London in Stereo // November 2016

NOVEMBE R 2 0 1 6 ISSUE 43 // FREE

THE RADIO DEPT. SLEIGH BELLS | MONSTER RALLY

WELCOME THE RADIO DEPT.

Oh hey November, you’re looking gooooood. This month is just packed full of everything we love. We kick things off with Mirrors festival (technically October - don’t worry we know), and we’ll have to work out a way to clone ourselves, or something, for the rest of the month to keep up with the amazing shows. Don’t forget to check our website for always-updated listings.

For this issue we got to head over to Stockholm to chat to The Radio Dept. about their stunning return (if you don’t believe us, the new album is already online). I’m also really excited to have the amazing Jamz Supernova writing this month’s Penny For Your Thoughts. Basically we were spoilt for choice this month, so you can’t really go wrong if you just dive in.

Roll on end of the year lists, we’re waiting for you.

STAFF ON REPEAT the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: COSIMA - GIRLS WHO GET READY DAVE: ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL - STELLULAR LOKI: SAD13 - LESS THAN 2 DANNY: MOSES SUMNEY - LONELY WORLD GEMMA: BONZAI - 2B JACK: JAPANDROIDS - NO KNOWN DRINK OR DRUGS ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL

RACHEL: ESTRONS - I’M NOT YOUR GIRL LiS 03

CONTENTS 08. ON THE STEREO

LONDON IN STEREO IS:

13. NEW SOUNDS

Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk

15. TALES FROM THE CITY

Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk

18. MONSTER RALLY

Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@londoninstereo.co.uk

22. SLEIGH BELLS

Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki Lillistone sales@londoninstereo.co.uk

26. THE RADIO DEPT.

Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Gemma Samways, Jack Urwin.

32. ALBUM REVIEWS

Photography: The Radio Dept. cover story: Lucy Johnston lucyjohnston.co.uk

40. EVENTS 45. GIGS OF THE MONTH 50. LIVE LISTINGS 69. IN LONDON 70. LIVE REVIEWS 73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Contributors: Tom Johnson, Geoff Cowart, Simone Scott Warren, Tim Hakki, Rachel Grace Almeida, Rhian Daly, George O’Brien, Kate Solomon, Thomas Hannan, Lee Wakefield, Grant Bailey, Henry Wilkinson, Jamz Supernova.

SLEIGH BELLS

londoninstereo.com

@LondonInStereo

/londoninstereo

/london-in-stereo

londoninstereo LiS 05

ZACH SAID

WILL JOSEPH COOK

LOCAL NATIVES

OCT 29 THE WAITING ROOM

NOV 02 DINGWALLS

LITTLE HOURS

THE SISTERHOOD

JACK GARRATT

NOV 09 THE SOCIAL

NOV 28 LEXINGTON

NOV 23/24 EVENTIM APOLLO

FUTURISTIC

HACKTIVIST

WILLIAM SINGE

DEC 06 O 2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

DEC 10 UNDERWORLD

DEC 11 KOKO

TOUCHÉ AMORÉ W/ ANGEL DU$T

IZZY BIZU

BIRDY NAM NAM

FEB 2017 O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

MARCH 2017 HEAVEN

FEB 2017 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

NOV 03 KOKO

THE BEST IN NEW LIVE MUSIC L O

N

D

O

N

@LNSOURCE LIVENATION.CO.UK

GEORGE CLINTON

ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE

GEORGE CLINTON

Simply one of the greatest and most important artists ever.

George Clinton is one of the last of the A-List in a generation that includes James Brown, Bob Marley, Prince, Otis Reading, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti... And guess what, he still has one of the most electric live shows out there.

Legendary, revolutionary, the king of P-Funk, we couldn’t put together a list of our ones-to-watch at the Soundcrash Funk and Soul Weekender without a hefty nod to George Clinton.

TAYLOR McFERRIN ALREADY THERE

Taylor McFerrin is a jazz/soul/electronic musician and producer whose first recorded appearance was as a background singer on ‘Jubilee’, a song included on his father Bobby McFerrin’s 1982 debut album.

Moving on three decades, following on from a series of singles and EPs, Taylor released his amazing debut album Early Riser on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint in 2014. Late 2016 sees the release of the new LP on Brainfeeder and everyone is already starting to get very excited.

Line-up so far: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, The Sugar Hill Gang, Hot 8 Brass Band, Mr Scruff, Omar, Jordan Rakei, Taylor McFerrin, Nubiyan Twist, Norman Jay Mbe, Akua Naru, Crazy P Soundsystem, Flamingods, United Vibrations, Tenderlonious, Al Dobson Jr, Jeep Bassa, Harleighblu, Lakuta, Some Voices Funk & Soul Disco Choir, Dat Brass.

HOT 8 BRASS BAND

HOT 8 BRASS BAND

FLAMINGODS

On the verge of selling out the Roundhouse, Hot 8 have become one of the biggest acts in the Funk & Soul world right now. Tru Thought’s Hot Brass Band have been through more trauma than any band would like to imagine and their live show is one powered with emotion.

A five-piece psychedelic tropical quintet currently taking the UK by storm, Flamingods are just one of the bands on the bill ensuring we bring a taste of global selections to the festival. Their recent album, released by our friends at Soundway Records, brims with diverse influences that reflect their multi-cultural backgrounds.

SEXUAL HEALING

JUNGLE BIRDS

NUBIYAN TWIST HYPNOTISED

Cool jazz vibes, uplifting horns and classy, soulful vocals… In a way Nubiyan sums up what Funk & Soul Weekender is about: taking the most important genres and making them fresher and super-relevant for a new generation.

A very exciting addition to the soul / Afrobeat scene and a very welcome debut to Soundcrash’s seaside Weekender!

NUBIYAN TWIST

The Soundcrash Funk & Soul Weekender takes place May 12th-15th 2017 at Pontins, Camber Sands. funkandsoulweekender.com // @FunkAndSoulWKND // facebook.com/FunkAndSoulWKND LiS 09

NOVEMBER 2016 ~ LIV E ~ JMSN /

2nd

11th

6th

Jojo Mayer/Nerve /

Sounds Familiar Music Quiz / 13th

Jesus Jones / 21st 24th

28th

The Bulletproof Bomb /

9th

Girls & Boys / 17th

3rd

Dreezy /

ShaoDow /

18th 22nd

Arc Iris /

15th

JPNSGRLS /

29th

25th

20th

30th

Kucka

Johnossi

Gospeloke

Gold Dust /

Fairchild /

Arkells /

8th

10th

16th

Odezenne

Peggy’s Big Sunday

Hannah Georgas /

Hero Fisher /

Basecamp /

7th

4th

23rd

27th

Jameszoo

By The Rivers

Strong Asian Mothers

~ LATE ~ every Friday

5th

NIGHT CALL

TIM WESTWOOD

Weekly

LAUNCH NIGHT

Friday Club

Exciting new residency from the big dog himself

12th

17th

KATE BOSS

THROWBACK

A proper old school

80s & 90s house designed

discotheque

to keep you dancing

Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com

| HOXTONSQUAREBAR

NEW SOUNDS by Gemma Samways

smerz Providing welcome respite from the tropical-tinged cuts currently dominating the mainstream, this Oslo-formed, Copenhagen-based production team take their cues from minimal techno rather than Kygo. More suited to scuzzy warehouse raves or solo night-bus treks than to pool parties in the Balearics, Henriette Motzfeldt and Catharina Stoltenberg’s sleek, economical productions possess an immediacy, subtlety and inventiveness that serves to set them apart from those of their dance-pop peers.

Debut track ‘Because’ provided the perfect introduction to Smerz’s less-is-more aesthetic. Propelled by a pogoing bass line and the irresistible twitch of hi-hats - and sporadically interspersed with insouciant spoken-word samples and bursts of nosediving synths the song’s undeniable melody is entirely contained within the duo’s dreamy vocals. Nine months on, it remains one of the year’s finest singles.

Last month’s Okey EP - released via London imprint Hard Up - further confirmed Smerz’s potential by demonstrating the duo’s impressive range. In a little under 25 minutes, they move seamlessly between the taut electro-pop of ‘Thrill’ and club-focused cuts like ‘You See?’, which is driven by fluttering synths redolent of those on Four Tet’s ‘Parallel Jalebi’. Perhaps most intriguing is ‘Craig’, a haunting sprawl that splices intimate bar-room conversation with Kiasmos-style symphonic electronica. By the end of the EP, you’re left guessing where Smerz will venture next, but certain you want to continue with them on their journey.

Listen to ‘Because’.

Smerz’s Okey EP is out now via Hard Up Records.

LIVE: Corsica Studios, October 26th.

