metropolis music present
WEDNESDAY 5 MARCH
WEDNESDAY 5 MARCH • ELECTROWERKZ GIGSANDTOURS.COM 0844 811 0051 STARGREEN.COM 020 7734 8932 EAGULLS.CO.UK A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH 13 ARTISTS
OSLO HACKNEY 0844 811 0051 | GIGSANDTOURS.COM FB.COM/YEARSANDYEARS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA AGENCY
SAN FERMIN PLUS GUESTS
PLUS GUESTS
Wednesday 7th May
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND THURSDAY 10 APRIL
ST.PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
GIGSANDTOURS.COM / 0844 811 0051 / TICKETMASTER.CO.UK ‘BLUD’ EP OUT 17 MARCH SOAKMUSIC.NET A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ATC LIVE
GIGSANDTOURS.COM STARGREEN.COM 0844 811 0051
f /SANFERMINBAND A Metropolis Music presentation by arrangement with Primary Talent International
ALBERT HAMMOND JR.
THURSDAY 15 MAY
TOWARDS TOUR
THURSDAY 15 MAY • SCALA
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETWEB.CO.UK STARGREEN.COM A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ATC LIVE
0844 811 0051 GIGSANDTOURS.COM ALBERTHAMMONDJR.COM
NEW SINGLE ‘DAUGHTERS’ OUT 03 MARCH DEBUT ALBUM ‘TOWARDS’ OUT 05 MAY RELEASED VIA ISLAND RECORDS WWW.WEWEREEVERGREEN.COM
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH WME T O U R
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
&
P R I O R I T Y
B O O K I N G S
It's not until you start factoring in deadlines, distribution and photoshoots that you really feel how short February is. Who would have thought just a few days would make such a difference? Anyway, we worked it out and this month we have the endlessly awesome, hopelessly brilliant DENA on the cover, hailing from Bulgaria via Berlin, she caught our attention with Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools over a year ago and now she's put together her album Flash; a witty, catchy kind of rap that can't help but put you in an amazing mood. There's a bit of a Field Day theme to this issue, too: Headliners Metronomy chat to us about their fantastic new album, whilst our stereo is taken over by a crop of excellent new acts gracing the festival this year. Of course March is a stuff-as-many-gigs-asyou-can-into-it kinda month, so the listings section is absolutely bursting. Get stuck in, and join us online for even more shows, reviews, photos and fun.
@LondonInStereo
WHAT WE CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO THIS MONTH JESS TRUST CAPITOL DAVE PLAYLOUNGE ZERO LOKI ROBIN MITCHELL SOLILOQUY JACK S. CAREY FIRE-SCENE DANNY WOMAN’S HOUR HER GHOST
/londoninstereo /london-in-stereo londoninstereo
3
CLOUD NOTHINGS
06. ON THE STEREO 11. NEW SOUNDS
London In Stereo is brought to you by: Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
13. TALES FROM THE CITY
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
14. METRONOMY
Sub-Editor / Sales: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
20. ALBUM REVIEWS
On The Stereo by Field Day
26. DENA
Penny For Your Thoughts: Danny Wright
34. GIGS OF THE MONTH
Photography: DENA: Sonny Malhotra Live: Sebastian Barros
38. LIVE LISTINGS 58. LIVE REVIEWS 61. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Contributors: Jack Urwin, Danny Wright, Gemma Samways, Will Grant, Lee Wakefield, Jack McKenna, Geoff Cowart, Amy Gravelle, Thomas Hannan, Fabiana Giovanetti, Francesca Baker, Dan Wilkinson.
5
with CHARLOTTE OC
COLOUR MY HEART A delicate blend of soulful crooning, gorgeous backing vocals and a pulsating, almost theatrical-sized, build-up prove why Charlotte OC is being hotly tipped as an act to watch in 2014. Only 23 but with an already battle-hardened career in the music industry (she signed with Columbia as a teen but never released her debut album), her debut EP Colour My Heart is a beautiful confession of heartbreak and all the desperation that comes with it.
TODD TERJE
MYGGSOMMER Is there anyone with a better sense of humour than Norwegian mega producer and DJ Todd Terje? With a forthcoming album entitled It’s Album Time, the man Rolling Stone has deemed one of the “25 DJ’s That Rule The Earth” released this eclectic cut of extra-terrestrial beauty on 2012 EP It’s the Arps. Called “King of the Summer Jams” by Mixmag for a reason, there are few producers better suited to welcoming in the sunshine during Field Day. CHARLOTTE OC
Field Day runs June 7th & 8th at Victoria Park fielddayfestivals.com // @fielddaylondon
RYAN HEMSWORTH WEIRD LIFE
Ushering in a new breed of young prodigy-like bedroom producers with an instinctual knack for funk and house rhythms, Canadian Ryan Hemsworth’s innate understanding of beats and bass makes him the next sonic maestro to watch. Weird Life is sexy in all the right places and reeks of vintage r’n’b.
COURTNEY BARNETT
OUT OF THE WOODWORK Based in Melbourne but making huge waves internationally with heavy praise coming from NME, Pitchfork & Rolling Stone, singer/guitarist Courtney Barnett marries a voice so haunting it’ll bring a case of goose pimples with blues-inspired grooves. Blissful roots rock that translates well from headphones to on stage at Victoria Park.
JAAKKO EINO KALEVI NO END
Cult-like in his native Finland, newest Weird World signing Jaakko Eino Kalevi is an alluring and complex character with a penchant for dream-like charm. Self taught and more than charismatic, his love for endorphin-producing surreal soundscapes never feels more evident than on this summery slice of daydream haziness.
RYAN HEMSWORTH
COURTNEY BARNETT
COMMUNION PRESENTS Sun 2 March Notting Hill Arts Club
COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT T D OU Tue 4 March Dingwalls SOL
GEORGE EZRA Wed 5 March Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
MATTHEW CAWS Mon 10 March The Lexington
THE SEA & I
Tue 11 March The Borderline
THE LONE BELLOW Tue 11 March Scala
NICK MULVEY
Tue 18 March Bush Hall
THOMAS DYBDAHL Tue 25 March Social
KIMBERLY ANNE Tue 25 March XOYO
NADINE SHAH Wed 26 March Scala
DAN CROLL Mon 31 March Sebright Arms
AS ELEPHANTS ARE Tue 1 April St Giles-In-The-Fields
BRUNO MAJOR
WWW.COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK
COMMUNION PRESENTS Wed 9 April Sebright Arms
Tue 13 May Electric Brixton
RHODES
BEAR’S DEN
Wed 16 April Sebright Arms
Fri 23 May The Lexington
AIDAN KNIGHT Tue 29 April KOKO
CHET FAKER Wed 30 April Dingwalls
ALEX VARGAS Mon 2 June The Lexington
NEW DESERT BLUES
MATTHEW AND THE ATLAS
Sat 14 June Shepherd’s Bush
Wed 30 April Electrowerkz
Fri 25 July Bush Hall
BUSHSTOCK FESTIVAL
PHOX
SARAH JAROSZ
Wed 7 May The Miller
Thu 2 October O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
GAMBLES
VANCE JOY
WWW.COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK
Upcoming London Shows www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
SPRING KING
MĂ˜
FAMY
Cambridge Heath
Heaven Charing Cross 6th March
MARIKA HACKMAN
GARDENS & VILLA
JOHNNY FLYNN
Birthdays Dalston 25th March
Koko Camden 9th April
PEGGY SUE
THE WAVE PICTURES
RUSSIAN RED
Sebright Arms 5th March
Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen 18th March
OSLO Hackney 15th April
OWEN PALLETT
Oval Space Hackney 21st May
CLOUD NOTHINGS Scala Kings Cross 27th May
Islington Assembly Hall 18th April
THUMPERS Scala Kings Cross 22nd May
SWANS
Electric Brixton 27th May
New Empowering Church Hackney 6th March
& THE SUSSEX WIT
The Lexington Islington
6th & 7th May
MUTUAL BENEFIT
Union Chapel Bethnal Green
23rd May
POND
Koko Camden 10th June
Get tickets and full info at: www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
NEW SOUNDS ---------OCEAÁN BY GEMMA SAMWAYS
Having spawned scores of seminal bands, Manchester’s cultural legacy is so great it commands an almost perpetual state of reverence. But natural as nostalgia is, constantly looking back also seems somewhat myopic, not least because it does a huge disservice to the young musicians who are busy writing the city’s next chapter. Leading the field in electronic music is 20-year-old Belgian-expat Oliver Cean, a former chorister who, apparently, appears on Elbow’s Build A Rocket Boys!. Now operating under the nom de plume ‘Oceaán’, he can currently be found making music even smoother than his pseudonym. Cean first caught our attention in July 2013, when he posted a track to Soundcloud, simply tagged “chill”. In truth, Neéd U was more like minimalist house, its throbbing melody
