OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE 31 // FREE
METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTS
PLUS GUESTS
THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER
ELECTRIC BRIXTON GIGSANDTOURS.COM | TICKETMASTER.CO.UK NEW ALBUM ‘CALIFORNIA NIGHTS’ OUT NOW BESTCOAST.NET A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAA
TUESDAY 03 NOVEMBER
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK OTHERLIVES.COM A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA
ALBERT HAMMOND JR PLUS GUESTS
PLUS GUESTS
DEMOB HAPPY & BLAENAVON
WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER
ELECTRIC BALLROOM
WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL TICKETMASTER.CO.UK GIGSANDTOURS.COM STARGREEN.COM
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK STARGREEN.COM
ALBUM MOMENTARY MASTERS OUT NOW ALBERTHAMMONDJR.COM
THEDISTRICTSBAND.COM A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ATC LIVE
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH WME
PLUS GUESTS
Metropolis Music by arrangement with Primary Talent International presents
THU 3 DEC
HEAVEN THU 03 DECEMBER • OSLO GIGSANDTOURS.COM ALT-TICKETS.CO.UK TICKETMASTER.CO.UK A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL
P R I O R I T Y B O O K I N GS
gigsandtours.com ticketweb.co.uk stargreen.com thisnao.com /thisnao
WELCOME
LITTLE SIMZ
October is always full of brilliant gigs, they help us out of our post-summer, postfestival come-down. There are so many of our previous cover stars playing London this month though, so it makes it extra exciting. From Health, Battles and Julio Bashmore to the likes of Nadine Shah, Purity Ring and Girl Band, our listings section is bursting at the seams with great gigs. The show I'm most excited about? Well my favourite band ever, Mates of State, return to the city this month, after a nearly ten-year-long break. Needless to say, I'll be at the front.
Last month we reviewed the fantastic debut album from Little Simz, and as we enjoyed it – absorbing her every word – we realised there was no one better for the cover. With photos by the incredibly talented Lucy Johnson and a fantastic interview by Tim Hakki, it’s one of my favourite things we've ever published, and hopefully you'll enjoy it too.
STAFF ON REPEAT the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: FRANCIS LUNG - BACK ONE DAY DAVE: ALANNA MCARDLE - BALLOONS LOKI: DRÅPE - PIE IN THE SKY DANNY: CHROMATICS - SHADOW GEMMA: SHOPPING - STRAIGHT LINES FRANCIS LUNG
JACK: SKYLAR SPENCE - CAN'T YOU SEE LiS 03
Goldenvoice Presents
+ THE MIGHTY STEF 02.10.15 KOKO
BABY STRANGE
+ CATHOLIC ACTION 06.10.15 BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS
GENGAHR
RYAN O’REILLY
SWIM DEEP
LUCY ROSE
MARIBOU STATE
ALABAMA SHAKES
21.10.15 DOME TUFNELL PARK
+ PRETTY VICIOUS & THE MAGIC GANG 22.10.15 ROUNDHOUSE 27.10.15 SOLD OUT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
YEARS & YEARS
+ CASH+DAVID & PUMA ROSA 08.10.15 SCALA
+ SHAMIR 27.10.15 SOLD OUT BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY 28.10.15 SOLD OUT BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
EKKAH
HEALTH
11.10.15 MOTH CLUB HACKNEY
28.10.15 HEAVEN
EDITORS
METZ
+ THE TWILIGHT SAD 13.10.15 EVENTIM APOLLO
LEFTFIELD
14.10.15 ROUNDHOUSE
ALL WE ARE 14.10.15 SCALA
DORNIK
15.10.15 BUSSEY BUILDING
JP COOPER 15.10.15 KOKO
ANNE-MARIE 21.10.15 SOLD OUT OSLO HACKNEY
SPEEDY ORTIZ
+ TRUST FUND 21.10.15 DOME TUFNELL PARK
+ PROTOMARTYR & SPRING KING 01.11.15 SCALA
BROKEN HANDS 03.11.15 OSLO HACKNEY
ROME FORTUNE
04.11.15 LONDON FIELDS BREWERY
RIVRS 04.11.15 BARFLY
ALGIERS
09.11.15 THE LEXINGTON
LEO KALYAN
10.11.15 THE COURTYARD
VAULTS 11.11.15 KOKO
16.11.15 SEBRIGHT ARMS
+ FLYTE & C DUNCAN 18.11.15 FORUM
+ MICHAEL KIWANUKA 18.11.15 SOLD OUT BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY 19.11.15 SOLD OUT BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
JOHN NEWMAN 23.11.15 KOKO
OUT SOLD
LION BABE 24.11.15 HEAVEN
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
29.11.15 BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
AUTOBAHN
01.12.15 SEBRIGHT ARMS
MEADOWLARK 14.12.15 THE LEXINGTON
JASON ISBELL
+ JOHN MORELAND 22.01.16 O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
THE LIBERTINES 30.01.16 THE O2
ELLIE GOULDING 24.03.16 THE O2
goldenvoiceuk
THE STRYPES
HONNE
goldenvoice.co.uk
+ STEVE IGNORANT’S SLICE OF LIFE 02.10.15 FORUM
OCT-MAR
SLEAFORD MODS
CONTENTS 08. ON THE STEREO
LONDON IN STEREO IS:
13. NEW SOUNDS
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
17. TALES FROM THE CITY
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
20. ALEX G
Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
26. LITTLE SIMZ
Staff Writers: Danny Wright Gemma Samways Jack Urwin
32. ALBUM REVIEWS 40. EVENTS
Photography: Little Simz: Lucy Johnston (lucyjohnston.co.uk)
45. GIGS OF THE MONTH 48. LIVE LISTINGS 67. INTO THE NIGHT 69. IN LONDON 70. LIVE REVIEWS 73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Contributors: Tim Hakki, Kate Solomon, Dan McCormick, Geoff Cowart, Simone Scott Warren, Nick Mee, Hayley Scott, Woodrow Whyte, Lee Wakefield, Thomas Hannan, Johan Alm, Francesca Baker, Alan D Miller.
ALEX G
londoninstereo.com
@LondonInStereo
/londoninstereo
/london-in-stereo
londoninstereo LiS 05
GOD DAMN
BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS WED 07 OCT
JOSEF SALVAT
X AMBASSADORS DINGWALLS TUE 13 OCT
BIRTHDAYS THU 15 OCT
YO LA TENGO
HEAVEN TUE 20 OCT
O 2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE TUE 20 OCT
IMAGINE DRAGONS
RADKEY
THE O2 THU 04 NOV THE O2 FRISOLD 05OUT NOV
FIDLAR
JOHN GRANT
BIRTHDAYS THU 12 NOV
EVENTIM APOLLO HAMMERSMITH THU 12 NOV
SAINT RAYMOND SCALA TUE 01 DEC SCALA WED 02 DEC SCALA THU 03 DEC
THE FORUM SAT 14 NOV
@LNSou rce
ELECTRIC BALLROOM FRI 23 OCT
O 2 ACADEMY BRIXTON TUE 10 NOV
GRIZ
KOKO THU 12 NOV
WALKING ON CARS
ELLA EYRE
THE DOME THU 05 NOV
PRIDES
CLAY & KASSASIN STREET
LIANNE LA HAVAS BRIXTON O 2 ACADEMY MON 14 DEC
Tic ke t s | E xc lu sive s | Win | live n ati on.co. uk
DEJ LOAF DESIRE
DEJ LOAF
After an unexpected breakthrough in 2014, DeJ Loaf quietly dropped her major label debut this year. ‘Desire’ is #AndSeeThatsTheThing’s opening cut, and it outlines clearly what the Detroit rapper’s all about: determination, self-confidence, insatiability. But what fuels the fire here is DeJ Loaf’s commitment to playful melodicism and idiosyncratic cadences, boasting a dashing, acrobatic versatility over minimalist production. It’s a bold aesthetic statement from a precocious artist, with a hook that destroys in its effortlessness. Marvin Lin
JERUSALEM IN MY HEART A GRANULAR BUZUK
A palpitating synth helicopters over If He Dies’ standout odyssey, rising through molten buzuq and shuddering electronics in the guise of the heat haze rising through Radwan Ghazi Moumneh’s native Lebanon. It soaks everything from the ground up, causing the hybridized Eurasian instrumentation to quiver in its pitiless warmth, to disintegrate into a thousand erratically sampled fragments. And even after it’s drenched the landscape it continues relentlessly, never stopping to grieve for its helpless victims. Simon Chandler
ILOVEMAKONNEN
ILOVEMAKONNEN
