes a killer hook quite like Hot Chip. A Bath Full Of Ecstasy proves that. A Bath Full Of Ecstasy is released June 21st via Domino Records. LIVE: O2 Academy, Bristol, October 21st FESTIVALS: NOS Alive, Lisbon. Bluedot, Jodrell Bank. @Hot_Chip
@hotchip
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“I want it to be loud. I want to dance around, I want it to be more towards being empowering and exciting...�
Lava La Rue words: Charlotte Krol photography: Betsy Johnson & Luke Nugget
ne of the most striking things about Lava La Rue’s video for her recent single, ‘Burn’, is the polarity between its playful energy and lyrics of political oppression. The west London rapper/singer details a revolution that’s "unelectable" with “demoralisation, predictable” but she’s going to learn how to fight the system anyway. “No human born a conservative / Just a greedy method of conserving quid”, she raps elsewhere in breathy spoken-word as the camera cuts between her performing in inner city estates, dancing at flat parties, and rapping outside a Costcutter. “I'm so sick of songs that are politically-fuelled and have this darkness to them,” the 21-year-old says over the phone. “I had written the lyrics – and they're really heavy, really political – and when I was showing them to other people they were like, 'Ah, you need like a really heavy beat and an abstract, Bjork-esque video or something.’ I thought, ‘No. I want it to be loud. I want to dance around, I want it to be more towards being empowering and exciting.’” Empowerment is at the centre of everything Lava La Rue does. The artist, whose stage persona is an anagram of her real name, Ava Laurel, addresses injustices in songs that are invariably warm in tone. Her creations are ‘90s-inspired R&B and rap ditties – flecked with jazz, dancehall and dub – that embolden listeners through love and comfort. On ‘Widdit’, an old school hip-hop jam lifted from her excellent 2018 EP Letra,
Laurel raps: “Let’s unify, terminate the haters like we pesticide / So we can keep the vibe / No negativity.” ‘Touch My Mind’, meanwhile, hears Laurel ponder the proliferation of Black Mirror-style surveillance. If ‘Burn’ is about “uniting through love – platonic love”, Laurel explains, then she’s certainly practising what she preaches. The soloist is a member of NiNE8, a 15-strong underground collective of musicians, artists, London in Stereo: 37
producers and designers in west London with a DIY ethos (Biig Piig is among its members). The creative group showcased their work at 2018 Men’s Fashion Week and hosted a Tate Late. Laurel also runs Hydration Studio, an independent label based within her local queer community. “It’s like a safe space in a studio where female MCs or queer or nonbinary can just come and make shit,” she says. “Because, honestly, when you get a studio in London and you're trying to make stuff that's within the hip-hop umbrella, you're surrounded by a lot of toxic masculinity in guys. Hydration is where people can talk about their narratives. It's really fun and just wholesome.” Much of Laurel’s shrewd character can be attributed to growing up on a council estate sandwiched between rich and poor in Ladbroke Grove. “The contrast when you walk down the street is literally insane – to the point where sometimes I'm walking down Ladbroke Grove and I'm like, 'I don't know if you're genuinely like a crackhead or if you're like just a really extravagant, super rich person that dresses absolutely crazy,’” she says. Working class communities in Greater London are “more segregated” than where she’s from. “With the inner city ones it's all kind of mixed up; it's almost impossible not to mix [with other classes].” Indeed, growing up, Laurel was friends with children of wealthy people – often being invited on fancy holidays – but she was also pals with kids of her background. “I think having that dual perspective gives you a really well-rounded view of society and how it runs. That's really affected what I preach about in my music,” she says. Moving ahead, what can listeners expect when her new mixtape, Stitches drops this month? “It’s showing more sides of me: more of my capabilities. I've been a lot more hands-on with the production, playing guitar and bass,” she says. “I'm super vulnerable in some songs and in some I'm super defiant.” West London dub has been “part of the sound that has inspired me” but she adds that the sonic palette is broader this time round. “It’s sounds and samples from the city I'm living in every day. It's like getting audio extracts from diary entries.” Reader, we can’t wait.
Lava La Rue releases her Stitches mixtape this June LIVE: Cross The Tracks Festival, June 9th. @lavalarue
@lavalarue
Will Young words: Emma Madden photography: Steve Schofield
t’s barely been two years since Will Young renounced music altogether; choosing to sell his two Brit Awards and threatening to never record again. But with the surprise announcement of another album, Young finds himself in the third act of his story and his latest offering, Lexicon, marks its resolutionary arc. “I was just so fed up,” he says, “but then I suddenly realised, ‘hang on, you can choose to do it in a far more joyful, less stressful, more fun way. You don’t have to suffer to do a record.’” As a result, Young’s beginning to view the recording process as a curational exercise, like building a house — “I’ll decorate a few of the rooms, but then I’ll get some other people in to do the garden” — and he enlisted “a top-draw crack team of people to make the record from mixing it, to writing songs, to the people I wrote my songs with, producing it, the artwork, the photographer, the video, everything.”