and soulful vocal comparable to acts like Disclosure and Cyril Hahn. Brooding remixes for Woman’s Hour and MØ followed, and then, a few weeks ago, he unveiled his finest track to date. Alongside that honeyed yet haunting, choir-honed croon, To Lose finds Cean showcasing a producer’s ear for detail, creating a sinuous, R&B groove from undulating synth sounds, twitching beats, and the hummingbird flutter of subs. Though just shy of three minutes in length, it’s a totally immersive sonic experience, and an intoxicating taster for his five-track, debut EP, which drops on March 31st via Chess Club Records. LISTEN TO: TO LOSE ONLINE: @Oceaanz facebook.com/occeaann 11
KEVIN DREW TA L E S F R O M T H E C I T Y. . . Too many nights at The Columbia Hotel. It's like the rundown headquarters for up and comers. Rumors of ghosts and scabies were always a hot topic at the bar. Many of us have been to the rooms that can barely fit our bodies and many of us had sleepless nights. When you graduate from that character castle the next logical place is the K West. A Boutique hotel run by Russians and filled with memories of "almost made it" bands all over the carpets. It was here I heard the triad of sex. Never in my hotel travels had I heard three rooms going for it at the same time. It felt slightly choreographed and staged. I was worried my reaction was being filmed. I remember that night because we had just played Shepherd’s Bush Empire, a venue I knew from seeing Jeff Buckley when I was eighteen. It was a sold out show but my uncle somehow got me tickets. I went with the most romantic teenage love I had ever felt at the time and we sat in the balcony watching him set the tone for so many singers to come. It was a historic show for me. So, finally being at the Empire was a "holy god" of a moment. Huge. Massive. Unbelievable. Then later that night I get three rooms going for it? Three? Above me and both beside me? It somehow felt like a salute from the man himself. I did what anyone would do in my situation - ordered a grill cheese sandwich and listened to Buckley's Grace while babies were being made all around me. I enjoyed that night immensely. DARLINGS IS RELEASED MARCH 24TH VIA CITY SLANG
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“Have you seen his hair? It’s magnificent.” I’m asking Joe Hunt, the main man in Metronomy, why he decided to write a song about Connan Mockasin’s immaculate hair on his equally flawless new record Love Letters. “I think if you make music and you have a haircut that is ‘you’ then you’ve ticked all the boxes. You’re the perfect product.” “Originally I wanted to do a duet with him. There aren’t many male duets around and he was up for it but he was doing his own record so I had to finish it alone. I’m always very jealous of musicians who musically have the chops and who’ve also got great hair.” Leaving aside any opinions on hair (yours is fine, Joe), Metronomy certainly have the musical chops and they’ve proved it again with their new record, a 70s influenced hybrid of lo-fi soul and electronica which sees them pushing their sound while also being their most accessible. “I really made sure I was happy with this record, more than on any of our previous albums. So I know I’ve done the best I can.” “I always think if you’re going in to record an album and you know that you’ve got four good songs at least you’re going to write an album that has four good songs on it – because some people struggle to do that.” It was when they recorded the slinky, starry eyed I’m Aquarius that he realised he had one of those four songs. “When I recorded that I was like ‘This is really nice and a bit unusual’. It gave me the confidence that I was on the right track." The success of English Riviera – it was Mercury nominated and critically
lauded – means there are many eyes watching out for their next step. If there was any pressure though, it came from within. “It’s becoming my catchphrase – though it’s not as succinct as a catchphrase – but my attitude is that if other people’s expectations are greater than your own then that should worry you really. It should be built in that you’re trying to do better.” It’s here where the conversation takes a bizarre and hilarious detour into business speak. “But the people that I work with – god, that sounds really business-like,” he laughs. “My colleagues … no, the people at the label are really not the type of people who would put pressure on you. With the last album no-one was expecting it to be that kind of record for Metronomy so there’s a trust that goes into everything.” Yet, in some ways, the success of English Riviera did inform the content of Love Letters. It was the constant touring and being away from home that inspired the subjects of the tracks: “When you’ve been touring for a couple of years the only thing you have any authority on is being away and no-one wants to hear someone in a band complain about travelling the world. So they’re all ideas I had of what you miss if you’re away – you miss your girlfriend or you miss your family and friends. And not even emotionally miss, just that part of what’s normal isn’t there every week.” To record the album the band decamped to East London's famously analogue Toe Rag Studio, which sounds like a curveball but was a very deliberate choice. “I knew quite early on that that’s what I wanted to do. And, again it all sounds a bit
business-like, but if you’re recording on to tape you really have to be ready – you can’t keep re-editing and this was a nice way of forcing myself to finish the record. And it was perfect because I wanted to feel I could write songs without leaning on technology.” There was also a symmetry between the retro studio and the influences that inspire the album; acts like Sly and the Family Stone and the Zombies. “It was really the spirit they were recorded in that I tried to achieve,” says Joe. “And I’m very aware of the business language I’m using now,” he pauses for effect, “but I had a few targets that I wanted to achieve,” barely stifling laughter. And four albums in does he feel in a place where he can let his creative urges take him wherever he wants to sonically? “I mean by now – haha I’ve really got to stop myself from this – there’s a job security. I feel like if you’re a band and you can get to a
fourth album and all of the albums are relevant and interesting then that’s an achievement. And it’s not that I now think ‘Well, I can do whatever I want’ but I certainly feel like I’ve got people’s attention and you’ll continue to have it if you don’t waste the chance.” So there you have it. Look out for Metronomy’s next concept album, Job Security.
Love Letters is released March 10th via Because Music Metronomy play Brixton Academy March 23rd and headline Field Day June 7th
“ I CER TAI NLY FEEL LIKE I ’VE GOT PEOP LE ’S ATTE NTION ”
March 2014
Alix Perez Artwork (Grain Techno Set) Breakage Calibre (6 Hr Set) Calyx & Teebee Cyantific David Rodigan DJ Hype Drumsound & Bassline Smith Dusky (4 Hr Set) Enei
Fabio Foreign Concept Grant Nelson (Nice N Ripe Set) Hannah Wants Hatcha Hazard Jimmy Edgar JME (Live) Joey Beltram Jubei Kasra Lenzman www.fabriclondon.com
Loefah Mefjus B2B Emperor Matrix & Futurebound Pascal Pinch Preditah Roska Scratch Perverts Shy FX B2B Zinc Skeptical System Wookie
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L E VON VINCENT MAR CE L DE T TMANN MAT T TOLFR E Y MIK E DEHNER T (LIVE) PE TR E INSPIR ESC U SAM R USSO SAMUE L K ER R IDGE (LIVE) SHONK Y SL AM STEFFI STEPHANE GHENACIA STE VE O SULLIVAN (LIVE) STE VE R ACHMAD SUR GEON TR UNCATE YOSSI AMOYAL WILLIE BURNS PLUS MANY MOR E...