TRUST ME DANNY iLoveMakonnen opens the song imploring producer Danny Wolf to trust him – either to sell lotsa drugs or deliver a hit. Whichever, Makonnen belts this shit out so disarmingly, I’d trust (beg?) him to babysit my unborn children. It’s all the charm of his pre-fame crooning about crushes, but now, older and wiser, he’s crushing on his producers. Or drugs. Whichever. Benjamin Pearson
DEATH’S DYNAMIC SHROUD.WMV SOMEBODY HOME ‘Somebody Home’ is a monumental moment. It’s a cropped sculpture hardened with 4D-midi composure, glimmering in melody tease and chiselled around fragmented pop, basking in a trove of layered treasures whilst brimming in musical euphoria. For the full visual, install death’s dynamic shroud.wmv’s release I’ll Try Living Like This via Dream Catalogue today. C Monster
COURTNEY BARNETT
COURTNEY BARNETT SMALL POPPIES Thank CHRIST. It feels like forever since we heard an epic-length, dirge-y, triple-meter, guitar-oriented, mopey-as-heck Rock Song. On ‘Small Poppies’, Courtney Barnett somehow manages to mutter such mundane musings as "I make mistakes until I get it right" with just as much luscious ennui as the crackly, narcotic single-coil guitar skrunks that accompany those soul-crushing lines. Dan Smart Tiny Mix Tapes online: tinymixtapes.com // @tinymixtapes // facebook.com/tinymixtapes LiS 09
COMMUNION PRESENTS MON 21 SEP, WED 7 & WED 14 OCT SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
WED 28 OCTOBER THE ISLINGTON
WED 30 SEP, THU 1 & FRI 2 OCT BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
WED 28 OCTOBER HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN
FRANCES
JAMES BAY
LIAM FROST
NEW DESERT BLUES
THU 1 OCTOBER UNION CHAPEL
THU 29 OCTOBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THU 1 OCTOBER THE ISLINGTON
SUN 1 NOVEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
NADINE SHAH
AIDAN KNIGHT THU 1 OCTOBER THE LAUNDRY
JACK GARRATT SUN 4 OCTOBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT MON 5 OCTOBER ELECTROWERKZ
SAFIA
TUE 6 & THU 8 OCTOBER BARFLY
KIMBERLY ANNE THU 8 OCTOBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
RAE MORRIS FRI 9 OCTOBER KOKO
RHODES
TUE 13 OCTOBER ELECTROWERKZ
JONO MCCLEERY WED 14 OCTOBER OSLO
FYFE
MON 19 OCTOBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
STARLING
COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT MON 2 NOVEMBER KOKO
AMBER RUN TUE 3 NOVEMBER THE ISLINGTON
DAN OWEN & JACK WATTS
WED 4 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
JACK GARRATT THU 5 NOVEMBER DINGWALLS
BOY & BEAR
MON 9 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSE
THE STAVES
WED 11 NOVEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
PATRICK WATSON WED 11 NOVEMBER HOXTON HALL
DAN CROLL
WED 11 NOVEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
MIKE WATERS
FRI 13 NOVEMBER ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
JUNIUS MEYVANT
MON 19 OCTOBER ELECTROWERKZ
WED 25 NOVEMBER ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH
MON 19 OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
THU 26 NOVEMBER ST GILES-IN-THE-FIELDS
WED 21 OCTOBER THE ISLINGTON
CIARAN LAVERY
CHATHAM COUNTY LINE
RUKHSANA MERRISE
THU 22 OCTOBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
MEGAN WASHINGTON
MON 26 OCTOBER KOKO
COMMUNION CLUBNIGHT
TUE 27 OCTOBER ROUNDHOUSE
THU 18 FEBRUARY UNION CHAPEL
TUE 27 OCTOBER KOKO
WED 23 MARCH ROUNDHOUSE
HALF MOON RUN
TUE 27 OCTOBER OSLO
TUE 29, WED 30 & THU 31 MARCH HAMMERSMITH APOLLO
THE ACADEMIC
MARLON WILLIAMS
HALF MOON RUN BEAR’S DEN
SUSANNE SUNDFØR ALEX VARGAS
NEW FACES
THOMAS DYBDAHL TUE 1 DECEMBER BUSH HALL
WED 2 DECEMBER THE LEXINGTON
SUN 6 DECEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
FRANCES
JAMES BAY
TIC K ETS F R OM W WW.CO MMU N IO N MU SIC.CO.U K
NEW RELEASES WWW.COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK
RUKHSANA MERRISE - SEPTEMBER SONGS
FRANCES - LET IT OUT “...THE SIMPLY GORGEOUS SONG-WRITING IS EVIDENCE OF A SUBLIME TALENT.” - CLASH
STARLING - WILD HEART
“A BOLD POP STATEMENT, A COMBINATION OF SHARPLY HONED MELODY AND ENGROSSING LYRICISM” - CLASH
“A BOLD POP STATEMENT, A COMBINATION OF SHARPLY HONED MELODY AND ENGROSSING LYRICISM” - CLASH
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN - THE BALCONY
BEAR’S DEN - ISLANDS “ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ALBUMS I’VE EVER HEARD” - GREG JAMES
“THE HARD-TOURING, HARD-ROCKING LLANDUDNO FOUR-PIECE ARE QUIETLY BECOMING THE SUCCESSORS TO ARCTIC MONKEYS AND STEREOPHONICS” - GUARDIAN
UT
DO THURSDAY 21 & FRIDAY SOL22 JANUARY
EXTRA DATE ADDED
SATURDAY 23 JANUARY
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETWEB.CO.UK
THE NEW #1 ALBUM MARKS TO PROVE IT OUT NOW themaccabees.co.uk !tf A Metropolis Music presentation in association with 13 Artists
NEW SOUNDS by Gemma Samways
FRANCIS LUNG During WU LYF’s four-year tenure as Manchester’s premiere “heavy-pop” proponents, frontman Ellery Roberts provided a mesmeric focal point for fans. It was his gargling-with-razor-blades caw that reviewers extolled, and it was he that eventually called time on the project, justifying his decision with suitably elusive statements like, “There is nothing here that inspires/interests me beyond the emptiness for dreams… I don't want to spend my life asleep.” Three years on, it’s his less conspicuous co-conspirator who’s commanding our full attention. Following work with Los Porcos, former WU LYF-bassist Tom McClung now creates gorgeous, alt-leaning pop under the pseudonym Francis Lung. His first official solo release was 2014’s ‘A Selfish Man’, its gambolling melody and luminescent, pointillist guitar work balanced by the words of an unrepentant protagonist. Last month, he shared the lo-fi, piano-led loveliness of ‘Back One Day’ - the lead track from his debut six-track EP. Due in November via Songs Records, Faehrer’s Son further showcases Lung’s refreshingly unguarded lyrical approach and also illustrates the breadth of his melodic scope, proffering the tender, Sufjan-esque melancholia of ‘Something Blue’, the sun-dappled, Devandra Banhartflavoured ‘Oh My Love’ and a slide guitar-tinged, Big Star-worthy weepy called ‘Where Love Comes To Live’. Listening, you sense that Lung is finally set to receive the attention he deserves.
LISTEN TO: Back One Day ONLINE: francislung.co.uk/ // @FrancisLung // facebook.com/francislungofficial LIVE: St Pancras Old Church, November 16th
LiS 13
Upcoming London Shows UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
Presents
COSMO BORN LE1FBOXED IN SHELDRAKE BLAENAVON RUFFIANS XOYO Shoreditch
The Nest Dalston
CHASTIT Y THE SOF T RESTORATIONS MOON BELT Lexington Islington
The 100 Club
The Waiting Room
XOYO
The Victoria
Electrowerkz
Weds 07 Oct.
Thurs 08 Oct.
Thurs 15 Oct.
Thurs 15 Oct.
Wed 21 Oct.
Thursday 2nd July
Wednesday 8th July
Thursday 18th July
VISIONS ARTHUR RUSSELL PISSED FATHER FESTIVAL INSTRUMENTALS JEANS Y WA XAHATCHEE NOVELL A U.S GIRLS JOHN MIST Venues across London Birthdays Fields Saturday 8th Sep
Corsica Studios Weds 28 Oct.
Fri 02 Oct.
Oval Space
Islington Assembly
Moth Club
The Dome
Hall Thurs 29 Oct.
Fri 30 Oct.
Fri 30 Oct.
Monday 10th September
JACCO
HOLLY SONGHOY SILENT ALVVAYS GARDNER HERNDON BLUES HILL LIVE Dingwalls Camden
1OO Club Soho
Thu 18 & Fri 19 Aug
MICACHU & THE SHAPES
TITUS CAYUCAS ANDRONICUS
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Sebright Arms Bethnal Green Village Underground Oval Space 14th September Monday
KO KO Oval Space Friday 11th The Laundry3rd September September Thursday Weds 04 Nov. Weds 04 Nov. Sun 01 Nov.
