Down the RabBit Hole
Issue 11 1st May
Editor’s Note Editor’s Note Hello! As it dawns ever nearer to our one-year anniversary of creating our E-Magazine Down the Rabbit Hole, we’ve decided to pull out all of the stops to create an even bigger edition this month! Featuring content from new writers (If you’re interested in writing for us then drop us an email to Writers@MadAliceRecords) We’ve got Interviews with local blues rockers Young Bulls and one of our long time favourite bands Flora Greysteel. To reviews of Kendrick Lamar, Joseph Huber, Kovax and more. And its worth mentioning a special shout out to Flying Vinyl for providing us with another great box of records for review further in the magazine! We hope that you enjoy all of the content as much as we enjoy writing it, and that if there is a band that we need to review then drop us an email or a FB message! Enjoy, Aidan - Director
Contents
Interviews
Reviews
Young Bulls - 6-9
Joseph Huber - 10-11
Rachel Colley
Alex Golisti
Flora Greysteel - 32-35 Cont 38-41
King Horses - 14-15
Rachel Colley
Holly Beson-Tams
Kovax - 16-17 Rachel Colley
Kendrick Lamar - 18-21 Jake Williams
Frank Ocean - 30-31 Jake Williams
The Regime - 42-43 Leah Cooper
Artists in review - 3637
Maia Gunning, Hollie Farnill, Lauren Armstrong
Flying Vinyl - 54-57 Aidan Laycock
Film Reviews
Top 5’s
Articles
Get Out - 12-13
Top 5 of the Month 24-25
Fender DG-4 - 22-23
Top 5 upcoming Bands - 46-49
Upcoming Tours - 44-45
Farron Muller
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 - 26-29 Ben Tindall
Prevenge - 50-53 Zoe Buckton
Dawid Ziemba
Alex Fisher
Dawid Ziemba
Revie Byrnes
Gig Guide - 58
Can you give us a brief history of the band? We only formed a year ago so there isn’t much in the way of history. You’ve been on tour recently with shows in places such as Huddersfield and Sheffield. Which were your favourite places to play and why? The Parish in Huddersfield was amazing, the stage was one of the best we’ve ever played and the atmosphere was unreal. We also really enjoy playing at dusk in york. There is something about small little packed out venues that makes playing them a lot of fun. Your influences range from Led Zeppelin, Royal Blood and Jack White. How many of these are seen in your music? We like to think that everything that influences us is reflected in the music that we write. Although our individual music tastes change all the time as we discover new artists. You’ve been playing shows for the past year in and around York. Are there any local bands that you’ve played with in the past year that you want to spotlight and why? Yes. There are a lot of band that we have played with that spring to mind however these are the main ones. Bloody Mango, because they just don’t give a f**k! Lost Trends for all the help they have given us and Peach for jumping in last minute and supporting us. Are you working on any new music at all? Can your fans expect a release soon? We are in fact currently underway in recording our debut EP which we plan to finish and release within the next couple of months, so keep a look out for that.
Young Bulls
Quick Fire: Favourite album? Don’t really have one, but we always listen to “blood sugar sex magic” by rhcp before most gigs. Best gig you’ve played? Our first show at Dusk with Peach! When are you next going to be playing around York area? June 3rd at the fulford all dayer, after that there’s supporting the Franklys on June 9th. Biggest musical influence? Joe: myself Ben: queen B Next release date? Sometime in June, more info to follow on our facebook page soon!
Young BUlls
You’ll be supporting Lost Trends at Fibbers next month. Are there any surprises in your set for the show for the fans that you can let the fans know about at all? We are very much looking forward to playing at Fibbers and we hope that everyone is ready to have a good time and jump about. There is a lot of new material that we have to play with so expect to see that as well as a lot of crazy dancing! Are there any other shows that you’re planning to play? Can you tell us who you have lined up to play with? On the 9th of june we support the Franklys at Fibbers with Crybaby. This one should also be a brilliant show as they seem like an awesome band from what we’ve seen/ heard! What other artists would you love to share the stage with and why? Rival Sons would be a dream, mostly because joe wants to ask them where they buy their clothes from haha. Also the Ugly Kings would be a good show down in Australia, but we’re maybe getting ahead of ourselves a bit. Festival season is coming up. Are there any festivals that you’re wanting to play at or go to this summer and why? We’re definitely gonna be heading up to Hull Street Sesh this year. Joe went last year and it’s supposed to be massive for the city of culture, it’d be great to play it if the chance came but if not, we’ll still be attending. Finally, is there any more future projects that you can tell our readers about at all? We’re sorting out a tour that’ll be in aid of our EP around June/July with plenty of dates. We’re looking to be able to push our music as much as possible within that time and hopefully, that’ll lead on to more things.
American roots singer-songwriters come by the boatload, but not few come along like this. The majority appear to exist to enact cliché, few do something truly original and fewer emerge from that worn out medium to bring a fresh, sincere sound. The Suffering Stage is as far from the soporific norm as I’ve heard recently. Huber’s fourth solo project is one of the most refreshing contemporary roots releases of the year. After the Cajun influenced opener Playground/Battlefield the album opens up to a vast panorama of Americana styles and influences. Propelled by a select group of tactful roots musicians, there is a guttural power behind Huber’s most recent offering. It’s easy to see why he has been compared to such luminaries as Townes Van Zandt, Chris Smither and John Prine. The sound is organic not naturalised. There are flavours of The Band in Sea of the night, Old Crow Medicine Show on the bonus track A Bit Like Walking Away and Ray LaMontagne in Your Showed Me – even a touch of Astral Weeks in Souls Without Maps. It’s been a while since a contemporary singer-songwriter’s new release got my hairs standing on end. Dustin Dobernig’s Hammond organ is deftly deployed, finding a natural home behind Sea of the Night and Sons of The Wandering. 16/10 is worth a listen purely on the merit of Jason Lovealls soaring fiddle. Ryan Knudson on pedal steel delivers repeatedly throughout, instilling the album with a country charm and charisma that other players might have over embellished. Dodging the cliches which dog so many Americana artists, Huber provides an album with a brilliant cross section of influences, and without the naffness that can come with country. It has that rare sobering feel good quality, a quality you can’t argue with. Proving that this kind of music still has the ability to be reinvented and remain defiantly relevant.
