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You know, only one other act has been on our cover twice: Wolf Alice were our very first cover stars and by the time they released their debut album, three years later, we figured enough time had passed for it to make sense that they graced it again. Well, in a neat echo of that, it’s somehow been three (and a bit) long years since the incredible Little Simz was our cover star. On her latest album, GREY Area, Simz’ has flourished into the textured and multi-faceted artist we always knew she would be: deftly embracing different styles and influences to make her most exciting work yet. Let March bring warmer evenings and lighter afternoons quick, because this winter feels like it’s lasted forever and We. Are. Ready.
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Nico Casal - I'm Not Angry Yet Dave: Rose Elinor Dougall - First Sign Loki: Sir Babygirl - Crush on Me Danny: Jamila Woods - ZORA Gemma: Nimmo - No More Jack: Better Oblivion Community Center - Didn't Know What I Was In For Beth: Anna Lisa - Give Me A Reason JAMILA WOODS
Katie: Shanti Celeste & Hodge - Alula London in Stereo: 07
Music, Creativity & Technology www.sonar.es
Barcelona 18.19.20 July
an iniciative of
supported by
in collaboration with
also sponsored by
associated media
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ticket sales
INTERVIEWS SELF ESTEEM
22
28
36
REVIEWS 46
82
LITTLE SIMZ
16
LAFAWNDAH 56
FEATURES 12
LIVE
WHAT’S ON
NILÜFER YANYA
40
ALBUM RELEASES
59
NEW SOUNDS
EVENTS
GIGS OF THE MONTH
FULL MARCH LISTINGS Little Simz Cover Story: Page 28
20
79
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 81
85
IN LONDON
THOUGHTS...
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
Online Editor: Beth Sheldrick beth@londoninstereo.co.uk
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@londoninstereo.co.uk
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
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Photography: Little Simz cover story: Mathew Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Contributors: Rhys Buchanan, Kezia Cochrane, Geoff Cowart, Thomas Hannan, Tara Joshi Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Emma Madden, Nick Mee, George O’Brien, Kelly Ronaldson, Harriet Taylor, Lee Wakefield, Simone Scott Warren. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 09
CELESTE
RACHEL CHINOURIRI
TOP TEN: New Sounds Cosima - R U Lonely 2? Westkust - Swebeach Elsa Hewitt - Blood Orange Céci - Heartbeat DC - Dock City Alice Boman - Waiting Octo Octa - I Need You Dreezy - RIP Aretha Softcore Untd - Gi Meg Tid Rachel Chinouriri - Riptide
YAEJI (photo: Micaiah Carter)
FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
Celeste by Gemma Samways Give her half a chance and Celeste Waite will break your heart. She’ll do it without even really trying. And the strange thing is, you’ll be happy to let her, again and again. Born in L.A., raised in Dagenham and now based in Brighton, the 25-year-old soul singer is a former protégé of Lily Allen, and has found herself being spoken of in the same glowing terms as Amy Winehouse and Jorja Smith. It’s not just PR hyperbole either. Credit it to technical ability or to emotional maturity, but there aren’t many emerging artists who can inhabit a song quite like Waite. It’s the clear-eyed conviction, the supple phrasing, the NICO CASAL
subtle huskiness smoky tones.
underpinning
her
Raking through the ashes of infidelity on ‘Both Sides of the Moon’, she sounds both bereft and resigned, her weary tones gently caressing a muted, brass-tinged instrumental courtesy of Leeds jazz collective Gotts Street Park. Her most recent track, January’s single ‘Father’s Son’, is stronger still, its spectral Hammond organ chords and sparse but purposeful percussion providing a suitably haunting bed for Waite’s bruised resolve. Resentment and pain has seldom sounded so exquisite. LISTEN TO: Father’s Son celestewaite
@celestewaite
Nico Casal by Jess Partridge If you’re prone to paying attention to such things, you may recognise Nico Casal’s name from scores to Oscar-nominated films. More likely, however, you’ll be first coming across his subtle, but no-less-affecting, mix of piano and synth on his upcoming debut album, Alone. The first tracks we’ve heard already start telling a story: ‘I’m Not Angry Yet’ and ‘Ready To Talk’ resonate with the longing and building tension familiar to the end of any relationship. Casal holds back the perfect amount, allowing you the time and space to fully explore his compositions, to embrace each one and find a resting place within them. LISTEN TO: Ready To Talk @nicocasalmusic
@nicocasalmusic London in Stereo: 13
ADAM FR E N C H
AP R E
BENJAMIN FR ANCIS LEFTWICH
1 APRIL
3 APRIL
OSLO
OM E AR A
U N ION CHAPE L
D E AN L E W I S
B E AR ’S D E N
TAM I N O
15 & 16 APRIL
2 3 & 24 A P R I L
O2 SH E PH E RD’S BUSH E M PI RE
O2 SH E PH E RD’S BUSH E M PI RE
LY V E S
M AI S I E P E TE R S
29 APRIL
1 M AY
OM E AR A
SCAL A
11 APRIL
23 APRIL
E ARTH
S AM FE N D E R 6 & 7 M AY
O2 SH E PH E RD’S BUSH E M PI RE
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on MARTIN REES, ASTRONOMER ROYAL
Everything is really bad - Babak Ganjei Have you ever gone all the way to Margate to see an exhibition of an artist you like in a strange flat on a back-road If the answer is ‘no’, then you’re (maybe) just not living, but you can to some extent replicate the experience with our fave, Babak Ganjei, whose new exhibit is slightly closer to home. A collection of his latest work, he aims to reflect the times we live in, by doing things like calling it "Everything is really bad and it's only going to get worse and this is the most perfect time". Witty and self-deprecating in equal measure, I promise you that there’s no greater joy than waking up to one of his pieces of art on your wall each morning. MARCH 2ND-23RD. ATOM GALLERY, 127 GREEN LANES atomgallery.co.uk / @atomgalleryN16
Harald Sohlberg: Painting Norway Timed to coincide with his 150th birthday, this survey of Norwegian artist Harald Sohlberg’s work is an exploration through the depths and variety of Nordic landscapes. Telling the story of how he mastered his skill, starting from intense, but confident self portraits to the crisp landscapes he became best known for, this exhibit is a lesson in the art of capturing delicate light and writing stories with paintbrushes. OPEN NOW UNTIL JUNE 3RD DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, GALLERY ROAD, SE21 7AD dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk // @DulwichGallery
15x5 15x5 is a beautifully simple concept: Five inspirational and invigorating speakers are given 15 minutes each. That’s it. This month they take over one of our new favourites venues for a bound-to-be-another-sell-out mix of astrology, feminism and stunning Palestinian poetry. There’s nothing more riveting than fantastic speakers sharing the subjects that excite them the most and for that reason this might just be the perfect event. MARCH 19TH, EARTH 11-17 STOKE NEWINGTON ROAD, 5x15.com // 5x15stories
AVA Festival AVA festival started in Dublin but it really seems to have found the perfect home for its London edition in Printworks. I mean, there are few conferences that can boast Bicep and Octave One as keynote speakers, few conferences that combine fascinating panels, tech demos and an all-night party. And even fewer that do all that for free. It’s all ages. It’s all abilities. Just bring your passion for music and some stamina to last the night. MARCH 15TH. PRINTWORKS, SURREY QUAYS RD, SE16 7PJ avafestival.com // @AVAFestivalNI
Unforsaken
FISHERMAN'S COTTAGE, 1906, HARALD SOHLBERG
Bringing new meaning to the phrase “one person’s junk is another’s treasure”, artists Jimmy Turrell & Richard Turley are taking over East London’s Book Club for a two-part exhibition featuring found objects. Created from a huge collection of unwanted books, games and whatever-else, this is a two-part mural that will reveal itself over the months of the exhibit. With Turrell having done artwork for the likes of Beck and Aretha Franklin you know we’re in for something a bit special. NOW UNTIL MAY 16TH THE BOOK CLUB 100-106 LEONARD STREET wearetbc.com // @TheBookClubEC2 London in Stereo: 17