Thurs 05 Nov.
UNKNOWN MORTAL MYKKI JOSH T. MARIK A GIRLPOOL ORCHESTRA PEARSON HACKMAN BL ANCO
ZOL A BELT JESUS
Scala Kings Cross
THREE TRAPPED TIGERS & LITURGY
Thurs 05 Nov.
CHASTITY
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire The Victoria Dalston Village Underground Islington Assembly Thursday 15th October
St. John at Hackney The Laundry Wednesday Union Chapel 23rd Sep Tuesday 15th September Fri 06 Nov.
Sat 07 Nov.
Fri 06 Nov.
SONGHOY
FATHER
Hall Sat 07 Nov.
Sun 08 Nov.
TITUS
ALEL A BLUES MICHAEL BILL RYDER By The Sea ANDRONICUS JOHN MISTY DIANE RAULT JONES THE ORB FOALS Village Underground O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Koko Camden Bush Hall The Victoria Wed 28th & Thur 29th Oct Tues 10 Nov.
Dreamland, Margate Space 5th November The Lexington Thursday Wednesday 4th November Oval
Weds 11 Nov.
Weds 11 Nov.
MARIKA
Fri 13 Nov.
NATALIE
MEAT NATALIE WILLIS THESUNFLOWER ORB HACKMAN PRASS WAVE PRASS Oval Space EARL BEAN Union Chapel Islington Hackney Koko BEAL Camden Friday 6th November KOKO The Victoria Thurs 26 Nov.
Sat 13 Nov.
Mon 30 Nov.
Friday 13th MothNovember Club Mon 30 Nov.
CHEATAHS
Monday 30th November X OYO Bethnal Green
Working Men’s Club Tues 19 Jan.
Thurs 03 Dec. Get tickets and full info at: www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
Get tickets and full info at www.rockfeedbackconcer ts.com
TALES FROM THE CITY by Trust Fund What I like about London is the feeling of things happening, of the heightened sense of exhilaration and vulnerability that comes from being a fleeting participant-observant within a vibrant cultural epicentre. It’s the sort of place where you simply can’t avoid drama and incident. For example, my old band once played in a pub in London and the bassist from Radiohead (Gavin? Lucas? I don’t know) was in the same pub, although he didn’t come upstairs to watch us. London is that sort of place. Another pub in London that we played in we later saw on television – in the background of a talking head (Brett Anderson?) – on a documentary about Amy Winehouse’s death. It was in London that I watched someone watch all six of the Fast and Furious films. There were six at the time, but of course there are seven now, with an eighth apparently in the works, despite the death in 2013 of actor Paul Walker. London is just that sort of place.
London is the place where I have seen the most different types of M&Ms in one place (M&Ms World), and the place where I have seen the most people confused about what they ought to be doing (M&Ms World). The only time I have ever taken MDMA was in London. It’s that sort of place. You can stay up until one or two in the morning and almost no one will give a damn. I spent the next morning certain that I would never sleep again, curled around a human-sized plastic mould of Paddington Bear, begging him to achieve sentience in order to grant me the sweet release of death. I think Nick Grimshaw walked past and I maybe heard him do a fart. It’s that sort of place. Ellis Jones Trust Fund release Seems Unfair October 30th via Turnstile. Live: The Dome, London (supporting Speedy Ortiz) October 21st // The Lexington, November 4th Online: @TRUST_FUND // trustfund.bandcamp.com
LiS 17
fabric october 2015
Craig Richards Terry Francis Apollonia Ben Sims Carl Cox Deetron DJ Qu Eats Everything Efdemin Joseph Capriati Laura Jones
www.fabriclondon.com
Marcel Fengler Matrixxman Matt Tolfrey Mike Dunn Nina Kraviz Paranoid London (Live) Ricardo Villalobos Ryan Crosson Soul Clap Steffi Surgeon Tama Sumo Tom Trago Virginia Plus Many More...
OCTOBER 2015 CHIMPO B2B BARELY LEGAL DBRIDGE / DJ HAUS / DJ HYPE DJ MARKY / ED RUSH & OPTICAL ELIJAH / HUNEE / HUXLEY ILLUM SPHERE B2B SEAN CANTY JACKMASTER / KASRA B2B MEFJUS KRYSTAL KLEAR B2B TIGER & WOODS KURUPT FM / LOADSTAR LOGAN SAMA / MONKI / ONEMAN PÉPÉ BRADOCK / ROY DAVIS JR SOUTH LONDON ORDNANCE SPENCER / SPOR / TERROR DANJAH WILEY / PLUS MANY MORE... www.fabriclondon.com
“My pl an was to get an English degree and then maybe use that to s tart te aching or something ...�
A l ex G wo r ds : K at e s o lo m o n It’s been quite a time for Alex ‘G’ Giannascoli. After years of uploading lo-fi tracks to Bandcamp, 2014 was the year it all came together. DSU was a swoon of a record that was universally adored by ‘internet tastemakers’ and led to tours around the world, a contract with Domino and the nail in the coffin of his career as a busboy. There’s a really easy way to see how far Alex G has come in the past few years, musically speaking. All you have to do is to search YouTube for a song called ‘Salt’. It’s a grainy recording of too-shrill acoustic guitars with Alex’s dreamy falsetto rushing in over the top. You can practically hear the outline of the bed in the corner of the room, the laptop screen glowing, a half eaten bowl of cereal. The song meanders along for a minute and a half as layered vocals and scales scamper around in the spaces between strums, and then it’s gone. Next, put on his new album, Beach Music, and head to track five. It’s also called ‘Salt’ but it opens with a slow, fat tom roll like Phil Collins drumming through mud, an electric piano comes in to lend an elevator music vibe, the riff starts rolling and softer vocals slink into hearing. It’s three minutes before he hits the hook from the original version of the song and he sings, “Today I washed my hands / I want to be alone / I want to fry”. It’s not the only track on Beach Music that grew out of his earlier work. Closing track ‘Snot’ was also written years ago, although all that made it through to the 2015 version was the chord progression. “I think sometimes there’s songs that I make that I feel that I didn’t do justice,” he tells me over the phone, his thoughtful drawl a transcriber’s dream. “So that’s why I revisit them, because I feel like it’s safe for me to say goodbye to the old version. Then I don’t feel guilty about erasing the old one and putting this new one out.” There’s a kind of studied abstraction to Alex G’s new songs, inspired in part by his teenage love of The Knife. Pitching his voice all the way up to a point that even Alvin, Simon
and Theodore would struggle to reach is all part of the ambiguity he seems to be striving for, and while his lyrics may stem from personal experience they evolve to a point where they’re about everything and nothing all at once. “I think any writer would say that no matter what they’re writing about it’s still coming from their own experience, to an extent - but I try to keep the lyrics pretty vague too. They’re not typically recounting a direct specific experience. I try and make them a little more abstract so they’re more universal. I like to boil things down to certain words and phrases - because I think when I was growing up that was the music that I could relate to, music that wasn’t very specific so I could hear a song and then apply it to my own life. That’s what I really enjoyed about listening to music so I try to do the same with mine.” Despite being a full-time musician, things are still pretty lo-fi. Alex recorded all of Beach Music at home, while his sister did the album artwork. The trumpet on
‘In Love’ was courtesy of a friend from high school, “a real good trumpet player as far as I remembered, so I hit him up.” He did have to hand the album over to be mixed, though - “I was really apprehensive about it. But it turned out fine. I think I underestimated what they do” - which is part of what makes it feel like a more cohesive album than his previous records. Alex struggles to come up with what he’d be doing if it weren’t for music taking off. “I probably would’ve graduated college and then - I don’t know. Probably still been working and doing some bullshit. My plan was to get an English degree and then maybe use that to start teaching or something. But I was just so lost. I was so lost. I don’t know...” He trails off. “I’m really glad the music worked out.” Yeah, us too. Beach Music is released October 9th via Domino. Live: 100 Club, October 20th Online: @SANDYalexg // facebook.com/sandyalexg
— TUE 29 SEP —
— S AT 1 0 O C T
NEW CRUSH: PUPPY SPECIAL GUESTS
— MON 12 OCT —
TRACE BUNDY
PIERCE BROTHERS
JOHNNY LUCAS + KETE BOWERS
SEAN MCGOWAN
— TUE 06 OCT —
BALL PARK MUSIC
— THU 15 OCT —
AKUA NARU
— THU 08 OCT —
WILL & THE PEOPLE
NOAH KIN
MORE LIKE TREES
— FRI 23 OCT —