Joseph Huber The Suffering Stage
Film Review Get Out (Peele 2017) is as important as it is thought provoking. Presented as a dark satire on white-liberalracism, first time director Jordan Peele delivers a sensational social critique on the chilling realities of being black in America. Peele tells the story of black boyfriend Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and the anxieties that surround meeting the parents of white girlfriend – Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). However five months into the relationship, said milestone is finally upon them and although his initial welcome seems very warming, all is not what it seems. To label Get Out as simply another horror movie would be doing it a great disservice. Get Out is incredibly effective at adopting conventions from the genre, the constant feeling of unease and fear the movie projects, give the film a genuine horror flick finesse. Parallels can almost be drawn here to the 2014 cult hit - It Follows
(Mitchell) which unlike many mainstream, modern horrors evokes a constant feeling of dread and doesn’t just thrive from cheap, jumpy scares. A trend we often see in horror is the use of classical music, Insidious (Wan 2011) being a great example, featuring Tiny Tim’s eerie “Tip Toe Through The Tulips” which stuck with audiences long after leaving cinemas. Get Out plays homage to this popular convention using the 1930s song - “Run Rabbit Run” as a young black man is abducted in a seemingly safe suburban neighbourhood, setting the tone of otherness in a white, liberal enclave. As the narrative begins to unfold, the fantastic performances start to become very apparent. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener who take on the role of Rose’s parents - Dean and Missy Armitage
Get Out both deliver convincing and at times quite chilling performances. Whitford in particular is exceptionally impressive at ghosting the elephant in the room and instead plays off the comedy of the situation, reassuring Chris that he would have voted for Obama for a third time if he could. The screenplay for Get Out is very devious and a lot of the dialogue is delivered in racial metaphors and clever innuendos, hiding behind a convincing, whiteliberal facade. As we see the story tip from mystery to revelation we lose some of that earlier charm which Get Out delivers in abundance, having said that you can’t help but appreciate the severity and brutality the closing scenes have to offer. In a setting which echoes the antebellum era
plantation home, our story of race comes to its bitter end. With great supporting roles including Lil Rey Howery as Chris’ (Daniel Kaluuya) best friend - Rod Williams, the movie is able to maintain its impressive balance of horror and black comedy. After being overly impressed by Daniel Kaluuya’s performance in Black Mirror (2011) I’m ecstatic to see him achieve success in another challenging role. Get Out is definitely worth checking out and stands as an exceptional achievement for first time director Jordan Peele and leaves the audience aching for more.
King’s Horses are a three piece from Hull. There EP ‘Live Wires’ displays their ability to take elements of different genres and blend them into something unique.The vocals throughout the EP are what makes this band so distinctive. The first song on the EP is ‘Live Wires’. It contains a melodic rhythm; the bass has a dirty sound which provides an underlying dark feel. But this contrasts and compliments the bright brass chord which changes the genre of the sound completely. The vocals sound like there is a lot echo/reverb on them which gives them a loose sound that runs throughout the EP. ‘Hollywood’ opens with a guitar that has a subtle and classy feel. The opening guitar riff reminds me of the opening riff in ‘Hum For Your Buzz’ by The Kills. The track has a western feel to it and out of the EP it’s my favourite as it has a combination of sounds throughout that make it so unique. All the instruments sound clean cut and brash, although they sound together and with an edge the bands loose feel still runs through, it sounds as though the cymbals are quite loose. We are the Dead has a funkier sound. Instrumentally this song sounds more together. Through this track I realised they remind me of a darker and grungier Tame Impala. The guitar a very dark feel, the chords have a rough feel that the other instruments support. Idolise starts a lot of synth which sounds as through its coming through a guitar. The drums almost have a classic jazz feel to them which is supporting with the jazz chords on this acoustic guitar. This song stands out against the rest of the EP, it’s really calming and perfect to chill out too. Board of Directors instrumentally a bit rockier, especially through the opening guitar. The song has a ‘rebellion’ feel to it, it’s through this we really see their use taking elements of different genres and blending it into their own sound, this especially contrasts with Idolise.
King’s Horses Live Wires
Kovax
Kovax are a alternative/hard rock quartet based in Leeds. Their four track EP, ‘If There Was Ever Any Doubt’, is available on 8th May. This EP is packed to the brim with raw energy and passion even if the songs are quite short, the longest being 3 minutes exactly. However the shorter songs allows Kovax to really focus on their raw, fast paced sound which doesn’t falter throughout the whole EP. Pete Freeth provides the anger fuelled main vocals, with the backing provided by the rest if the band. This layered style of vocals compliments the aggression in the instrumentals by Freeth leading with his raw, aggressive style. However, there are places within the EP where Freeth changes the tone of his vocals. This is most noticeable in ‘Breathe’ and ‘ ‘. This layers the vocals in an intriguing way and should be a technique that will be used in future releases. My personal favourites are ‘Atlas’ and ‘Waves ‘. ‘Atlas’ sees an energetic performance from the band but also experiments with their instrumentals throughout the track. This track also sounds as if it will become a firm fan favourite at shows. The other song that I’ve highlighted ‘Waves’ is one that experiments with vocals. At the two minute mark Freeth changes up his style in a way that can only be described a creepy. This shows the range and varied vocals that Freeth has to offer and this will be interesting to see develop in future
If There Was Ever Any Doubt releases. The instrumentals in ‘Waves’ are intriguing as well. Even though the band have labelled themselves as ‘Hard Rock’ they do experiment with their instrumentals and it will be interesting how much they experiment within the ‘Hard Rock’ genre itself. Overall, this EP is a promising debut release for the band that showcases their talent within the Hard Rock genre. The band are able to make a fast paced EP fuelled with aggressive tones throughout which will sound amazing live. Their EP drops on may 8th and I’d definitely give ‘If There Was Ever Any Doubt’ a listen if you are a fan of bands like Deftones or Placebo as Kovax may come to be one of your new favourite metal bands. This band is one to keep an eye out for and I’d give this EP a 7.5/10.