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JAY PRINCE
MASHROU’ LEILA
XAVIER WULF CHRIS TRAVIS
THE BLAZE
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
THU 07 MARCH
MON MON 10 11 SEPTEMBER MARCH
TUE 12 MARCH
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE
ELIZA
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
ZAK ABEL
WED 13 & THU 14 MARCH
THU 14 MARCH
SAT 16 MARCH
SAT 16 MARCH
BIIG PIIG
SMINO
THU 07 MARCH
100 CLUB
ROUNDHOUSE
OMEARA ELECTRIC BRIXTON
+ THE RECORD COMPANY
SCALA
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
ROUNDHOUSE
+ RIKA + LOUIS III
ROUNDHOUSE
JGRREY
TENNYSON
WED 20 MARCH
SAT 23 MARCH
TUE 19 MARCH
TUE 19 MARCH
ELECTRIC BRIXTON
HACKNEY CREATIVE SOCIAL CLUB
SOPHIE AND THE GIANTS
BLADEE
POPPY AJUDHA
VC PINES
THU 28 MARCH
FRI 29 MARCH
WED 03 APRIL
WED 03 APRIL
ETTA BOND
GEORGIA ANNE KALEEM TAYLOR MULDROW & THE RIGHTEOUS
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
MON 08 APRIL
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
ELECTRIC BRIXTON
WED 10 APRIL
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
THU 11 APRIL
XOYO
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
THE LEXINGTON
GEKO FRI 12 APRIL
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
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INTRO
with
From Chas’n’Dave to Martha Argerich to Chopin, the ol’ Joanna has probably entertained more people than any other instrument. Which is one of the reasons why we love the annual celebration that is Piano Day, and especially Float’s always-unique presentations. This year sees a special show at EARTH which, amongst other highlights, will see Reeps One bring beat-boxing and piano together. To whet our appetite ahead of the big day, we’ve brought together artists and more to introduce us to some special piano pieces from a spectacular array of artists. LiS Float’s Piano Day takes place March 29th At EARTH, 11-17 Stoke Newington Road with Reeps One, Luke Abbott, Jack Wyllie & Andrea Belfi tickets: Wearefloat.co.uk/piano-day-2019
MARY LOU WILLIAMS WILLOW WEEP FOR ME Mary was a mentor to some of the greats such as Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis. They would MARY LOU WILLIAMS visit her home for tips after she’d finish presenting her weekly radio show ‘Piano Workshop’. She wrote hundreds of incredible compositions yet, like fellow musician Hazel Scott, she is often forgotten. I hope you’ll explore her work and feel inspired just as other artists did back then. Sofia Ilyas (Founder, Float)
EMAHOY TSEGUÉ-MARYAM GUÈBROU MOTHER'S LOVE
EMAHOY TSEGUÉ-MARYAM GUÈBROU
Sister Guèbrou's music is melancholic as solitude can be and as light as a leaf whirling in the wind. Her phrasing, sense of timing and atmospheres are unique. This track is like a quiet walk in the fields on a sunny day in the spring, but it can also be the perfect soundtrack while watching the cold outside of the window on a grey winter day. Andrea Belfi (artist)
APHEX TWIN AVRIL 19 To this day, this piano piece twists me - it has this bizarre mix of being uplifting and yet melancholy. It’s funny something so simple could kick up so many crazy emotions; that's a huge part of his genius. The piano is a cornerstone for all music making - taking a complex production and reducing it to its fundamentals will always be a part of music. Reeps One (artist) PHILIP GLASS
APHEX TWIN
PHILIP GLASS ETUDE NO.5 It's such a perfect piece of music, perfectly in balance. There's so much space in it, and at the same time it feels so structural. I saw him do give a solo piano concert a few years ago, it was a very humble performance. I think his music has restorative powers. Luke Abbott (artist) RICHIE RAY & BOBBY CRUZ
RICHIE RAY & BOBBY CRUZ SONIDO BESTIAL
“Why does the world need a Piano Day? For many reasons. But mostly, because it doesn’t hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and, most important, the listener.” - Nils Frahm
It's an old salsa song that reminds me of Colombia , friends, family and the golden days of salsa. Ricardo Villalobos played it last time I went to see him play. I love the combination of piano with salsa in the song. Jorge Andres Neito (Creative Director, VU/EartH ) London in Stereo: 21
Self Esteem words: Danny Wright photography: Charlotte Patmore
“Look at me. Don’t look at me. Love me. Don’t fucking love me too much!” ou can hear it in Slow Club records - I was ready to do this kind of thing and I couldn't do it in the band, so it was time to go – for my own well being. I was going a bit crazy trying to shoehorn my ideas into something that was very different.” Once of Slow Club, Rebecca Taylor is now following her own path as Self Esteem. Sat in a cosy South London pub she’s explaining how the name that had been in her head for 10 years has now become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “I felt exhausted by the end of Slow Club and mentally it was very difficult to consistently be compromised - and I didn't really realise that at the time - but now I'm doing this, I feel so much happier and comfortable in myself.” “I’m still pretty skint and my life’s still pretty normal but I now have this wild outlet that I can do anything with. I was in a band for 10 years where I had to stand on stage, zip my coat up and look at my feet and say sorry if I fucked up. I wanted to experiment more, especially aesthetically. But you can’t push someone to do that and Charles and I are very different people.”
Her debut album Compliments Please (“That name works so well for the album because I am such a mixed message. Look at me. Don’t look at me. Love me. Don’t fucking love me too much!”) is different, inspired by her love of pop and hip hop and full of vibrant, technicolor moments. It’s the sound of someone finding her own voice. Not that this will all be completely new to Slow Club fans. “It’s still digestible to a Slow Club fan’s ear. And I’m pretty consistently sad, angry with someone, horny and depressed - so all the songs sound like one of those things. You’ve just never had a full album of that as it’s always been peppered with Charles’ nice metaphors,” she laughs. It took her a while to find her sound as she visited pop studios trying to pin it down. But these trips only led to her realising what she didn’t want to do. “I wanted to see how those proper pop factories worked but it wasn’t right for me. I thought I wanted to be this huge star but I realised pretty quickly I didn’t want to be a huge star in that way.” “There’s a certain type of accepted sexuality you can put on big pop songs and there’s a certain type of feminism. Nothing’s messy enough for me. It was all a bit too processed.”
London in Stereo: 23
But that's not to say she doesn't love 'pop'. She listens to a lot of Rihanna, likes Let’s Eat Grandma (“but they’re like half my age so it’s very stressful”) and remembers thinking when Lorde first came out “I’d been talking about doing this for years”. She’s also “a fucking huge Little Mix fan and I love that it’s not perfect and pristine. I realised if I’m gonna do this then it needs to be in a different way.”
“...I love that it’s not
perfect and pristine. I realised if I’m gonna do this then it needs to be in a different way.” And Self Esteem feels like a new kind of pop — not processed but something proudly, powerfully female. She told herself “if you’re going to do it make it really, really beautiful and powerful and evoke really soaring emotion in people” and the album is full of gospel choirs, strings, striking vocals and syncopated beats. “I think ‘Wrestling’ was the first time I was like ‘This is what it sounds like’, and then to my mind I’d written the album and it was done. I’d been in a relationship and I was like ‘This is great, I can be in a relationship and still write an album’. I’d always thought I had to be in turmoil to write good stuff. So I thought I’d disprove that theory but then we did break up and I wrote ‘Rollout’, ‘In Time’, ‘I’m Shy’ - all of my favourites. I was, like, ‘Shiitt!’.”