ONLINE: soundcloud.com/smerzno // facebook.com/Smerzno LiS 13

TALES FROM THE CITY London. Man. Where do you start? We love and hate it all in the same breath. We don’t want to be here when we’re in it, but we pine for it when we’re away and wear it like a badge of honour. Well, I do anyway.

There’s a sense of pride and knowing that you get from a soul that has resided in this challenging city. And when we say “reside”, we mean actually lived here. That means more than six months, more than just your gap year, more than just a place to squat between your trips all over the continent.

Spending 80% of your time between France, Italy, and Spain while “living in London” is not living in London. Talk to me about your extortionate council tax rates, how you hate Oxford Street, how you miss the Astoria, how amazing it is here in the summer with pink torsos flying around Regent’s Park and then we’ll know you come from a true London pasting.

In August 1999 I arrived into the UK, from Melbourne via a short stint in San Francisco. I didn’t know much about the UK or London at all, but I did know it was a city where I could indulge in music and find hopefully like-minded musicians to jam with and play crap pub gigs with.

For the next seven years from that date, London gave me everything I needed for that period of my existence. It gave me life-long friends who were either fellow band mates or just fellow music lovers (I started my first serious band in London, Million Dead, with whom I had some of my most pivotal musical moments and also learnt some of my harshest life lessons) who I love to this day, and London also forced me to the grow the fuck up. Both culturally and emotionally. The key to London is to know what you want from it and to take the opportunities it cheekily may flash at you like a drunken flirt.

photo: Sebastian Schofield

Julia Ruzicka

It’s because of these years in London, and trying to absorb it as much as possible and taking as much as it offered that led me to seventeen years and counting of playing in bands I love, making music I’m proud of, and having met some of the most important people I’ve had in my life. London is unashamedly dirty, tough, and proud. You’ll either identify with that, strive to be that or be destroyed by that. That’s putting it in a very simple, neat, poetic box I know.

Apologies. It’s more complex than that of course, but it’s the best way I could sum up my feelings on this intensely jaded yet exciting city.

London is the jewel in the gigging crown, and for that, with all of its faults and failings, us touring musicians salute you...

And to quote poor ol’ Whitney, will always love you.

Julia releases her This Becomes Us LP November 11th via Prescriptions Music.

ONLINE: prescriptionsmusic.com @Julia_Ruzicka // facebook.com/julia.ruzicka LiS 15

junk

WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER

O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON LONDON

0844 477 2000 ILOVEM83.COM

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH X-ray

hat happens when your bandmate falls in love with a curvaceous cartoon singer with red hair? You name your next album after her.

That’s exactly what Sleigh Bells did for their fourth album, Jessica Rabbit.

It arrives three long years after the punk dance party duo of singer Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek E Miller released previous effort, Bitter Rivals...

“It’s less to do with the character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and more to do with Derek having a real crush on her as a kid,” Alexis says with a laugh.

“And despite realising that she was fictional, he distinctly remembers having feelings for her. Which is why we wanted the theme of the album to be about delusions and obsessions – but ultimately ones that can never be realised. There’s a real absurdity to Jessica Rabbit as over-the-top and grotesque that’s very much related to the album.”

However, Alexis admits the album did not come easily. Song after song came and went as the pair knuckled down to reinvent their sound. It paid off as it’s their most intense and surreal effort to date, juxtaposing the powerful singing of Alexis with Derek’s barrage of synth and guitar assaults.

That’s also what makes it such an exhausting listen. Its relentless stylistic grind means nothing is off-limits.

From the huge beats that do battle with the squelching guitars on opener ‘It’s Just Us Now’, it somehow caterwauls from glistening pop to slinky rap to metal banger. Not bad for just the first three minutes.

“It’s diverse. We had a lot of happy accidents in the studio landing on songs, ideas or parts that we weren’t anticipating but really excited us,” Alexis admits. “And I think there is more trust and understanding in how we both work

and what gets us excited. A little discomfort and vulnerability is good – but you need a creative and positive partnership.”

That partnership has certainly reaped big rewards. Not only is Jessica Rabbit the oddball band’s most ambitious album, it’s also their first on their new record label, Torn Clean. And for former primary school teacher Alexis, that meant radically re-imagining the way her singing interacted with the songs. The way she snarls the line: “I comb my hair with a pocket knife,” on ‘Crucible’ is a prime example of her newly weaponised vocals.

“It’s more emotional for me. More intense,” she says. “My singing does sound more distinct, especially with the different arrangements and tempo changes. It’s less linear, but it also seems much more cohesive.”

Given Jessica Rabbit’s famous line: “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way,” I ask Alexis if the years of touring and performing now make her feel like she morphs into a fictional character every time she steps on stage.

“I’m a much more extroverted version of myself,” the singer says. “I do occupy a certain space when I’m on stage – but that’s more in keeping with the dynamics of the music than a true reflection of me and my everyday life.

“The band seems very much rooted in reality,” she adds. “We live a daily struggle to get our music out there and accomplish all of our creative ambitions.

It feels very organic and grounded to me 99% of the time.”

In the meantime, enjoy the surreal 1% that helped Sleigh Bells put Jessica Rabbit in the frame.

Sleigh Bells release Jessica Rabbit November 11th via Torn Clean/Lucky Number.

ONLINE: @sleighbells facebook.com/sleighbells

sleigh bells words: geoff cowart

“There’s a real absurdity to Jessica Rabbit as over-the-top and grotesque that’s very much related to the album.”

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TUE 1 NOVEMBER THE WAITING ROOM

JESSE MAC CORMACK FRANCES KEVIN GARRETT COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT BEAR’S DEN NICK MURPHY (CHET FAKER) PICTURE THIS LYRA SLOW RIOT MATT MALTESE NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS SARAH JAROSZ DAN OWEN TUE 1 NOVEMBER OMEARA

WED 2 NOVEMBER BUSH HALL

SUN 6 NOVEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB

TUE 8 NOVEMBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

WED 9 NOVEMBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

WED 9 NOVEMBER THE GARAGE

THU 10 NOVEMBER OLD BLUE LAST

THU 10 NOVEMBER SEBRIGHT ARMS

MON 14 NOVEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

TUE 15 NOVEMBER O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

TUE 15 NOVEMBER UNION CHAPEL

TUE 15 NOVEMBER THE WAITING ROOM

FRI 18 & SAT 19 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

FOY VANCE CAPE CUB THE GREAT ESCAPE - FIRST 50 BANFI STRONG ASIAN MOTHERS SARA HARTMAN ELLE WATSON SEAFRET THØSS NIGHT MOVES FYFE MATTHEW & THE ATLAS LISA MITCHELL BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH WED 23 NOVEMBER CAMDEN ASSEMBLY

WED 23 NOVEMBER KAMIO

TUE 29 NOVEMBER OLD BLUE LAST

WED 30 NOVEMBER HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN

THU 1 DECEMBER THE WAITING ROOM

MON 5 DECEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

TUE 13 DECEMBER OMEARA

WED 14 DECEMBER OLD BLUE LAST

MON 16 JANUARY OMEARA

WED 1 FEBRUARY OMEARA

THU 2 FEBRUARY UNION CHAPEL

TUE 21 FEBRUARY OMEARA

THU 2 MARCH OMEARA

COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK

COMMUNION PRESENTS

TICKETS FROM COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK

monster rally words: tim hakki

“This is my favourite record by far, I think”, says Ted Feighan, better known as Monster Rally, the LA-based beat maker whose sun-kissed 2011 LP Coral pegged him as the harbinger of ‘tropical’ instrumental hip hop, and it’s impossible to disagree with the enthusiasm towards his new record.

The Monster Rally project has always been escapist and Mystery Cove takes this to the nth degree...

A concept album without lyrics, it’s the story of two young lovers washed up on a tropical island. As befitting any decent marooning narrative, adversity arrives in the form of a witch doctor whose malevolent presence puts the couple on the lam for the rest of their romantic sojourn. It’s not the first time Feighan has used storytelling to guide the creative process. 2014’s Sunflower EP similarly guided its listeners through a set of locales envisioned in sound. But where it utilised samples from an old vinyl tourist album sponsored by a Japanese airline, Mystery Cove takes much of its source material from old easy listening records from the mid-

Photo: Casey Catelli

sixties which Ted looted from bargain bins.

“Most of the stuff I was buying, and I still do this a lot, is just solely based on the cover art. If I think it looks cool I’ll usually pick it up, if it looks weird I’ll get it. That’s mostly the fun of it.”

The underlying feeling Ted gives off is that instinct is his compass. Easy listening is a sort of taboo in pop music, but from the get-go with the disembodied tuxedo-suited strains of ‘Washed Ashore’ Ted employs samples in a similar way to J Dilla on his deathbed opus Donuts.

The individual tracks are merely pieces of a whole, each sample a segue in a journey that dredges up the bones of music history and rearranges them into a cohesive new vision.

