DAWES
Islington Assembly Hall London T 04 | 11OU | 19 SOLD
AADAE
Set Space London 10 | 11 | 19
METHYL ETHEL Brixton Electric London 13 | 11 | 19
HOLDING PATTERNS
Paper Dress Vintage London 13 | 11 | 19
EZRA BRUNO The Grace London 16 | 11 | 19
BETH ROWLEY
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
Moth Club London 01 | 12 | 19
Eventim Apollo London 15 | 02 | 20
SOEUR
The Black Heart
THE MENZINGERS
London 03 | 12 | 19
O2 Forum Kentish Town
FENNE LILY
London 15 | 02 | 20
Sebright Arms London T SOLD 04 | 12OU | 19
EVIL SCARECROW
AMYL & THE SNIFFERS
Electric Ballroom London 16 | 02 | 20
The Underworld London T 05 | 12OU | 19 SOLD
LANA DEL REY The O2
SNOW PATROL
Royal Albert Hall London T 05 | 12OU | 19 SOLD
London 25 | 02 | 20
ROE
The Waiting Room
NIA WYN
AMYL & THE SNIFFERS
London 19 | 11 | 19
London SO|LD 07 12OU | 19T
KID KAPICHI
SNOW PATROL
THE TELESCOPES
London 11 | 03 | 20
London 20 | 11OU | 19T SOLD
London 12 | 12 | 19
THE CAT EMPIRE
The Waiting Room
Royal Albert Hall
BABYBIRD 100 Club London 21 | 11 | 19
THE DUKE SPECIAL
Union Chapel London 23 | 11 | 19
YOUNG KNIVES The Lexington London 25 | 11OU | 19T SOLD
London 26 | 02 | 20
Studio 9294
Moth club
Shacklewell Arms
INME
Boston Music Rooms London 26 | 01 | 20
HIBOU
Sebright Arms London 01 | 02 | 19
GEIKE
St Pancras Old Church
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London 12 | 03 | 20
JAMIE CULLUM Palladium London T 18 03OU | 20 SO|LD
JAMIE CULLUM Palladium London 19 | 03 | 20
London 05 | 02 | 20
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P R E S E N T S
OUT FRIDAYSO 06 LDDECEMBER EXTRA DATE ADDED DUE TO DEMAND
SAT 07 DECEMBER 2019
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON LONDON
X
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CELEBRATING THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF
TO LOSE MY LIFE
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH X-RAY
AUTUMN TOUR PLUS SPECIAL GUEST
SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2019
BRIXTON ELECTRIC LONDON
RAZORLIGHTOFFICIAL.COM
THURSDAY 07 NOVEMBER 2019
ELECTRIC BALLROOM L O NDO N
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL
B Y
A R R A N G E M E N T
FRIDAY 07 FEBRUARY 2020
THE DRUMSHEDS KANOMUSIC.COM
LONDON
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OPIA ÓLAFUR ARNALDS RHYE POPPY ACKROYD GRANDBROTHERS HÖGNI & ENSEMBLE HANIA RANI JOSIN
ÓLAFUR ARNALDS PRESENTS
OPIA LATES KIASMOS (LIVE) VAAL (DJ) AMBIENT IMPROVISATIONS (FT. RHYE, ÓLAFUR & GUESTS)
November is almost here and it's bringing with it some beautiful autumnal vibes and, obviously, some great records. It is a total treat to have actual real life legend Kim Gordon on our cover this month. Her debut solo album is absolutely some of her best ever work and it's out now so make sure you get listening. In other HUGE news, November also marks the month we launch a brand new magazine. Yep, you heard that right, another one. To add to our London and Bristol editions, we're adding Berlin in Stereo to the roster and we're ridiculously excited to get on the streets and welcome a whole new scene to our pages. Follow us on socials or sign up to the newsletter to keep up to date, See you there.
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Vegyn - Nauseous/Devilish (feat. JPEGMAFIA) Dave: Zedd & Kehlani - Good Thing Loki: Otha - Tired and Sick Danny: DJ Spoony - Flowers Ft. Sugababes Gemma: Kano - Class of Deja ft D Double E & Ghetts Kezia: 33EMYBW - Arthropods Continent (ft. Li Jianhong) Katie: Joy Orbison - Burn (Ft Infinite & Mansur Brown) KANO photo: Olivia Rose
Jack: Caribou - Home London in Stereo: 07
INTERVIEWS 22
REVIEWS
ANNA OF THE NORTH
82
40
16
GIRL RAY 56
FEATURES
20 81
LIVE
WHAT’S ON
SUDAN ARCHIVES
12
ALBUM RELEASES
KIM GORDON
28
36
46
59
NEW SOUNDS
EVENTS
GIGS OF THE MONTH
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS Kim Gordon cover story: page 28
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 85
THOUGHTS...
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@instereomag.com
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@instereomag.com
Online Editor: Kezia Cochrane kezia@instereomag.com
Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@instereomag.com
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@instereomag.com
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
Advertising: sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
Photography: Kim Gordon cover story: Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Contributors: Geoff Cowart, Georgia Evans, Rachel Finn, Thomas Hannan, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Robin Murray, Stephanie Phillips, Ari Sawyer, Caitlin Scott, Francisco Gonçalves Silva, Harriet Taylor, Lee Wakefield, Megan Wallace, Madeline Wrench. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 09
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
THURSDAY 14 AND FRIDAY 15 MAY
THE O2, LONDON AEGPRESENTS.CO.UK | AXS.COM | TICKETMASTER .CO.UK N I C KC AV E .CO M GHOSTEEN NEW ALBUM OUT NOW
SCALPING (photo: Rowan Allen)
BIIG PIIG
TOP TEN: New Sounds Aves - Gem of the Ocean (feat. JFDR) Amun - Cycle (feat. Safe) Greentea Peng - Mr Sun Wives - Servants Arlo Parks - Second Guessing Girlhood - Keep on Hana Vu - Outside Doja Cat - Bottom Bitch Biig Piig - Roses and Gold Fauness - Soon There Will Be No Summer FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
SCALPING by Gemma Samways Whimsical melodies and dreamy harmonies are all well and good, but there are times when only abrasive feedback and skull-caving beats will suffice. If, for you, that time is now, SCALPING’s brutal, scorched earth approach should be just the thing to frazzle your synapses. Pushing the boundaries of a traditional band set-up, the Bristol-based quartet make pulverising, techno-tinged EBM that sounds like some thrilling, mutant hybrid of Factory Floor, Death In Vegas and Fuck Buttons. In fact, they’ve already won the approval of one half of the latter, having recently opened for Blanck Mass, as well as Black Midi and Marie Davidson.