— FRI 09 OCT —
HOFFMAESTRO SPECIAL GUESTS
[18+]
—
SPECIAL GUESTS + STAR SHAPED DJS
— THU 01 OCT —
— FRI 09 OCT
[18+]
MENSWE@R
THE WOODENTOPS CAULDRONATED + MARK JONES / BACK TO THE PHUTURE DJ SET
—
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB (DJ SET)
— WED 28 OCT —
VUKOVI
RACING GLACIERS + BLOODFLOWER + ALPHABETIC
SPECIAL GUESTS
— TUE 03 NOV —
— S AT 1 0 O C T —
HURRICANE #1
HOP ALONG
GOLDBIRDS + THE HACIENDA
SPECIAL GUESTS
— E V E RY LAST FRIDAY —
— EVERY FI RST SATURDAY —
OLD SCHOOL R’ N ’B & HIP HOP JAMS
A MONTHLY BRITPOP PARTY
FO LLOW US THEGARAGEHIGHBURY
THEGARAGEHQ
THEGARAGELONDON
THEGARAGEHIGHBURY.COM 20-22 Highbury Corner, London, N5 1RD, United Kingdom. Tickets available from ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 847 2424 (24hr)
Orange Yard, off Manette St, London W1D 4JB Follow us @theborderline and facebook.com/theborderline Tickets from theborderlinelondon.com or 0844 847 2465 (24hr) TUE 29 SEP 7PM 14+ £8. ADV
FRI 23 OCT 7PM 14+ £10 ADV
GUESTS
16 GUNS + THE TURNING
THE SCORE
MON 12 OCT 7PM 18+ £8 ADV
OLAH BLISS
WED 14 OCT 7PM 14+ £8 ADV
LITTLE MAMMOTHS TOM FIGGINS
SEAN GRANT & THE WOLFGANG SUN 18 OCT 7PM 14+ 15 ADV
THE CHORDS UK
MON 26 OCT 7PM 14+ £12.50 ADV
BALSAMO DEIGHTON WED 28 OCT 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
JESS AND THE BANDITS
THU 29 OCT 7PM 14+ £7 ADV
JONNY KAPLAN & THE LAZY STARS
JINGO
WED 21 OCT 7PM 14+ £13.50 ADV
TUE 10 NOV 7PM 14+ £12.50 ADV
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little simz
words: tim hakki photography: lucy johnston
It’s evening on August 27th. The defiant last rays of summer blaze through the early autumnal rain on London’s South Bank, varnishing the city in a brilliant golden veneer. On Tooley Street, a crowd of damp people are being let into Red Bull Studios earlier than scheduled by the sympathetic bouncers. Inside, the walls are lined with vibrant art composed by ten different art students from ten different universities. This is how Little Simz chooses to launch her debut album A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons the most vital debut that British hip hop has seen in years. Simbi’s intentions are unequivocal. Both on wax and at the art show she espouses the message that mountains can be moved, that limitless creativity can happen given the right conditions: encouragement, motivation, self-belief and self-love. As she explains to me on Skype a week later, she didn’t want a traditional and sanitised album launch, she’d rather give an opportunity to others. She’s unsigned so she can do whatever the fuck she likes. Later that night, after revelling in hip hop and R&B classics and tanking up at the free bar, everyone bundles into the basement for an intimate secret show. On stage, Simz is uncompromising. Like the record, the show is a flawless communication of feeling. Tonight, in contrast to the high-budget technical peacocking at a Jay-Z or Kanye West gig, Simbi gets closer to the root of the emotions that inspired her music than her multimillionaire peers. There are no frills and no superfluous technical appendages. Simz’s story, as she chooses to tell it on her album, is the fundamentally human struggle to find purpose and identity in a life which often throws up adversity. She explores it through several different voices - there’s the single mother who has missed the boat to all her dreams on ‘Gratitude’, the homeless person who may as well be invisible on ‘Dead Body’, but the one recurring voice we
LiS 27
hear is that of a young female rapper resisting people’s attempts to marginalise her creative output. “Women just aren’t as respected as men in hip hop and I get it, I just don’t agree with it”, she says on the Skype call from LA. “That’s probably where some of my frustration comes from, because if you wanna be tough then you have to dress tough, otherwise you have to be super sexy because that’s what’s been done before and sex sells. I found a formula that works just fine, and that’s just to be me.” For Simz, the lines between her art and life are blurred. Her striking individuality isn’t just a calculated stage trick, it’s the expression of a firm belief that we’re all moulded by expectations from the cradle. “I’ve been feeling that forever, with just everything. In school I was moulded to be something that I didn’t feel I was. You don’t even realise you’re being moulded. The first thing is you have to wear a fucking uniform - that’s already telling you you’re just like everyone else, that you’re no different, you’re not unique, you’re not special. By the time I got out of school and I stepped into college I found my sense of style. I found what I was into and the music I really liked, as opposed to just putting on the TV and just being force fed shit that wasn’t really for me. Until then I was just a duplicate of anyone else, nothing special. Do you know how late that is? It’s so late in life, you’re eighteen years old and you’re only just beginning to understand yourself. For me that’s a scary thing”. Her recent Twitter activity has seen her take aim at people who have wrongly tried to box her as a grime artist. The headline quote of a Guardian interview reads ‘I’m not a UK female MC, I’m an artist’. It’s exactly this sort of eager and lazy labelling that she explains she’s grown out of. “I’m just so comfortable with who I am that it doesn’t really matter.
But in terms of putting information out there for someone that doesn’t know me, that’s what they’re gonna think or judge me on when they haven’t even heard anything. It’s frustrating. If you’re gonna put information out there, at least be honest”. Watching Little Simz perform and listening to her, you get the sense that she’s really pushed her skill set as far as she can in every direction to form an aesthetic that’s completely her own. Even in the way she dresses, flat caps, linen, neutral tones - she’s not consciously trying to fit in with certain expectations about hip hop artists. But in terms of her musical artistry, her discrete lyricism is something that came after technique. “I feel like the flow came first because it was what caught people’s ears. I remember there was a period where I was rapping and writing every day and it just got a bit repetitive. There’s only so much you can talk about how you’re the best and no one can mess with your flow and this that and the other. When I came out of that and I just started living and experiencing real situations and just being more open and honest with myself, my music took a turn for the better.” At the centre of the album is the haunting ‘Gratitude’. Between the unforgettable harmonies provided by the Pimlico group The Hics, lies the story of a single mother whose life has been channelled beyond her control as she accepts the fact that her purpose is to look after her children. It’s a nightmare portrait of anguish that yokes the petitionary prayers of blues music (“Oh lord, why did you pick me lord? / What is it that you can see in me lord?” she cries at one point) to reveal one of Simz’s deepest fears, and conversely one of her driving forces: the fear of not living up to her ambitions. “My mum gave up what she wanted to do so that I could do what I wanted to do, or her kids could do what they wanna do.
“I found a formula that works just fine, and that’s just to be me.” LiS 29
Sometimes life forces you to calm down. It’s not about you anymore. I think it’s a fear of everyone’s. You just don’t know what’s gonna hit you until it hits”. The next time I see her perform it’s the night before her album release at the O2 Academy Islington. She plays the album with a live band and their groove is unassailable. Words like ‘magnetising’, ‘rapt’, and ‘enchanting’ are cliches in music journalism. They mean something to do with connection but feel worryingly imprecise when summarising the chemistry between Little Simz and her audience. Between the emotion that births a song and the song’s listeners, there’s a layer of cultural references which the artist draws ideas from. All too often, an artist is an obvious collage of things that came before. With Little Simz though, you get the impression that the character she chooses to express in her music is the purest distillation of her. Perhaps it’s the revelation that she’s only human that generates such a deep connection with her audience.