THE WAR ON DRUGS LOST IN THE DREAM Secretly Canadian // March 17th
The War On Drugs are, it seems, part of a dying breed. Beneath the intricate layers of droning synths and Adam Granduciel’s delicious drawl, the crucial elements that delicately structured previous releases, 2008’s Wagonwheel Blues and the stunning
LIARS MESS
Slave Ambient, their focus has been nudged wider on latest offering, Lost In A Dream. Thankfully, much of their appeal, the woozy, fractured beauty, the doting odes to benchmarks of American guitar music, remain intact, albeit smeared across a heftier running time in vivid, bubbling technicolour. Under The Pressure is a lethargic, seductive opener, easing you in softly, seemingly for the imminent detonation of simmering euphoria that spills from Red Eyes, its runaway gallop barely letting up before Suffering’s tortured piano keys and strained vocal swallow you up in a gentle haze. A breathtaking fistful of tracks under their belt, the band seem to flirt with greater ambition as the album progresses. If An Ocean In Between The Waves is the record’s high point, as fluid and refreshing as a stream quivering from the purest spring, Eyes To The Wind and Burning ensure that while The War On Drugs may be part of a dying breed, extinction hardly beckons. Lost In A Dream brings comfort in moments of quiet reflection, leaving you a little misty-eyed, while also remaining subtly anthemic and, ultimately, vastly triumphant. I’m not sure you’ll hear a better record all year. Lee Wakefield
Mute // March 24th It starts with the lines “Take my pants off ... Use my socks ... smell my socks” and it doesn’t get any less weird, but this is more sublime sonic chaos from Liars. Following on from the introspective electronics of WIXIW this takes the sound of machines and makes them feel primal, vital and instant. Like Factory Floor fronted by an Australian Mark E Smith – and as great as that sounds – this is one glorious MESS. From I’m No Gold’s glitchy, mutated synth stomp to Mess On A Mission’s frenzied dance punk, they play with every toy in the box to create a record of syncopated, dizzying brilliance. It’s one more step in the journey to making Liars the most un-pigeonholeable (hey, I just made up a word) band on the planet. Danny Wright
BRAWLERS I AM A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT EP Alcopop // March 5th
“HERE YOU ARE PARADING ON THE INTERNET” is a satirical cry of frustration at the bored, egotistical #selfie generation. So far, Brawlers arrive kicking and screaming with standout single Instagram Famous. The Leeds-based punk rockers, forged from ex-members of Castrovalva, Leftover Crack and Dinosaur Pile-Up, were always going to create something awesome. Abrasively brash and unapologetic throughout, they've clearly got something to rant about. Where other bands overindulge on whiney power phrases, Brawlers keep the melodies mockingly prevalent. Their debut EP I Am A Worthless Piece Of Shit is just what we need to shake up the mass of social media lemmings. Amy Gravelle
TIMBER TIMBRE // HOT DREAMS Arts & Crafts // April 1st
Timber Timbre have always excelled at being sinister, but their third album truly cements their status as masters of the macabre. Trading-up their signature haunted-folk for a more cinematic sound, Taylor Kirk and co have created a series of immaculately-scored horror-scapes, replete with grainy, slasher-flick strings and menacing melodies that creep deep under your skin. Even at its most sonically benign – on the Richard Hawley-esque title track – Kirk kills the illusion with one sepia-toned croon of, “I want to follow through on all my promises… And threats to you, babe.” The overall effect is that of a great scary movie: suspenseful, unsettling and deeply compelling. Gemma Samways
HIGHASAKITE SILENT TREATMENT
Propeller Recordings // March 3rd There’s something very serious going on underneath the surface of Highasakite’s hugely melodic second record, like a bouncy castle on top of an Indian burial ground. Singer Ingrid Helene Håvik, responsible for the majority of music and lyrics on Silent Treatment, talks of being a terrorist and of wanting to visit Iran despite acknowledging the threat of having her hands chopped off, but does it all over music that sounds like CEO has been drafted in to produce a Lykke Li record in a drastic hurry. And yet, everything that shouldn’t work about it succeeds with flying colours, the Norwegian quintet having delivered a fine record that makes just as much sense as it has to, and not one iota more. Thomas Hannan
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WHITE HINTERLAND BABY
Dead Oceans // March 31st
COLOURMUSIC MAY YOU MARRY RICH
Memphis Industries // March 24th We saw it for the first time on the Dark Side of the Moon cover: Newton’s theory of colour to songs is not new to music. Now, after the Yellow and Red EPs, and the full length My ____ Is Pink, Colourmusic are back to continue their colourful experimentation. Described by co-founder, vocalist and guitarist Ryan Hendrix as their “purple album”, May You Marry Rich is tinted with blue undertones thanks to its darker and broodier topics. Musically speaking, the sound is less experimental at first, yet its constant fuzz, hazy synths and elusive vocals are inviting us to a completely different hallucinatory experience. Moreover, the farewell of Idiot is an exquisite debauchery of its own kind. Fabiana Giovanetti
Like it when an album pins you into a corner and refuses to let go? Baby, by American Casey Dienel, is a fiercely personal listen, recorded deep in the womb-like safety of new studio The Glades in her parents’ basement. Stripping back most tunes to just her voice and a piano, Dienel forgoes reverb, saws off the synths and puts herself front and centre. The result is as arresting as it is brutal, from the overwrought Wait Until Dark to the rhapsodic finale Live With You. But it’s the title track where the synths and drums collide with her soaring r‘n’b-infused singing, as she muses: “Say I'll take a sip, but I can’t leave a drop/Is this my weakness?” Geoff Cowart
JOHNNY FOREIGNER YOU CAN DO BETTER Alcopop! // March 31st
Tumbling with inner angst plaited and shrouded in bouncy confident melodies, the fourth album from Birmingham's Johnny Foreigner is pure JoFo and pure Alcopop; bounding riotous rhythms, sprawling ragtag sounds and slightly over-enunciated jaunty lyrics with an acerbic edge. Right from the get-go on opener Shipping and its skidding start, the album is brimming with nervous energy. Tracks like Wifi Beach, In Capitals and Le Sigh are also propelled by those riffs that sound like strings being dragged through a tuneful cheese grater. Even when it seems as though things might be turned down a notch on the velocity scale, as on the gentle plucking open of Riff Glitchard (geddit?) or Stop Talking About Ghosts there's always the sudden jagged jolt and it all kicks off again. Johnny Foreigner can't sit still, and neither do we want them to. Francesca Baker
SHIT ROBOT WE GOT A LOVE DFA // March 17th
DFA as a record label has never been shy about its love of house infused disco, releasing cowbell-defining records by The Rapture and Juan Maclean. DJ Mark Lambkin's second album as Shit Robot was never going to break the mould completely but compared to everything else that's out now it has a certain minor key charm. Of all the interesting collaborators (Luke Jenner/Reggie Watts/Lidell Townself/Nancy Whang), Holly Backler shines brightest with the understated thumper of Feels Like, her voice letting out a resigned passion over an earworm inducing chorus. Overall, the record proves a very welcome addition to the DFA spectrum. Dan Wilkinson
CLOUD NOTHINGS HERE AND NOWHERE ELSE
Wichita // March 31st Dylan Baldi’s Cloud Nothings project has seen its existence evolve in the most honest of lights. His catalogue is one that thrives in the adolescent anxiety, angst and joy that, in truth, never goes away for any of us. And in Here And Nowhere Else, Baldi continues to etch out his niche as one of the most hospitable songwriters around. A breathless half hour, it’s an album that manages, somehow, to not break under the astonishing weight of ideas and emotion it crams in. The just-under three minutes of highlight Psychic Trauma is a perfect encapsulation of everything Cloud Nothings exists to be in its arm-swinging and breathless punk charm, where Giving Into Seeing shatters through its lurching, Nirvana-owing bridge to a chorus-raising burst of tangible energy. As I’m Not A Part Of Me’s final, strained chord rings out, it’s impossible to ignore why this album of resilient and relatable anthems has such a title. Will Grant
GHOST BEACH BLONDE
Nettwerk // March 24th Named after the 22nd book in R L Stine's Goosebumps book series, this New York duo bring us their brand of self-described “Tropical Grit Pop” in the form of debut album Blonde. Sounding like Yeasayer if they were to listen to nothing but remixes of the Ghostbusters theme tune for months on end, they drift between pure 80s pop and sample drenched electronica. The soaring vocals and layered electronics are infectious and easy to enjoy at first, but overall Blonde is difficult to fall truly in love with. Jack McKenna
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WORDS: JACK URWIN PHOTOGRAPHY: SONNY MALHOTRA There’s a track called You Wish on DENA’s debut album Flash. In the space of three minutes it gives the finger to patriarchy, directly references Skee-Lo’s biggest hit and single-handedly justifies her position as this month’s cover star. If there’s one ‘girl power tune’ on the record, she says, this is it. Tongue-in-cheek, this is not. “I know that I say things in a funny way, but I really meant everything totally seriously when I wrote it. I came up with You Wish on Valentine’s Day, I was just pissed about guys, like 'fuck that shit, I can make it on my own’.” And how. We meet at a studio in Seven Sisters, a part of town so up-and-coming that last year saw a Costa appear in less time than it takes to say “I’m not sure we’ve considered the social consequences of gentrification properly”. Costa or no, Haringey’s still a fair way from
finding itself in vogue or, as DENA did last month, in Vogue. The fashion mag’s site premiered the video for album highlight Bad Timing, a track which oozes pure, unadulterated R&B cool. “That was a little weird!” she admits. “Vision and style is important to me in a natural, spontaneous way and that’s why I was really honoured by Vogue.” Despite her assertions that fashion isn’t something she’d want to do professionally, it’s clear she’s having a lot of fun as she cycles effortlessly through pose after pose for the camera. “I’ve never lived that model life, and now I’m getting to combine it with my music in the front perspective. The luxury about it is that I’m allowed to have an opinion when I do shoots, it’s not like I’m just being used to sell clothes.” Her glee when she’s given the opportunity to don a shiny, gold-fronted top
“At some point I detached myself from the Bulgarian language”
“People here care about music, it’s the place where pop matters” for the shoot suggests, however, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to convince her otherwise. While Flash is a remarkable album by anyone’s standards, DENA’s quick-witted way with words is especially impressive. Born in Bulgaria and now residing in Berlin, it’s fascinating how she’s jumped from one tongue to another, settling on a third and choosing to write solely in English. “I’m super interested in languages, they’re keys that open you up. At some point I detached myself from the Bulgarian language. I mean, I still speak it, but like someone who hasn’t lived there for many years. I’d be interested to write in Bulgarian at some point, but so few people in the world understand it, unlike English which is a universal tool to express yourself. English is also so much closer connected to pop culture than Bulgarian or German.” Perhaps not surprising then is DENA’s desire to spend more time in our humble city. “I’m really psyched about London. People here care about
music, it’s the place where pop matters. In Berlin it’s not really like this - there’s great techno and electronic scenes - but it’s often that people aren’t really obsessed with keeping up and following the latest thing.” A different world it may be, but for its apparent lack of songwriters Berlin has an abundance of producers. As DENA ponders her follow-up she admits her current home has its uses. “On Flash, I composed all of this. I'm meanwhile brainstorming already about new topics, new songs and I'm thinking 'hey, I've played everything'. I feel like I'm repeating my chords and beats, so I'd be super interested to work with other people and just go crazy with the writing.” It feels strange to hear her discussing plans for the second album when the first has yet to be released. As we chat, though, it becomes clear that while DENA the artist may draw from the past, Denitza the person dwells only on the future. Does she listen to Flash at all? “Never. With the whole
production process and everything, it’s just… it’s important to have this distance. I’m rehearsing a lot so we play it all the time anyway, but I feel everything should be free.” As she gathers her things in preparation for her next engagement, she laments the fact she never gets to spend enough time in London. But she returns in April for a live show at Birthdays. There’s plenty of time to acquaint yourself with Flash before catching that gig, which we cannot recommend you do enough. As DENA herself puts it: “The album is just one captured version of the songs.”