“I think listening to Donuts was definitely one of the records that inspired me to start the project.

And getting into instrumental hip hop like Madlib. It was the first time I’d heard that a record could have twenty five tracks which were all thirty seconds.

You don’t hear stuff like that in conventional indie music or whatever, so that was definitely a big inspiration.”

Ever since the release of Coral, Ted’s music has often been labelled ‘tropical’.

With the recent spate of tropical house it’s become a loaded word, often referring to a certain set of stylistic cliches which Ted is quick to shrug off: “Six years ago when I first started making music I probably would have said ‘tropical’ stuff to be simple when trying

“If I think it looks cool I’ll usually pick it up, if it looks weird I’ll get it.

That’s mostly the fun of it.” to explain it to somebody but actually with the things that are happening in music I don’t think it makes much sense. Back when the first stuff came out people would describe it as being ‘chillwave' because that was the hot term, but that didn’t make any sense either. I was sampling records and making what I thought was minimalist hip hop, I never once used a synthesiser in my life.”

To anyone who has heard Monster Rally, it’s evident that Ted’s unique style of hip hop composition should really be everywhere. His imaginative sound collages are the remedy to a hip hop scene which often feels too conscious of its own success: “I’m not expecting crazy sales or coverage, but I hope that the people who already like my music can hear it and I just hope they like it” he says modestly.

Whatever happens critically or commercially, Mystery Cove stands as a high watermark of Feighan’s career, and a high watermark for instrumental hip hop in general.

Monster Rally releases Mystery Cove November 11th via Gold Robot Records.

ONLINE: monsterrally.bandcamp.com // @MonsterRally // facebook.com/monsterral LiS 23

Launch Night

Fri.04.Nov Allan Rayman / Courage / Ralph Hardy

Coming Soon 808INK / Daniel Ness / Elderbrook / Makola / More//Night / Noah Slee / NVOY / PHAM / WiDE AWAKE

Get Burst Every Friday Tickets: KOKO.UK.COM / 0844 847 2258 | Connect:

@getburst

The Radio Dept.: l-r Martin Carlberg & Johan Duncanson

the radio dept. words: tom johnson photography: lucy johnston

“Things are really cool between us now. We don’t want to appear to be back-stabbing them at all...” ignified resolutions to the infamous history of ‘band vs record label’ disputes are very rarely found, but it’s important to note – before approaching the first new album in six years from The Radio Dept. – that for all their recent legal troubles, their relationship with Labrador Records is, finally, in a good place. It’s relevant to mention because there might be some who approach this record thinking that Running Out Of Love is simply a throwaway collection of songs; a contractual obligation and nothing more.

The truth is something altogether more affirming; a gleaming pop record in its own right and one that sits as a worthy and intriguing addition to the Swede’s most glorious of back catalogues.

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“Yeah, we’d talked about that,” Duncanson says of people’s apprehension to the new record, when I meet the pair in their Stockholm studio just before the release of the new record. “If that was going to be the case though,” he continues, “then we would have made it really obvious! Thankfully we reached the point where we wanted to make a really good album – and so that’s what we tried to do…”

Beginning in 1998, The Radio Dept.’s story has always been one that evolved at their own distinct pace; the band’s debut album, Lesser Matters, arrived in 2003, some five years after their initial inception.

As debut albums go, Lesser Matters is up there with the very best of them; a uniquely warm, beautifully constructed burst of Scandinavian pop music, like an imagined bridge between My Bloody Valentine and Pet Shop Boys. They’ve released two albums since then, 2006’s beguiling Pet Grief and 2010’s glowing Clinging To A Scheme, as well as a handful of EPs and singles, and the very occasional live show thrown in for good measure.

So far, so mystical, then. But as is often the case, real-life landed with a thud.

Taking their label to court over serious royalty and contract issues (which they ultimately lost), the pair were tied-up with the dispute for so long that they all-but stopped making music until a resolution came. “We saw the end of that finally coming and we started to feel like making music again,” admits Johan, before adding, “Usually we just didn’t feel like making music at all.”

The result of the court-case means that the band have to release this one last record with Labrador, before they can go their own way; something which had a big effect on their artistic choices at the time. “Every time we made a good song we wanted to keep it for ourselves!”

Martin jokes. “The others that weren’t so great, they could have! But then the

“We’re not political agitators.

We make pop music and that’s still the main thing that we do.

The world needs music and art as much as anything else.” legal issues were at an end so we decided we just had to make this record as good as we can.”

Full of vibrant, dance-enthused pop songs, Running Out Of Love is a politically charged snapshot of the world as they see it today. For all of the lyrical journeying, however, it’s perhaps the music itself that speaks the loudest. Barely featuring their signature shoegaze-y guitars at all, the record is a multifaceted collection of keys, beats, samples and that dreamiest of lead vocals. “I had a period where I listened a lot to early house and techno music,” says Johan.

“I haven’t always been in to that but I grew up with the Pet Shop Boys, who certainly drew a lot from that scene, so it wasn’t a huge stretch. We also saw Factory Floor play a show over here and that was incredible,” he says of a more unexpected influence. “It made a huge impression on us, and really steered us in this direction. It’s not that we wanted to make a Factory Floor record,” he clarifies, “it was just really inspiring to see what they were doing, and we always try to reach for something new with every album.”

Another pertinent aspect of the band’s new record is the political vein that runs right through the heart of Running Out Of Love. “I tried writing about stuff other than politics,” admits Johan, “but it was difficult. Every time I started writing something it became political. It’s a very political time right now.”

Arriving at the most politically-charged time in both their lives and that of their fanbase, I ask Johan if felt like he had a moral obligation to confront such things?

“There probably should be more people writing about it,” he says, “but I don’t think bands and artists have any responsibility to comment on politics or society, because it can easily become very boring. It’s better that people write about what they care about; whatever that might be.”

It’s rather presumptuous to assume that the band’s political leanings are obvious, so it should be pointed out that both Johan and Martin sit firmly and proudly on the left side of the political spectrum; and the new record sees them confront the Swedish government, fascists,

racists, and the seemingly ever-growing hard-right crowd. Despite this candidness, however, it’s very clear how they perceive their own roles. “The band will always be a pop group first,” confirms Johan. “We’re not political agitators. We make pop music, and that’s still the main thing that we do. The world needs music and art as much as anything else.”

“We really weren’t born on stage...

In fact you could say we were born backstage…

I really like it backstage!”

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With the record now released in to the world, The Radio Dept. recently announced a rather large (by their standards) tour across the U.S - seen by some as a hint that perhaps their attitude to touring and performing has eased a little over the past few years. “It’s not that we think it’s boring or anything like that,” says Martin, “we’re just very nervous when it comes to playing live.

It’s not a thing that comes naturally to us at all and I don’t expect it ever will.”

we’ll be figured out, that we’ll suddenly be boring. I think it’s nice that we had that outlook from the very first line, on the very first track, of the very first album we ever made!” They’ve not been caught out yet though, I proffer.

“Exactly,” he says with a grin.

“We really weren’t born on stage, as they say” adds Johan. “In fact you could say we were born backstage…I really like it backstage!” At odds with most other bands you’ll meet in this industry, The Radio Dept.’s on-going anxiety also helps to explain their somewhat barren spells between albums. “It’s hard for us to release an album,” confirms Martin.

“To put ourselves out there and be judged like that is a really difficult thing to do and playing live is even more of that feeling. Stage fright is just common sense to us.” “After fifteen years of doing this we’re still incredibly nervous before a show,” Johan adds. “Maybe during a full tour you can eventually reach a point where you can go on stage without wanting to kill yourself, but in the beginning I’m physically sick, almost every time.”

With a good couple of decades under their belt, it’s gratifying to hear The Radio Dept. still so committed to their craft. Where other bands tend to sink in to conformity and comfort, both Johan and Martin continue to drive this project in to new territories. With Running Out Of Love now released in to the world, I wonder if they’ll allow themselves some time to reflect and, perhaps, feel proud of what they’ve achieved? “The first track on our debut album begins with the line ‘You’ll have us figured out soon, too soon’,” says Martin, somewhat enigmatically. “That was our way of saying that we’re scared that one day

Running Out Of Love is out now via Labrador Records.

LIVE: Scala - January 31st ONLINE: @theradiodept facebook.com/theradiodept

Upcoming London Shows ILLUMINATIONS FESTIVAL

[PIAS] NITES

XYLOURIS WHITE

LET’S EAT GRANDMA

VESSELS

THE FORGE Tuesday 01 Nov.

OSLO Wednesday 02 Nov.

OMEARA Thursday 03 Nov.

ILLUMINATIONS FESTIVAL

ILLUMINATIONS FESTIVAL

KLLO & GROVES

ILLUMINATIONS FESTIVAL

feat. Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajastan Express

JUNUN

LADIES & GENTLEMEN...