Little Simz’s A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons is out now via AGE 101: MUSIC littlesimz.co // @LittleSimz // facebook.com/LittleSimz
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ALBUMS
RECORD OF THE MONTH DEERHUNTER
FADING FRONTIER When Deerhunter released their fifth LP Halcyon Digest in 2010 they had their work cut out to provide a follow-up. It was a novel and important entry in the indie rock cannon: enterprising, psychedelic, and greeted by obsessive adulation. In contrast, 2013’s Monomania appeared a little untrimmed and rough around the edges, perhaps a little too all-American and resultantly harder to love. Whatever your opinion on Monomania, there’s no denying that Deerhunter’s founder Bradford Cox is enigmatically magnetic. His brief appearance with Jared Leto in the film Dallas Buyers Club as the transvestite Rayon’s boyfriend was a rare glimpse at his softer side. This is after all, the man who has mouthed off about Morrissey being pretentious and arrogant, only to call himself out as both of those things before giving us Morrissey-esque assurances of his celibacy. 4AD October 16th Like Morrissey too, Cox is eminently adept at crafting a wholly believable vision of indie as outsider pop. Stand Out Tracks: It’s reassuring then, to say that Deerhunter’s new album All The Same Fading Frontier is very nearly as believable as Halcyon Duplex Planet Digest. It’s a new direction for the band who have noticeably Take Care mellowed out since Monomania. The smooth psychedelic Ad Astra groove of opener ‘All The Same’ almost immediately puts to Live: November 7th bed the idea that Deerhunter may have grown out of their Shepherds Bush Empire esoteric oddity: “My friend’s dad got bored / Changed his sex and had no more / No more wife, no more kids / Nothing left to live with” Cox sings, courting that familiarly ambivalent aesthetic once more. It’s often overlooked just how influential Deerhunter have been to the soundscape of teenies’ indie rock. The languid arpeggios and ambient noise of ‘Breaker’ recapture that uniquely Deerhunter feeling that the denizens of Slackerville USA have only aimed at. At moments, Fading Frontier is absolutely spellbinding. The immersive instrumental outro of ‘Take Care’ feels like consciousness borne on the waves of melody, like Can’s kosmische experimentation on Tago Mago. While Cox is vocal about his pride of American music, the synth heavy ‘Ad Astra’ sounds suspiciously new romantic and lead single ‘Snakeskin’ is pure Jimmy Page Zep-funk. Deerhunter have matured well, Fading Frontier is one of the best releases this year. They’re as wildly inventive as they’ve ever been. Whatever Cox’s opinions on Morrissey are, one can’t help but notice they’ve both built an impressively sustainable body of work on the foundations of their own outsiderness. Long may the weirdos reign. Tim Hakki
EL VY
RETURN TO THE MOON 4AD // October 11th Stepping out from the confines of indie behemoths The National, Matt Berninger and Menomena's Brent Knopf unleash El Vy’s debut; Return To The Moon. It’s a concept record (eek) about an imagined love story between Mike Batt and D. Boon of The Minutemen, from the scratchy funk of ‘The Man To Be’, through to the heartbreak in torch song closer ‘Careless’. Yet it’s also intensely personal; we learn of Matt's loneliness (’No Time To Crank Up The Sun’), his disappointment at friends not turning up with weed (’Need A Friend’), and his youthful love affair with Hüsker Dü and The Smiths (’Paul Is Alive’). There’s more than enough here to keep fans of The National happy, but importantly, it’s a great listen if you aren't. Simone Scott Warren
TRUST FUND
SEEMS UNFAIR Turnstile // October 30th It’s been a mere eight months yet here we are, being treated to the second Trust Fund album of 2015, like some sort of glorious mirage in the musical wasteland. If Seems Unfair has been ready for some time, there is nothing hurried in its execution despite a slight running time. Everything we adore about Trust Fund remains, from the sugar rush immediacy of ‘Mother’s Day’, recalling the breakneck speed of early Los Campesinos! to the addictive choral refrain of ‘Football’. As immediate as the album is, it seems fitting that the title track demonstrates the band’s rapidly developing sound, all meticulously arranged group harmonies and whirring guitars. Trust Fund still gets you, you’re just going to have to share him with a lot more fans. Lee Wakefield
!!!
AS IF Warp // October 16th Over five previous albums, !!! strode between the crusty rave and funky house club, fuelled by earthy melodic basslines and after-hours beats. There’s more on-trend conformity to As If: more breathless soprano, glistening synth, pop choruses and an ugly smear of auto-tune. The US band’s latest wears the scent of the European dance scene, from Daft Punk’s lacquered funk to Disclosure’s pumped-up r‘n’b, while ‘Ooo’ sounds like high-fat Hot Chip, and ‘Every Little Bit Counts’ actually recalls Klaxons. But !!! haven’t wholly abandoned the abandon: the way the bass wrests control of ‘Freedom! 15’s scuzzy disco, and the phased plunge to tease back the baggy beat on the catchy ‘Till The Money Runs Out’, are moments of enormity on this unexpectedly glossy but reassuringly danceable sixth release. Nick Mee LiS 33
AUTRE NE VEUT
AGE OF TRANSPARENCY Downtown // October 30th The title for Arthur Ashin’s third Autre Ne Veut album comes from marketing jargon. “Truth and transparency are just ways to sell things and honesty,” he’s said. Yet on opening track ‘On and On (Reprise)’ it feels like every bit of earnest truth is spilling out of him as he cries “Push me harder, baby baby babe” over chopped up, cut and pasted, distorted jazz, like tape unraveling off the spool. Ashin recorded the album with a jazz combo but this is as close to jazz as he gets – the rest of the album remains closer to the warped approximations of 90s R&B that shaped his previous two albums. Yet the intense passion remains. The title track’s breathy, clipped swagger is majestic, ‘Switch Hitter’s’ chorus smashes it out of the park, and first single ‘World War Pt. 2’ starts like Usher’s ‘Climax’ - and though it can never hit those heights (what can?), it’s still damn magnificent. It’s the little details - like the detuned guitar line on ‘Panic Room’ that swoops in at the end of the track and the snarling riff that attacks the finale of ‘Cold Winds’ – that make the album. The brittle, handclap-filled ‘Over Now’ is dolefully beautiful while closer ‘Get Out’ is so theatrical it reminds you why one reviewer claimed Ashin’s music owed ‘as much to Broadway as it does with R&B’. Angelic gospel choirs, joyous handclaps, sermon-like falsetto – it feels transcendental rather than emptily transparent. Danny Wright
JOHN GRANT
GREY TICKLES, BLACK PRESSURE Bella Union // October 9th Bless John Grant for bending the idea of the ‘singer songwriter’ so far that the term now seems totally obsolete. Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is bookended with with biblical quotations on love, the ones from Corinthians you always hear at weddings, but that’s about as much tradition as you’re likely to find on the former Czars singer’s third solo record. It’s a jauntier listen than the preceding Pale Green Ghosts, which saw Grant tackling with his HIV positive diagnosis, and it’s a delight to hear him having such a giggle. He even mocks his own previous misery on the title track, detailing how “there are children who have cancer, and so all bets are off – I can’t compete with that”. It’s a John Grant record, so of course eyebrows will be raised at a few turns of phrase. ‘Slug Snacks’ is full of them, with “you know it takes an ass like yours for me to develop such a high tolerance for inappropriate behaviour” probably the biggest corker. The song, and album as a whole, continues down a synth-laden, electronic path that carries him further away from the balladeering of his past. ‘Guess How I Know’ is probably the first of his tunes that could be given a passable Marilyn Manson cover. If it sounds all over the place… it is. There aren’t many instantly lovable songs here, but Grant’s verve and wit just about make up for their absence. Thomas Hannan
HATCHAM SOCIAL
THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD Crocodile Records // October 11th Back in 2006, indie suffered from so much over-saturation that it became a parody of itself, culminating in the supposed “death of guitar music” as it pandered to a very maledominated scene. Hatcham Social and their contemporaries however – though often berated for a lack of originality – were actually a welcome contrast to the macho banality of bands like Kasabian and The Enemy. Informed by post punk and indie pop’s defiantly anti-macho past, Hatcham Social crafted a sound that was enduring as it was formulaic. But they’ve come a long way since the lo-fi bedroom pop of 2006’s Dance As If. Here it’s difficult to place them anywhere, as they experiment with myriad styles. Opener ‘Bucket of Blood’ stays faithful to their trademark psych-tinged gloom, while the strings on ‘Wondrous Place’ add contemplative warmth. Elsewhere, ‘Star Woman’ is aptly Bowie-esque and, though it veers close to pastiche, it’s lyrically cryptic and clever. Dark, melodic and intelligent, The Birthday of the World is more intriguing than expected. Hayley Scott