Kendrick Lamar Damn
“DAMN.” is the fourth album by Kendrick Lamar following 2015’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” by way of 2016’s weird, but excellent, “Untitled Unmastered”. Luckily Lamar has already summed up his album in one word so that I don’t really have to- damn. It is, like the rest of Lamar’s work, very special. However, in some ways this is where the similarities to his previous music end. After two sprawling LPs “DAMN.” is smaller and more introspective. It’s the shortest of Kendrick’s albums, with the most focussed sound and consistent beats, but is all the denser for it. Production duties have been shared between frequent Lamar collaborator Sounwave, Mike Will Made-It and The Alchemist, and between them they’ve created a sound full of deep, thudding beats which build and layer with vocal samples, electronic buzz and instrumental accompaniment. The result is dense, but certainly not impenetrable.
centred around human emotions and experiences and provide the key themes each track grapples with. On “FEEL.” for instance, Kendrick opens every line with a variation on “I feel like” which somehow never becomes gimmicky. Once he starts rapping, he just doesn’t let up or pause until the chorus, which alongside the repeated phrase creates a flow that rapidly peaks and troughs. Additionally, tracks like “HUMBLE.” and “DNA.” are seminal pieces of self-aggrandization, a type of rap that Kendrick excels at but until recently limited to his featured verses. Here, however, it’s a welcome addition and breath of fresh air.
That’s not to say “DAMN.” neglects the conventions that K.Dot has built himself upon. “XXX.” is a blistering roll-call of America’s most pressing issues (and even achieves the impossiblea welcome surprise appearance from U2!) and not even this album escapes the shadow of Trump, but Lamar’s reflections on the 2016 election’s results go to show just how contemporary this project It’s also much less literary, is. Storytelling prowess is which is welcome. Lamar also evident, particularly on is a master storyteller, final track “DUCKWORTH.” however “DAMN.” allows which tells the story of him to stretch his writing friend and long-time muscles in other ways that collaborator of Lamar’s, turn his gaze inward. Unlike Top Dawg. The rap arrives his socially conscious at a stunning conclusion previous albums, “DAMN.” that I don’t want to spoil, is more concerned with as its blunt twist ending, the human condition, complimented by Kendrick’s which can be seen in relentless delivery and the track’s titles. They’re subtle foreshadowing,
Kendrick Lamar Damn
works best going in blind. It shouldn’t need saying that if a song’s story needs a spoiler warning, then that story is damn good. Despite all of this however, “DAMN.” isn’t an unrelenting assault, and has moments of letting up and kicking back. “YAH.” plods along under Lamar’s slow, relaxed bars, whilst “LOVE.” is the best Weeknd song he never made, and manages to sound genuinely affectionate without being cloying. I’m hard pressed to find flaws, however I must admit part of the brilliance of Kendrick’s previous work is how he is unafraid of getting performative, which I missed in this album. In his last albums he’s acted drunk and belligerent, played a sex worker, and even simulated the entire experience of hearing one of his songs live, in its studio release! Unfortunately, “DAMN.” only really features regular Kendrick, chilled out Kendrick, or energised Kendrick. It’s a shame, seeing as his performative nature really sets him apart in mainstream hip-hop. Ultimately, however, this is a minor complaint, seeing as DAMN’s less sprawling nature may not need extravagant performances. Overall, however, in “DAMN.” Lamar’s crafted a dense, dark backdrop to showcase his ability as a rapper and reflect on his human experience. It’s incredible that he’s managed to release another album so soon after “To Pimp a Butterfly”, arguably one of the greatest hip-hop albums we’ll see this decade, let alone make it as great as it is. Kendrick Lamar is the best rapper alive, the best storyteller in music and one of the most gifted artists working today. There’s something very exciting knowing there’s more excellent music to come, and that it’ll likely be here sooner than we think.
Gear Review
Fender Acoustic DG-4 Being a song-writer, it’s natural that I require a good quality acoustic guitar to write songs. However, since naturally I’m a poor student – I cannot. Despite this issue, luck did smile to me a few years back and granted me the option of buying a good quality acoustic guitar for cheap (a word which every student loves). I took that opportunity, and for £35 purchased the guitar that I still own and ended up writing over 100 songs (mainly terrible, but still songs). The guitar is a dream. Despite the G-string tuning peg being a bit of a hassle to work time to time, it plays absolutely great. Its highly durable, withstanding even the worst of conditions (falling, smashing, being played by a drummer) whilst remaining true to its sound and glory. Despite the guitar has seen better days, and the 13th fret on the High E-string is nothing but a metal buzz, the instrument still has its soul. Wonderful instrument to record with for demos and a fantastic beginner guitar. Despite the DG-4 being a cheaper alternative to other Fender classics such as the PM series, it truly resonates the Fender standard and plays like a wonderful dream.
Top 5 of the month Royal Blood – Lights Out One of the UK’s biggest twopiece rock bands are finally back! And rocking it louder than ever. Their recent release is filled with their signature style, yet also sounds fresh and full of new ideas that I hope they bring in more in their new album in June! They’re definitely a band to keep a close eye on!
Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 It’s hard to follow up a film as good as the first Guardians but Marvel always knew they had to, so with a long time in the planning they finally went and did it! With another amazing playlist from start to finish, new characters as well as the old coming back and tearing the place up! This film is set out already to be a success.
Yooka-Laylee A brand new game from the makers of Banjo Kazooie. A few years ago the company that made these games set up a kickstarter to make a new game based around this old franchise, it would feel and play a lot like the old games that we used to love and cherish. By all means this was a success, making the money needed in no time at all and then some! The game has just
been released and with mixed reviews its hard to rate it without playing it! But it runs like the good old games of the PS1 days. Doctor Who With many mixed reviews of the current Doctor Who, be it the writers, the actors or the characters, it’s all down to opinion. In my opinion Capaldi is doing a brilliant job as The Doctor and Bill, the new companion, is a
breath of fresh air to the series, with a character that thinks and acts in a way no other companion has ever before. With what looks like a big focus on mainly old monsters like the original Cybermen, Ice Warriors and even John Simms’ take on the Master it looks set up to be a brilliant series! Gorillaz – Humanz Gorillaz have been one of my favourite bands since
their first album! They never keep the same style for each album and they all sound like completely seperate projects, but the cartoon band always sews the pieces together over time. One of my favourite parts about the way the writers think is they try and keep ahead of the current sound, while also try to make political ideals pop out in their lyrics!