All three of the instrumentals they’ve released this year have been killer, but latest track ‘Ruptured’ is their filthiest so far, featuring a sinuous groove that slices through throbbing, acid-tinged synths and a thick fog of guitar distortion. It’s anarchic and brutal, but most of all it’s fun; the kind of music to get lost in on the dance-floor. Live, SCALPING are a must-see, capable of giving any venue’s subwoofers a thorough work-out. Combine this blistering wall of noise with disorientating projections by visual artist/honorary band member Jason Baker, and the whole experience is deeply unsettling. In the best possible sense. LISTEN TO: Ruptured
DIANA GORDON (photo: Kelly Jeffrey)
@scalpingmusic
DIANA GORDON by Jess Partridge With last years EP, Pure waking the world up to the emotive, slicklyproduced and somewhat throwback pop sound of Diana Gordon, latest single 'Becoming' is really getting their attention. Bold and celebratory, she's breaking out of a her song-writing past to become a star in her own right. With Grammys from writing the likes of Beyonce's 'Sorry' and Dua Lipa's 'Electricity', it's no surprise her euphoric sound resonated so instantly with us. It's like an old friend returning. LISTEN TO: Becoming @DianaGordon London in Stereo: 13
229.LONDON 229 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN Cattle Decapitation
Paddy James
31 OCTober
22 november
Halloween Party - 90s vs 00s 31 OCTober
Faded - Haunted Halloween 1 november
FUGITIVES OF HEAVEN 1 november
Jonah Matranga 4 november
Lock & Key 7 november
Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners 7 november
DYING IN DESIGNER 12 november
PETTY CRIMINALS 15 november
THE SPECIALS LTD 16 november
THE ROOM 16 november
SIGNAL 17 november
JADIS 18 november
POLY-MATH + BODY HOUND 20 november
THERESA BAZAR 20 november
Natacha Atlas + Amy Swift 20 november
Mike Stern + Jeff Lorber 22 november
The Motans 23 november
Halott Pénz 15 24 november
FSO 26 november
Martin Stephenson & The Daintees 29 november
Katy Hurt 29 november
Bashment & Chill 29 november
Megan O’Neill 05 DECEMBER
UK Subs 06 DECEMBER
Lisa Canny 12 DECEMBER
The Midnight Beast 12 DECEMBER
PRETTY VICIOUS 13 DECEMBER
London Calling 14 DECEMBER
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on
Tonkotsu - Shoreditch We’re always careful in these pages to not play favourites, to not say ‘this place is the best’, so... we’re just going to say if there’s better ramen in London than Tonkotsu’s, then we haven’t tried it. And we’ve tried a lot. Those rich, deep flavours, those always-fresh house-made noodles, that satisfying slurp as you finish off the last of the broth. And that’s before we’ve even got to the sides (London in Stereo deadline nights have seen more delivered chicken kara-age and gyozas than is probably best to think about), and their infamous Eat The Bits chilli oil. Got this far and been too distracted to even mention why we’re writing this. There’s a new Tonkotsu! It’s in Shoreditch! Praise the ramen lord. OPEN NOW, 1 ANNING STREET, EC2A 3LQ tonkotsu.co.uk // @tonkotsulondon
Skate Lates Yep, it’s that time again. The nights are cold and dark, you’re wearing your warmest clothes, and it’s best if every drink is mulled. What do we do at this time of year? We turn to the plethora of London ice rinks and smoothly glide round in effortless fashion, wowing everyone with our skate skills. Probably. There’s no more iconic or picturesque rink than the one at Somerset House, so we’re thrilled the Skate Lates series is back, meaning we can do that gliding sound-tracked by the DJ selections of faves like Nabihah Iqbal, Krankbrother, Joe Goddard, Rinse FM, Oh Annie Oh and many more. Get the zamboni ready. NOVEMBER 13TH - JANUARY 12TH, Somerset House somersethouse.org.uk // @SomersetHouse
Everybody Loves Lizzo Lizzo’s positivity has been a defining part of 2019, the year she’s finally had her longdeserved breakthrough. Both preaching and practising a message of body positivity and equality, she’s been in inspirational form. This new night at Moth Club feeds off that inspiration to bring us a huge evening of dancing to equally strong women. Want to be where Charli XCX, Janelle Monae, Robyn, Rihanna and Dolly Parton are being played? Then be here. If you don’t well... that’s weird tbh. NOVEMBER 15TH, MOTH CLUB
Chick’n’Sours - Spitalfields Joining Tonkotsu in the migration to the Shoreditch area - residents, tourists and local workers alike will be salivating at the news that the people behind London’s most imaginative, innovative and simply damn tasty fried chicken are coming to E1. So what’s the deal at the new place? First off, for those of us in a constant lunchtime rush, there’s gonna be a handy take-away hatch to speed up your chicken sandwich purchase. Then you’ve got their famous whole fry which is now on the menu all week. Plus a full plant-based menu. Plus £5 cocktails. Plus, of course, the exciting monthly specials you’d expect. Even better, instead of the chaos of a soft launch and all the queuing that entails, you can just grab a QR code that’ll get you a free cocktail or portion of their wonderful Disco Wings throughout the whole of the launch month. OPENS EARLY NOVEMBER - 14 ARTILLERY PASSAGE, E1 7LJ chicknsours.co.uk/ // @chicknsours
Queen of Hoxton’s Winter Rooftop The Emerald City When winter rolls around we look up. We look to the Queen of Hoxton rooftop. The reason being that every year it provides the most fun and imaginative place to hide away from the end of year temperatures. This year their famous wigwam is going green, inspired by all things Emerald City and witchy. How witchy? Well, there are spell casting classes and a witchcraft market! For the non-witchy, you can still expect all the rooftop faves the fire-pits, a hidden bar, and a Kansasinspired menu that’ll keep vegans and carnivore alike happy. Are they serving hot buttered rum cocktails this year? Yes, yes they are. We think we’re gonna get through the season just fine. OPEN NOW QUEEN OF HOXTON, EC2A 3JX queenofhoxton.com @_queenofhoxton_ London in Stereo: 17
Academy Events present presents
presents
plus guests
HISTORY & LORE JUKE LUCID I DAY
NOVETMHE SESSIOBER N
STRANGE CAGES PSYENCE · CIEL + ACADEMY EVENTS DJs
Friday 22nd November 2019 O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON LONDON
WEDNESDAY 13th NOVEMBER 2019 O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON LONDON
Escape The City FEATURING
PLUS
ASH RADFORD TOBY JOHNSON HANNAH SCOTT JESSIE REID MONDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2019 O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON LONDON AMISTATMUSIC.COM/TOUR AN ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTATION
Vetiver plus special guests
Tuesday 17th December 2019 O2 Academy2 Islington London
presents
IMPERIAL LEISURE PLUS GUESTS
FRIDAY 20th DECEMBER 2019
O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON, LONDON
An Academy Events presentation by arrangement with ATC Live
TICKETMASTER.CO.UK & ALL USUAL AGENTS
Academy Events present
by arrangement with X-ray presents
plus special guest
Saturday 1st February 2020 O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London
Album out October 4th First single out now Here, Right Now presents
PLUS GUESTS
THU 14th NOVEMBER 2019
O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON LONDON
presents
THU 5 DEC 2019 MANCHESTER GORILLA FRI 6 DEC 2019 LONDON HEAVEN FOR PRE-SHOW UPGRADES GO TO HTTP://SHOP.POETSOFTHEFALL.COM A LIVE NATION & ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH K2 AGENCY
SUNDAY 10th NOVEMBER 2019 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON, LONDON
TICKETMASTER.CO.UK & ALL USUAL AGENTS
O ED T TO RAD UPG ROOM DUE D! MAIN IBLE DEMAN ED INCR
with INTRO Being reminded of the passage of time is all too often a bit of a slap to the ol’ boat-race - a nasty reminder of what you could have achieved in that time, or simply that you are now Quite Old, thank you! Sometimes though, it can be a sweet and heart-warming experience. Example? Sure. That time when the sweet people at Hand in Hive mentioned they were soon to turn five (five? How??) years old, and were throwing a party to celebrate that achievement. Having consistently released some of the our favourite music over that length of time, it seemed only right to invite the champs to take over our stereo to talk five tracks that been meant a lot to them during their existence. So here, we are. And here’s to the next five years! The Hand in Hive celebration takes place at The Lexington, November 21st. Tickets are free, with a £3 suggested donation to CALM on the door. handinhive.com / @HandInHive
TANCRED REVIEWS We were very lucky to work with Jess on her flawless Nightstand album in 2018 (which came out while we were on Tristan's stag do at Primavera thanks to our label buddies at Polyvinyl...). ‘Reviews’ was the first single from the record and is a gently eerie, crunching indie cut. No need to read the reviews; it's an indie banger.
TANCRED (photo: Shervin Lainez)
WYLDEST -45
WYLDEST photo: Tom Gaiger
‘-45’ is probably the most beautiful example of Wyldest's brand of shoegaze-pop. It's all about atmosphere with typically reverberating guitars leading the way as the song builds towards its swirling, punchy climax. The track is taken from the London band's 2017 EP Hitchhiker and is a real highlight of the live show.
SALTWATER SUN THE WIRE The "Slugs" were one of our first signings back in 2016. ‘The Wire’ is a real mammoth of a song and showcases what this band are all about; big riffs, soaring melodies and, on this track in particular, one of the best vocal performances from our five years of existence. Take a bow, Jen.
JEALOUS OF THE BIRDS photo: Vivian Wang
JEALOUS OF THE BIRDS MARROW Naomi is one of the most talented, versatile songwriters we've had the pleasure of working with. She's a real poet and this beautifully bucolic number - taken from her 2019 Wisdom Teeth EP - grows into one of the most empowering folk-pop songs you'll hear.