BLACKALICIOUS
FUZZ
Caroline International // October 16th
In The Red Records // October 23rd
“Never let life’s troubles block your flow.” That’s an ironic opening line from the Bay Area hip hop duo considering it has taken ten years and ample crowdfunding to make their fifth album happen. Was it worth the wait? No. Ok, so Gift of Gab’s tongue-twisting rapping is still extra fresh. That aside, the half-arsed and half-speed Chief Xcel beats slow proceedings to a painful crawl. It starts strong with the fierce ‘Blacka’ (“blacker than a black Santa”) and Gab’s mind-boggling rapping blazing through ‘On Fire Tonight’ before it starts to fizzle out. Even if you ignore the terrible soft funk of ‘Love’s Gonna Save the Day’ and the screwed-lite travesty of ‘Inspired By’, this is a terrible album with a great EP lurking somewhere within. Geoff Cowart
Ty Segall has been a mainstay of the garage and psych scene for almost a decade now, both as a solo artist and in various bands. FUZZ is one of those, and his most high-profile one right now. Formed in 2011 by Ty Segall and guitarist Charles Mootheart (of Ty Segall Band, Moonhearts etc), the duo is joined by Meatbodies’ Chad Ubovich on bass, and on their second album of sludgy proto-metal they’re on top form, just like on the excellent self-titled debut LP two years ago. Clocking in at almost an hour and ten minutes II is something of a mammoth, but when it comes to loud and heavy seventies-style rock there are few better ways to spend your time. Johan Alm
IMANI, VOL. 1
II
LiS 35
THE SPOOK SCHOOL
TRY TO BE HOPEFUL Fortuna POP! // October 9th The DIY queer punk scene has experienced a resurgence across the UK, as evidenced by the increasing amounts of queer punk releases and specialist festivals, including London’s very own Bent Fest back in April. The Spook School have already achieved enough notoriety to tour internationally and have a sit down interview with Laura Jane Grace from Against Me! for Rolling Stone. Try To Be Hopeful builds on this reputation with stacks of jangly pop with nuanced lyrics about identity and sexuality, delivered with exuberant glee on ‘Burn Masculinity’ and ‘Binary’. Sometimes the Edinburgh quartet can come across a little twee, and the production is muffled at points, but ultimately this record succeeds because of its earnest, uplifting spirit. A reason to be hopeful, indeed. Woodrow Whyte
CRISTOBAL AND THE SEA SUGAR NOW
City Slang // October 2nd Having personally spent the first eighteen years of my life in Loughborough, I can empathise fully with the four students at the town’s university who formed Cristobal And The Sea in response to their alma mater’s overwhelmingly sport-centric, laddish culture. Knowing that, it makes perfect sense that their debut couldn’t be further from middle-England monotony: with members hailing from Portugal, Spain, Corsica and the UK, the influences of their respective countries are abundantly clear throughout. There’s obviously comparisons to be made with some of their better-known contemporaries, but in its bossa nova rhythms and bright Iberian melodies, Sugar Now doesn’t merely appropriate the sounds of various regions, but demonstrates actual, lived experiences - and it’s all the stronger for it. Jack Urwin
CHEATAHS
MYTHOLOGIES Wichita Recordings // October 30th Not only did Roland Barthes’ essay influence the name of Cheatahs’ new album, but the feel – present through the veneer of distorted guitar and hazy vocals – is a sense of shifting meanings and unclear symbolism. This may be their debut full length, but the record oozes assurance. The driving rhythms and frantic drumming of their punkier early days remain but the overall sense is of swimming through colourful swamps, as acidic basslines slide beneath you and raucous energy waves above. Highlights include the expansive cinematic sprawl of ‘Murasaki’, the motoring pace of ‘Flux’, ‘Channel View’’s sonic pummelling, and ‘Seven Sisters’, a beautiful piece of euphoric shoegaze. The sound of sketchy back-alleys still underpins the traversing vibe - this is just further along the journey. And it’s a hell of a ride. Francesca Baker
— THU 01 OCT —
— WED 17 OCT —
— THU 01 OCT — MENACE BEACH MENACE BEACH MAN OF MOON + COREY BOWEN
— WED 17 OCT — BEACH SLANG BEACH SLANG
— MON 05 OCT — — MON 05 OCT —
— FRI 23 OCT — SAMOANS FREEZE SAMOANS ++FREEZE THE ATLANTIC THE BAD SIGN +ATLANTIC DEATH & THE PENGUIN
MAN OF MOON + COREY BOWEN
— FRI 23 OCT —
ONLY ONLYRIVALS RIVALS — WED 07 OCT — — WED 07 OCT —
BAD SIGN + DEATH & THE PENGUIN
ALEXANDER ALEXANDER VICTORIA
— WED 28 OCT — — WED 28 OCT —
YOUTHCLUB CLUB YOUTH
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——MON MON12 12 OCT OCT ——
DIZTORTION DIZTORTION & & FRIENDS FRIENDSFT. FT.STYLO STYLO G G ++JACOB JACOBBANKS BANKS ——TUE TUE13 13 OCT OCT ——
GET GETINUIT INUIT OTHERKIN
WED 04 04NOV NOV —— —— WED
RIVRS RIVRS
THU 12 1 2NOV NOV—— —— THU
LEGENDSOF OF LEGENDS COUNTRY COUNTRY THE MAGIC CITY TRIO + SIMON STANLEY WARD
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OTHERKIN
THU15 15 OCT OCT —— ——THU
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THEJAPANESE JAPANESE HOUSE HOUSE THE
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PLEASURE PLEASUREHOUSE HOUSE
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EVENTS JOSH T PEARSON
a selection of new stuff we’re excited about: ILLUMINATIONS FESTIVAL Illuminations is now a firm fixture in our diaries, with this year marking the fourth installment of Rockfeedback bringing us an impressive programme of live music, art installations and film screenings. With the likes of Josh T Pearson, Holly Herndon, Daniel Lopatin, Titus Andronicus and Oneohtrix Point Never playing one-off shows in grand venues these events promise to be more spectacular than ever before. The film section of this series is just as brilliantly curated, with a string of events and talks taking place at Hackney Picturehouse, The British Library and The Prince Charles Cinema. These include the like of Orion, about the life of an entertainer thought to be the spirit of Elvis, and They Will Have To Kill Us which focuses on the banning of music in Mali and the breakthrough of Songhoy Blues. Check out the full programme and don’t miss out on these very special events. October 30th-November 8th. Various venues. illuminationslondon.com/ // @rockfeedback
CASSETTE STORE DAY
GIRL BAND LiS 40
The recent boom in cassette popularity has been a source of both wonder and nostalgia for those of us who lost endless hours making mixtapes for friends and unrequited loves alike. Cassette Store Day, despite being a joyful celebration of the format, is more forward-looking than that though. Now in its third year, the day – started by the labels Suplex Cassettes, Kissability, and Sexbeat – offers up new albums by a bunch of our very favourite artists (including the extraordinary Girl Band). This is now a global event too, with the likes of the legendary Burger Records and New Zealand’s Arch Hill joining in the fun. And, for those who can’t attend stores on the day, all releases will be available online this year, meaning we can all join in. October 17th. cassettestoreday.com // @cassetteday facebook.com/CassetteStoreDay
THE GOOD EGG A restaurant refurbishment in Stokey has been catching our eye lately; ‘The Good Egg’ it says outside. We’re into food and new stuff, so we found out more. With an exciting menu inspired by the cafes and delis of Montreal, Tel Aviv and California, The Good Egg is going to be a relaxed all-day neighbourhood spot, which sounds pretty idyllically N16 to us. We’re especially excited to try the pastrami, served the Montreal way instead of NYC style. No idea what that means, but we’re 100% going to find out. Plus, there’s a burger. Phew. Opens late Sept’. 93 Stoke Newington Church St thegoodeggco.com // @TheGoodEgg_
THE BARBICAN CLASSICAL WEEKENDER The Barbican hosts one of its most ambitious projects to date this month with Sound Unbound, a weekend festival aiming to release classical music from its traditional confines. From huge 100-piece symphony shows to intimate solo sets they’ve invited some contemporary voices of the genre such as Max Richter, Philip Glass and Steve Reich, to showcase their work and bridge the gap between old and new. There’s an incredible amount of events crammed into this brilliantly inclusive weekend; find out more quick. Oct’ 31st-Nov’1st. Barbican Centre, EC2Y 8DS barbican.org.uk // @BarbicanCentre
PHILIP GLASS
RUMFEST You think we’re going to be impressed by an event claiming to be ‘the world’s biggest and best rum festival’? You know us so well, of course we’re impressed. So what does Rumfest have to offer? Well, just 400 of the rarest and most diverse rums from around the world, that’s what. With day and weekend tickets available, your entry price will give you tasters of pretty much every rum there (maybe have a good meal beforehand), but there are also tokens on sale to purchase tasters of some very special rums that can cost up to £2000 a bottle. October 17th-18th, ILEC Conference Centre, SW6 1UD // rumfest.co.uk/ // @Rumfest LiS 41
GIGS OF THE MONTH
OUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN OCTOBER
THE BARFLY
15/10/15 £8adv @TheBarflyHQ
THE JAPANESE HOUSE Unique, brooding, melancholic electronica from 19 year-old Amber Bain.