The 12 songs that make up Lexicon find themselves at the crossroads between joy and melancholy, as part of a genre that Young terms “heartbreak luxe,” with the likes of Bronski Beat serving as inspiration. “I feel like it’s the most open I’ve ever been as a singer, songwriter, and performer,” he says, although not all of the songs come from his own pen — “a deliberate choice,” he affirms. “I also feel like being a performer is about taking yourself out of the equation and just presenting something. It’s like you are a bit of a servant as a performer, and now I’m in that place, it’s really fun. I feel a bit like Mr Cellophane. Treat me like a negative. Just print something on me.” It’s a power bottom stance comparative to Young’s previous kind of sublimation. When Pop Idol forced him under the media’s scrutiny — something that “none of us were prepared for” — Young’s perception of himself became muddied with the media’s. “I lost a sense of myself. I had a thousand interviews in my first year, and each one would be saying something about me to me, and I would never take them on as positives. It took me a long time to stabilise and learn who I was. I knew who I was in many ways — a gay man; I wouldn’t take this or that — but if you don’t know yourself in pop, it’s game over.”
“You don’t have to suffer to do a record” London in Stereo: 41
Fortunately, Young’s remained self-assertive enough to make a game of pop. Forever the rebel in head boy’s clothing, he’s challenged the likes of Simon Cowell (who he calls “a bully,” while making a face as though he’s taken a taste of a bad cup of tea), and an entire industry who believed Young’s sexuality would be a deterrent. They were wrong, of course: “in fact, my record sales doubled after I came out,” he says, but seeing his antagonists squirm was also part of the fun. “Yes, the record industry was homophobic, the media was homophobic — I had it from all angles — but I could still get with brilliant video directors, and shoot a swimming video [‘Friday’s Child’] where I was in my speedos, learning to swim. It’s the most homoerotic video ever, and it’s in the mainstream! I felt like, ‘fuck you all!’”
But “it wasn’t me who was the Trojan horse,” he says, “it was going on a talent show that was bigger than any bigotry, because it made everyone look at themselves and go, ‘look, you’ve voted for this person for ten weeks, and you can’t just not vote for him because he’s gay.’ Everyone really had to stare their bigotry in the face. It was the power of the show that gave me that safe space within the mainframe.” In two years time, it’ll be 20 years since Will Young’s Pop Idol win. “I was thinking about doing a documentary for it. Everyone will have a story to tell, and my story will not always be happy, but some of it will be, some of it will be wonderful.” Lexicon is released June 14th, via Cooking Vinyl. LIVE: Hammersmith Eventim Apollo, October 11th @willyoung
@willyoung
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CARLY RAE JEPSEN DEDICATED out now School Boy/Interscope Record
Not many artists have achieved what Carly Rae Jepsen has; bridging the gap between bona fide pop star while remaining a firm fave of those who maybe spend less time checking the charts. In short, everyone loves Jeppo. Can Dedicated maintain that status? Gemma Samways got Emma Madden and Harriet Taylor together to find out... First off, what are your feelings towards Carly Rae Jepsen? Harriet: I respect her place in the modern pop canon. Emma: I like everything that she stands for: femininity, feelings before thoughts, making joy aspirational. My one concern - which is probably even too strong a word - is why she lingers on the tropes of teenage romance even into her thirties. Harriet: Someone once sent me a playlist with ‘Boy Problems’ on it, so I'm not sure what they were getting at with that. So what did you make of the lead singles from Dedicated? Harriet: I loved the self-love and positivity in ‘Party For One’. I think the singles promised more than the album lives up to, though. Emma: I didn't love them, but I'm a little wary
saying that, especially when the odds are so stacked against her. Her last album was a masterpiece, and its greatness was exacerbated by the fact that no one was really having a serious conversation about her previous stuff, like 'Call Me Maybe’. E•MO•TION demanded serious conversations and I'm always going to hold her up to that almost impossibly high standard. In other words, if Louisa Johnson made this album, I'd like it a lot more. In the period post-E•MO•TION, Jeppo collaborated with Danny Harle and Charli XCX on some less retro-leaning songs. Do you think she’s taken anything on board from those projects for this collection? Harriet: 100%. I'm seeing a whole lot of those
kinds of influences on the record. Emma: I hear more of Owl City on Dedicated, I think, but overall, this sounds like quite a detached Carly record compared to E•MO•TION, where I could hear the influences prominently. Harriet: I got a bit of a Tegan and Sara 'Love You To Death’ vibe from it, but I think that’s partly due to the subject matter in the lyrics. Emma: Oooh yeah that's a really good shout. What are the standout tracks for you? Emma: 'I'll Be Your Girl' because I'm so confused by it. It's dangerously close to reggae Carly Rae Jepsen. Harriet: Carly "Reggae" Jepsen. ‘Everything He Needs’ is probably one. It's very creepy, mind. There were reportedly over 200 songs written for Dedicated. Do you have faith she’s picked the best ones, bearing in mind she left ‘Cut To The Feeling’, ‘Cry’ and ‘Higher’ off E•MO•TION? Harriet: It's hard to tell without knowing what the other 190-odd songs were or how much development had gone into it. But maybe we'll get a Dedicated Side B package in the near future. Emma: This album has sort of had me questioning her taste level a bit, so I trust her less with how she chose to whittle down the 200 songs. I don't believe there's another ‘Run Away With Me’ among them though. I think that was my problem with this album: nothing here has the magic of ‘Run Away With Me’. Emma: I don't think the songs are necessarily catchy, which is its biggest problem. Harriet: I agree, Emma: a lot of them I found quite forgettable on the first listen. Even the second, if I’m honest. Emma: Reading around the album, it seems like she didn't intend to pack a punch. I read that she wanted this to be an album you clean your house to. So, mission accomplished.