SWIMMING TAPES PASSING SHIPS
SALTWATER SUN
SWIMMING TAPES photo: Parri Thomas
‘PS’ was one of the first we heard from the band's album demos in 2017 - we knew it was special straight away. It's such an understated, beautiful few minutes of music - we loved the idea of it being the opening track on Morningside for that reason. Vintage, quintessential Swimming Tapes. London in Stereo: 21
words: Rachel Finn
ANNA OF THE NORTH
“The ‘Dream Girl’ is like ‘OK, shit, he doesn't love me! I love him! That sucks, but okay, I'll survive...”
s anyone who’s ever been hurled unexpectedly into a stressful life situation will be able to tell you, sometimes you’ve got to be thrown into the deep end to figure out whether you’re going to sink or swim. For Anna Of The North’s Anna Lotterud, that moment came shortly after the then-duo wrapped up the campaign for their debut album, Lovers. Anna parted ways with her producer/partner Brady Daniell-Smith, who’d made up the second half of Anna Of The North since the pair met in Melbourne in 2014, and faced the prospect of making her second album alone. “It felt really scary. Me and Brady worked together for three years or so, and he was my producer part, doing the things that I don't,” she admits, thinking back today from Oslo, where she’s currently based. “I play piano and guitar and sing, and I've produced a little, but that's not my strongest side. It was like losing that part of me, so I had to find that again. You just have to start over.”
London in Stereo: 23
A lot had happened since making that album. The break up-inspired dream-pop of Lovers had become an unexpected hit, one that had allowed Anna to travel the world playing her songs and even caught the attention of Tyler, The Creator, who invited her to appear on his 2017 album, Flower Boy. But, despite all their success and the benefits of working as a duo, it had sometimes been limiting; making new album, Dream Girl as a solo artist allowed her to explore a new sound without so many preconceived notions of what her music could be. While Lovers was full of glossy synth-pop, Dream Girl feels more raw or, as Anna describes it, “more organic,” and has given her more of a belief in her abilities as a musician. Trying to gain a bit more clarity about herself and where her life was going, Anna saw a psychologist after the campaign for Lovers ended. “It put it more in perspective, in a way,” she says on how the experience helped her music. “I think we're all quite similar. We're really complex and our brains are working in ways we don't understand. “It’s nice just having a person letting us know that it's absolutely normal to be like that - to be human. Talking to strangers sometimes can be really good because they don't have any expectations from you. It's the closest thing to meeting yourself for the first time.” This new-found confidence and clarity is found all over the new record, which Anna describes as “the moving on album”. On ‘Leaning On Myself’, Anna explores the experience of breaking out into a new situation on your own and feeling out the limits of your own independence, singing: “Lately, I don't need nobody else/ Just trying not to feel the way I felt.” On ‘Playing Games’, she addresses the pain you sometimes need to go through to come out stronger in the end, with the punchy chorus: “If it’s hurting, then it’s working, Oh my god!”
It also spills over into the album’s title. The Dream Girl featured on the title-track and album art, Anna explains, is fictitious, representing a standard that can’t be reached. A real-life ‘dream girl’ is not perfection in someone else’s eyes, but someone who’s good enough in her own. “The ‘Dream Girl’ is like ‘OK, shit, he doesn't love me! I love him! That sucks, but okay, I'll survive,’” she laughs. “It doesn't have to be about break ups. If you go through something shit, whatever you wanted to happen, or whatever you were longing for that you couldn't have, it's about being strong and open-minded, being like, well, something's out there, something else will come along.” “It’s not meant to be about being pretty but about saying in your head, in my world, I'm good enough.” Dream Girl is out now via [PIAS] LIVE: Kantine am Berghain, Berlin, November 1st Heaven, London, November 6th @anna_ofthenorth
@annaofthenorth
CLUBNIGHT
MATT MALTESE
CARI CARI
DERMOT KENNEDY APRE
SUN 3 NOVEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB MON 4 NOVEMBER OLD BLUE LAST
WED 27 NOVEMBER THE DOME, TUFNELL PARK
MON 2 & TUE 3 DECEMBER EVENTIM APOLLO
TWIN PEAKS WED 26 FEBRUARY ELECTRIC BRIXTON THU 27 FEBRUARY SCALA
SCARYPOOLPARTY BENJAMIN MON 9 & TUE 10 DECEMBER FRANCIS COLOURS LEFTWICH THU 27 FEBRUARY HALF MOON RUN HISS GOLDEN ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH THU 7 NOVEMBER MESSENGER ELECTRIC BRIXTON TUE 10 DECEMBER FRIEDBERG VILLAGE UNDERGROUND THU 5 MARCH JOSEPH THE WAITING ROOM TUE 12 NOVEMBER SAM FENDER BUSH HALL TUE 10 & WED 11 DECEMBER MICHAEL O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON KIWANUKA MAISIE PETERS 5 MARCH THE PAPER KITES THU THU 14 NOVEMBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON CHARTREUSE TUE 5 NOVEMBER FOLKLORE
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
NOAH KAHAN MON 18 NOVEMBER SCALA
HOLLOW COVES TUE 19 NOVEMBER DINGWALLS
RATIONALE
WED 20 NOVEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
SUN 15 DECEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
OUTLYA
PATRICK WATSON
THE LONE BELLOW
MOSA WILD
MON 16 DECEMBER THE LEXINGTON
WED 22 & THU 23 JANUARY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
FRI 6 MARCH O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON WED 11 MARCH SCALA
HALF MOON RUN
RAE MORRIS
RACHAEL & VILRAY THU 23 JANUARY COLOURS
NADA SURF
FOY VANCE
THE TESKEY BROTHERS
HIGHLY SUSPECT
LANTA
AVI KAPLAN
ZIGGY ALBERTS
CLEWS
BALCONY
SAM FENDER
JADE BIRD
BRUNO MAJOR
RATIONALE
JENS KUROSS
BEAR’S DEN
LEIF VOLLEBEKK
WED 20 & THU 21 NOVEMBER HOXTON HALL THU 21 NOVEMBER LONDON PALLADIUM TUE 26 NOVEMBER SEBRIGHT ARMS WED 27 NOVEMBER THE WAITING ROOM WED 27 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE WED 27 NOVEMBER ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
THU 23 JANUARY O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE TUE 28 & WED 29 JANUARY OMEARA WED 29 JANUARY THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY WED 29 & THU 30 JANUARY EARTH THU 20 FEBRUARY EVENTIM APOLLO
THU 12 MARCH ROUNDHOUSE
THU 12 MARCH ELECTRIC BALLROOM WED 18 MARCH ELECTRIC BALLROOM SAT 21 MARCH ROUNDHOUSE
THU 26 & FRI 27 MARCH ALEXANDRA PALACE
THU 9 APRIL O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE TUE 28 APRIL BUSH HALL
Kim Gordon words: Robin Murray photography: Parri Thomas
“I d idn’t want it to be bo r i n g and I d id n’ t wa nt it to b e conventi o n al . . .” im Gordon never really slows down. Since the end of Sonic Youth – and her marriage to Thurston Moore – she’s moved to Los Angeles, held art exhibitions, toured and recorded as one half of Body/Head, and written her outstanding memoir, Girl In A Band. Amidst this multidisciplinary whirlwind, it could be easy to overlook another milestone: her first true solo LP, the challenging, visceral, and utterly inspirational No Home Record. “It just hadn’t really occurred to me,” she says. “I mean, I have my art practice, and that’s something that is basically solo. I just started playing around with my guitar at home and borrowed a drum machine from a friend. It’s always nice to strip down to something basic.”
London in Stereo: 29
“I think people want some leadership in a cultural way because the world is so fucked up right now. And I am not that person.�
A West Coast kid in a New York band, the closure surrounding Sonic Youth freed Kim Gordon to re-settle in Los Angeles, exploring a city dominated by its dichotomy of twinkling cinematic mythology and broken down dystopia. Somehow, it’s both the Partridge Family and the Manson Family. “As one does in LA, you drive around a lot,” she chuckles. “I’ve always been interested in how LA is sort of creepy. I mean, outwardly it’s beautiful... but underneath that, it’s dark. Which makes it. Otherwise it would be kind of boring.” No Home Record is constantly shadowed by LA - ‘Get Yr Life Back’ was a phrase Kim saw on a chalk-board outside a hipster cafe, while ‘Sketch Artist’ was prompted by the complex homeless communities that proliferate areas of the city. “I felt like I was invading their privacy in some sort of way,” she says. The caustic, noise-drenched rocker ‘Air BnB’ is a playfully subversive salute to the rent-a-lifestyle ethos. “I mean it’s not like I am passing judgement so much...” she says, her voice tailing off. “OK, I am doing that a little bit!” The song has a debt to a less-than-satisfactory trip to a remote Californian canyon, sharing a property with some friends. “My friend picked it because it reminded her of Columbo!” Kim laughs. “We found the house and it was sort of dead, and it had these weird wind chimes... and we thought it was kind of creepy. It had shades of Charles Manson about it.” The Air BnB by rote design aesthetic floods through her press shots, hilariously asinine pictures that both celebrate and puncture the mundanity of online group-think. “Things that start out as a good idea often turn into something else when they proliferate,” she warns. “I was kind of mesmerised by how it looked like ready-made art to me. You can rent a lifestyle, which is essentially what is appealing, I guess. It’s sort of utopian.”