BRIXTON WINDMILL
THE ST PIERRE SNAKE INVASION // I CRIED WOLF // FRAUDS + MORE This whirlwind of a tour stops by the Brixton Windmill this month to give you a dose of ferocious noise that you'll want to jump up and down to. 07/10/15 £5adv @windmillbrixton
CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN
BUSH HALL
EAVES // RORY BUTLER A naturally gifted lyricist with a timeless and beautiful quality to his music, Eaves celebrates the release of his debut album ‘What Green Feels Like’. 22/10/15 £9adv @Bushhallmusic
SHEPHERD’S BUSH
BRIXTON CHASTITY BELT
SHACKLEWELL ARMS JURASSIC POP // HEAVY MENTHOL
Rock songs about Jurassic Park? Check. Ridiculous lyrics? Check. Insane amounts of fun? Check 13/10/15 FREE @Shacklewell Arms
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
THE LEXINGTON CHASTITY BELT
Post-post-punk energy, jagged rhythms and tons of fun. 16/10/15 £6adv @thelexington
ANGEL
THE GARAGE
BALL PARK MUSIC More brilliant indie-pop from Australia. Touring their third album 'Puddinghead', this quintet will light up The Garage.
06/10/15 £10adv @TheGarageHQ HIGHBURY AND ISLINGTON LiS 45
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE GOOD SHIP
Strong but never losing its fragility completely, Frances has a truly stunning voice. Pop music with a real heart to it.
Atmosphere and angst come together to make touching, melancholy indie.
FRANCES
7&14/10/15 £7.50adv @ServantJazz
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
HOXTON BAR AND KITCHEN SHANNON SAUNDERS
Mature and addictive electro pop, Shannon Saunders is already taking the internet by storm. 26/10/15 £9adv @HoxtonHQ
OLD STREET
23/10/15 FREE @thegoodshipNW6
KILBURN
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY TURBOWOLF
Back in London, riotous Bristolian rockers Turbowolf throw one hell of a party. 29/10/15 £10adv @O2Islington
ANGEL
NEW CROSS INN
THE BLACK TAMBOURINES // SPOILERS
BORDERLINE
GRAVE PLEASURES // DESPERATE JOURNALIST Self-styled apocalyptic post punks, Grave Pleasures (ex-Beastmilk) and goth rockers Desperate Journalist take over The Borderline. 13/10/15 £13adv @theborderline
DEAR LIFE // COPPER // SAMSARA
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD SPEEDY ORTIZ
A night of ridiculous fun, noisy garage punk, headlined by our long-time favourites, The Black Tambourines. 08/10/15 £5 @NewCrossInn
NEW CROSS / NEW CROSS GATE
OSLO
JANE WEAVER hailing from Liverpool Jane weaver writes nuanced pop songs that are as unusual as they are brilliant. 22/10/15 £11adv @OsloHackney
HACKNEY CENTRAL
THE DOME
SPEEDY ORTIZ Full of hooks, crunchy guitars and effortless vocals form Sadie Dupuis, we can't wait to see Speedy Ortiz once more. 21/10/15 £12.50adv @DomeTufnellPark LiS 46
TUFNELL PARK
FABRIC
MATES OF STATE
WILEY // LOGAN SAMA // ELIJAH // DBRIDGE // SKEPTICAL // LOXY Butterz team up with Keeping It Grimy CEO, Logan Sama, to launch the long respected DJ’s FABRICLIVE 83 project. 09/10/15 £19adv @fabriclondon
FARRINGDON
BIRTHDAYS
MATES OF STATE One of our favourite ever bands, Mates of State, head back to the UK for the first time in nearly ten years, to say we're excited is a huge understatement. 29/10/15 £8adv @_Birthdays
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
THE FINSBURY
09/10/15 FREE @TheFinPub MANOR HOUSE
EVANS THE DEATH // SISTERS // GRUBS // /PLEASE/ It's All Happening take over The Finsbury, bringing the best indie kicks.
BEDROOM BAR
WAITING ROOM
A band from around the world playing dark tropical indie rock band, and now based in Stoke Newington
Blaenavon make addictive guitar pop. Signed to Transgressive, if you don't already know them, you will soon.
CRASH ISLAND
29/10/15 FREE @Bedroom_Bar
BLAENAVON
OLD STREET
100 CLUB
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
THE LOCK TAVERN
ALEX G
Obviously we’re huge fans of Alex G’s brooding and beautiful sound. With his new album coming out on Domino this month, this is bound to be a celebratory show. 20/10/15 £11adv @100clubLondon
08/10/15 £5ADV @WaitingRoomN16
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
WORRIEDABOUTSATAN // CAPAC Worriedaboutsatan are back, they make sometimes crushing, sometimes uplifting electronic sounds like no other, come and be mesmerised 09/10/15 FREE @thelocktavern
CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN LiS 47
MADE VIOLENT THURS 24 SEPT THE ISLINGTON LADY LAMB MON 28 SEPT THE LEXINGTON SURFER BLOOD WED 30 SEPT TUFNELL PARK DOME RAKETKANON THURS 1 OCT THE LEXINGTON SOCIETY MON 5 OCT DALSTON VICTORIA LILIES ON MARS TUES 6 OCT ELECTROWERKZ GEORGIA WED 7 OCT CORSICA STUDIOS LONELADY WED 7 OCT HEAVEN ROZI PLAIN WED 7 OCT ST JOHN ON BETHNAL GREEN
OH SO QUIET THURS 29 OCT DALSTON VICTORIA
MISTY MILLER WED 11 NOV 100 CLUB
ALEX G TUES 20 OCT 100 CLUB
OKAY KAYA MON 2 NOV ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
ASTRONAUTALIS WED 18 NOV SCALA
BO ROCHA WED 21 OCT SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION MON 2 NOV OSLO HACKNEY
ROYCE WOOD JUNIOR WED 21 OCT ELECTROWERKZ
MITSKI TUES 3 NOV DALSTON VICTORIA
BEACH BABY THURS 8 OCT BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
EZRA FURMAN THURS 22 OCT O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE HABITATS THURS 22 OCT THE LEXINGTON PALACE THURS 22 OCT SCALA CURTIS HARDING WED 28 OCT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
THE GARDEN WED 4 NOV DINGWALLS JOANNA NEWSOM MON 9 NOV EVENTIM APOLLO JOHN JOSEPH BRILL MON 9 NOV DALSTON VICTORIA LORD HURON + RADICAL FACE WED 11 NOV O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
ELVIS PERKINS TUES 24 NOV DALSTON VICTORIA MERCURY REV TUES 24 NOV OVAL SPACE LA FEMME TUES 24 NOV KOKO THIS IS THE KIT WED 25 NOV SCALA EL VY (MATT BERNINGER & BRENT KNOPF) WED 9 DEC & THURS 10T DEC SOLD OU ELECTRIC BALLROOM DEMOB HAPPY THURS 10 DEC 100 CLUB PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
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SURFER BLOOD
FOR THE LATEST LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM
– We, at London In Stereo, have been so concerned about the spate of recent venue closures, and attitude towards London’s nightlife, that we felt we had to do something to raise more awareness of the issues. Therefore we’ve invited Alan Miller of the The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) to contribute a monthly column, celebrating London’s nightlife and highlighting the struggles it faces –
INTO THE NIGHT Last year I spoke on a panel at the Battle of Ideas Festival at the Barbican Centre, alongside concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith, club owner Alex Proud and head of Westminster licensing, Tim Mitchell. It was a lively and rambunctious debate about how the Night Time Economy in London and Britain was being over-regulated and suffocated. This led to the formation of The NTIA. Since then, the issue of UK nightlife has been discussed across the nationalpress, and a high profile campaign by residents in Hackney (We Love Hackney) has helped promote the idea that people can do something about the world they live in. Nothing is inevitable. We make the world every day. Just as creative inspiration for what kind of skirt one wants to design, nightclub to build or agency to run – or what drink to buy and music to dance to – we can also shape and direct the much bigger things if we come together to do so. Some in the press have blamed festivals, property developers and the gaming industry for issues with clubs and bars – the reality is that all of the above are positive and lively contributions to society, and part of the rich tapestry and ecosystem around night time and culture more broadly. The major issue faced by us all, in London and beyond, is the view that night time economy is a ‘crime creator’, a ‘nuisance’ or problem, rather than what it is; a massive cultural contributor and economic regenerator of cities and high streets. Westminster has been in the news recently with licensing and policing; the problem however has not been so much whether a few individuals (police, licensing) have behaved legally or not (as anyone, all should be held
accountable for personal behaviour). The focus, instead, has been the way clubs and bars have been culled in one of our formerly most exciting and diverse areas. Soho and Westminster need to have a mixture of activities, and some of those are late-night and all-night premises for people to go to. We have seen some interesting developments both in the race for the Mayor of London and the leadership of the Labour Party. We shall be submitting questions and points to all runners for Mayor of London about the value of the Night Time Economy, and where they stand on it. We also have some ambitious further plans afoot, placing nightlife at the heart of debate around city planning, architecture, business and the economy. Watch this space for more. For now, you should come join us at this year’s Battle of Ideas Festival, which takes place October 17th and 18th, again at The Barbican. We are on a couple of panels; The end of Boozy Britain? and Can we handle a 24-Hour City? with speakers from TFL, health, policy and more. You should come and join in the discussion and argue for what you believe in. More than that, you should share this on social media; post your support, or view, on the Night Time Economy and NTIA – get friends, fellow clubbers and those that love London involved. The world is after all ours. It is only us that makes it what it is. See you on October 17th then, The Battle of Ideas. Alan D Miller The Battle Of Ideas: The end of Boozy Britain? battleofideas.org.uk/2015/session_detail/10101 Can we handle a 24-hour City? battleofideas.org.uk/2015/session_detail/997 ntia.co.uk // @wearethentia // facebook.com/wearethentia
LiS 67
...IN LONDON
with SHOPPING Why do you live in London? I grew up in the countryside - so when I moved here I was desperate to find my people, the punks, queers and weirdos that make me feel empowered and inspired. I wanted to go to the biggest noisiest place to do that. The first queer punk show I went to in London was Drunk Granny, Corey Orbison, Husbands and a queer electropop feminist band from Berlin called Rhythm King and Her Friends, they were all the weirdest and coolest bands I'd ever seen and I instantly knew I needed to move here and make friends with these people and start a band. How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? Try to embrace the chaos! What’s your favourite gig venue? Power Lunches in Dalston, also really excited about DIY Space, which is about to open in Peckham any day now. Where do you like to eat and drink? Shopping spend a lot of time in various greasy spoons having fry-ups when we should be practicing. Alpino Cafe, in Angel, got a mention in the sleeve notes of our first record. Also we love CheMen Cafe on Kingsland Road for their menemen and three quid lentil soup. Favourite outdoor space? It used to be the top of the hill at Nunhead cemetery where you could squeeze through a gap in the fence and look at the best view of London, but they've put up a massive fuck off razor wire fence now. I also really like the Barbican, does that count as outdoors?