Guardians of the galaxy vol.2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 can only be described as a manic rainbow rollercoaster, equal in style to a 4 year olds most feral dream. Guardians 2 constantly teeters on the edge of over-whelming and amazing, but (without a doubt) offers an astonishing ride which everybody will find some enjoyment in. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 is the sequel to the critically praised ( and publicly adored) Guardians
of the Galaxy, and though this movie never quite reaches the cosmic heights of its predecessor-it nevertheless manages to ooze creative brilliance and a much needed freshness to the Marvel universe. Director James Gunn is clearly aware that Marvel’s formulaic movies have strained some movie-goers and, as a result, creates a unique experience. Starting with a flashy space battle (against a tentacled
Rainbow spewing alien), The tone of Marvels 15th movie is rapidly set: Fun, Quirky and very 70s. The Original team returns, though this time the large tree-like creature Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) has been dwarfed to a cute sapling; surely a marketing dream! However, the plot doesn’t rise to intriguing heights, until Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) meets his real father Ego (Kurt Russel) and his remarkable origins are explained.
Unlike the first, this film settles with a simple plot largely staying at the same two locations - which does allow for characters to be somewhat explored, yet additionally allows your mind to conjure what other whimsical planets or extraordinary creatures lie on the horizon. The story also involves the crew being separated; Gamora (Zoe Saldana) joins Peter Quill and Drax (Dave Bautista), to visit a vibrant idyll planet (Where
the story primarily develops) - Leaving Groot, Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) to begin their own adventure. Consequently, the latter group suffers from smaller character development and raises the question; Why would you split this incredible team up? Despite this both Rocket and Groot still steal the show with their devious antics paired with their shrewd jokes. Sadly, the character of Nebula falls
flat due to lack of screen time and a near miss with ‘Over-acting’. The division of the group paired with the lack of exploration, results in the final stakes feeling much lower than expected (even when we are told that they’re actually quite high). My main personal problem with this film is that it sometimes feels like Gunn and co. wanted to use every joke they could possibly come up with, meaning that some emotional scenes were
Guardians of the galaxy vol.2 ruined - and other scenes increased the enjoyment spiralled into a disappointing of each scene - and I found it interesting how the damp squib unimaginable alien settings However the beauty in were cleverly juxtaposed Guardians 2 is breathtaking with familiar classics - The colours of the unique from the 70s. Guardians 2 effortlessly shrugs off alien terrain perfectly matched the alluring its audience’s concerns by architecture, and even executing a near flawless the darker terrains were final act, synthesising epic space battles, heart, and an contrasted with striking hues. Even though the Omnipotent being. Though the cheesy dialogue often soundtrack didn’t surpass felt out of place here, Gunn that of the first movie, every track admirably connected this act with
a haunting philosophical ideology, personifying a true evil which I feel has been absent from Marvel films. Focussing on the relationships in the team, this film expertly captures the expectations and trust which comes with a growing friendship. Although this movie has various storylines including numerous attacks orchestrated by the egotistical group ‘The Soverign’ (lead by
Elizabeth Debicki’s ‘Ayesha’), and the exile of Yondu (Michael Rooker) from his group of thieves - Gunn expertly centers the plot around the theme of evolving relationships. Steadily, the film reveals new relationships whilst expanding on ones seen in the first film, divulging hidden reasons for certain character’s outlooks. This theme is reinforced early in the film when Peter Quill meets Ego. I found these
scenes the most compelling because, as movie-goers, we cannot relate to some of the extravagant feats the titular characters fluently perform - however we can feel empathy for the struggles these characters face on an emotional level. In addition to this, ‘Family’ is highlighted throughout the film in diverse ways; another subject which everyone watching can feel connected to.
In Short; I applaud Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 for adding something new to the sometimes repetitive Marvel Universe, and for creating some truly spectacular scenes. However the usual cheesy dialogue and failing jokes limits this movie to a respectable 7/10. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in Marvel, and anybody who wants an exciting time at the cinema.
Frank Ocean lens
Apparently in a hurry to make up for his four-year absence, “Lens” is the third single by Frank Ocean this year following “Chanel” and “Biking”. Thankfully, it’s much closer to the quality of “Chanel”, if not the same sound. “Lens” is a song about perception and persona, an interesting choice for Frank, for whom elusiveness is a defining trait. However, if you’re going to make a song about how you’re perceived you might as well borrow from the biggest personality in music. The opening of “Lens” smacks of “808s and Heartbreak”-era Kanye West in both structure and tone. A simple electronic piano melody flows under Frank’s heavily autotuned voice, creating a relaxed atmosphere. It also pushes the first minute in very un-Frank territory. Ocean is no stranger to distorting his voice, but most commonly through pitch shifting. The autotune is therefore a tad jarring, but perhaps that’s the point. Like autotune, Lens’ distort, and that distortion is sometimes more noticeable than what’s truly there. The effects fade out as the track continues and the sound gets busier. Electric piano gives way to spacey bass which fills the silence, becoming deeper as clicks and snares rush in, resulting in a sound just as chilled but much more typically hip-hop. The song’s meaning also develops. The listener realises the “Lens” of the track belong to the people Frank’s closest to- “Lionel got a lens, Janet got a lens, Mathew got a lens on me right now”. But the song also suggests that amongst these different perceptions, different lenses, the real Frank is lost. He’s unknowable so does he want, or deserve, to “feel their smiles” on him? This isolation, alongside Frank’s own public elusiveness fuels the melancholic, reflective tone of Lens. It’s a little gem only Frank Ocean could’ve made.