Flash is released March 10th via !K7 Records. DENA plays Birthdays April 15th.
Coming Up Thursday 27th February
THE HICS OSLO
Friday 7th March
CLEAR SOUL FORCES THE PRINCE OF WALES Friday 7th March
THE MARTIN HARLEY BAND BUSH HALL Saturday 8th March
DE STAAT THE GARAGE
Saturday 8th March
SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER OSLO Monday 17th March
ELLEN & THE ESCAPADES LEXINGTON
Monday 17th March
HEATHER NOVA UNION CHAPEL
Monday 17th March
IMELDA MAY ROUNDHOUSE
Thursday 20th March
Friday 4th April
Thursday 20th March
Friday 4th April
Thursday 20th March
Sunday 6th April
Monday 24th March
Monday 7th April
Tuesday 25th March
Monday 7th April
Thursday 27th March
Monday 7th April
Saturday 29th March
Tuesday 8th April
Tuesday 1st April
Thursday 10th April
Thursday 3rd April
Friday 11th April
LEDDRA CHAPMAN ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH AELIUS SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS RALEIGH RITCHIE OSLO BASKERY BORDERLINE
AMBER RUN OSLO
BILLY LOCKETT BORDERLINE MELANIE PAIN BORDERLINE VIGO THIEVES SEBRIGHT ARMS
WINTER MOUNTAIN SLAUGHTERED LAMB
EMMA STEVENS BORDERLINE MOLOTOV JUKEBOX HEAVEN RUFUS WAINWRIGHT THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE EMILY AND THE WOODS THE OLD BLUE LAST HOWLING BELLS OSLO SMOKE FAIRIES MADAME JOJO’S RHODES SEBRIGHT ARMS
SIMONE FELICE BUSH HALL
DAVID LYNCH PRESENTS...
CHRYSTA BELL OSLO
Tuesday 15th April
Thursday 15th May
Tuesday 15th April
Friday 16th May
PEGGY SUE OSLO
UB40 O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE Wednesday 16th April
A PLASTIC ROSE THE GARAGE
SOPHIE DELILA LONDON BUSH HALL JAMAICA OSLO
BELINDA CARLISLE INDIGO2 Wednesday 21st May
JAMES BLUNT ROYAL ALBERT HALL Thursday 24th April
Friday 23rd May
SPRING OFFENSIVE HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN Sunday 27th April
LUCERO SCALA
Friday 2nd May
THE RIFLES O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE Saturday 18th October
Saturday 17th May
ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES OSLO
Saturday 19th April
Saturday 27th September
DEAN WAREHAM ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY Tuesday 27th May
LAPLAND THE ISLINGTON
FAT FREDDY’S DROP ALEXANDRA PALACE Saturday 1st November
TOWER OF POWER INDIGO2
Thursday 20th November
PAPER AEROPLANES UNION CHAPEL Friday 28th November
GARY NUMAN EVENTIM APOLLO
Saturday 6th December
Wednesday 28th May
THE FLAMING LIPS O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
THE HUMAN LEAGUE EVENTIM APOLLO Saturday 13th December
LAWNMOWER DETH THE UNDERWORLD
Tuesday 6th May
SCOTT MATTHEWS UNION CHAPEL alt-t
.uk / 0 ickets .co
8 4 4 87
1 8 819
GI GS OF THE M ONTH
BROKEN BELLS
THE LEXINGTON CHAMPS
@thelexington 31/03/14 £8adv ANGEL
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE BROKEN BELLS
@o2sbe 24/03/14 £22.50adv SHEPHERDS BUSH
POWER LUNCHES
TRUDIE DAWN SMITH // @powerlunches DE'BORAH
06/03/14 £5
DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION
SHACKLEWELL ARMS REPEATER // GENTLE FRIENDLY // GAPS // MOON GANGS
TRUDIE DAWN SMITH
@ShacklewellArms 14/03/14 FREE with RSVP
DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION
BRIXTON WINDMILL QUILT
@WindmillBrixton 02/04/14 £6adv BRIXTON
34
QUEEN OF HOXTON
EARL SWEATSHIRT
PLANT PLANTS // EMPIRE DIVIDE // BASTARDGEIST
@_QueenOfHoxton_ 31/03/14 £6adv LIVERPOOL STREET
THE MILLER
LAND OF THE GIANTS // PYLO // THE SHERPAS // LVLS @themillerpub 20/03/14 £5adv LONDON BRIDGE
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY EARL SWEATSHIRT @O2Islington 27/03/14 £19.50 ANGEL
ROUGH TRADE EAST LYLA FOY
@RoughTrade 7PM 18/03/14 FREE LIVERPOOL STREET
THE GOOD SHIP
LYLA FOY
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS RAFFERTIE
@ServantJazz 06/03/14 £6.50adv
DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION
CHARLIE BARNES // BATTLESHIP GREY // RAT THE MAGNIFICENT
@thegoodshipNW6 06/03/14 £5 KILBURN 35
THE WAITING ROOM
FABRIC
HOCKEYSMITH @WaitingRoomN16 06/03/14 £4adv DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION ROSKA
ROSKA // BREAKAGE // HANNAH WANTS // @fabriclondon PREDITAH // 21/03/14 £18adv JME FARRINGDON
BIRTHDAYS
YEAR BOOK // BRAWLERS
@_Birthdays 07/03/14 FREE
DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION
XOYO NADINE SHAH
@XOYO_London 25/03/14 £10adv
STRONGROOM
OLD STREET
BABILONDON // VIBRATIONS @StrongroomBar OF SOUND
NADINE SHAH
12/03/14 FREE
LIVERPOOL STREET
THE LOCK TAVERN
THE SAVAGE NOMADS // LEMMY ASHTON // THE DIRTY TRUTH @thelocktavern 30/03/14 FREE CHALK FARM // CAMDEN TOWN 36
NAKED (ON DRUGS) MON 3 MAR SEBRIGHT ARMS
MENACE BEACH WED 12 MAR OLD BLUE LAST
JUNGLEOUT LD TUES SO 4 MAR VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
THIS IS THE KIT FRI 21 MAR THE LEXINGTON
HOCKEYSMITH THURS 6 MAR THE WAITING ROOM RAFFERTIE THURS 6 MAR SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS COUSIN MARNIE MON 10 MAR SEBRIGHT ARMS
MOLLY BEANLAND MON 24 MAR SEBRIGHT ARMS CLOUD BOAT TUES 25 MAR CHATS PALACE THE MEN THURS 27 MAR VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
NIMMO AND THE GAUNTLETTS THURS 27 MAR CONCRETE
OLIVER WILDE THURS 3 APR THE LEXINGTON
WILD BEASTS TUES 1 APR O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON HOWLER THURS 3 APR OSLO HACKNEY THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS THURS 3 APR BETHNAL GREEN WORKING MENS CLUB
JESCA HOOP MON 7 APR SEBRIGHT ARMS LA FEMME WED 21 MAY SCALA HOSPITALITY MON 26 MAY SEBRIGHT ARMS TWO WINGS SAT 31 MAY SEBRIGHT ARMS
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
photo: Sandra Croft
SATURDAY 1ST MARCH MARCH
DUMBJAW + TANGERINES + FAKE LAUGH +
GYRATORY SYSTEM + SAN MORTIZZ '£5 / 7.00PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
SENILE CROCODILE
EATS EVERYTHING
£4 / 7.30PM / DALSTON VICTORIA
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / XOYO
DAN GHENACIA + DYED SOUNDOROM +
SUNDAY SUNDAY 2ND MARCH
SHONKY £20ADV / 11.00PM / FABRIC SONIC BOOM SIX + RAT ATTACK + ANIMAL + THE ONE HUNDRED £10ADV / 8.00PM / THE GARAGE 37 NORTH + NURSE JOY + THE JUNKLE + ACID BRAINS + RICHARD LETCHFORD £5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP SOULFLY £17.50ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
JOHN HARLE + MARC ALMOND £15ADV / 8.00PM / BARBICAN THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY + TYRANNOSAURUS DEAD + HOUR HANDS FREE / 7.00PM / BIRTHDAYS TRAMPOLENE + JOHN J PRESLEY + DERELICTS + HOLY MILK + DUSTIN TEBBUTT + CHARLIE STOTT £7ADV / 6.00PM / NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB WE CAME AS ROMANS + CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK! + THE COLOR MORALE +