Engaging with the city that enveloped her, Kim Gordon began to collect these blasts of noise, before linking with producer Justin Raisen in the studio. A real powerhouse – he’s worked with Sky Ferreira and is locked in legal action with Lizzo – he summoned Kim into his life by using her name as a daily mantra. “He is a character,” she exclaims, her eyes darting around the room. “I mean he just seemed really open and I knew whatever I did he would elevate or make into a song.” It’s a partnership with a unique sense of balance. No Home Record is a spectacularly taut, ill-disciplined project, but it’s also one constructed with enormous precision – moving from glacial chimes to frenetic cyber-punk via Cramps-esque rockabilly and punk rock rage. The two would chop and change, making these deep incisions into the songs, re-arranging them in surreal and striking new ways. “I am kind of a minimalist,” she points out. “I like to think of the songs as little minimovies. It’s not that unlike rap music and hip-hop: it’s more about building up layers in the studio.” From the outset, Kim wanted to create music that was somehow different from what she had done before. “It’s just like when I was writing the memoir,” she explains. “My biggest fear was that it was going to be conventional and I didn’t want that. It had to be something that I could relate to. I didn’t want it to be boring and I didn’t want it to be conventional.” Kim Gordon is anything but conventional. A female musician of rare prominence in an underground still dogged by patriarchal mindsets, she’s always stood out. Take the lascivious ‘Hungry Baby’, a song that exposes sexual harassment by flipping the debate, and skewering the male viewpoint. “Things obviously haven’t changed,” she grimaces. “It has to start when people are young, and it has to deal with this greater inequality, in both culture and in the world.” London in Stereo: 31
“I still feel like a young girl when I’m writing and playing music, but I have so much more confidence now that I didn’t have back then.” Making large-scale statements of that nature isn’t something she finds easy. “It’s hard to make political music,” Kim points out. “I think people want some leadership in a cultural way because the world is so fucked up right now. And I am not that person.” No Home Record is a true solo album – it’s expressive, it’s the aural equivalent of Kim Gordon thrusting things down on canvas, and seeing what sticks. What with the memoir and now this, we point out, it’s almost like she’s writing herself back into her own story. “When I was writing the book, I actually felt like I had to really confront things instead of living in some sort of narration,” she explains, choosing each word carefully. “I still feel like a young girl when I’m writing and playing music, but I have so much more confidence now that I didn’t have back then.” The process of making an album isn’t something that worries her, she points out. “I’m only anxious in my daily life,” Kim adds with a gentle shrug. “I mean, there’s a lot of hand-wringing but then at a certain point, I say ‘fuck it, I can’t worry about this shit any more! I just have to do something.’ That’s just part of my process.” Having spent 40 years making music, the release of Kim Gordon’s debut solo album doesn’t phase her. “It’s a funny feeling, putting this object out in the world, even though music isn’t really an object any more,” she points out, before she smiles this long, infinite smile: “I suppose I feel kind of divorced from it.” No Home Record is out now via Matador. @KimletGordon
@KimGordonOfficial
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sudan archives words: Charlotte Krol photography: Alex Black
feel really good, but I also feel weird and anxious because it's like, ‘I didn't poop all the way’.” Sudan Archives is using bowel analogies to describe how she feels about her debut album Athena dropping (sorry) this month. “Until it’s out, I'm not going to be fully relieved,” she adds, giggling. “There’s nothing I can do right now. I can't take a laxative.” At least Sudan can take some comfort in knowing that Athena is worth the wait. It hears the 25-year-old Cincinnati native (real name Brittney Parks) retain her violin-meets-drum machine creations, but flesh them out with grander orchestral sonics. If her 2017 debut self-titled EP and its 2018 follow-up, Sink, were the bones of her oft soulful, experimental violin music, then Athena is the meat. This has arisen partly by working with others for the first time. Sudan, who’s lived in LA for the last five years, says the main goal for her debut album was for everything to sound “bigger”. She enlisted producers, including Washed Out and Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, Adele) and set about crafting a record that would allow for new ideas to surface.
“I think sonically [Athena] has more depth,” Sudan says over the phone. “I wanted to make sure the album has the cool texture that the EPs have, but to be really full. One time, when I was at the studio, there were like 10 cleaning ladies there and I asked them all to come in and clap. I was just trying to get a bigger sound. This album is more of a representation of all of my musical influences.”
“ . . . yo u h ave t o e m b ra c e t h e l i g ht a n d t h e d a r k n e s s w i t h i n yo u . I t ’s h ow i t i s w i t h s u p e r h e ro e s , g o d d e s s e s , i nf l u e nt i a l p e o p l e . . .” McDonald, in particular, imbued Sudan with a more classical violin-playing style. He would ask her to play melodies on her instrument “for a long, long time” to help develop “a crazy arrangement” that she may not have thought of – especially for album track, ‘Down On Me’. “It felt really good to collaborate,” Sudan says, “because doing stuff alone gets boring. It’s great to be like, ‘Oh, I have all these people that are part of the vision.’ And if it sucks, just blame it on them,” she says, laughing.
London in Stereo: 37
‘Down On Me’ is also the song that introduces more open and autobiographical stories. It's in stark contrast with Sudan’s often oblique lyricism. On the track, she sings about a real-life situation in which a man only became romantically interested in her once he’d learnt that she was an artist. “All I've ever sung about is love, but just very vaguely about it,” Sudan says. “Maybe just how I feel and how I love and how love makes me react. But on the album, I'm speaking about how others perceive me – how they love me.” She continues to explain that this lover had originally “bluntly” told her that he didn’t like to date black girls. “But he felt a connection with me,” she says. “It's weird because he’s black too. I felt like I had something to prove, like I had to, like, reinforce some values in him. The song is almost me as a praying mantis; I wanted to reel him in and then bite his head off.” Song lyricist, James McCall, encouraged her to write about the experience in ‘Down On Me’. While Sudan admits it’s actually her least favourite song on Athena (because of the music’s “romantic Disneyland vibe”), she appreciates that it’s “kinda badass” because “I had that twist to it lyrically mapped.” In truth, she prefers to come up with “a crazy concept and code everything” to make her songs open to interpretation. “But here I’m bringing up issues about colourism and stuff that I normally wouldn't want to talk about. I feel like ‘Down On Me’ probably was a situation where – if I wasn't working with other people – that wouldn't have happened.” Beyond that song, what is the album’s overarching theme? “The key message is that you have to embrace the light and the darkness within you. It’s how it is with superheroes, goddesses, influential people. That's probably what it takes to really make something of yourself: to be able to just embrace all parts of yourself, have it there on the frontline instead of trying to hide one part or the other.” It’s no wonder, then, that Sudan is both excited and apprehensive about Athena’s release. She’s exposed more sides of herself than before. Surely, it’s for the better. Athena is released November 1st via Stones Throw LIVE: Säälchen, Berlin, November 12th Corsica Studios, London, November 19th @sudanarchivesy
@thesudanarchives
GIRL R AY
words: Ari Sawyer photography: Laura McCluskey
“I felt free to write about things other than my own personal life. I kind of wanted to go a bit off-piste and write some stuff that wasn’t all just diary entries...” Poppy Hankin
ronting an all-female band in 2019 comes with expectations. With hundreds of records released every month that centre around political concepts and social commentary, it’s only right to expect Girl, the second album from North London trio, Girl Ray, to follow suit. Yet, as frontwoman, Poppy Hankin explains, music doesn’t have to be about making a statement. Sometimes finding a great record that you can dance and have fun to might be all you need. Taking a break from the band’s DJ set at Headrow House in Leeds, Poppy leaves drummer, Iris McConnell and bassist, Sophie Moss in charge, heading outside to discuss their love of pop, their upcoming tour, and the importance of enjoying a great record. “We’ve said in the past it should be all about the music, and we don’t really want people to focus on if we’re all girls or if we’re younger.