Flora Greysteel
Quick Fire: Favourite album? Simon: at the moment, Khruangbin’s - The Universe Smiles Upon You (but possibly Joanna Newsome’s - Ys as an overall) Emily: that’s so hard! Maybe Moulette’s Constellations. To misquote Neil Gaiman: choosing your favourite album is like choosing the body part you’d most like not to lose. Best gig you’ve played? Simon: Probably our DIY gig with Stillhouse at the Citadel in York, just because we were able to completely arrange and design the space to our tastes, and there were a lot of friends there, so it felt like a home space. Emily: I second that. Supporting The Tuts at the Fulford Arms last year was pretty great too.
Can you give our readers a brief history of your band? We officially formed at ADAM (Acomb Dance And Music) festival in July 2015, where we launched our long-agonisedover name Flora Greysteel, but we’ve been friends for years, went to uni together and played together in the band What the Cat Dragged In before this project. You’ve just been on a five date UK tour. Can you share with us some tour memories that you gained while on this tour? One of our favourites was the gig at the Corner House in Cambridge, it was just everything we think a gig for Flora needs: a good sound tech, lovely stage set up, a ‘well loved’ drum kit, and an audience that was open and attentive. Thanks to Helen Robertson for putting us on and with such great supports as well (herself and Jo Ash) just helped make it a beautiful evening to play. Which artists were some of your highlights on the tour and why? Jo Ash and Helen Robertson as we’ve mentioned were wonderful to hear and fitted the whole night beautifully. We also really enjoyed catching Hull band Room 22 in Sheffield, so full of punky raw energy but beautifully tight musicians. Springfall were also a really well put together ensemble (can’t believe it was only their second gig!!) Is this the first UK tour you’ve done? Are there plans to do any more in the near future? This was just a little tour to cut our teeth on and work out how to approach this touring malarkey. We’re figuring out how to get the gigs without a big name or marketing team to get us in the door, so it was a good learning experience for us. We’re talking about doing a similar number of dates later in the year, maybe November, to try out some more tricks,
before putting together a bigger tour next year. What are your favourites and what was your inspiration for using them in your music? We’re both musical magpies, which applies both to genre and instruments. At the last count we have piano, ukulele, kalimba (thumb piano), glockenspiel, drum kit, triangle, vibraslap, melodica, toy piano, singing bowl...we’ve both got a bunch more instruments in the closet that haven’t made it into the set yet. Simon’s an amazing guitarist and plays saxophone too; Emily’s got a celtic harp, an accordion and a (very) cheap hurdy gurdy, all of which we can see making appearances in future songs – we need to learn how to play them first though! Who do you believe you most take influence from and why? Our tastes in music don’t cross over massively, which we think helps build some of the complexity of the sound. Simon’s listening pretty exclusively to Joanna Newsome and Khruangbin at the moment, but its Emily’s music tastes that most flavour the Flora Greysteel sound, so musicians like Patrick Wolf, She Makes War, Moulettes. Where we really cross over is Amanda Palmer and the Dresden Dolls, which is pretty evident in our piano & drum stuff, as well as our theatricality. It is also stated on your website that you ‘render genre meaningless’. What genres do you mix up together in your music? We both have very eclectic tastes, and studying Music Composition only pushed that further, so it really is difficult for us to define all the trace influences that swirl around in our musical pot. Most people we’ve spoken to agree that we’re difficult to genre-ise, which means promoters don’t always know what to do with us. It also means we get to share the bill with wildly differing acts, all of which we have some
Flora Greysteel
Artist in review Anna Coogan Anna Coogan’s spaced out, operatic, upcoming album “The Lonely Cry Of Space Of Time” is unlike nothing I’ve ever heard before. Granted, rock/opera as a genre is pretty alien to me to but as far as I can tell Coogan is a genre unto herself with her musical career sending her bouncing from pillar to post and it all culminating in her upcoming EP. A collaboration between
her and longtime musical partner, Willie B, “The Lonely Cry Of Space Of time’ is guaranteed to be ethereal, transcendent, and Anna Coogan’s best work. Matt Dunbar Matt Dunbar features on this month’s artist in review as his take on the folk-pop genre is genuinely entertaining and new. His knack for story-telling through his lyrics, in songs
like Bridget Jones’ Diary and Just a Dream is clearly the drive behind his music and song writing, and big part of the attraction of his songs. Dunbar knows how to create easy listening, enjoyable folk music. However that is not to say there isn’t a message in his songs. Miner’s Day focusses on the trials of the miners in the 1980’s as the song opens with a speech from Margaret Thatcher. The song documents the tale of
a weary miner who is hoping for a ‘better life, better pay’, the emotive narrative and stirring vocals lends for a social commentary on Dunbar’s home county of Northumberland. The juxtaposition of intentions, messages and themes throughout Dunbar’s new EP, Home, creates a wellrounded collection of songs that is definitely worth listening to for fans of classic and contemporary folk music.
Will Hawkins ‘Desolation City’, ‘Ivy River’ and ‘No Control’ are just some of the releases by Will Hawkins that feature his unique and pleasing sound. He has been known to pull inspiration from many subcultures such as spiritualistic and surrealist and tie them together to create a sound all his own. By taking sounds and inspiration from these eclectic and rarely used
sources Will Hawkins has seemingly created a genre of music original and specific to himself. With a familiarity to the music of ‘Mumford & Sons’ the soft strumming guitar introducing low and rhythmic vocals feature on many of Will Hawkins songs. An artist full of talent, with a unique sound and the passion to match I fully recommend everyone to add him to their Spotify playlists.