Our chat turns to sexism in the industry. “I do feel respected finally. In Slow Club it wasn’t anyone’s fault but people didn’t think I wrote songs. That hurt me for years actually. But now both my managers are beautiful strong women. So I don’t think people will fuck with me quite so much anymore!” “I’m not doing this to say ‘FUCK MEN!’ but I was playing the game in a man’s world in indie land and I’m not waving a flag… I just naturally have the flag on me. God, I sound like Bros. My analogies are terrible!” The new Matt Goss? Possibly not. But you get the feeling Rebecca Taylor won’t be asking about when she will be famous for much longer. Compliments Please is released March 1st via Fiction Records. LIVE: Village Underground, London, March 20th Thekla, Bristol, March 21st @SELFESTEEM___
@RLTSELFESTEEM
SPRING 2019 ~ LIVE ~ 04.03 15.03
Fokn Bois /
Marina Satti / 23.03
14.03
Oli Fox
22.03
Tennyson /
Neon Waltz
27.03
Polo
AMP London: Puma Blue + Babeheaven + Miink 30.03 17.04
Alexis Kings /
Vรถk / 26.04
07.05 17+18.05
23.05
Hannie /
Hannie + Harleighblu + Imogen Harfleet 18.03
28.03
06.03
20.04
02.04
Nick Brewer
Kap Bambino /
Jungle Brown /
James Hersey /
03.05
09.05
24.04
Etham
Faers
Giant Rooks
CloseUp Festival: Childcare + Saltwater Sun + Little Cub + Shanghai Blues
Mild Orange /
04.06
Low Cut Connie /
Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com | HOXTONSQUAREBAR
24.06
Tora
ROYAL ALBERT HALL PRESENTS
SUNDAY 28 APRIL
royalalberthall.com Part of LOVE
CLASSICAL
L ittle S imz words: Tara Joshi photography: Mathew Parri Thomas
“ People are dying.
Who actually cares about any of this stuff? ” s human beings, we have a tendency to get wrapped up in the minutiae of our individual existences – reading the bleak things going on in the news can be overwhelming when we’re already so inundated by work drama, relationships, money, and even fully trivial stuff like what it means when someone hasn’t watched our latest Instagram Stories. But there’s a sense of confusion and guilt too, when you start to question your priorities in life: are they the right ones? Have you already made bad, selfish choices? Should you be directing yourself towards things that will “make a difference” in the grander scheme?
London in Stereo: 29
“I
k no w tha t I o p e n
mys e lf u p to the wo r ld, a nd it p u ts me in a v e r y vu lne r a b le p o sition – b u t it ’ s my wa y o f de a ling with thing s . A nd I ’ m v e r y gr a te f u l tha t I ha ve mu s ic... ”
For an artist, that sentiment is manifest in a lyric from London rapper Little Simz’ latest album – “People are dying / who gives a fuck about making hits?”. Down a crackly phone line, Simz (real name Simbi Ajikawo) is discussing that bar with me: “I get caught up in irrelevant things when there are bigger things I could focus my energy towards,” she sighs. “And I don’t. I worry about the small things. So I guess that line was me speaking to myself, really.” There are murky in-between places in life where there are no clear answers: and the
older we get, the more it feels maybe there is no certainty in anything – nothing is black and white. With lyrics like, “Afraid of the answers to questions I never ask”, it’s for this reason the North London rapper has named her exquisite third album GREY Area. The record doesn’t sit in one particular genre – she spits, she soothes, even screams her thoughtful bars over everything from soulful boom-bap to twinkling keys to howling guitars. “At the time I was making the record it felt like that was the space I was in,” she explains, “Realising that things are a lot more complex than they may seem,
so I was peeling back more layers in myself and learning more about myself.” Simz’ work has always gracefully delved into self-reflection, but this time around it all feels more fully-realised as a concept: not only is her delivery more assured, and the production (largely done by her childhood friend Inflo) phenomenal, but the theme also seems more forthright. The track ‘Therapy’, for example, finds her sitting across from a therapist and growing frustrated (“I see the way you look at me like I’m some sort of charity / the only reason I come is so I can get some clarity / and it didn’t work”). It transpires this is all an imagined scenario: “I’ve never actually been to therapy, so it’s more how I might talk to a therapist and imagining myself in his or her office, coffee table, sitting on a sofa… I’ve been told I should try therapy, but I didn’t really get the idea of talking to a stranger and paying them by the minute – it just didn’t appeal to me. So I just decided to write about it instead. That’s my one form of therapy.” It’s not that she’s writing off the possibility of trying therapy one day, but as a self-described introvert, for now Simz’ work is the space that allows her to express her anxieties out loud: “I know that I open myself up to the world, and it puts me in a very vulnerable position – but it’s my way of dealing with things. And I’m very grateful that I have music – like some people deal with things in a negative way: some people turn to substance abuse, or whatever it is, to deal with what they’re going through. I’m very lucky to have an outlet like music.” As someone who prefers to keep things inward in her everyday life, I suggest it must be a surreal feeling to get on stage and speak so openly about what’s going on in her head: “It is tricky – sometimes when I go and perform songs and I’m not over certain things then it’s like opening up a wound that I haven’t let fully heal. But it comes with the gig, isn’t it? It’s part of being an artist.”
That sentiment of getting in front of the crowd and being fully vulnerable adds an extra layer to how she describes some of the tracks on the album. ‘Boss’, for example, is a searing, thrilling guitar-anthem that is one of the only non-cynical iterations of a woman’s empowerment anthem in recent times, with its refrain of “I’m a boss in a fucking dress”. For Simz the track was not, as I wonder aloud to her, a reaction to a particularly shitty interaction with a man – but instead a more abstract situation: “It’s like, if I were to walk into a boxing ring, how would I feel?” “ It ’ s
lik e , if I w e re to w a lk in to a b o x in g ring , how w ou ld I f e e l? ” The song, which was first released as part of TV series Insecure’s soundtrack, was written in the back of an Uber she says – a space, it transpires, where she writes a lot of her songs. Indeed, while last album Stillness In Wonderland found Simz travelling non-stop, writing and recording in different time zones and operating on little sleep, this album was made in London and, accordingly, afforded her time to be more grounded with it. “I was able to hone in more on my thoughts and feelings, and took time to understand certain emotions and write about them as I was stationary at home in London. I was in a better physical state making this – though of course mentally I’m still going through the motions.” Beyond that willingness to get deeper into her demons than ever, and the sublime sense of confidence that oozes from her flow these days, Simz’ growth on GREY Area is tangible in the smaller details too. So quick that you almost miss it, she spits, “n****s wanna see dead bodies / prolly not” over the dissonant strings on the cinematic ‘Venom’, in reference to standout track ‘Dead Body’ from her first album, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons. London in Stereo: 31
“ You ’ re not the only
person that feels like where they ’ re at is very complex and confusing. You ’ re not alone... ” I did try and be a little clever with it,” she says with a small laugh when I point it out. “I hope to do it in stuff always, but for me ‘Venom’ is like the ‘Dead Body’ of this album, if that makes sense? On each of my three albums there are songs that are of the same vibe, but with an evolved me. So, for example, ‘Dead Body’ on the first album to ‘King of Hearts’ on Stillness In Wonderland, and now ‘Venom’. Like it’s all in a similar vibe, but it’s just an evolved version.” On GREY Area, Simbi Ajikawo is still unravelling herself and her life – what her priorities should be, how best she can look after herself, how she can exist as a woman in a space that might try push her down, her artistic evolution, and how best she can use her art to provide a space for people feeling a similar way. Indeed, before the call ends I ask if she has any final words people ought to know about the record, and she replies: “If anyone does listen to this or feel like they can relate to it, we’re all figuring it out, man. You’re not the only person that feels like where they’re at is very complex and confusing. You’re not alone.” GREY Area is released March 1st via Age 101 LIVE: Courtyard Theatre, London, March 6th FESTIVALS: All Points East, London, May 24th @LittleSimz
@LittleSimz
E AT YO U R O W N E A R S BY A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H P RO G R E S S I V E A RT I S T S P R E S E N T S
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
WEDNESDAY 1 MAY VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
'LEVITATION' OUT 3 MAY ON MOSHI MOSHI RECORDS E AT YO U ROW N E A R S .C O M F L A M I N G O D S .C O M T I C K E T W E B .C O.U K
Nilüfer Yanya words: Emma Madden photography: Molly Daniel
hen I first saw Nilüfer Yanya perform over two years ago, I heard a guitar sound which glowed ruddy and gold; horns which turned each song into a cinema; a voice which sounded as firm as it did friendly. Yanya and her school friends played and smiled on the stage, the audience swayed, and I remember thinking how proud I felt to live in London in that moment. “I’ve always loved London,” Yanya tells me on a call from Washington DC. “I guess it has created my sound in a way.” You can hear the city in each of the singles she’s been steadily releasing since 2016. Her truncated voice is unmistakably the voice of the capital, her guitar is heated like sunshine on the city’s concrete, her candour and coolness is identifiably, ineffably London. Beyond her home city, Yanya’s gained immediate interest with her humble back-catalogue, which she’s taken on the road while supporting the likes of Interpol, Broken Social Scene and, currently, our recent cover star, Sharon Van Etten. While her songs so far have
displayed Yanya’s vital talent for writing neat, catchy bops, they also point to a songwriting capability which is bordering on greatness. And, like any great songwriter, Yanya’s songs work on multiple levels. Take ‘Small Crimes’, for instance, a highlight from her 2016 EP of the same name. On one level, it’s the story of her
stolen bike, on the next it’s a pleading love song, on another, it’s a broader commentary on injustice and repentance at large. “I think that’s because I’m not really an open person, so for me it’s easier to bring other contexts into it, instead of it all just being about me,” she says. While she refers to herself as opaque and somewhat closed-off, Yanya’s deepest fears, her paranoia and her need for validation are exposed on her forthcoming
LP. The long-awaited debut, Miss Universe, maximises Yanya’s macro-micro songwriting methodology, as she draws on her own experiences and emotional universe to identify the ways in which authorial voices govern our lives at a distance. Specifically, Miss Universe muses on the ways in which self-help culture stultifies our own personal conduct and relationships. As Forbes reported in 2018, around 94 percent of millennials are making personal improvement London in Stereo: 37
“You picture yourself in the future, doing whatever, with whoever, but you’re never actually at one with the process of getting there...”