People should take what they want to take from the music. We didn’t want it to be an album for any particular ‘in crowd’, or whatever. We wanted it to be accessible for everyone and not be too exclusive about it.” United by their love of music and a desire to create, the three-piece came together during sixth form, obsessed with the idea of starting a band. “We’d get together during school holidays and play guitar terribly together. When we were about sixteen or seventeen, we thought ‘right, we’ve actually got to make this happen somehow’.” Despite their drive and enthusiasm, the trio maintain their everyday, twenty-something lives alongside band commitments almost effortlessly. Between working day jobs in pubs, restaurants and record stores, Girl Ray focus their creative energy and pour it into their musical endeavours, neatly side-stepping the pressure of a follow-up and allowing inspiration to come naturally. “We’ve taken our time with [this album], and now is the right time to put it out there.” London in Stereo: 41
Fuelled by an appreciation for mainstream pop, the band’s latest offering, produced by Ash Workman (Christine and the Queens, Metronomy), marks a breezy, laid-back tribute to some of the biggest female names in the music industry. “There’s so much exciting stuff going on in pop at the moment,” says Poppy, “especially with women in pop. I’ve personally been listening to a lot of Rosalía, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Ariana… all the big hitters. I’ve been just watching them in awe as they’ve grown super successful and keep releasing bangers.” Marking the halfway point on the record, R&B track, ‘Takes Time’, features a vocal collaboration with London rapper PSwuave. “There are so many cool London MCs popping up who are women. I was trying to write a melody for the instrumental in the verses of the song, and it just wasn’t coming. It’s such a sparse beat, and it was hard to find a vocal melody that would fit well with it. We started looking around for London MCs and by coincidence, our manager knew PSwuave, and her sound was exactly what we wanted.” Tired of playing their old songs hundreds of times, Girl moves away from the lo-fi vibes and teen angst of their debut album, Earl Grey, and branches out into a fresh, beat-
heavy pop sound, while giving themselves a chance to experiment with new concepts of love, life and growing up. “[With this album] I felt free to write about things other than my own personal life. I kind of wanted to go a bit off-piste and write some stuff that wasn’t all just diary entries, you know? The first songs that we released were quite naive and raw. Because we were putting out songs at such a young age, they were kind of unfiltered - and I guess that was kinda cool. Your teens are such a transitional time, so that definitely impacted on how we sounded and what we were writing about.” Later this month, Girl Ray will be supporting Metronomy on their UK tour, including a show at London’s Roundhouse on 8th November. “If there’s a good feeling in the audience, then it’s so contagious," says Poppy, "and it feels amazing to play for them. Especially if they know your stuff - that’s the best feeling ever. We’re such fans of Metronomy and we have been for a while, so being part of that gig experience will be really fun.” Girl is released November 8th via Moshi Moshi. LIVE: The Fleece, Bristol, February 25th Electric Ballroom, London, February 26th Kantine am Berghain, Berlin, March 3rd @G1RLRAY
@girlraylondon
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Some of these introductions need, well, more introducing done than others. Not this month though. The incomparable FKA Twigs is (hallelujah) back amongst us with a brand new album, Magdalene. So Danny Wright got Stephanie Phillips and Thomas Hannan together to talk through this hugely anticipated album. So are you both big Twigs fans? Thomas: After the first record, I was convinced she was pretty great. But after seeing her at Alexandra Palace earlier this year, I think she might be one of the most talented artists I've ever seen. Stephanie: I got really into her just before LP1. After that, I listened to ‘Pendulum’ at least once a day for months. I loved that she was a black British female artist who had the freedom to be as weird as she wanted, which is, unfortunately, fairly rare in the mainstream. I saw her at Roundhouse and she had the most powerful subwoofer I've ever heard. Bass was rumbling up to my middle. It was honestly one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
FKA TWIGS MAGDALENE November 8th Young Turks @FKAtwigs
@fkatwigs
Stephanie: I expected her to pull out the stops, but after hearing her follow-up EP, I assumed she'd be going in the same direction as LP1. I was surprised by this sudden left turn sonically. On reflection, it makes sense that she’d need to explore other sounds, though.
So, fair to say your expectations were high for this record?
Thomas: To me, it improves on the first record. It makes that emotional connection more directly. It's a real kick in the guts.
Thomas: Actually, being honest, I hadn't listened to her much in a while. Part of what I've enjoyed is how much this has taken me by surprise.
How would you describe the new sound? Stephanie: It’s far more expansive than the first record. I love how many avenues it takes you down. In some areas it feels like a trap
score to a performance art film; in others, FKA TWIGS photos: Matthew Stone it wanders into electronic, post-industrial noise. Thomas: It's like she's found a completely new way to speak about love and heartbreak, the two most clichéd topics in pop, and that's hugely admirable in itself, never mind the fact that in some of its best moments sonically, it sounds like an IDM version of Kate Bush's The Red Shoes, which is a GREAT THING. Stephanie: I suppose it sits in the experimental R&B chair, but is reaching out to other genres throughout. Thomas: It is really experimental, but then you get something like ‘Sad Day’, which is just a straight-up, gorgeous pop song... it goes everywhere this thing. Do you think Nicolas Jaar and Noah Goldstein were good choices for producers? I definitely heard Kate Bush in it… Stephanie: Especially in the second half Stephanie: They brought together a complex of ‘Home With You’ and definitely in the body of work and made it flow, so they clearly did experimental nature of the whole record. a great job. Whoever she worked with, though, the essence of Twigs would still shine through. Thomas: The intro to ‘Thousand Eyes’ as Thomas: You certainly don't doubt that this is her well. It's similarly daring in spirit to Kate vision and it sounds this way because that's Bush. exactly how she envisioned it sounding. Jaar and Stephanie: It takes risks, and plays with Goldstein have brought that to fruition. the ugly and grotesque sounds in the same way the best Kate Bush records do. I'm surprised the album didn't have a visual element to it. Are you excited to see the album live? She's obviously been through a lot. Does Thomas: I will buy FKA Twigs tickets the minute that come through? they go on sale from this day forward. She dances Thomas: It certainly doesn't hide the fact with fuckin' SWORDS for chrissakes. But I guess that it's a heartbreak record. But there's a not having that aspect makes the live sense of struggle and overcoming performance even more of a special event... hardship to it that goes beyond that, into Stephanie: Whatever she's doing, it's always something more universally relatable. surprising, which is why she's such a great pop Stephanie: It comes through in star. Or maybe she's no longer solely a pop star interesting ways. I love the ending of now. ‘Home With You’, when the choir of voices and instrumentation rise to a Her artistic vision seems to go beyond the music… volume that feels almost unbearable. It Stephanie: Which is fascinating. It's always feels like a comment on how what may inspiring to see people working light years ahead seem like a beautiful sentiment of of anything you could conceive of. wanting to be with someone can be Thomas: Quite fun to wonder what, like, the tenth unhealthy or chaotic. FKA Twigs album might sound like… Thomas: At times, it seems like she’s tearing her hair out at the futility of her Anything else to add? situation. It sounds really exasperated in Thomas: Just that this is a real album of the year moments, in a really revealing way. contender for me. London in Stereo: 47
GREENTEA PENG RISING EP Different Recordings November 1st