Flora Greysteel
Quick Fire: When are you next going to be playing around the York area? We’re playing at the Copmanthorpe Street fair on May 1st (bank holiday Monday) at about 2:30pm. Biggest musical influence? Emily: Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) Simon: Steven Jeffels (MononokÊ, Acacia) Next release date? Spring 2018
common ground with, which keeps gigging exciting. On the recent tour we were mixed in with with rock, punk, jazz and singersongwriters, and finished up supporting BBC Folk Award winners Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker – somehow it all works! For ourselves, we settled on the term ‘Theatrical Alternative Pop’ after much deliberation as it seems to sit right with the sound we make. That said, we prefer to let people hear us and make up their own minds. Do you think that Genre is becoming less meaningful in modern music with a lot of the fusions of genre that are happening in the music industry at the moment? We don’t think genre will ever be entirely meaningless as it’s important to be able to talk about music, and signposting differing sounds and styles is really helpful. At the end of the day you want to help the people who will be interested in your music to find you. That said, genres only work as terms if they fit under communally accepted definitions, and there’s only so many hyphenated cross-genres you can make before the shared meaning is lost. Your last release was your self-titled EP which came out April 2016. Have you been working on anything that you could tell us about? Are there plans for releasing an album in the near future at all? We’re currently working on material for an album. The plan is to write songs and record them later this year, then put something out around springtime next year. Nothing’s fixed yet though. We want to take the time to do it right. Are there any places that you would love to play nationally or internationally and why? Our friends keep telling us Europe is great (although they fail to specify where exactly, so that must mean it’s all great, right?), so maybe on the continent.
Simon’s always had dreams of playing Jools Holland, but the atmosphere - lovely audience that feels like home with good sound - is more important to us than any ‘where’ really. We also love playing unusual venues, like churches, Victorian basements, old theatres, anywhere that has its own character…as long as the sound’s good too! It seems that you have experimented with nearly every genre there is, but is there a genre that you have not experimented with that you would like to and why? We both did post-grad degrees in Composition, during which we had the opportunity to write music for larger ensembles (woodwind, strings, etc), so we’d like to experiment with applying that to Flora’s songs, especially now we’re looking at arrangements for an album something that we couldn’t necessarily pull off live. We’ve discussed including something choral, but it would have to suit the Flora Greysteel vibe. Simon has a current obsession with brass ensembles (perhaps it’s the northern influence finally taking root), so some of that might find its way onto the album too. Finally, are there any more future announcements that you can share with our readers at all? We’ve just had T-shirts made that we’re rather proud of, co-designed with local artist Sarah Jewell who did our EP artwork last year. We’re so happy with them, we’re considering getting tote bags too! Other than that keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for upcoming gigs and album news.
Flora Greysteel
The Regime ‘She sees me/Let it out’ The Regime are a new four piece indie rock band from York. They’ve recently released their debut singles ‘She sees me’ and ‘Let it out’. ‘She sees me’ is grabs you from the opening note. The first guitar immediately gets your attention with its sharp punk style, making you need to hear the rest of the song and feel the music flow through you. The guitar and drums all compliment each other perfectly to create a signature sound that sets ‘The Regimes’ apart. The beat of the drums brings it all together as well, really creating that punk rock sound. The lead singer’s voice has a really unique sound to it. Alongside the beats and instrumentals, the vocals really create a distinct sound for The Regimes. ‘Let it out’ has more of a softer sound compared to ‘She sees me’. The melody isn’t as sharp and it’s a much gentler listen. It kicks off with a slow and steady guitar melody until around 5 seconds when it starts to speed up. The drums are introduced alongside with the vocals after. The leading vocals once again are complimented in a softer punk style which is flows really well. This makes it easy for us to listen to the lyrics and to what is being sung to us as the audience. It’s clear there’s been a lot of thought put into their lyrics and that they’re meant to strike a personal note with the listeners. I would definitely recommend giving The Regime a listen to. If you’re interested in the punk, rock, indie vibe – they’re a band to watch out for.
Upcoming tours Michael Kiwanuka 20/10/2017 - Barbican Michael Kiwanuka might be a newcomer to the ‘big boys’ league, but he’s already proven he can hold his own. Currently he’s touring in support of his critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize winner album ‘Love & Hate’, however he just added more dates in the fall of October. He’s performing at the York Barbican, and any true fan of Kiwanuka’s would be sure not to miss it.
Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra 3/11/2017 - Barbican The musical virtuoso announced his return to York, yet again! The prince of the piano welcomes José Feliciano, as the two go on tour performing classics from their individual careers, their current release and many more. This night is not to be missed! Jools Holland and his
amazing Rhythm and Blues Orchestra are coming to York, I repeat, this night is not to be missed by anyone who loves the blues.
The Franklys (With support from Young Bulls and Cry Baby) 9/6/2017 - Fibbers The girls got rhythm… and amazing skill. Your favourite all-girl-band are hitting the stage on Fibbers. With extensive touring across the UK, Europe and America, these girls are not a meddle to mess with. Their music has already attracted a large variety of people and it’s only a matter of time before the girls release something that will shake the foundations of Rock N Roll.
Jesus jones 17/6/2017 - FIbbers Jesus Jones are “Right Here, Right now” well, not until the 17th June, but the famous 1990’s Indie-Dance band Jesus Jones are coming to York. Performing their classic material and their
ELO Experience 13/07/2017 - Barbican latest releases, Jesus Jones are sure not to disappoint. For the fans of dance music, this surely is a treat.
The 1970’s wouldn’t be the same without the genius musical mind of Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra. The band conquered the charts and proved that pop, rock and classical, can be combined into something amazing. “Living Thing”, “Showdown”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Evil Woman” and of course “Mr. Blue Sky”, these legendary hits are all part of our lives. With ELO experience, you can revisit this amazing period. This awardwinning tribute show band will without a doubt rekindle your love for the days of the 70’s!
Texas 21/9/2017 - Barbican Promoting the release of their album ‘Jump On Board’, this is Texas latest studio album since their 2013 release ‘The Conversation’. With the success of their first single “Let’s Work It Out”, Texas have been dominating the Radio waves and are even performing on the Chris Evans Radio show. The demand is high, and Texas is sure not to disappoint.
Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles 27/5/2017 - FIbbers From the success of the Catfish and the Bottlemen, Billy Bibby is out to achieve that success yet again. The help of his initiated powerhouse band the Wry Smiles, he’s already had extensive success with radio and internet streaming and his latest debut EP ‘Bide Your Time’, has been getting quite the notice. It’s only a matter of time before Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles reach the top.