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF
PALM READER
AMERICA + THE FRONT BOTTOMS
£12.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
£20ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
ISLINGTON
EMPIRE
ERIC CHURCH + THE CADILLAC THREE
BEST FRIENDS + DEMOB HAPPY + MOTHER
£24.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
EMPIRE
SAUNA YOUTH + PERSONNEL + COP + OMI
BASTIONS + BURNING BRIGHT + SVALBARD
PALONE + WOOLF + THE CARBONATORS +
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
RETROFUTURE + GLOSS REJECTION + GATHERING DUST + ROCK PENGUINES £7 / 4.00PM / POWER LUNCHES
MILK TEETH + RICHA + THE NEW TUSK TBC / TBC / POWER LUNCHES
MONDAY 3RD MARCH STRAIGHT LINES + HEY VANITY + THE PEOPLE
BLOOD RED SHOES £5ADV / 8.00PM / THE BLACK HEART
THE POET
GEORGE EZRA
£8ADV / 8.00PM / THE BLACK HEART
SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / DINGWALLS
KELIS
BIRDY + BILLY LOCKETT
£158ADV / 6.00PM / METROPOLIS STUDIOS
£20ADV / 8.00PM / THE FORUM
BLACKBERRY SMOKE
CROWBAR + HANG THE BASTARD +
£17ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
DRIPBACK
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
£15ADV / 7.00PM / THE GARAGE
SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
JAKE ISAAC
EMPIRE
FREE / 7.30PM / THE ISLINGTON
TOM PRIOR + ANA + FANTZ + AYME + DD
BIRDPEN
COMERCE
£7.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON
£5 / 7.30PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
PY + MO KOLOURS
NAKED (ON DRUGS)
£6ADV / 8.30PM / MADAME JOJO'S
£5ADV / 7.30PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
DAMIEN JURADO
SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
£16.00ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE
EMPIRE
UNDERGROUND
ALBERT ALBERT + LOOKS
TUESDAY 4TH MARCH THE PREATURES £10ADV / 8.00PM / 100 CLUB MONSTERS BUILD MEAN ROBOTS + LUCY CLAIRE + ZOSIA + TOM ADAMS FREE / 8.00PM / BIRTHDAYS
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST DAMIEN JURADO FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST FOXES + MAUSI £10ADV / 7.30PM / SCALA SEAMUS FOGARTY + MOATS & THRONES '£6 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
LOLO
ECHOPARK + THE RUNNER + PYRAMIDS +
£5ADV / 8.00PM / THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
MORNING SMOKE
MUTUAL BENEFIT
£5ADV / 7.30PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ST JOHN ON BETHNAL
WE ARE SCIENTISTS
GREEN
FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST
JUNGLE
NINA PERSSON
SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / VILLAGE
£15ADV / 7.30PM / SCALA
UNDERGROUND
SPRING KING + FSA + BAD BREEDING
WEDNESDAY 5TH MARCH
£6ADV / 7.30PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
RADKEY + TURBOGEIST + LYGER
THE MACHINE
£10ADV / 8.00PM / 100 CLUB
'£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
COCOS LOVERS + JODIE GOFFE
BRETON
£6ADV / 8.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL EAGULLS
£10.00ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
£8ADV / 8.00PM / ELECTROWERKZ
THURSDAY 6TH MARCH
MATTHEW CAWS + MONUMENT VALLEY
BASTILLE + ANGEL HAZE
£10ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR &
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ALEXANDRA PALACE
KITCHEN KELLEY STOLTZ £10ADV / 8.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
EKKAH + YAK + MYSTERY JETS DJ FREE / 8.00PM / BIRTHDAYS HUNTER & THE BEAR + SYKES + DAGNY +
THE JEZABELS + CHAMPS
TWO CARTOONS
£15ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / THE BORDERLINE
EMPIRE
CHARLIE BARNES + BATTLESHIP GREY + RAT
YEARS & YEARS
THE MAGNIFICENT
£6ADV / 8.00PM / OSLO
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
MØ £12ADV / 7.00PM / HEAVEN SHLOMO + ANTWON £10ADV / 8.00PM / THE LAUNDRY TRANS
TINARIWEN SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND HOCKYSMITH £4ADV / 8.00PM / THE WAITING ROOM
£8ADV / 8.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
FRIDAY 7TH MARCH
COSMO JARVIS
YEAR BOOK + BRAWLERS
£12.50ADV / 8.00PM / THE MACBETH
FREE / 8.00PM / BIRTHDAYS
FAMY
THE MARTIN HARLEY BAND + ALBERT JONES
£5DV / 7.30PM / NEW EMPOWERING
£16ADV / 8.00PM / BUSH HALL
CHURCH
N.E.W. (STEVE NOBLE + JOHN EDWARDS +
HAIM
ALEX WARD)
SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY
£6ADV / 8.00PM / CAFE OTO
SUDDEN DEATH OF STAR + BED RUGS
PEST + CURXES
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
£6ADV / 8.00PM / CARGO
SHLOHMO
REDSHAPE + DAUWD + IRON GALAXY
£10ADV / 7.30PM / OSLO
£6ADV / 10.00PM / CORSICA STUDIOS
KOLLEKTIV TURMSTRASSE
DAVID RODIGAN MBE + SHY FX B2B ZINC +
£10ADV / 8.00PM / OVAL SPACE
KASRA + ENEI + CALIBRE
TRUDIE DAWN SMITH + DE'BORAH
£13-£18ADV / 10.00PM / FABRIC
£5 / TBC / POWER LUNCHES
WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS
THE HEAD AND THE HEART + PAUL THOMAS
£17ADV / 8.00PM / THE GARAGE
SAUNDERS
MONTMATRE + DAMN BEATS + VLADIMIR +
SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / SCALA
MY AUTUMN EMPIRE + JAYET AL
RAFFERTIE
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
'£6.50 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
LET THE MACHINES DO THE WORK + WE
HOLY ESQUE + ESCAPISTS + CASSELS
LOVE MACHINES
FREE / 8.00PM / THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
£6ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN GOLDHEART ASSEMBLY + THE HOSTS £8ADV / 8.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
TINARIWEN SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND BENJI B + ZOMBY + CULT MUSIC
FRIENDLY FIRES DJ + THE C90'S + DEEDEE
SOUNDSYSTEM
LOVES ME + REUBEN HOLLABOM
SOLD OUT / 9.00PM / XOYO
£7ADV / 9.00PM / THE NEST SATURDAY 8TH MARCH AN CAFE £25ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
THE WOODENTOPS £17ADV / 8.00PM / 229
JOHN COOPER CLARKE £20-26.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S
VODUN + YE NUNS + MADAME SO
BUSH EMPIRE
£3ADV / 8.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL
HUSKIES + GLASS CAVES + BABY PINK
DAVID CRONENBERG'S WIFE + PAUL HAWKIN
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
& THE AWKWARD SILENCES £5ADV / 8.00PM / BUFFALO BAR
JOINT D≠ + NO + STREET BEEF + SNOB '£6 / 8.00PM / POWER LUNCHES
CRAIG RICHARDS + RICARDO VILLALOBOS +
CLEAR SOUL FORCES + JOE DRISCOLL & THE
£22ADV / 11.00PM / FABRIC
GRANVILLE SESSIONS
MATTHEW BURTON & KATE RATHOD LIVE
£10ADV / 7.00PM / THE PRINCE OF WALES
DZIEN KOBIET (WOMEN’S DAY) FEAT.