The main criticism levelled at E•MO•TION was that you didn’t get a sense of Jeppo’s identity. Do you feel that you get a deeper insight on Dedicated? Harriet: I feel like the themes explored of love and self-love are pretty universal, so not really. The most candid part is her readiness to deal with the somewhat obsessive feelings that crushing provokes. Emma: There's definitely more colour in her depiction of herself, especially in 'Everything He Needs’. It's tender and creepy at the same time. It makes you understand how Carly loves. E•MO•TION seemed to be capturing a single feeling, whereas this one seems to be drawing from a whole range and trajectory of feelings. I can't help but be sucked into Carly's point of view. Harriet: Yeah, she's really likeable in that sense. You find yourself on Team Jepsen. Any final comments? Harriet: People are going to be using these songs for their Tinder anthems. Emma: I hate that I don't love this album but I'm just going to have to stand by my boring opinion that this album didn't astound me. Carly Rae Jepsen is not someone I want to feel lukewarm feelings towards, especially when she's all about the most joyous, ecstatic feelings possible. Harriet: I don't think this album is likely to fall into the territory of being underrated, at least. LIVE: Primavera Sound Festival 2019 @Carlyraejepsen
@Carlyraejepsen London in Stereo: 47
FLYING LOTUS FLAMAGRA Warp Records May 24th
HAYDEN THORPE DIVINER Domino May 24th It feels difficult to discuss a Hayden Thorpe solo album and not mention what came before. The two entwining voices that became such a vital component of Wild Beasts’ signature sound has potential to be sorely missed on Diviner, but Thorpe handles duties admirably; his soaring falsetto both intimate and quietly devastating across its slight thirty-five minute running time. Most notably, it finds Thorpe undoubtedly at peace with the breakup of his band. With most tracks piano-led, arranged around subtle electronic touches, the approach is simplistic and uncluttered, best demonstrated on brooding standout ‘Human Knot’. There’s still room for sumptuous closer ‘Impossible Object’, leaving the hairs on the back of the neck standing and the mind cleansed. Hayden, we’ve missed you. Lee Wakefield
It's been an eon since Flying Lotus's last album; the dark, DMT-splashed You're Dead!. Flamagra, pieced together in the five-year interval between records, is a lighter work but no less devious, bringing the dancefloor onto the astral plane. This is a constructed Odyssey, more firmly grounded in hip-hop and jazz than the previous psychedelia. FlyLo sounds content to let his identity wash in the bright lights of his star guests this time around, with his distinctive bass runs and texture running through Flamagra like a pillar. The weird and winding Tierra Whack and Denzel Curry – who pens part two of his own hit, 'Black Balloons' here – burn brightest, while David Lynch is aural set dressing, an indulgence of FlyLo's avant garde filmmaker appetites. Grant Bailey
PIP BLOM BOAT
Heavenly Recordings May 31st Given the consistent string of slacker-pop earworms Dutch guitar outfit Pip Blom have churned out since 2016, you’d expect their debut full-length to deliver much of the same and then some. And it does just that. Boat bursts open with sharp single, ‘Daddy Issues’, and like a reliable employee delivers big chorus after big chorus. Even on tracks like ‘Say It’, whose opening verse has a restrained Whitest Boy Alive feel, a catchy chorus is not far behind the sedate opening guitars. It’s a standard that never lets up. From ‘Tired’ to ‘Bedhead’ to ‘Tinfoil’, Pip Blom takes nice verses and morphs them into mean choruses, as playfully as blowing bubbles in milkshake. “I think I’m hard to please,” Blom repeats on jerky banger ‘Don’t Make It Difficult’. With tracks as consistently strong as they are on Boat, this perfectionism can only be a good thing. Hassan Anderson
FREDDIE GIBBS AND MADLIB BANDANA Keep Cool/Columbia June 21st Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs and California producer Madlib can still bring out the best in each other. These 16 tracks arrive five years after their prized debut album, Piñata, and feature cameos from Pusha T, Killer Mike, Anderson .Paak, Yasiin Bey, Black Thought and Assassin. But it’s the interplay between Freddie’s versatile rapping style and Madlib’s mind-boggling array of lush beats that wins the day. Steel meets sugar. With Freddie carrying the weight, he kicks off the album with a freestyle – and one track later he’s celebrating with his lines in the microwave. It’s powerful stuff. The unlikely combo of Killer Mike and Pusha T show up on the cash-loving ‘Palmolive’. Mike opts for a few trippy sing-song verses, while Push gobbles up all 16 bars with his gonzo Motel 6 tales. The mood turns more cerebral on ‘Education’ when Bey and Black Thought rap about empty schools and bulging prisons: “The puppeteer is playing you for spite/ And worldwide what we’re paying is the price”. Central themes of wealth and social mobility prevail. Yet this is largely an album about the visceral joys of hip hop, with Freddie’s potent shimmying a joy to behold. Geoff Cowart
FREDDIE GIBBS AND MADLIB
PLAID
POLYMER Warp Records June 7th Polymer is Plaid’s tenth album, and their IDM blueprint remains as crisp and as contemporary as ever. Inspired by modern human disconnect and the relationship between the natural and synthetic, Polymer is a bright and textured project that spans the cinematic atmosphere of ‘Drowned Sea’, the hazy broken beat of ‘Nurula’, and the shimmer of closing cut ‘Crown Shy’. The abrasive and frantic discord of modern living is highlighted in the crashing of ‘Recall’ and the haunting, circus-like progressions of ‘The Pale Moth’. Andy Turner and Ed Handley have been putting out material as Plaid since 1991. That’s almost three decades of pushing the boundaries of experimental electronic music, all the while sticking to a distinctive, reliable and successful formula. Katie Thomas London in Stereo: 49