If you could live anywhere in London where would it be? Any place where the rent is not constantly increasing. What’s the perfect way to spend the day? When I manage to get around or do things for free…like reading graphic novels in Peckham library (they are stocked by Gosh comics, the best comic shop ever) going to free galleries like Tate and Whitechapel... The number 12 bus that never has conductors on it… Does London influence the music you write? Yeah I think so; the general desperate, frustrated sound of our music probably has a lots do with living in a crazy, stressful place like London. Living here demands a lot of time and energy as well as it being hard to find space to practice and record - so everything we do is pretty time constricted. If something is taking too long we get bored, ditch it and and only keep the songs that instantly get us excited. That also has to do with our personalities though. We're all pretty hyperactive and impatient people - which is also probably why we all like living here. Rachel Aggs Shopping release their second album Why Choose? October 2nd via FatCat Records. @SH0PP1NG // facebook.com/weareshopping LiS 69
LIVE
Sufjan Stevens photo: Rachel Lipsitz visit londoninstereo.com for full gallery
SUFJAN STEVENS Royal Festival Hall, September 2nd As he comes out for the encore, Sufjan Stevens, a tatty baseball cap now perched on his head, looks up at the transfixed crowd. “Well, we’ve passed through the vortex and come out the other side together,” he says in his soft, Michigan brogue. He’s not wrong. For the hour before he has barely said a word to the audience as he played every song from ‘Carrie and Lowell’, the heartbreaking album about the loss of his mother. Yet where the album is intimate, confessional and brittle, live it’s coloured in and given muscle – drawn out in both variation and intensity. ‘Should Have Known Better’ is more rhythmical, even seeing Sufjan gently dancing, and ‘Fourth of July’, a song which on the album closes with a
END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL Larmer Tree Gardens, Sept’ 3rd-6th I’ve done the maths and there are exactly a million and one reasons why End Of The Road emerges as the most triumphant festival of the 2015 season. I can’t fit them all in here. Three of them, though, are hotdogs covered in raclette – my taste buds forgive what my arteries never will. Away from cheese smothered reasoning: we give thanks to the weather gods who refuse traditional demands for precipitatious deluge and reward our slog to Dorset with not only dryness, but also blistering sun. We are blessed, and we are grateful. Bathed in solar glow we skip between stages, we revel in the woodlands where we see Nadine Shah engage in Tibetan throat singing and witness East India Youth play ‘Carousel’ on a
hushed and reverent “we’re all going to die” here builds to a surprisingly life-affirming climax. At times you can see how much the performance takes out of him – he looks to the ground, constantly seems to be gathering his thoughts. Yet it’s also cathartic, not least on the thundering climax of ‘Blue Bucket of Gold’ – which builds and swells for ten minutes to a roaring crescendo. It sounds like the whole venue might take off with them as the home video footage that has been playing slides away to reveal Nico Muhly battering the Festival Hall’s organ. The encore feels more celebratory as he brings out the ‘hits’. He plays the spellbindingly beautiful ‘To Be Alone With You’ and ‘That Dress Looks Nice On You’ from Seven Swans, his murder ballad ‘John Wayne Gacy, Jr’ and a reworked pared down ‘Chicago’. It’s the saddest, happiest party of the year. Danny Wright piano stage that looks like my nan’s lounge. We play croquet, we don’t care. Hinds, Oscar and Slow Club bring cheery, possibly beery, good times to the main stage, and remind everyone just why festivals can be the very best of occasions; surrounded by friends and so many of your favourite bands, and all in one beautiful place. The Big Top stage sees Crushed Beaks on wonderfully scrappy form. Huge crowds gather and are wowed by the ever-wonderful Girlpool whilst Brakes confirm their status as pretty much the best live band around. But c’mon, the reason why EOTR bosses all festivals this year is the presence of one Sufjan Stevens. Stood on the hill, at the start, we take a deep breath and pray for magic. Prayers are beyond answered. It’s mesmerising. It’s majestic. And, whenever you read this, you can be sure the version of ‘Vesuvius’ is still playing in my head and heart. Dave Rowlinson LiS 71
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
by Dan McCormick The best job I had as a teenager was waiting tables at a greyhound stadium. When I started I was a shy, goofy kid with bad hair. Eighteen months later, I was a shy, goofy kid with bad hair and a talent for being shouted at by alcoholic chefs. Once, Peter Crouch came in and ordered some fish. That’s just the kind of place it was – you never knew who might come in and order a bit of cod. One day it would be Peter Crouch, the next John McCririck – it was a who’s who of Noughties icons. But by far the best customer I ever served was Mike Skinner. I was a huge Streets fan. His first album helped steer me away from the dreary indie bands that had peppered my teen years. He was there for his birthday, we chatted for while and he ended up giving me his birthday cake (as well a very generous tip). I took the cake home and kept it in the fridge, showing it to select mates: "You won’t believe me but this is Mike Skinner’s birthday cake" I’d say, as they stood there unimpressed and a bit freaked out. It stayed in the fridge for months, rotting away, undoing all my mum’s best efforts at cleanliness, until she cracked and threw it in the bin. A part of my innocence died that day and obviously we’ve barely spoken since, but as I get older I can see why she did it and in time I’m sure the trust between us will be restored. That level of fandom, luckily, stayed in the era of teenhood. As much as I love, say, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, I wouldn’t want their leftover paella in my cupboard, because I’m an adult now. Last weekend I heard that Mac DeMarco had his shoes and socks pulled off by fans at a recent gig in London. My sympathy was not for Mac, but instead for the mother of that fan, who right now is desperately plotting how to rid her house of one smelly, much cherished, stolen sock. Thinking about how much I wouldn’t want Mac Demarco’s sock in my life made me feel old, but I suppose in many ways, part of growing up is realising that you can still love music, even without Mike Skinner’s leftover birthday cake. LiS 73
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
SJM CONCERTS PRESENT
PLUS FOUR TET + MANSIONAIR
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
06 OCT – GARAGE
27 NOV – ALEXANDRA PALACE
DIY PRESENTS THE NEU TOUR 2015
VANT + INHEAVEN + THE BIG MOON
PLUS THE SKINTS + BABY STRANGE
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
14 OCT – DINGWALLS
17 DEC – O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
PLUS CUPIDS + VIOLA BEACH
18+19 DEC SOLD OUT / 20 DEC EXTRA DATE THE FORUM
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
15 OCT – VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
OH WONDER PLUS THE WYTCHES
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
28 OCT – ROUNDHOUSE
17 MAR 2016 – O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
03 NOV – SEBRIGHT ARMS
26 JAN 2016 – HEAVEN
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