DESPACIO
£33.25ADV / 6.00PM / THE FORUM
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE MARK GARDENER (RIDE) + DESERT SHIPS + GLACIALS £10ADV / 8.00PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
NOSOWSKA + MARIA PESZEK + BRODKA
DE STAAT £7.50ADV / 6.30PM / THE GARAGE WITCHING SEASON + VELDTS + JOLANGA + CHANGING STATE + ANGUS & ANNALIISA £5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
ROVO & SYSTEM 7 PERFORM 'PHOENIX
KID CANAVERAL + RANDOLPH'S LEAP +
RISING'
SYNAESTHETE
£25ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
£8ADV / 7.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
TEMPLES
SHILED PATTERNS + SEED BONES + VOLTAGE
£14ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
BLACK
EMPIRE
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER
METRONOMY
£5ADV / 8.00PM / OSLO
FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST
TENSE MEN + THE BOMBER JACKETS +
JOHN GRANT
PERSONNEL + YEAST EXTRACT
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE
£3 / 8.00PM / POWER LUNCHES THE TEA STREET BAND + JAKE EVANS £5ADV / 8.00PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON
MONDAY 10TH 10TH MARCH MARCH
ADAM BOMB (USA) + SUPPORTS £4ADV / 8.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL
DESPACIO £30ADV / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE
THE SEA & I £8ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON
MARINERS CHILDREN + DANNI NICHOLLS FREE / 12.00PM / UNION CHAPEL JUAN ATKINS + LONE + RIVAL CONSOLES + RAJ CHAUDHARI £10ADV / 9.00PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND EATS EVERYTHING + JUSTIN MARTIN £14ADV / 8.00PM / XOYO SUNDAY 9TH MARCH I'M BEING GOOD + SWEET WILLIAM + MXLX+ GIANT BURGER TBC / 7.30PM / DALSTON VICTORIA
GAMMY BIRD FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST BABYSHAMBLES £25ADV / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE COUSIN MARNIE £4ADV / 7.30PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS TUESDAY 11TH MARCH
WE WERE EVERGREEN + STATS SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / BARFLY THE LONE BELLOW £10ADV / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE
THE WARLOCKS
HOLLIE MCNISH
£11ADV / 8.00PM / CORSICA STUDIOS
£10ADV / 7.30PM / BUSH HALL
JIPSY MAGIC + THE DIRTY MOJO'S + BLOW
I/M/M/I/G/R/A/N/T/S
FUNKLE
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP ANGEL HAZE £13.50ADV / 7.00PM / HEAVEN
THE ENGLISH BEAT FT. DAVE WAKELING £18ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON THE CRIMSON PROJEKCT
DUMB + KID WAVE + CURB
£37ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
EMPIRE
GORDON ASHWORTH + WESLEY GOATLEY +
MENACE BEACH
PANOS ALEXIADIS + KOSTIS KILYMIS
£5 / 7.30PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
£6 / 7.30PM / POWER LUNCHES DAN CROLL FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST NICK MULVEY £12ADV / 7.30PM / SCALA I AM IN LOVE + DEATH RATTLE + EMILE BERNARD £5ADV / 8.00PM / THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS THE VEILS
GALLON DRUNK FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST BABILONDON + VIBRATIONS OF SOUND FREE / 8:00PM / STRONGROOM ELLA EYRE SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / XOYO THURSDAY THURSDAY 13TH MARCH
SCHNAUSER + THE GREAT ELECTRIC +
£13.50ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE
FLIGHTS OF HELIOS
UNDERGROUND
£4ADV / 8.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL
WEDNESDAY 12TH MARCH
GRAILS + LILACS & CHAMPAGNE £13ADV / 8.00PM / BIRTHDAYS
TELESCREEN FT. FRANKIE COCOZZA £8ADV / 7.00PM / THE GARAGE JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON
HAWK
THE SQUARE HEARTS + BLACK FOX +
FREE / 7.00PM / THE LOCK TAVERN
NEIGHBOURHOOD
OVERKILL + SOILWORK + XENTRIX
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
£23.50ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
VELOJET + THE NEW UNION + SECRET
ISLINGTON
COMPANY
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY HYPONITIZED + FLAMINGODS FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST VERY TALL STORIES + DETOUR CITY £8ADV / 7.00PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON NEW STREET ADVENTURE + ANDY MUSCAT £4ADV / 7.30PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS ROTIFER + VELOJET + RALEGH LOND RAPID RESULTS COLLEGE '£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
£6ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN BLAENAVON £5ADV / 10.00PM / KOKO THE TRAPS £6ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON MIKE SKINNER + NEW YORK TRANSIT AUTHORITY + KHALIL [LIVIN' PROOF] £7ADV / 9.00PM / THE NEST COLD CROWS DEAD + DEATH CATS + LAST HEIR FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
FRIDAY 14TH MARCH MARCH
FEATURE + WITCHING WAVES + PRIMETIME
THURSTON MOORE + PHIL MINTON
£4 DONATION / 7.30PM / POWER LUNCHES
£10ADV / 8.00PM / CAFE OTO
FRANZ FERDINAND
DISTANT COUSINS + ITALOJOHNSON +
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE
HESSELTIME
GIACOMO SMITH QUARTET
£8ADV / 10.00PM / CORSICA STUDIOS DUSKY + LOEFAH + YOUANDEWAN £14-£19ADV / 10.00PM / FABRIC CHVRCHES SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / THE FORUM
'£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS GENTLE FRIENDLY + GAPS + MOON GANGS FREE W/RSVP / 8.00PM / THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
WEN
F.O.X. + KIITES
FREE / 9.00PM / THE WAITING ROOM
'£5 / 8.00PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON
LINDSTROM + TIM SWEENEY + KIWI
FRANZ FERDINAND
£12.50ADV / 9.00PM / XOYO
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE
SATURDAY 15TH MARCH
WHITE FANG + THEO VERNEY + AUTOBAHN +
PAUL PRUDENCE
KEEL HER + POPSTRANGERS + SHACKLEWELL ARTS FAIR + ALE FESTIVAL +
FREE / 3.00PM / ACE HOTEL
ZINE SWA
A WILHELM SCREAM + GNARWOLVES
£8 / 2.00PM / THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / THE BORDERLINE
LTJ BUKEM + RONI SIZE
THE CONNECTORS + ELEPHANT 12 + YINKA
£19ADV / 10.30PM / VILLAGE
OYEWOLE
UNDERGROUND
£3ADV / 8.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL THE ORB TBC / 8.00PM / ELECTRIC BRIXTON CHVRCHES SOLD OUT / 7.30PM / THE FORUM CORNERS OF THE EARTH £5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP ANIMAL KINGDOM + HABITATS £6.50ADV / 8.00PM / THE LEXINGTON MIYAVI
SUNDAY SUNDAY 16TH MARCH
MARTINEZ + PETER PIXZEL + JACOB HUSLEY £7ADV / 11.00PM / FABRIC REBECCA FERGUSON £27.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE JAZZHANDS FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST MONDAY 17TH 17TH MARCH MARCH
£20ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
THE NO FRILLS BAND + COUNTRONICA
EMPIRE
FREE / 7.30PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL
THE FIREWORKS + YOUNG ROMANCE + SKELETAL SHAKES + CAST AND CREW TBC / TBC / POWER LUNCHES
ELLEN & THE ESCAPADES £8ADV / 8.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
IMELDA MAY
THE WILD FEATHERS
£29.50ADV / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
SAM BROOKES + HOT FEET + THE MAGIC
LYLA FOY
LANTERN
FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST
£8ADV / 7.30PM / ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH HEATHER NOVA + GALLERY 47 £20ADV / 7.30PM / UNION CHAPEL CULTS £10ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
EDITORS £22ADV / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE GENTLEMEN £5.50ADV / 8.00PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS STEPHANIE LLO + BARNACLES + TENEIL
TUESDAY 18TH MARCH MARCH
'£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
MATT NATHANSON + STEPHEN KELLOGG
THE NOTWIST
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / THE BORDERLINE
£14ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
CHRIS PUREKA + STEVEN JAMES ADAMS +
WEDNESDAY 19TH MARCH
ZOE KINEZ £7ADV / 8.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL THOMAS DYBDAHL £14ADV / 7.30PM / BUSH HALL DANCE A LA PLAGE + SHAKERS & SHADES + VENICE TRIP +A199 £5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP MARIKA HACKMAN £7.50ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
YOUR FAVOURITE ENEMIES + THE SEA + LOVE ZOMBIES £7ADV / 7.00PM / BARFLY STU LARSEN £10ADV / 8.00PM / THE BORDERLINE THE SAVAGE NOMADS + KILL MOON + LIFE + THE ROSCOES £5ADV / 7.00PM / THE GARAGE ADAM FRENCH + JOSEPH PEACOCK + ROISIN O’HAGAN + OLAF STANDO + NICK WILSON +