THE FABULOUS STAINS

MICKS GARAGE WAREHOSUE Thursday 03 Nov.

TROXY Friday 04 Nov.

GENESIS CINEMA Saturday 05 Nov.

CASS McCOMBS BAND

KEVIN MORBY

PLUS PART CHIMP

PLUS MEG BAIRD

THREE TRAPPED TIGERS

SCALA Monday 07 Nov.

ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL Tuesday 08 Nov.

SCALA Friday 11 Nov.

PANTHA DU PRINCE

MUTUAL BENEFIT

FLUME

BRIXTON ELECTRIC Friday 11 Nov.

CECIL SHARP HOUSE Thursday 17 Nov.

ALEXANDRA PALACE Thursday 17 Nov.

BLACK MOUNTAIN

WILLIAM TYLER

SWET SHOP BOYS

THE DOME Thursday 17 Nov.

BUSH HALL Sunday 20 Nov.

BIRTHDAYS Monday 21 Nov.

HOW TO DRESS WELL

RADICAL FACE

NOGA EREZ

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND Monday 21 Nov.

SCALA Tuesday 22 Nov.

PAPER DRESS VINTAGE Thursday 24 Nov.

BALOJI

ADAM BETTS

BING & RUTH

MOTH CLUB Thursday 24 Nov.

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS Tuesday 29 Nov.

CECIL SHARP HOUSE Tuesday 29 Nov.

MELT YOURSELF DOWN

THE ORWELLS

SHE KEEPS BEES

OMEARA Wednesday 30 Nov.

THE DOME Wednesday 30 Nov.

MOTH CLUB Friday 02 Dec.

LD SO LOS CAMPESINOS!

BLACK PEACHES

THE RADIO DEPT.

MOTH CLUB Sunday 04 Dec.

ELECTROWERKZ Thursday 08 Dec.

SCALA Tuesday 31 Jan.

BOXED IN

CLOUD NOTHINGS

HALEY BONAR

VILLAGE UNDERGROUND Monday 13 Feb.

KOKO Tuesday 21 Mar.

THE DOME Thursday 06 Apr.

RUN LOLA RUN

PLUS THE FIELD & GAZELLE TWIN

PLUS POMRAD

OU

PLUS DEAD PRETTIES

T

PLUS THE PHYSICS HOUSE BAND

SO

LD

OU

T

ALBUMS

RECORD OF THE MONTH HONEYBLOOD

BABES NEVER DIE For Honeyblood singer Stina Tweeddale, Babes Never Die is more than just a facetious title for a ‘difficult second album’. It’s something of a daily mantra, a genderless cry against capitulation and a tag that sits permanently on her ribs. Unsurprising then, that this sense of empowerment is the (honied) blood that runs throughout the Glasgow duo’s second album. As with all things Honeyblood though, the record doesn’t take itself too seriously. Tongue presses against cheek with varying degrees of strength as Tweeddale and drummer Cat Myers take us through eleven tales of “gruesome romance”.

FatCat // November 4th The chanting ‘Intro’ sets the tone, the LP’s tagline building Stand Out Tracks: with increasing ferocity towards its title track: 90s, Ready For The Magic Paramore-leaning verses develop into the playful refrain; Love Is A Disease a microcosm of the album entire. “Watch if I float / Damned Cruel Sea Hearts if I don’t”, Tweeddale calls in one of the albums many dark fairytale moments.

Live: Scala, December 1st From the carefree, rollercoaster-riding ‘Sea Hearts’ to the Online: @yumhoneyblood slow-burning, beautifully melancholy ‘Cruel’, Babes Never honeyblood.co.uk Die showcases Honeyblood’s ability to both break hearts facebook.com/yumhoneyblood and cackle with twisted joy, as the duo examine the many strands of love and loss. ‘Love Is A Disease’ waltzes towards a punchy, infectious chorus that sits somewhere between Howling Bells and Deap Vally with its distorted guitars riding alongside fuzzy bass synth work.

A menacing undercurrent runs throughout, but the duo manage to blend the raucous, punked-up hue with smile-inducing colour: ‘Justine, Misery Queen’ offers rays of autumnal sunshine with gently hippie backing vocals, while the album’s Le Tigre-esque highlight ‘Ready For The Magic’, is packed with smile-inducing scat and hand-claps, bringing hair-down rambunctious joy to proceedings. “Its a scream when you least expect it”, Tweeddale cries in her most potent, punk vocal performance.

And it is a voice worth focusing on: chilling falsetto soars in ‘Walking At Midnight’, which, as its name suggests, is the record’s most consistently unnerving, moonlit cut. ‘Hey, Stellar’ shows-off warmer, caramel qualities offsetting the power and spikiness at play elsewhere.

Although much of the success of the album comes from its fist-clenching, headbanging empowerment, as well as the devilish, forest-lined folktale themes, it is also a work that displays quality and diversity of songwriting. There’s a sense that these songs would translate and shine in any form.

Babes Never Die is a mantra for life and the second brilliant chapter in a ceaseless, fairytale love affair with Honeyblood. George O’Brien

DIANA

FAMILIAR TOUCH

Culvert/ILS/Caroline // November 18th Dust off your dancing shoes, Diana are back with their second long player, Familiar Touch. It’s solid electro-pop, with a definite emphasis on the pop. Opening track ‘Confession’ has the Toronto trio letting us know that they’re ‘not sorry’, and nor should they be; it’s definite A-grade.

Their strength is still in the ice cold ‘don't give a damn’ vocals of Carmen Elle, exemplified perfectly on ‘Moment Of Silence’. Where it feels like a bit of a misstep is on ‘The Coward’, where they hover into (whisper it) slightly dull chillwave territory, but grab it back by ‘These Words’. It might not be enough of a step up from their debut but expect to find them gracing those End Of Year lists nonetheless.

Simone Scott Warren

MAGANA

GOLDEN TONGUE EP

Audio Antihero // October 28th In this beautiful debut from Brooklyn musician Jeni Magana, we see a story of love and sacrifice. Nodding to the bedroom guitar pop beginnings of St Vincent or Cat Power, this EP is a layered, breathy four-song offering about being able to create a space for herself to speak, both as a woman and artist. As a naturally quiet person, she’s able to not let herself be silenced, with testament to that in standout track ‘Inches Apart’. As her hushed croons repeat, “I have built my cell by hand / I was dreaming of the Southern sand and while every night you visit me / darling you are friends with misery”, Golden Tongue delivers the haunted resilience of someone who has found self-acceptance.

Rachel Grace Almeida

ADAM BETTS

COLOSSAL SQUID Blood and Biscuits // November 25th If I were two-thirds of Three Trapped Tigers I’d feel a little slighted right now. Colossal Squid is a statement of intent from TTT tub-thumper Adam Betts – “Anything you can do, I can do solo”. The album is a calculated clusterfuck of cascading rhythm and synth that only an octo-limbed organism could pull off alone. From the frenetic Djent n’ bass of ‘Drumbones’ to the twinkling chillwave of ‘Hero Shit’, Colossal Squid is surprisingly diverse, with equal care given to the melodic progression as the interwoven barrage of percussion. It’s a primal display of man-meets-machine, brains-meets-brawn, and fans of Betts’ TTT day-job will find lots to love in this elemental racket. Detractors will say it‘s all triggers and software, but it’s hard to deny Colossal Squid’s intelligent design.

Grant Bailey LiS 33

LAMBCHOP FLOTUS

City Slang // November 11th FLOTUS sounds like a Lambchop record for all of about 30 seconds. Only that much of ‘In Care of 8375309’ - one of two epics that bookend the album - could comfortably sit on any of their other LPs. As Kurt Wagner’s vocal arrives heavily laden with autotune, it becomes clear we’re not going for a normal stroll in the alt-countryside.

FLOTUS is a minimal, electronic, lounge-suited R&B record. If alt-country is still a thing and Lambchop remain one of its stalwarts, here they stretch the definition so far it’s frankly useless. Of course, people looking for minimal, electronic, lounge-suited R&B will probably start their search elsewhere. But this is a record that attempts to broaden the horizons of alt-country fans, something that should be commended. It’s a coherent, pleasurable and hugely relaxing listen, and in that sense, it’s exactly like every other Lambchop album. In every other sense, it isn’t - unless there’s a Lambchop remix LP I’m unaware of. Come ‘JFK’, the record has abandoned traditional instrumentation and clean vocals all together and doesn’t look back. As for the lyrics, Wagner’s have always been ambiguous - that’s part of their beauty - but here they’re so heavily treated they’ve become completely obscure. It’s weird, but it works. There are already a dozen wonderful albums all easily recognisable as Lambchop records, and in honesty, nobody really needed another. From the sound of things, least of all Lambchop. Thomas Hannan

AMERICAN WRESTLERS

GOODBYE TERRIBLE YOUTH Fat Possum // November 4th The self-titled debut album from American Wrestlers - the once-solo project of Gary McClure - beautifully married dreamy shoegaze and momentous power-pop to brilliant effect, producing songs that weren’t immediate, but eventually revealed themselves to be infectious earworms.