commitments. We wear health monitors which allow professionals to intervene should something look awry, we consume self-help books and take on veganuary and sober January. Each year, we better ourselves to death. Miss Universe – which opens with elevatorstyle muzak and a hebetudinous voice positively reinforcing: “Welcome to WWAY [We Worry About Your] Health, our 24/7 care programme. We are here for you, we care about you, we worry about you,” – is Yanya’s attempt at satirising the devious parts of self-improvement culture. The 17-track album is peppered with these interludes, which become increasingly farcical, and are “based off tube announcements”, Yanya says; “the tone of authority that you don’t really question much”. “It plays into the idea that you can always do better, which is fine, because most of the time you can, but it’s also hard to enjoy the present and appreciate the state you’re at now when you’re always trying to improve, and WWAY Health takes it a bit further, in the way you’re improving but you don’t even know why you need to improve anymore.”
While self-improvement culture – with its vow to help you exceed your expectations — seems rewarding at a first glance, Miss Universe’s pivotal moment occurs when Yanya realises her limitations. “This is the bar I’m waiting,” she sings on the album’s closer ‘Heavyweight Champion of the Year’. “This is the bar I’m staying.” So, is Miss Universe Yanya’s antiself-improvement manifesto? “Yeah! ‘Cos it’s so much pressure to do well, to be the best, but the most important thing is the process. You picture yourself in the future, doing whatever, with whoever, but you’re never actually at one with the process of getting there. I think that’s why people get disillusioned. They wonder what they’re doing in their relationships, ‘cos we’re sold this idea that if you’re aspiring to something, and you get it, you often think, ‘this isn’t as great as I thought it would be, whats wrong with me?’” Miss Universe is released March 22nd via ATO. LIVE: Rough Trade East, London, March 23rd EartH, London, April 9th Thekla, Bristol, April 12th @niluferyanya
@niluferyanya
oncordia; the Roman goddess of harmony, and the name of Lafawndah’s own label on which she will release her debut album, Ancestor Boy. Fitting, as the Egyptian-Iranian artist has an interest in mythology (album cut ‘Storm Chaser’ is an ode to the goddess of good chaos), and an astute ear for harmonies both soft and bracing. “I can retain power in softness,” Lafawndah says gently as we chat on the phone on a sunlit afternoon. Ancestor Boy is Lafawndah’s first solo material since 2016’s Tan EP. In the interim, she’s come to feel more at ease with her skills, experimenting with compositional structures and allowing herself to grow vocally. “I’m putting a big chunk of myself out into the world,” she says of the release. As she prepares to bare all with an album that demands the listener to look inwards as well as forwards, Lafawndah is busy rehearsing a commissioned show at the Barbican Centre with Midori Takada, scoring fashion week shows, producing for other artists, creating video, creating imagery, and investing in the necessity for Ancestor Boy to speak to the greatest possible audience.
“I want to talk
about class... I want to talk about money, power structures, family, men, so many things.”
LAFAWNDAH
Lafawndah’s musical blueprint is influenced by time in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City. Her wide-reaching perspective manifests itself as a melting pot of styles and sounds, sitting somewhere between pop, club music and cinematic composition. Ancestor Boy is driven by percussive foundations: “The drums always come first,” Lafawndah explains. “The rhythms connect with the most physical part of our brain, being in activation”. She thinks of Ancestor Boy as music for adventure, for exploring, for moving. Percussion is her “ally to activate”. Crashing drums heighten a sense of urgency and defiance that prevails throughout the record. “I want to talk about class,” she says. “I want to talk about money, power structures, family, men, so many things.” Lafawndah is asking questions and demanding answers, and Ancestor Boy sees her unfold, speaking not of herself but of a wider “us”. Halfway through the album, Lafawndah covers ‘Vous et Nous’, originally performed in 1977 by Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem. Covers are not commonplace, as often she doesn’t recognise herself in the music, but ‘Vous et Nous’ appealed for its childlike quality and its poetry. “It demands clarity, intimacy, playfulness, a relationship,” Lafawndah says of the track, explaining that in English we don’t have a plural version of “you” in the same way French has “vous”. That collective voice is pertinent to Ancestor Boy, as Lafawndah presents different personalities, different narrators, and different points of view across the record.
words: Katie Thomas photography: Mathilde Agius
Take the decisive stance of ‘Daddy’, in which Lafawndah considers heritage and cleansing yourself of transgenerational trauma, “the chip on your shoulder will not be mine,” she sings. Or the protective voice of ‘Substancia’, a track which filled Lafawndah with an unexpected fear and fury when she first sang it aloud. The word substancia means the power to influence or the power to be groundbreaking. On the album, ‘Substancia’ London in Stereo: 41
“I don’t like comfort... I like dynamism...” is a seismic call to arms: “I want you to use ‘Substancia’ as a tool whenever you feel threatened,” she says of the lyrics (“I’m your rival, I’ve got you encircled”), “don’t forget that you can fuck them up, and don’t think that you’re alone, because you’re not.” Then there’s ‘I’m an Island’, an instrumental in the latter stages of the album which presents a feeling of not belonging. It’s Lafawndah’s desire to build her own map, to feel settled and to draw her own geology. In the past, Lafawndah has said that singing is not comfortable, it’s like taking a risk. But risk is something she craves when creating. “I don’t like comfort,” she says. “I like dynamism, music that conveys contradictory feelings or tension.” Having always been resistant to adhering to western ideals
around vocals – “that slickness, those satin, honey-type voices that have been rewarded” – Lafawndah hears beauty in the friction of voices like Nina Simone’s. As a result, to date she’s resisted liberating her own voice for fear it would be “too pretty”. Ancestor Boy sees Lafawndah letting go of that fear, instead embracing her voice to the fullest. “I’m learning how to get over myself,” she admits. “It’s a lifelong journey.” Ancestor Boy is Lafawndah breaking new ground, an experiment in every sense of the word, driven by just the right amount of discomfort, and just the right amount of risk. Ancestor Boy is released March 22nd via Concordia. LIVE: Barbican, April 7th (performing Ceremonial Blue with Midori Takada) @lafawndah_
@lafawndahmusic
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photo: Harley Weir
It’s been a decade of sonic innovation since a teenage Jack and George Barnett released their debut album Beat Pyramid as These New Puritans. Over those 10 years they’ve proven themselves to be fearless innovators and last record Field Of Reeds was a thing of beauty. Now they’re back, with their first album in six years, we thought it was about time Danny Wright got Gemma Samways and Thomas Hannan together to get inside Inside the Rose.. So, what are your thoughts about TNP? Thomas: To be honest they irritated the hell out of me right up until Field of Reeds, but I loved that record and after that I’ve come to be a big admirer. They make really ambitious and inventive music and are, in general, a force for good. Gemma: I was aware of them around the first record but it was Hidden that got me into them. Thomas: They're also not at all fashionable, and they don't seem to care one bit, which is a quality I admire in people and bands alike. Gemma: When you write down what they do, and where their influences are, they sound insanely pretentious. But in practise, I love them.