LISSIE
REUBEN HESTER + MERCURY SKIES
£17.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
£4.50ADV / 6.45PM / THE GOOD SHIP
EMPIRE
GREGORY PORTER
ARMS AND SLEEPERS + POLYMATH + APRIL
£24ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
WAS A PASSENGER
EMPIRE JOHN COFFEY + YARDS + BLASTED FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST THE LOVE TRIANGLE + THE RICKY C QUARTET
£5ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN WYE OAK + SYLVAN ESSO SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
+ THE HIPSHAKES + THE SMEAR
WE ARE SCIENTISTS
TBC / TBC / POWER LUNCHES
£17ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
ALLOTA BOUNCE + APPLE TART + CHARLIE
EMPIRE
BUCKITT + DOTT COTTON
RALEIGH RITCHIE
£7, £5CONC. / 8.00PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON
FREE / 8.00PM / OSLO
EDITORS
WASHINGTON IRVING
£22ADV / 8.00PM / ROUNDHOUSE
£7ADV / 8.00PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
TEMPLE SONGS + HALF LOON
AELIUS
£5.50ADV / 8.00PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
'£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
MIRYAM SOLOMON
RHYS CHATHAM + CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE
'£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
& WILLIAM BASINSKI
FAMILIAR CREATURES + THEATRE ROYAL + ECHO TRAILS £5 / 8.00PM / THE WAITING ROOM THURSDAY 20TH MARCH
MAXIMO PARK £19.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE FORUM LOMO £5ADV / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
£16ADV / 8.00PM / ST JOHN AT HACKNEY CHURCH LEDDRA CHAPMAN SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH FRIDAY 21ST MARCH MARCH
RED FANG+ THE SHRINE + LORD DYING £13.50ADV / 6.00PM / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
ROSKA + BREAKAGE + HANNAH WANTS +
HOME ADVANTAGE
PREDITAH + JME + SCRATCH PERVERTS
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
£13-£18ADV / 10.00PM / FABRIC
SHOPPING + RAVIOLI ME AWAY + NO + DIE +
THE BRANDY THIEVES + BLANK BIBLES +
ARMS RACE
TONY BLACK AND THE COLLECTORS + THE
£5 / 8.00PM / POWER LUNCHES
DOWNING STREET YEARS + ALEX LOSARDO £5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH VS BEACH CREEP: UNITED FRUIT + HORSEFIGHT + ICE SEA DEAD
STEPHEN KELLOGG
PEOPLE
£9ADV / 7.00PM / THE ISLINGTON
FREE / 8.00PM / THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY
KARMA KID + BLONDE + WAYWARD
£22.50ADV / 7.00P / JAZZ CAFE
SOLD OUT / 9.00PM / XOYO
THE HEARTBREAKS
SATURDAY 22ND MARCH
£5ADV / 10.00PM / KOKO THIS IS THE KIT £9ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON
VESSEL + RASHAD BECKER £8ADV / 8.00PM / BRITTANIA HOUSE SWISS LIPS + JUNGLE DOCTORS +
CLOCKWORK
PASSPORT TO STOCKHOLM
FREE / 7.00PM / THE LOCK TAVERN
£5ADV / 8.00PM / BUSH HALL
CRAZY P + LA FLEUR + DIEF & BAKER
ONE WHITE CROW + THE DREAMS OF
£7ADV / 9.00PM / THE NEST
RIDICULOUS MEN + SACCADES + VELSHUR +
RED FANG + THE SHRINE + LORD DYING £13.50ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
DECLAN MCKENNA £5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
ISLINGTON
LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY
KODALINE + JAMES BAY
£22.50ADV / 7.00PM / JAZZ CAFE
£17.50ADV / 7.30PM / O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY
CONGO NATTY + MALA + CHANNEL ONE + OM
HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT £20ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE
UNIT £14ADV / 8.00PM / KOKO
FOUR TET
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / ELECTRIC BALLROOM
THE JCQ
DRAKE + THE WEEKND
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
£53ADV / 7.00PM / THE O2
CHE GE ZEBRA + KHAOS ALBERTO +
BROKEN BELLS
MONTAGUE BLACK
£22.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
'£4 / 8.00PM / POWER LUNCHES
EMPIRE
THE BLOW + TYPE TWO ERROR + THE TWICE
DEADFADER
£6ADV / 7.30PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST
EATS EVERYTHING B2B HEIDI + TOTALLY
MOLLY BEANLAND
ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS + GERD
£4ADV / 7.30PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / XOYO
IVAN & ALYOSHA
SUNDAY 23RD MARCH
£8ADV / 7.00PM / THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
SPACE AND REPUBLICA
TUESDAY 25TH MARCH MARCH
£16.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON DAVID O'DOHERTY WILL TRY AND FIX EVERYTHING £15ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE THATCHER + SOCCER 96 + JIBOIA TBC / TBC / POWER LUNCHES
GARDENS & VILLA £8ADV / 7.30PM / BIRTHDAYS STORY BOOKS £7ADV / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE AUSTIN LUKAS + PJ BOND £10ADV / 7.45PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL AISHA ORAZBAYEVA £6ADV / 8.00PM / CAFE OTO
MONDAY 24TH 24TH MARCH MARCH
BASKERY
CLOUD BOAT £8ADV / 8.00PM / CHATS PALACE
£11ADV / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE ANGEL OLSEN £12.50ADV / 8.00PM / DINGWALLS
DEATHSTARS
FUDGE AND THE FREQUENCY + EL BORN +
SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / THE GARAGE
CITY OF LIGHTS
THE RAILS £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON BEAR HANDS £6ADV / 8.30PM / MADAME JOJO'S NINA NESBITT £15ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE AMBER RUN £7ADV / 8.00PM / OSLO NADINE SHAH £10ADV / 7.00PM / XOYO
£10ADV / 7.00PM / JAZZ CAFE KATY B SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / KOKO DAUGHTRY £18.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE GET INVOLVED! + ZOAX + LOVE ZOMBIES FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST TYCHO £15ADV / 7.30PM / OVAL SPACE DAN CROLL £10ADV / 7.30PM / SCALA
WEDNESDAY 26TH MARCH
YUNG LEAN & THE SAD BOYS
GIBSON BULL FREE / 8:00PM / STRONGROOM
£10ADV / 8.00PM / BIRTHDAYS SAINT RAYMOND + BEAR HANDS SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE HAUSCHKA SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / CAFE OTO FRANCOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS £11ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN SUMMER CAMP
THE IRREPRESSIBLES + OLIVIA CHANEY + OPAL ONYX £14ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND THURSDAY THURSDAY 27TH MARCH
BILLY LOCKETT + EMILY BURNS £8.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE NIMMO AND THE GAUNTLETTS TBC / 8.00PM / CONCRETE
£8ADV / 8.00PM / ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY
YOUNG KATO
HALL
£10ADV / 7.00PM / THE GARAGE
RONIN + WATERBLACK + ADAM CLEAVER +
DJ HYPE + PASCAL + MATRIX &
AYDIO SYSTEM
FUTUREBOUND + HAZARD + SUB ZERO
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
£13-£18ADV / 10.00PM / FABRIC
GOSSLING
FOX + CORSICA + MIRACLE BLOW + IRIS +
£5ADV / 8.00PM / HOXTON SQUARE BAR &
KIRA KENLEY
KITCHEN
£5 / 7.30PM / THE GOOD SHIP
65DAYSOFSTATIC+ NATHAN FAKE
THE CHAP + DREAM THEMES
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / KOKO
£7.50ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON
EARL SWEATSHIRT
METRONOMY
£19.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY
SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
ISLINGTON
CLANNAD - MARY BLACK
BAND OF SKULLS + COVES
£32.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
£18.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH
EMPIRE
EMPIRE YOUNG KNIVES + BROWN BROGUES £12.50ADV / 7.30PM / SCALA THE MEN £11ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND FRIDAY 28TH MARCH MARCH
WHITE NOISE SOUND + 14 ICED BEARS +
DEATH AND THE PENGUINE FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST GIACOMO SMITH QUARTET '£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS BIG DEAL £12.50ADV / 8.00PM / ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
93MILLIONMILESFROMTHESUN + PUSHER +
ANDREW WEATHERALL + GHOST CULTURE +
EDWEENA (SWEDEN)
JUSTIN ROBERTSON + LEMMY ASHTON
£9ADV / 6.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL
£12.50ADV / 9.00PM / XOYO
THE LADYKILLERS + THE CONNECTORS + THE
SATURDAY 29TH MARCH
POISON HEARTS TBC / 8.00PM / BUFFALO BAR
DEAL WITH IT (REUNION) + CHAIN OF FLOWERS + OUTRAGE CC + FADE £6ADV / 8.00PM / BIRTHDAYS
MELANIE PAIN
MUTECALL + RAYMUNDO RODRIGUEZ + CHRIS
£12.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE
STANFORD
YOUNGTEAM (SWEDEN) + THE GREENCOATS