JEFFREY LEWIS & THE VOLTAGE BAD WIRING Moshi Moshi November 1st Should songs tell a story? If you’re nodding, Jeffrey Lewis is your man. He’s a tongue-incheek New Yorker who draws comic books by day and is an energetic songwriter by night. While his tunes may appear shambolic, feisty and disjointed, they’re much more like three-minute masterpieces than mere doodles. Take the charming autobiographical track ‘LPs’: it chronicles the gateway drug of cheap 60s rock albums that fed his teenage vinyl obsession. Or ‘My Girlfriend Doesn’t Listen’, with its bizarre shopping list of irrational fears that don’t bother his partner, including Charles Manson and agrarian reform. Lewis is ably supported by Mem Pahl (bass) and Brent Cole (drummer) as they make the fantastic real. And who could ask for more in a song? Geoff Cowart
I’ll be the first to admit I judged Greentea Peng by her Shoreditch-via-Balivia-Whole Foods stage name. But when ‘Risin’’, the lead single from Rising, started filtering through my headphones, I realised how wrong I was. Her tone is conflicting. The production is jumbled but simple, her lyrics melodic yet uncomplicated enough to mesh into one blissed-out version of itself. ‘Saturn’ is where she feels most authentic, “floating naked with you” on a calming synth wave and muted hi-hats that are reminiscent of Solange’s ‘Cranes in the Sky’. There are sexy saxophones slithering in and out of ‘Mr Sun’, nods to hazy summertime afternoons with friends and an air of sophistication wrapped around the EP that’s extremely promising for such a new face on the scene. Caitlin Scott
YOUNG GUV VOL II Run For Cover October 25th If you heard Young Guv’s Vol. I in August, you’d already be expecting another voluminous onrush of jangling indie-pop in the style of Teenage Fanclub, Sugar, The Charlatans or a non-Mancunian-non-lairy early Oasis on Vol. II. You’d be partly right. There are tambourines and sweet harmonies. There’s a Lemonheads moment on ‘Can I Just Call’, a whole lotta cowbell on ‘She’s A Fantasy’ and slightly fuzzed-up Fannies on ‘Try Not To Hang On So Hard’. But aligned with the recent experimentation of Fucked Up, from whence Ben Cook metamorphoses into Young Guv, there’s saxophonic 80s chartbusting on ‘Caught Lookin’, dark disco on ‘Trying To Decide’ and the cabaret kitsch of ‘Can’t Say Goodbye’, which sounds like a tribute to the now-defunct travel agent, Thomas Cook. Jon Kean
LUCY DACUS 2019 Matador November 8th When thinking about how to make a follow-up to her 2018 album, Historian, Lucy Dacus chose to opt out of the ‘normal’ way of releasing music. Sharing her new songs slowly throughout the year as a series of stand-alone singles, each loosely themed around a holiday or a season, 2019 is an eclectic mix of both original songs and covers that took an entire year to be revealed. It’s something the Virginia-born musician has called ‘slow music’, an attempt to release music as-and-when, in a low-stakes way that doesn’t have to adhere to any grand album release plan or concept. It’s an approach that shows in the sheer variety of songs on the EP. Of Lucy’s own songs, ‘Forever Half Mast’ is a gentle, country-esque song released for Independence Day, exploring the complex guilt of being an American citizen in the contemporary age and ‘My Mother & I’, written for both Mother’s Day and Taurus Season, is a sparse, poignant song that contemplates what mothers pass on by genes and what they pass on through nurture. But this feels strongly like a covers album, with Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and the technicallynot-a-holiday of Bruce Springsteen’s birthday being celebrated via Lucy’s guitar-driven renditions of Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’, Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’, Édith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’ and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark’. Though it doesn’t sound coherent enough to seem like she’d planned to release the project as a full-length album, as a side-project, it’s given Lucy more space to experiment and she sounds all the freer for it. Rachel Finn
VEGYN ONLY DIAMONDS CUT DIAMONDS PLZ Make It Ruins November 8th
25-year-old London producer, Vegyn may have gained recognition through his work with Frank Ocean, but his debut, Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds, feels distinctly personal. A bold sonic exploration into melancholia, the album darts between deft vocal samples, swift tempo shifts and sublime key changes for maximum impact, keeping listeners clinging on throughout the 16-song collection. Standout tracks include 'Nauseous / Devilish', which pairs the grit of JPEGMAFIA’s rambunctious rapping style with erratic percussions, showcasing the producers hip-hop tendencies at their finest. Another moment of brilliance comes from a collaboration with Jeshi, a soothing blend of buttery vocals and gliding, computerised sounds on ‘I Don’t Owe You NYthing’, as well as the erratic choppiness of ‘Cow Boy ALLSTAR’, proudly displaying Vegyn’s comfort in experimentation. Georgia Evans London in Stereo: 49
A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN THE UNDIVIDED FIVE Ninja Tune November 1st Due to stage commissions and soundtrack work, this is only AWVFTS’ second proper album in eight years. And yet if The Undivided Five proves anything, it’s that these deviations have only served to strengthen the melodic focus of former-Stars of the Lid-man, Adam Wiltzie and his bandmate, the Oscar-nominated composer, Dustin O’Halloran. Less uniformly ambient than their debut, this follow-up offers a range of mood pieces reportedly inspired by seismic life events, and the sacred significance of the number five. There’s not a dud amongst them. Encasing muffled piano chords and plaintive strings in waves of electronic distortion, ‘Our Lord Debussy’ is testament to the transportative power of drone, while the Jean-Pierre Jeunet-esque melody of ‘The Haunted Victorian Pencil’ is as pretty as its title is deliberately absurd. An exquisite return. Gemma Samways
CATE LE BON AND BRADFORD COX MYTHS 004
Mexican Summer November 1st Welsh singer-songwriter, Cate Le Bon and lead singer of Deerhunter, Bradford Cox, first met during the recording of Myths 004 (the fourth in Brooklyn label, Mexican Summer’s Myths series which pairs exceptional artists together), not that anyone could tell from this wondrous EP. Filled with daring electronic experimentations, discordant horn sections, and monotone poetic lyrics, Myths 004 explores the pearls that can be found when spontaneity and improvisation take over, as heard on the jazz-punk ‘Companions in Misfortune’ and the lo-fi ‘What Is She Wearing’. On ‘Canto!’ a juddering beat and serene guitar riff bring a tropical lilt to the indie number. Myths 004 is an outstanding record that continues the innovative work of Le Bon and Cox, while keeping us guessing as to what comes next. Stephanie Phillips
BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY I MADE A PLACE Domino November 15th This is the first Bonnie “Prince” Billy album of original material to be released since a self-titled LP in 2013. That’s not to say that the man his mother knows as Will Oldham has been quiet in the interim, however; he’s released a dizzying array of covers and reinterpretations of his own material, much of it decidedly country-leaning. It’s that sound on which he’s settled for I Made a Place. Banjos and close, beautiful harmonies abound, and while it’s hard not to long for the gloomier, stranger side of some of his stellar earlier work, there’s no denying that this is a very gorgeous record. Tell me you’ve found a lovelier song than ‘Thick Air’ in particular this year, and I’ll call you a lying scumbag. Thomas Hannan
SEA CHANGE INSIDE
Self-Release November 15th Four years on from her bewitching debut, Breakage, Norwegian artist, Ellen Sunde returns with a more mature record, loosely based on the concept of human-other animal metamorphosis. On INSIDE, Sunde explores the transformation via a crystal prism of the club music she’s indulged in across Berlin and LA. ‘Stepping Out’ takes rhythmic inspiration from techno’s industrial jabs, with Sunde pining anxiously over the top: “I hope my hooves will carry me/ My new body can set me free.” Before long, her escape is rewarded with steadier beats and soothing glow orb synths. Elsewhere, ‘Something Else’s creeping cacophony of feral sounds is dispelled by a hedonistic ‘four to the floor’ come-up. Sea Change has toyed with subverting expectations before; never has she done it so well. Charlotte Krol
GIANT SWAN GIANT SWAN Keck November 8th I recall a time in recent memory when those in the cool indie circles turned their noses up at dance music, as though it could bear no true artistic merit, and was consequently snubbed publically in favour of some very bland guitar rock. How the tides have turned, and with it, a Giant Swan drifts into view. The Bristol-based duo have been making the rounds for a few years now, but 2019 sees them drop their debut, self-titled release on the newly-minted Keck Records. The Giant Swan name conjures an image of something monstrous and beautiful, which would also aptly describe the album’s sound. These are capital B.I.G. anthems, which effortlessly meld disarming postindustrial clamour and tweaked vocal loops into the fold of more familiar white-label grooves. Harriet Taylor