On Goodbye Terrible Youth - his first Fat Possum outing McClure doesn’t sound like he’s having a terrible time at all; further crafting his knack for profound melodies and glistening guitar lines, now with a full backing band. Opening track ‘Vote Thatcher’ isn’t quite the Tory downer the name suggests, as shimmering keys and McClure’s distinctly sweet vocals literally wrestle with scratchy guitars and playful bass lines. Everything is still distinctly lo-fi - McClure moved away from bedroom recording for this album, but there’s still a sense in the production that this is all happening live out of an open window. While ‘Give Up’ bears the same hallmarks of the ‘80s that bands like Wild Nothing and Craft Spells once revived, McClure isn’t afraid to go in other directions elsewhere - ‘Terrible Youth’ could easily work itself onto a Dinosaur Jr. record, and ‘Hello, Dear’ sounds like a latter-era Brand New track ready to be yelled from stadiums. A huge-sounding album pushed through a lo-fi filter, Goodbye Terrible Youth isn’t the off-piste indie rock album McClure has the potential to make. But for all the influences it so clearly wears on its sleeve, there’s no doubt to the amount of love and passion McClure has pouring through. Tom Walters

DANIEL WOOLHOUSE

WHAT’S THAT SOUND 37 Adventures // October 28th Deptford Goth has changed his name and just as well for all the voracious Deptford Goths keeping a beady eye out for a new record that sounds like his old records because this one doesn’t. Almost completely gone is the skew-whiff RnB vibe and in its place is a kind of twee folk-pop feel with the odd country twang underpinned by a harmonious echo here, a saxophone (sound of 2015) there. Its anxious lyrics are obscured by an upbeat ‘everything’s fine!’ line running all the way through; title track ‘What’s That Sound?’ is a carnival of despair.

There’s a touch of the old ‘Goth on slower songs like ‘Map of the Moon’ and ‘Oh These Landscapes’ but Daniel’s firmly striking out into poppier territory than ever before here. Kate Solomon

BRANDT BRAUER FRICK

JAY DANIEL

Because Music // October 28th

Technicolour // November 25th

So where’s the joy? The classicallytrained trio of Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer, and Paul Frick make music in Berlin. And while they coax a good chin-scratch out of listeners on their elegant and refined fourth album, the tunes are largely devoid of laughs or warmth.

Is that a problem? Only if you title your album Joy, I suppose. What they do offer is a fusion of styles and ideas that results in a chamber techno boasting some rather atmospheric and intriguing sonic combinations. The strongest track is also their meanest and darkest – ‘Blackout 94’ – seeing them combine the looped bassline attack of Moonshake with a ramshackle brass section and a spoken word circus. It’s too frigid for a smile, but it’s worth a listen.

Geoff Cowart

Just where to start with Jay Daniel?

Despite sporadic EP releases, the youthful Detroit DJ still resembles something of an enigma. And don’t approach Broken Knowz with the intention of digging deeper - this is a cold, brooding clutch of tracks that admittedly display little human emotion.

But that’s okay. Like me, you probably came for the skittering beats. ‘1001 Nights’ and ‘Squeaky Maya’, the record’s mid-point and most thrilling tracks, certainly deliver on that promise, splicing the album with a seductive groove to prevent any hint of tedium.

It’s only through repeated listening that you realise Broken Knowz creeps up on the listener in a similar manner to Daniel himself: unassuming on the surface but brimming with masterful purpose upon closer inspection. And the results are pretty striking. Lee Wakefield LiS 35

JOY

BROKEN KNOWZ

PAVO PAVO

YOUNG NARRATOR IN THE BREAKERS Bella Union // November 11th

Listening to Pavo Pavo’s debut album is like opening up a treasure trove of the very best symphonic pop of the last 40 years. Opener ‘Ran Ran Run’ glimmers and stomps like Grizzly Bear, ‘Annie Hall’ sounds like a meticulouslycrafted tribute to the Beach Boys (‘Caroline, No’, if you wanted a specific song). There’s Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse and Low in the mix too.

Yet the richness of the sound, their dedication to this gorgeous chamber-pop means it remains beguiling. The record floats by gorgeously - and it’s that deftness in the songwriting that helps the album be more than a mere amalgamation of its influences.

Danny Wright

BAYONNE

PRIMITIVES City Slang // November 4th The debut from Roger Sellers aka Bayonne is a polymorphous, looping-leviathan of an album, channelling piano, synth, samples and stomping rhythms into a never ending spiral of celestial bliss. It’s built around repetition – songs constructed element by element before your helpless ears – but swirling in the vortex is a masterful pop-sensibility too, most clearly revealed in the Chad Valley-like melodies. ‘Appeals’ is a glorious example, and while it may have featured on the FIFA soundtrack, it’s more suited to kaleidoscopic nature docs of Planet Earth proportions. It’s perhaps unfair to reduce such an expansive album into a list of influences, but Primitives makes you want to join hands and chant them in cyclical unison: “Panda Bear, Causers of This, Caribou, Delphic, Panda Bear, Causers of This, Caribou...” Henry Wilkinson

PIXIE GELDOF I’M YOURS

Stranger Records // November 4th The idea of Pixie Geldof making a country-tinged album might seem surprising at first, but it’s actually the most natural thing she could do. Country was her first love and she grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson.

Geldof has always shown a knack for writing lyrics that dig into your soul and, unsurprisingly, I’m Yours continues that tact. “Wish I’d known you like my own skin so I could know the hurt that you were in/Wish we had that twin thing,” she sighs on the Daughter-ish melancholy of ‘Twin Thing’, while the dramatic twangs of ‘Escape Route’ has her voice trembling as she deals with her “heart breaking up inside”. Like the rest of the album, it’s a crutch for anyone who’s been left feeling emotionally bruised by life. Rhian Daly

Goldenvoice Presents

CROWS

31.10.16 100 CLUB

BILLY BRAGG & JOE HENRY 07.11.2016 UT SOLD O CHAPEL UNION 08.11.2016 UT O LD SO UNION CHAPEL 16.01.2017 UT O SOLD UNION CHAPEL

SLEAFORD MODS 10.11.16 ROUNDHOUSE

EKKAH

10.11.2016 CORSICA STUDIOS

SOFI TUKKER 10.11.2016 BIRTHDAYS

ISLAND 02.11.16 SCALA

WAND

+ GANG 04.11.16 BOSTON ARMS

PHANTOGRAM 16.11.16 HEAVEN

SAMPHA

21.11.2016 UT SOLD O BRIXTON ELECTRIC

ANIMAL NOISE 23.11.2016 SEBRIGHT ARMS

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

23.11.2016 UT SOLD O ISLINGTON ACADEMY

GENGAHR

25.11.16 UT SOLD O COURTYARD THEATRE

HIGHLY SUSPECT 25.11.16UT O SOLDDOME THE

ANNE–MARIE 28.11.2016 KOKO

LAURA DOGGETT 29.11.2016 THE WAITING ROOM

BARNS COURTNEY 30.11.16 XOYO

TOM PRIOR

KLOE

30.11.2016 SEBRIGHT ARMS

THE WYTCHES

01.12.2016 BIRTHDAYS

TOO HIGH TO RIOT

+ SALUTE 02.12.16 OVAL SPACE

08.11.16 CAMDEN ASSEMBLY 11.11.16 CAMDEN ELECTRIC BALLROOM

+ BAS 14.11.2016 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON

THE STRUMBELLAS 15.11.16 HEAVEN

PIXX

TOURIST

SHURA

07.12.16 O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

SCHOOLBOY Q

14.12.16 O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

OCT – DEC

+ LIV DAWSON UT 28.10.16 SOLD O ROUNDHOUSE

goldenvoice.co.uk

HONNE

THU.03.NOV.16

FRI.11.NOV.16

TUE.22.NOV.16

SAT.05.NOV.16

TUE.15.NOV.16

WED.23.NOV.16

THU.10.NOV.16

THU.17.NOV.16

FRI.18.NOV.16

THU.01.DEC.16

THU.01.DEC.16

WED.23.NOV.16

FRI.02.DEC.16

THU.24.NOV.16

SAT.03.DEC.16

THU.10.NOV.16

FRI.18.NOV.16

FRI.25.NOV.16

MON.05.DEC.16

THU.10.NOV.16 TUE.06.DEC.16 TUE.22.NOV.16

FRI.25.NOV.16

TUE.06.DEC.16

WED.07.DEC.16

FRI.10.DEC.16

FRI.27.JAN.17

MON.13.DEC.16

TUE.14.FEB.16

TUE.28.FEB.16 SAT.28.JAN.17

WED.07.DEC.16

THU.08.DEC.16

WED.15.DEC.16

TUE.28.FEB.16 FRI.03.FEB.16

THU.16.DEC.16

THU.02.MAR.17

WED.08.FEB.17 FRI.09.DEC.16

SAT.21.JAN.17

SAT.03.JUN.17

SAT.11.FEB.17

SAT.10.DEC.16

THU.26.JAN.17

EVENTS

a selection of new stuff we’re excited about: THE GREAT ESCAPE’S FIRST FIFTY Just as we were about to go into a panic about no more festivals, The Great Escape comes along to tide us over until next summer. This is very much a celebration of the new and upcoming, and with all shows priced at £5 going to see a ton of your potential favourite new acts is about as cheap as it gets. All venues are within easy walking distance so we’re looking forward to bouncing about and catching the likes of our cover star alumni Ray BLK (on our stage at the Old Blue Last), Eat Fast, Shitkid, Cabbage and Klangstof. It can only help those Brighton decisions next year.