KEEL HER
WITH KINDNESS O Genesis June 7th For musicians like Rose Keeler-Schäffeler (aka Keel Her) the freedom of uploading demos to the internet has always been her focus. She only released 2014’s Keel Her when a label came to her. Keeler-Schäffeler was in no rush to release again, which makes the quiet confidence of With Kindness so worth the wait. The album is a meditation on mental health, bad relationships and routine fatigue. ‘Self-Sabotage’ has the melancholic tone of a 60s chanteuse lamenting on her biggest regrets. The kitschy indie-pop sensibilities of ‘Aloof’ shine through, while ‘No Control’ has the understated brilliance of a Courtney Barnett number. With Kindness picks up where Keel Her left but shows a more focused Keeler-Schäffeler, who can show vulnerability but still keep it weird. Stephanie Phillips
RICHARD HAWLEY FURTHER BMG June 7th On eighth album Further, Richard Hawley continues to hone his craft, compressing his mix of jukebox-joint rock and poetic balladry into three and a half minutes or less. His unpretentious sentimentality is as strong as ever, despite tackling the weighty topics of ageing, loneliness, solitude (which he points out is not the same thing on ‘Not Lonely’), and time. At the album’s midpoint he yearns “Is there a pill I can take/So that I won’t ever feel this strange again?” in a nostalgic and emotive climax, but the album remains grounded throughout. Rather than tell a story, Further taps into moments of universal tenderness: a vortex of calm in which the listener is invited to share their own. Henry Wilkinson
WASUREMONO ARE YOU OK? The Wilderness Records June 14th Wasuremono made Are You OK? in a shed. Sheds are often receptacles for cobwebbed crap. Mine has an underused Flymo, a dead bicycle and half a bag of compost in it. Sheds often house incurable tinkerers, as you could describe Will Southward, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter/producer/mixer of Wasuremono. The technical capacity of the average shed extends to a plug socket, a light switch and, just maybe, a digital radio. Wasuremono’s shed is brim-full of eclectic instruments and classic analogue technology. Their shed has spawned a masterwork that sounds like the liveliest mix of Vampire Weekend, Belle and Sebastian and Groove Armada. The only significant thing to come out of my shed in recent memory had eight legs and scared the shit out of my wife. Jon Kean
TUSKS
AVALANCHE One Little Indian Records June 14th Following the long recovery from a broken e l b ow – a n d t h e paralysing fear that she may never play piano or guitar properly again – producer and songwriter Emily Underhill (known musically as Tusks) makes a triumphant return with the release of her second studio album, Avalanche. Finding the perfect middle ground between self-empowerment, owning our struggles and fighting back against sexism and negativity, the record sees Underhill at her most vulnerable. Opening track 'Demon' is a romantic and cinematic love song comprised of atmospheric synths and bursts of emotional intensity. 'Peachy Keen' blurs the lines between alt-rock and electronica as Underhill addresses gender expectations, while 'Foreign' marks an album highlight, searching for an understanding of both herself and the world around her. Kelly Ronaldson
CRUMB JINX
Crumb Records June 14th Over the course of their previous two EPs, Crumb has carved out a particularly special space of solace with their gloriously dreamy sound. On Jinx, their debut full-length release, the Brooklyn-based four-piece expands this into even more hypnotic, enchanting realms as they saunter through a harmoniously hazy array of glistening guitar melodies, fuzzy drum beats and ethereal, tender vocals courtesy of singer Lila Ramani. There’s a distinct feeling of nostalgia that permeates the record, as if transporting you away to a distant, sun-drenched memory or a slightly surreal, kaleidoscopic daydream. Floating between swelling psych-rock and sprawling jazz, Crumb’s soundscapes across these tracks offer a perfect, transcendental escapism from the outside world that you won’t want to leave. Kezia Cochrane
HATCHIE
KEEPSAKE Heavenly Recordings June 21st Cocteau Twins disciples’ ears pricked up when Hatchie appeared two years ago equipped with A+ dream pop songs. Singer/bassist Harriette Pilbeam may well echo the cult band’s ticks (Twins’ guitarist Robin Guthrie even remixed one of her songs, ‘Sure’) but Hatchie’s creations are sweeter overall. On Keepsake, the Brisbane artist retains the twinkling tones of her nearfaultless Sugar & Spice EP but at points quarries deeper for trudging beats and lurching guitars. Album highlight ‘Unwanted Guest’, a track that recalls the snarl of David Bowie’s ‘Fame’, somehow unites funk-rock, industrial and shoegaze elements without sounding terrible.While Pilbeam can sometimes become too reliant on rehashing similar, gauzy three-chord progressions (‘Not That Kind’, ‘Keep’) songs such as lovelorn, washed-out dance track ‘Stay With Me’ renew the faith. Charlotte Krol London in Stereo: 51