TURNOVER
ALTOGETHER Run For Cover November 1st Dubbed the band’s “most collaborative and connected work to date,” Turnover’s latest offering evokes their signature dream-pop haze, detailing stories of change, love, loss and rediscovery. The aptly-named Altogether opens with a blur of jazz instruments and distant vocals, portraying a subtle, hushed intimacy from the very start of the record, before ‘Still In Motion’ dances through echoes of synthfuelled guitar-pop. Single release, ‘Parties’, embodies the uplifting transition between self-consciousness and selfacceptance, while ‘Ceramic Sky’ marks a sultry and soulful commentary on the process of falling in love. For every melancholic masterpiece scattered through Turnover’s back catalogue, Altogether has a track to remedy it. With an uplifting sound and fresh new perspective on the world, the album brilliantly highlights the importance of human connection and experience. Ari Sawyer London in Stereo: 51
LAPALUX photo: Dan Medhurst
LAPALUX
AMNIOVERSE Brainfeeder // November 8th A month before Lapalux announces his fourth album, Amnioverse, I catch him jamming alongside an array of artists for Red Bull Music Festival’s Round Robin. Amongst the unconventional duets, he’s a standout contributor, and Amnioverse confirms he’s in remarkable form when it comes to his recorded material too. Breathtakingly vast in scale, the fact that initial inspiration was stirred by a photograph of James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace installation feels fitting, as the record veers between sumptuous, lush techno (‘Earth’), unruly breaks (‘Voltaic Acid’), ambient soundscapes (‘Esc’) and a white-knuckle title track, a deliriously bonkers epic that’s big on beauty too. Paired with striking artwork and a forthcoming AV show, Amnioverse stands as Lapalux’s crowning glory and one of Brainfeeder’s most essential bodies of work. Lee Wakefield
TR/ST
DESTROYER - 2 Grouch/House Arrest November 1st It’s been a prosperous year for Robert Alfons and his journey towards deconstructing his rooted notions of shame and loathing. TR/ST’s The Destroyer, in its two-part release, has proven to be a valuable testimonial of strength, while showcasing Alfons’ versatility as a songwriter and performer. Where pulsating synths and devious lyrics elevated the maturity across the first half of the record, The Destroyer - 2 drowns itself in melancholy, as TR/ST strips down to the core while exploring new dynamics with instruments, allowing his freedom and creative expansion to thrive. Musical direction differs from that of his past, but by incorporating raw, truthful elements into his music, Alfons has created an inspiring record – and his most consistent to date. Francisco Gonçalves Silva
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
THE
OLD
BLUE
LAST
SEBRIGHT
ARMS
Tue 12 / Free Dark Party HYYTS
Thu 7 / £13.20 Spacific Pitch Black
Wed 13 / £5.50 Great Escape x Metropolis Oscar Lang
Sat 9 / £11 One Inch Badge Go Dark
Thu 14 / £5.50 Great Escape x DIY Do Nothing
Wed 13 / £5.50 Great Escape x London in Stereo Sarathy Korwar
Fri 22 / Free Club.The.Mammoth. Beach Riot Sun 24 / £6 Alt Recordings Dámì Sule Tue 26 / Free Rockfeedback Yung Sham Sat 30 / Free Hidden Herd Heirloom
theoldbluelast.com @theoldbluelast
Thu 14 / £5.50 Great Escape x Amazing Radio Boy Scouts Mon 25 / £9.90 Dark Party Carnival Youth Sat 30 / Free Spilt Milk x Friends Serene Horsey
sebrightarms.com @sebrightarms
HIGHLIGHTS
TUFNELL PARK
our selection of the best shows coming up this month
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
NILÜFER YANYA
SCARLXRD
November 19th £18.40adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
November 21st £20.45adv // @O2Islington
Angel
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM PIXX November 28th £11adv // @BostonMusicRoom
Tuffnell Park PIXX
NILÜFER YANYA
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS GLOWE November 21st £7.50adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
LOOR
NAAZ November 27th £12adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
November 25th FREE // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
COLOURS
THE WAITING ROOM SOME BODIES
JOHN + LAZARUS KANE + WARGASM + FULL COLOUR
November 28th Dalston Junction / Kingsland £8.80adv // @WaitingRoomN16
November 13th £5adv // @ColoursHoxton
THE DOME
WERKHAUS BEVAN (LIVE)
MATT MALTESE November 27th £13.50adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Old Street
Tuffnell Park
November 8th £8.92adv // @werkhauslondon
Liverpool Street
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL
RICHARD DAWSON
JOSEPH
November 19th £19.60adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
THE OLD BLUE LAST
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN EZRA FURMAN + POM POKO
HYYTS November 12th FREE // @theoldbluelast
November 12th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £16adv // @Bushhallmusic
Old Street / Liverpool Street
November 14th £20adv // @O2ForumKTown
Kentish Town EZRA FURMAN
THE SEBRIGHT ARMS SARATHY KORWAR, CHLOBOCOP, LAYFULLSTOP, MYSIE November 26th FREE // @SebrightArms
Bethnal Green/ Cambridge Heath
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE PAPER DRESS' 12TH BIRTHDAY BARBARELLA DISCO November 9th £5adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
JAZZ CAFE OLIVER COATES + JOANNE ROBERTSON SARATHY KORWAR
November 26th £12.50adv // @TheJazzCafe
XOYO
OSLO
HELENA HAUFF + MOZHGAN
GEOWULF
November 15th £13.50adv // @XOYO_London
November 18th £12adv // @OsloHackney
Old Street / Liverpool Street
Camden Town
Hackney Central
NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
WAITING FOR SMITH + SOFT SPORTS
ELMØE & HOFFMAN
November 3rd £11adv // @NHAClub
November 12th £12adv // @slaughteredlam
Notting Hill Gate
Farringdon/ Old Street London in Stereo: 57
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Friday November 1st
Saturday November 2nd
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday November 3rd
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS Monday November 4th
Tuesday November 5th
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday November 6th
Thursday November 7th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS Friday November 8th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Saturday November 9th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS Monday November 11th
Sunday November 10th
Tuesday November 12th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday November 13th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Thursday November 14th
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday November 15th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Saturday November 16th
Sunday November 17th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday November 19th Monday November 18th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Wednesday November 20th
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday November 21st
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Friday November 22nd
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday November 23rd
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Sunday November 24th
Monday November 25th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday November 26th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Wednesday November 27th
Thursday November 28th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday November 29th
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Saturday November 30th
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
27 Oct
CHROMATICS EartH 28 Oct
JULIEN CHANG
Bermondsey Social Club
28 Oct
CHAI
Village Underground 16 Oct
MELT YOURSELF DOWN
Studio 9294 29 Oct
12 Nov
OUT KEVINSOLDMORBY
Cecil Sharp HOuse 12 Nov SOLD OUT FLUME
O2 Academy Brixton 13 Nov
YOUR SMITH
Shacklewell Arms 13 Nov
M.T HADLEY The Others 13 Nov
T SOLD OUNEGRO HELADO
BEVERLY GLENN COPELAND
JULIEN CHANG
GIANT SWAN
Jazz Cafe 29 Oct
Bush Hall
14 Nov
Servant Jazz Quarters 30 Oct
Electrowerkz 15 Nov
Colours 30 Oct
Studio 9294 19 Nov
CALEBORATE
TOY
PUMA BLUE
OSCAR JEROME
ERIN RAE
DANA GAVANSKI
EartH 4 Nov
The Lexington 6 Nov
BROEN
Shacklewell Arms 6 Nov
VELVET NEGRONI Corsica Studios 6 Nov
ANNA OF THE NORTH Heaven 6 Nov
CHARLY BLISS Scala 9 Nov
OSHUN
Studio 9294 10 Nov
THE RAINCOATS EartH
Heaven 20 Nov
The Islington 20 Nov
ELDER ISLAND Roundhouse 21 Nov
STARCRAWLER
The Underworld 21 Nov
ALASKALASKA
XOYO 22 Nov EMMANUEL JAL & NYARUACH Camden Assembly 24 Nov
NITZER EBB
Village Underground 26 Nov
YUNG SHAM
Old Blue Last
26 Nov
RADICAL FACE Union Chapel 27 Nov
THE YOUNG GODS The Garage 28 Nov
KOKOKO! Fabric 29 Nov
THE LOW ANTHEM Union Chapel 29 Nov
!!!