THESE NEW PURITANS INSIDE THE ROSE Thomas: Oh definitely. It is pretentious. But so is.... ballet. And David Foster Wallace. Why do you think it works then? And was Field of Reeds their best record? Thomas: It's definitely my favourite. I thought it was really beautiful, where I found the preceding records a bit style over substance. It all came together on that record for me. It works because they've got conviction in what they're doing, and while they clearly know their way around really technical aspects of composition, there's a heart to it. Gemma: I was so into Hidden, I found Field of Reeds a bit of a wrench initially. But they have a way of seeping under your skin. I agree about the conviction. They never feel like they're paying lip service to a style for credibility, which you do sense with some bands. Thomas: I agree - it's almost a bit unfair to review this record before it's had a really long time to settle with you. We should talk again in 2023. Gemma: Saying that, this new one I was into straight away!
The press release says: 'It’s unlike anything else you’ll hear this year' – is that true? Or an album you'll hear in 2023? Thomas: In terms of their contemporaries, none of them who've survived will release a record anywhere near this interesting, or downright good, this year. There's music like this of course, but it's not being made by many 'bands' as such. Their career trajectory reminds me of Talk Talk, which I mean as the highest of compliments. Gemma: I see them as in the lineage of Kate Bush or Scott Walker - not in a literal sense that their music is similar but in the sense that they seem out of step with everyone else. And genuinely seem to develop with each record. Though the press release says they hate looking back: so they'd probably be pissed with being compared to them. They said: “Why dream backwards when you can dream forwards?” Does it sound like the future? Gemma: SOPHIE sounds like the future. TNP feel timeless? Thomas: A lot of it sounds like 60s minimalism - one of my favourites is the opener ‘Infinity Vibraphones’, but if there's a more Steve Reich title of a song this year that isn't actually by Steve Reich I'd be surprised.
Thomas: I like ‘Into the Fire’ a lot. It starts with this lovely major chord which is so jarring because the rest of it is so relentlessly murky. It's just this one really awesome moment. ‘Anti-Gravity’ is great too, proof that they can write hooks if they want to. They just... don't really want to. ‘Where the Trees are on Fire’ is gorgeous, they have a way of combining brass and strings and weird, scary, simple sentences really well.
Does it feel like the first albums? Or something new? Thomas: It feels like a natural progression from Field of Reeds which, as someone who wasn't really in to the first few albums, I'm very happy about. Gemma: I had it as a cross between Hidden and Field of Reeds, but less mad than the former and more varied than the latter. I really love this album. Thomas: They let ideas breathe a lot more these days, which is good because they have a lot of really fascinating ideas. Gemma: There's a lyric that stuck out for me, in ‘A-R-P’: “Let this music be a kind of paradise, a kind of nightmare, a kind of I don’t care”. I genuinely don't think they give a fuck what anyone thinks.
Is it a potential album of the year? (I ask in February) Thomas: It'll be my album of 2023. I'm not sure I'll have got my head around it properly by the end of the year. Gemma: Quite possibly, yes. It needs to embed itself in my brain for a bit longer.
And what about favourite tracks? Gemma: ‘Into The Fire’, ‘A-R-P’ and ‘Six’. And ‘Beyond Black Suns’ reminds me of Depeche Mode.
LIVE: Rough Trade East, London, March 22nd The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, April 17th Thekla, Bristol, April 19th
Is it something that you think will come to life live, too? Thomas: I’d love to see it live. But this is stuff for fancy concert halls, not sticky carpet venues. Gemma: It’s got Barbican written all over it. Thomas: Exactly. It almost feels like it's been commissioned by somewhere like that. Inside The Rose is released March 22nd via Infectious Music.
@TNPs
@TheseNewPuritans London in Stereo: 47
KAREN O & DANGER MOUSE LUX PRIMA
HELADO NEGRO THIS IS HOW YOU SMILE RVNG Intl. March 8th If, like me, you consider steel drums to be the most joyful instrument on the planet, then you’ll probably concur that Roberto Carlos Lange’s ability to make them resonate with sweet melancholia on ‘Imagining What To Do’ neatly sums up the rich and sumptuous experience of This Is How You Smile. On one hand, you could let the album gently wash over you: ‘Please Won’t Please’ the soundtrack to those Sunday ‘Well, if you’re having a Bloody Mary I will too’ scenes. ‘Seen My Aura’ filling the sky at sun-kissed summer rooftop parties, where your friends are as happy and carefree as you’ve ever seen them... Or, if your space allows for more contemplation, you can soak up the tender ruminations on family, friends, love and self that course through this record: “Take care of people today, hold their hand, call them up if you, wanna say: ‘Hey’...” is a message that feels just as good as that sun-kiss or Bloody Mary. Dave Rowlinson
BMG // March 15th Opening with ‘Lux Prima’ (first light) and closing with ‘Nox Lumina’ (night light), Lux Prima, delivers a liberating landscape from two luminescent alchemists. Lush textures, romantic string sections and Karen O’s soaring vocal range lace this record with warmth, indulgence and weightlessness. Early single, ‘Woman’, is a feisty and powerful mid-album interlude, while lighter cuts ‘Turn The Light’, with its funky bassline, and the softly crackly ‘Reveries’ tell of daydreams, intimacy and adventure. This album was created without boundaries and expectations, and nowhere does that liberating creative process shine brighter than on closing track, ‘Nox Lumina’. It’s wistful and cinematic, otherworldly and experimental. “Every time I close my eyes, someone else’s paradise” Karen O sings. In Lux Prima, the pair have created a paradise of their own. Katie Thomas
JAYDA G
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES Ninja Tune // March 22nd In the same year that Jayda Guy completed her Masters, she also finished her debut album. Structured like a scientific essay, she weaves field recordings amongst ‘Orca’s Reprise’ and significant speeches about the protection of whales on ‘Missy Know What’s Up’ with fascinating results. But, as ever, Jayda deals best in euphoria, as seen on the joyfully-hypnotic ‘Sunshine In The Valley’. “Hey you, I see you with your phone, looking at Instagram. This is the dancefloor baby, this is where you’re supposed to get down,” we’re playfully told on ‘Stanley’s Get Down (No Parking On The DF)’. Inspired by the club-dwelling “row of guys just standing there, not dancing, just staring”, it’s impossible to picture anyone not intoxicated by Significant Changes and remaining still in its wake. Lee Wakefield
STELLA DONNELLY BEWARE OF THE DOGS Secretly Canadian March 8th
A debut album of strident, striking potency, Beware of the Dogs sees Stella Donnelly firmly at the helm, with her characteristic, captivating charm. Following on from her breakthrough solo EP Thrush Metal, the sound here carries itself with a greater assurance, reflecting the time Donnelly took during the album’s creation to “take stock” of everything after relentless touring and rapidly-spreading acclaim off the back of the EP. For this record, the Fremantle-based musician enlisted a bunch of her friends to complete the band, this core familiarity imbuing the album with a tangible dynamism and the fuller sound complementing Donnelly’s compositions perfectly. Lyrically, Beware of the Dogs bears Donnelly’s particular, wry demeanour as she astutely balances sharp wit alongside stark vulnerability, purveyed via her soaring vocals. On ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, a track that also featured on her previous EP, Donnelly poignantly addresses – with a gut-wrenching rawness – the culture of victim-blaming sexual assault survivors. While opening track and lead single, ‘Old Man’, sees Donnelly confront the track’s creeping namesake with compelling defiance. Throughout the record, Donnelly’s vocal dexterity is sublime as she offers chirruping vibrato on ‘Lunch’, the piercing high-notes of ‘Watching Telly’, or dulcet crooning on ‘Mosquito’ - all delivered with her distinctive sprightly tone, accompanied by glistening guitar refrains and velvety melodies. And it is this way in which she simultaneously presents visceral fragility, a sense of playfulness, and unflinching poise that makes Donnelly’s music so undeniable and enchanting. Kezia Cochrane
STELLA DONNELLY (photo: Pooneh Ghana)
SIGRID