November 22-24th, Various venues, East London. @thegreatescape // greatescapefestival.com

L’ANTICA PIZZERIA DA MICHELE If you don’t know how LiS feels about pizza by now then something’s going very wrong.

We’ve been lucky enough to witness the likes of Yard Sale, Pizza Pilgrims, Voodoo Rays and Homeslice transform London pizza world over the last few years, but we’re not sated yet. So news that a Naples staple – and a place feted as pretty much the best pizza around – is hitting Stokey is very much our kind of news. It’s also featured in some film we’re too snobby to know about, but we do know that this is going to be faithful to the Naples restaurant, with highly trained pizzaiolo ensuring pizza perfection.

December, 125 Stoke Newington Church St, N16. @damichelelondon // facebook.com/damichelelondon LiS 40

ELSTREE 1976 SCREENING This film, which started as a KickStarter project in 2014, is finally in our cinemas.

The focus here isn’t on yr Luke‘n’Leias, but rather on the bit-part players and how it’s affected their lives ever since. What difference did the cultural phenomenon that is Star Wars make to one-scene Stormtroopers, the man in the Darth Vader suit and even, gasp, Boba Fett? This film has all the answers. There are further London dates too, so don’t miss out.

November 6th, Prince Charles Cinema. @elstree1976 // elstree1976.com

ILLUMINATIONS This event, presented by Rockfeedback, is always a treat for the senses, combining music, film and art to create something genuinely unique. From performances that happen entirely in the dark (with surprise artists on the night), to a showing of the film Run Lola, Run in an East London warehouse, to a huge club night curated by Pantha Du Prince in Brixton, there really is something for everyone that treasures arts and excitement.

October 28th-November 11th. Various venues. @rockfeedback // illuminationslondon.com

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM The explosion of post-Second World War art in New York, inspired by free jazz, beat poetry and a unique time in history: abstract expressionism threw off the shackles of art norms, subverted ideas of what art was and explored new ideas in technique and subject with genuine, exciting, freedom. The sense of adventure bursts from the canvasses of the likes of Pollock, Rothko and de Kooning, and this exhibition gathers these big names (and very big works) together, alongside lesser known names, sculpture, photography and more.

Until January 2nd, The Royal Academy of Arts. @royalacademy // royalacademy.org.uk

Willem de Kooning, Pink Angels, 1945. © 2016 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society, New York and DACS, London.

LiS 41

SUNdaY 02 OCTOBER | 7:00 | 7:00 WednesdaY 02 NovemBER

TUESdaY | 7:00 saturday1819OCTOBER november | 12:00

THURSdaY 03 NOVEMBER | 7:00 MONdaY 03 OCTOBER | 7:00

THURSdaY OCTOBER||7:00 7:00 TUESdaY 2220 novemBER

DIY ALL DAYER SHVPES FEAT PRIDES + MORE

BLACK TUSK NE OBLIVISCARIS THURSdaY 03 NOVEMBER | 7:00 TUESdaY 04 OCTOBER | 7:30 TELEGRAM + OSCAR PHOBOPHOBES WEDNESdaY 05 OCTOBER | 7:00 friday 04 NOVEMBER | 7:00 ELECTRIC CITIZEN WAND

WOVENHAND TITANFEST 2016

INHEAVEN BLACK TONGUE SATURdaY 2223 OCTOBER | 7:00| 7:00 Wednesday novemBER

INME GONG

SATURdaY | 7:00 THURSdaY 22 24OCTOBER novemBER | 7:00

NEGURA BUNGET PHIL CAMPBELL & SUNdaY OCTOBER | 6:30 SONS THE 23 BASTARD DEAD HARTS THURSdaY 24 novemBER | 7:00 BLOOD YOUTH SUNdaY 23 OCTOBER | 7:00 STATIC SHOCK WEEKEND JAWS THURSdaY 06 OCTOBER | 7:00 OBSCURA TuesdaY 08 NovemBER | 7:00 fridaY 25 novemBER | 7:00 MITSKI MONdaY 24 OCTOBER | 7:30 GRAHAM BONNET HIGHLY SUSPECT FRIdaY 07 OCTOBER | 7:00 PORCHES BAND saturday 26 novemBER | 7:00 GUITAR WOLF Wednesday 26 OCTOBER | 7:00 THURSdaY 10 novemBER | 7:00 WITCHMASTER SAT 08 & SUN 09 OCTOBER | 3:00 ANGELCORPSE BLACK ORCHID TUEsday 29 novemBER | 7:00 LIVE EVIL 2016 FRIdaY 28 OCTOBER | 7:00 EMPIRE WITHIN THE RUINS MONdaY 10 OCTOBER | 7:00 BLACK FOXXES FRIdaY 11 novemBER | 7:00 wednEsday 30 novemBER | 7:30 CHUCK MOSELEY SATURdaY 29 OCTOBER | 7:00 THIS WILD LIFE THE ORWELLS WEDNESdaY 12 OCTOBER | 7:30 STRAIGHT LINES SATurday 12 NovemBER | 7:00 thursday 01 decemBER | 7:00 TURNOVER SATURdaY 29 OCTOBER | 8:00 BEING AS AN OCEAN BOSTON MANOR FRIdaY 14 OCTOBER | 7:00 ROZALEN SATurday 12 NovemBER | 7:30 thursday 01 decemBER | 7:00 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS MONdaY 31 OCTOBER | 7:00 SHAPE OF DESPAIR WHISKEY MYERS FRIdaY 14 OCTOBER | 7:00 BLANK MANUSCRIPT Monday 14 NovemBER | 7:00 friday 09 decemBER | 7:00 FRANCIS Wednesday 02 NOVEMBER | 7:00 ALCOA DUNNERY CRIPPLED BLACK SATURdaY 15 OCTOBER | 7:00 SHVPES PHOENIX mondaY 14 novemBER | 6:00 KERBDOG THURSdaY NOVEMBER| 7:30 | 7:00 VADER thursday 03 10 decemBER Sunday 16 OCTOBER | 7:00 BLACK TUSK TUESdaY 15 NOVEMBER | 7:30 DEVILMENT CARCER CITY THURSdaY NOVEMBER| 7:30 | 7:00 TORTOISE thursday 03 10 decemBER MONdaY 17 OCTOBER | 7:00 TELEGRAM & ThurSdaY 17 NOVEMBER | 7:30 LAWNMOWER DETH TRAP THEM PHOBOPHOBES BLACK MOUNTAIN saturday 12 decemBER | 7:00 TUESdaY 18 OCTOBER | 7:00 FRI 04 & SAT 05 NOVEMBER | 6:00 FridaY 18 novemBER | 7:00 HATE + NOCTEM THE MAHONES STATIC SHOCK WEEKEND CAIRO THURSdaY 06 OCTOBER | 7:00 FRI 04 & SAT 05 NOVEMBER | 6:00

GIGS OF THE MONTH

OUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN NOVEMBER 2016

THE TOOTING TRAM & SOCIAL CHORUSGIRL // MEGAFLORA

If you find joy in the music of Lush and The Breeders (and, seriously, imagine if you didn’t?), you’ll find plenty to love in Chorusgirl.

BRIXTON WINDMILL

DEATH PEDALS // BLACKLISTERS // USA NAILS Death Pedals throw a massive party with their pals to celebrate the launch of their album ‘Meathouse.’ Expect noise, chaos and plenty of it.

19/11/16 £6adv @windmillbrixton

09/11/16 FREE @TootingTram TOOTING BROADWAY

THE LEXINGTON CHARLOTTE OC

Fans of dramatic, emotional pop probably already have Charlotte OC on their radar. Catch this headline show before she’s a huge star.