KATE TEMPEST THE BOOK OF TRAPS AND LESSONS American Recordings June 14th “Your body is home to rare gods; I kneel at their temple, I'm blown to bits.” Tempest brims with sincerity as the accompanying music starkly builds on her more cryptic musings. In her soft, steady intonations she speaks of love and this time it’s her own. Both warm and melancholic, if you're looking for a sequel to Let Them Eat Chaos, you won't find it here. Whether instinctual or calculated, the music Tempest used in her first two records eased her spoken-word into popular culture and gave the overlords and purists of poetry a fine kick up the arse. Having succeeded in this endeavour, The Book of Traps and Lessons feels like Tempest at her most vulnerable; just her thoughts, no distractions. Sombre and engaging. Madeleine Wrench
BEDOUINE BIRD SONGS OF A KILLJOY Spacebomb 21st June
BILL CALLAHAN SHEPHERD IN A SHEEPSKIN VEST Drag City June 14th “You know I used to share a tailor with David Bruce Banner – that’s The Hulk”, sings Bill Callahan on ‘The Ballad of the Hulk’. His new album is full of lines like that; ones that wouldn’t have occurred to any other lyricist, bizarre non-sequiturs imbued with enough gravitas to make you reconsider your whole life. Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is a 20 song indie-folk epic that finds Callahan not expanding his sound but significantly reigning it in. A record that sounds like it’s being whispered to you on a long walk, it’s both a lot to take in, and roughly two hours too short. In all honesty, I don’t really know what to make of it, but I’m relishing the years it’ll take to decipher. Thomas Hannan
Bedouine’s second album is a stunning work of floral folk-pop which builds on the promise of its predecessor. A self-professed killjoy, Azniv Korkejian nonetheless has an uncanny knack for charming springtime melody which blossoms above intricate instrumentation throughout. ‘One More Time’ is classic, romantic songwriting, while ‘Dizzy’ - complete with strings, funk-tinged rhythm and gently crunching guitar solo shows-off an atmospheric, filmic quality to Korkejian’s work. By combining this simplicity of acoustic artistry with Spacebomb orchestration - see Natalie Prass’ debut cut from the same label - Bedouine is able to create the beautiful world of Bird Songs of a Killjoy. Far more bird song than killjoy, this record is an elegant, eloquent and blissful achievement from an artist of the highest quality. George O’Brien
our selection of the best shows coming up this month
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL
ARLO
June 27th £24 adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
June 5th £10.15adv // @O2Islington
Angel
SIDNEY GISH
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS FAYE HOUSTON June 8th £6adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY LAFONTAINES June 19th £12adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
THE LEXINGTON
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
SIDNEY GISH
POLARIS June 30th £11adv // @BostonMusicRoom
Tuffnell Park
June 17th £9adv // @thelexington
THE DOME
THE WAITING ROOM
STARCRAWLER + PLAGUE VENDOR
GEOWULF
June 26th £13adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Tuffnell Park FIGHTMILK
June 11th £10adv // @WaitingRoomN16
Angel
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS PINKSHINYULTRABLAST June 27th £11adv // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
BRIXTON WINDMILL
THE OLD BLUE LAST FIGHTMILK + BRUTALLIGATORS
NOISE LOCK + WORSTWORLDPROBLEMS + FATHERLAND
June 20th FREE // @theoldbluelast
June 5th £5adv // @WindmillBrixton
Old Street / Liverpool Street
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL + other Shepherd’s Bush Venues
FUJIYA & MIYAGI + INSIDES
BUSHSTOCK FESTIVAL: VARIOUS
June 1st £13.20adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
June 15th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £35adv // @Bushhallmusic
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
SALT ASHES
KING PRINCESS
June 14th £8adv // @HoxtonSquareBar
Old Street
June 26th £18adv // @O2ForumKTown
Kentish Town
KING PRINCESS
THE SEBRIGHT ARMS GRIMM GRIMM + BROTHER JUNE June 26th £7adv // @SebrightArms
Bethnal Green/ Cambridge Heath
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE CHERRY B! UNEXPECTED GAINS + SAMUEL TOMS + NOISE NOIR June 22nd £5adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
JAZZ CAFE JAYDA G (photo: Jakub Koziel)
XOYO JAYDA G + RUBY SAVAGE + BRADLEY ZERO + MORE June 14th £8adv // @XOYO_London
Camden Town
OSLO YOSI HORIKAWA
Old Street / Liverpool Street
NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
June 13th £10adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
DIZZY + BENE + ON VIDEO + HONEY MOONCIE + MORE June 2nd £8adv // @NHAClub
SOWETO KINCH TRIO June 18th £12.50adv // @TheJazzCafe
MARK EITZEL Notting Hill Gate
June 22nd £17adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street London in Stereo: 57
FULL JUNE 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 June 1st
Sunday June 2nd
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Tuesday June 4th
Monday June 3rd
Wednesday June 5th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Thursday June 6th Friday June 7th
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday June 8th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Sunday June 9th
Tuesday June 11th
Monday June 10th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Wednesday June 12th
Thursday June 13th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Saturday June 15th Friday June 14th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday June 18th Sunday June 16th
Monday June 17th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JUNE LISTINGS Wednesday June 19th
Thursday June 20th
Friday June 21st
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday June 23rd
Saturday June 22nd Monday June 24th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JUNE LISTINGS Tuesday June 25th