SUCKER PUNCH Island Records March 8th Waiting for Sigrid Raabe’s debut album has felt much like the run-up to Shura’s; a real-deal pop artist dangling elusive treasure for more than two years. There’s risk of not delivering when the time comes – but Sigrid's outdone herself. Sure, the inclusion of pop behemoth ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ and her UK top 10 hit ‘Strangers’ in the tracklist was always going to provide a safety net. These tracks, however, don’t necessarily eclipse a host of thrilling, fresh material. ‘Basic’, ‘Never Mine’, ‘Sucker Punch’ and ‘Mine Right Now’ are all immediate earworms: a sugar rush of snap-clap synths and the Norwegian artist’s zesty vocal whoops. Some trite lyrics and a misstep on normcore-pop track ‘Don’t Feel Like Crying’ notwithstanding, Sucker Punch is an absolute triumph. Charlotte Krol London in Stereo: 49
FOALS
EVERYTHING NOT SAVED WILL BE LOST - PART 1 Warner Bros. Records March 8th It’s been a good few years since we last heard from Foals; but if you’d just caught a snippet from the first instalment of their new double album you wouldn’t know that. This is because they’ve simply picked up where they left off. Tracks like ‘White Onions’ and ‘In Degrees’ play with the same old vocal and plucky guitars: it’s nostalgic and evidently penned with those sunny festival stages in mind. But for all the teasers that have been fed onto social media in the run up to this record, it feels hardly worth the bother. Their time away from the fold hasn’t resulted in anything exciting, it’s just basically more of the same here. Maybe part two will throw up something different? Rhys Buchanan
JENNY LEWIS ON THE LINE
Warner Bros. Records March 22nd The last time we heard from Jenny Lewis, she was joining forces with Tennessee Thomas and Erika Forster for 2016’s brilliant NAF record. It’s always good to have her back, with new record On The Line featuring ex-Beatle/ex-Thomas The Tank Engine star Ringo, and Beck. Apparently Jenny’s keen to ‘shed the rainbow’ from The Voyager, and we’re in – we’re all in – if that’s responsible for the gorgeous ‘Dogwood’, where Lewis’s alt-country vocals are beautifully accompanied by lo-fi piano. Unfortunately ‘Red Bull & Hennessy’, with its Fleetwood Mac vibe, is just… okay-ish. Still, whilst long-time fans may miss the Watson Twins, or something about foxes portions, ‘Rabbit Hole’ will stick in your head for weeks. And that’s almost enough for us. Simone Scott Warren
HAND HABITS PLACEHOLDER
Saddle Creek // March 8th Listening to Hand Habits while telling my three-year-old to stop ferreting around in his pyjama bottoms for the tenth time in eight minutes has a certain synchronicity. The comparisons between Meg Duffy’s second album and the aforementioned habits of certain exploratory hands don’t stop there. The tracks offer anything from rather close scrutiny of personal matters, to seeking comfort and reassurance. Kevin Morby, for whom Duffy played guitar, correctly described Hand Habits’ sound as like a warm bath. It’s melodious alt-folk, Americana that could make America great again - without sporting a stupid red hat. Title track, ‘placeholder’ contemplates accepting second-best in life, yet Duffy’s guitar solos on ‘jessica’ and ‘can’t calm down’ (the calmest song you’ll ever hear about not being calm) are especially majestic. Jon Kean
AMERICAN FOOTBALL LP3
Big Scary Monsters March 22nd Whilst American Football’s eponymous nineties debut channelled devastating emotional fits derived from postbreak up adolescence and late-night bouts of existential ennui, LP3 is continually bleaker and more mature by comparison, like the aftermath of a cold, hard winter alone – or twenty years where not a lot has changed – seasoned by regrets, passing days and shouldered blame. The twinkling intro to lead single ‘Silhouettes’ sets the tone well, and insists on drawing tears by the time Kinsella laments, “Oh, the muscle memory / continue to haunt me” over the pains of infidelity. If you regard second-wave emo as a genre that set the (music) world on fire, then LP3 seems to acutely trace the path of its fading embers with serene, stylistic beauty. Harriet Taylor
LAMBCHOP
THIS (IS WHAT I WANTED TO TELL YOU) City Slang March 22nd Your opinion about album number 14 from Kurt Wagner’s Lambchop will largely be decided by your feelings about AutoTune. With the band stripped back to a bare trio – featuring bassist Matt Swanson and pianist Tony Crow – the music is delightfully pensive and melancholy. Yet it’s impossible to truly connect with Wagner thanks to the obsession with the digital processing of his vocals. It’s a shame, because the tunes mangled way back in the mix are supple and playful, recalling the gentle power of Talk Talk, with the shuffling drum work of ‘The Lasting Last of You’ a joy to behold. But there’s nothing persuasive about the cloaked sound of Wagner’s singing. And to think his music used to be a cut above… Geoff Cowart
CHAI PUNK
Heavenly Records March 15th CHAI’s infectious blend of electro-pop is on par with dance-punk legends The Julie Ruin in their latest effort Punk, both from a musical perspective and through their unquestionable ability to overturn expectations. Merging the kawaii influence and positivity of their debut album, Pink, with a powerful and unapologetic feminist standpoint, the Japanese fourpiece solidify their concept of self-expression and perfect imperfection without holding anything back. While the synth-fuelled ‘GREAT JOB’ discusses the holistic and therapeutic nature of cleaning, defiant tracks such as ‘I’m Me’ and ‘Fashionista’ expresses an urge to break away from societal expectations. Later, ‘Feel the BEAT’ pays homage to their earlier indie-rock roots, but the atmospheric dance beats of ‘FUTURE’ steal focus towards the end, combining dream-pop influences with a natural optimism. Kelly Ronaldson London in Stereo: 51
OHTIS CURVE OF EARTH Full Time Hobby March 29th Curve Of Earth is the incredibly h o n e s t debut album from Ohtis. Sculpted from frontman and songwriter Sam Swinson’s remarkable and painful personal experiences - an upbringing in a fundamentalist evangelical cult, time in and out of rehab battling heroin addiction, a friend’s fatal overdose - the collection of songs are as darkly melancholic as they are gently uplifting. There’s a wit and knowing-smile underlying everything Swinson does with the darkly upbeat ‘Rehab’, almost reminiscent of undeniably contagious early Noah And The Whale, offering a catchy, country-pop take on an incredibly difficult subject. ‘Running’ too offers a timeless, breezy Americana ditty on another heavyweight topic, forging links with others on the fringes of society. The eight-track LP paints a picture of hope, through examining the bleakest moments. George O’Brien
ROYAL TRUX WHITE STUFF Fat Possum March 8th
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE DOKO MIEN
Island Records // March 22nd Essential live, Ibibio Sound Machine kick off their third album with all the vivacity of their in-the-flesh shows – the horn‘n’synth-led Afrofunk of ‘I Need You To Be Sweet Like Sugar’ precedes the outright disco of ‘Wanna Come Down’ and the high-energy electro of ‘Tell Me’. Such a hyperactive approach could exhaust over a whole studio album, so ISM punctuate Doko Mien with subtler pleasures, from the anthemic electronic spiritualism of ‘I Will Run’ to some cool, jazz-flecked desert blues. Throughout, frontwoman Eno Williams’ vocal switches between the English language of her birthplace and the Nigerian Ibibio of her formative years, a fusion of the sort that characterises the diverse spirit of Doko Mien, giving it legs beyond only the dancefloor or well-trampled festival field. Nick Mee
To me, Royal Trux always sounded like what might happen if you asked people who’d never heard rock’n’roll to form a band based on what they’d picked up from reading Lester Bangs articles while high; all the tropes were present, but in a frighteningly, fantastically, fucked up way. Thankfully, the same is also true of their first album in 19 years. White Stuff is one of Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema’s more “tuneful” records, but it still makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The paranoid skronks of ‘Every Day Swan’ and ‘Year of the Dog’ terrify me. They are my favourite tracks. Oh, and ‘Get Used to This’ has Kool Keith on it, for some reason. Album of the year? Fucked if I know. But, yeah. Maybe. Thomas Hannan
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF
TUE 19 MARCH
SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO AND DEEP THROAT CHOIR PERFORM MURMURATIONS
MAFALDA PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS WED 20 MARCH
THE ORIELLES
MELLAH CREWEL INTENTIONS PLUS DJS TBA
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY 20 YEAR OLD ENTRY FEE 20 YEAR OLD BAR PRICES & CLOAKROOM
SCALA.CO.UK EATYOUROWNEARS.COM TICKETS ON DICE.FM
our selection of the best shows coming up this month