£15ADV / 7.00AM / CORSICA STUDIOS
(SWEDEN) + CULKIN (SWEDEN) + THE
HE UNDERSTUDIES + A LITTLE ORCHESTRA
ELECTRIC MAINLINE + SOUNDWIRE +
£4 / 6.00PM / THE LEXINGTON
SATSANGI + LE CASE DEL FUTURO (ITALY) £10ADV / 4.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL ESBEN & THE WITCH + BROKEN DC £7ADV / 8.00PM / BUFFALO BAR DARKSIDE SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / THE CORONET BLACK STAR FEAT. YASIIN BEY (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MOS DEF) + TALIB KWELI SOLD OUT / 8.00PM / THE FORUM
THE SAVAGE NOMADS + LEMMY ASHTON + THE DIRTY TRUTH FREE / 7.00PM / THE LOCK TAVERN ELLIOT MINOR £12ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON MONDAY 31ST 31ST MARCH MARCH
JOHNNY FOREIGNER + RADSTEWART + MIDFIELD WORKHORSE £9ADV / 7.00PM / THE BORDERLINE
TOYAH WILLCOX £22.50ADV / 7.00PM / JAZZ CAFE
BLACK STAR FEAT. YASIIN BEY (FORMERLY
AZEALIA BANKS
£29.50ADV / 7.00PM / THE CORONET
£20ADV / 7.30PM / O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY PLANT PLANTS + EMPIRE DIVIDE + BASTARDGEIST £7, £5CONC. / 8.00PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON
KNOWN AS MOS DEF)
CHAMPS £8ADV / 7.00PM / THE LEXINGTON EMBLEM3 £15ADV / 7.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
SUNDAY 30TH MARCH
THE WOLFHOUNDS + DANIEL LAND + ONE UNIQUE SIGNAL + DEAD RABBITS + THE CAROUSELS £8ADV / 5.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL
DIONNE REID + JOEL BAKER £6ADV / 7.30PM / QUEEN OF HOXTON AS ELEPHANTS ARE £6.50ADV / 8.00PM / SEBRIGHT ARMS
TUESDAY 1ST APRIL
THURSDAY 3RD APRIL APRIL THURSDAY
COASTS
THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS
£7.50ADV / 7.00PM / BARFLY QUILT £6ADV / 5.00PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL THE MINISTRY OF WOLVES £10ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON WILD BEASTS + EAST INDIA YOUTH £18ADV / 8.00PM / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON JIMI GOODWIN FREE / 7.00PM / ROUGH TRADE EAST BRUNO MAJOR £7.50ADV / 8.00PM / ST GILES IN THE FIELDS BIPOLAR SUNSHINE + INDIANA + KIMBERLEY ANNE £8ADV / 8.00PM / XOYO WEDNESDAY 2ND APRIL
AI ASO + NORBERT MÖSLANG £10ADV / 8.30PM / CAFE OTO POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS + THEN THICKENS FREE / 8.00PM / THE OLD BLUE LAST FIONA BEVAN '£5 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS POLAR BEAR + SHIVER £14.50ADV / 8.00PM / XOYO
£7ADV / 8.00PM / BETHNAL GREEN WORKING MEN'S CLUB LA LUZ + PARLOUR + ABJECTS £7ADV / 7.45PM / BRIXTON WINDMILL ERLEND ØYE SOLD OUT / 7.00PM / ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL OLIVER WILDE £7ADV / 7.30PM / THE LEXINGTON WALK OFF THE EARTH £17.50ADV / 7.00PM / O2 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE HOWLER £12ADV / 7.30PM / OSLO MARC O'REILY £8 / 7.30PM / SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS FRIDAY 4TH APRIL
RIVERSIDE £19ADV / 6.00PM / O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON JAZZANOVA + ZARA MCFARLANE £17.50ADV / 7.30PM / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
FOR MORE LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR WEEKLY GIGS OF THE WEEK E-MAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM
POLIÇA Troxy // February 12th Let’s start with the premise that front woman Channy Leaneagh is seemingly flawless; this woman is probably the cause of as many female girl-crushes as male ones. Poliça are joined by fellow Minneapolis outfit Marijuana Deathsquads with their atonal electro-beat and beating drums. Whether you are a fan of auto-tune or not, this time it works. Channy’s silhouette prominently stands out against the deco walls, her stage presence is charming, and the sharp vocals are startling enough to cut through her bandmate’s metronomic brew.
JAJAJA: VÖK // ATLANTER // SCHULTZ & FOREVER
The Lexington // February 13th The definitive Nordic night returns with a serving of three diverse acts to warm us up on a freezing February night. It begins with Schultz & Forever (the alias of 19-year-old Dane Jonathan Schultz) who asks for “some weed, painkillers and a place to stay” before launching into a set of jangly, upbeat indie.
The rhythmic loops and sophisticated electronic pop is the official soundtrack of the dance floor in these early 2010s. One moment Dark Star’s chant of “ain’t no man in this world who can pull me down from my dark star” reverberates around the room in a religious silence, and then the next moment Say My Name turns what was a catchy groove into stomp-worthy live dance track. Poliça prove, once again, to be one of the most exciting acts to come out of Minneapolis since Prince. Fabiana Giovanetti Next up Atlanter burst on to the stage to declare “We’re here to make love to your soul” though their mix of motorik rhythms and glammed-up blues is miss as much as hit. It’s Icelandic trio Vök who are the pick of the crop. It’s easy to make comparisons to The xx, with their claustrophobic beats, but this is something more, and when they play the seductively atmospheric Tension you can see why the buzz is growing around them. Danny Wright
PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BARROS
59
REPEATER
Mini festival at The Shacklewell Arms March 14, 15, 16 2014
£10 adv / £15 door events.lanzaroteworks.com
REPEATER
NEW YEARS EVE 31 December 2013
Mini festival at The Shacklewell Arms
The shacklewell Arms
GENTLE FRIENDLY GAPS MOON GANGS WHITE FANG THEO VERNEY AUTOBAHN KEEL HER POPSTRANGERS PATTERNS RELICS
BY DANNY WRIGHT I can never tell whether it’s ludicrous or brilliant (though it’s probably both) that something as essentially ephemeral and flimsy as pop music has such a hold on the most important moments in our lives. Every relationship, every city lived in, every single event is locked in with a certain song and you really have no choice in the matter. I was living in Tokyo when The National’s Alligator came out. Walking around the city, headphones in, the album revealed itself to me as the city did. Everything seemed heightened, like a normal city overdosed on hallucinogens. The straight edges of the skyscrapers bursting up into the sky, the Shinto shrines and the brilliant otherness of it. And I was grounded by The National’s welcoming hug. But it was something else as well: the paranoia and the doubt, the love and the visceral catharsis of that record were all the feelings I had inside of me. Even today Matt Berninger’s voice always transports me back there. I still have no idea if it’s my favourite album because of Tokyo or if Tokyo is my favourite city because of Alligator. The opposite is, of course, also inevitably and unfortunately true. There are songs I can no longer bear to hear. That you have to go through some Eternal Sunshine memory cleansing to get rid of them is also part of the process. It’s this lack of control that makes it such a rare thing. Miserable songs become joyous and life affirming. One-dimensional pop songs take on a depth no one else could perceive. And we just can’t let go. I mean it even happened to me with a Lumineers song last year. So next time a song comes on think about what you’re listening to because it could be with you for the rest of your life. And if it feels like it’s going to be traumatic, maybe put your fingers in your ears.
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT KILILIVE.COM
PRESENTS
WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL
LONDON Islington Assembly Hall
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT KILILIVE.COM
SJM CONCERTS PRESENT
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
LUCIUS
HEAVEN • 11 MARCH
OSLO • 16 APRIL
WE ARE SCIENTISTS
cut/copy
ANGEL HAZE
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH SUPERFOOD AND THE HEARTBREAKS
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE • 20 MARCH
THE FORUM • 16 APRIL
WITH INDIANA AND KIMBERLY ANNE
WITH SLAVES AND DZ DEATHRAYS
XOYO • 01 APRIL
ELECTRIC BALLROOM • 30 APRIL
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
SCALA • 01 APRIL
KOKO • 10 JUNE
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WITH UGLY DUCKLING (20TH) AND DILATED PEOPLES (21TH)
THE GARAGE • 10 APRIL
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON • 20 & 21 JUNE
0844 811 0051