Thursday June 27th
Wednesday June 26th Friday June 28th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Sunday June 30th
Satuday June 29th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
JULY LISTINGS Monday July 1st
Thursday July 4th
Tuesday July 2nd
Wednesday July 3rd
Friday July 5th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday July 7th
Saturday July 6th
Monday July 8th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
JULY LISTINGS
Thursday July 11th
Tuesday July 9th
Friday July 12th
Wednesday July 10th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Sunday July 14th
Saturday July 13th
Monday July 15th
Tuesday July 16th
Wednesday July 17th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
JULY LISTINGS
Thursday July 18th Sunday July 21st
Friday July 19th
Monday July 22nd
Tuesday July 23rd
Saturday July 20th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
TITUS ANDRONICUS’ PATRICK STICKLES (photo: Ray Concepcion)
a thing that really ha in 2009 photo: Pete
by
ppened
Feigenbaum
Titus Andronicus’ Patrick Stickles
When Titus Andronicus first began visiting swinging London (and oh, how it could swing, then), our records came out on a label called Merok. Merok was founded by a fellow named Milo, who at that time was a member of The Big Pink, a band which was pretty much the toast of the town in those days. He being a very generous man (perhaps to a fault – none of those Titus Andronicus records made him very much money), Milo was quite eager to share his good fortune -- thusly, whenever Titus Andronicus would come to town, he'd swing the doors open wide to Merok Towers, a sprawling compound in Dalston where he lived along with comparably cutting-edge singersongwriter Jack Penate. As one might guess, these Towers were inundated with a constant stream of glamorous scenester types. So great were their numbers that trying to keep track of them all would have been a fool's errand. There was little for a green, wide-eyed American such as myself to do but regard them as so much beautiful furniture. So it was one typical night in the late summer of 2009, when Titus Andronicus was in town preparing for our imminent appearance at the Reading Festival (Titus Andronicus was quite the promising buzz band in those days, believe it or not), and by “preparing,” I mean getting drunk / high and passing the acoustic guitar around with the assembled glitterati. A woman who hadn't said much up to that point, very unassuming beyond her flowing locks of brilliant red hair, announced that she had always wanted to play the guitar. Our second guitarist at that time, a guy named Pete, showed her how to place her fingers to form the common ‘G’ chord, a campfire staple from time immemorial.
“There was little for a green, wide-eyed American such as myself to do but regard them as so much beautiful furniture...” She strummed it once and must have liked what she heard because, the next thing we knew, she launched into an extemporaneous but otherwise quite coherent song, her voice resounding with a power that seemed superhuman. As she strummed that one chord over and over, the words that poured from her mouth seemed to have been sourced from some deep, ancient, mystical well, such as Nina Simone or Billie Holiday might have visited. After a couple minutes of this, she stopped and chuckled to herself, apparently satisfied with her new hobby, as the various witnesses tried to lift their jaws off the floor. I can remember thinking to myself, “wow, if she could learn another two chords, she could really do something.” On this night, all I knew about this woman was that her name was Florence – it would not be until several years later that I would learn about The Machine. Titus Andronicus release their new album, An Obelisk, June 21st via Merge Records. @TitusAndronicus
@TitusAndronicusOfficial London in Stereo: 77
PIXX (photo: Steve Gullick)
with
Pixx “Go out on your own and meet people! Use the free classes, there's loads! (I need to take my own advice)...”
Why do you live in London? It's mostly out of convenience for me. I grew up slightly south of Croydon and then moved in with my best mate to a place in Streatham which supposedly has the longest high street in England. I'm a fan of the outdoors so living anywhere too central in London would be suffocating for me.
3 Steps to a Pixx LDN
What are your go-to places to eat and drink? My favourite meal is pho so I often go to Tam in Streatham even though it used to be called Tiger and was better because of the BYOB rule. Sometimes we go to the Montpelier for a beer postpractice. Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces? Yeah I guess my recurring visit to an outdoor space is still the woods next to the house I grew up in just outside of Croydon. But Brockwell Park is beautiful and there's a lido there. Summer keeps threatening to almost happen, do you like London when the sun’s shining?
Tâm's Kitchen. WHERE? 133 Streatham High Road, SW16 1HJ
Yeah, the sun makes a big difference to people's moods too so it makes for a friendlier place to be. What’s the bit of London you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t? Um, maybe the beautiful old theatre that's now a bingo hall. What’s the best way to spend one great day here? If I only had one day in London I'd probably go to as many old pubs as possible. There's a great one called The Mug House near London Bridge I used to drink in after I finished work. Do you have any favourite venues? I once saw The Rhythm Method at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. The added bonus was a Warhammer convention taking place at the same time.
The Mug House WHERE? 1-3 Tooley Street, SE1 2PF
Does living here influence your music? Yeah it must do. A lot of initial ideas for my songs are written on the train/tube/bus. What’s the worst thing about London? Places shut too early. How would you advise someone to get the most out of living here? Go out on your own and meet people! Use the free classes, there's loads! (I need to take my own advice)... Pixx releases her new album, Small Mercies, June 7th via 4AD. LIVE: Electrowerkz, June 12th. @PixxMusic
@PixxMusic
Brockwell Lido WHERE? Dulwich Road, SE24 0PA London in Stereo: 79
The Great Escape Brighton, Various Venues May 9th-11th words: Dave Rowlinson photo: Mike Massaro
In 2014 Banoffee sang ‘Let’s Go To The Beach’ and you could say that maybe not a lot of people were listening and you could maybe say “who on earth is Banoffee?” but we wouldn’t spend any time answering because we were listening and, good grief, it’s somehow Great Escape time, so let’s go to the beach. We wouldn’t tell Banoffee this, because there’s not need to be smug, but actually we’ve been coming to the beach – and more specifically The Great Escape Festival – for more years now than we’d like to spend a minute thinking about. The reason? The reason is simple: it’s always pretty much our favourite weekend of the year. Far enough from London to feel like a holiday. Close enough to London to not feel like agg’. The embrace of years-old traditions (gasping at the absolutely giant cat that acts as a bouncer in The Heart & Hand pub. Swearing at the hill up to Green Door Store. Getting cash out and ordering katsu at BYOB institution Pom Poko and starting each and every morning with a Bloody Mary and a concerned look in your eye as your friends struggle through breakfast at Lucky Beach. You should always do all your tradition things otherwise they’ll stop being tradition
and where’s the fun in that? But each new Great Escape should provide new thrills and new things you’ll do every year until the sea either dries up or spills over. Our first new thing for this year? Not gonna lie to you, we came down on the Wednesday. On the Wednesday! Here’s why: 1) You get to avoid all your friends on the Thursday train. You’re going to see a lot of these people. It’s fine. 2) You wake up fresh, and you’ve got exactly zero to do other then Lucky Beach breakfast number one, get your pass and, y’know, go and see one of the early bands. We see Lazy Day at 12.15 who do dreamy indie rock stuff and (almost) immaculately synchronised side steps, and honestly are the perfect start to the weekend. Back to tradition? Up the hill to the Prince Albert to see Just Mustard. The Prince Albert is full. It always is. It feels good. So we go and see the big cat. Then we go and see Biig Piig who shrugs off dodgy sound to deliver bass-heavy, slow-burn slow jams. It’s a sound halfway between South London and smoking in Paris bars. It’s even better than big cat. The LiS love for Flohio is a long-standing thing. The star of last year’s festival scorches through her set of vital UK rap, a one-person party that’s always the most fun imaginable. Little Simz, though. This show feels victorious. Years of hard-work finally getting
the breaks deserved with this immaculate headline set. ‘100 FM’ still the track of the year, even though it was last year, right?
Not to overstate how fun the Friendly Fires show was, but it reminded us that pure happiness can exist on this wretched planet.
New day. New Bloody Mary. Straight to see Green Tea Peng who confuses as much as entertains with a set which often seem more idea than song. Good ideas, but just ideas. The Macy Gray rasp and chill to the level of just-about-alive vibes though, they promise much more to come. Just Mustard are playing on the pier. Great Escape always gives you a second chance. Just Mustard make a mysterious, throbbing, jagged racket which mutates and snakes beyond coherent description. Georgia’s live shows have always been powerhouse stuff, but her shift to a new more directly pop sound results in an absolutely towering performance. SelfEsteem’s confidence seems, rightly, sky-high at the moment. We get the normal self-deprecating charm, but it now feels underpinned with a genuine steely belief. Which makes sense when you’ve already put out an album of the year contender, have a joyous live show and ‘Rollout’ in your locker.
New day. New Bloody Mary. As long as you don’t hang too closely on the narrative, Ohtis’ sumptuous Americana feels the ideal start to the day. Save the lyrical inspection for another day, but don’t forget to do it because this is exceptional story-telling. “This is going to be piano, really sad piano if you’re not ready for sad piano...¯\_(ツ)_/¯” intones Askjell. Before we get a chance to decide, the sad piano starts and if there was anything sadder than the sad piano, it was that it ended too soon. Lava La Rue emerges from the weekend as the main ‘oh, you have got to see her’ act. Her relaxed rap style revealing lyrics full of righteous ire. Her performance just ridiculously entertaining. Patterns stinks of sweat and shots. Feels an entirely appropriate place to commit our last remaining bit of energy to the cacophony of Injury Reserve. Then the look in our eyes says it all. We are done for another year. London in Stereo: 81
four from the floor at...
SPOT Festival Aarhus, Denmark May 2nd-4th words: Jess Partridge photography: Kim Matthai Leland - Emil Brøbech - Xanne Vera
This month we were lucky enough to head to Denmark’s second biggest city, Aarhus, to experience the phenomenal selection of music and culture that make up SPOT festival. Half conference and half locally-popular music festival, spread over the cities best venues, it has everything from a silent metal disco to a whole host of incredible food stalls to keep you amused. So here’s the best things we learnt along the way:
1
2
SPOT festival is unique in the fact it marries a showcase festival featuring a massive amount of emerging artists (predominantly Nordic), with some of our absolute powerhouse favourites (hiya, Jenny Wilson) to non-other than the mighty Efterklang playing a stunning show in an imposingly beautiful concert hall. We’ll be keeping an eye on the pop-soaked guitars of Linn Koch-Emmery, sparse beats and surreal charm of Special K and the dance ready hits from long-term London in Stereo fave, Hanne Mjøen.
3 Okay so we’ve talked Musikhuset, but SPOT festival really puts Aarhus’ incredible range of venues to good use. With venues closing down everywhere in London it’s refreshing to see places so cared for, and a real emphasis placed on production and sound. There’s the magical barn-like feel of Godsbanen and the basement club of Atlas where we fell for the charms of Hôy la, to the more central TAPE where Erika de Casier gave us a sneak preview of her brilliant new album. Just watch out for the intermittent snow when getting between them, it can be brutal.
With the majority of SPOT Festival hosted in the Musikhuset (which is comprised of a puzzling network of venues, bars, corridors and sculptures), you can’t help but notice the colorama of the nearby art museum, ARoS. Sitting comfortably above the city you’d be a fool not to get up there and check out the multi-coloured panoramic views of this varied and radiant city. The exhibits are well worth a walk around and with a discount for those under 31(!), get there sooner rather than later.
4
With pretty cheap beers, an atmosphere of genuine youthful exuberance and such a varied line-up all packed into such a fascinating city, it’s a festival that will undoubtedly continue to flourish in the years to come.
London in Stereo: 83
06/19 The MOTH Club Valette Street, London E8 Wednesday 12 June
HATCHIE Friday 21 June
MADONNATRON Wednesday 3 July
LEVITATION ROOM Thursday 4 July
DONNY BENÉT Monday 8 July
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St, N16 Monday 29 April
BERNARDO Tuesday 30 April
MARTHAGUNN Wednesday 1 May
ORA THE MOLECULE Monday 6 May
LUCIDVOX Wednesday 8 May
GIRLPOOL
TAMARAEBI
The Shacklewell Arms
Studio9294
71 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 Thursday 6 June
THE VACANT LOTS Monday 17 June
GARDEN CENTRE Tuesday 18 June
THE INTELLIGENCE Saturday 22 June
MARBLED EYE Saturday 13 July
GHUM
92 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN Saturday 13 June
PORTICO QUARTET Friday 28 June
METZ FEELS US NAILS Saturday 7 September
CRACK CLOUD Friday 18 October
MURKAGE DAVE
Tracks For Tough Transition by Sammy Maine I’m about to get on a plane across the Atlantic. I fumble around for my headphones, eager to silence the anxiety that rings throughout my ears. I have just broken up with my partner of seven years and have decided to move away from my family, away from my friends, away from most of the things that comfort me. It’s tricky to know exactly what album will get me through this transition without bursting into tears after my second plastic cup of cheap red wine. The funny thing about heartbreak is that you think you’ll reach for the play button on that break-up bangers playlist as soon as you slam the door on your ex. While shout-singing along to ‘Thank U, Next’ definitely helps ease the pain, the first few weeks are perhaps too tender for the heart to even think of throwing your deuces up. Which is why it’s important to craft a playlist for those
first few delicate weeks – something that grabs enough attention to distract but nothing so close to your internal dialogue that you fall two steps back. Here’s where I dipped my toes into the saving grace of ambient drone. There’s no words, so you can’t apply them to the blurred flickers of happiness; each track holds you in focus for the better part of 30 minutes and it often harmonises with the engine of a plane, which is a nice touch for my particular situation. So, while I press play during take off, I take comfort in the fact that I’ve carefully curated something that’s attentive to my fragility. So, if you find yourself in transition, it’s okay if you don’t want to reach for Lemonade straight away. Take the time to listen to yourself. Make something that’ll get you through those weird first few weeks. Your heart will thank you.
Sammy is a freelance writer. When she’s not having an existential crisis and moving across the Atlantic, she’s attempting to write her own fiction novel. Find her screaming into the void on Twitter: @sammymaine
London in Stereo: 85
OUT TUE 28TH/WEDSOLD29TH MAY OMEARA
TUE 28TH/WED 29TH MAY BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
+ HONEY LUNG (28TH) + BRYDE (29TH)
+ SUPPORT
+ ALEX MILLS (DJ SET)
THURSDAY 30TH MAY HEAVEN
FRIDAY 31ST MAY MOTH CLUB
THURSDAY 13TH JUNE O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
+ SUPPORT
+ BAD//DREEMS
FATHERSON
FAYE WEBSTER
WEDNESDAY 29TH MAY
KAREN HARDING
YONAKA
SLOW MAGIC
TUESDAY 18TH JUNE VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
WEDNESDAY 19TH JUNE ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
LUKE BURR
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE
+ AERIS ROVES + BLOSSOM CALDARONE
+ EFFIE
+ ROSEANNE REID
TUESDAY 2ND JULY O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
SATURDAY 13TH JULY KEW GARDENS
FRIDAY 12TH JULY OMEARA
+ AMARANTHE + SLEEP TOKEN
+ SLEEPER + DU BLONDE
+ THE NINTH WAVE + TILLIE
OMAR APOLLO
BABYMETAL
GARBAGE
MIDNIGHT OIL
THURSDAY 20TH JUNE UNION CHAPEL
OSCAR SCHELLER AND FRIENDS
SUNDAY 28TH JULY OMEARA
FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST OMEARA
TUESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER OMEARA
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
MOON HOOCH
LAVILLE
DYLAN LEBLANC
THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER OSLO
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
THURSDAY 10TH OCTOBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
THURSDAY 17TH OCTOBER PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
TUESDAY 22ND OCTOBER OLD BLUE LAST
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER HEAVEN
FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
OUT TUE 26TH / WEDSOLD27TH NOV
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
+ SUPPORT
JOHN PAUL WHITE
SEA GIRLS
LADYTRON
CHON
CALLUM PITT
ROBERT ELLIS
SPIELBERGS
EUT
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
LAST DINOSAURS
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
TAME IMPALA
KELLY JONES 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
25 SEP / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
30 SEP / ELECTROWERKZ
04 OCT / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
04 OCT / EVENTIM APOLLO
12 OCT / EVENTIM APOLLO
06 NOV / ELECTRIC BRIXTON