Top 5 upcoming bands The Amazons Long hair and leather jackets, the strong rock and roll vocals of this Reading based band resemble the sounds of Royal Blood. They’re easy listening for fans of indie music, with the loud sounds of drums and remarkable guitar riffs. Their song “In my mind,” will be popular this year, with the catchy chorus and energetic beat, perfect to jump around to. They’re playing at Leeds and Reading festival (among other smaller venues) bound to gain attention from gig goers everywhere, due to their inclusion in BBC’S Sound of 2017 list.
The Tuts A three piece feminist girl band from Hayes, are one to look out for this festival season. Their first single “Let Go of the Past,” exhibits vocals resembling a mix of Kate Nash and the sound of 70s punk band, X Ray Spex. Their feel good songs are catchy with summer vibes, making them a perfect band to listen to in the sunshine with a few cold beers. They’ll be performing at When in Manchester and indietracks (intimate festivals for upcoming bands). Their rising popularity in music can only be a good thing, as they’re independent and ooze girl power.
Cabbage Manchester based rock n roll, post punk band, exposing phenomenal, heavy sounds of guitars and political anarchy. Cabbage are an up and coming, modern, Sex Pistols.
Their lyrics, “Death to Donald Trump,” in the song Free Steven Avery, shows their alternative approach to music, with a combination of comedic political brilliance and musical wit. They’re playing at a few festivals this year and are sure to draw a lot of attention from crowds with their attitude and unique sound.
King No one Indie vibes and patterned shirts, this stylish, York based band are going to be hitting a few festivals this year. The unique vocals and energetic beat of rock and roll, will attract many, as they’re currently drawing attention on a Spring tour. Their recent song, “Alcatraz,” is catchy and sensational, sure to be a favourite for radios this year. They create happy sounding music, with emotive lyrics and a versatility of vocal chords, definitely one to look out for this year.
Black Honey The mesmerising sounds of the Brighton four piece, Black Honey are in the vocal styles of No Doubt with added guitar riffs. The retro, grunge feel to the music combined with the unique female vocals, make it impossible for the band not to become popular this year. Their poetic lyrics, compliment the psychedelic bliss playing from their instruments, which will sound even better live on stage. They’re playing numerous festivals this year and are well worth a watch.
Film Review Prevenge Prevenge is Alice Lowe’s take on horror-comedy, one of my favourite fusion genres. The film is a starkly realistic take on pregnancy, with a dash of murder thrown in for good measure. Lowe takes inspiration from Rosemary’s Baby, as do most pregnancy horrors, but she manages to make the piece refreshing and unique. Not to mention, Lowe directed and starred in the piece, which took under two weeks to film, whilst eight
months pregnant herself. Alice Lowe’s comedic writing mixes the banal everyday with the honest, pessimistic truth. In a highlight of the consistently snappy dialogue Ruth’s midwife tells her to ‘let go of the past, it’s nature’s way’, to which Ruth replies ‘yeah but… I think nature’s a bit of a cunt though, don’t you?’. We meet Ruth, an everyday, normal human woman who happens to be pregnant,
whilst she shops in an exotic pet store. She is terrified by her creepy, crawly surroundings. We wonder why on earth she has put herself in this position, repeatedly jumping back from the glass containers of snakes and spiders, she explains rather suspiciously that she has an eight-yearold boy waiting at home. As the shop owner guides her to the back of the store, having made a fair few flirtatious ‘touch my snake’
gags, Ruth leans over, and gracefully slits his throat. Confirming that no, there is no sibling. And yes, she did just kiss him on the forehead after brutally murdering him and leaving him to bleed out.
disgusting as you’d expect. He objectifies her pregnant body, offers shots to young girls, shouts at his dementiasuffering mother and is generally representative of that middle-aged man you’d find in Popworld with a bottle of miscellaneous spiked alcohol. Luckily, Ruth One of the curious elements of this film is the takes her revenge pretty compassion that Ruth shows brutally on DJ Dan, whose mother wanders in on the for her victims – in one act and informs her that particularly uncomfortable the bloody rug in the centre stalk, she tracks down ‘DJ Dan’, who is every bit as of the room will have to be
washed with bleach from now on. Ruth stands up, walks over to the mother and helps her into bed, putting the laundry into the washing machine for the elderly lady and leaving her sons corpse strewn across the living room. In every case, Ruth offers advice for dealing with pain to her victims, rather than the straight white man psychopath we usually see leading these sorts of films, this woman does feel guilt.
Film Review Prevenge In fact, it is when faced with the murder of a man whose own wife is pregnant her murderous abilities begin to falter – she must choose between leaving a woman in the same position as her own, or missing out on revenge. Most pregnancy horrors, or comedy horrors in general, rely heavily on gore, utilising body horror as a form of incongruity theory based laughs, take
Cabin Fever (2002), or The Loved Ones (2009) as examples. Prevenge, despite one moment of leg-crossing male-wincing DJ Dan bloodiness, revels predominantly in the psychological – how far can Ruth be driven by the voice of a child that grows inside her, desperate for revenge and out for blood? The performances by Lowe and Jo Hartley (The Midwife) are particularly impressive, whilst The Midwife at
first seems like a twodimensional springboard for Ruth’s wit, she quickly becomes more involved in the plot – informing Ruth’s decisions and becoming the only individual in which she can confide. The film has a regular structure - we discover someone Ruth has tracked down with malicious intentions, and wait for chaos to play out. Tension is created by the imminent
birth and inescapability of her from motherhood, and is driven further by her painful, early caesarean delivery. The ending of Prevenge is ambiguous, and perhaps the film could’ve done with starting a bit earlier in the series of events rather than diving straight in with the murder spree to enable time for a more conclusive ending. Despite this, the films aesthetic perfection and slow reveal twist
make it a great piece of psychological horror. Ruth can say everything that Rosemary Woodhouse never could, and acts on her and her unborn child’s terms. Prevenge shows that a small budget and a short shoot can produce horror greater than some of the biggest budgets in the genre.
Flying Vinyl With Flying Vinyl hosting their music festival, I’m surprised they even had time to fit in this month’s box! The first themed box that we’ve see which is not only a great idea but it is so brilliantly executed. This month’s box takes us on a journey through the catalogue of Transgressive as they take over this month’s selection and feature some of their best artists that surely should be huge already!