EartH 3 Dec
SOLD OUT
SARAH KLANG The Lexington LD OUT 3 & 4SODec
CRUMB
The Dome 18 Jan
SLAUGHTER BEACH, DOG The Lexington 30 Jan
STRAWBERRY GUY The Islington 2 Feb
MICHAEL HEAD EartH 5 Feb
ALGIERS
Village Underground 5 Feb
MODEL MAN Studio 9294
11 Feb
POLICA
Village Underground
UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS
rockfeedback.com
photo: Barney the Dog
by
Bossy Love
In May 2013 I was in London for a week producing an electronic record; twiddling with a talk box and Polysix in a fairly fancy studio in East London. It was dusty and warm, every square inch of London seemed to be a building site. The day I finished the record I met up with Amandah, her sister and her friends and saw The-Dream at KOKO. I was front row, singing every word of every hit, every b-side, every unreleased track at him. I was a nightmare probably — I lost my shit. Freshly inspired by the irresistible cool, endless list of amazing songs (he didn’t even play any of the string of hits he’s written for others), Amandah and I set to work for my last couple of days, before returning to Glasgow. We’d started visiting each other to work on songs earlier in the year, for no particular reason other than it was a lot of fun and it seemed like we were getting through things very quickly, but this visit was to be the seedling of Bossy Love. We tracked existing songs, punching-up demos we’d made and writing from scratch
in her sister’s bedroom, which faced directly onto Albion Road. Monitoring on headphones and computer speakers, the tracks were littered with bleed from outside; drills from building sites, the constant stream of buses whirring past and the yells from the old dudes sat outside the social club across the way. We’d eat dinner on the roof and watch the hilarious antics that swirled around the bus stop outside. These free-for-all recordings became our first free mixtape, Holidates that we released that Christmas Day. It was a collage-y, overlapping journal of pieces; field recordings, accidental bleed, samples... recorded all over the place and lovingly mashed together. Since then, Amandah has moved to Glasgow and we started the live band, and built a recording studio where we honed our sound. Our first ‘proper’ album, Me + U has no building site noises. Told by Bossy Love’s John Baillie Jnr Bossy Love self-release their debut album, ME + U October 31st. @bossy_love
@bossylovemusic London in Stereo: 81
Kano Royal Albert Hall October 7th
words: Danny Wright photography: Chloe Newman
It’s a rare feeling to be at a show and realise you’re witnessing ‘a moment’ while it’s actually happening there, right in front of your eyes. But here at the Royal Albert Hall that feeling overwhelms you. Kane Brett Robinson, one of the pioneers of grime, has gone from pirate radio to this electrifying headline show and tonight is a celebration of how far he’s come. You can see he feels the same. In a rare moment of quiet he surveys the crowd, visibly overwhelmed, and tries to speak. “I don’t know what to say,” he pauses, looks up to the crowd and shrugs. “I’ll find my words”. Finding his words has never been Kano’s problem. His latest record – Hoodies All Summer – is a brilliant state-of-the-nation address to his home city as he nostalgically looks back and also eloquently asks questions about the future. The first song tonight, ‘Free Years Later’, sees him reminiscing about “What D Double did for me” while ‘Trouble’ takes in the rise in gang violence as he croons “these gunshots never reach your town / it’s never on top when you leave your house”. It’s the brilliant ‘Class of Deja’ – which sees him invite that very same mentor D Double E onto the stage alongside Ghetts for a head-to-head old-skool grime track – that ignites the crowd.
It’s a reminder of how far he’s come from the pirate radio of Deja Vu FM. Tonight he brings out a string section, choirs, tubas, drums, saxophones and beats. It could be seen as an attempt to play to the historic venue he’s in but it feels more about him owing this space. Everyone on stage is dressed in white and the choir sound blissful – though it’s doubtful this venue will ever see a gospel choir beautifully intoning “Suck your mum” again, as Kano tenderly sings “Suck your mother if you think these niggas love these cuffs and riots.” As the beat crashes in he hisses ‘They tell us to go fuckin' back to our own country / But they won't even give us back our own countries / Every entrance to a door / Has a footprint left by the ones that came before.’ Tonight is a landmark show – a performance that takes in grime’s past, present and its future. From pirate radio and his E10 roots through to being at the forefront of British pop culture. So his first ever single ‘P's & Q's’ is greeted rapturously and on the delirious, bouncing ‘3 Wheel Ups’ the tape’s rewound immediately as Giggs enters and it all kicks off again. “This is my city,” he screams as the show ends. The Royal Albert Hall has never seen anything like this.
London in Stereo: 83
nov dec = lanzaroteworks.com—@lnzrt SHACKLEWELL ARMS Calva Louise • Hante • Body Of Light • Neon Waltz • Petbrick MOTH CLUB A.A. Bondy • Metz • Listener • The Larry David Festival • Steve Mason • THE WAITING ROOM Corridor • Anew Day • Joseph Shabason • Kyson • Hanging Valleys STUDIO 9294 Amyl & The Sniffers • Flamingods • Toy • Vanishing Twin • OSHUN PECKHAM AUDIO Boy Harsher • Vox Low • YOWL • Sleep Eaters • Jacob Slater Dalston
/
shacklewellarms.com
Hackney
/
/
@shacklewellarms
mothclub.co.uk
/
@mothclub
Stoke Newington / waitingroomn16.com / @waitingroomn16 Hackney Peckham
Wick /
/
studio9294.co.uk
peckhamaudio.co.uk
/ /
@studio_9294 peckham_audio
ON MUSIC VS LYRICS by Charlotte Krol “I love chords, and there are songs that I have that are horrible lyrically. Like really bad, but I just like the notes in the background… sound is way more important for me, personally.” That was an admission from Tyler, The Creator when he appeared on Rick Rubin’s ‘Broken Record’ podcast last month. It stoked the fires of a debate that I’ve long had with friends and fellow music nerds. What’s more important to you: music or lyrics? And why? Perhaps neither has a greater bearing over the other. But for me it’s always been about the actual sound. When I hear a piece of music for the first time it’s often the melody that connects most. Sometimes it’s the way the harmonies interlock or how dissonant notes creep in. It can also be a rhythm change or the peculiar way the singer manipulates their
voice. To this day I still don’t have a clue what My Bloody Valentine are singing about in ‘Soon’. I don’t need to know. That combination of breathy singing, bowed strings, reverse reverb guitar FX and baggy drums is a language in itself. It really blew me away when I first heard it—it still does. Of course, there’s always the argument that particularly emotive or insightful lyrics can enhance a track. Does noticing, decades later, that Don McLean’s ‘Vincent’ is about Van Gogh alter my enjoyment of the song? Not really. Does it matter that The La’s pristine jangle pop ditty ‘There She Goes’ is or isn’t about heroin? No. I just love how it sounds. As a critic I of course have to decipher lyrics to review something thoroughly and it’s fun to do so. But music without lyrics is still music and lyrics without music is, well, poetry. I know what’s more important to me.
Charlotte Krol is an Oxford and London-based music journalist and video news producer. Find her on Twitter @CharKrol
London in Stereo: 85
FRIDAY 8TH NOVEMBER LAYLOW
LOU STONE
+ JASMINE JETHWA
THURSDAY 14TH NOVEMBER THE UNDERWORLD
EVERYONE YOU KNOW
WEDNESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER THE ISLINGTON
WEDNESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER SCALA
SATURDAY 16TH NOVEMBER THE ROUNDHOUSE
WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
+ SOPHIE HUNGER
+ MICE ON MARS
LUNA LEPAGE
FINK
LITTLE COMETS
AVALANCHE PARTY
WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER QUEEN OF HOXTON
THURSDAY 21ST NOVEMBER SCALA
SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
+ NAVVY
+ WILD FRONT + MAXX PALMER
+ MAN OF MOON
SUNDAY 24TH NOVEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
TUESDAY 26TH NOVEMBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
TUESDAY 26TH NOVEMBER OMEARA
ROBINSON
THE JOY FORMIDABLE
LUNA BAY
TUSKS
THE TWILIGHT SAD
JAZZ MORLEY
WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER HEAVEN
WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER ELECTRIC BRIXTON
WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER EARTH
+ ZUZU + RUSALKA
+ AUDIOBOOKS + JESSICA WINTER
WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
TUESDAY 3RD DECEMBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
WEDNESDAY 4TH DECEMBER O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
+ HATTIE WHITEHEAD
+ ANGIE MCMAHON
+ HIGHER PEAKS + DROOL
THURSDAY 5TH DECEMBER THE WAITING ROOM
THURSDAY 5TH DECEMBER DINGWALLS
SATURDAY 7TH DECEMBER THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
+ BOII + JACK WALTON
+ LUZ
OMAR APOLLO
PLÀSI
DUTCHKID
MONDAY 9TH DECEMBER CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
ON VIDEO
YONAKA
JULIA JACKLIN
WILD YOUTH
WEDNESDAY 11TH DECEMBER THE WAITING ROOM
ABC DIALECT
PUMAROSA
BAND OF SKULLS
NEON WALTZ
THURSDAY 30TH JANUARY ELECTRIC BALLROOM
SHOVELS & ROPE
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
GOOD COP BAD COP 28 16 NOV OCT / XOYO OSLO
INHALER / OLYMPIA 25 30 NOVNOV / EartH THEATRE
10 28DEC NOV/ /GARAGE XOYO
INHALER FEATURING SP ECIAL GUEST VO CALISTS
BEVERLEY KNIGHT ROBERT OWENS MAXI JAZZ (FROM FAITHLESS)
1310& DEC 14 DEC / THE O2 / GARAGE
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
WITHVERY VERYSPECIAL SPECIALGUESTS GUESTS WITH
RAZORLIGHT RAZORLIGHT 13 & 14 DEC O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
01 FEB FEB 20 20 // THE THE O2 O2 01
/ THE O2 2706 FEBMAR / ROUNDHOUSE
06 & 07 MAR ALEXANDRA PALACE
SOLD
OUT
Bombay Bicycle Club 07 07 && 08 08 FEB FEB ALEXANDRA ALEXANDRA PALACE PALACE OUT T SOSOLDLD OU
SOLD
OUT