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
NONAME
MADEINTYO
March 29th & 30th £26.60 adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
March 20th £20.00adv // @O2Islington
Angel
SASAMI
WORRIEDABOUTSATAN + LOWERING March 5th £8adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE DOME CUPCAKKE March 29th £22.50adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Tuffnell Park
THE LEXINGTON SASAMI March 8th £8adv // @thelexington
Angel
THE WAITING ROOM GABE GURNSEY
MERCY’S CARTEL
March 8th £11adv // @WaitingRoomN16
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
MERCY’S CARTEL March 25th £7.50adv // @CamdenAssembly
POZI + CHARISMATIC MEGAFAUNA Chalk Farm / Camden Town
March 20th FREE // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
BRIXTON WINDMILL
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM TO THE RATS AND WOLVES March 22nd £12adv // @BostonMusicRoom
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
DAMO SUZUKI Tuffnell Park
March 24th £13adv // @WindmillBrixton
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL
RINA SAWAYAMA + GEORGIA + SUZI WU
GRACE PETRIE
March 27th £10adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
March 5th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £17adv // @Bushhallmusic
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN PUMA BLUE + BABEHEAVEN + MIINK March 28th £15adv // @HoxtonSquareBar
Old Street
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE ÁINE March 26th £9adv // @paperdressed RINA SAWAYAMA
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
PHONOX PANTHA DU PRINCE (LIVE) + YU SU
LOSKI March 25th £20adv // @O2ForumKTown
Hackney Central
Kentish Town
March 24th £10adv // @phonox_london
Brixton
LAZY DAY
JAZZ CAFE MALCOLM LONDON + BUSDRIVER + BENIN CITY + CON SENSUS March 21st £15adv // @TheJazzCafe
Camden Town
XOYO THEOPHILUS LONDON + JIMOTHY LACOSTE March 27th £15adv // @XOYO_London
Old Street / Liverpool Street
EARTH LUKE ABBOTT + JACK WYLLIE + REEPS ONE + ANDREA BELFI March 29th £15adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
OSLO LAZY DAY + LIZ LAWRENCE March 28th £10adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB EFFRA + ADAM BEATTIE March 18th £10adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street London in Stereo: 57
IDA KUDO VERA HOTSAUCE COLOR DOLOR
(DK)
(SE)
(FI)
THURSDAY 21 ST MARCH 7.30 PM T H E L E X I N G T O N , L O N D O N , N1 9JB ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM BILLETTO £5 MEMBERS / £8 NON-MEMBERS TWITTER.COM/JAJAJANORDIC
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month. Friday 1st March
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Saturday 2nd March
Sunday 3rd March
Monday 4th March
Tuesday 5th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
Wednesday 6th March Thursday 7th February
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LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 8th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
Saturday 9th March
Sunday 10th March
Monday 11th March
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday 13th March
Tuesday 12th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
Thursday 14th March
Friday 15th March
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Saturday 16th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
Tuesday 19th March
Sunday 17th March
Monday 18th March
Wednesday 20th March
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 22nd March
Thursday 21st March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
Saturday 23rd March
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday 24th March
Tuesday 26th March
Monday 25th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS Thursday 28th March
Wednesday 27th March
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 29th March
Saturday 30th March
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MARCH LISTINGS
Sunday 31st March
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Monday 1st April
Wednesday 3rd April
Tuesday 2nd April
Thursday 4th April
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
APRIL LISTINGS Friday 5th April
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Saturday 6th April
Monday 8th April
Tuesday 9th April
Sunday 7th April
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
APRIL LISTINGS
Wednesday 10th April
Friday 12th April
Thursday 11th April
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
CROOKED COLOURS
OUMOU SANGRE
STONEFIELD
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
FAR CASPIAN
G FLIP
7 Mar Scala
8 Mar Roundhouse
WOOZE
15 Mar Off The Cuff
SURGE #1
16 Mar The Glove that Fits
BROTHER ALI 19 Mar Jazz Cafe
RINA MUSHONGA 19 Mar Shacklewell Arms
10 Apr EartH
11 Apr The Shacklewell Arms
GO DARK
12 Apr Old Blue Last
DAWN
16 Apr Jazz Cafe
ALICE PHOEBE LOU 17 Apr EartH
ANNA ST. LOUIS ELENA SETIEN
18 Apr The Lexington
WOMAN’S HOUR
TELEMAN
AKALA: IN CONVERSATION
VERA SOLA
STEVE WYNN
WILLIAM TYLER
11 Mar The Dome 24 Mar EartH
25 Mar St Pancras Old Church
ANNA OF THE NORTH 25 Mar Village Underground
COLOSSAL SQUID 27 Mar The Shacklewell Arms
MALIK DJOUDI 27 Mar Pickle Factory
KOKOKO! 4 Apr XOYO
24 Apr EartH
24 Apr The Lexington
25 Apr St John on Bethnal Green
BARRIE 26 Apr Moth Club
13 May The Lexington 15 May The Garage
TRUDY AND THE ROMANCE
21 May Oslo
JACCO GARDNER 22 May The Dome
TOMBERLIN 24 May The Lexington
OPEN MIKE EAGLE 24 May Islington Assembly Hall
FM-84 26 May
Electric Brixton
STRAND OF OAKS 27 May OMEARA
MAYRA ANDRADE 30 May EartH
FIL BO RIVA
CASS MCCOMBS
1 May Oslo
6 June EartH
LONNIE HOLLEY
KEVIN MORBY
8 May St John on Bethnal Green
CHARLY BLISS
19 June O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
13 May The Garage
rockfeedback.com
“I love listening to the sounds of London accents (even though I can’t quite distinguish them apart)...”
photo: Goledzinowsk
by
Sônge
I’ve long been fascinated by the UK, and specifically its famous coleslaw – at least that’s what I thought… I was in summer camp in Exeter when I discovered the famous local coleslaw. My teenage years were revolutionised by this discovery and I quickly began asking my mother to buy me that dish. Every bite made me feel “so British” and reminded me of the UK in the summer. That was until the day I discovered that coleslaw was not a classic British dish at all but in fact a traditional Dutch delicacy. My life has been turned upside down! That day was actually yesterday, while Googling the spelling of the word – I am still shook as I am typing this up. However, that does not change my love for the UK and its capital, as every other month I claim: “I’m moving to London!” I love London for its ebullition, its musical avant-gardism, its liveliness, its unique
street-style, its cultural richness, its mystery. I love listening to the sounds of London accents (even though I can’t quite distinguish them apart). I love this culture so similar to mine yet so radically different. And most importantly I love its vivid nightlife. After my last gig at Birthdays, we ended up exploring at the club next door. They had mad DJs playing all night, everything from UK bass, to house and grime (which I love) and the atmosphere was buzzing. I also reminisce about the New Year’s Eve I spent in Whitechapel, and the plane home I almost missed because of a party that never finished. I’ve been told that if you ever arrive late to the airport, perhaps deep down you never want to leave. ♥ Sônge’s debut album Flavourite CÂLÂ, is released March 28th via Parlaphone / Warner France. @SONGEMusic
@songemusic London in Stereo: 79
SOLD OU
T
SOLD OU
T
“Del 74 on Kingsland Road is a Mexican place that has the best tequila/taco happy hour deal in the land.....”
with
Crows’
Jith Amarasinghe
Why do you live in London? Crows all moved to London from small towns. We initially moved for university but also for the need to be around more like-minded people and to experience new culture. London continues to inspire us in that way, whether that be new music, art and events, or just by being part of a more diverse community. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? I work a restaurant job to pay the bills so a lot of the places I go to eat and drink are places that are either run by friends or have decent deals that make it easier on the wallet. Nelson’s Head pub is a cozy traditional boozer, just off Columbia Road; perfect for a casual pint and has the plus of having a log fire. Shacklewell Arms is the place I go to if I want to get a pint and see music. Del 74 on Kingsland Road has the best tequila/taco happy-hour deal in the land. Pueblito Paisa cafe is my local restaurant in Seven Sisters. Authentic Colombian food that is also super cheap. Do you have any favourite venues? Shacklewell Arms for small bands, Brixton Academy for the big ones. What’s the worst thing about London? It can be really fucking expensive.