10/11/16 £8adv @thelexington

ANGEL

BRIXTON

SHACKLEWELL ARMS JERKCURB

Melancholy daydreams come to mind when listening to the unique music of London’s Jerkcurb. We’ve not heard much yet so we’re really looking forward to finding out more.

30/11/16 £7adv @Shacklewell Arms

DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND

CAMDEN ASSEMBLY CAKES DA KILLA

Every new track we hear from Cakes makes us fall harder for his rap party, & we can’t wait to finally catch him live.

CAKES DA KILLA

18/11/16 £5 // @CamdenAssembly

MOTH CLUB QUILT

Quilt’s ‘Plaza’ album soundtracked many strolls through London parks this summer - all bucolic charm and folk-y, sparkling 60s rock.

CHALK FARM

15/11/16 £9adv @Moth_Club HACKNEY CENTRAL LiS 45

SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY

We’re addicted to the mind-bending experimental sounds of Adam Betts (Three Trapped Tigers) debut.

A trio of rising new bands full of hooks guitars and stunning atmosphere.

ADAM BETTS

29/11/16 £7.50adv @ServantJazz

HORSE BEACH // FALSE ADVERTISING // SPRINTERS

DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND

26/11/16 £8adv @O2Islington

OMEARA

MELT YOURSELF DOWN A brand new venue for the London gig scene welcomes the always incredible party that is the Melt Yourself Down live show.

OSLO

STRONG ASIAN MOTHERS

Hailing from Louisiana, the Seratones take over Oslo with their brand of gospeledged garage. Guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.

HACKNEY CENTRAL

Combining a number of influences from trap to pop, Strong Asian Mothers know how to throw a party.

30/11/16 £7adv @HoxtonSquareBar

OLD STREET

THE GOOD SHIP

NEW CROSS INN

DAZE // BEACH FOR TIGER // SHRIKES

FURR // LETTERS TO DAISY // THE FLOWERSCENTS

Laid back psych-pop for your Saturday night. Vibrant and exciting new music from all around the globe.

Leeds band Furr head down for a night of guitars, energy and brilliant local bands, all for only £3.

16/11/16 £3 @NewCrossInn

30/11/16 £12.50adv @OmearaLondon LONDON BRIDGE

HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN

SERATONES // FREE MONEY

10/11/16 £10adv @OsloHackney

ANGEL

NEW CROSS / NEW CROSS GATE JAWS

05/11/16 £4adv @thegoodshipNW6

KILBURN

THE DOME JAWS

Jaws bring their upbeat electro-pop from Birmingham to The Dome to celebrate the release of new record Simplicity.

24/11/16 £11adv @DomeTufnellPark LiS 46

TUFNELL PARK

DANNY BROWN

ELECTRIC BRIXTON DANNY BROWN

Danny Brown has conjured up one of the albums of the year with the incredible ‘Atrocity Exhibition’ and it entirely goes without saying that this show is gonna rule.

10/11/16 £17.50adv @electricbrixton

BRIXTON

WAITING ROOM DOOMSQUAD

You’ve gotta see Doomsquad live where their psychedelic, electronic dance thing really explodes into glorious life.

09/11/16 £8adv @WaitingRoomN16

DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND

Bulgarian artist Dena is a total LiS favourite (and former cover star) who we can never get enough of - such a real great popstar.

16/11/16 £8adv @_Birthdays DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND

BIRTHDAYS DENA

BEDROOM BAR

PAPER DRESS VINTAGE

THE GETUP

The LDN funk band return to Shoreditch, armed with trumpets, saxophone, new single ‘Porkie Pies’ & a ton of fun planned.

17/11/16 FREE @Bedroom_Bar

OLD STREET

ALDOUS HARDING

Alt.country-ish, gothic-y folk all the way from New Zealand, we were big fans of her 2015 debut album.

15/11/16 £10adv @paperdressed

HACKNEY CENTRAL

THE LOCK TAVERN

100 CLUB

We’ve heard great things about Brooklyn’s EZTV, so high-fives to Teen Creeps for getting this show. Catch these guys now.

Born from Boston’s DIY indie punk scene, Pile are just the best live, and we’re psyched they’re back in the UK.

06/11/16 FREE @thelocktavern

02/11/16 £8.50adv @100clubLondon

PILE

EZTV // DIGNAN PORCH

CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN

TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD LiS 47

NOVEMBER’S FULL LISTINGS YOUR DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO ALL THE GIGS, AT ALL THE VENUES, IN LONDON THIS MONTH. FOR ALL THE LATEST & MOST UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM TUESDAY 1ST NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 2ND NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 3RD NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 4TH NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 5TH NOVEMBER XAM DUO + MOON GANGS £7ADV / 7PM / TOTAL REFRESHMENT CENTRE

SUNDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

MONDAY 14TH NOVEMBER

TUESDAY 15TH NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 16TH NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 17TH NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 18TH NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 19TH NOVEMBER

SUNDAY 20TH NOVEMBER

MONDAY 21ST NOVEMBER

TUESDAY 22ND NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 23RD NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 24TH NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 26TH NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 25TH NOVEMBER

SUNDAY 27TH NOVEMBER

TUESDAY 29TH NOVEMBER

MONDAY 28TH NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 30TH NOVEMBER

11—16 Shacklewell Arms 71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Thursday 10 November

MIDDLE KIDS Wednesday 16 November

SAVOY MOTEL Friday 18 November

L .A. WITCH Saturday 26 November

DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA Wednesday 30 November

Lanzarote

lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks

presents

The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Friday 4 November

WILLIE BURNS Wednesday 9 November

DOOMSQUAD Monday 21 November

HAZEL ENGLISH Friday 25 November

WILD PALMS Friday 25 November

JERKCURB

SCOTT FRASER & TIMOTHY J. FAIRPLAY

The Lock Tavern

MOTH Club

35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Friday 4 November

SUN DRIFT Sunday 6 November

EZTV Saturday 12 November

MURKAGE DAVE Thursday 17 November

FOREVER CULT Wednesday 23 November

SHY NATURE

Valette St London E8 Sunday 6 November

LAS KELLIES Monday 7 November

SPLASHH Friday 11 November

GHOST CULTURE Friday 18 November

CROATIAN AMOR Tuesday 29 November

THE LEMON TWIGS

MARTHA FFION FRI 21 OCT SEBRIGHT ARMS

MERCHANDISE WED 2 NOV THE LEXINGTON

KAITLYN AURELIA SMITH MON 24 OCT THE PICKLE FACTORY

THE BIG MOON THURS 3 NOV SCALA

JESSY LANZA TUES 25 OCT SCALA SMERZ WED 26 OCT CORSICA STUDIOS EZRA FURMAN MON 31 OCT ROUNDHOUSE GABRIELLA COHEN TUES 1 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS LAIL ARAD WED 2 & THURS 15 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS

GLASS GANG TUES 8 NOV THE WAITING ROOM FRAN LOBO WED 9 NOV THE PICKLE FACTORY SERATONES THURS 10 NOV OSLO HACKNEY STEVE GUNN MON 14 NOV 100 CLUB LITTLE CUB TUES 15 NOV ELECTROWERKZ SAVOY MOTEL WED 16 NOV SHACKLEWELL ARMS

GLAD HAND WED 16 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS LA FEMME THURS 17 NOV O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE BC CAMPLIGHT FRI 18 NOV OSLO HACKNEY HAZEL ENGLISH MON 21 NOV THE WAITING ROOM ANNA MEREDITH WED 23 NOV SCALA PALACE WED 23 NOV BRIXTON ELECTRIC HIDDEN CAMERAS TUES 29 NOV THE LEXINGTON BO ROCHA WED 30 NOV THE PICKLE FACTORY

JERKCURB WED 30 NOV SHACKLEWELL ARMS HINDS FRI 2 DEC O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN RHAIN WED 7 DEC THE WAITING ROOM PETER SILBERMAN (THE ANTLERS) WED 7 & THURS 8 DEC THE FORGE GIRL BAND THURS 8 DEC SCALA CATE LE BON WED 14 DEC ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL GLASS ANIMALS THURS 16 MAR O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM

IN LONDON

with

The Big Moon Why do you live in London?

Celia: I grew up on the outskirts of SE London and I spent all of my time and money on spending as much time in the city as possible. To be living there now with friends that I love, in a flat that I love and that I pay rent for with money that I’ve earned myself doing a job that I love really is kind of a dream come true for child-sized me.

Even though the majority of the time you feel like you’re being mugged off, and everything is so unnecessarily expensive and Shoreditch is the seventh circle of hell...

Soph: Good question! I was born here and I’m currently living with my parents, luckily London is where they live.

Where do you like to eat and drink?

Celia: Anywhere on Green Lanes. Hala is my personal fave but Taksim do the best gözlemes. And if you haven’t had a gözleme then you really need to. It will change your life. I also love a good Sam Smith pub. Taddy Lager has encouraged me to make some of my best and worst decisions.

Your favourite outdoor space?

Celia: Hampstead Heath, especially the ladies’ pond, Walthamstow Marshes and Clissold Park.

Soph: Yes the Ladies’ pond is so so lovely. Richmond Park is really nice.

Fern and I have a long standing plan to go cycling there and look at the deer.

Winter’s almost here, how do you like London when the cold sets in?

Soph: I love it! Now that summer’s over I’ve got no time for Autumn.

Can’t wait for winter, I hope it snows.

Any venues you love?

Celia: The Brixton Windmill is so brilliant. We played our first ever gig there. I also love Scala, and Oval Space is great. Corsica Studios has also hosted some of my favourite ever nights.

Soph: I like Scala lots. And I do love the Old Blue Last.

What’s makes for a really great day in London?

Celia: At the moment the weather is my absolute favourite so I’ve been doing lots of walks around the city, both its beautiful green spaces and also going to familiar places via unfamiliar routes and finding all the great little corners that you miss when you’re on public transport.

What’s the worst thing about the place?

Celia: See above re: everything being eye-wateringly expensive / Shoreditch being the seventh circle of hell.

Does London ever influence the music you write?

Celia: Jules wrote the most amazing song about London which is still just a bedroom demo that I really want everyone to hear. It’s one of my favourite things she’s ever written. We need to work out what to do with it.

How would you advise someone to get the best out of London? What should you avoid?

Celia: If the reason you're struggling with London is that you keep going to places that are supposed to be really cool and you actually find them super lame, then that just means that you're probably right and those places are probably super lame.

The Big Moon’s single ‘Silent Movie Susie’ is out now via Fiction Records.

LIVE: Scala, November 3rd.

ONLINE: @commoonicate // facebook.com/commoonicate LiS 69

LIVE

BY THE SEA - Dreamland, Margate, September 30th-October 2nd Jarvis Cocker is stood in a suave retro beige suit, DJing at the dodgems. ‘Turn that key in the ignition,’ he dryly intones in his Yorkshire voice through a muffled microphone. As the bumper cars start up, he fires out R. Kelly’s ‘Ignition’.

If any scene sums up Dreamland this is it.

We’re in Margate, aka Dalston-on-Sea, soaking in the fairground’s kitsch, Instagram-friendly candy stripe aesthetic, bumper cars and rickety wooden rollercoaster. This is a gentle, sweetly nostalgic vision of seaside fun but for this weekend it’s been taken over by marauding east Londoners.

This is the second By The Sea and it also marks the reopening of the iconic Hall

By The Sea. In the 60s the hall hosted The Rolling Stones and The Who.

By The Sea photos: Neil Thompson

This time the headline acts are Super Furry Animals and Wolf Alice. The yeti-clad SFA seduce with ‘Juxtaposed With U’ and pulverise with ‘The Man Don’t Give a Fuck’, while Wolf Alice have the biggest crowd and party of the weekend with Ellie stage diving to ‘Giant Peach’ and Theo smashing through the drum kit. Bat for Lashes’ ghost house, haunting pop and Wild Beasts’ seductive kiss-me-quick thrills are other highlights.

Yet it’s the Roller Disco room where the most exciting sets are had. Anna Meredith’s set kicks off with the booming blaring horns and bass of ‘Nautilus’ setting a tempo and energy that never drops while Jagwar Ma’s gleeful swirling beats are the best way to end the festival.

All we need next year is Graham Coxon running the helter skelter. Danny Wright.

Photo: Lucy Johnston

MITSKI + TRUST FUND + PELUCHE The Dome, October 6th

Loaded stares. Tear-glazed eyeballs.

New-wave love-scuzz. Without the studio sheen to dilute and distract from her brightest elements, Mitski live is an intense experience in terminal lovesickness. It’s raw and understated and really fucking cool. Like a doomed summer fling, tonight is short and bittersweet, with moments of disarming emotion.

Peluche play the kind of stripped-out throwback indie of Desire, replacing one-part neon nostalgia with wonky pop weirdness. The vocals haunt like a slacker ghost. trust fund meanwhile are utterly punk, not in their sound but in their raw emotional presence. Ellis Jones is less the disenfranchised youth and more the affected introvert, and his lyrical musings on the Loachian mundanity of existence are beautiful.

Reality in all its greasy-fingered glory, crisps have never sounded so gut-wrenching. A cover of Personal Best’s ‘This Is What We Look Like’ elevates the sugar of its original to an essential anthem of millennial love.

It’s weird to see Mitski, who so often appears as the loner, the defiantly fragile figure – backed up by a drummer and guitarist, but the additional live muscle gives her performance heft. Opener ‘Townie’ is as boisterous as it gets tonight, and receives a dose of no-nonsense Nancy Sinatra in the deadpan delivery. The setlist leans on Puberty 2 and …Makeout Creek for material, with ‘Thursday Girl’ and ‘Once More To See You’ shimmering with intensity. It’s a filler-free performance, the night resting comfortably on the gravitas of the music and Mitski’s charismatic presence. A cover of the Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep is Your Love?’ is a sombre delight, while ‘Your Best American Girl’, with its weighty chorus and comparatively upbeat tone, is the perennial crowd-pleaser. It’s a shame, then, that Mitski’s more openly painful tracks receive less appreciation.

The drift of chatter from the bar during ‘Last Words of a Shooting Star’ is a disrespectful scuffle through Mitski’s spilled guts, but no doubt contributes to her blazing-eyed, bloody-knuckled blast through the suicide stomp of ‘My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Stars’. It’s this violent oscillation – between the heart on her sleeve and the clenched fist beneath – that makes Mitski so eminently watchable.

Grant Bailey LiS 71

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

by Jamz Supernova The older I’ve gotten I’ve become very aware of what it means to be a black female in the world: how I’m perceived, how visible or invisible I am in situations. Whether it be standing at the bar waiting patiently to be served and a white male in a suit bowls up to the bar and starts to order his list of spirits before I can open my mouth. ‘Did he not see me, or is he just rude?’ are my thoughts. I say something, puff up my chest “Excuse me, I was actually here first” he blushes and apologises, insisting I make my order. When I was younger I probably wouldn’t have said anything but the older I get the more defiant I am. Defiant in being loud, being heard and not being invisible. It’s a little thing called #BlackGirlMagic Often found as a hashtag at the bottom of Instagram selfies, it’s so much more than that.

It’s a daily reminder that even if the man at the bar doesn’t acknowledge you there’s a whole movement dedicated to uplifting, inspiring, motivating, supporting and praising black girls and women. Online and in the real world. #BlackGirlMagic is Ray BLK shelling it down on Jools Holland, with her amazing waist length braids, and let us not forget the bandana. Hitting every note, but more importantly just being her, no compromise. #BlackGirlMagic is Solange dropping one hell of a body of work which, in its rawest form, somehow manages in 21 tracks to beautifully tell the story of what it’s like to be a women of colour. And those videos celebrating the rainbow of melanin captured into contemporary art... #BlackGirlMagic is gal-dem creating a publication which reports on the multifaceted experiences of women of colour. #BlackGirlMagic is Lupita Nyong'o, just being Lupita... and gracing the cover of multiple high-profile glossy magazine covers along the way. #BlackGirlMagic is Clara Amfo blessing the Radio 1 airwaves every weekday morning with her full afro and husky voice! #BlackGirlMagic is Little Simz defying the odds: an independent rapper who doesn’t flaunt her sexuality but remains glamorous and graceful!

These are just a few examples of amazing women of colour leaving trails of various inspiration. I don’t remember having these reference points growing up but I’m grateful that the next generation will be inspired in abundance.

Jamz is a DJ on BBC Radio 1Xtra and the founder of new producer platform Future Bounce. @jamzsupernova // facebook.com/Jamzsupernova // @futurebounce // facebook.com/Futurebounceshow LiS 73

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

PRESENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK

S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS

PLUS GUESTS

PLUS PARTYBABY

21 NOV / DINGWALLS

29 NOV / SCALA

PLUS GUESTS

PLUS MINOR VICTORIES

09 DEC / O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN

PLUS BO NINGEN

15 DEC / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

15 DEC / THE SSE ARENA

PLUS GUESTS

16 DEC / O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

PLUS GUESTS

PLUS GUESTS

04 FEB / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

01 MAR / THE O2

PLUS GUESTS

PLUS GUESTS

15 MAR / ELECTRIC BALLROOM

31 MAR / O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY

0844 811 0051