Marika Hackman This single features Boyfriend and AM, which opens as it means to go on, with a casual laugh from the studio. This track is beautifully crafted to give any indie rockers the excitement they need! The track features Marika with The Big moon as her backing band and they sound as though they’ve been in a band together for years. With funky rhythms and pulsing drums, this is a sound not to be missed! My favourite track is Boyfriend, just for the fun introduction to this artist, who will be followed along by this writer!
Hippo Campus A band with such an obscure name should already have you intrigued. They make me think of an American Two Door Cinema club, with their catchy hooks that should be belted out on a summers day! This single features Boyish and Way it goes. Boyish opens with a more upbeat Two door esque style and then Way it goes moves more towards The Last Shadow Puppets, with Alex Turner styled vocals. This is such a well crafted sound which make sit clear just how long the artist worked on it. I know I will be buying tickets if they play anywhere near York!
Gengahr This isn’t just a single, it’s a full EP on a 7’! This is a great addition to the box for this month. Gengahr are a 4 piece from London that ooze Alt-J and The Wombats, two great bands and two great influences. My personal favourite on this ram packed 7’ is Embers, Track 3. It features some of the most interesting sounds on the EP, from string samples to the funkiest bass line I’ve heard in a while. All of these songs are great, I’ll be back soon as I’m going to stalk their social media accounts…
Let’s Eat Grandma Easily the weirdest name of a band in this month’s box! Let’s Eat Grandma are almost haunting but beautifully so. Xylophones and synths open Welcome to the Treehouse, a track that is so beautifully produced that I have to listen to this 7’ twice to take it all in. The second track is a remix by the multitalented Wolf Alice which is such a contrast to track 1 as Eat Shiitake Mushrooms would suggest this isn’t a normally sounding sound or record. I can’t wait to see where this band goes next and how their music will evolve as they get bigger and bigger!
Blaenavon This 7’ opens with a rockier approach to song writing, being a huge contrast to most of the other singles in the box. This is a punchy two songs, featuring Orthodox Man and No One else in Mind. Both tracks are full of angst, with No One Else in Mind featuring Soko, this track is more melancholic than the first but is so beautifully so that it finishes off the box perfectly. As a track is it’s similar to McCartney’s Blackbird, a mix of guitar and vocals, stripped back and raw. Blaenavon capture the sound of the emerging British summer, angst driven sun rays, a catchy blend of indie rock.
gig guide Tuesday Tuesday 2nd 2nd May May Crime Crime & & Hip Hip Hop Hop Charity Charity Show, Show, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Ward Ward Thomas, Thomas, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Wednesday Wednesday 3rd 3rd May May Daniel Daniel O’Donnel, O’Donnel, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Thursday Thursday 4th 4th May May Please Please Please Please You You Presents Presents Roxanne Roxanne De De Bastion, Bastion, Basement, Basement, York, York, 8pm 8pm Friday Friday 5th 5th May May Glass Glass Caves, Caves, Corella, Corella, Borderline, Borderline, Cry Cry Baby, Baby, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7pm 7pm Jon Jon Hart Hart & & Daryl Daryl Kellie Kellie –– Set Set Adrift, Adrift, Basement, Basement, York, York, 8pm 8pm Al Al Stewart, Stewart, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 8pm 8pm Saturday Saturday 6th 6th May May Open Open Mic Mic Night, Night, Basement, Basement, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Monday Monday 8th 8th May May The The Harringtons, Harringtons, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Friday Friday 12th 12th May May U2-2 U2-2 (performing (performing The The Joshua Joshua Tree), Tree), Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm WYTCH WYTCH PYCKNYCK, PYCKNYCK, The The Albion, Albion, Hastings Hastings Tom Tom Chaplin, Chaplin, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 7pm 7pm Saturday Saturday 13th 13th May May MC MC Devvo, Devvo, DJ DJ Oscar Oscar Kane, Kane, MC MC Fitch, Fitch, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Sunday Sunday 14th 14th May May An An Evening Evening With With Luke Luke Haines, Haines, Marbled, Marbled, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Tuesday Tuesday 16th 16th May May Imelda Imelda May, May, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Wednesday Wednesday 17th 17th May May Chameleons Chameleons Vox Vox Magical Magical History History Tour Tour 2017 2017 –– Chapter Chapter 2, 2, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7pm 7pm PPY PPY and and Manifesto Manifesto Events Events Present Present Eli Eli
West West w/ w/ Elliot Elliot Morris, Morris, Basement, Basement, York, York, 8pm 8pm Thursday Thursday 18th 18th May May Foy Foy Vance: Vance: The The Wild Wild Swan Swan World World Tour, Tour, w/ w/ special special guest guest Ryan Ryan McMullan, McMullan, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Al Al Goodwin Goodwin ++ Andy Andy Hird, Hird, Basement, Basement, York, York, 8pm 8pm Shakin’ Shakin’ Stevens, Stevens, Barbian, Barbian, York, York, 8pm 8pm Friday Friday 19th 19th May May Mr Mr H H Presents Presents Lisbee Lisbee Stainton, Stainton, Basement, Basement, York, York, 8pm 8pm Count Count Arthur Arthur Strong, Strong, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 8pm 8pm Saturday Saturday 20th 20th May May Slydigs, Slydigs, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm York York CD CD and and Record Record Fair, Fair, Basement, Basement, York, York, 10.30am 10.30am to to 4.30pm 4.30pm Sunday Sunday 21st 21st May May King, King, King, King, Bad Bad Touch, Touch, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm Tuesday Tuesday 23rd 23rd May May Rhythm Rhythm N’ N’ Ouse, Ouse, Basement, Basement, York, York, 8pm 8pm Wednesday Wednesday 24th 24th May May SC SC Productions Productions Present Present Bear Bear City, City, Basement, Basement, York, York, 7pm 7pm Saturday Saturday 27th 27th May May Echobelly, Echobelly, Fibbers, Fibbers, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm The The Cranberries, Cranberries, Barbican, Barbican, York, York, 7.30pm 7.30pm