How do you spend one really great day here? Go to a different part of the city you’ve not been to. London is the greenest city in the world so there are plenty of parks and woodland areas. All the museums are free. Go to them. Go to ethnic food markets and eat something new. What’s the bit of London you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t? I’m really close to Walthamstow Marshes and a really great Latino food market. Does living here influence your music? Inspiration usually comes from watching others and my own personal state of mind. Living in London has a part to play in these things but i don’t think this particular city defines my musical output. People create and get inspired no matter where they live. How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? I would say don’t be afraid to go out and do things yourself: you don’t need other people to make the most of it. Crows release their debut album, Silver Tongues, March 22nd via Balley Records. LIVE: The Dome, Tufnell Park, May 2nd @__CROWS
@crowsband London in Stereo: 81
Pop music operates within a gleeful sphere of very little concrete certainty: it glides and bops with mischievous joy, rightly mocking anyone trying to suffocate it in empirical knowledge and unwavering certitude. We ain’t in it for stats and facts. We want exactly zero graphs. We don’t even give a damn who’s number one anymore. Also, here are some pop facts: 1) The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ is the greatest song that’s ever been recorded. 2) The Ramones’ cover of The Ronettes’ ‘Baby I Love You’ is the second greatest. 3) When Beyoncé opened her Glastonbury set with ‘Crazy In Love’ followed by ‘Single Ladies’ it was the greatest opening to a show humans ever witnessed.
It’s Sunday evening, late January, in Camden: Ronnie Spector has just sauntered onstage and opened with ‘Baby I Love You’. Somewhere in the world – in a place decidedly not Camden – a bead of sweat rolls down Beyoncé’s brow... Now, you might be like, ‘mate, you’ve opened up this very short review with a lot of rambling nonsense, can we have some stuff about the actual show now?’ And, do you know what? No you can‘t. This isn’t our regular nights watching regular bands with their regular songs. This is Ronnie Spector and I’m not weighing down these pages with set-list yawns and, wait a minute, holy hell it’s January 27th and she’s playing ‘Sleigh Ride’.
Photography: John Williams
What you need to know about this show is that Marie Kondo’s definition of ‘joy’ was (probably) settled upon tonight (“So much sparking, pal,” she was maybe heard to mutter). We sit here, in the cosy confines of Roundhouse’s In The Round series, and gladly let Ronnie tell us tales she’s definitely told a million times before, and still fills with enough charm to help us half-believe we’re the first people to ever hear them. A sweet Beach Boys anecdote leads into the dreamiest version of ‘Don’t Worry Baby’, a tribute to Amy Winehouse segues into an impeccable ‘Back to Black’ and it turns out that ‘I’m So Young’ was originally The Students and not The Ronettes, and who knew? Oh, you all knew.
But even through all this wonder, there’s a tangible sense of “I need to hear that drum beat, and then I’ll know that song is about to start”. ‘Be My Baby’ is the greatest song ever recorded. Think I maybe saw Kondo crying pure glitter during the chorus. It’s such a thrill that the years haven’t turned it into pantomime, that in the soul of Ronnie Spector it remains vital and alive and, to be honest, the deities can be damned for not allowing it to last forever. Except, holy hell, the night finishes on ‘I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine’ and ‘I Can Hear Music’ and really it’s all a lot to deal with. I saw Ronnie Spector and it was better than Beyoncé. That’s a fact, that’s a fact. Dave Rowlinson London in Stereo: 83
03/19 The MOTH Club Valette Street, London E8 Saturday 2 March
TEETH OF THE SEA Monday 11 March
FEELS Tuesday 12 March
UNGE FERRARI Wednesday 20 March
BAYONNE Saturday 23 March
ALEX ZHANG HUNGTAI The Shacklewell Arms
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St, N16 Tuesday 5 March
MARY OCHER Wednesday 6 March
SCALPING Thursday 7 March
SAVOIR ADORE Friday 8 March
GABE GURNSEY Saturday 9 March
IDENTIFIED PATIENT Monday 11 March
CHRISTOF VAN DER VEN Wednesday 13 March
71 Shacklewell Lane, London E8
NAOMI BANKS
Saturday 2 March
Studio9294
ORVILLE PECK Monday 11 March
CALVIN LOVE Tuesday 12 March
MOZES & THE FIRSTBORN Friday 22 March
BLEIB MODERN Monday 25 March
DAVID NANCE GROUP
92 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN Saturday 9 March
RENDEZ-VOUS, FIRST HATE Saturday 27 April
TEST PRESSING FESTIVAL: MOON DUO, A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS Thursday 23 May
VIAGRA BOYS
Access: Honey, Stairs, Strangers and Friends by Mackinlay Ingham If you asked a promoter about the main challenges of putting on a live music event, responses might follow the trend of; not ending up in debt, persuading the public to leave the comfort of their sofa on a Saturday evening or finding organic Manuka honey five minutes before the show as per the artist’s request. You probably wouldn’t hear someone say “being able to go to the loo”. Well, unless you were talking to me. My name is Mackinlay, I am a promoter and I also use a wheelchair. I recently graduated with a degree in music management and the transition from attending and organising gigs in Cornwall where I studied, to London, the beating-heart of the UK music industry is a huge change, but many things are uncannily familiar. Like having to be carried up and down the stairs by very drunk strangers, which I don’t really mind because what better way to make an entrance? However, when it comes to my job, when I am meant to be in complete control, to be limited not by my skill-set but by my physical ability, that I mind.
Grass-root venues are notoriously inaccessible due to the age of the buildings and the limited budget to make adaptations. Not only does this create challenges if it’s your job to run around a venue making sure artists are in the right place, but also how can you discover new talent to promote if you can’t get into the venues to watch them? The answer: people. I have put on gigs in venues from local social clubs to the Roundhouse in Camden and the one common denominator in their success is the people I get to work alongside. The music industry is built on relationships. I may not be able to go to every gig or set the tech up but I know people who can. I have the skillset to bring them together and provide stages for amazing artists like Stealing Sheep and Rebecca Garton. It’s going to take more than a flight of stairs to stop me promoting!
Mackinlay Ingham is an independent promoter, and founder of The F Word (Gigs For All. Made By Women. Promoting gender equality in the music industry). Catch the next show being put on: Eva-Lina plays Moth Club, March 8th, as part of International Women’s Day. Find the F Word on Twitter and Facebook @TheFWord24
London in Stereo: 85
PRESENTS
THE BROTHER BROTHERS Wednesday 27 March Bush Hall
Friday 29th March 2019
The Slaughtered Lamb
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
PRESENTS
J AWS THU 25 APRIL ELECTRIC BALLROOM
T U E S DAY 0 9 A P R I L THE GAR AGE
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
ALICE M E RTON
ARCTIC LAKE
24 MAR / SCALA
03 APR / OSLO
03 APR / GARAGE
17 APR / SCALA
PLUS THE NIGHT CAFÉ & VISTAS
18 APR / THE COURTYARD
26 APR / ROUNDHOUSE
THE BLINDERS 30 APR / SCALA
17 AUG / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON