Dork, November 2021 / December 2022 by Dork

DOWN WITH BORING.

ISSUE 61 · DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 · READDORK.COM

THE BUZZIEST NEW ACTS ON THE PL ANET F E ATU R I N G

E W T LEG AND THE

HYPE LIST 2022 PLUS

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The Dream Tour 2022 Plus Special Guests Sat 07 May GLASGOW Barrowland Ballroom Mon 09 May LEEDS O2 Academy Fri 13 May MANCHESTER O2 Apollo Wed 18 May LONDON O2 Academy Brixton EXTRA DATE ADDED Thu 19 May LONDON O2 Academy Brixton Sun 22 May DUBLIN Olympia Theatre EXTRA DATE ADDED Mon 23 May DUBLIN Olympia Theatre Wed 25 May BELFAST The Telegraph Building Fri 27 May BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy

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Index. Issue 61 | December 2021 / January 2022 | readdork.com | Down With Boring

WHAT'S ON THE DORK STEREO? TAYLOR SWIFT

All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)

How many times before it becomes unhealthy to loop a ten minute version of a years old single full of searing hot serves for a not exactly well hidden celeb ex. Also, Jake, mate. You ok, hun? STEPHEN ACKROYD, EDITOR

LOVELEO Boyfren

I’m sure no one’s found my muttering “you should break up with your boyfriend” multiple times a day at all unnerving. VICTORIA SINDEN, DEPUTY EDITOR

BLINK-182 Dammit

This is truly the year of the pop-punk revival: Olivia Rodrigo, Willow and KennyHoopla, amongst others, are all at it with a fresh modern twist. But, sometimes it’s good to go back to the classics, and they don’t get more classic than Blink’s iconic ‘Dammit’. Also, shouts to Mark Hoppus, who recently confirmed he’s now cancer-free and has even been back performing with Travis Barker.

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QUITE CLEARLY THE BEST NEW BAND ON THE PLANET. That’s

what we called Wet Leg the first time we laid ears on them. The very first thing we wrote, based off one song. We’ll never change. But also, we were right, no? ‘Chaise Longue’ was quite probably the stop-dead-and-listen moment of 2021 - a track that instantly introduced a band with sharp minds, sharper tongues and bags of attitude. From that moment on, we knew they’d be the ones we wanted to lead off 2022’s Hype List - our annual run down of our favourite new acts who we expect to make an impact in the year ahead. And would you know it, dreams do come true. What a magical time of year. It’s not just the new names we’re excited about too - in this issue you’ll find the past, present and future of music. There’s our best of the year run-down, featuring not only our albums, tracks and ‘other stuff ’ of the past twelve months, but also the results of your Readers’ Poll. We deal with the here and now by celebrating the long awaited arrival of No Rome’s debut album (spoiler, it’s very good), and look forward with 30 of the albums you’ll need to hear next year, including new chats with Foals, Alfie Templeman and loads more. So that’s that. Another year of Dork done. Thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy, and we’ll see you back here in January 2022. Have a Merry Christmas, Dear Reader. Cheers!

MARTYN YOUNG, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

SHAME

Feliz Navidad

People say there are no good Christmas songs any more. Those people haven’t heard Shame’s cover of Feliz Navidad. They wanna wish you a merry Christmas, and who are we to stop them?

Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Scribblers Abigail Firth, Alex Cabre, Ciaran Steward, Dan Harrison, Finlay Holden, Jake Hawkes, Jamie MacMillan, Liam Konemann, Neive McCarthy, Sam Taylor Snappers Aya Cabauatan, Brent McKeever, Bryce Glenn, Frances Beach, Jamie MacMillan, Jono White, Kristen Jan Wong, Patrick Gunning, Sarah Louise Bennett, Tulula Sofitsi Docherty

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All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.

‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd

JAKE HAWKES, DOWN WITH BORING HOST

GET EARLY ACCESS, OUR DIGITAL LIBRARY, EVERY ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE *AND* HELP SUPPORT OUR QUEST FOR MAXIMUM POP NONSENSE!

This Month. #61. DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022.

Intro. 06 NO ROME

If it feels like you’ve been waiting a long time for No Rome’s debut album, erm, that’s because you have. But rejoice! It’s finally here! And it’s brilliant!

Wolf Alice and Beabadoobee - it’s safe to say that alt-popster Wallice is on the right track to hit the very top.

40 HOPE TALA West Londoner Hope Tala has been on our radar for a while now, but as 2022 comes around it looks like her big moment is just on the horizon.

09 CAVETOWN

With a tour planned to start Really Very Soon at the time of writing, a fun new duet with Chloe Moriondo, and the potential for new music to come, we obviously asked all the big questions.

11 11 12

L DEVINE

We know what it’s like at Xmas - time off to decompress, but what to watch? Everyone loves a festive film, though - so with her A Very Dork Christmas tour coming up, we asked L Devine to pick three of her faves.

HALFNOISE

41 COURTING

With live music back in full-flow and a new year round the corner, the future looks bright for Liverpool’s new favourite sons.

42 CMAT

If you already know about CMAT, you’ll know she’s potentially the greatest pop star on the planet - mostly because she makes everyone else seem absolutely fucking boring.

44 WILLOW KAYNE

Only a few tracks in to a promising future, and Willow Kayne already has a bloody Ivor Novello gong in the bank. Not bad going for a popster who has the personality to hit the top.

Zac Farro has delivered another mesmerising album to add to the Halfnoise collection.

BANGERS

Catch up with the best new tracks from the last month.

46 GRACEY

Gracey is a pop star - but then, you imagine Gracey has always been a pop star, even before she was dropping solid gold bangers. She’s just got ‘it’. Taking real life emotions and turning them into certified bops, 2022 might well be her year.

MARTYN YOUNG’S TOP 10

This month, we’re doing Xmas songs - and having a big debate about Robbie.

Dork’s Best of 2021.

48 LIME GARDEN

Brighton’s Lime Garden have that certain something that leaves you certain that their future will be as bright as the citrus from which they take their name. Their smart, brilliant indie clatter promises much, and delivers everything.

14 ALBUMS OF 2021

From unexpected superstars to returning heroes, here’s the year in its standout records.

16 18

CLAUD

Catch up with our favourite alt-popster and their 2021 standout album ‘Super Monster’.

49 THE GOA EXPRESS

Ragtag Manchester-based five-piece The Goa Express are on a mission to sonically encapsulate the feeling of growing up in the middle of nowhere – having just about transcended their modest roots, the lads are showing no intention of slowing things down.

ARLO PARKS

At the start of the year, we were pretty sure Arlo Parks would ‘do quite well’, but what followed was positively interstellar.

20 WOLF ALICE

With every new music drop, it feels as though Wolf Alice couldn’t possibly get any better. Then, they do another album and deliver something that’s once again surprising, innovative, and ridiculously special. Magic.

24 TRACKS OF 2021

10 tracks that made a big impact, and why.

50 FLETCHER

Fletcher already feels like she’s well on her way to pop superstardom. Selling out UK venues and delivering solid gold bangers as she goes, she’s the kind of artist who feels made for the biggest stages.

52 PINKPANTHERESS

We’ll be honest, Dear Reader. We had a bit of a ‘mare pinning down PinkPantheress for this year’s Hype List. We’ll let her off - she’s one of the buzziest acts on the planet right now, and it’s easy to hear why.

25 MIXTAPES, EPS & MORE

When is a 10-track release, generally by a new artist, not an album. When it’s a ‘mixtape’ or a ‘project’ or an ‘anything to not have to call this a debut album.

53 NOISEY

Southern trio NOISY have utilised 2021 to bolster their belt of bangers, and recent offerings suggest the next year will be huge for the sincere rock’n’roll ravers.

26 DORK READERS’ POLL 2021

We asked you for your Big Opinions on the last year in music, you obliged in your thousands. How jolly lovely of you. So, who were your big winners of 2021? And who are you most excited about for the year ahead?

Hype List 2022. 30 WET LEG

54 PIXEY

After two delightful EPs in one chaotic year, dazzlingly expressive indie-popster Pixey shows no signs of slowing down.

56 PIP MILLETT

Manchester’s Pip Millett has every sign of being one of the breakout acts of 2022. Then again, having already made her TV debut, sold out a UK tour and collabed with Ghetts, maybe she’s already most of the way there.

From the moment their single ‘Chaise Longue’ landed, there was little doubt that Wet Leg were instantly elevated to buzz band status. What’s followed is anything but ordinary.

ENGLISH TEACHER

Leeds indie newcomers English Teacher may only be just getting started, but they’re already starting to pick up attention in all the right places.

36 BEAUX

Future popster beaux has a string of EPs behind him, and a new one just about to drop - but what really shines through his ambition to keep pushing things further beyond the music he made in his bedroom.

38 WALLICE

Freshly inked with Dirty Hit - home of The 1975,

4. DORK

GRACIE ABRAMS

The daughter of Hollywood royalty, working with Aaron Dessner and making big waves, it’s all going on for Gracie Abrams.

2022 Albums Preview. 58 FOALS

Foals have long since established themselves at indie rock’s top table, but following up on 2019’s double album extravaganza with their first record as a three piece, anything could follow. Even... erm... disco?

62 ALFIE TEMPLEMAN

We’ve been waiting for a debut album from Dork’s favourite boy wonder for what seems like an age, but in 2022, it’s finally happening.

Incoming. 66 REVIEWS

All the new releases you need to know, and a couple you probably don’t.

68 ARTIST’S GUIDE

Former Dork cover star Holly Humberstone already had our hearts but, with her five-star EP ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’, she also has our attention. We asked her to run us through what’s behind each track.

Go Out. 70 DORK’S NIGHT OUT

Phoebe Green, Joey Maxwell and Mollie Coddled smash it at the first edition of Dork’s Night Out.

72 BABY QUEEN

A pop star with a sense of community, Bella Lathum is ushering in a new era.

73 CAROLINE POLACHEK

The countess of cooler-than-us alt-pop holds court at London’s Roundhouse.

CHARLI XCX

Chaz gets intimate as she showcases ‘how i’m feeling now’ in London.

75 FONTAINES D.C.

The Irish post-punkers have the need for speed as they excel at Alexandra Palace.

76 SEA GIRLS

In the run up to their second album, the indie breakthroughs ace their big moment at London’s O2 Brixton Academy.

77 BLOSSOMS & RICK ASTLEY

Blossoms and Rick Astley joining forces to cover the songs of The Smiths? This sounds exactly like our kind of utter nonsense.

78 LIVE AT LEEDS

We head up north to bring a weird but wonderful festival season to a fitting close.

79 PARIS TEXAS

Get up close and personal and find out what all the buzz is about as Paris Texas hit London.

80 DECENT EXPOSURE

Maneskin, Arlo Parks and Griff feature in our run down of the best live photography.

Back Page. 82 ANY OTHER QUESTIONS

Orla Gartland is the latest to take our gauntlet of random queries.

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Intro. THE BEATING HEART OF POP.

ROME

B U I LT

6. DORK

F If it feels like you’ve been waiting a long time for No Rome’s debut album, erm, that’s because you have. But rejoice! It’s finally here! And it’s brilliant! Words: Abigail Firth. Photos: Aya Cabauatan.

WA S N ’ T

or the first time in a while, No Rome is on holiday. He’s having a month off in New York - well, kind of, he’s on the phone with us - before he hops back over to the UK for album promotions. And we finally have it! The big A! Four years in the making, No Rome’s debut ‘It’s All Smiles’ is imminent. Where to begin with it? Created – like all records from the past year seem to be – in his childhood bedroom back in the Philippines, where he’d been stuck while his parents recovered from COVID. It’s a deep dive into his psyche, featuring vignette lyrics and staring-at-the-ceilingin-the-middle-of-the-night OST interludes. Much like his frequent collaborators and labelmates The 1975, it pulls from every genre imaginable and invents its own sound, hitting the bullseye surrounded by emo, garage, R&B, grunge, electronic (deep breath) and pop. A sprawling soundtrack to his life so far, merging distorted guitars with vibrant synths and wobbly harmonies with speedy talk-rapping, it’s a rabbit hole worth getting lost down. It’ll be the first time since last March he’ll be popping over here, dropping in for an album launch party on 2nd December, but of course, we got the scoop ahead of time. Is it really all smiles? You’ve just announced your debut album. What can you tell us about it? Honestly, not a lot. I’m just kidding. It’s my first album, it took me some time to work on it, but I guess I just wanted to get to a place where I wanted to make something creative, and I finally got to a place where I wanted to capture the moment that I was at. This album was that, and it’s taken, I’d say like, three or four years.

I N A D AY. . .

This has been in the works for a really long time. Did the last couple of years slow down that process at all? I’d say 2018, 2019 was about getting signed and becoming this full-time musician, figuring out how I want to do that. Not to be too pretentious or whatever, but, you know, they say it takes your whole life to write your first album, and I feel like that’s what happened to me. I had little bits

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of projects here and there. I think 2020 was just right, because, amidst a pandemic, I had nothing else to do but make music. You know, there wasn’t any distraction. I think that was like one of the beautiful thing that happened last year that I just kind of got around to really getting in deep with it. All my focus was in it; I was just locked in for months writing, writing, writing. So it’s kind of an intense but beautiful personal process.

So were you finishing all the tracks up remotely? Oh, yeah. I worked on this album with BJ Burton, and George Daniel from The 1975, and we all did this remotely. It was nuts, except for I think when I started finalising the vocals, which I did in London, most of it was done over FaceTime, hours on FaceTime and Skype discussing what I wanted, where I wanted it to go. It was kind of weird to do it, I didn’t envision doing my first album in that way, but I feel like that’s what made me want to

experiment more. Because everything was remotely done, you have time to think about stuff and digest stuff. When you’re in the studio, it’s like, “we got a month rented out in the studio; we got to finish the album in a month”. So yeah, it was a pretty weird experience.

in the music field, you want to go and roll with it.

You’ve been working with George a lot throughout your entire career. What’s your relationship like with him? Do you feel like The 1975 influenced your production style, or do you bring the same ideas to the table?

I love making music with people. I enjoy that. But this is more personal; I really didn’t feel like it needed room for a feature. I was trying to do one feature, but I just ended up thinking that, nah, I should do this alone.

Like, he’s like my boyfriend xx <3. Yeah, no, I feel like we do bring the same ideas because we’re inspired by the same things. Specifically George, because I work very closely with George, we just get each other. He gives an idea, and I’m like, oh my god, I wanted to tell you that, and he just put it in or something like that, and I’m like yo, that’s what I was thinking about! So there’s this musical chemistry you have; once you find somebody like that

Speaking of collaborations, you’ve obviously done a lot in your time, but this album is all you. Was there a reason that you wanted to do it completely solo?

The whole idea of ‘It’s All Smiles’ is music you can listen to when you’re alone. That’s why I like it’s like a maximalist setup. You can lay in your bedroom with the headphones on and listen to it. Not sure if people want to throw it into clubs, but that’d be sick. I’m sure it’s not that kind of music, which I did used to make, but it’s more like a sit-down, put it on your headphones kind of thing. There was a lot of personal stuff going on. There’s one song that I wrote about, it’s called ‘Secret Beach’, which I guess was the most intense one I wrote was because, at the time, I was diagnosed with some mental illness, and I was caught up in that loop. It’s a bit of a personal album; I feel like a lot of the lyrics were the things that actually happened. I tried to paint a picture of that moment, what I was thinking and seeing. It’s a pretty dark album, because it was a dark moment in time that I feel like I needed to let out.

“They say it takes your whole life to write your first album, and I feel like that’s what happened to me”

There’s a lot going on on the album. NO ROME It’s sort of like, emo, electronic, a little bit garage. It feels like it builds on the stuff you’ve done before but also deviates from that. What kind of influences were you feeling on this one? A whole lot. I feel like it’s my most maximalist record, just because there’s so much influence driven from it. And the idea was to kind of make a sound. I guess I don’t really like being shifted to one genre, because my favourite artists make all different kinds of music. There are influences like triphop, there’s like, Bjork effects to it, and then you got, like, All American Rejects, TV On The Radio vibes. I’m lucky that I’ve met BJ and Sachi along the way, who helped me kind of open it more to where I wanted to go. I feel like I wanted to make something in that world for people who actually listen to music, people who actually listen to albums and stuff like that. That’s one of the inspirations, you know what I mean? It’s like all different sounds, but the production is cohesive. There’s like an aesthetic to it, but it’s all different influences.

A lot of pop these days, there’s a lot of that kind of pop-punk influence coming through, but on this record instead, you’ve done it in a classic emo-y way, like an American football type of way. Then there are bits of Sonic Youth… For sure, Sonic Youth especially. Then Mike Kinsella [from American Football] is one of my favourite songwriters, which I listen to a lot, and I guess it just comes out naturally. I grew up listening to Sonic Youth; Kim Gordon is also one of my favourite icons, I guess being in my childhood home with those records, because I wrote the whole album in the Philippines, back listening to my childhood records I used to have.

What was going on in your life when 8. DORK

you were writing it then? Were you quite lonely?

There’s also a lot of instrumental moments on it. Where did the idea for those come from? Was it just like a little production moment? Yeah, I think it’s a production moment, but at the same time, I’m paying homage to my favourite records growing up. It’s like, you would not enjoy it if you clicked on it on Spotify at random. You know what I mean? It’s one of those. But it needed to be on the album to get the whole mood of it. I wanted songs where there was a little bit of lyrics in the intro that goes into a full production soundscape thing, and that’s the idea. It’s almost like an OST vibe.

Are there any tracks on here that you’re particularly excited for people to hear?

I mean, I love the whole album. We just put out this new single called ‘I Want U’; that one I’ve had since 2019, so I’m really excited for people to hear it. Oh, it’s so hard. I like ‘Secret Beach’, just because it’s such a weird combination of inspirations, you know, the heavy guitars and the kind of running rapping vocals. The whole idea of the song is I’m talking to myself, because there’s a filtered voice on the intro, then it goes to these different vocal effects. So those two songs, but I’m sure it’ll change as the weeks go by. P

No Rome’s album ‘It’s All Smiles’ is out 3rd December.

“I’ve got a bunch of demos and some almost finished songs in the works” It’s always good to catch up with former Dork cover star Cavetown. With a tour planned to start Really Very Soon at the time of writing, a fun new duet with Chloe Moriondo, and the potential for new music to come, we obviously asked all the big questions - like, erm, would you rather live in a round house or a straightsided one. Award winning journalism, kids. Hiya Robin, what are you up to today other than answering these questions? Hello. I have been playing Minecraft with my friends mostly! I just had a bowl of oatmeal. Nothing crazy. So, you’ve done a cover of ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ with fellow Dork fave Chloe Moriondo. How did that start off? Was it a tour thing? Tell us, please. It was just a song I had stuck in my head for

the longest time, and it had been a little while since I had worked with Chloe on a song. They are so fun to work with, and I miss them, so I texted them to see if they would be down to sing with me on the cover, and of course, they said yes. Given ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ is basically almost as old as you - and older than Chloe - does that make it a cover of a ‘timeless cover of a timeless classic’? My brain hurt a bit reading this question, but sure!!

“IT’S FOOKIN’ ” BOBBINS, MATE

We were reading a Reddit AMA, and you said if you had to choose a person to go to a haunted mansion with you, you’d pick Chloe. Just checking you’re okay for us to set this up for when they’re over next year? If we put it in the magazine, you both have to do it, right? Uh yeah!!!! Hell yeah. Tour is coming up. That’s exciting. The Roundhouse is a proper legendary venue especially. Here’s the standard question where we ask you if you’re looking forward to it, and you say yes. Are you looking forward to it? For sure! I always just love spending time with my band and my crew. It’s like a big road trip with my best friends. I don’t know a lot about venues in general, so I hadn’t heard of the Roundhouse, but everyone I’ve mentioned it to seems stoked, so I guess I am too.

“I feel like a round house would be a nightmare to furnish”

Could these cover duets become a running thing between you two? Is there anything else you’d like to give a go? CAVETOWN Go on, give us one song. Maybe?? I don’t know, I don’t tend to plan covers in advance, but I’ll definitely make some more tracks with Chloe as long as they’re down to! Whether that’s covering something or having them feature on one of my originals. I just love their voice, and I’m so lucky to get to include them in my projects.

Would you rather have a round house or a normal straight-sided house, if you had to pick? Probably a normal straight-sided house. I feel like a round house would be a nightmare to furnish. You’ve no shortage of really great collaborations. The one with Kina recently was especially cool. Is there a bucket list collaboration you’d love to do, if you could pick anyone at all? I mean, Frank Ocean would be a dream. An extremely unattainable dream, but it would be so sick to write a song with Frank Ocean. We saw you’ve been doing some stuff with Discord. You’ve always seemed to have a great relationship with the people who enjoy your music. How do you find that? Is it a cool place to chat with them? Yes, I love my discord server! I have some amazing friends running it and putting on loads of fun activities for everyone, which I am so thankful for, and it’s such a reliably safe space to jump on and just be greeted with love and kindness. It becomes harder to maintain that connection with everyone the larger the fan base grows, so the Discord creates a really comfortable sized crowd who I’m able to hang out with without getting too overwhelmed. With a new year coming around, it’s only sensible we’d ask you about 2022 plans. Will we be getting new music next year? What’s in the planner? For sure. I’m hoping to put out a full-length album and really celebrate it in a way that I wasn’t able to with ‘Sleepyhead’ (thanks to Covid). I’ve got a bunch of demos and some almost finished songs in the works already, which I’m really excited to show everyone. P Cavetown will tour the UK from 30th November.

Could Zara Larsson be right? Is bowling actually shit? We were as shocked as anyone when Zara Larsson took to social media to decree that bowling was actually a red flag. “I would seriously like someone 13% less if we were going on a date and they were suggesting “let’s go bowling”,” she wrote. “Are you fucking serious? It’s making me super sad. Miserable even.” We figured we’d take the pulse of the musical nation to find out if this was a widely held take, or outlandish slander. I kind of hate it, sorry! I haven’t been for a while, but when I was little, you could always go either bowling or ice skating – those were the only options of the Isle of Wight, and they were right next to each other. I would always be really pissed off when we didn’t get to go ice skating and had to go bowling instead. Although maybe that means it’s just been tainted by circumstance? I could actually go bowling right now, as long as there wasn’t an ice rink nearby. RHIAN TEASDALE, WET LEG You know what? I’ve got to agree. I’ve got to agree. Because I think it’s something that sounds fun, but actually, in the moment, isn’t that fun? I don’t know. But what I will say is, bowling? Not so bad. But let’s talk about mini-golf. Because that’s what I want to talk about. Let’s talk about mini-golf. Because mini-golf’s shit. Like bowling, fine, because I don’t need to look for my ball. For me, when I’m hitting mini-golf, and I’ve lost my ball, that’s when I’m getting annoyed. Maybe it’s because I’m shit at it, though. At least with bowling, we’re getting in it now, at least with bowling you have your lane, and now they’ve changed it as well, some bowling alleys you don’t need to take your shoes off, and like you can kind of cheat it to be like ‘oh I’ve won’, and you can keep the barriers up. Mini-golf? Separate issue: I have no space where I can put my coat, so where am I putting my coat? I don’t want to wear it. Now, imagine this, I’m holding my coat in my arm, and then I’m here with my ball and my drink. Say you’re on a first date which is usually where everyone goes for the first date; I’m then going, ‘excuse me, person I’m dating, on my first date with, hold my things’. It takes me 50 times to get it in, like it can’t be fun, it’s not fun, I think everyone’s lying. So I get Zara’s point, and I think it’s very brave of her to raise the issue, but I’m gonna top trump her and say mini-golf’s fucking worse. Mini-golf sucks. GRACEY Fuck people that don’t like bowling! The whole thing is a massive experience! You go into that shitty little car park, park up, walk inside, go through all those crappy arcade games that take your money. And then you get there, and it’s like OK, it stinks of cheap American food. But it’s GREAT! They put a pair of those bowling shoe babies on you, you eat tonnes of those sweets that have been in jars for years, and you have a few rounds. I’m shit at it though, they have to put those ramps up. Don’t laugh; it’s not funny. ALFIE TEMPLEMAN

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L DEVINE & FRIENDS’ GUIDE TO FESTIVE FILMS We know what it’s like at Xmas time off to decompress, but what to watch? Everyone loves a festive film, though - so with her A Very Dork Christmas tour coming up, we asked L Devine to pick three of her faves.

songs, so I felt proper cool and quirky watching this film when I was little. It’s a Christmas film that doubles as a Halloween film. It’s still totally unique and dark, and the music is unreal.

HOME ALONE 2

I wanted to be Kevin so bad as a child, I thought he was absolutely living the dream. I’ve chosen the second film specifically because of the scene where he’s ordering loads of room service to his hotel room. That always stuck in my head. The ice cream sundae he orders still makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

There’s a beautiful independent cinema in Newcastle called Tyneside Cinema that’s been showing films since the 1930s, and it still has most of its original features. They have this really cool space where young people can go and learn about cinema and make their own films. It was a really great creative hub when I was growing up, so it holds a special place in my heart. Every Christmas, they show It’s A Wonderful Life, possibly the greatest Christmas film ever! It’s become a bit of a tradition for me and my mum to go and see it every Christmas Eve. And every time, I absolutely bawl my eyes out.

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THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS I loved this film loads growing up. I’d see it everywhere around the early 2000s emo culture, and blink-182 mention Jack and Sally in I Miss You, which was one of my favourite

It’s a bit mean to make one person make all the Xmas TV decisions by themselves. The pressure! So we asked a few others for their picks for the festive period - to mixed results. Controversial topic because not everybody fully agrees that it’s a Christmas film, but hands down Home Alone. Do I wanna see lil Kevin McCallister literally bully a bunch of burglars in his house for an hour and a half? Yes, yes I do. That’s a good Christmas. - THOMAS HEADON

‘Pennies From Heaven’! Shoo bee doo bee! - CHLOE MORIONDO Gremlins; it’s about a mogwai that works in a bakery and spills water on itself and turns into a gremlin, which is Russian for princess. - YARD ACT Can I one-up this and give you an Xmas TV Series, which is, in fact, a Netflix original and does actually have a bakery, a one-shoe-missing Cinderella moment and a lot of love letters? It’s called Dash and Lily. I watched it last Christmas, and you are probably the first person I will admit that to. I put it on as a background thing and accidentally got sucked in - don’t tell anyone!! - LAURAN HIBBERD

It’s a Christmas film if it has snow in, right? (Not sure this is actually the criteria, otherwise we’ve been misunderstanding The Thing quite dangerously! Anyway... - Ed) The Shining. - COACH PARTY

We’re teaming up with L Devine this December for A Very Dork Christmas with L Devine - a short festive tour that also includes our festive Dork’s Night Out Christmas Party bash at London’s Colours Hoxton on 14th December. You can grab tickets now from readdork.com, and find the full list of dates below.

My favourite Xmas movie will always be Elf. I can’t help it. I know so many people would give me shit because it’s such a basic answer, but it is genuinely the only one I can still sit through every year and love. I love the little claymation creatures from the North Pole, and the soundtrack is so warm.

DECEMBER 8 Hebden Bridge, The Trades Club 9 Durham, Old Cinema Launderette 10 Newcastle, Three Tanners Bank 12 Margate, Elsewhere 14 London, Dork’s Night Out Christmas Party, Colours Hoxton

Bangers. THE BEST NEW TRACKS

Baby Queen Wannabe

“All these songs are a love letter to my partner” Zac Farro has delivered another mesmerising album to add to the Halfnoise collection. Jumping aboard our weekly magazine radio show/podcast/thingy Down With Boring recently, the man himself told us about all things’ Motif’. Zac! How are you doing right now - it’s been quite a year, and now you have a new Halfnoise album out in the world. Things are great! I’ve been having a pretty productive and busy year. I started my record label, Congratz Records, to release my own music. I’ve been producing a lot, releasing that music through the label and, of course, with the new Halfnoise record too, so it’s been a whirlwind, but things are going really good. ‘Motif’ feels like a real evolution to what you were doing before with Halfnoise. Did you have an idea where you wanted to go with this record compared to what you’ve put out before? This was the most thought-out record to date for Halfnoise; I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve. The goal was to make a really classic sounding album. I was listening to a lot of Bowie, Wings and T Rex at the time, and because of that, I’ve never had as clear a vision for an album. I just really wanted to make something sound, not super polished, but like it was classic and familiar at the same time. It’s about being authentic with everything you do, which you’ve done from the start, really. Do you feel like you’re continuing to grow as a musician even now after years of so many different projects? That’s the crazy thing! I’ve been doing this since I was young, but I feel like every record I make, there’s always something that leaves me saying - how did I not know this before? I’ve been learning constantly for my whole career. If you’re not learning, you’re not progressing. Lyrically, where does ‘Motif’ comes from? I had an idea of what I wanted to write about, but basically, all these songs are a love letter to my partner Kayla - about when we met in New York, when we fell in love. There’s a song on the record called ‘New York’, too! I almost wanted to call the record ‘Cliches’ because there were so many of them on it. Do you have any ambitions or goals you want to achieve as Halfnoise? I feel like everything has fallen into this position in a cool way, and I’ve run with it. I do all of these different things, from producing records to running a label to drumming in Paramore to photography and music videos, and I collect all of these moments for inspiration. They all work hand in hand with one another. Of course, I have the normal hopes everyone has with their music, but for me, with Halfnoise ultimately, I want it to become a place where people go to get that certain feeling that only certain artists can give certain people. I’m 31 now, and I think when you have dreams when you’re young, you’re like - Oh, I wish it was like this or like this. My expectations are just more realistic. I want to make great music, and I want it to sound really great, and I want it to have a great message. If anything else happens, that’s out of my control. That’s great, but I just want to keep building it and building it. Halfnoise’s album ‘Motif’ is out now. For more Zac Farro - including a deep-dive into his thoughts on different superstitions from around the world - #journalism - check out our weekly Down With Boring podcast, available in all your favourite podcast platforms by searching for Dorkcast.

Just when you think the bar has been set, Baby Queen smashes it to pieces. If ‘The Yearbook’ captured one chapter in the Baby Queen story, then ‘Wannabe’ is the firework-popping, heart-jumping opening ceremony to what comes next. That electric lyricism returns ten-fold, for an underdog anthem that’s both defiant and unifying at the same time - wrapped in yet another big time pop smash that manages to sound completely different to everything that’s come before. Born to be screamed back by packed-rooms and festival stages alike, Baby Queen continues to be a step above the rest.

Charli XCX New Shapes (ft. Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek) Honestly, it’s hard to work out if it’s worth even writing descriptive words of ‘New Shapes’ - one look at the cast list should be enough to confirm it as epoch defining pop brilliance. But - for anyone slow at the back of the pack - it’s exactly as good as expected.

Alfie Templeman 3D Feelings

Foals Wake Me Up

Swim Deep & Phoebe Green On The Floor Returning refreshed and revitalised, ‘On The Floor’ lays out the true heart of what makes Swim Deep different from the rest. Like smudged lipstick, its glossy darkness and wideeyed dreaming combine with the effortless charm of Phoebe Green for a glorious cocktail that we find ourselves rushing to over and over. The first of a new collaborations EP, this combination has us pining for summer already.

Who had ‘Foals go disco’ on their late 2021 bingo card? Anyone? The newly minted three piece version of the band certainly aren’t retreating into serious face territory for their first hint of a new album. Instead, they’re audibly strutting about the place, fully embracing the joy of being a little bit ridiculous. In a good way.

Lauran Hibberd Charlie’s Car

Dork’s favourite slackerpopster is back, and she’s got a swanky new label laying down the red carpet on the way. Not that industry moves are removing any of her ramshackle charm. ‘Charlie’s Car’ is just as chaotically brilliant as ever - even if he seems a birrova dick.

If the world of Alfie Templeman is a shapeshifting road to pop superstardom, then ‘3D Feelings’ is the flag in the ground national anthem we’ll be singing along the way. A confident gem of a track that feels bigger and bolder than anything our Alf has dropped so far, it’s a bouncing earthquake of indie hooks and soaring vocals that serves as a statement of intent. Alfie’s not here to mess around, it’s the big time now.

Thomas Headon Strawberry Kisses

It’s fair to say Thomas Headon is in somewhat of a run of form right now - like a star striker banging in the goals, if the goals were swoon-worthy indie heartthrob anthems. ‘Strawberry Kisses’ does more than just add to the pile, though - breezy, brilliant and bloody lovely, it’s one of those songs that makes it feel like its summer even when we’re all shivering in the dark at half four in the afternoon.

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Top 10. Martyn Young's

Everyone loves a good list, right? Well, Dear Reader, not compared to Dork’s Listmaster General Martyn Young you don’t. The thing about Martyn, you see, is he’s not swayed by your safe, sanitised opinions. He’s living his best life, loving what he loves, unconcerned by your boring, identikit truths. Each month, we’ll give him a new musical category to rank, then you can send in your rage-filled missives about just how wrong he is. It’s all good fun.

This month...

There could only be one subject, really.

Best Christmas song gs The Big Debate.

2. Wham. Last Christmas. Ah, dearest George. Sweet departed prince of pop George. Given an added poignancy following his death on Christmas Day five years ago, ‘Last Christmas’ is the gold standard for sad Christmas melancholy. Make sure this Christmas that if you give someone your heart, then be sure to give it to someone special.

Celeb co-sign!

Fletcher

This month’s list sparked an important question. Is Robbie Williams? ‘Angels’ a Christmas song? Obviously it isn’t, but we entertained the nonsense anyway. The criteria for this list were songs which were obviously festive. Otherwise, we all know Martyn would go and pick ‘2 Become 1’ and try to tell us it’s about the last pair of toffee pennies in the tin. ‘Angels’ is a song enjoyed all year round ergo, not a Christmas song. End of. Stephen Ackroyd, Editor

Without a doubt, it’s a Christmas song, whether or not he intended it to be. If the record label releases it in December, they know what they’re doing. They know that it’s a Christmas song. And also, it is just a Christmas song because everyone plays it at Christmas, and you can’t get away from it. Yannis Philippakis, Foals

So, we polled you, the Dear Readers of Dork. And look.

1. Mariah Carey.

31.1% 68.9%

YES, IT’S A CHRISTMAS SONG: NO, OF COURSE IT ISN’T:

Enough of that nonsense.

All I Want For Christmas Is You. Ok, so some very boring and tedious people might say this song is overrated and overplayed - well, they would be wrong. DEAD WRONG. It’s is obviously the greatest Christmas song of all time. Every single second of it is perfect. There’s a reason why it’s the go-to song as soon as you put the pumpkin away for another year. Just listen to that moment 3 min 21 seconds in when Queen Mariah hits that ‘Youuuuuuuuu’. Magical. And if you don’t believe me, then actual mega pop star Fletcher shares the same opinion. “If we’re having a Christmas moment, then you have to go with Mariah’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. It’s a classic, and everybody is going to sing it.”

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3. Wizzard. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. All your indie Christmas songs are all well and good, you know the ones. But what everyone is really here for is the turbo bangers. The full-on everything plus the kitchen sink extravaganzas. This one perfectly represents the childlike wonder and beauty of Christmas. A time where anything is possible. ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’ is the encapsulation of everything ridiculous and overblown about Christmas. It’s amazing.

7. The Crystals. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer .

4. Kelly Clarkson.

I’ll bet Rudolph has a really big head. He must think he’s really something. The bee’s knees. Really though, it’s true; he’s the only reindeer that matters. The head of the table. The kingpin. Where his shiny nose leads, Santa follows. Without Rudolph, nothing would get done. Let’s cherish him forever.

Underneath The Tree. A modern-day classic here, a Christmas song in the tradition of the great bangers of the past all wrapped up with a shiny modern sheen. This is a breathless rush of excitement that mirrors the thrills of discovering just wonders have been left under the tree. Maybe it’s a PS5! A Nintendo Switch! A Tefal Air Fryer!

WTF? Okay, so we don’t all agree. Here’s some official challenges to this month’s list. Well, here I am, just a boy, stood in the cold, being forced to break his own vendetta against boring old men by bemoaning the lack of Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’ and hating himself for it. S’good tho. Stephen Ackroyd, Editor

Celeb co-sign!

CMAT

5. The Darkness. Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End). Here’s another actual pop legend CMAT to tell you why this song is so good. “We need to support and uplift to the highest degree the song ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’. I love The Darkness. It’s an unbelievable record.” So there you go. When CMAT speaks, the world listens, and CMAT has decided The Darkness are amazing.

‘Moving To New York’ by The Wombats is an outrageous miss. Not only does it feature the word “Christmas” MULTIPLE times, but New York is obviously a go-to Christmas destination (just ask Kevin McCallister), AND it was released in the lead-up to Christmas 2006. (Assuming you’d started your Christmas preparations by October, which I 100% had.) Victoria Sinden, Deputy Editor How would anyone even know the festive season has only just begun if they haven’t heard Noddy Holder screeching that “IT’S CHRIIIIISTMAAAAAAAS”? Will there be no hanging of stockings on your wall this year in the Young household? Did your granny not always tell ya that the old songs are the best? Or that she was up and rock ‘n’ rollin’ with the rest? You must have hit your head when you were riding down a hillside on a buggy you had made, Martyn. Ciarán Steward, Writer

Disagree? Email your own suggestions, or abuse to us at toptens@readdork.com. We’ll include the best ones in next month’s issue.

8. Chris Rea. Driving Home For Christmas. Don’t forget if you are driving home for Christmas, please remember to pack a blanket and an extra warm jacket just in case and do take advantage of the motorway service station to stretch your legs and have a little rest. Maybe play in the arcade for a little bit. Have a cold sausage roll and a lukewarm coffee.

9. The Ronettes. Frosty The Snowman. Frosty the Snowman is a Christmas legend. Just standing there chilling. Being all cold and everything. Some even describe him as a jolly happy soul. You’d be jolly too if you were a snowman that came to life. Imagine all the fun you could have. Until you melt and you’re gone forever.

6. Darlene Love. All Alone At Christmas. Regular Dork followers will know that I’m a big film fan, and it’s one of my expert subjects. So here’s a Christmas banger from the 32nd best film of all time Home Alone 2 (Lost In New York). It has shitloads of sax on it and features Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Good film, good song.

10. Leona Lewis. One More Sleep. Everyone can relate to the excitement of counting down to Christmas. Leona definitely can, and that’s what her Christmas banger is all about. It also does one of the best things in pop, where it counts down on the chorus. Love a good countdown. Long overdue a comeback; let’s hope Leona is counting down the sleeps until she returns back again to scale mount pop.

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→→→ What a year, eh, Dear Readers? The second compromised by our ‘good friend’ COVID-19, Beginning in lockdown and only starting to find something close to a sense of normality at the back end of summer, there’s been no shortage of amazing music to enjoy. Over the next few pages, we’re going to run you through some of our favourite stuff from 2021. Enjoy! 14. DORK

THESE ARE DORK’S FIFTY FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF 2021, ‘FYI’. → → → From unexpected superstars to returning heroes, here’s the year in its standout records.

#50 SG LEWIS Times #49 DANNY L HARLE Harlecore #48 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Scaled And Icy

→

#50-#11

#37 GOAT GIRL On All Fours

#23 SQUID Bright Green Field

#36 SNAIL MAIL Valentine

#22 FOR THOSE I LOVE For Those I Love

#35 EASY LIFE Life’s A Beach

#47 ZARA LARSSON Poster Girl

#34 BROCKHAMPTON Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine

#46 SLAYYYTER Troubled Paradise

#33 AMYL & THE SNIFFERS Comfort To Me

#45 JULIEN BAKER Little Oblivions

#32 WATERPARKS Greatest Hits

#44 DODIE Build A Problem

#31 CLAIRO Sing

#43 GREENTEA PENG Man Made

#30 PALE WAVES Who Am I?

#42 NO ROME It’s All Smiles

#29 BILLIE EILISH Happier Than Ever

#41 POM POM SQUAD Death Of A Cheerleader #40 MAISIE PETERS You Signed Up For This

#28 LUCY DACUS Home Video #27 LORDE Solar Power

#10

JAPANESE BREAKFAST JUBILEE

It’s safe to say before ‘Jubilee’, Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner was already a beloved member of this parish. Her third album, however, is exceptional - a transformative moment that delivered way beyond already high expectations. A must listen.

#21 LIL NAS X Montero #20 HALSEY If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power #19 INHALER It Won’t Always Be Like This #18 BLACKSTARKIDS Puppies Forever #17 WILLOW Lately I Feel Everything #16 ORLA GARTLAND Woman On The Internet #15 HAYLEY WILLIAMS Flowers For Vases/ Descansos #14 TYLER, THE CREATOR Call Me If You Get Lost #13 CHLOE MORIONDO Blood Bunny

#39 DRUG STORE ROMEOS The World Within Our Bedrooms

#26 CHVRCHES Screen Violence #25 DE’WAYNE Stains

#12 DRY CLEANING New Long Leg

#38 BACHELOR Doomin’ Sun

#24 CHARLI ADAMS Bullseye

#11 GIRL IN RED If I Could Make It Go Quiet

SHAME

DRUNK TANK PINK At a time where bands may have been a disadvantage - it’s quite hard to get four of your mates to all agree to turn up to rehearsals when you’re not allowed to meet up with people from outside of your household, everything is shut and there’s a global pandemic on - Shame have thrived. Their second album ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ elevates them above and beyond an already starring role in a scene packed with vital, interesting bands. They’re fast becoming national treasures - just don’t tell them that.

ALL STAR PICKS! BABY QUEEN Every time Little Simz releases an album, it’s my album of the year. I just think she’s bloody brilliant. One of a kind. There is nobody on planet earth with a flow like hers.

#8 LITTLE SIMZ

SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT Some albums just leave that inherent yet immediate impression that they’re in some way Capital Letters Important. That’s the vibe that ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ gave from the very first single drop. It’s true, too Simz’ second full-length was a stand up, shut up and listen moment so vital it transcends all.

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#7 CLAUD

SUPER MONSTER Claud is one of those artists you just love, from the word go. Even before their debut album ‘Super Monster’ dropped, we knew it would be an utter gem of a record. They didn’t disappoint. Packed tight with winning vibes, since they’ve gone on to sign with quite probably the hottest label on the planet right now, Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory. More to come, then. Can’t wait.

Words: Steven Loftin.

wenty-twenty-one has seen many things change, and we’ve had some pretty ace music to get us through. No stranger to these here pages, when Claud released ‘Super Monster’ earlier this year, they were well on their way to the centre of our hearts with their dreamily delicate brand of pop, and their debut turned out to be a glorious jewel in a year of gems. Digging into a relatable well, it’s impossible to not get swept away in the shimmering melodies of ‘Super Monster’. Their penchant for cutting through the nitty-gritty and finding the nod and wink of a witty one-liner or heart-wrenching realisation in equal measure is second to none. Not content with having an album chocker with these beauts, they’ve only gone and released another new single too; ‘Tommy’ follows the same path as ‘Super Monster’, another deft sad bop that we, quite frankly, just can’t get enough of. Along with being one of the first signees to Phoebe Bridgers’ new label Saddest Factory Records (now toting diamond trio, and former Dork cover stars, MUNA, too), the last couple of years have seen constant progression for Claud. Hi Claud! How are things going? It sounds like you’re very busy at the moment? Hi! Things are good. I’m definitely tired from the last two months of touring, but it’s worth it. How’s your year been so far? I feel like I’ve lived nine lives this year, especially with Covid and things changing so rapidly. It’s just been a year of never knowing what to expect. How’s ‘Super Monster’ sitting with you now? Learning how to play my album for live shows gave me a new-found respect for it. There’s so much detail in the instrumentals. When I’m recording, I don’t really think about what I’m playing; I just layer it on until it sounds right. I’ve had a lot of moments rehearsing that were like, “That’s me?? I played that/sung that harmony!?” Have any of the song meanings developed or changed for you since it’s been out in the world? Definitely. I think my song ‘This Town’ took on a whole other meaning for me just as my life has gone on this year. I’ve realised a lot of my album is about learning when you’ve outgrown something and coming to terms with that. I’m still looking back on lyrics and trying to figure out what I felt when I wrote it. What lessons did you learn from the album process?

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Less is more, and I can trust people to fill in the blanks and read between the lines without having to explain myself. You’ve also dropped a new single! Where did ‘Tommy’ come from? I wrote ‘Tommy’ right around the time ‘Super Monster’ came out. ‘Tommy’ is just a character I made up but represents my insecurities. It’s my glass half empty mentality, like “no matter what, I’ll never be enough for you.” How has the year influenced you personally and musically? ‘Super Monster’ was a really big accomplishment for me mainly because of how much thought and brainpower I put into it. It’s also really hard for me to finish the things I start, so this album has been proof and an important reminder to myself that I can do something from start to finish if I really care about it. Are you the kind of person who’s always writing songs? In an ideal world, I am! But in reality, it comes in waves, and when the space opens up for me to have time to write its full speed ahead. I can write like three songs in a day if I’m in that kind of headspace. What have been some standout moments this year? Playing music festivals! I had never done that before and had no idea what to expect when I showed up to my first one this summer… they’re a beast to handle but so much fun. It was also so surreal to see musician friends that I hadn’t seen in years because of the pandemic. And what were some unexpected ones? An Amazon truck hit our van when we driving to play Firefly Festival… no one was hurt, and the damage wasn’t too much, but it was definitely very unexpected. And what have you been watching this year? Sex Education, Maid, and the new L Word episodes are pretty entertaining. Besides ‘Super Monster’, what other ‘thing’ are you proudest of this year? I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a visual artist. Diving into the artwork for ‘Super Monster’ gave me a vision and a style as an artist that I didn’t have before. I’ve also started painting a little bit, for my friends. How do you feel going into 2022? Nervous, for some reason? I have no idea what to expect. P

#5 #4

OLIVIA RODRIGO SOUR

SELF ESTEEM

It’s not like at the start of 2021 nobody had heard of Olivia Rodrigo - a Disney star with a starring role in the latest High School Musical series, she was a big deal. But nobody was quite ready for the eruption of ‘Drivers Licence’ breaking streaming records in a January explosion the kind of which we can’t remember. That it doesn’t even feel to be the standout moment from her debut album (that’s obviously pop-punk-is-back bop ‘Good 4 U’, ‘FYI’) shows just how easily our Liv has established herself on the triple-A list. Sensational stuff.

PRIORITISE PLEASURE You might think that these ‘music critics’ all get together like some awful council of wankers, and decide by groupthink which artists they’re going to lift up, and which they will stamp on the dreams of before they even get started. It doesn’t work like that - but occasionally an album will arrive with such universal acclaim it feels like everyone has already agreed it’s a five-star classic. That’s ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ - a pop album that exists on Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s own terms. Honest, vital and brilliant, it’s an album which is only going to sound better with time, too.

SAM FENDER

SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER

ALL STAR PICKS! THOMAS HEADON Sam Fender’s album was amazing. Felt super personal and was full of really good songs. I love that man.

On his first album, Sam Fender was an indie sensation - selling out shows and riding the charts, he was a best in class success story. At some point between the release of ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ and its follow up, ‘Seventeen Going Under’, something changed. Sam evolved. To say that the latter record is a step up would be to do a disservice to those who leap several in a single lofty stride, such is its raw emotional heft. It’s quickly becoming obvious there’s something special about Sam Fender, and we’re absolutely here for it.

#3 REMI WOLF JUNO

Is Remi Wolf currently one of the best pop stars on the planet? We’ll say yes. Is this entirely based upon the fact she’s not against a good old swear sesh and regularly fills her dare-you-not-to-grin bops with mucky filth? Also, yes. It’s virtually impossible not to love Remi - and not in a casual ‘yeah, she’s alright’ way, either. Her character shines through her debut album ‘Juno’ - addictive, winning and nothing short of an utter riot. Coming after a year and a half where parties have been short on the ground, she’s throwing a bash that will go down in history on every single stream.

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f 2021’s achievements are anything to go by, Arlo Parks is an artist that needs no introduction. But we’ll do one anyway. The West London born and bred singer-slashsongwriter has had a year that would make even the most legendary artists envious. Releasing her debut album ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ back in January, the record went on to receive critical acclaim across the board, bagging a Breakthrough Artist gong at the BRITs (as well as nominations for British Female Solo Artist and British Album) and the coveted Mercury Prize (don’t forget that £25k cash prize, too). When we chat with Arlo, she’s in the midst of an extensive US tour. You can almost feel her beaming through the other end of the line. “It’s my first touring experience in North America. It’s definitely been an adventure. I’ve enjoyed taking in a bunch of nature as we’ve travelled around, like finding parks and forests and spaces to be away from the cities. I had my first time in New York, which was a pretty transformative experience. I walked for 30 or 40 kilometres in one day, just taking it all in. And visiting Electric Lady [Studios, in New York City] and taking in the music along the way has been incredible, like going to little jam nights or jazz clubs as we go. Seeing how cultures change as you cross into different states and cities.” “You can’t really picture New York until you actually get there,” she continues. “I think in my head, I was like, I live in a city, I don’t know how much more intense it can get. But then you go to Manhattan, and it’s literally just skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. Things happening on every single street corner. So many people and so ARLO PARKS much energy. It’s unlike any other city I’ve been to.” “It’s definitely been a multitude of different emotions,” Arlo muses when reflecting on the colossal year she’s had. “There’s a sense of gratitude, of course, because with the Mercury Prize and the BRITs, it felt like being accepted as I am. For making the music that I wanted to make and encouraging me to be myself. I think a lot of people often ask me how I feel. I’m just quietly happy and very aware that this kind of thing doesn’t happen very often. Also trying to stay grounded and make sure that I’m working hard and focusing on making music because that’s what it’s all about.”

And that’s undeniably true. Arlo’s achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the release of her debut album earlier this year. Critics (hi! - us) praised it as a raw yet comforting insight into the complexities of Gen Z life, covering topics from depression to sexuality. The soundscape Arlo provides is a warm concoction of R&B, neo-soul and bedroom pop, laced together with the sensibilities of hip-hop and jazz. The album is poignantly personal to her own experiences but also painstakingly relatable, whatever your age. “It’s interesting because I was making the record during the pandemic in this very insular, inwardlooking time. I was in a flat very much in my head and my stories, and it’s opened it out a bit more. People are even coming up to me after shows and telling me what the songs mean to them. Sometimes it’s things that I didn’t even think about. Speaking to me about their personal experiences and how closely they aligned with the songs. It’s allowed me to let the songs go a little bit, allow them to be nebulous and have a million different meanings. It’s been really lovely, to be honest. Even the more quiet and sadder songs have taken on this sense of energy and hope to them. Having hundreds of people singing the words back to you makes it this joyful experience, even if you’re talking about something quite difficult.” Known for her humble disposition, Arlo didn’t preempt any of the success she’s had in 2021. “I didn’t go into the record-making process with any external goals or things that I really thought were going to happen. Of course, there are hopes and dreams, but when it came to the BRITS or the Mercury Prize or announcing the Billie Eilish thing [Arlo is supporting Billie on one of her three nights at The O2 in June] and all these different amazing things that have happened, I didn’t expect any of it. No part of me thought that any of it would happen. So I’m definitely going into most of these situations very wide-eyed and like, wow.” Aside from the universally acknowledged achievements, she appreciates the small victories just as much. “I taught myself to DJ during lockdown. That was really fun, literally just in my bedroom. I was given this deck, and I DJed a lot of techno and house, which is cool. I did my first few

“I’m just quietly happy and very aware that this kind of thing doesn’t happen very often”

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auditions for acting, which was always a private dream of mine. So that felt really fun.” “There have been a lot of little moments, even getting time to paint and spending time in Mexico for the first time. Learning to cook different dishes. To be honest, it’s been those little things that I have cherished a lot, things within my personal life that have made me smile and brought me little specific kinds of joy.” With the success she’s had in 2021, the world really is her oyster. Is she the sort of person who makes new year’s resolutions? “I kind of do.” She says. “What I do is I’ll always write myself a letter things that I hope for or where I’m at now. Then I’ll open it and reflect on that next year. But I don’t make the set in stone [ones]. Usually, it’s just drinking more water [and] getting to sleep before 3am,” she laughs. What was in 2021’s letter to herself? “The main one was getting to a place where music was solidly my career. Where it was something that I felt I could do for the rest of my life because it’s a career with ebbs and flows, and very few people get to do it full time. I wanted to be at a point in my life where I could have that for myself. I wanted to get a dog. That was the big one that I wanted. I wanted to move into my own place, which I did. A lot of it was also being more mindful about doing little things each day that were away from music. So whether that was catching up with a friend, or going to my dad’s garden, or taking a second to read or meditate. I think it was about finding little pockets of peace rather than going a million miles an hour. I didn’t really do that, but I think next year, I can put that in place a little bit more.” “Next year, I want to collaborate a lot more,” she reflects. “That’s something that I obviously wasn’t able to do as much during the pandemic, but spending time with other musicians will be really special. I want to tour Asia. That’s been one of my dreams for a long time. I’d love to pursue other sides of my creative interests. So as I said, acting, screenwriting, maybe working on my book of poetry. There are lots of different things. I’d like to get better at painting, and maybe pottery as well. I want to focus on creating a sense of presence. When incredible things happen, actually taking a second to emphatically take it in. It can be difficult when things are moving quite quickly, but getting back into journaling, getting back into sitting in the present moment.” Whatever she gets to do, it’s hard to argue she’s earned it. After a stellar 2021, Arlo can make her own resolutions now. P

At the start of the year, we were pretty sure Arlo Parks would ‘do quite well’, but what followed was positively interstellar. Awards, universal acclaim and runaway success, we gave one of 2021’s breakout stars a call in the middle of her North American tour to catch up on a truly extraordinary twelve months. Words: Jasleen Dhindsa. Photo: Alexandra Waespi.

#2 ARLO PARKS

COLLAPSED IN SUNBEAMS Did we think Arlo Parks was going to have a good year? Sure. From the moment we heard the exceptional ‘Black Dog’, it was clear that an already hyped talent had the wow factor to go above and beyond. Even with that, though, her 2021 has been striking. ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ may not have broken chart records on its release, but it’s smart, emotionally resonant brilliance has seen Arlo build from tip list standout to award winning star. Taking home not only a BRIT Award, but the Mercury Prize on her debut album, the plaudits are all deserved. A special talent with much, much more to follow.

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WOLF ALICE

BLUE WEEKEND There’s little point asking if Wolf Alice are - pound for pound - the best band in Britain anymore. It’s more or less taken as fact. In fact, it’s hard to think of any group from anywhere on the planet who can hold a candle to Ellie, Joel, Joff and Theo now. That’s the impact of ‘Blue Weekend’ - a third album following on two perfect predecessors that didn’t just keep up the standard, but drove beyond it with an effortless, ethereal wave of its magic wand. Some bands are special - but Wolf Alice? They’re once in a generation wonders.

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hoped Wolf Alice would do next and goes even further. As Ellie and Theo look back, just days away from heading to the US for what will be their biggest headline run of shows for quite a while, it’s been a surreal 12 months. “It’s weird to think at the moment,” cracks Theo. “It’s just like tunnel vision, isn’t it? At the moment, we’re just like - right, let’s fucking do this American tour and make sure it all goes fine and well. It’s kind of nice because it makes you live in the moment, but also the moment is full of anxiety because of all the ways things could go wrong.” While the world may still have potholes to dodge and avoid, ‘Blue Weekend’ took on a life of its own. Sitting with few contemporaries, it’s an album that transcends, both capturing a moment in time and timeless all at once. Pushing that cinematic flair to the very top, it’s a lush album that’s taken on a rightful life of its own. With the adoration and plaudits for previous album ‘Visions Of A Life’ and the incredible response since, you’d think that Wolf Alice were pretty confident before its release, right? “We were really nervous before ‘Blue ELLIE ROWSELL Weekend’ comes out,” admits Ellie. Being away from the usual sights and sounds of being in a band for so long found Wolf Alice wondering how their next chapter would be received. “We had spent so much time making this album in such intense circumstances that we couldn’t see the wood from the trees. Deep down, I think we had a feeling it was good because I don’t think we’d put out something that we thought was shit, but we were so immersed in everything ‘Blue Weekend’ that it was kinda hard to perceive it for what it was. “Being blessed with nice reviews, that was a relief. We were flattered by those, but y’know, when you’re not playing shows, it’s quite hard to gauge how things have gone down unless you want to take the time trawling through Twitter and whatever.” Ellie takes a moment as memories of finally stepping back on-stage flood back in. “We really weren’t expecting people to sing back the words and stuff like that, you know? But that’s why doing these shows have been so good.” No concerns were needed. ‘Blue Weekend’ proved itself not only in fulfilling every ounce of anticipation that came from being quite the big deal following two gold-standard albums but also in expanding everything that makes Wolf Alice so sensational. From the moment ‘The Last Man On Earth’ arrived, it was clear that this was a Wolf Alice searing for the

“We had a feeling it was good, but we were so immersed in everything ‘Blue Weekend’ that it was hard to perceive it for what it was”

t’s July 2021, and Wolf Alice are getting ready for an intimate headline show in Bournemouth. In any other year, the fact that Ellie, Theo, Joel and Joff are pulling into another town for another sold-out night wouldn’t exactly be a shocker. Over the past decade, they’ve gone about becoming one of the most essential and beloved British bands. Grandstand ambition, an insatiable creative streak that’s expanded their world of alternative hooks and dreams all while holding on to the core sense that they’re ‘one of us’, has made them bonafide modern greats. Throwing in the fact that their latest album, ‘Blue Weekend’, has been out for nearly seven weeks at this point, and you’ve got the pretty understandable feeling that what Bournemouth will see tonight is another jaw-dropping headline moment. Things are different, though. Wolf Alice’s first full-on gig in nearly two years, for most gathered, it’s their first non-socially-distanced gig since early 2020, too. Oh, and the next night, Wolf Alice will be headlining the biggest festival of their career,

Latitude. In a year that has felt more like tunnel vision, that moment before stepping on-stage in Bournemouth is one that Ellie Rowsell recalls vividly. “I think looking back, it was that moment in the year that I really felt the most,” she explains. “When we were just about to go on-stage in Bournemouth, and suddenly I could hear people chanting. We were in such a nice venue, and I felt very close to the five of us and our crew. It felt like everything had fallen back into place a little bit, and it was really nice. We’ve had some really brilliant experiences this year, but that moment… I treasure that one more so, for some reason.” Fast forward to now, and it’s fair to say Wolf Alice have seized the year as their own. It’s no surprise; they’re a special band - and that’s not a statement you’ve never seen before or one you’ll find many (if any) detractors arguing against. Yet even for a band who have well and truly set themselves apart, 2021 was something different. What began confined in rooms and houses blossomed into their grandest era to date, with a record that takes everything you

readdork.com 21.

big leagues. Boasting an album that jumped from feverish intensity and hooks (‘Smile’, ‘Play The Greatest Hits’) to jaw-dropping beauty (‘How Can Make It Okay?’, ‘Lipstick On The Glass’ and ‘Delicious Things’ to name but a few), it delivered on every level. It makes Wolf Alice impossible to ignore, a band that a generation of alternative music fans will forever point to as The Best. After every stone laid down across ‘My Love Is Cool’ and ‘Visions Of A Life’, ‘Blue Weekend’ managed to feel like an album essential for now. Truth be told, it’s a type of magic. Stepping on-stage once again has given the band the chance to really gauge the impact of ‘Blue Weekend’. “It’s where we usually gauge things,” details Theo. “Looking out into the audience and literally seeing people’s reactions. We don’t compare it to what we’ve done before because so many factors are at play. You change, people change, but it’s ultimately us at the core of it. When you can look out and see people singing like ‘Delicious Things’, they’re really significant moments. These songs aren’t singles, so maybe it suggests that the album overall is hitting people at home. It’s hard to compare to what’s happened before; it almost feels completely new each time.” Finally giving Wolf Alice a deserved Number 1 album, it’s yet another achievement to add to their incomparable resume. And the small matter of headlining a major festival? Yeah, why not - let’s add that in there too. “Yeah, in hindsight, for that to be our first show…” begins Ellie, as Theo beams at the sheer chaos of returning with a defining show atop the Latitude bill, with just the one small warm-up date to follow nearly two years away from the stage. “I can’t actually believe that was our first major show back. I must have been on autopilot or something because, looking back now, I’d be so nervous to do that. Nothing really made sense at the time, if you know what I mean? I was just as scared to do a Zoom interview as I was to headline Latitude. Everything was up in the air and just fucking weird or whatever. Just crazy.” “It was also basically our first show playing with a new band member live,” adds Theo, referring to former Superfood favourite Ryan Malcolm joining the fold on-stage with the band. “Adding something that significant to the show as well, something that it feels like you need so much practice in front of audiences to get right. For Ryan… what a fucking horrible first day at work. It’s amazing because you’re headlining, but it’s like playing in the Champions League ELLIE ROWSELL Final for your debut instead of going on trial at Charlton Athletic!” There’s something ever so Wolf Alice about it all, what’s taken them to this level. With three albums to pull from, it felt like a coronation that we’d all

“I was just as scared to do a Zoom interview as I was to headline Latitude”

22. DORK

been waiting for. “Yeah,” picks up Ellie, “because I feel like the small grassroots venue tour we just did… obviously you give your 100% at every show no matter how big or small it is, but it’s quite nice to play things for the first time and trial things and stuff in front of a smaller audience, isn’t it? And I now feel more confident to play those bigger shows, but it’s like - fuck, we’ve already played the biggest show again, right? I was like, oh my god, we didn’t have a road test or anything before we went and headlined a festival. I was there like, ‘Oh, what about this?’ It was quite mad when you think about it.” That headline moment became a true highlight of the summer, a culmination of every step in the Wolf Alice story and a welcome celebration. During a time deprived of unforgettable nights under the stars with your favourite bands, something special happened. Call it a light at the end of a very long tunnel, but it felt like there was no better band to capture this year. “I will treasure that memory forever,” admits Theo. “That weekend was just fantastic, being able to headline a festival with a light show… I think we were really proud of that show.”

With that scorching run of intimate shows across the UK now in the books, as well as another crowning moment high-up at this year’s Reading & Leeds, attention for Wolf Alice now turns for what comes next. In what’s been a year of incredible moments, juggled with a slightly disjointed return to normality and playing shows, it’s clear what sits at the forefront of their minds. “With the world allowing, I think the ambition now is to get out and just play. Play quite a lot,” states Theo, that hunger to travel the world and get in front of fans wherever possible more prominent than ever before. “It’s weird having an album come out and not being able to properly give it a go at playing to loads of people around the world and trying to show people what it is in that environment is strange.” A sold-out January UK headline tour already promises to be a truly special set of evenings where ‘Blue Weekend’ can come to life. “That, plus hopefully we’ll try and make some new music or do something else because it will be quite a while since we’ve been doing stuff like that. It’s weird to think, we’re back there already.” Turning a year of uncertainty into their finest to date, Wolf Alice are leaders of the pack. P

POP PUNK IS BACK (PT.1) 10 tracks that made a big impact, and why. 100 million streams and counting on Spotify, FYI - ‘Just For Me’ genuinely does sound like future pop at its very best. Proof that TikTok does far more than just push 30-second snippets down our throats until we go slowly mad.

PISSING OFF BORING MEN WHO THINK EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FOR THEM

WET LEG

CHAISE LONGUE Is this the song of the year? Quite probably. Coming out of nowhere, from the very first time we heard ‘Chaise Longue’ we were more than willing to crown Wet Leg officially The Most Exciting New Band On The Planet. Sassy, sharp and a fearsome earworm to boot, it’s a long, long time since a band introduced themselves with quite this impact. . .

ELTON’S FAVE YARD ACT

THE OVERLOAD Truth is, all this postpunk indie stuff had become a little bit po-faced before Yard Act came along. Great music requires great personality, and the Leeds fourpiece have bags of it. In less able hands, something like ‘The Overload’ might feel a bit, well, naff. With them, it’s sharp, direct and brilliant. It’s no wonder that everyone’s favourite new music stan Sir Elton John has been raving about them in every interview he

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does. Officially approved from music’s ruling classes, 2022 looks like it’s going to be huge.

TIKTOK’S BEST BOP PINKPANTHERESS JUST FOR ME

To anyone who doesn’t spend all their days scrolling through videos on their phone, PinkPantheress may have felt to come from nowhere in 2021. Truth be told, she’s been dropping solid gold bops all year long. While ‘Pain’ remains a standout - it’s got over

TRANSPARENTSOUL In truth, you could make an argument that ‘T R A N S P A R E N T S O U L’ isn’t even WILLOW’s biggest track of the year. That title would go to a live version of 2020’s Tyler Cole team up ‘Meet Me At Our Spot’ that’s so good it went viral on social media, and ended up being added to streaming platforms. Still, now Pop Punk Is Back, Willow is definitely leading the charge. . . does so in such a no-shits-given way that it’s impossible not to get on board. A true queen.

glorious pop-punk-revival future, it really captured the mood. One for screaming at the top of your lungs.

OH, THE BAZ LURHMAN-Y ONE, RITE?

THE ONE FOR PUNCHING PEOPLE (BUT NOT REALLY PUNCHING PEOPLE BECAUSE THAT’S NAUGHTY)

SELF ESTEEM

LORDE

I DO THIS ALL THE TIME

Waaaaah. Lorde’s new material doesn’t sound like ‘Green Light’ part 2. Waaaaah, it’s so unrelatable to me - a boring old man - that a woman might be content or happy or interested in spirituality and nature and stuff. It is clearly Lorde, the woman in her mid-20s, who is out of touch with her audience of women in their mid20s, and not me not actually being the important one here. Fuck off. ‘Solar Power’ is great. You suck.

You know the one. The one with all the talking and the life advice. Like that Baz Lurhman song from the 90s. Yeah. That one. You’ve heard that one! Ask your parents. We jest - the irony is not lost on us. That’s the joke, you see. Got it? In truth, ‘I Do This All The Time’ is just one of a series of amazing singles from Self Esteem’s standout album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’. Its stand-stilland-pay-attention delivery is what stands it out from its peers. Remarkable.

SOLAR POWER

THE BIG BANGER

WILLOW

MUCKY MOTHERFUCKER OF THE YEAR REMI WOLF

LIQUOR STORE God, the last couple of years have been a slog. Relentless negativity, shitty situations and the anxiety of feeling there’s always a new disaster around the corner, it would be easy to slip into a rut of only listening to deeply depressing music. Thank fuck for Remi Wolf then, who isn’t only happy to deliver sunny day bops so saturated in serotonin they’re able to charge solar panels by themselves, but

POP PUNK IS BACK (PT.2) OLIVIA RODRIGO GOOD 4 U

If you’d have tried to tell us back in January of 2021 that - actually - ‘Driver’s Licence’ wouldn’t really be Olivia Rodrigo’s biggest song of the year - in-a-culturalsense at least - we’d have considered you in need of a sitdown and a sweet cup of tea. But then, we never really say ‘Good 4 U’ coming. A track that manages to both echo the past - Paramore ended up with a writing credit, such was its similarity to their retired megahit ‘Misery Business - and the

SAM FENDER

SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER The title track from Sam’s brilliant second full-length, it’s the line about being “far too scared to hit him, but I would hit him in a heartbeat now” turned out to be so viscerally identifiable, it turned into its very own TikTok trend. Not that we’re condoning violence, you understand. This whack is purely for emotional purposes - but Christ it feels good.

RIP JAKE GYLLENHAAL TAYLOR SWIFT

ALL TOO WELL (10 MINUTE VERSION) (TAYLOR’S VERSION) (FROM THE VAULT) Dear Jake. We’d not bother leaving the house in 2022. Just stay home. We’ve heard you’ve got quite a good couch. It’s for the best. Lots of love, everyone.

MIXTAPES, PROJECTS, MINI-ALBUMS & EPS, ETC. →

When is a 10-track release, generally by a new artist, not an album. When it’s a ‘mixtape’ or a ‘project’ or an ‘anything to not have to call this a debut album because we still reckon we can make something out of that label down the line, but have this anyway’, of course. Here’s the best of the ‘non album’ releases from the last year.

#1 ALFIE TEMPLEMAN FOREVER ISN’T LONG ENOUGH

Indie’s boy wonder is on a roll. In 2020, he scored his first Dork cover and appeared on the longlist for the BBC prestigious Sound Of critics poll for the year ahead. In 2022, he’ll deliver a much-anticipated debut album that - all being well - might make him a star. In between, we got this, ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ - a five-star collection of indie anthems that show just how much potential the 18-year-old has. With every new release, that bar rises ever higher. Alfie’s got the world at his feet already. All it needs is that finishing touch.

ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

THE WALLS ARE WAY TOO THIN

GRIFF

HOLLY HUMBERSTONE

BLEACH LAB

NOTHING FEELS REAL

Griff already has a BRIT Award under her belt, but on the strength of her first big collection ‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’, she’s only just getting started. ‘Black Hole’ in particular proves that she’s a top table pop talent just waiting to ascend to superstar status. We wouldn’t expect her have to hang around long before that final elevation occurs.

It might only just have been released - you can find our review and a full guide from the artist later in this issue - but Holly Humberstone’s second EP only goes to prove just how amazing the 21-slash-22depending-on-when-youread-this-issue year-old is. Featuring a song co-written with The 1975’s Matty Healy, it may not be long until she’s joining them in the arenas.

Though Bleach Lab probably weren’t on our list for the most exciting new names at the start of 2021, by the end they’ve firmly set up camp. Such is the strength of their second EP ‘Nothing Feels Real’ - a collection of songs that grabs the attention with a bewitching spell and holds it until the bitter end. Produced by the legendary Stephen Street, it’s part Wolf Alice, part Cranberries, all brilliant.

#10

GRAND NATIONAL

THE YEARBOOK

TO HELL WITH IT

BUTTER-FLY

NEAR LIFE EXPERIENCE PART 1 / 2

FREE TO LIVE IN COLOUR

COURTING

The thing we like most about Sports Team is that they’re not only great on record, and phenomenal live, but they’ve also got a personality that lifts them up above your average band. At a point where so many are trying to appear arty and serious, dealing with weighty subject matters in a worthy, critically aware way, being willing to take the piss a bit is a real plus. Sorry, did we say Sports Team? Courting. We mean Courting.

BABY QUEEN

Last year’s Hype List cover star, Baby Queen has spent 2021 throwing out a long list of Really Very Brilliant singles, most of which pulled together to form her first mixtape-not-an-album, ‘The Yearbook’. An example of just how effective good alt-pop can be, it’s not just the music, but the community that Bella Lathum has created around her music that sets her apart. True royalty.

PINKPANTHERESS Some releases feel like they exist in a single moment, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of what’s going on right then. ‘To Hell With It’ is a mixtape that may borrow and echo back to pop music of the relatively recent past, but it turns it into the kind of smart, future thinking, effortless pop that can only exist right here, right now. Born outside of the machine, it’s an echo of what we’ll all be listening to for years to come.

LAVA LA RUE One of the brightest, shiniest talents to emerge from London’s buzzy NiNE8 collective, Lava La Rue’s ‘Butter-Fly’ EP shows she’s more than just an exciting part of a bigger group. She’s also a singular voice worth getting extremely hyped about indeed. With much more to come, it might just be a hint of what will follow, but it’s one packed with undeniable promise.

L DEVINE

Most acts would be happy to put out one great EP in a year, but with her ‘Near Life Experience’ project, L Devine has managed two. And they’re brilliant, too - packed with absolute bangers that would grace any album. So much so that we’ve already signed her up for a short run of stripped back shows in the lead up to Xmas. You’re welcome.

PIXEY

When we say that Pixey’s glorious 2021 might have flown slightly under the radar of some, that’s no insult to the artist herself. Rather, it’s a signal to just how brilliant the two big releases she’s dropped over the past few months are. The first of the pair, ‘Free To Live In Colour’, especially feels like the announcement of a new voice with a big, big future ahead of themselves. readdork.com 25.

DORK READERS’ POLL 2021: THE RESULTS. →→→

BAND OF THE YEAR

#1 WOLF ALICE #2 #3 #4 #5

INHALER SPORTS TEAM SHAME BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD

Was there really ever any doubt? When it comes to ‘the bands’, 2021 belonged to Wolf Alice. While we love all of our beautiful pop children, it’s hard to argue that there’s nobody else to compare to the London four-piece. It’s a great showing for INHALER, though, narrowly pipping last year’s winners Sports Team to the runners-up slot, who hold on to a Top 3 finish despite not putting out an album proper in the last twelve months. Looks like they’re here to stay, then. We’ll warn our therapists.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

#1 BLUE WOLF ALICE WEEKEND

DEBUT OF THE YEAR

#2 SAM FENDER

#1 OLIVIA RODRIGO

#3 SELF ESTEEM

#2 INHALER

#4 OLIVIA RODRIGO

#3 ARLO PARKS

#5 INHALER

#4 REMI WOLF

SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER PRIORITISE PLEASURE SOUR

IT WON’T ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS

It’s been quite the year for standout albums - each of the Top 3 in your poll results was a five-star Dork rated winner, so no arguments from us. There was little doubt in the results, though - ‘Blue Weekend’ not just winning by a country mile, but very nearly securing as many votes as the rest of the top five combined. If any record deserved it, it’s this one.

SOUR

IT WON’T ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS COLLAPSED IN SUNBEAMS JUNO

#5 MAISIE PETERS

YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS

Whatever your pop poison, it’s virtually impossible to deny that Olivia Rodrigo is a worthy winner here - just on sheer impact alone. Probably the biggest ‘new’ pop culture phenomenon of 2021, she leads off a troupe of fresh talent that’s sure to make an impression for years to come.

BEST FESTIVAL SOLO ACT OF THE YEAR

#1 SAM FENDER #2 #3 #4 #5

SELF ESTEEM OLIVIA RODRIGO LITTLE SIMZ DECLAN MCKENNA

In many ways, it’s the era of the solo star. From the pandemic’s impact - both in terms of meeting up with mates to practice or record, and playing live - to the singular focus of social media, the deck has been stacked in favour of some solo artists. Saying that, it’s not the bedroom pop, youtube stars who dominate your picks. Four standout acts of 2021, and a long time Dork fave in the form of Declan McKenna, every one is a birrova icon in their own right.

#1 READING & LEEDS #2 #3 #4 #5

LATITUDE GREEN MAN ALL POINTS EAST WIDE AWAKE

In truth, this category should have been called ‘Best Festival That Actually Happened Or Sort Of Happened In Some Form After June 2021’. Bit of a mouthful though. Without Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds understandably dominates as the biggest UK festival still on the board. Latitude and Green Man both thrived, however, and its nice to see a new event, London’s Wide Awake, getting a lot of praise.

readdork.com 27.

BREAKTHROUGH ACT OF THE YEAR

BEST LIVE ACT

#1 HOLLY HUMBERSTONE #2 #3 #4 #5

ARLO PARKS REMI WOLF GRIFF ALFIE TEMPLEMAN

#1 SPORTS TEAM #2 #3 #4 #5

WOLF ALICE BRING ME THE HORIZON GIRL IN RED SEA GIRLS

If there’s one thing you can be sure, it’s that Sports Team will give you a good time live. That’s why, even in The Year of Wolf Alice, they win the crown of the Best Live Act - and deservedly so. A great showing for Girl In Red, though, who delivered a staggeringly good set at this year’s Reading Festival. Thank fuck live music is back, eh?

In a year where Arlo Parks has won many a shiny gong, it’s testament to the sheer potential of Holly Humberstone that she’s scooped your Best Breakthrough nod. The former Dork cover star’s new EP is a five star gem, and yet still, there’s definitely loads more to come.

TRACK OF THE YEAR

#1 CHAISE WETLONGUE LEG #2 SAM FENDER

SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER

#3 YARD ACT FIXER UPPER

#4 WOLF ALICE SMILE

#5 OLIVIA RODRIGO GOOD 4 U

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Well well well. What can you say about Wet Leg? This month’s cover stars, over the page you’ll find them leading off our 2022 Hype List, previewing the new names set to dominate the year ahead. Which is a bit of a joke, really, considering they’ve won more categories in this year’s Readers’ Poll than anyone else. ‘Chaise Longue’ is unquestionably your track of the year - and correctly so. And, yeah, we’re agreed on the likelihood of 2022 being a massive break through year for the duo. But winning Most Anticipated Album when we’re certain we’ll be getting a new record from The 1975 in 2022, and we know how nuts you go for Matty and co? Oh blimey. This is gonna be big.

BAND TO BREAK THROUGH IN 2022

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM

#1WET LEG

#2 #3 #4 #5

BABY QUEEN YARD ACT PINKPANTHERESS THOMAS HEADON

#2 #3 #4 #5

THE 1975 SPORTS TEAM RINA SAWAYAMA FONTAINES DC

“A stunning debut” ROLLING STONE

“A beautifully delicate record” DORK

The Debut Album Optimist Out Now

New year. New artists.

THE

LIST 2022 Welcome, Dear Reader, to our annual Hype List - a run-down of some of our favourite new artists we expect to make an impact during the twelve months ahead. Over the next few pages you’ll find buzz bands, future pop legends and everything in-between. We expect you’ll be seeing much, much more of them very soon indeed.

30. DORK

WET

G E

From the moment their single ‘Chaise Longue’ landed, there was little doubt that Wet Leg were instantly elevated to buzz band status. What’s followed is anything but ordinary. With only one other track ‘out’, the noise around the duo is already deafening. With a debut album planned for 2022, there’s no other act who could lead off this year’s Hype List. Wet Leg are the real deal. Words: Jake Hawkes. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

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THE

LIST 2022

e love a bit of hype here at Dork. The fifteenth album from an ageing indie rocker might be some people’s cup of tea, but there’s nothing quite like a brand new band crashing through the proverbial front door armed with a basketful of great songs and a whole lot of excitement. Enter Wet Leg. You may remember them from our feature a few months ago, or possibly from literally everywhere else music has been played since they first arrived. Debut single ‘Chaise Longue’ was an absolute banger, and now follow-up ‘Wet Dream’ has proved the Isle of Wight duo as far more than one-trick ponies. A smart, catchy indie-pop song, it’s just as polished as their first effort but in a different enough vein that we still can’t pin down what the future may hold. One thing’s for certain, though – it’ll be very, very good. When we speak to Rhian, one half of the band, she’s just finishing off her fourth coffee of the day and wondering whether the combined caffeine intake could kill her. “I’m enjoying being at home for a few days, so I may have overdone it a bit,” she says with a laugh. “But if the caffeine makes you feel like you’re gonna die, then you can properly appreciate being alive and really treat every day like it’s gonna be your last, right?” she takes another sip of coffee as she muses on her potential demise. After 18 months of being legally obliged to stay at home, it may seem odd to be relishing the opportunity to spend some more time there, but nobody can claim Wet Leg aren’t making the most of being able to travel again. Their

selling out any venue, they’ve schedule has included usually had a lot of a slew of festivals, experience of playing support slots with to empty rooms the likes of Inhaler and pubs full of and Declan disinterested McKenna and punters. a headline Depressing? tour in the Yes. Useful? new year. Definitely. “It’s been Those gigs such a are where whirlwind,” bands make Rhian mistakes and says with learn how to a shake of do everything her head. that can’t be “We’ve experienced been jumping in a rehearsal between playing space on a suburban support slots industrial estate. Wet in places like the Leg, on the other hand, Kentish Town Forum are working out what sort of and playing these smaller live band they are in full view of venues, which feel much more the world, often with a crowd that would in line with where we feel we should be make a veteran band jealous. playing. I’m honestly not sure if me and Hester “I still don’t know what’s going on,” says [the other half of Wet Leg] are super present at Rhian. “We’ve only got two songs out, so I kind those bigger shows, because it’s just so strange. of want to go up to everyone after the gig and “Honestly, when we play the bigger venues, check they’re alright. They do know that other it’s mainly us wondering when they’re gonna bands have whole albums and stuff, right? notice that they’ve booked the wrong band and “It’s especially weird supporting these huge tell us to leave. Just house lights up, someone bands, even though Declan and the Inhaler boys walks out on stage and tells us they were have been so lovely to us. They’re actually looking to book a much important partly because it gives us bigger band called Let Weg!” the opportunity to play our music She laughs again, seemingly to new people and steal a few fans genuinely incredulous at the band’s along the way, which I’ve been continuing popularity. “We’ve told is the aim of it. But for us, the done a lot of getting to grips with really invaluable bit has been just RHIAN TEASDALE touring as well, which has mainly developing ourselves as people that been Itsu pots and weird hotels – play music on stage, as opposed to it’s been fun. We’ve got our rider all people that play music locked away in a cave worked out now as well. Houmous, tomatoes, with nobody watching. We’re getting our live set salad and bread. The rock star lifestyle is up to scratch and hopefully gaining some fans!” making your own sandwiches before a set. We Mixed in with these support slots have switched from bread to wraps recently, which been huge festivals including Latitude (so full has been pretty exciting.” that the queue to get in seemed to consist of Nutritional riders are one of the perks, but everyone at the festival) and Isle of Wight, going straight from 0-100 can have some which was a homecoming of sorts for the duo. downsides, too. By the time most bands are “It’s a weird one,” Rhian says of the island’s yearly dose of live music. “Most of my friends have drifted away from the Isle of Wight and live in places like London and Bristol, so even though it was a hometown gig, it was mainly vague acquaintances who are going to judge you really, really hard,” she laughs. “Honestly, there are about 15 people who live on the island, so we were wondering where the other people would come from, but it was pretty full. It was another weird one, because our first gig there was in 2019 on one of the small local stages, so to come back after lockdown as a real band with a name on the poster was absolutely mad. “I remember when we played in 2019, we did our little 20 minute set of songs we had thrown together so we could get a free ticket and afterwards we saw a friend and asked them what they thought of it. He was like, ‘yeah, it was a bit hit and miss, maybe three out of ten for me?’ So it didn’t take much for this year’s experience to beat that one! “It was also weird because it didn’t feel much

“It’s been such a whirlwind”

** CHEAT SHEET **

WET LEG’S CRYSTAL BALL It’s the end of the year, and nobody knows what the future will bring. We decided to dispel some of the mystery and ask Rhian to gaze deep into the crystal ball for some fortunetelling. Here’s what she came up with.

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE Rhian: This will happen while we’re in New York, and it’ll be like a horror film. My go-to small talk with people is always asking what they’d do in a zombie apocalypse. It’s pretty convenient living on the Isle of Wight because you can just head straight for the sea. Grab a yacht, some tins of beans and live in the ocean until it all blows over. Zombies can still drown because they’ve got lungs and all that; they’re just MAD for human flesh, right?

A FASHION REVOLUTION Rhian: 90s trends are going to disappear, and we’ll revisit somewhere we haven’t revisited in a while. I think Medieval stuff is due a comeback – there’s a bit of it around at the moment anyway; musicians all seem to be wearing suits of armour. Wearing armour would be tiring, but so are high heels, and people wear them all the time. At least armour is useful if you get into a fight.

“I still don’t know what’s going on, we’ve only got two songs out”

like a festival. We’d gone pretty ham at Latitude and Green Man, so we’d got that out of our system there. Isle of Wight was more ‘turn up at a sensible time, play our set and then home to walk the dog’ – we weren’t very rock’n’roll.” While the music world is open for business again, RHIAN TEASDALE an aspect of finding success in a period when gigs weren’t allowed is that any fanbase, no matter how engaged, can feel intangible. Social media numbers and radio plays might be indicators of popularity, but what if all your fans are abroad, or those streams are just because you’ve been put on the right playlist? “It’s still a weird one,” Rhian says with a shrug. “We’re so in the mindset of this not feeling real that even when we do play, you find ways to discount it. The support shows are great, and people have been super lovely, but you’re still very aware that you’re not the main event. Festivals can also feel a bit ‘right place, right time’, so I think until we play some headline shows, it’s going to feel really weird. Our Instagram following keeps growing, too, and I just don’t know who these people are. It’s good, but it’s just really intangible.”

With traditional avenues of → NAME interaction shut down, a lot of Wet Leg acts found alternative ways to → MEMBERS build fan communities, from Rhian Teasdale, Hester Instagram lives to WhatsApp Chambers groups. “We actually did a → FROM Isle of Wight, UK YouTube live thing when we → LISTEN TO... launched the ‘Wet Dream’ Chaise Longue, obviously video, which was really fun,” says Rhian. “The issue we’d have with a Whatsapp group is that I’m just really bad with my phone, so would probably just forget to respond to anything! I think Sports Team are probably quite good at it, but I’d basically just get freaked out and put my phone away. Maybe we’ll start one when we feel a bit more like rock stars – if that ever happens. I always feel like people who are good at this stuff are probably quite good at using dating apps. If you’re good at Tinder, then you’re probably good at Instagramming nice strangers who say they like your music.” She pauses and holds her hands up. “It’s a funny old world, isn’t it?” Whatsapp group or no, Wet Leg’s fans seem plenty engaged. The murmurings of a one-hitwonder have been well and truly silenced by ‘Wet Dream’, but did the anticipation scare them as they geared up to release song number two? “Oh my god, it was so awful!” Rhian groans. “I basically felt sick and was moody for about a week leading up to it being released. I think we were even more nervous because we’d been living in that honeymoon period of skipping along on the reception of the first single, then someone basically taps you on the shoulder, and it’s like, ‘shit, now we’ve got to release more music’. Luckily that also went down well, so now I’m ready to feel sick and moody all over again for song number three.” ‘Wet Dream’ is a song about an ex who used to text Rhian saying he’d been having dreams about her. It’s whip-smart, funny and has an earworm hook that’s likely to have you accidentally singing out loud about touching yourself. Basically, ‘Chaise Longue’ was the best song we’d heard all year, and ‘Wet Dream’ is the best one we’ve heard since then. “We chose ‘Wet Dream’ as the next single because we wanted to continue on the theme of dicks,” Rhian says, trying and failing to maintain a straight face before collapsing into

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SMART COOKIES

“We’ve done everything in a bit of a funny way, so we do keep having to revisit and tweak things in a way that a lot of bands probably don’t. We started recording before we’d ever played anything live because of lockdown and shows not going ahead. So sometimes we’ll play stuff that’s already recorded in a live setting, then have to backtrack to the recording and redo bits and restructure stuff. There’s been this back and forth, which I suppose isn’t usual.” The build-up of energy over lockdown has meant that the past few months Rhian: Very interesting, very thoughtprovoking. Would we be an Oreo? No, have been even busier than we’d be a Wagon Wheel. Much usual for gigs, albums and like Wagon Wheels, Wet Leg new bands, all jostling for have a hard yet delicious attention. A lot of acts exterior, but on the inside, we’re just a big dumb have jumped straight marshmallow. from a packed festival season into a headline tour without any room to breathe in between. Wet giggles. “No, Leg are in the no, I’m joking. same situation, I think it just only with pressure felt like a bop. to release a debut We haven’t album at record got anything speed and take their similar to ‘Chaise place on the bigger Longue’, and I don’t stages that they’re still really thing we’ve got working out how to fill. anything similar to ‘Wet “I can’t really talk about Dream’ in the bag, either. It album stuff, except that you was very hard to choose, but in can hopefully expect something in the end, it just felt like the next single. the spring or summer of next year,” says “It was also hard because our radio plugger Rhian, picking her words carefully. “I’m not being loved the song but was a bit nervous about it being coy on purpose, I promise! I just don’t know what’s called ‘Wet Dream’ in case radio stations thought happening when and what I can say. We’re so busy it was too racy – but I think there’s way racier stuff at the moment that I honestly don’t think we’d have out there, so we went for it anyway. It seems to have time to write anything more than what we’ve written gone down well too, which is always pre-starting recording though, so a lot of nice.” it is going to be songs that we’ve written ‘Wet Dream’ also came complete during or even before lockdown. with a music video, which sees Wet “We’re so busy at the moment that I Leg returning to the cottagecore don’t know what’s going on,” she says, aesthetic of the ‘Chaise Longue’ fumbling off camera looking for her video, but this time with added lobster schedule. “I’ve got two phones at the claws. “I wanted my performance to moment like a drug dealer, because one be quite sexy, because it’s quite a sexy has all of the things we’ve got coming up song,” explains Rhian. “But just being on it. Upgrading parts of the headline straight-up sexy is not me, so I had to tour, which is really weird. Plans are being get the claws involved – sexy but also made, but everything’s so up in the air a lobster. Also, the song’s called ‘Wet that nothing feels very concrete at the Dream’ and lobsters are from the sea, moment. Discussions are happening so why not be a lobster? Lobsters are somewhere, but I don’t know exactly wet for most of their lives. It’s very where! deep and symbolic, quite a lot to take “The maddest thing, though,” she says in. Plus, we had the lobster claws from with a grin. “The maddest thing is that a photoshoot we did with my friend we’re supposed to be playing America and who’s a stylist and costume designer, have already sold out New York. That’s so there was that, too.” insane, just completely mad. Although I’m RHIAN TEASDALE The video, directed by Rhian and trying not to get too excited because we Hester, was also a way to re-engage do seem to have the worst luck with stuff with a song that had been written for – maybe there’ll be another pandemic, or our visas a while before release. “It was enjoyable to go back will get revoked, or there’ll be a zombie apocalypse. to it,” says Rhian. “It’s a song for the sake of instant If none of that stuff derails us though, we’ll see you in gratification – it’s a pop song. Because of that, there’s New York City.” P no timestamp on it, no danger of us not identifying with it in the future. If it’s a deeper or more introspective track, you can lose the association you had with it, but this didn’t have that time-sensitivity, so it was great to be able to release it and feel the same way as we did when we wrote it. Here at Dork, we pride ourselves on delving deeper into the artist’s psyche than any other publication. We go for the big questions, the stuff that nobody else has the courage to ask. This month our crack team of philosophers, psychologists and professional question-askers went straight for the biggest question of all: if Wet Leg were a biscuit, which biscuit would they be?

“We chose ‘Wet Dream’ as the next single because we wanted to continue on the theme of dicks”

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Leeds indie newcomers English Teacher may only be just getting started, but they’re already starting to pick up attention in all the right places. Words: Jamie Muir. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

he EP feels a lot more cohesive, it sounds a lot more like us, but there’s a huge scope for what we could do that’s so exciting,” notes English Teacher guitarist Lewis Whiting. Right at the starting line of where their powers could take them, the band’s razor-sharp edge of stinging experimental alt-rock and post-punk has already made them a must-see name at inner-city new music showcases over the past few months. It’s enough to ensure that they must be bursting with confidence as 2022 approaches, right? “I mean, it’ll be exciting to try out some shit,” continues Lewis. “It might be terrible, though.” “It probably will be terrible,” cracks vocalist Lily Fontaine, “but it will be ours!” The laughs ring out between the pair. “Please keep that in; I love that.” It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect one of the most exciting new bands going into the new year to say, but English Teacher are the candid shot of realism needed right now. A swirling mix of different influences, tastes and visions, their 2021 has been punctuated by the sort of moments and releases that stop you in your tracks. It must come from asking a pretty important LILY FONTAINE question of themselves. “Is this terrible? It’s always a big question! We’ve done this with a few different tunes, one that’s on the EP, actually. I think it was Lewis or Nick [Eden, bass] who were like, is this good? And we were like NO! And now it’s great!” “Not really selling ourselves, are we?” beams Lily. Whether it’s supporting the likes of Sports Team, TV Priest and FEET or adding a refreshing new look to the world, English Teacher are the shimmering new band on the block who’ll be dropping jaws in no time.

“This has been one of the best years of my life”

ENGLISH TEACHER

Like they’re already doing, after all. Completed by drummer Douglas Frost, their innate and unravelling power feels like a trademark on every release. Their latest number, ‘Good Grief ’ (taken from that as-yet-untitled upcoming EP), is a sub-threeminute ripper, jolting between off-kilter guitar lines and raw overflowing energy that erupts into a ferocious release. ‘Good Grief ’ finds Lily directly capturing the shocking levels of suffering caused by those in charge during the pandemic, while their previous number ‘Wallace’ helped paint a picture of rising right-wing sentiments through the prism of Wallace Hartley - the famed band leader of the Titanic whose name now adorns the local Wetherspoons in Lily’s hometown. “It’s the main reason I do this,” explains Lily. “The music is a way of me getting the writing that I love out there. I like talking about things that are important to me, or I think other people would find interesting. The message of the music is 100% the most important thing.” The blueprint of English Teacher was something that clicked instantly when all four got in the same room. “It’s when we wrote ‘R&B’,” pinpoints Lily. “It was the first time that we all wrote together with Lewis in the band, and we wrote it in just one day and in our front room which we used to rehearse in. It was done in a couple of hours, and we looked at each other and went - ahhh, okay. This is cool. Something’s going on here! Whenever we get that feeling now when we’re finishing new songs, we know that we’ve hit something that we want to put out there.” For English Teacher, 2021 has been, as Lily describes it, “one of the best years of my life. So much has changed, so it’s been stressful, but it’s been amazing.” Now attention turns to the future, and everything built so far stacking even higher. More music, more gigs, touring around the world and seeing fans react in places they never thought possible is one side. For Lily, the ability to talk more about those experiences, both personal and shared, remains right at the front of everything they do. In all aspects, right now feels like the calm before the storm as English Teacher become a lot of people’s new favourite band. One thing their next move won’t be, though? Terrible. P

** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME English Teacher → MEMBERS Lily Fontaine, Douglas Frost, Nicholas Eden, Lewis Whiting

→ FROM Leeds, UK → LISTEN TO... R&B

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“You know when you feel like you’re a character in a movie? I’m always writing from that perspective” BEAUX

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BEAUX

n a sense, the last year was the ideal time to be a bedroom pop star. However, emerging on the other side with a fistful of EPs that managed to hit a million listens was naturally quite the jarring adjustment for beaux. With no clue how the reaction to his music would be out in the real world, it was a daunting return to normality for the 22-year-old. Thankfully, he seems to have taken it in his stride. “I’ve never had audience feedback for any of the songs, so it was so interesting seeing an audience react to the music. We did some warmup shows before we did any festivals, and for the first one, I was a bit nervous,” beaux admits. “Mostly about all of the equipment – we were running off of laptops, and I was just thinking, something is going to go wrong, and do I know how to fix it? I don’t think so. But luckily, nothing went wrong, and after the first show, it’s been really good. I’ve not felt worried about the shows; it’s just been really fun.” Rich, effortless vocals and layers of experimental production define beaux’s sound across his earlier two EPs, ‘I Don’t Want To Make It Alone, I Want To Make It With You’ and ‘a love letter to the moments spend outside’ (apparently, as do long titles). Fast forward to the present day, though, and those qualities are pushed to the stratosphere as he approaches his third EP, ‘memories written down so I won’t forget them’. After signing with Dirty Hit back in 2019, the world effectively became beaux’s oyster. “I make all these songs at home, but I was like, I’ve got this label who are so great and happy to facilitate my ideas, so what can I get? I recorded all these vocals and thought it’d be so cool if a choir was doing this, so I wondered if we could get a choir. I asked the label, and they said we could use the London Community Gospel Choir, who are so good. Then I had some strings that I just programmed, and I just thought, I wonder if we can get real strings, that’d be so cool. It was a moment of exploration of what can I do that I wouldn’t be able to do in my bedroom, by myself? What can I do that’s fun and cool? I was just trying to do stuff that was exciting. It was just a matter of what is possible. It inspired me to be more creative because if you’re doing something like that, you want to make sure it’s worthwhile.” That fresh ambition pushes the time-capsule like ‘memories written down so I won’t forget them’ into new dimensions. It’s sweetly optimistic but dripping with nostalgia, fearlessly playing with distortion and tone. As per the title, it’s a collection of happy moments set to those idiosyncratic beaux sounds. “I always forget,” beaux laughs. “I feel like I have no memories before the age of ten, so in a way, the title is funny to me, because I’m literally here trying not to forget these memories. It’s like a journal and a diary from when I was feeling reminiscent about life.” It bottles up each moment delicately and timelessly captures that sentimental feeling. beaux’s matter-of-fact lyricism is a mainstay of each release, and on his latest EP, it melds with the deeply personal nature of the specific moments that beaux suspends in time. “I think for me, if I try and write too poetically, or I try and make something up, it just doesn’t sound very good; the lyrics don’t work as well. I realised that, and I’ve been writing quite literally. “Most of them are literally just my memories, and hopefully, people can relate their own memories. I always find, I don’t know if this is the case, but for me, the more specific someone is with their own thing, the more I can relate. When you watch characters in a TV show, ** CHEAT SHEET ** you’re not living the experiences they’ve lived in the show, but you’re still able → NAME Beaux South to relate to the character and relate it to yourself. Hopefully, the specificity of my → FROM London, UK lyrics makes it more easily relatable as opposed to being really vague. I think if → LISTEN TO... fall forward something says ‘oh, I was really sad’, you

Future popster beaux has a string of EPs behind him, and a new one just about to drop but what really shines through his ambition to keep pushing things further beyond the music he made in his bedroom. What comes next could go anywhere. Words: Neive McCarthy. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

could be like yeah, I guess I was really sad before! But if you explain a specific detail about why you were sad, someone might be reminded of a specific time with them.” A large amount of the EP chronicles a familiar trajectory of one’s early twenties. They’re familiar and intricately laced with landmarks of that period. From the infuriatingly catchy ‘Won’t You Take Me Far?’ and its hyper self-aware commentary on pandering to social media and yearning to see the world to ‘The Life I Lead’ and its absolute adoration for making music, they’re earnest and intrinsically resonant. “I’m 22, and I started writing these when I just turned 20, so I hope they’re relatable to other people in their early twenties, or looking back,” beaux muses. “I was thinking when I listened to the Olivia Rodrigo record, it sounds so like how a teenager thinks. When you go through a breakup as a teenager, and it’s the biggest issue in the world. I thought that was so cool because it was like a bit of a time capsule listening to ‘SOUR’. I sound like I’m so old! But that perspective of someone in their late teens and how they think – if my music does the same sort of thing, I think that’s really cool, like if you can listen to it and think yeah, that’s how I felt in my early twenties. Olivia’s really cool. Writing music that appeals to teenagers can come across as quite cliché, but hers doesn’t at all; it’s just very cool. She does it in the perfect way; I’m a big fan of her.” Arguably, a key part of your early twenties is distinctly feeling as though you’re playing the part of adult but it being just that – a part. Especially in the age of TikTok, idealising your life and capturing it just so, in a way that makes it feel important, feels more pressing than ever. beaux completely gets that. Those memories at the core of the EP are filtered and romanticised to high heavens – and wouldn’t we all do the same? “You know when you’re sitting in a car, looking out of the window or on a train, and you feel like you’re a character in a movie? I’m always writing from that perspective of seeing it in my head like it’s a movie – there’s probably loads of influences in there from TV shows and movies, how they’re made and how characters act. I suppose I write about the stuff that to me is interesting – you’re going to write about the stuff you internally romanticise because that’s what you find significant. I guess you pick those key moments and key memories that when you look back at them, you always look back with rose-tinted glasses. Especially when I’m writing about further back memories, more distant memories, I’m writing through rose-tinted glasses – I just romanticise it in my head.” That reflection is what makes beaux’s music so evocative and relevant; we’re all guilty of blowing things out of proportion in our mind and crafting something inherently romantic out of nothing. By enveloping those memories in shades of pink, beaux encourages you to hold onto those moments in the present, as they happen. “On ‘the life I lead’, at the end of the song there’s this deep voice that goes on for a while: it’s sort of the negative voice in the back of my head that says even if you’re in a really good place, and you’re really happy; eventually something’s going to go wrong, someone in your family could get sick, or you’re gonna die when you’re 80. It’s just that voice telling you everything can’t be perfect forever. But I do then say, ‘life is like a snapshot of the earth, and then our time’s up’, and that’s the moral of it. Just to make the most of the moments you have. Inevitably, it’s going to come to an end, so try and make the best of it.” With a third EP now under his belt and the future looking bright, it seems beaux might be clinging onto more of those memories than ever. Come a few years’ time, the next stage of his career might well be the time he looks back to with the kind of nostalgia laced into each beat of ‘memories written down so I won’t forget them’. Let’s hope that songs as great as these are born of those memories, too. P

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year ago, Wallice released ‘Punching Bag’, a chirpy, scrappy number about being forced to move on, delivered with a roll of the eyes. The 23-year-old had been writing songs with her friend/producer Marinelli since she was 17, but this track was different. It marked the start of a new chapter. It took them a while to find a balance between Wallice’s alternative rock influences and what the fledgling artists could actually create with the tools Words: Ali Shutler. they had available to them. “It just never felt wholly Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett. authentic,” says Wallice, who still loves her old material but has since outgrown it. “I always wanted to make music that I would want to listen to, but we didn’t know how to do that,” she continues. “’Punching Bag’ was the first time it really felt right.” It paved the way for the brilliant debut EP ‘Off The Rails’, a raw, witty six-track record that wasn’t afraid of a little confrontation. The pair describe their process as “making garage rock music on a computer”. Wallice admits that having a band would be fun – and in the future, they’re going to experiment with live instruments during recording – “but what I love about having this solo project is creative control. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child and an Aries that I’m more stubborn and hard-headed, but because everything is under my name, I can really fight for what I want.” Exactly 365 days after the release of ‘Punching Bag’, Wallice signed a record deal with Dirty Hit. Despite having half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, Wallice still felt like an imposter as she went to sign the contract (running thirty minutes late, thanks to London traffic). “Two kids in a trenchcoat is the perfect description of how I feel in this industry right now,” she says. It marked the end of a hectic few weeks for the WALLICE singer, who’s also just played her first-ever proper live shows supporting Chloe Moriondo in America. “I’ve played open mics before, but one of the shows was at The Roxy in LA. I’ve seen so many bands there,” she says. “Honestly, I haven’t processed either of those crazy life events,” she adds, drinking coffee to try and deal with jetlag. Wallice might be taken aback by her achievements, but that isn’t down to a lack of ambition. As soon as she set her mind to becoming a musician, she gave it everything she had. Growing up, Wallice’s dad was very strict, and when she told him about her dreams of attending New School’s Jazz Vocal Performance program in New York City, he suggested she think about studying business as a backup. “I know it was logical, but that sounded like a nightmare.” Luckily her mum couldn’t have been more supportive. “She’s my number one fan.” “She grew up wanting to be an actress and actively pursued it,” says Wallice. “She always said she thinks she could have made it if she kept going. It’s just how long you want to chase your dreams for, because LA, it’s very delusional. Anything can happen because anything does happen.” It’s where Wallice’s drive comes from, though. “I grew up in LA surrounded by people who didn’t have real jobs, who somehow made that into their jobs.” She adds: “I didn’t grow up with everything just handed to me, which I’ve seen with a lot of people. I used to have a day job, working at my mom’s salon. I did eyelash extensions. I hated it, obviously.” New standalone single ‘Wisdom Tooth’ is a “very ** CHEAT SHEET ** transitional song” between her first EP and her second. “It’s an extension of ‘Off The Rails’, but it’s not quite part of the → NAME next EP,” she explains. Wallice ‘Wisdom Tooth’ was written the day before Wallice was → FROM due to get her wisdom teeth removed, and she was really Los Angeles, US nervous, “just because I’ve got really big teeth and a smaller → LISTEN TO... mouth and jaw. We were working on the song, and the dentist Wisdom Tooth called and started talking about bone grafts. It’s all I could think about.” The finished song compares a relationship with pulling teeth. Like a lot of Wallice’s songs, it stems from real-world events but isn’t held back by something as boring as the truth. You might think Wallice might be feeling the pressure ahead of the release of ‘Wisdom Tooth’ since when she released ‘Off The Rails’, she had a modest fanbase. Now, there are millions of people waiting to see what she does next. Keep up, Wallice has had her battles with self-doubt ages ago. See, ‘Off The Rails’ was written in a week last March, as Wallice and Marinelli made the six-hour drive to her grandparents in Utah. It was then finished off a couple of months later. “After that, we had another week to start work on EP two.” The new EP is “the next chapter”, according to Wallice. “When we wrote

Freshly inked with Dirty Hit - home of The 1975, Wolf Alice and Beabadoobee - it’s safe to say that altpopster Wallice is on the right track to hit the very top.

“We’re not making music for cool people”

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‘Off The Rails’, we were both living at home, dreaming of being musicians. Now we’ve both moved out, and this is our job, rather than a hobby we’re chasing. I feel more like an adult now.” “The second EP is a little more mature,” she continues before quickly adding, “But it’s still filled with humour and sarcasm, which is really important.” It’s that attitude that Wallice believes is why her music has been so successful. “People connect to my music because of the humour, and that’s something that’s really genuine. It’s not going anywhere.” For the most part, this new EP deals with the idea of “being larger than life”. “There’s a lot of pretending to be a celebrity, even though that’s not how I feel or act. There’s a lot of checking your ego.” There have been a couple of times Wallice has felt close to celebrity, though. “After the shows with Chloe, I would go into the crowd to watch her because she’s amazing, and people would ask for a photo with me. That was cool. Somebody had me sign their phone case in a Sharpie, which is a big ask. My friend once asked Lana Del Rey to do the same thing.” Wallice’s music is lo-fi, produced in a bedroom and tackles Gen-A anxiety with a sarcastic quip. On paper, it should be part of the same bedroom pop world as Clairo, Cavetown or Spill Tab. But there’s something rowdy about it. “The themes are very bedroom pop,” agrees Wallice, “but because I’m influenced by Weezer, Radiohead and Nirvana, it’s a little rowdy. We’re not necessarily making music for cool people. It’s always been the goal to have a rock band sound.” “I really like that, though,” she continues. “In person, I’m a little more reserved and calmer, so it was fun to play these songs on stage, whip my hair around and run up and down. I need to start doing cardio to prepare for the next tour, though.” That next run of shows comes in January, with Wallice supporting Still Woozy. “I’ve been listening to him since I was 19. I once DM’d him saying I loved his music and we should work on something together. He replied, telling me to send him something, but I never did.” Wallice isn’t as reserved anymore, though. “I don’t need to be selling out arenas, though that would be cool. Who doesn’t dream of doing that? But I love what my music has done so far, which is help people feel not so alone. Being relatable to so many people is amazing.” P

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West Londoner Hope Tala has been on our radar for a while now, but as 2022 comes around, and with co-signs like Barack Obama secured (yes, THAT Barack Obama) - it looks like her big moment is just on the horizon. Photo: Tulula Sofitsi Docherty.

HOPE TALA

he first time we knew West London artist and all-around smart-cookie Hope Tala was a cut above, it was the summer of 2020 and we’d just been sent her new single, ‘All My Girls Like To Fight’. Seductive, confident and just a bit dangerous, to call it a statement of intent would frankly be underselling it. We weren’t the only ones to think so, either. It saw the world - including Barack Obama?? - sit up and take notice of a brand new star in the making; one who’d not long turned down a place on a HOPE TALA master’s program at Oxford to pursue a career in music, no less. Having spent her 2021 on the road and in the studio, she’s going to be one to watch both during the year ahead, and beyond.

“There has to be a bit of unexplainable magic”

Hello Hope Tala, how’s it going? What are you up to? It’s going good! Today I’m hoping to play some tennis and go shopping for some good vintage pieces to wear on tour. Your 2020 EP ‘Girl Eats Sun’ was very good, it must’ve been strange having ‘All My Girls Like To Fight’ tipped by Barack Obama. Were you given a heads up that was happening, or did you find out with everyone else? I had absolutely no idea. I found out while watching the Strictly Come Dancing

final with my mum because someone commented it on one of my Instagram posts. It was the best night of my life. It was the first song on the new version of Gossip Girl, too, right? How on earth does that feel to see happen? It was surreal, especially because I was obsessed with Gossip Girl as a teenager. I feel very honoured that the song was given the enormous responsibility of opening the show. Do you get loads more attention after that kind of exposure? The nicest thing about these things for me is that my friends and family and the community around me are so proud. My old high school tweeted me such a nice message about the Obama playlist, and it’s attention like that which is the most significant to me. How have you found working on new music during the past couple of years? Have’ world events’ impacted you much there? My writing process has definitely changed; I’m a lot more comfortable writing at home by myself again like I did when I first started making music because of having to be inside. What lyrical themes are you drawn to at the moment, are there any recurring topics? I’m really into writing about my friends at the moment. I used to exclusively write songs about romantic love, but recently I’ve been interested in writing about other relationships. What are the key elements to a good

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Hope Tala song, do you think? Great chords and poetic lyricism. And there has to be a bit of unexplainable magic. You’re out playing live in North America, right? Has heading out to play your biggest shows after a couple of years off given you a taste for it? I’ve just done the one show so far, but I’m so excited for the rest of tour. Even before the pandemic I hadn’t played many shows as I was just getting started, so this feels so overdue! I can’t begin to describe how wonderful it was to see people singing all the words, and just to be able to experience something special and joyful in a room with lots of other people. Have you thought much about your debut album yet? Yes! A lot. I’ve been working on it since the beginning of this year. There’s a way to go yet, but I’m getting there! ‘Tiptoeing’ already feels to be going great guns - it started off as a Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, right? Are you feeling the hype build now? Getting Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1 was so crazy; I listen to Clara Amfo’s show all the time, and I’m such a big fan of hers so that support meant the world. I’m just so happy that the reception so far has been positive and that the song is making people happy. What are Hope’s hopes for 2022? (Sorry, etc) I’m hoping to finish and release my debut album. I definitely want to play as many live shows as I possibly can. And read lots! P

** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME Hope Tala → FROM London, UK → LISTEN TO... All My Girls Like To Fight

Sometimes, a band just fits. That’s how we felt from the first time we heard Courting. Not just because of their brilliant bangers, but because of their willingness to engage in a bit of Dork own brand nonsense. With live music back in full-flow and a new year round the corner, the future looks bright for Liverpool’s new favourite sons. Words: Jamie MacMillan. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

e discussed pancakes and potatoes in our last interview, didn’t we?” Yes. Yes, we did. Maybe this time, we’ll stick closely to an in-depth discussion of the intricacies of Courting’s upcoming releases with frontman Sean Murphy-O’Neill though. Cut to twenty minutes later, as he’s trying to text Sir Paul McCartney’s burner phone to get him in for an audition and failing to make ‘using a phone’ work. Pure chaos energy reigns supreme; all is right with the world. Rewind a year, and Courting were on the edge of being really proper good and exciting. ‘Popshop!’ and ‘David Byrne’s Badside’ had built on the early promise of ‘Football’, and in the absence of, y’know, being able to leave the house and stuff, their Twitter game was strong enough to keep them in the limelight. This year, despite only releasing one EP, they smashed over that edge with a crash and a bang. Finally able to play shows, a headline tour has followed, and now they’re going to be ending it in Brixton Academy alongside permanent close friends-meet-deadly enemies Sports Team. 2022 is shaping up nicely, with a couple of new songs starting to slip into setlists. Tennis, anyone? So how much tea can Sean spill about their plans then? “Practically none,” he grins. Cheers, always

great to chat. “I can’t remember too much about this year,” he admits. “Everything just kind of blended and became a bit of a mess. Our first proper tour, our first proper release, we’ve had a lot of things change and been all over the place.” With guitarist Michael Downes and bassist Sam Brennan leaving the band over the last year, the core trio of Courting remains firmly in place, even if they are somewhat ready for an early night these days. “We’re very tired,” agrees Sean. “It’s kind of our brand; we’re the sleepiest band in showbusiness.” Strangely competitive about how sleepy they each are, he proudly states, “I am known for being the least sleepy in the band. Drummer Sean [Thomas] is a sleepy man, and Josh [Cope] can sleep anywhere anytime after doing any amount of activity. One task, and he’s conked out.” Living those rock and roll dreams to the full, we chat about whether their first headline tour was full of debauchery and excess and instead inexplicably end up talking about carpets. “Before this, the only places we played outside of Liverpool were Manchester and Glasgow,” he says. “We played everywhere. The London show was a lot of fun; Bristol was CRAZY!” How so, Sean? Why did The Louisiana tickle you so? “It’s the only venue I’ve ever been to with a carpeted floor, really cool.” Right. No other reason? “The number of venues we went to that were dirty, that venue is the most clean,” he reasons. “They’re definitely getting

COURTING “We’re the sleepiest band in showbusiness” SEAN MURPHY-O’NEILL

** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME Courting → MEMBERS Sean Murphy-O’Neill, Sean Thomas, Josh Cope → FROM Liverpool, UK → LISTEN TO... Grand National

that steamed regularly. It was nice. What a job that is, nothing but respect for the person who deep cleans the carpets there.” Carpet or no carpet, the tour was a success with most nights sold out and, finally, a sense of momentum to match the frenetic energy of their recorded output. “It reassured us that we were doing something right,” he says, though as with most things, he’s already moved on to the next thing. Work on ‘something’ has been ongoing since the release of the ‘Grand National’ EP, but what it might sound like is still under wraps. “I’d say if the leap from what we were doing before the EP to the EP was tenfold, then this is like a thousandfold or something,” he says. “It’s the best thing ever, and I’ve heard it. I’m very proud of what we’re working on, but it’s very different to what we’ve been doing.” In the meantime, they’ve got a bloody big tour support to wrap up, despite those absolutely made up rumours of an internet ‘beef ’ between Sean and Sports Team Henry. “In reality, nobody in the whole music industry has ever argued,” points out Sean wildly. “These beefs are all just tricks. Nobody has seriously beefed with us ever. Apart from that one person on Twitter who told us we ripped the logo off. And I just retweeted him because, I’ll be honest with you, I did rip it off.” Sean says he enjoyed the Margate bus trip with Sports Team, despite not being on the bus - which in many ways explains his enjoyment of it. “It’s just a shame we’re the only band from Liverpool ever, really,” he says sadly. “Because it’s such a big drive to come down south. No famous bands have ever come from here; the fact that it’s just us and The Beatles is quite interesting, really.” Would Courting get the big thumbs up or down from ol Macca, we ask. “Oh, he said we’re good,” Sean says. “But he’s yet to follow up on that, so who knows?” As we chat, Sean starts to follow him on Twitter, hoping doubtlessly for an immediate response. “Oh, he only follows sixteen people,” he says, quietly disappointed. “Ringo, the ghost of John Lennon, Paul McCartney Español and Paul McCartney Japan. Hmm.” Spotting a mobile phone number in McCartney’s bio, which is DEFINITELY his personal number, he texts him to ask him if he fancies auditioning as the new bassist. He can’t get it to work, reducing his chances somewhat. “I’ve just noticed that The Beatles had very similar haircuts to Feet,” he ponders. “I wonder if there’s some conspiracy there, like when McCartney was actually dead. I wonder if Feet are dead? I’ll ask and find out.” With our time nearly up, we chat about what else he’s got planned for next year. “Complete world domination, really,” he smiles. “Release a load of stuff. Everyone’s gonna say, ‘well this is better than expected’. People will ask us for an arena tour, we’ll say okay, and then we’ll headline Glastonbury. Come out to ‘American Boy’, and PHWOAR, we’ll get Estelle out to sing it for us. I really hope she’s doing well. I don’t think we’ll get Kanye, though.” You heard it here first, folks. P

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CMAT W

e love a pop legend, and right now, in the year of our lord 2021, there might not be a bigger new pop legend than CMAT. It’s no exaggeration to say there’s no one around right now quite like CMAT; no one who exemplifies the ridiculousness of pop at its most inspiring and transformative who can frequently make you cry tears of laughter. But, perhaps most importantly, she can also hit you devastatingly right in the feels with a gut-wrenching sucker punch, often within the same song. CMAT can do it all, and she perfectly understands that amazing pop is made by amazing people who dare to be different and forge their own paths. It’s all of this that sees her promising to quickly ascend pop’s mountain in 2022, making us laugh, cry and dance along the way. In many ways, 2021 has been a pivotal year for CMAT as she made important strides in developing as an artist, writer and person ready to release her debut album early next year. Like everyone, though, it started slowly. “This year was an extension of the musical blue balls that came with the pandemic,” she begins. “I had my Irish tour booked for March and April because everyone was told it was going to happen by then, and then obviously that didn’t happen, and loads of things were still cancelled for the first half of the year. That was upsetting but also because of all the free time that was afforded to me, I was able to finish recording my album a lot faster.” As we moved into late summer, though, CMAT finally began to experience some of the thrills of being an actual pop star. “From August onwards, this year has been a titslapper,” she exclaims. “It’s been an unbelievable vibe. I got to do festival season. That was mad. I just haven’t played live since before the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the last show I played, there were like 7 people at my gig upstairs at the sound house in Dublin, and nobody knew who I was, and everyone was like, why do you not know how to play your guitar? I had no audience, and I had no music released. Doing festival season and having people who a) know who I am and b) know the words to my songs was mental. That was so confusing. I was like, who are you people? Where have you come from, and where have you been hiding all my life?” CMAT is a musical disrupter. She’s here to do exactly what she wants, exactly the way she wants to do it, and she’s going to sweep you along for the ride through sheer force of personality. Sometimes though, some people don’t get it. And that’s fine because CMAT revels in shocking people and is resolutely determined to shake things up. “It was amazing across the board because there were some great shows, and there were some very bad shows,” she laughs. “There were some fucking stinkers with some crowds who were like, why is there a woman on stage in a corset and a tutu? We want the lads back. But that’s amazing because it’s only going to make me better.” She tells the story of one particularly memorable show this year in Scotland supporting an unnamed band, notably not the very lovely Declan McKenna. “It was the most hostile crowd I’ve experienced in my whole entire life,” she says. “People threw pints towards the stage; people were booing me because

If you already know about CMAT, you’ll know she’s potentially the greatest pop star on the planet - mostly because she makes everyone else seem absolutely fucking boring. Words: Martyn Young. Photos: Patrick Gunning.

they just wanted the main band to come on. There was a group of lads in the front row who kept flashing me messages on their phone saying get your tits out. That should have been a horrific and terrible experience, but I just loved it. I came off stage, and I was pissing myself laughing. I’ve had panic attacks on stage before, and I’ve had really hard shows where I’m not enjoying it, and those are horrible. With this show, I should have had a panic attack, but I didn’t because it was just so funny. I started shouting back at the crowd and just giving out. I’m on fire; shut the fuck up. Even when there’s a really bad show, it’s been amazing. I’m excited for more shit shows in 2022. I’m excited for more people to throw cans at my head.” It’s that kind of unshakeable confidence and self-assurance that drives CMAT forward, however, it belies the real emotional depth of feeling and vulnerability that goes into her work. The dichotomy between brahs exuberance and introspective melancholy is at the heart of CMAT’s CMAT songwriting and makes her songs so resonant. “I think people want something different now. We’ve seen this trend emerging over the pandemic where the bands and acts who are getting attention and support are notably different from the standard that was before,” she says when asked why she thinks she’s connecting with so many people. “People just want to have fun now. I can provide that and can steer the conversation towards fun and humour. I also like to think that as well as accommodating fun and good vibes and legendary antics, I do also suffer badly with my mental health. I don’t make it a part of my personality, and I don’t make it a really upfront thing where I’m like, woe is me, but I do make it very obvious in my songs that that’s what’s going on. It’s at the core of everything. The only reason that any of this is happening is because I am a problem, and I have a problem.” That sort of unflinching warts and all introspection is a fundamental part of her work. “I’m really honest about that and have never tried to make it anyone else’s problem or anyone else’s fault,” she continues. “The number one response over the comedy and me being really loud or whatever, and the thing people connect to most is the fact that I air out all of my grievances with myself in a very straightforward way. It makes other people more comfortable to be like, I also have a problem, and the problem is me, and it’s not anyone else’s problem, and that’s ok. You can be a bad person sometimes, and it doesn’t have to navigate the direction of your life forever. You can just accept that you’ve done bad things and move on. You apologise and atone for it, but you’ve got to move on. That’s a very big factor in my music and my songs. I think people will recognise that and appreciate that.” This internal battle comes to a head on her forthcoming debut album, ‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’. “I think it’s an Irish problem,” she contemplates. “The

“From August onwards, this year has been a titslapper”

** CHEAT SHEET ** people in your life who are the most jovial, the → NAME loudest and biggest party CMAT, aka Ciara Maryanimals are the ones who Alice Thompson are in the most trouble. → FROM They are the ones who Dublin, Ireland are the most vulnerable. → LISTEN TO... That’s the main theme No More Virgos of the album. It’s about the loud and really charismatic people in your life who are like whooo, life’s a party! And they’re the ones that we lose very quickly. That’s a theme across the board in my life. I’ve seen it so many times before. My personality online is jovial and big because I’m not going to talk about anything deep on Twitter.” When she’s talking about the album, CMAT is positively buzzing with excitement in a positively CMAT way. “You can expect a lot of Catholic guilt and some of the most amazing artwork I’ve ever seen in my life,” she laughs. “It’s the funniest tracklisting that I’ve ever seen. Some of the names of these songs, I don’t know why I make my life so hard by giving my songs these terrible titles, but I just think it’s funny. There will be some laughs and some vibes. It gets pretty dark, but I try to balance it out as much as I can with all the humour. We can expect some rooting tooting country music good time gals. It’s going to be liquid CMAT.” CMAT was destined to be a pop star. It was written in the stars. “I came out of the womb wanting to be a pop star,” she says. There’s a childlike wonder to her songs that go back to her formative memories of listening to music as a kid. “All of my favourite music sounds like it was made for children. There are songs on my album that I specifically wanted to produce to sound like they could have been in the original muppets series. I would play a clip of the muppets to my producer, and he’d be like, hmm right, ok,” she laughs. “That’s the side of music that will always appeal to me in a very extreme way. I wanted my first releases and first album to musically pay homage to the music that I listened to when I was a kid, The Beatles and The Beautiful South and Boney M and Scissor Sisters. It’s gorgeous and memorable and colourful and fun,” she says. A perfect description for the whole CMAT aesthetic. 2022 promises to be a significant step up for CMAT on every level. Not only do we have the album but some mega tour dates too, and now she has an actual band. “The band is hands down the most beautiful band I’ve ever seen in my life,” she says with typical confidence. “Every single member is an undeniable 10/10 lookswise. There’s not a single dud in my One Direction. Everyone’s hot. Everyone’s beautiful. Everyone is very kind and amazing musicians, and they’re all going to wear matching outfits because I’m going to tell them to.” Creating her own weird and wonderful but deeply human and relatable world, CMAT has carefully nurtured an aesthetic that is both modern and retro. She’s equally adept at channelling 70s country-pop or the hottest memes on social media, and she’s funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. 2022 will offer the full CMAT experience in all its bonkers glory. P

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fter just two singles, and with a ridiculously prestigious Ivor Novello Award already under her belt as this year’s Rising Star, and a mentorship with Nile Rodgers in the bag, there’s only one way that Willow Kayne’s year could get any better. Luckily for her, dreams really do come true as she races home as one of by far the easiest choices for this year’s Dork Hype List. Who needs a funky little statue when you have this? This is big. HUGE, in fact. Our opinion on the matter is final. It’s three-for-three singles wise now, and the buzz is only growing. The raisedmiddle finger of ‘Opinion’ comes in hard, all ‘grown-up playground’ attitude as its spiky raps take aim at whichever poor fools have pissed Willow off this time. As a follow-up to the hyperactive ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, a track that took down (and took out) the internet haters without even a backward glance, it’s perfect. It was no surprise that she won the Rising Star Award then, something she was surely prepared for when it came down to the acceptance speech. Erm, no. “MATE! I wish I’d have known; I wouldn’t have fucked it on stage if I did,” she says-slash-shouts. Talking to Willow is like listening to her music. You think you’re heading somewhere, and suddenly you’re somewhere completely different. “Everyone else was like, ‘music moves me, I want to move the people’, and I was like ‘WOOAARGHH!’ I thanked my lawyer for saving me from the Americans. WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT, WILLOW? He did save me, to be fair, but you don’t say it. I was just chatting shit; it was great.” She stops laughing suddenly. “Oh god, it plays in my head sometimes if I’m trying to sleep. Savage.” With that award, and the latest single making all the right waves once again, people are starting to wake up to Willow Kayne. Admitting that more people are getting in touch to work with her since the award, she’s already reached the point where she’s got to work out who’s doing it for clout and who is actually there for the love of her music. Life’s changing fast. “It’s a lot busier since I got signed, but that’s fine,” she smiles. “It’s not like anyone’s putting pressure on me. But I definitely feel that I have to be proper sick now. But I’m still growing, you know?” For someone who has always been fiercely independent, life on a label doesn’t seem to have changed her ways yet. “I’m pretty surprised at how many people are actually listening to my ideas - even the crazy ones that will take a lot of effort,” she says. “I do feel pretty free to do what I want to an extent. And I haven’t faced any proper assholes yet, so that’s good. MAYBE I’M THE ASSHOLE!” It might be cool to hit the studio then, but her first shows since lockdown ended have provided a whole other excitement for Willow. Sets at Live At Leeds and ALT LDN went down a storm, proving that the hype around her was also translating into proper crowds. “ALT LDN was shocking,” she grins. “I came out and was like, ‘oh shit’, people are actually listening to my music now. My whole ‘journey’” - she can’t help but say the word 1000% sarcastically -

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“has been over lockdown. Before that, I’d do shows, but it was just off of Soundcloud stuff. It was a big shock.” Those early roots still hold a tight grip on how she would love to do things. “I’m sitting on so much music that I’m not gonna be satisfied until it’s out”, she admits, “When I was just doing it on my own, if I made something, I’d just post it straight away.” To the anguished sigh of her publicist, she concludes with a laugh. “I just have to leak clips on TikTok now.” Now, we MAY have heard some of what is to come next year from Willow Kayne music-wise (she didn’t leak it, we promise). And if we HAD heard some more music, our lips would be sealed. Or fingers, seeing as you are reading this, though that is a much less eloquent saying. But what we could say, if we had heard it, is that it’s very very good, and continues to mash together genres with literally no shits given. It’s a winning habit that’s not going to go away any time soon, despite what some might say in response. “I get quite a lot of comments each time being like, ‘I love this song, but your other one was shit’,” she grins. “’Oh cool man, thanks for letting me know!’” In a world where some artists try to get away with repeating the same trick over and over again, it’s refreshing. “There are enough people doing that, though,” she says. “But who knows, maybe we’ll end up bashing out a country album? You never know. That’s when the internet will blow up. In my face!” Whatever she does decide to do next, it’s pretty obvious that she’ll continue to switch it up, a career choice that is a testament to a childhood brought up listening to whatever her parents happened to be into at the time. “My mum’s music taste is fucking everywhere”, she laughs, “She’d be like, ‘Willow, come and listen to some Mongolian trap’, and I’m like, okay, sick. So she’s probably the one to blame for that.” Taking those influences from the 90s, where bands like The Prodigy fused punk and rave into something altogether fresh (at the time) to their logical conclusion, she struggles to think of two genres that she couldn’t mash up in some way if forced to. “Maybe musical theatre and death metal in a dubstep remix would be too much… But if I only listened to one genre, I’d be a bit American? JOKING!” she, erm, jokes. “I love Americans. They’re great. But I do think it’s quite fun if people can’t really explain what genre a tune is. That’s the goal, really.” For now, though, half the fun is in not knowing what is coming next for Willow. In an industry where songs get teased for weeks in advance, she still doesn’t feel like playing the game. “I guess my fanbase is a bit up in the air at the moment,” she admits. “I tried teasing stuff, and it was shit when it came to dropping the song. I just can’t be secretive; I’m so shit. But you know…” she shrugs before instantly telling us (with permission) in great detail all about a secret thing that isn’t released or even announced yet, and admitting that she had already told somebody else the secret name of the

secret thing that isn’t released or announced yet without permission. So that side of things is going well. “It’s fun, and it’s rude,” is the only teaser we need right now, Willow describing some of what is to come as a mix of ‘chill hip-hop girl’ and ‘fuck you’. “Angel and devil, yeah,” she grins. “There’s a lot.” It feels natural with her embrace of colliding ideas and inspirations together that collaborations will soon follow, but it’s not something that appears imminent. “I’ve got a fat list, though,” she nods. “An American list, a British list and an in-between list.” Again full of that turn of the century influence, it’s maybe not surprising that names like Ms. Dynamite, M.I.A. and Gorillaz that are at the top of her wishlist. “To get a Gorillaz song, I’d pass away after it. I’ll die. Over,” she says wide-eyed. “But they could so easily turn around and be like, we don’t like what you’re doing. Dreams crushed. BUT I WAS INFLUENCED BY YOU!” Describing the ‘drive’ within people like Damon Albarn as something she aspires to, it’s a list peppered with rappers and US megastars like Pharrell (“He owns the list,” she says). Willow as the next Gorillaz, then? With anyone else, you might think it’s a bit overly ambitious - but with this one? You wouldn’t bet against it. She’s already working with Nile Rodgers, the legend of many, many pop songs taking on a mentorship with her as part of the Rising Star Award. “He’s great!” she smiles, beaming at the faith he has shown in her. Though when she first heard that he was going to be her mentor, she didn’t connect the dots until she and her boyfriend started running through his hits. (He has A Lot of them). “It just kicked in how much impact the man has had on music; I’m just fucking oblivious. He Facetimes me quite a bit, which I love,” she says. “But if we’re WILLOW KAYNE working together, I don’t want to work. I just wanna hear his stories! I’m like, hang on. Can we please talk about this, yeah? I don’t need to actually ask him, though, haha….” Being in a studio with him, you can’t help but learn things quickly. “He just jams!” she explains. “There’s no feeling of ‘I have to make a single today’. He just jams, and it just happens?” Jamming with Nile Rodgers is a world away from those early Soundcloud days, as she admits during our chat with a huge grin about just far she has already come. Not that there’s any sign of that slowing down. Next year will bring more music, more musical explorations, and potentially a trip to America to live and work. London is already starting to feel too small for her, so Los Angeles is a logical next step if not to live, then at least to work a while. “I wanna do up America,” she says excitedly. “I don’t think I’m an LA girl, you know, but I’ll give it a go? I just wanna see what other talents are popping off.” Ask her who she’s most excited about, and she’s predictably unpredictable. Sad Night Dynamite (“the freshest on the scene right now,” she says) and Obongjayar are the two that spring to mind. “He is ridiculously sick; I think it’s wicked how exciting everything is right now.” Ask her why she thinks that it is, and the answer comes fast. “TikTok’s definitely corrupting my mind a little bit,” she says. “I think pretty much every day you’re seeing someone put their first tune-up, and it gets like 20 million streams. It’s MAD! It’s wicked; it’s giving a lot of opportunity to a lot of people. It’s saturated, but it’s good. Saturated with GOOOOOLD. But then, mate, that’s my fear. Imagine you had your one-hit blow up on TikTok, and you’re thinking you’re set. And then… Oh god, I don’t wanna think about it; I’m scaring myself. We’re alright. It’s proper wicked.” Laughing, the conversation takes one last abrupt handbrake turn as she considers whether she could get away with dropping deliberate lies into interviews to see if anyone notices, just for her own amusement. “Please, no,” murmurs her publicist sadly once more. “You mustn’t.” “I collect frogspawn,” she announces, before giving Dork our very own Gemma Collins moment when we ask her thoughts on whether it belongs in the fridge or the cupboard. “Well, you would know where to keep it if you’d read my book about it. JESUS!” We’re in a state of delirium by now, approaching the end of the rollercoaster ride that is Time With Willow Kayne, as she reels off her ability at a host of sports. “Ping pong? Shit at it! Synchronised swimming, shit at that too. Sorry. I’m shit. Good at writing bars though, COME ON!” And just like that, our time is done, and she’s off to replace the phone that she dropped down the toilet. Willow Kayne, then. Despite what she says, she is not shit. P

“I’m pretty surprised at how many people are actually listening to my ideas - even the crazy ones”

WILLOW Only a few tracks in to a promising future, and Willow Kayne already has a bloody Ivor Novello gong in the bank. Not bad going for a popster who has the personality to hit the top. Words: Jamie MacMillan. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

KAYNE ** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME Willow Kayne → FROM London, UK → LISTEN TO... I Don’t Wanna Know

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GRACEY

eartbreak is often the best thing that can happen to an artist. It might not feel like it at the time, but it’ll lead to some great material. Just ask Gracey, who’s just had her best and worst year yet. Between Brit Awards, breakups and bravery, she’s had a turbulent twelve months, trying to get herself together while hitting multiple career milestones. But she’s come out of the other side alive, and she is, how they say, just getting started. Our chat lands in the middle of a very busy release week for Gracey. She’s just dropped her ‘Fragile’ EP, a project she wrote unintentionally while exorcising post-breakup demons, diverging from her set plan for 2021, and she’s already onto the next. Word on the street (she’s just told us) is she’s been in the studio with Jodie Harsh – back to the bangers! Maybe you remember her from our Hype section right back at the beginning of the year, but her world has flipped upside down since then. “Basically, in February did a little breakup, had a heartbreak, so everything changed, and then ‘Got You Covered’ came out. I got nominated for Brit, which was really fucking cool. It’s been wild,” she tells us. “The first year I started as an artist, I lost my voice so I couldn’t tour and then obviously, pandemmy last year, so getting to do things like Reading Festival and my first proper headline show have just been fucking mad. It’s like a whole ‘nother area of being an artist that like I feel like I’ve missed out on for too long.” Since finding her feet as a songwriter at Xenomania as a teen, Gracey has come a long way, and latest EP ‘Fragile’ is her bravest and boldest work so far. She started writing the EP two days after the Brits, where she was nominated for the quite frankly prestigious Best British Single award for her summer smash ‘Don’t Need Love’ with 220 Kid. It was a time she should’ve been at her happiest but instead was going home down in the dumps. “That’s why I started writing the EP because I was like right, let me just address this now because this should have been the best night my fucking life, and then you get home, and you just feel really sad and depressed. “I think it really represents the feeling ** CHEAT SHEET ** that I don’t think many people really → NAME address during a breakup, where there’s Gracey, aka Grace Barker like this pressure to be happy and to go out → FROM and get drunk and meet new people when Brighton, UK actually on the inside you’re not feeling → LISTEN TO... that way.” Sad Song Writing this one was different to her others – last year’s ‘The Art Of Closure’ and 2019’s ‘Imposter Syndrome’ – because it wasn’t planned, and it was the first time she was writing songs as she was actually feeling terrible. “I’ve never released music where I’m feeling the exact emotions whilst going through it, and it was like a conscious decision to do that because I put ‘Got You Covered’ out, and it was this happy upbeat song, and it was the most sad I’ve ever been in my life. I didn’t want to do that again. I knew that I was just gonna have to be brave

and put this music out and know that people will know that’s how I’m feeling, and that’s quite vulnerable. But I think through doing that, you actually connect with people a lot more, and I feel like I’ve grown so much closer to the people who have supported me. All my previous EPs I’ve been like over my ex by the time they’re out, they’d been two years in the making.” Amongst those vulnerable tracks is ‘the internet’, a deeply personal and candid look at her relationship with the World Wide Web, featuring a stark voice note of her breaking down to a friend after writing the track. “The more I thought about it, I really remembered how shit that period of my life was and how dangerous the internet can be. I think it’s really important now, like anyone can get fucking overnight fame on TikTok and if you go into the comments, they’re so mean and so damaging to the point where like, I don’t know if this is going to be very safe. “Maybe I’m just a little Pisces, I’m very sensitive, but if I was 16 and I got told the shit that I’ve been told, and I’ve seen other people getting on the internet, I don’t know how I would deal with that. That’s why I wanted to put that voice note in because I need to show people that even though I’ve put on this facade that I’m completely happy and I’m completely fine, and 90% of the time that is my personality, but the shit that’s been sent to me has mentally fucked me up quite a lot.” Lead track ‘Sad Song’ pulls from Gracey’s faves Lorde, GRACEY Robyn and Gwen Stefani to describe a French exit from the club and into a cab for a good cry, a song Adele was clearly listening to because she came back a day after it’s release. There’s also ‘What A Waste’, which was released in the summer and is the song she’s found scariest to put out to date, but has also been great fun to ‘do’ live, much like the garage-driven ‘Got You Covered’ ode to her bestie that came out earlier in the year. “I’ve never had that before; I’ve never released a song, and then the next week on gone to perform it live. Seeing how it actually reacts is so interesting. Now live stuff is happening, I could actually start thinking about writing an album. I’m like, let me actually think about where I want to go with this, whereas before, I’d never even thought about what connects with people like that.” Going into 2022, it’s like Gracey is finally going to get a full year of properly being a pop star after two years of things* (*extreme vocal rest and a global pandemic) getting in the way, and she couldn’t be in a better place. She’s writing from a new, hopefully, less sad place. She’s got a top-secret tour planned - not her own, but she can’t say whose - and promises lots of new music next year, including collaborations with “some really exciting people”. It’s all kicking off! “I feel like I’m out of the fragile phase now. I’m excited to start writing again, I’m at a point where I’m exploring different ideas and directions, but I’ve got a pretty clear idea of where I want to go, which is exciting. I’m just fucking excited, and I can’t wait to get going with next year now.” P

“I feel like I’m out of the fragile phase now”

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LIME GARDEN

ince the world forcibly shut up shop back in early 2020, bands have been hit bad. We’ve seen some truly storming debut albums, no doubt, and since live music’s grand return earlier this year, we’ve seen them take on new heights, but newcomers grabbing that attention and running with it? Well, Lime Garden know all about that. “It’s been such a weird time because the four… wait,” starts drummer Annabel Whittle. “Five? No. Well, however many tracks we’ve released, they’ve all been released during some form of lockdown. It’s only our latest song [‘Clockwork’] that’s actually come out when people can come and see the shows.” “Yeah,” adds guitarist Leila Deeley, picking up from a rightful blur of a year that has seen Lime Garden quietly going about being one of the most exciting and inventive new bands going. “It’s been weird because a lot of our growth was in lockdown, and so we’re only now just seeing what’s happening. It’s quite funny, but we’re enjoying it.” The jump from where Lime Garden’s early roots were before lockdown to where they find themselves now is stunning. The Brighton four-piece completed by vocalist/ guitarist Chloe Howard and bassist Tippi Morgan - not only switched up their name (previously going by Lime) but also evolved as musicians. While it put a considerable pause on their plans, coming out the other side has been a revelation. “Before this, we were really just playing local gigs to like our mates,” explains Annabel, recalling to those early markers, “and then suddenly it’s like - ‘ohhh, this is a big place to play, right?!’ Like, we’re seeing people wearing our merch now. Someone spotted someone at a Fontaines DC show wearing one of our shirts. I was like, woah - that’s weird!” “People singing our songs back too,” continues Leila, “every time that happens, it’s like, HOW DO YOU KNOW THEM?!?!” she laughs.

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Lime Garden are constantly on the hunt for something new, for a twist that they’ve not tried out before or a flipping of the script that nobody expects. If it’s not exciting and different to them, then there’s no point exploring that avenue and the results speak for themselves. ‘Sick & Tired’, released earlier in 2021, was a turning point where Lime Garden seized the eyes and ears of many. A bubbling track that feels both full and overflowing with ideas and grooves, it laid an understated blueprint for who Lime Garden are. “That definitely felt like a step up,” says Annabel, “it was when we signed to So Young Records and got it on vinyl too. What was weird is that we weren’t too sure about it before.” “Yeah, that audience reaction afterwards really made it clear that it was a turning point,” ANNABEL WHITTLE adds Tippi. “Seeing the audience respond well since has been really eye-opening!” It’s helped shape what has come next. “90% of our music is bouncy and dancey,” says Leila, “always keeping that with everything we do, I think is the idea.” One look at what came before ‘Sick & Tired’ and where they’ve gone since shows the evolution of Lime Garden. Despite finding the first few months of lockdown particularly uninspiring, the resulting ‘Pulp’ and ‘Clockwork’ are self-assured statements of intent. As they sit gathered in a Brighton bedroom, it feels like Lime Garden are on the cusp of a takeover. Effortlessly cool and radiating the sort of wide-eyed ambition that comes with simply being able to do this all with your best mates every step of the way, they’re are turning the mosh-pit into a dancefloor, and we’re here for it. “We want to just keep getting better and better. It’s just so much fun not only writing music but these experiences that you get with it. The idea of playing certain venues or dreaming about playing in different countries, the ** CHEAT SHEET ** idea of that always gets us → NAME really pumped. Lime Garden We’re really → MEMBERS excited to do Chloe Howard, Annabel more,” lays out Whittle, Leila Deeley, Tippi Morgan Leila. “Stressful → FROM Brighton, UK though, ain’t it?” laughs Annabel. →LISTEN TO... Sick & Tired “Oh definitely. Definitely stressful!” returns Leila. If that’s the only worry Lime Garden have, then it’s safe to say that 2022 and beyond will be one shining brighter in the disco-ball than ever before. P

“We’re seeing people wearing our merch now”

Ragtag Manchester-based fivepiece The Goa Express are on a mission to sonically encapsulate the feeling of growing up in the middle of nowhere – having just about transcended their modest roots, the lads are showing no intention of slowing things down. Words: Finlay Holden.

T H E

A E O R G P EX SS

hile the five lads making up The Goa Express were born and bred in the countryside before moving to Manchester, they’ve found themselves busy up and down the country this summer following a long, hard graft. At Latitude, the first major festival to reintroduce live music, these guys started the show with the first set. “It was crazy – there was a huge crowd like we’d never played to before, none of us expected it to be that busy,” singer and songwriter James Douglas Clarke recalls. “That really threw us in at the deep end, but in a good way; it set us up nicely for the future, especially with the year to come.” Showing up to a large audience is a feat no one could have expected just a few years ago, as the band have worked hard to progress not only their music careers but also, vitally, their respective instrumental capabilities. Looking back to their beginnings, James admits: “Fundamentally, we weren’t good enough. We all learned our instruments just for the sake of being in a band; none of us had any training prior to that. Back in the day, it was just an excuse to hang out and get up to a bit of trouble. It couldn’t have got any worse from the point we started at, basically.” The Goa Express have been enjoying their own company for almost a decade now, having met in their early teens and stuck together ever since. “I’ve known these boys since I was 13, and obviously I’ve known Joe [his brother] all my life, so each member is irreplaceable, really. The chemistry works, the dynamic works, everyone’s quite respectful of each other, and we all have our

own individuality and personality.” Instead of falling into a genre, their singles – including 2021 hit ‘Second Time’ and its recent follow up ‘Overpass’ – tend to share only an intended vibe: a young and carefree JAMES DOUGLAS energy. “We don’t want our songs to CLARKE sound foolish and naïve, but we want to capture our experience of youth which we’re living at this moment,” James agrees. “We’re all young, we’re all stupid, we all have no idea what’s going on even though we pretend to know exactly what’s going on. That’s the best way to summarise us; we piss around and let our experiences come through our music.” Defining their own coming of age story in terms of sonics and attitude, The Goa Express’s music is bathed in these youthful themes, and the quintet are making sure that it is their own personal experience that shines through – while they have spent this year touring alongside acclaimed acts such as The Magic Gang and Shame, James reveals that they deliberately avoiding asking for pearls of wisdom while on the road. “We’re more comfortable doing things ourselves – letting the mishaps happen, seeing

“We all learned our instruments just for the sake of being in a band”

things go wrong and then learning from it for the next time. We got ourselves this far with no backing or no real reason to get here, so that’s our mindset with everything else too.” While in the studio whirring up some new material, James has found that learning their lessons on the go also serves to instil their recordings with some much-needed urgency. “The longer you sit on a track, and the more you add, the more it loses its original sound. Bang it out, get it down, and move on.” This momentum has allowed the boys to ditch a pretence of perfectionism and covertly coalesce a growing collection of songs yet to be debuted – keep your eyes peeled for a stream of songs coming in 2022. “We never take the foot off the gas,” the elected frontman concludes. “As soon as we stop moving, things are going to go wrong. It gives you too much time to think and rethink - just keep moving forward.” So, what can we expect coming up to truly cement The Goa Express’ Hype status? As James only half-jokingly answers: “I haven’t thought about next year; I haven’t thought about tomorrow either.” However, fans aren’t going to be disappointed - they’ve a slew of material (apparently an album’s worth) in the bank. “If you like our music now, you’ll like it even more in three months’ time. Just keep listening.” P

** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME The Goa Express → MEMBERS James Douglas Clarke, Joe Clarke , Joey Stein, Naham Muzaffar, Sam Launder → FROM Manchester, UK → LISTEN TO... Second Time

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ometimes life isn’t all glamorous thrills for a rising pop legend. “I’ve been such a homebody grandma recently,” laughs Fletcher as she recounts some of her more recent passions. “I’ve gotten really into cooking. I’ve been saying that I want to date somebody who loves cooking next, so I’ve been trying to manifest that, but y’know what I need to be what I’m manifesting, so I’ve decided to become a chef myself. I’m Italian, so I’m a sucker for really good pasta. I made a homemade pizza the other day. That’s kind of been my vibe recently. Simple.” With the rise Fletcher has been on over the past couple of years, we can definitely allow her the opportunity to relax and enjoy some of life’s purer pleasures as it’s been quite a ride from talent show auditionee to bona fide new pop icon in the making. “It’s been quite a journey,” explains Fletcher as she recalls the past few years. “Being an artist is so intertwined with your humanity, and I’m somebody who has really written about my life and my personal life in such an open way. It really weaves between what I’ve been through in ** CHEAT SHEET ** my life with my artistry and who I am as a person. The journey has been beautiful. It’s been a wild roller coaster, and I’ve had → NAME some shit times, and I’ve had some of the best times of my Fletcher entire life. It hasn’t been all sunshine and magic. I’ve definitely → FROM been through it and thought about quitting at certain points. I New Jersey, US feel blessed and humbled to be on the journey I am now.” → LISTEN TO... Fletcher makes capital P Pop in the purest sense girls girls girls but what makes her so compelling is the depth of emotion and real resonant feeling with which she imbues her bangers. It’s a passion that comes from wanting to seek inspiration that she felt was missing as a young girl in a music culture that, although there’s still much to do, has drastically changed for the better for an artist like Fletcher. “I was growing up with examples of people, especially women, in pop music, and I didn’t really see myself,” she says. “I knew that I was queer from a really young age, and I just saw this perfectly packaged presentation of what it meant to be a female in pop. I wanted to do this, but I didn’t see myself here. I’m not a good dancer. I don’t tick off all of these boxes. I knew I needed to be the artist that I needed to see when I was little. Every decision comes from that place. I’m constantly checking in and asking, would little me have needed this? That’s how I formed and how I continue moving forward and making decisions and pulling from that vision of who I needed when I was younger.” The vision Fletcher is bringing to life now is one of inclusivity and openness. A vision of liberation and freedom. Freedom of expression both in the musical sense and personally. “Representation is everything,” she says confidently. “It’s important for people to be able to see themselves in somebody else and know that something can exist to show people that they have a choice to be themselves and not only accepted but celebrated. It took me a really long time to feel like I could celebrate myself. It feels extremely important to me to uplift other talented queer people and talk about my experiences. I’m super privileged to be in a position to talk about my

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experiences as openly and freely as I do. I do think it’s becoming a more open and accepting space because more people are becoming unafraid to own their truth. Being yourself is the most revolutionary thing that you can do.” Fletcher’s whole ethos is how to make pop music that truly transcends. Pop music that cuts deep and touches your soul. “With anything, whether it’s pop music or art, the question is what is the intention?” she asks. “Are you creating something with intention? With this, I want people to laugh or have fun or make people feel something, to really feel seen and connected to one another. The whole world has been through the fucking ringer the past year and a half, and we’re all just really trying to be better and feel connected to one another. With music, you have to say something that matters. What are you contributing to a world that, for the most part, has been a really difficult place for people? What light are you contributing?” In keeping with this desire to make a statement is this year’s definitive Fletcher banger ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, which assuredly points the way towards her much anticipated debut album arriving next year. With its homage to Katy Perry’s iconic ‘I Kissed A Girl’, this is a game-changing song. “My mum was dropping me off to middle school when that song had come out, and my mum had gasped at the lyrics, and I was like, ‘fuck, I think I like girls’, right at that moment,” laughs Fletcher as she recalls the first time she heard Katy’s classic. “That song marks the beginning of a queer journey for me and helped me explore my truth. It was really transformative for me, and I was lucky enough to get the blessing from FLETCHER queen Katy Perry herself to interpolate it for my single ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’. It represents a celebration of me and feels super unapologetic. It feels like I’m stepping into a place where I can own this and own who I am and be really proud of that.” The song acts as a launching pad that sees 2022 promise to be a year in which Fletcher truly blossoms on a global stage. With world tours, exciting collaborations, swish videos, and a newfound sense of uber confidence Fletcher is ready to ascend to the top of pop’s mountain. Despite her rising persona, though, some things will never change. “I’ve always been the heartbreak bitch,” she laughs. “ I’m always writing about heartbreak and my exes, so there’s definitely some of that on the album because I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t sing about exes. There’s juicy songs on there and also the flip side of my self-exploration and coming into the relationship with myself for the first time. It’s going to be all the feels. I always provide the feels. That’s my MO. I can’t put out anything If it’s not a chaotic rollercoaster.” The next stop on that roller coaster is a super exciting new collab with fellow pop legend Hayley Kiyoko on her forthcoming next single, ‘Cherry’. “It’s the prequel to ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, those two go hand in hand with each other, and Hayley Kiyoko is lesbian Jesus as we know,” says Fletcher excitedly. “It was such an honour to collaborate with her.” When the album drops next year, we’re sure there promise to be some similarly thrilling surprises. For a lot of artists, the pandemic provided a point of reflection for a lot of artists. Some used it to feverishly create new sounds and styles, some used it to take a break and do nothing at all, and others like Fletcher used the time for some much-needed self-care and introspection that shapes the next phase of her career as she shoots off into the pop stratosphere. “Over the last year, I’ve become such a different person because I’ve finally had to look at myself in the mirror for the first time and face myself,” she explains. “It’s been interesting wondering how that person now shows up in the world as Fletcher. It feels like a rebirth. It’s going to be really beautiful.” P

“I’ve always been the heartbreak bitch”

H C E T R E

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very short - is there a reason they are? I just get so bored of the same melody for too long, so by the time I’ve heard it twice, I’m like, okay next one - usually resulting in a song that’s shorter than I intend it to be. Has your life changed much since achieving multiple smash hits? Not a crazy amount; I’m still chilling and relaxing in London with my friends. It’s just super fun meeting some great people. Hi PinkPantheress, what’s going on for you today? Nothing crazy, just been DJing and celebrating my friend’s 21st.

T ** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME PinkPantheress → FROM London, UK → LISTEN TO... Pain

his time last year, PinkPantheress didn’t have any songs out. Now she’s one of the world’s most promising new pop stars. Taking her stage name from her TikTok profile and taking care to never reveal her real name, all we know is she’s 20, from Bath but living in London with her childhood pals, and that she might just be a genius. Nabbing bits of songs from everywhere, her discography is a musical hodgepodge of old school garage, drum’n’bass, emo, nu-metal, 2000s British pop and more, chewing up all those influences and spitting out something that sounds like Grimes meets Lily Allen via MySpace, Tumblr and TikTok versus ‘Babycakes’ by Three of a Kind. Yeah, that’ll do it. Practically trademarking ‘new nostalgia’, there’s no wonder she’s blown up on TikTok, the internet home of “anyone remember when…” and Y2K fashion, her self-produced tracks borrow from British classics like Sweet Female Attitude’s ‘Flowers’ and Just Jack’s ‘Starz In Their Eyes’, giving them a 2021 spin with bedroom pop vocals and hyperpop melodies. If you’re not familiar with the massive hits ‘Just For Me’ and ‘Passion’ amongst others, where on EARTH have you been? In an interview as short as her songs, PinkPantheress tells us (ahem) everything we need to know about her debut mixtape, influences and Hannah Montana lifestyle.

Tell us about your debut mixtape ‘to hell with it’ - what’s the blurb? I don’t know what a blurb is, but the mixtape is just a body of work of songs I’ve collected this year that I’m proud of and wanted to share. There’s obviously a lot of garage and drum’n’bass influence in your music, where does that come from? Is that something you grew up with? Yes, I think every British person grew up with it in some form. Can you tell us a bit about your more obscure influences - you’ve mentioned your lyrics are inspired by Jacqueline Wilson stories and visuals inspired by Saw - where did they originate? From the school library and YouTube, and through interests growing up. I absorbed so many weird references just by being curious.

Currently, you’re very secretive about your life. Do you think as you get bigger, you’ll find yourself opening up more? Maybe! I can’t prepare, though, as I’m not too sure. Do you think British pop is due a renaissance? I haven’t thought about this much, I don’t want to say yes, but I would like to hear something a little crazier once in a while. Do you see yourself straying from the garage sound you’re developing right now? I’m not sure on this. I think it’s a valuable sound, but I don’t think it’s ever wise for an artist to stick to one genre their whole career.

“I absorbed so many weird references just by being curious” PINKPANTHERESS

You’re both an internet kid and someone who tries to stay off the internet as much as possible, how do you balance the two? I don’t look up my name, stay off of TikTok and Twitter, and limit myself to YouTube. Some of the lyrics, especially on tracks like ‘passion’, are pretty dark. Had you intended to juxtapose those darker lyrics with quite peppy instrumentals? Yes, I love the oxymorons of a happy instrumental and dark lyrics just because people can’t and don’t know what to expect lyrically wise because it goes so against what they’ve prepared for.

Has blowing up on TikTok affected the way you write music at all? No, I’ve always written in the style I started off with when I started writing in at 17 till now. I don’t think it’s a thing I’m conscience of. Which is your favourite track you’ve put out so far? Why? ‘Notice I Cried’ because I really like the melody for some reason and the sample. I also love [producer] Oscar Scheller; it’s also is dear to me as it was the first song I made in a session.

Pick one: Tumblr era music or TikTok era music? TikTok, I don’t remember Tumblr music being a thing. I’ve never seen the Pink Panther - give us three reasons to watch it. Cos it’s funny, French and fresh.

PINK PANTHERESS Obviously it’s a joke online that your songs are

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You’ve got your first live shows coming up soon - what can we expect from PinkPantheress live? Me dancing a little while trying to sing even though I have a cold. But also great vibes. I’m super lucky to have such great amazing, and hot fans who I love dearly. P

NOISY

Southern trio NOISY have utilised 2021 to bolster their belt of bangers, and recent offerings suggest the next year will be huge for the sincere rock’n’roll ravers. Words: Finlay Holden. Photo: Patrick Gunning.

ew artists embody hype more than NOISY. Both in terms of their sonic capabilities and future potential, the Worthing trio deliver an explosive fusion of their indie roots and fresh breakbeats that never fails to rile up an eclectic fan base as exemplified by a jam-packed return to the live scene. Looking back on a year filled with highlights, guitarist Connor Cheetham points to Reading Festival as a true high point. Opening the Dance Stage’s second day with a thunderous midday rave, including moshpits before the first chorus, it’s a typical example of the energy these guys bring to every set. “All the festivals were great,” CODY MATTHEWS frontman and vocalist Cody Matthews adds. “It’s the first time that we’ve played while having a lot of music out, so we didn’t know what to expect, and the reaction was just crazy. Our crowds are so loud and rowdy, it’s exceeded anything that we thought it could be.” Having been on the scene for a while with previous moniker High Tyde only mutating into the act we see before us today relatively recently, 2021 has truly seen the band come into their own as they unleash hordes of dominating tracks penned throughout various lockdowns. Perhaps the most exciting proof of this is the ** CHEAT SHEET ** recent single ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Raver’, which stands out against even the mountainous → NAME NOISY peaks of ‘Young Dumb’ and ‘Put A Record On’, to name a few, with → MEMBERS Cody Matthews, Connor its introduction of audience Cheetham, Spencer interaction. Tobias-Williams “That song is the first time → FROM that we’ve ever had a proper Worthing, UK singalong moment in the → LISTEN TO... set, which we’ve always Young Dumb wanted to do,” Cody offers. “It feels way cooler now that people are screaming the words rather than just showing up for a mosh pit.” Riling up a diverse set of listeners is something the band seems to have now mastered, but NOISY give fans their due credit in this regard: “We hype people up and then piss off,” Cody laughs. “Our music really does the talking; the crowd just needs a little bit of direction. It feels like we’re just hanging out with them; they’re our mates, and we’re having these experiences together.” If the fanbase of fellow rock’n’roll ravers is one big group of mates, then NOISY certainly form a diverse circle. As the energetic performer states, “NOISY is for everyone, man. You can’t really pigeonhole us to a genre, which is super annoying when we’re trying to explain what our music is... I just think – why not play to everyone and see what they think?”

“We hype people up and then piss off”

Well, it’s obvious that almost everyone can get down with a rave, and that’s not just limited to the younger generation. “Seeing 50-year-old geezers down the front mashing it in NOISY t-shirts – like, he hasn’t accidentally come here, he’s a genuine fan, and that’s mad to me.” Part of this can be attributed to the graft that the trailblazing three-piece have put in. While festivals and a headline tour have been standout moments, tours alongside acts like YUNGBLUD have cultivated NOISY’s expansive entourage. “Coming out of lockdown and not having played showed in two years, we’re just gonna play to anyone and everyone. There’s no crowd that doesn’t suit NOISY,” Connor declares. The passion for their craft is evident, and the band share a deep appreciation for every single person that turns up to a show to jump onboard. “We’re definitely never gonna get used to it,” Connor shrugs. “You know how much effort it is to go to a gig – it’s a lot!” Cody adds. “Getting the train, getting all your mates together, having a few drinks

beforehand… it’s mental that people do that just for us now.” So, why do they? Well, as the words piercing through layers of raucous bass and screeching guitar suggest (“I’m tryna get waved, I’ll do whatever it takes”), rave culture is being used as a tool to enable the purest form of escapism. Connor elaborates: “All of our favourite music is totally euphoric. Big, catchy melodies that make you feel something. Every NOISY song has that, and so our gigs are just 45 minutes of losing your head.” That indescribable euphoria allows 17-year-olds and 50-year-olds alike to abandon their worries and dance. “Big, loud, obnoxious beats with hands in the air moments – that is the best kind of music for escapism,” says Cody. “That’s what we’re creating, so I’m all for it.” He continues: “We have a t-shirt that says ‘I like classic music, I like rock music, I like pop music, I like jazz music’, etc. – at the end, it says ‘I like NOISY’ – that summarises who we are as a band and what we want to be. We’ve got the horse blinkers on and are just doing us. I do admire what a lot of artists are doing right now, though – it’s an exciting time for music.” An exciting time, indeed. Of course, 2022 will see this crew embark on more raucous live expeditions, but new, transformative material should be anticipated imminently too. What more have they got in the tank? “The three most exciting NOISY tunes yet,” Connor answers. “Some music that we’ve been holding since the very beginning that had to drop at the right moment because we didn’t want to waste it.” We suggest you make sure you’re there to hear it. P

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THE

LIST 2022

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** CHEAT SHEET ** warm energy was fun. If summer has a sound, I wanted to embody it in this EP.” →NAME Pixey glorifies the enchantment we’ve all Pixey experienced from returning to our normal →FROM unruly routines, but it turns out it’s not all fun Liverpool, UK and games behind the scenes. A picturesque →LISTEN TO... and vibrant sleeve cover by Cameron JL West Free To Live In Colour was birthed from a less pristine photoshoot. “We went to a park in Reading where there was this lake – the picture looks so sunny and beautiful, but that lake is the grimiest thing I’ve seen in my whole life. I was so cold, and my feet went right into some green sludge.” Oh, to be a pop star. The most striking aspect of all Pixey’s music is the unique production fingerprint carried across her entire discography. While co-production credits are smartly utilised to find the best of both worlds, there is no doubt that whittling away on various outdated laptops has paid off in dividends, giving her output a distinct and undeniable flavour. She recalls and praises the journey it took to get here: “I didn’t want to find my sound and my identity around someone who I didn’t know – it’s very intimidating starting to produce, and you can easily feel out of your depth. If you can portray your sound and find your own sonic identity, particularly as a woman, it can be very powerful.” This sentiment is particularly striking when you consider that fellow Dork fave Orla Gartland also voiced the fact that women in music often have their technical capabilities PIXEY dismissed in the industry, which immediately knocks the confidence of rising talent. Pete Robertson, who worked on part of Orla’s 5-star debut LP ‘Woman On The Internet’, has boosted Pixey’s self-belief on this new record too. “When you’re starting out, and you haven’t proven that people want to hear your stamp of production… I just had no clue what I was doing,” she confesses. “Even now, I worry that I’m not qualified enough. Pete eased that and taught me that production is just embracing how you want to portray your sound to people.” Her vision for this portrayal is evidently strong, but even so, people have more than once suggested she hand over the reins to someone who ‘knows what they’re doing’. “That made me upset; it really affected me because part of why I enjoy music so much is being able to play around with production non-stop,” Pixey says. “It goes hand in hand with writing; I can’t imagine being a songwriter without being a producer also.” Now shutting these naysayers up and then some, 2021 has truly documented the journey of an artist coming into her own. “I’ve never not felt confident in my music because I don’t write for anyone’s approval. The fact that people enjoy it though… nothing makes me happier,” she gleams. “My songs are just me making sense of my feelings, and putting that into the world can be scary sometimes. I want to be a little bit braver in terms of what I’m releasing.” As a name embracing the very spirit of Hype, Pixey is certainly not afraid to plan ahead: “I love thinking about the future!” she boldly claims. “I find focusing on what’s next excites me for the now as well.” And what might the next year have in store then? “I have so many things that I cannot wait to share. You’ve not heard my best songs yet,” she teases. “I don’t feel like I’ve had my big moment yet; I’m still exploring styles and finding what I enjoy… but I’m ready for anything.” P

“You’ve not heard my best songs yet”

X E I Y P

ixey may be a sweet and succinct pseudonym to encompass an artist adorning herself in complex layers of whirling sound, but 2021 has put the human underneath – Lizzie Hillesdon – through a real ringer of experiences. Thankfully, few musicians have proved themselves so definitively worthy of attention. While March’s ‘Free To Live In Colour’ established an ear for glamour, the demand for live renditions as the world reopened showed Pixey that when it comes to the stage, there really is no place more vulnerable. “Playing live is a whole new thing,” she explains. “I never got to play the songs I’d written for anyone before this summer. It was bizarre hearing them sung back to me; I wasn’t expecting that at all! I went from playing to people who had no idea who I was to rooms filled with people there specifically to hear my music… I couldn’t wrap my head around that.” Having now graced the boards of 110 Above, Dot To Dot and Sound City just to name a few, a new skillset has been engrained through necessity – with “every sound problem known to man” surfacing, adaptability became vital. “I can’t tell you how different it is to be a performer as opposed to a writer and producer,” she reflects. “I thought I had it all nailed; I was set in my ways, then I realised I had to change and adapt to deliver the best possible version of my performance.” Some artists may claim to step into an alter ego once the lights go down, but this Liverpudlian isn’t one of them. “I wish I could do that, but I’m so annoyingly unchangeable that I can’t help but completely wear my heart on my sleeve,” she reveals. “If I tell a joke that flops on stage, Pixey doesn’t feel that – Lizzie does. I have to manage my emotions on stage. It’s still me completely, and I do feel most in my element up there.” Fortunately, a well-deserved following – now dubbed her ‘Pixies’ – are there to support her along the way. Manifesting streaming numbers into crowds at headline shows has had a profound effect: “I can’t explain how much it means to me when I’m told that my work means something to someone.” However, the fans are not the only ones reaching out; whilst she might have recently been considered a mentee, Pixey is now stepping into the large and surprisingly comfortable shoes of a mentor for others in the industry. Specifically, fellow Chess Club signees and buzzy duo The Let Go have tapped into her focused expertise. “I constantly watch how other women in the industry are navigating everything,” Pixey says. “When I see someone where I was in the past, it becomes my duty to give as much information as I can because I would’ve loved to have that.” She’s certainly not one to shy away from self-development, either. “I still feel like I’m finding the perfect balance. I always feel like I’m still learning, which is something that I embrace. I don’t let that scare me.” Despite claiming that her career to date is “all a stab in the dark”, Pixey’s latest offering (the ‘Sunshine State’ EP) is further evidence of a coherence and consistency that can only be achieved through vast planning. Carefully curating the flow of each release by picking and choosing through a vast catalogue of mood and genres, a focus on the glee of summer felt a timely celebration in the wake of a triumphant return to the outdoors. She confirms: “That mood just seemed to come naturally. I’m obsessed with the seasons; they can portray a mood so accurately, so I just had to use that. Summer is my favourite season of the year, so to release an ode to how I would sonically recreate that

After two delightful EPs in one chaotic year, dazzlingly expressive indiepopster Pixey shows no signs of slowing down. Words: Finlay Holden. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

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LIST 2022

“There’s no particular message I’m desperate to put out there; I just write about my life” PIP MILLETT

PIP MILLETT ** CHEAT SHEET ** → NAME Pip Millett → FROM Manchester, UK → LISTEN TO... Running (Feat. Ghetts)

ip Millett has set herself up to have an outstanding 2022. Newly signed to new Sony label Dream Life, the emerging R&B star has built on her early promise with the much-lauded ‘Motion Sick’ EP - featuring a collab with Ghetts, no less - a TV debut on Later... with Jools Holland, and a sold-out (albeit postponed due to illness) UK tour. Sold out! Nailed on, mate. Hi Pip! How’s it going? What are you up to today? Hey! I’m alright; still a little gutted I’ve had to postpone the rest of my tour due to illness! Chest infection is not the one. When did you start making music, was it while at uni or before then? How did you get into it? I started writing music way before uni. I was probably trying to write from 10 years old, maybe younger. I got way more into it when I was 14 and started having guitar lessons. I always loved music, and that’s kind of how I got into it, but great teachers are what made me properly pursue it (guitar teacher and English teacher). What did you study? Was it creative? I studied music at university. It was kind of creative. I think studying creative subjects at degree level can be difficult. Music is such a personal thing that I think it can be quite hard to grade a voice that’s not of a session musician. Have you always been drawn to your current music style? At what point did you think, yes this is me? I didn’t completely understand what my music

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right. I feel really lucky and grateful that he wanted to be part of the song. style was for a while. I think it’s always changing but still has that very chilled, laid-back feel to it. I don’t think there’s ever that moment. I think you love some songs you make and like others. Are you still in Manchester? I am still in Manchester. I moved back last year, and it’s been the best! Does your location impact the kind of songs you want to make, or topics you want to talk about? Not at all. I still go and see all the same producers I was working with when I lived in London. I think I just have more quiet and space from my personal writing time now I live back in Manchester. It feels like you’ve had a very exciting 2021; what’ve been your highlights? My highlights have been playing shows and appearing on Later... with Jools Holland. You’ve already done the whole Jools Holland ‘thing’. Is that the biggest ‘wtf’ moment so far for you? I don’t think I’d be able to decide what the biggest wtf moment has been for me. It was definitely a big one. But also doing COLORS and now doing VEVO have been insane. I will say I’ve been watching Jools since I was so young, and it feels very surreal to know I got to play on his show. Teaming up with Ghetts for ‘Running’ was fun, how did that come about? I’d written ‘Running’ last year and was really struggling to think of someone who would feature and truly fit the song well. My managers and I spoke about various people a number of times without reaching out. Then they suggested Ghetts, and as soon as they said it, it just felt

Did it feel like you got more attention after that collab? Are team-ups something you want to do more of in future? I think so because you’re reaching a whole new audience when you collaborate with an artist different from yourself. I’d love to do more collaborations. I’ll have to see what comes up. We saw in another interview you mentioned you’d like to work with James Blake. Has putting it out there successfully manifested yet? Hahaha, sadly, no. I’m still working on it. A good idea would be to actually reach out when I’m ready instead of me just mentioning it in interviews. You’re working on your debut album at the moment, right? How’s that going? Kind of. It’s going well; I’ve been more focused on shows recently, but I’m sure work on the album will start up again once I’m feeling better. What do you want your debut album to say about you? I want it to tell the truth. There’s no particular message I’m desperate to put out there. I just write about my life, and when I start to listen back, a bigger message becomes clear. Is it a very different process to doing an EP? From what I can tell so far, it’s just a much longer process! If you could wave a magic wand and have anything in the world happen during the next 12 or so months, what would you go for? A healthy planet. P

GRACIE ABRAMS The daughter of Hollywood royalty, working with Aaron Dessner and making big waves, it’s all going on for Gracie Abrams. Words: Ali Shutler.

’m surprised by everything all the time,” admits Gracie Abrams. And it’s hard not to empathise with an artist who’s been in the fast lane from the moment she stepped out online. At the end of 2019, Gracie shared a beautiful but raw rendition of ‘Minor’, shot by her friend Aubrey who you can hear giggling in the background. Debut single ‘Mean It’, a fragile love song that teetered on the edge of heartbreak, followed a few weeks later, while ‘Stay’ saw Gracie surviving on the other side of a split. Debut EP ‘Minor’ came in July 2020, and across those seven tracks, Gracie explored the messy, oft-overlooked details of a breakup. ‘I Miss You, I’m Sorry’ is full of regret, ‘21’ wrestles with doubt, and ‘Friend’ finds her frustrated and fiercely let down. The emotional confusion that flickers throughout the EP spoke to a generation of people in lockdown, while the raw vulnerability gave her a timeless appeal. Gracie had “zero expectations” when it came to ‘Minor’. “It was mid-pandemic, and I just felt lucky that it was something I could do from home.” Still, less than a year later, the tracks surpassed one hundred million streams on Spotify. Perhaps more importantly for Gracie, though, “were the people who’d write to me saying that the EP meant something to them. I genuinely did feel the presence of the people who reached out. During a period of self-isolation, that connection carried a lot of weight. It allowed me to find more of a community. I feel very lucky for that.” Gracie Abrams didn’t always want to be a pop star. Growing up, she wanted to be a writer and started creating songs aged 8. The problem was, ** CHEAT SHEET ** “I was little, so it wasn’t like anyone else was gonna sing them. So, I started singing → NAME them myself and just grew to love it.” Gracie Abrams Joni Mitchell is her “all-time forever → FROM inspiration”, she took a lot of influence Los Angeles, US from Lady Gaga’s ‘The Fame’, and → LISTEN TO... “Nina Simone playing in the house Rockland always made me feel emotional and excited.” Phoebe Bridgers gave her the same reaction in middle school. “All these incredibly powerful writers, their narratives all rocked me every time,” Gracie explains, and you can hear that throughout her music. More recently, she’s spent every day of the past three weeks listening to Mac Miller. ‘Minor’ has only been out for just over a year, but Gracie has already followed it up with ‘This Is What It Feels Like’. “I just think I felt ready to write more,” she says. The sprawling, powerful twelve-track collection of songs has been described as a “project” rather than an album. Not because it’s not very good or that Gracie is still trying to find her voice or style. Instead, you get the sense that she wants something more theatrical and intricate than a series of brilliant songs bundled together for her debut full-length. ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ came together “in a bit of a funny way,” she explains. “[It was written] right as I was pulling myself out of a very long period of feeling not the best mentally, [and listening back to it now] I can pick up on where I was at for each song.” Gracie believes the new project is a departure from what’s come before. “It’s sort of like big girl ‘Minor’,”

she explains. The blossoming ‘Feels Like’ was written about her and her best friend “living in New York together and taking the train to see the Harry Styles fan fiction movie,” while across the record, Gracie admits she “wrote about my anxiety a lot. That feels semi nerve-wracking,” she adds. While there was an element of narrative distance on ‘Minor’, it’s impossible to separate art and artists on this new project as Gracie pours her heart out. “I obviously hope that anyone who listens feels connected to it in some way,” she says. “Selfishly though, whenever people seem to understand what I’m writing about, it makes me feel less alone.” Gracie Abrams has grown in stature and streams since ‘Minor’, and her songwriting has also progressed rapidly, with there being a real sense of purpose behind ‘This Is What It Feels Like’. Still, she never feels like things are starting to move too quickly. “It actually feels like a wildly slow burn, but that’s been good. I’ve had real time to get to know people who are nice enough to listen to my music on a personal level. I think about specific people that I’ve gotten to know from Instagram DMs when I write songs sometimes. I just think about their reactions to things.” Rather than adding to the

pressure, Gracie just feels really fortunate. While she’s quickly grown comfortable in the studio and sharing her innermost thoughts and feelings with a microphone, like most pandemic artists, Gracie hasn’t had much experience on stage in front of a crowd. She’s played a handful of festivals and headline shows but still gets nervous. “I get the feeling in my stomach ten minutes before every show, but then as soon as GRACIE ABRAMS I’m up there, it feels like a family reunion.” Her ambitions are somehow modest and grandiose. Then again, so are her songs. “I want to write for as long as the people will have me,” she says. “I’ll write even if they won’t have me, but still. I want to do this for the rest of my life.” Gracie is currently answering our questions while sat in Long Pond Studio. It’s the same room where Taylor Swift recorded ‘Evermore’ and ‘Folklore’ while her collaborator (and The National’s guitarist) Aaron Dessner is sat opposite her. The pair wrote ‘Rockland’ together, another poignant track that toys with regret and relief. “That song happened really quickly,” says Gracie. “I didn’t really look at what I was writing until it was finished. I have always been into the perspective of the outsider, just having been previously involved in relationships that you aren’t in anymore.” She’s been in the studio for most of the week, “really truly writing my favourite music I’ve ever made. I feel very full right now.” P

“I want to write for as long as the people will have me. I’ll write even if they won’t have me, but still”

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30 ALBUMS YOU’LL

NEED TO HEAR IN

2022

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We usually end each year by writing a letter to Santa, demanding our most wished for goodies. We probably shouldn’t. Santa isn’t going to record us any standout albums for 2022. This lot are. Here’s a far from exhaustive list of thirty of the albums we’re expecting to get over the next twelve months that we think you should be excited about.

SIGRID → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC → Our Siggers has already been out there dropping new music in the form of twin pop bops ‘Mirrors’ and ‘Burning Bridges’ - early smoke signals for a second full-length set to follow in 2022. With a run of huge UK shows planned for March, it’s safe to say we should maybe expect it to be with us at some point in the spring. Call it an ‘educated guess’ we should be able to confirm really quite soon, if we’re right. SA

CAROLINE POLACHEK → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC → Caroline’s ‘Pang’ remains a bit of a modern classic round these parts, so obviously we’re quite excited to see what comes next. Dropping the Really Very Good ‘Bunny Is A Rider’ earlier in 2021, she also debuted some new material at her recent London show (more on that later). While we don’t know exactly when we’ll see it, we’re under the impression a new album is ‘on the way’ soon. Exciting stuff. SA

NILUFER YANYA → TITLE: PAINLESS → RELEASE DATE: 4th March 2022 → Nilüfer Yanya’s first album might

only have arrived back in 2019, but that already feels like an age ago. Nothing to worry about there, though. The follow up to one of the standout debuts of that year has already been announced. Titled ‘PAINLESS’, it’ll be with us on 4th March 2022. We’ve also got a track from it to, ‘stabilise’ - a song based on the jolly and uplifting central theme of “no one coming to save you ever” - Nilüfer’s own words, there. The album is “a record about emotion” - “I think it’s more open about that in a way that Miss Universe wasn’t because there’s so many cloaks and sleeves with the concept I built around it,” she explains. “I’m not as scared to admit my feelings”. SA

FOALS

→ Oxford rabble-rousers Foals haven’t even wrapped up their much-delayed ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’ tour yet, and they’re already teasing a brand new record due out next year. Penned during last winter’s long, gruelling lockdown, ‘Wake Me Up’ is the first taste of new material, a cocktail of punchy funk that finds the group - recently slimmed down to a trio by the departure of synth player Edwin Congreave - fully in their disco element. To get the lowdown on all things Foals, we rang up frontman Yannis Philippakis for a chinwag. Hey Yannis! Your pinned Tweet from the very first lockdown last March says, “Might start writing a record & making soap”. How’s the soap making going?

The soap making never really got off the ground, to be honest. I like soap a lot, so I bought quite a lot of soap during lockdown. I’ve not made any yet, but I do plan to get into that a bit more, maybe start a little side hustle outside Foals. I did make a record, though. One out of two isn’t bad.

Are you pleased with the reactions to ‘Wake Me Up’ so far?

Yeah, I’m really pleased. It’s particularly exciting because of how unreal the idea of being able to release music this quickly seemed when we were writing it. Things were so bleak, the idea of normality was so remote, we didn’t know how long it would go on for or how arduous a process it would be [but] everything has coalesced really quickly in the last few months. So, to have the song out and see people’s reaction to it and know that it’ll be soundtracking people’s parties, that the world is kind of re-emerging, it just feels great. It’s joyous for us to release music but also that there’s a world coming back together to release music into.

It has a very funky sound, one we’ve not heard much from you guys before. Are you a big disco fan?

Foals long since established themselves at indie rock’s top table, but following up on 2019’s double album extravaganza with their first record as a three piece, anything could follow. Even... erm... disco? Words: Alex Cabre.

I have been for years. I went through a particular spell of buying lots of classic disco vinyl while writing ‘Total Life Forever’. There are a few tracks that really hooked me in. One was ‘Why’ by Carly Simon, the 12-inch edit, and ‘Love Has Come Around’ by Donald Byrd. And then, obviously, I love Prince and that whole Minneapolis sound. I think you can hear elements of funk in songs like ‘Inhaler’ and ‘My Number’, so it’s not totally alien to the band, but I think it’s foregrounded in this track a bit more.

Will the new record be more about grooving than moshing?

I mean, it depends what you like to mosh to. We weren’t particularly interested in writing any more heavy rock songs right now. The appetite and the intuition in the band was to write dancier tracks, some of which are poppier maybe than what has come before, not all certainly, but yeah, just to enjoy the drier, more rhythmic side of the band. We basically didn’t have any pedals

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THE 1975 → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC

→ What is going on with The 1975? No,

on in the studio; there’s no fuzz. Our idea of a party, basically.

Is there a club or venue you’ve especially missed going to since Covid?

hit us up and said that Brian and his producers loved the song and they thought it would be perfect for ‘Universe’. They did it before with Radiohead; they had Hans Zimmer rework ‘Bloom’. Because of lockdown, we didn’t get to go into the studio at any point, but we were sent versions, and we would send comments back, and Hans and his gang of merry men would tweak stuff. I was actually trying to watch something on iPlayer yesterday, and the trailer came on. I was like, “shit, that sounds good”. I didn’t think the track could get any more bombastic than it already was, but they managed to dial it up.

The thing I was more daydreaming about whilst we were writing was the clubs I used to go to. You know, I’m a bit older now, and I don’t go out... I mean, I go out! But more to the pub. I don’t really hit the clubs as much. But I used to go out a lot to clubs and bars, particularly in Oxford, and I think a lot of the songs on this record are haunted by looking in the rear-view mirror at your hedonistic youth. There’s a tinge of melancholy that With Edwin gone, a lot of the spaces I have you considered used to enjoy, but also YANNIS PHILIPPAKIS asking Hans to join generally within our the band full time? cities, have been lost. [Laughs] I don’t know whether Hans With this record, I got to live a lot of would be able to get down backstage those nights in my head, conjuring up with us in the way that we like to. these postcards from the past [while It would be amazing. We probably also dreaming about] nights in the couldn’t afford him. I hear his day future. rate is astronomical and exorbitant.

“We weren’t particularly interested in writing any more heavy rock songs”

Another project you were involved in recently was reworking your 2019 song ‘Neptune’ for the BBC’s ‘Universe’ series alongside legendary composer Hans Zimmer. What was that experience like? It was really unexpected and flattering. We’re massive fans of Hans Zimmer; he’s one of the greats. We always enjoy our music being repurposed for things, whether for a remix or a movie, but this was especially interesting. We love Brian Cox as well. Basically, the BBC

60. DORK

You have a huge UK tour booked to start in April 2022, can we expect to hear any more new tunes before that?

We’re kind of finishing everything right now, but yeah, there will be a record next year, not sure when. In advance of the tour, there is definitely more music coming. Some of the songs are finished and ready to go and sort of burning a hole in our pocket, so we want to get them out. Soon, hopefully. P

not Dork’s new strapline, but an honest question based on a touch of confusion and a lot of whispering. At the start of last year’s Covid-sponsored madness, the band were building up to the release of their fourth album - and second instalment of the Music For Cars ‘series’ - ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’. Though the album still hit its May release date, those final laps were compromised by lockdowns, restrictions and a total pause on live music. With no opportunity to take the album on tour proper, everything seemed to get a bit... well... unpredictable. And let’s be honest, Dear Reader, The 1975 have never been the most predictable of bands in the first place. When Dork last talked to frontman Matty Healy ‘on the record’ around the release of ‘Notes’, he was making a lot of noise about doing something under the

band’s pre-fame guise, Drive Like I Do. Probably not a full album, the idea had been whispered, teased and even hoaxed for a good while previously. For once, it started to feel like it might happen. Rough dates were suggested, even an Instagram account appeared. And then, well, nothing. Since then, the digging has started once more. Matty started sharing teasy looking artwork on Instagram - images that were also posted by the band’s long-term creative collaborator Samuel Burgess-Johnson. He also appeared just a couple of weeks ago, supporting Phoebe Bridgers at an LA show, with ‘new songs’ in tow. There’s an impression, shall we say, that a new album from The 1975 will be with us next year, with a tour to accompany it. Something’s happening, anyway. Keep your eyes peeled for the traditional teasing ‘soon’. SA

ARCTIC MONKEYS → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC

→ What are we expecting from Arctic Monkeys then? Hard to say. After the iconic blast of uber-bangers that was 2013’s AM, the 70s-infused retro-futurism of Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino in 2018 was, shall we say, a surprising manoeuvre. We will tastefully not reignite the drama here (we’re nothing but tasteful here at, erm, the magazine called Dork) but in the interest of journalistic integrity let it be noted that when it came to Tranquility Base, indie was a house divided. Was this a sign of Arctic Monkeys’ sonic evolution, a truly fun concept album about a space hotel, or the overwrought stylings of a band who perhaps needed a little sleep and a gentle reintroduction to the real world? Here, on the cusp of a follow-up, we’re no closer to an answer. And that makes it very difficult indeed to speculate on what

might come next. The only thing we can broadly agree on is that Alex Turner’s lyrical flair never wavered, which means it’s probably safe to assume we’ll get a knowing line here and there, the occasional flash of elastic wit amid a string of poetic observations about… well, lord knows what. It would certainly be unusual for a massive indie band to follow up a weird concept album with another, perhaps even weirder concept album, but once again for the people in the back; the last one was a record about a space hotel. There was literally no way we could have predicted that. Are we thinking an underwater Butlins for this one? A Travelodge in hell? Could be. Or it could be what we were sort of expecting last time around - a slew of absolutely unrivalled indie hits. LK

ALT-J

FLORENCE +

→ TITLE: The Dream → RELEASE DATE: 11th February 2022 → By the time alt-J drop their new album, ‘Get Better’, it’ll be getting on for five years since their last - 2017’s ‘RELAXER’, and almost a decade since their debut ‘An Awesome Wave’ first arrived. The three-piece have always felt like a band who would suit established veteran status, though. We’ve already had a couple of songs from the record - lead single ‘U&ME’ and its tender follow-up ‘Get Better’. With a tour planned for May too, it’s good to have them back. SA

THE MACHINE → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC

→ There’s not really a lot of solid information on new music from Florence - she’s not dropped anything new, and even failed to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of her album ‘Ceremonials’ recently - but, BUT, she’s been announced to headline a few big European festivals in 2022. And why would she be doing that if she didn’t have something new to play, hmm? Exactly. We’d keep an eye on her movements as we get closer to the summer, just in case.

YEARS & YEARS

AR ST

Oh boy. There are definitely a few I’m excited for… The only one I can think of off the top of my head right now, though, is ‘Motomami’. Rosalía is everything. Chloe Moriondo

→ TITLE: Crash → RELEASE DATE: 18th March 2022

CHARLI XCX

PI C K!

→ TITLE: Night Call → RELEASE DATE: 7th January 2022 → Olly Alexander has always been an amazing pop star. Like top tier future icon level. This year he’s taken that stardom to the next level with his role in hit telly drama ‘It’s A Sin”. He already has an impressive legacy of hits and progressive pop with Years & Years but this is a rebirth. A new era and a new journey for one of pop’s most engaging characters. Now a solo project, Years & Years third album ‘Nightcall’ is Olly’s vision and passion beautifully unfiltered. From ecstatic pop bangers to dramatic and intense fantasy with a laser focused target for dancefloor euphoria the album promises to be Olly’s defining statement. MY

→ Charli XCX has been pushing the cutting edge of mainstream pop for years now, but something about the forthcoming ‘Crash’ feels different. Her final album for her current deal with Atlantic Records, its first taster ‘Good Ones’ was everything we’ve always wanted. Pure, direct pop brilliance, it instantly became one of Charli’s most iconic songs. Followed up with Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek collab ‘New Shapes’, it’s an album that has its fair share of all star names involved. There’s regular contributor AG Cook, The 1975’s drummer and production wizz-kid George Daniel and fellow pop-icon Rina Sawayama. We’re expecting big things come March. SA

SPORTS TEAM

YARD ACT

→ TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC

→ Pretty much from the moment Sports Team released their debut album ‘Deep Down Happy’, they were talking about its follow-up. At one point, it felt like we might see it in 2021 - though that never really felt fully real. Once their first full-length’s victory lap is out of the way, 2022 may provide the perfect opportunity, though. When we talked to frontman Alex Rice about the potential new music earlier this year, he described it as “a genuine departure from the first album”. “We realised that whatever we try to do, it’s always going to have me singing in a bad voice,

→ TITLE: The Overload → RELEASE DATE: 21st January 2022

Oli playing the root notes on bass, Henry trying to riff his way out of anything and everything,” he continued. “So with that in mind, we decided to experiment a bit more and trust that those things will keep us sounding like Sports Team.” Sounds both promising and ominous. SA

→ Leeds four piece Yard Act may only be releasing their debut album at the start of 2022, but it’s already feeling like it’s going to be a bit of a runaway winner. Dropping back a couple of weeks due to vinyl production issues, it actually now looks like it’ll arrive in a quieter chart week - quite convenient that. For a band who sell out their shows and are growing a sizeable and rabid fanbase, expect them to start their year with a bang. By the time it gets to the festivals, they’ll be one of the must sees. No doubt about it. SA readdork.com 61.

FONTAINES D.C. → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: Spring 2022 → Fontaines D.C. don’t hang around when it comes to new music. Like so many of their peers, they’re a band constantly in motion. When they headlined Alexandra Palace recently, they brought a new song - ‘I Love You’ - which certainly whetted the appetite for what comes next. Whatever that is doesn’t look too far away, either - a call was put out for fans to appear as extras in a music video, filmed in London in mid November. With that in mind, European dates in March and April, and festivals booked for the summer, we’d expect for the boys to drop their third album in the early part of 2022. SA

BABY QUEEN → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC → Immediate and defiant pop powerhouse Baby Queen has only just dropped ‘The Yearbook’ mixtape, a 10-track release that steered clear of the ‘album’ label and instead housed an outrageous array of both sonically glamorous and lyrically cavernous bops, but now Bella is already shaping up a momentous debut record - we presume we’ll see at some point in 2022. Suave and self-aware new single ‘Wannabe’ is seemingly introducing us to a new era for the future superstar, pumping laidback and yet uncompromising vocals over a stripped beat with pseudo-psychedelic synths laying down a potential new direction for this as-of-yet-untitled new project. Baby Queen is only just getting started and despite admitting to being a “fucking hopeless mess”, expect this essential new record to carry her momentum to new heights. FH

BLOSSOMS → TITLE: TBC

→ RELEASE DATE: TBC → We’ve already heard one song

from Blossoms’ next full-length August’s single ‘Care For’. When talking upon its release, frontman Tom Ogden confirmed they’d been “sitting on it for ages now”, but suggested it’d be with us in 2022. That’s nearly here - durr - and every sign suggests we should be hearing more about it very soon indeed. If 2020’s ‘Foolish Loving Spaces’ is anything to go by, it could be one to keep a very close eye on. SA

MITSKI → TITLE: Laurel Hell → RELEASE DATE: 4th February 2022 → 2020 saw Phoebe Bridgers make

We’ve been waiting for a debut album from Dork’s favourite boy wonder for what seems like an age, but in 2022, it’s finally happening. With his latest megabop ‘3D Feelings’, already setting a high bar for what comes next, we caught up with ‘Young’ Alfie Templeman to look into our crystal balls and find out what comes next.

a cultural breakout, while in 2021 Japanese Breakfast dropped an album which moved the dial. If we’re looking at our indie faves making moves that switch them up a level, maybe its finally time for Mitski to go stratospheric? New album ‘Laurel Hell’ will arrive on 4th February - a record which seeks to strip away the façades and find some honest truth. With some songs written during or before 2018, and the final album mixed in May 2021, it’s the longest time Mitski has spent on a record. We’ve already had two tracks from it, the excellent ‘Working for the Knife’ and the teasingly new ‘The Only Heartbreaker’. SA

METRONOMY → TITLE: Small World → RELEASE DATE: 18th February 2022

→ It’s comes as a bit of a shock to

realise that Metronomy are now a band seven albums deep - a feat they’ll achieve with the release of new full-length ‘Small World’ on 18th February. A record described as “a return to simple pleasures, nature and embracing a more pared down, songwriterly sonics”, it’s also an album rooted in 2020 - a year in which we all had to find ourselves and our place in the world around us. Its fittingly titled lead track ‘It’s good to be back’ is already out there. An identifiable message. SA

LET’S EAT GRANDMA → TITLE: Two RIbbons → RELEASE DATE: 8th April 2022 → It’s fair to say Let’s Eat Grandma’s second album, 2018’s ‘I’m All Ears’, transformed everything for the duo. Future focused modern pop, it set a good band out in front of the pack with one of the best records of its kind in years. Its follow up, ‘Two Ribbons’, will arrive on 8th April - described as the story of the band’s last three years. Filled with personal loss, but also growth, it charts a point where their internal relationships changed, were challenged and reformed. It already sounds an important one. SA 62. DORK

THE REGRETTES → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC → Following a raw punk debut about

growing up and a fairly expansive exploration of romance across a second record, The Regrettes have surprised us with new single ‘Monday’, which utilises a fresh toolbelt of sounds to invigorate the ever-present hooks with some exciting new energy. Exploring the anxiety experienced throughout lockdowns, we can anticipate a shift in direction both thematically and sonically in what singer Lydia Night claims is, “the most powerful album we’ve made.” With alt-pop production sounding excellent on this first tease and a songwriter no longer stepping into our world but bringing us into hers, an imminent album is sure to explore new areas for the talented Californians. FH

→ Chaos reigns. The famously 18-year-old Alfie Templeman’s

face is stuck in a pricelessly quizzical expression as Dork’s connection drops just as our conversation with the global pop phenomenon in the making begins. “Hello, you’re back!” he says happily a few minutes later. The feeling is mutual. Alfie’s back with another top tier bop in ‘3D Feelings’, a track so good that Nile bloody Rodgers tweets him telling him to get in touch the next day. Tours are on the horizon both at home and internationally, Nile’s inviting him to slide into his DM’s; life is looking good for Alf, then. “I think it went alright,” he shrugs about the single with the air of someone who knows he’s got some other special bits in his Templebag. It’s been quite the turnaround in vibes for him, especially after an extended period of having to isolate during the earliest days of the lockdown. Leaping straight from that into the madness of a festival season must have been quite the whiplash moment for him then. “Yeah, it was,” he agrees.

ALFIE TEMPLEMAN

Words: Jamie MacMillan. Photos: Patrick Gunning.

“But at the same time, sometimes when I get so overwhelmingly happy, it just reminds me of just how shit the last year was when I was just doing nothing. I was also quite proud of myself to finally combat a lot of the depression and anxiety that I’d faced in that room. To be even going out there and playing a festival, I was more than a bit proud of myself and the band for helping me get through it all.” He pauses for a second before adding dramatically, “And then I got Covid!” Oh yeah, that. Striking just a few days before his main stage slot at Latitude, it was an early sign of the chaos to follow this summer with line-ups changing on a daily basis. His former tour buddies Sports Team stepped in on this occasion, of course. “It was such a bummer. I was so excited, and then those little bastards nicked my slots!” he laughs before adding, “It’s alright; I know the Alfie T fans must

have been disappointed to see a long-haired skinny sweaty weirdo and those weapons playing instead.” (He’s kidding, he still loves them. We think.) Thankfully, performances at Boardmasters (a set with a crowd so ferocious the band worried that they would fall off the stage due to the bouncing), Neighbourhood and Reading & Leeds went much smoother, and the summer was a success after all. With everything back on track then, ‘3D Feelings’ is another clue to what is to come - Alfie dropping the news to Dork that the album is now done and in the bag. “Everything’s good to go,” he beams before teasing, “I’ve done so much new stuff over the last year or two, and we’ve been able to put together this really cool album. It’s a completely new direction that I’ve never really touched upon before.” So can we still expect wall-to-wall bangers and indie party bops then? “It’s quite psychedelic in

parts,” he says. “And also quite R&B. And also quite a lot of folk, and unfortunately for some people, I’m touching on prog rock finally.” Wait. What? “Listens to Genesis once, and then everything just goes backwards,” he grins. “I’ll just go on tour to play Genesis songs now. That’s the next move.” OK, but we’ve still got the lovely love songs to look forward to, though, yeah? “I’m so fed up with writing love songs; it’s actually odd how little love comes up in this whole thing,” he smiles again. “This album’s got quite a lot of existentialism on it, actually.” Oh. “Yeah, the last song is really doom and gloom. Just me asking myself questions about the world and everything. But there are some lovely sweet songs about space and time, though?” All jokes aside, the album (title still under wraps) is the culmination of several years worth of writing for Alfie, with some of the songs dug up and re-invented in a similar way to ‘Everybody’s Gotta Love Somebody’. Just as that track was written five years ago and regenerated into something new, so has it happened to a few other songs here. “When I was 12 or 13, I was going through a massive prog phase. That was my favourite music,” he explains, “and I’ve really rediscovered my love for it recently. So I went back to it and kind of just dug up some ideas and added to them. Some of these songs have been lingering about in different aspects since the birth of mankind!” It’s clear that he’s super proud of the record; when he describes it as the best stuff that he and his band have done, it doesn’t feel like the usual artistin-an-interview PR nonsense. And with a winning run behind him of five-star tracks and EPs since his earliest bedroom pop days, we’re not about to start doubting him. “One of the songs, I wanted to make a movie score for Quentin Tarantino,” he says excitedly, “so I just made an opening song for one of his films in my head, what it would sound like. There’s plenty of songs here that don’t have a specific meaning lyrically, but they just fit a great movie scene or something.”

readdork.com 63.

SEA GIRLS → TITLE: Homesick → RELEASE DATE: 14th January 2022 → After finally capitalising on their

naturally anthemic tunes through a slew of notable festival performances and an energised headline tour, it’s clear that Sea Girls have the indiepop prowess to keep fans jumping to even the freshest material. It’s a good thing, then, that they’re already following 2020’s commendable debut ‘Open Up Your Head’ with 11 new catchy melodies in the form of ‘Homesick’, a record the band have promised is more sonically ambitious than the last and has already proven to pull on further personal experiences. As frontman Henry Camille has teased, we should expect the setlist additions to be, “quite heart-on-our-sleeves.” FH

RINA SAWAYAMA → TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: Summer 2022 → 2022 might well be the year

We chat for a while about his love “Oh, eating SO much shit food. Come of movies, and Tarantino in particular on!” A vegetarian, he will be ducking (Pulp Fiction is his favourite, the meat feasts on offer, of course. “I naturally) - and it leads to talk of need some tips and tricks from Alex America and his upcoming debut tour Rice,” he says (recklessly unaware there. “Because I’ve never played of the dangers). “He said when he there, I don’t know what to expect,” went to the States, he just ate random he admits. “But I’d rather it be that weird Southern delicacies that you way because if I look it up too much shouldn’t eat before a show.” and delve into it too much, then I’ll As we are prone to do, we decide just be more anxious. I just wanna to ask him if he likes bowling for no dive in and hope for reason other than the best in a way.” to settle a recent Though it is only social media debate Alfie on our call, it is (see page 9). “Fuck obvious that sharing people that don’t like these new experiences bowling!” is his wildly with his bandmates (as disproportionate well as his dad, who response. “The whole tour manages him) thing is a massive is a precious thing experience! You go for him. “It takes a into that shitty little lot of the pressure off car park, park up, walk because you know that inside, go through all we’re all in a similar those crappy arcade ALFIE TEMPLEMAN position,” he agrees. games that take your “You sometimes money.” (You’re forget you’re going to not selling it to us, America, and then you remember mate.) “And then you get there, and realise why you’re doing all this. and it’s like OK, it stinks of cheap There are always so many stupid American food.” (Alfie?) “But it’s things that happen on tour. You lose GREAT! They put a pair of those gear, you do silly things, you get too bowling shoe babies on you, you eat drunk. All of that. But the minute you tonnes of those sweets that have step on stage, it all makes it worth been in jars for years, and you have it, and you remember why you’re a few rounds. I’m shit at it though, here and that it’s the best thing in the they have to put those ramps up. world. It’s all worth it in the end; it’s Don’t laugh; it’s not funny.” Verdict the power of gigs.” carried, bowling is great. “There’s a Alfie’s excited about playing some conkers competition every year near of the most iconic venues in the where I live; that’s pretty bantz. But world, places like the Roxy in Los my favourite weird sport is private Angeles, rooms with decades of rock plane-ing.” We haven’t heard of history. He’s also looking forward to… it, and on Google inspection, it

“We’ve been able to put together this really cool album; it’s a completely new direction”

64. DORK

turns out to be something called ‘aerotrekking’, a sport that basically involves skimming just above the ground in a weird sort of contraption that looks directly inspired from some 70s cartoon. “Yeah, that one’s my favourite,” he explains before finishing sadly: “But someone died in one, and the manufacturer got sued and lost all his money.” We’ll stick to conkers. As we being to wrap up our rollercoaster chat, we look ahead to Alfie’s upcoming Camden Assembly gig - a ridiculously intimate warm-up show for his US tour. Is he worried that the days of being able to play shows like that will soon be at an end? “We’ll always stick with intimate shows, even if we do get bigger or whatever,” he promises. “We will always play Bedford Esquires, for example. That’s my local, 200 people, but it’s just so much fun every time. I really enjoy that kind of show.” As the night of his Camden show arrives, and the queues of fans snake around the corner just to be able to get down the front, the love for this sort of setting is plainly mutual with his fans. Somehow, ‘3D Feelings’ gets the crowd singing along despite it never having been played live before and the fact that it hadn’t (yet) been released. For him and his band, it is the first ‘proper’ headline show since lockdown ended and the perfect full stop on a busy summer back doing what he does best before he heads out to continue his path to global domination. Thankfully he’s proving a lot better at this pop star lark than he is at bowling, no safety lanes required here. P

of Rina Sawayama. We’re already very excited for her to appear in the fourth instalment of the John Wick franchise, but perhaps more fitting for these pages is news of her second album. In a recent Twitter Q&A with fans, she confirmed that she’s aiming to drop it in “late summer”, and wrote the songs in “1/20th of the time of the first one... working with some producers I’ve always dreamed of.” SA

BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD → TITLE: Ants From Up There → RELEASE DATE: 4th February 2022 → Those who loved Black Country,

New Road’s 2021 debut ‘For The First Time’ really did feel quite passionately about it. One of those records that either perfectly hit the mark or was ‘a bit much’, its followup is already sounding like it’ll follow confidently in its footsteps. A quicksharp turnaround, lead track ‘Chaos Space Marine’ suggests that ‘Ants From Up There’ will keep everything that worked about that first effort, but add a whole universe of new brilliance too. SA

THE WOMBATS → TITLE: Fix Yourself, Not The World → RELEASE DATE: 7th January 2022 → You can’t keep a good Wombat

down - and certainly not in 2022 when the three-piece return with their fifth full-length, ‘Fix Yourself, Not The World’. Recorded remotely from three different countries over the pandemic, the band would discuss the day’s plan with a morning Zoom meeting, then head off to record their individual parts before firing the results over to a star-studded list of producers. “We’ve explored new genres and pushed ourselves further than ever musically,” explains drummer Dan Haggis. It’s anything but a modern glitch. SA

WALLOWS

100 GECS

→ TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC → Wallows second album is produced by Ariel Rechtshaid - which is exciting. The collaboration’s first fruits, recent single ‘I Don’t Want To Talk’, is already ‘out’, too. Following on from their most recent EP ‘Remote’ - recorded during the pandemic - they’ve announced they’re set to hit the road Stateside for part 1 of a North American tour between April and July of 2022 too. Titled the ‘Tell Me That It It’s Over Tour’, every suggestion is that we’ll be getting that record at some point in the first half of the year. SA

→ TITLE: 10,000 Gecs → RELEASE DATE: TBC

→ When we caught up with Conan for the cover of Dork a few months back, he revealed that his second album isn’t out yet because “it’s not done”. “I’m tearing pieces of my soul out to write these songs,” he explained. “It’s going to take a

little while. [A finished record] isn’t too far off, but I’m still in it. I’m deep in the middle of the process right now.” That completion point may very well be closer - or even here - by now. Not only has he dropped a solid gold pop, ‘Telepath’, but a full world tour has been announced for 2022. Kicking off in the US in March and hitting the UK in June, it seems sensible to suggest that we’ll be getting that full-length in the first half of the year. Can’t wait. SA

BASTILLE → TITLE: Give Me The Future → RELEASE DATE: 4th February 2021

→ The iconic indie-turned-mega-pop quartet Bastille are back with their long awaited fourth album, the first in what will be almost three years and also the first to break their naming convention of two-word alliteration. It breaks other conventions, too, throwing together a horde of futuristic sounds to form a new wave of alt-pop; when unleashed as part of their Bastille: ReOrchestrated shows this summer, there was no denying the band were trying something fresh. With several bangers already redefining a new sound for the group, a desire for reinvention will hopefully prove to keep Bastille current in a new era. FH

MAGGIE ROGERS

PARAMORE

→ TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC

→ TITLE: TBC

→ RELEASE DATE: TBC → Do we know we’ll get a new Paramore record in 2022? No, not really. Does writing this form some part of a manifestation spell we’re trying to cast in order to bring back one of the best bands on the planet? Couldn’t possibly say. Still, we’re pretty confident work is underway on something new from the trio. There’s quotes that sound interesting, too. Last year, Hayley Williams suggested that Taylor York had confessed that he misses guitars, and that the band had found themselves listening to a lot of older music they grew up with - but that doesn’t necessarily mean

AR ST

→ TITLE: TBC → RELEASE DATE: TBC

Looking forward to hearing what Big Thief bring out. Their EP with ‘Certainty’ on is brilliant, and we love all their previous records. Lia Metcalfe, The Mysterines

CONAN GRAY

PI C K!

on the street is this time they’re leaning even further into the pop-punk sound that they touched on with the debut and emphasised with their recent Fall Out Boy remix collab. The perfect midpoint between super accessible poppunk and insanely creative future pop, gecs’ new album looks set to launch them into a new and even more crazy stratosphere. MY

→ 100 gecs are the most bonkers band on the planet. And that’s why we love them and why their forthcoming second album ‘10000 gecs’ promises to be one of the most thrilling comebacks of 2022. In truth we don’t really know what this is going to sound like, maybe even Dylan Brady and Laura Les have no idea what it’s going to sound like. We do know, however, that it will be super energised, feverishly excitable and will sound a bit hyper and there will be a lot of pop. You see gecs aren’t wilfully experimental shock merchants. They can write bangers. The most gloriously sugar coated fizzing pop bangers you could ever wish to hear. The word

a return to their roots. The delight of modern Paramore is how they’ve shifted with their own creative urges, always making something brilliant along the way. If, when and what they give us remains to be seen, but whatever it is, we’re pretty sure it’ll be brilliant. SA

→ Maggie Rogers is clearing out her webstore “to make way for the next chapter”. She’s “making the record [she’ll] tour for a lifetime”, and has said that it feels like being seventeen again - because everything feels “so fresh and free” and not, we presume, because she went to bed as Chandler Bing and woke up a young Zac Efron (It’s happened to us all). The second album could easily have proved daunting after Heard It In A Past Life hit the Billboard charts at no.2 and bagged Maggs a GrammyTM nomination, but thankfully the sailing seems to be smoother than smooth. But the big question remains: will she draft in pal Phoebe Bridgers for the album version of their cover of ‘Iris’, thus becoming the track’s rightful owners a-la Johnny Cash’s ‘Hurt’? Only time will tell. LK readdork.com 65.

ALL THE RELEASES YOU NEED TO KNOW (AND SOME YOU DEFINITELY DON'T)

WHAT DO THE SCORES MEAN? e Rubbish ee Not Great eee Fair eeee Good eeeee Amazing

NO ROME IT’S ALL SMILES Dirty Hit

Out: 3rd December 2021.

eeee → Good things are worth waiting for - or so the saying goes. We’ve had to wait a very long time for the debut album from No Rome - the Dirty Hit signed soloartist-slash-production-wizz-kid who promised so much on his arrival what seems like an age ago. A key collaborative force to labelmates The 1975, it’d be very easy to lose No Rome’s own identity inside what he’s offered to others - especially given how much of himself he gave to 2018’s ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ - but that would be to do a disservice to ‘It’s All Smiles’ - a gem of an album in its own right. While it might be a record that sits firmly within the vibey, smooth future pop bubble that Rome has operated to this point, there’s much more to it than a template first set years ago. Scratchy guitars make opener ‘Space-Cowboy’ an organic prayer - pleading “please don’t go” over a glitching, distorted soundscape. ‘I Want U’ is an instant earworm, as is lead single ‘When She Comes Around’. Varied and compelling, ‘It’s All Smiles’ is its own universe, existing in its own warm sonic palette - a welcoming place where it’s easy to feel at home. If No Rome has missed his moment, it’s hard to say - but if there’s any justice even a late-inthe-year release slot at a point where the buzz has started to fade from view won’t be enough to obscure an album of genuine brilliance. At a point where we all need something to sooth our ills and reignite our faith, ‘It’s All Smiles’ does exactly what it says on the tin. STEPHEN ACKROYD

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RECOMMENDED RELEASES MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THESE ALBUMS.

Ray BLK ACCESS DENIED Island Records Ray BLK has found the secret ingredient to making you feel like the baddest version of yourself, and she’s injected into every single beat of her long-awaited debut album. .

Amyl & the Sniffers

BEAUX

MEMORIES WRITTEN DOWN, SO I WON’T FORGET THEM EP Dirty Hit Out: 23rd November 2021

eeee → Three EPs in, and we’re getting a good impression of what we can expect from eclectic alt-popster beaux. ‘Memories Written Down, So I Won’t Forget Them’ is a selection of tracks textured and crafted in a way that sounds more like an established and experienced superstar than an emerging talent.

Occasionally euphoric, often bewitching, it’s equal parts Rex Orange County and Troye Sivan - real yet hyperrealistic. ‘Won’t You Take Me Far?’ fizzes like a sugary soft drink, while ‘Fall Forward’ is a breezy earworm that’s feel unseasonably upbeat. Whatever 2022 has in store for beaux, it’s sure to be big. DAN HARRISON

EXIT KID

WEIRD MILK

BASIS EP eeee Self released Out: 10th December 2021

WE WERE STRANGERS eeee Self released Out now

→ Lead single ‘This Is Know’ delivers a fresh taste of grunge-pop that effortlessly balances the weight of hefty guitar tones against a light vocal melody. Exit Kid’s ability to lean into more tranquil territory is evidenced by the elegant and uplifting title-track; a potential ballad floating on smooth, poppy beats that transform it into something else entirely. Dingy yet delightful, the ‘Basis’ EP is undeniably fun, and easily that proves that these former Years & Years members have a lot of creative mileage left in the tank, taking steps into a world of new potential where there are no restraints - and no handrails either. If future releases can expand on this approach, Exit Kid are sure to galvanise a new niche of spirited pop-rock. FINLAY

→ Flying out the gate faster than a greyhound who thinks he’s left the bath running, Weird Milk bring such joyful energy with their latest EP that there’s no need for that morning coffee. Each of the five tracks on ‘We Were Strangers’ is packed with character, with the quintet reminiscing about their teenage years and learning how to feel comfortable within their own skin. There’s a definite sense they’ve relaxed into their particular niche in the great world of indie-pop; adding a little reprise to the end of the emphatic ‘Vienna’ is the perfect throwback touch to a release that owes so much to the 1970s, glam and increasingly alarming facial hair decisions. Just enjoy the moment and breathe in the optimism. CIARAN

HOLDEN

STEWARD

Comfort To Me Rough Trade Each track is packed with enough energy to power a city and an insatiable lust for life that hums from the charmingly brash lyrics. .

ORCHARDS

FORREST NOLAN

TRUST ISSUES eeee Big Scary Monsters Out: 26th November 2021

YOU (MAKE ME FEEL ALRIGHT) EP eeee Self released Out now

→ As long as there are emotional teenagers, the world will need bands like Orchards to stir up all those delicate feelings. ‘Trust Issues’ sees them pack in ginormous choruses, relentless guitar riffs and enough power to light a small village for a good few weeks. Somehow Lucy Evers’ voice manages to capture both happy and angry elements in unison as that emotional turmoil rips through the heart of the sound and results in the most beautiful of flourishes. As has become their signature style, the mathrock riffs and sweet harmonies combine perfectly. Trust feels harder to find now than ever, but we’ll always be able to rely on charged up, antiestablishment music like this to keep marching on.

→ Are altpopsters magic? That’s the only sensible solution we can come up with. Like so many of his peers, Forrest Nolan seems to have an other-worldly power to transport with his music. Even in the cold, bleak autumnal months, ‘waste your time’ is a scorching day spent kicking back in the sun, sand under the feet. ‘To The Moon’ breezes past with a smooth swagger, while closer ‘Be Ur Friend’ is stripped back but perfectly formed. In a field where it’s hard to stand out from the rest of the packed crown, Forrest Nolan has the signs of a special talent. The kind of collection that invokes all the best vibes, it really does make it feel alright.

CIARAN STEWARD

DAN HARRISON

Baby Queen The Yearbook Polydor Records Carefully staying clear of the ‘album’ word, yet still delivering a significant body of work that feels rammed to the rafters with certified bops - Baby Queen is only just getting started. .

IDLES

CRAWLER

Partisan Records Out now

Little Simz

eeee

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert AGE 101 From the opening fanfare, there’s a resounding sense that what you’re about to hear is incomprehensibly enormous. .

Orla Gartland Woman On The Internet New Friends It’s as though Orla Gartland has reached into your mind and grasped every anxious thought about whether you’re doing things right.

→ After selling out Ally Pally, and breezing to a first Number 1 album, the question for IDLES was where does a band go when they’ve conquered an entire scene? The answer, it seems, is not to double down once more but instead to dodge sideways when the whole world is expecting another full-frontal bludgeon. ‘CRAWLER’, released a little over a year after ‘Ultra Mono’, is pretty much everything you didn’t expect from the Bristol band and it offers some fascinating questions about where they’re heading next. From the opening seconds of the snappily titled ‘MTT 420 RR’, it’s clear that IDLES have gone down a different

path. Slow and ominous, Joe Talbot’s vocals sounding like they’ve been smothered by a bucket of gravel, it’s a hypnotic five and a half minutes that threatens a storm that doesn’t quite break. And it is all the more potent for it. ‘When The Lights Come On’ follows in the same vein, while those early singles that felt random when out of context now feel like they add up to a satisfying whole. It would have been so simple to keep playing in the same increasingly narrowing world. By doing the unexpected, and doing it so quickly, there is now a whole new world for them to romp around in. JAMIE MACMILLAN

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Photo:Bryce Glenn.

Holly Humberstone ARTIST’S GUIDE

THE WALLS ARE WAY TOO THIN Former Dork cover star Holly Humberstone already had our hearts but, with her five-star EP ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’, she also has our attention. We asked her to run us through what’s behind each track.

HAUNTED HOUSE

I wrote this song about the house I grew up in. It’s very old and characterful. The house is such a huge part of who I am and our family. Recently there has been a lot of change in my life, and although change is necessary, it feels a bit like my childhood is slipping away from me along with my home. With my sisters and I moved out and living separate lives, coming home feels very comforting and one of the only things keeping us all connected. The house is very old now though and is almost falling down around us, and we’ve realised that pretty soon we’ll be forced to leave. It’s a very warm place full of memories, but it is quite quirky - it’s got a crazy cellar downstairs with meat hooks, and mushrooms have now started growing out of the walls. My friend’s mum has supernatural powers, and she often says that our house has ghosts. They must be nice ghosts as I’ve grown up with them. Friends used to come around for sleepovers but get proper scared. One of my friends pretended she was homesick, so she didn’t have to stay over! When writing ‘Haunted House’, I realised that most of my memories were made in this house, and it almost feels like we’ll have to say goodbye to a seventh family member. The day I wrote this song, it was the end of summer, and I was feeling very nostalgic as I had come down to London from north Wales as a close family member had died the previous week. I felt very fragile and like all of the special, priceless things from my childhood were slipping away from me, and that I was growing up and leaving my childhood behind.

some videos, but when I turned up, the state of the place was awful! The walls were damp, there were stains all over the mattresses, glass smashed on the floor, and it was generally very gross. I met some cool people, but this place was pretty lonely and claustrophobic. I’m such an awkward person, and even though I really liked my housemates, I still felt worried about small talk in the kitchen after a tiring day. I had some fun times there, but I felt like I was mostly confined to my room whilst chaos was going on in the flats or streets around us. To avoid confronting how I was feeling, I’d sneak out of the flat and go on train journeys to see my mates, get drunk, then come back hungover through the night or morning. I wrote most of ‘Walls’ and the songs that come next on those trains. It was my place of therapy, in the middle of nowhere, without much of a destination.

PLEASE DON’T LEAVE JUST YET The song is about wanting someone to stay so badly, even if only for five more minutes, because you know how much it’ll hurt when they leave. I think the desperation in the words really sums up how I was feeling at the time and how so many people must’ve been feeling last year when we were all completely starved of human connection! I often write songs with a bit of a visual in my head, and I kept picturing solitary places, like drifting far out to sea, so far that you can’t find a way back, or old deserted cargo shipping yards with all the lights at the edge of the city. I wrote this song with Matty, from one of my all-time favourite bands, The 1975 and my main collaborator Rob Milton. I came to the studio with all of these feelings and thoughts, and I remember how good it felt turning my loneliness into something beautiful. Matty works in such a unique way, and it was so inspiring to watch him work and to have him be a part of my creative process.

THE WALLS ARE WAY TOO THIN THURSDAY ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’ is about a time in my life where I felt like I’d lost control of where I was heading and struggled a little with finding my place in the world. It was a very strange period, I’d just moved to London away from my family, and all of a sudden, everything that I knew to be normal had changed completely. I moved on a whim into this little dingy room. I’d seen the flat on

Thursday was the first song I wrote for the second EP. It was written about the same relationship that my song Scarlett is about. My friend was trying to hang on to a guy that was slowly sliding away, and she was doing everything she could to keep the relationship alive. When we were writing this song, we kept talking about those strange things that you do to get someone’s attention, like dye

HOLLY HUMBERSTONE

THE WALLS ARE WAY TOO THIN Polydor Out now

eeeee → Despite only dropping her debut single in 2020, each release Holly Humberstone unveils feels somehow overdue; keenly anticipated, desperately awaited, but always hitting the mark. ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’ EP is certainly no exception. A delicate and soft voice brings to life some very special songwriting on tracks that explore a fear of leaving yourself behind, unfulfilled yearning, becoming physically and mentally lost, and experiencing general despair in a personal world that relentlessly reinvents itself. All six tracks throw you right into the unsettling discomfort of someone else’s shoes, just as Holly experiences herself in the cathartic embrace of self-worth in ‘Scarlett’. The absorbing sonic journey traverses piano ballads and subdued acoustic tension, as well as igniting guitar and bass lines that still maintain a trademark vulnerability. It should come as no surprise that Matty Healy’s feature on ‘Thursday’ culminates in Humberstone’s most progressive stylistic choices yet too, with The 1975’s influence apparent in terms of thematics and experimentation. Documenting a period of immense and intimate change, Holly uses this EP to paint a bleak canvas onto which your own doubts are unavoidably projected. Raw, broken and beautiful, desperation is woven into every guitar strum, every piano key, every damn quivering note. It takes a powerful talent to embody such anxieties in an accessible and liberating form, but Holly Humberstone ticks all the boxes. FINLAY HOLDEN

your hair but then realise it’s not like the picture on the box, or throw a party just to invite that person along. I guess this song was me watching the start of the end of their relationship.

SCARLETT

This track is my absolute favourite. It’s a bit of a screw you to the guy that was going out with my closest friend Scarlett, and it was written as they were breaking up. The relationship was totally one-sided and lasted for years. Scarlett was all in and had pretty much planned their future, and it was pretty clear to me that he was stringing her along until breaking up with her in a really insensitive and heartless way. I

was her closest confidant, and so I knew everything she was feeling, and I saw how passive he was with her at parties first hand. She vented to me for probably about a year, and so I went through all the stages of a break-up with her and watched as she slowly realised her worth and that he wasn’t worth her tears anymore. I wanted to write this one from her point of view. It’s a positive song as it’s about her finally letting go, realising his many faults and taking back her life. Sonically and lyrically, ‘Scarlett’ breaks away from the rest of the EP, and in so many ways, it feels like such a release. It was really important to me that the music video felt really empowering and a reminder that you can shake off anything rubbish going on in your life and be in control of your own destiny. Obviously, the song is about Scarlett, so she had to be in the video - especially after being named an ‘emotional grim reaper’ lol. The two of us break into an airport hanger, steal and spraypaint an arctic truck, then I perform on the back of it as Scar drives it down the runway. It was honestly the most fun and so jokes. I was clinging on as I was being thrown about. If you look closely, the guitar I throw off the truck is the same one from my very first video for ‘Deep End’, and the banners were at my London shows at Omeara! I really hope it feels as empowering to watch as it did to be on the back of it performing!! Loved how ironic the bad British weather line is when we got the nicest sunset going for the video.

FRIENDLY FIRE

I wrote this song on a very confusing holiday in the autumn of last year. Prior to leaving, I was going through a lot of big changes in my life (most of which were unplanned and unwanted), and it all came to a head with a family loss. The holiday was meant to be some time to heal, but it became an agonising period of overthinking about the relationship I was in. Everything I was going through had put a lot of strain on my relationship; I didn’t feel like myself for a long time and never really expressed this to him, but deep down, it was eating me up. I was very stressed because I knew the relationship was good and just couldn’t understand what was wrong with me or why I was having these weird, confusing feelings. I felt I needed to get it off my chest, and this song was my way of saying, “If I do hurt you in the future, then I never meant to, and I’m sorry.” P

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THE BEST OF LIVE MUSIC STRAIGHT FROM THE FRONT.

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IT’S PARTY TIME FOR DORK’S FIRST EVER NIGHT OUT Camden Assembly, London. 10th November 2021 WORDS: Jamie Muir.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning.

ike a giant jukebox of some of our absolute faves, Camden Assembly is rocking right from the start for the FIRST-EVER Dork’s Night Out. Lengthy queues outside the venue, a celebratory mood inside – you know how it is when we throw a big ol’ party, right? Opening proceedings can be a tricky job, but for Mollie Coddled, it’s taken fully in her stride. With only a handful of tunes’ out’, tonight feels like a lucky glimpse at a future superstar. Melding slacker-pop with intimate wholesomeness, it’s rare for the act first on to play to a packed room. They’re a lucky bunch, especially when undeniable hits’ Loser Bitch’ and ‘Wavelength’ land. Every song feels ready-made to be a future favourite. If we’re not here in 12 months talking about how big a deal Mollie Coddled is, then we’ve all failed. Regular readers will know we’re prone to getting quite excited by new artists who revel in the unpredictable, the kind that jump between genres and styles with every release. It’s why Joey Maxwell is so exciting. But once he gets on stage? He’s A Big Fucking Force. ‘Streetlights’ is a blistering early hitter, here to turn the room into his own million-dollar showcase. At times wildly punk, gloriously indie, or something altogether indescribable – Joey leaves everyone turning to their mate saying, ‘oh wow, that was pretty bloody good’. If you want someone to follow into 2022, see Joey Maxwell. By the time Phoebe Green comes on stage (for her very first London headline show!), Camden is champing at the bit. A talent who captures attention and elicits devotion in a unique way, she has

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an ability that few others possess: to set the vibe from the moment she enters the room. From ‘Grit’ to ‘So Grown Up’ to ‘Golden Girl’, it’s all so self-assured. When we say that Phoebe Green doesn’t sound like anyone else around right now, we genuinely mean it. It’s raw and engrossing – a unique artist creating her own world, pulling in everyone around her as she goes. It’s a line in the sand for who Phoebe Green ‘the artist’ is becoming: a mesmerising mix of electro, indie and more that promises an unpredictable but enticing future. It’s shown in full cinematic scale as Phoebe bursts into ‘Reinvent’, with the packed crowd screaming along to every note she pours into the front row. In that moment, Phoebe Green goes above and beyond – someone who is regularly pointed to by her peers as a beloved favourite but whose connection to her fans continues to grow brighter. Phoebe Green isn’t waiting to fit into a passing trend. Instead, she’s making something bigger. Her headline performance at Dork’s Night Out is a summary of everything that makes her continued rise so joyful to watch. Nothing can be pigeonholed or cast aside – it’s all about being in the moment. Now that’s a night out. P

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BABY QUEEN WELCOMES IN A NEW POP ORDER Omeara, London. 9th November 2021 WORDS: Jamie Muir.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning.

ome people just have it: that thrilling mix of excitement, hype and personality that draws others in like a moth to the flame. It’s not something that can be created by design, like some grand master plan. It’s a ‘jump on board or get the hell out of the way’ destiny that means they’re going to become a pretty big deal to a lot of people. If there’s anyone in modern pop flipping that dial, it’s Baby Queen. A marker was set from the moment ‘Internet Religion’ landed on Planet Pop just over 15 months ago. Born into an internet era (quite literally, we couldn’t bloody leave the house for ages, remember?!), it feels inclusive, celebratory, loving and euphoric. Turning festival crowds into diehard fans within seconds of arriving on-stage, the very first Baby Queen headline shows are a moment that we could be talking about for years to come. So let’s talk. By talk, of course, we mean scream and dance. It’s no mean feat to capture that enthusiasm so early, and from the opening notes, everyone is front and centre – desperate to get a peek at a future superstar who, by playing by her own rules, has made the rest of the world come to her. ‘Raw Thoughts’ sees lights flood the stage in the first of many goosebumpinducing moments, for a tour de force of every reason why there’s nobody quite like Baby Queen right now. ‘You Shaped Hole’ sees her taking life’s blows and sending them out with positivity and a communal middle finger that leaves you coming out of the show better than when you walked in. It feels like a rarity in the sea of thriving new artists looking to make their mark, and for Baby Queen, it’s at the core of every move she makes. While raw to the bone, ‘These Drugs’ and ‘Medicine’ are all the more vital when you look around the room and see everyone singing them as one. The Baby Kingdom isn’t just another name for a group of fans; it feels like a family. As Bella notes through the night: “The first place in this world where I felt I belong was with you guys.” In turn, the first show of a three-night residency is treated as a grand coronation. ‘Pretty Girl Lie’, ‘Narcicisst’ and ‘American Dream’ see Baby Queen pulling at the very walls of Omeara as if to say, this is just the beginning. Further proof of that comes with new track ‘Wannabe’. Released mere hours before, its rapid-fire flow and crunching licks are met with an unstoppable reaction that sees fans screaming the words and bursting towards the ceiling. Rapid and hungry, it furthers a set of tracks that continue to evolve with each and every listen. Baby Queen at London’s Omeara is a unifying moment, one of a new order being written across new music in bold letters that can go from drinks flooding the stage to emphatic pit-inducing pandemonium within 30 seconds. By the time ‘Dover Beach’ and closer ‘Want Me’ wipe any lingering doubts off the floor for good, you’re left with the feeling that something special is a-coming. With every person in the room in the palm of her hand, this Kingdom is expanding by the day. Why? Because Baby Queen has it. P

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REPORT

CAROLINE POLACHEK FLINGS OPEN THE DOOR TO SUPERSTARDOM The Roundhouse, London. 28th October 2021 WORDS: Abigail Firth.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning.

n the two years since ‘Pang’s release, Caroline Polachek’s career has grown unbelievably. Deservedly, of course, but not in the way other artists have emerged over the pandemic. While others had their big break via viral hit – see: Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, The Kid Laroi and hundreds more – Caroline’s rise has been (excuse us while we get a bit pretentious) old school organic. Aside from a gorgeous cover of The Corrs classic ‘Breathless’ and one new single this summer, our Caz hasn’t actually done much publicly other than watch ‘Pang’ grow and grow through various lockdowns. It’s perhaps why, at the start of tonight’s show, she says she was nervous about releasing tickets for it. In one of a few speeches of the night, she mentions how different the world was back in May when the show was announced, live wasn’t

officially back, and she seems completely bewildered that she’d sold out London’s Roundhouse in an hour. But she needn’t worry. The crowd here have spent two years living with ‘Pang’, some cherishing it from its release, others picking it up along the way, and every one of them relishes in chanting “CA-RO-LINE SHUT UP” and trying to hit every high note in ‘Ocean Of Tears’. Prior to tonight’s show and an impromptu concert at Islington Assembly Hall the night before, ‘Pang’ had only gotten two live outings in the UK. Once two years back at Hoxton Hall, and once at Heaven in March 2020 just days before a national lockdown. It’s insane that this is the same album cycle, but the differences are striking. The addition of a live band and a choir during the last two tracks intensifies Caroline’s operatic vocals, and easily the biggest hit of the night

(other than pre-encore set closer and certified smash ‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings’) is most recent single ‘Bunny Is A Rider’. Between the bangers, the tender moments hit just as hard. Special guest Danny L Harle joins Caroline on stage for a particularly affecting rendition of ‘Look At Me Now’, where in front of a single guitar, her signature natural autotune is best showcased. She’s also joined by Sega Bodega, yes, tonight’s guests aren’t a patch on Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens, who guested in LA, but hearing the room rumble in anticipation before each announcement followed by a collective ‘oh’ is hilarious. Anyway, Sega helps preview a flamenco-fulled new one called ‘Sunset’. Letting her debut marinade over the pandemic has worked in Caroline’s favour. Weirdly, the only track from ‘Pang’ that isn’t performed tonight is ‘New Normal’, which surely would’ve been SETLIST the most apt song The Gate for a return to the Pang stage. Nevertheless, Hit Me Where It Hurts her return is nothing Bunny Is a Rider but triumphant. The Sunset waiting game so many Hey Big Eyes fans have played to see I Give Up this record live leaves Look at Me Now everyone winning big; Insomnia Caroline even calls Ocean of Tears it her favourite show Smoke she’s ever played. Breathless Tonight, Caroline Go as a Dream Polachek does Caroline Shut Up everything she needs So Hot You’re Hurting My to do to cement Feelings her status as one of Parachute alt-pop’s key players. Billions We’re reminded of the Door sheer strength of her debut, and with the performance of three new tracks (‘Smoke’ and ‘Millions’ complete the trio) she leaves us itching for new material. Finishing on ‘Door’, and as the gates on her ‘Pang’ era backdrop start to separate, one thing is for certain: after tonight, the door to superstardom is wide-bloody-open for Caroline. P

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CHARLI XCX BRINGS A BIG CONNECTION TO HER INTIMATE ‘HOW I’M FEELING NOW’ SHOW Lafayette, London. 24th October 2021 WORDS: Abigail Firth.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Henry Redcliffe.

i’m feeling now’ between XCX classic ‘Vroom n the cusp of her biggest era yet, Vroom’ and new banger ‘Good Ones’, but Charli XCX’s show at the tiny she can barely get the words out for all the Layfette is an intimate view of the cheering. “I’d be shit without you,” she ends, pop star at her most vulnerable. and through an autotuned mic, she still sounds Taking ‘how i’m feeling now’ to the stage, touched. a record made in five weeks at the height of Everything feels right at this show. From the quarantine misery, it’s proof that there’s a party venue choice – a minuscule new auditorium at the heart of every song Charli makes. that opened right before the pandemic took These little album shows aren’t new hold (perfect for a lockdown album, right?) – to for Charli. Previously hosting gigs for her the scarily dedicated audience who seem like mixtapes ‘Number 1 Angel’ and ‘Pop 2’, the they might actually blow the roof off, Charli is Angels have come to cherish these intimate just as comfortable here as she moments. Tonight is extra was filling Brixton Academy on sentimental, though. ‘how her last album cycle. i’m feeling now’ is an album SETLIST Every now and again, we’re these fans helped create. Visions reminded of Charli’s pop There’s old fan favourites Detonate prowess, and tonight is one on there (‘party 4 u’) and 7 Years of those nights. As ‘c2.0’ (a songs fans got to contribute Anthems remix of 2019’s ‘Click’) kicks to (‘claws’, ‘forever’). This is Claws in, and Charli asks who’s here Charli’s first proper return Enemy with their friends, it’s hard not to the stage in her home Party 4 U to imagine how many people country since before the Pink Diamond here have bonded over a pandemic. It might even be I Finally Understand shared love of Charli over the the longest time UK angels C2.0 years. She’s long been a cult have ever had to go without Forever favourite, and that’s shown a Charli XCX performance, Vroom Vroom in the fact that those bonds and it absolutely shows. Good Ones extend past the fans and into Stepping out to a the guest list tonight, where ravenous crowd, ‘visions’ the hyperpop generation (that’s AG Cook, booms and neither Charli nor the crowd take their foot off the pedal for the next 45 minutes. Danny L Harle, Arca, and PinkPantheress to name a few) largely collated by Charli resides Barely catching her breath between tracks, in the balcony. the pacing is clearly inspired by DJ sets, By the time her third full-length ‘Charli’ was harking back to Charli’s idea that she prefers released, she’d become known for her starher shows to be more like parties than gigs. studded feature lineups, which were reflected Racing through the album, the energy keeps tenfold when performed live. Tonight she’s peaking, wild at ‘anthems’ and ‘pink diamond’, the only one on stage – save for an incredible emotional at ‘party 4 u’ and ‘7 years’. She’s too opening slot from Cobrah, whose BDSM-core nervous to chat between songs (her words), bops have the audience gagging – mainly but she makes an exception before ‘party 4 u’, because there’s no features on ‘how i’m feeling dedicating it to the audience, “whether you’re now’, but also because it wouldn’t feel right to a ‘True Romance’ angel, or a ‘Pop 2’ angel, or a have multiple guest appearances when the ‘Vroom Vroom’ angel” – there’s varying levels album discusses loneliness and longing for of screaming for every era mentioned. human connection. Tonight that connection She thanks fans again for the confidence remains between Charli and her Angels. P they give her and their contributions to ‘how

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ALFIE TEMPLEMAN

Camden Assembly, London. 1st November 2021 WORDS: Jamie Muir. PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning.

A Monday night in the heart of Camden is a tough one. Y’know how it goes: a long weekend and the start of a ‘school night’ week come together to make the sort of weary hellscape most artists would usually dodge. Alfie Templeman doesn’t have those sorts of concerns at this point, even if it is his first proper headline show in quite some time. With the small matter of Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the horizon, tonight feels different. From the commanding nod of ‘Shandy’, it’s a show that engulfs every single person gathered, whether leaning on the bar or thrust into the sweaty moshpit. What follows is emphatic. Sounding beefed up and searing with purpose, Alf and his band tear through what already feels like a greatest hits set. ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’, ‘Stop Thinking (About Me)’ and ‘Happiness In Liquid Form’ trigger the sort of pandemonium usually reserved for a band at the pinnacle of their journey. Like a box of popping candy, it’s a set that bursts with every taste of the ever-expanding world Alfie has to offer. More than anything, that feverish energy which sees limbs flying throughout is a physical manifestation of all Alfie represents. When you can jump from the slick neon-pop of ‘Film Scene Daydream’ and ‘Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody’ to a scorching cover of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and an unstoppable ‘Circles’, you know that things are a bit special. Despite those many gigs over the past few months, this headline celebration also (unbelievably) sees ‘Obvious Guy’ played live for the first time, too. The glimpses of what comes next are even more appetising. ‘Colour Me Blue’ is a sun-kissed indie-pop-bop in the vein of Swim Deep and Peace, but it’s in the encore where things hit a new height. ‘3 Dimensional Feelings’, set to land less than 24 hours after the show tonight, is a direct hit stormer; the click that takes Alfie beyond just another sensational new artist and into something altogether more essential. Like a night at the cinema stacked full of bopcorn, Alfie delivers on every flicker of potential, and tonight has something even more exciting: hunger. A full UK headline tour may be next, but Alfie Templeman is already leaps and bounds ahead. A party, in every sense of the word; now we’re entering a golden new chapter. Take that, Monday. P

REPORT

FONTAINES D.C. HAVE THE NEED FOR SPEED Alexandra Palace, London. 27th October 2021 WORDS: Jamie Muir.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Jamie MacMillan.

most bands can only dream of. peed: at times, it can be a sign of a Delving into measured cuts from their second ridiculous new wave that throws album, ‘You Said’, ‘I Don’t Belong’ and ‘Living In everything else into orbit; at others, America’ feel like a classic band from another a rushed albatross that eventually era distilled into the here and now, something weighs even the buzziest of new acts down - and more urgent and raw when compared to their few have moved faster than Fontaines D.C.. contemporaries. Not so long ago, they took to the stage Truly unique, that’s not just a general in a square pub in South London, relatively throwaway line. The machineunknown and slotting into a bill gun run-through of ‘Hurricane surrounded by new bands. To Laugher’ (complete with their say then that these sharplySETLIST only grandstand move of the focused lads from Ireland A Hero’s Death night: inflatable balls bouncing would be headlining (and A Lucid Dream into the crowd and around the selling out) massive venues Sha Sha Sha room), ‘Big’, ‘Televised Mind’ within three years would have Chequeless Reckless and ‘Boys In The Better Land’ is garnered more than a few You Said nothing short of overwhelming. sideways looks and calls to stop I Don’t Belong Opening their encore with an drinking and get a taxi home. The Lotts unreleased new song (possibly Yet something special was Living in America titled ‘I Love You’), its New Order undeniably happening. Debut Hurricane Laughter feel and snappy almost-pop album ‘Dogrel’ was a perfectlyToo Real core feels like another sidestep timed shot of immediate punk Big to the expected. Much like the energy and poetic beauty, and Televised Mind animated figure of frontman by the time ‘A Hero’s Death’ Boys in the Better Land Grian, it shows an evolution in landed, their place at the top I Love You the Fontaines D.C. journey. One was confirmed. (New song, Live debut) that a packed room welcomes It’s fitting, then, that Roy’s Tune with open arms as they wind out Fontaines D.C. find themselves Liberty Belle the set with an emotional ‘Roy’s at the historic Alexandra Palace. Tune’ and ‘Liberty Belle’, the The kind of grand stage where latter drowned out in collective unison. bands affirm their place in the history books, it’s For such a large room and all the pressures a refreshing wipe of the slate for anything you’d that come with it, tonight feels like a flipping of the come to expect from a show of such scale. script. Fontaines D.C. came tonight to transfix and They move at a blistering pace, surging transform; this is how to turn the biggest moment through a setlist that leans heavily on their debut album. Yes, they have the big guns stowed in their into a rabid statement of intent. Speed: maybe it wasn’t about Fontaines D.C. at back pocket (‘Chequeless Reckless’, ‘A Hero’s all; perhaps it was the rest of us, clinging on to an Death’), but their ability to transform Alexandra Palace from a 10,000 capacity room to feeling like explosive rise that took our accepted norms and threw them into the fire. Let them burn. P a surging night in a backroom pub is something

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REPORT

SEA GIRLS ACE THEIR BIG MOMENT AT BRIXTON ACADEMY O2 Academy Brixton, London. 15th October 2021 WORDS: Jamie Muir.

“

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning.

hen I would go and see bands, I would always think, fuck, I want to do what they’re doing up there. That was the dream. I want to do that, and I want to do that with my mates.” It’s funny how things can work out. Those were the words of Sea Girls’ Henry Camamile back in 2020, on the cusp of releasing a debut album full of ready-made anthems that would be setting light to venues and festival fields just over a year later. For some bands, that sudden sense of adulation and reaction can be daunting. For Sea Girls, its only real effect has been to embolden them to reach even greater heights. A revelatory Main Stage turn at Reading & Leeds but a few months ago was only further confirmation of a band stepping into the big-time – and tonight at Brixton Academy? Never have a band felt more ready than this. Since those early shows at Omeara, and similar venues up and down the land, that searing sense of ambition has been Sea Girls’ indisputable message. Every step was greeted with open arms, fans longing to find a band they could claim as their own. One that sang about the same struggles that pop up in everyone’s life, with an added jolt of unbreakable determination. If it feels like they’re part of a long lineage of bands that mean a lot to a lot of people, it’s because they’re exactly that. By the time ‘Open Up Your Head’ landed, shows like tonight’s were more of a demand than a hopeful question. Ready to create the sort of moments they once saw while standing in the crowd themselves, this is a lesson on how to be a bloody big deal. As soon as Sea Girls step onto that Brixton Academy stage, it’s hard to picture them anywhere else. ‘Call Me Out’, ‘Violet’ and ‘Transplant’ are unstoppable, and the pace never relents from there. This is a night they’ve been dreaming of for years, and it shows. They embrace every glorious moment, sounding born for it as they surge through a powerhouse set made for these hallowed halls. ‘Forever’, ‘Moving On’ and ‘Ready For More’ reach overflowing levels of energy, with Henry fully embracing that storied frontman role in all its glory. Whether it’s leading singalongs, standing under the spotlight or diving to the front of the crowd – he’s every bit the future indie titan he’s pointed towards from the beginning. True evolution, though, comes with Sea Girls next chapter. With second album

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aiming for stadium level. The confidence ‘Homesick’ arriving in a matter of months, the spread seen tonight is a moreish teaser and swagger to pull it off at their biggest moment to date is an intoxicating mix that of what comes next. ‘Lonely’ stands out, leaves Brixton in awe. sung back in unison after a brief intro from Count the hits, and they keep coming. Henry, bursting with the sort of hunger for From ‘Do I Really Wanna Know’ and ‘Call more you can’t help but be sucked into. It What It Is’ to ‘Too Much Fun’ and a It adds a thrilling potential to a set of confetti-filled ‘All I Wanna Hear You Say’ – undeniable joy. Sea Girls have aimed tonight is proof that there are few bands for this very stage since the beginning, who, after one album, can rival Sea Girls’ and they refuse to do anything by half catalogue. This stage measures. Whether feels like home. If tonight it’s Henry diving into SETLIST is any indication, you the crowd to ‘Damage Call Me Out won’t see them in any Done’, or the moment Violet smaller rooms from here where he and Rory stand Closer on out. Adding their name in the spotlight for an Transplant to the storied history of elevating cover of Adele’s Hometown an iconic venue, Sea Girls ‘Someone Like You’ Lie To Me ride on. Those dreams are (it is Adele Day, after Forever about to get a whole load all) – it all feels like the Moving On bigger. P mannerisms of a band Someone Like You Do You Really Wanna Know? Ready For More Open Up Your Head Lonely Too Much Fun Damage Done All I Want To Hear You Say You Over Anyone Sick

REPORT

BLOSSOMS AND RICK ASTLEY DO THE SONGS OF THE SMITHS? DON’T MIND IF WE DO... O2 Forum Kentish Town, London. 9th October 2021 WORDS: Jamie Muir.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning.

note-perfect, ‘Ask’ and its punchy kicks e love some nonsense. are served to perfection, and the likes Above all the statement of ‘Panic’ and ‘Girlfriend In A Coma’ are shows and grandstand met with such a singalong that they can moments, what do we still probably be heard in Kentish Town want more than anything? A bit of fun. right now. So when we hear that Rick Astley It’s all lead by Astley himself. and Blossoms have decided to team Sounding as if he was born for up to do two special shows playing this moment, he’s nothing short of The Songs Of The Smiths, it’s clear phenomenal. ‘Heaven Knows I’m why we’re a bit giddy with excitement. Miserable Now’ has him commanding Not constrained by boring sneers or the stage with ease, while main set closer naysayers wanting ‘the real deal’, its ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What purpose is clear. Having an amazing I Want’ sees the Forum time without the lit up. added baggage that SETLIST It’s a night that comes with a band What Difference Does It highlights the timeless clouded over by the Make? nature of The Smiths actions of a certain Bigmouth Strikes Again too. The sort of force frontman. Still Ill that goes beyond That celebratory Reel Around the Fountain being just a band, their atmosphere makes Cemetry Gates emotional importance for an interesting Ask is only rivalled by how mix. In Blossoms, Hand in Glove gloriously brilliant their you have one of the Some Girls Are Bigger songs still sound in 2021. most beloved bands Than Others Nobody has come close of the past few The Boy With the Thorn to matching that specific years, an undeniable in His Side kind of magic since. An force that continues Girlfriend in a Coma evening such as this to grow. Throw in Well I Wonder being met with such Rick Astley – a true Heaven Knows I’m unfiltered adoration revivalist titan who Miserable Now throughout seems the has gone from global Panic ultimate compliment. pop star to friendly William, It Was Really Beaming from ear meme to national Nothing to ear, the show’s warm treasure with ease Barbarism Begins at heart is summed up by – and you have the Home Astley as he addresses recipe for a golden Please, Please, Please Let the room before closing time. The fact this Me Get What I Want the night with ‘This show is in awe of How Soon Is Now? Charming Man’ and the catalogue of a This Charming Man ‘There Is A Light That completely different There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’. “We band makes it feel Never Goes Out had a mad dream, and like a big night down the pub with all your friends. It’s all for the better for it. Any doubts over credentials are thrown to the side from the first note. Incredibly tight and full of joy, the likes of ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’, ‘Still Ill’ and ‘Ask’ set the standard. The dazzling heartbeat of a band like Blossoms seems ready-made for their role, orchestrating a greatest hits set of Smiths classics. ‘How Soon Is Now?’ is

the dream came true. It was worth it for me, and I have a feeling it was worth it for these boys on stage too.” The future of this team-up may be uncertain, but that’s not the point. Pulled together by a sheer love of one of the most influential bands of all time, with a wink and a smile, it’s a gig designed to live in the moment. Pints in the air, throats well and truly hoarse – show us a better Saturday night than this. P

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REPORT

LIVE AT LEEDS BRINGS 2021’S WEIRD BUT WONDERFUL FESTIVAL SEASON TO A EUPHORIC CLOSE Various venues, Leeds. 16th October 2021 WORDS: Neive McCarthy.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Gunning, Jamie MacMillan.

h, Live at Leeds. What a beautiful chance to rack up 25,000+ steps walking in a circle from legendary Leeds venue to legendary Leeds venue, right? In a normal, non-pandemic-stricken year, this would usually mark the very beginning of festival season. This time round, our chance to get up close and personal with each far-flung musical oasis instead signifies the ending of a bizarre string of events – all of which have come with a much more heightened sense of elation than ever before. Of course, this is no exception. After almost two years without the beloved day, the opportunity to dance ourselves dizzy to some of the most exciting names in music right now couldn’t be more welcome. Floating along with the breeze outside of Nation of Shopkeepers are the sweet, easy guitar hooks of beaux. Inside, he eases an enamoured crowd into the hectic day ahead with blissful vocals and lowkey beats. It feels distinctly like the calm before the storm as he meanders through a set of hopelessly romantic tracks. Beaux’s sparkling take on dream pop is peppered with distortion and insatiable bass lines, and it turns out to be the perfect way to kickstart the day. It’s pure bliss on stage for beaux and the band, and a dreamlike haze descends upon the early hours of the festival for the rest of us in attendance. Heading into Leeds University Union’s Stylus is bracingly intense. Moving around is no easy feat – The Big Moon have packed it to the absolute brim, with a crowd before them completely electrified by the four-piece as they deliver what is arguably the standout set of the day. It’s a set defined by the effortlessly cool – they’re true rock stars. As they dip into the best of both of their stellar albums, they transform into a thrashing vision against flashing red lights. The only danger here, though, is that the crowd might be a bit too in love. Whether they’re inviting everyone to crouch down before unleashing every ounce of energy at the climax of ‘Bonfire’, or uniting the room in a joyous cover of ‘Praise You’, one thing is for certain. The Big Moon are an unstoppable force. A little bit down the road at O2 Academy, Vistas are making their third turn in Leeds in as many months – they

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just can’t keep away, can they? With two perfectly festival-ready albums now under their belt, it’s about time those anthemic tracks found themselves onto a stage. The entire venue seems to be dancing along as the Scottish lads whirl through a set of their happy-go-lucky indie pop. It may be a borderline chilly October day, but as the opening guitar line to ‘Calm’ sounds out across the room, it could be midsummer. Every Vistas song feels like bottled up sunshine, and it’s a set that provides an instant dose of serotonin for everyone there. Funnily enough, The Night Café’s last live show was in Leeds, all the way back in summer 2019. Flash forwards two years, and they’re back in the city for their first gig back – they might be Liverpool locals, but this does sort of feel like a homecoming. It’d be a difficult task to wipe the grins

from their faces as they finally reunite with a crowd hanging onto their every word, especially one that is so willing to do their bidding as the one inside O2 Academy appears to be that evening. Frontman Sean Martin jokingly requests someone attempt a backflip as the crowd opens up, and much to their delight, one is indeed flawlessly executed. The Night Café’s wish is this crowd’s command. From The Night Café, it’s a race back down to Call Lane for Walt Disco’s packed-out closing set at Oporto. The most glittering, enigmatic band of the day completely ooze glamour, so much so that the small stage can barely contain the six-piece. It comes as no surprise, then, that vocalist James Potter cannot resist spending the majority of the set grinningly twirling amidst the crowd. They head full pelt into their latest single, the melodramatic and intimate ‘Weightless’, and it’s pure magic. It’s a transformative moment, taking you far from the spinning disco ball in Oporto’s backroom to a fantastically euphoric universe of Walt Disco’s own creation. It’s all too easy to become completely enamoured with the irresistible, yet mysterious band, but as the room comes back down to earth, there’s a resounding sense that everyone is leaving with that set permanently etched in their minds. Despite the unfortunate clashes that predictably roll around at the 9pm mark, JAWS have managed to entice the masses into the sweaty depths of The Key Club. The dreamy, dazed indie of their sound might seem a bit incongruous to the black, sweatdripping ceilings of the room, but their frenetic energy completely matches up to it. Opening with wistful deep cut ‘Stay In’ from all the way back in 2013, they bounce between older favourites and more recent releases. It’s a pure arms to the sky dance party; JAWS are back, and they want you grooving the night away. For the final set of the night, Circa Waves are invited to bring the house down over at Beckett’s Student Union. Armed with a back catalogue of singalong anthems, it’s almost second nature for them to deliver a floor-shaking closing set. And that they do. From the incendiary ‘Fire That Burns’ to newer tracks like ‘Jacqueline’ and ‘Move to San Francisco’, the Liverpudlians deliver hit after hit and their crowd lap it up. It may as well be one big karaoke session – frontman Kieran Shudall scarcely needs to sing a word. It’s the perfect end to the day. P

REPORT

PARIS TEXAS PROVE THEY’RE THE REAL DEAL AT THEIR DEBUT LONDON HEADLINER Colours Hoxton, London. 13th October 2021 WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY: Jamie MacMillan.

ometimes, you just know. A few seconds into Paris Texas’ first London headline show, and there’s no doubt that the rap-slashwell-pretty-much-everythingactually-duo are The Real Thing, and everything that ‘BOY ANONYMOUS’ and their latest EP, ‘Red Hand Akimbo’ promised them to be. Tonight’s show in Hoxton is the perfect demo of just why Brockhampton have snapped them up as support for their US run. From the moment Louis and Felix burst onto stage wearing angel wings and huge grins, it’s a masterclass in building and holding energy in a room at absolute breaking point. And then tweaking it a little bit more until the room is ready to mosh. They run through pretty much their entire catalogue at the speed of a transatlantic jet. By the end, it’s hard to tell whether that’s sweat or beer dripping from the ceiling. It’s also hard to stage dive, or it was for the guy who takes a flying leap face-first into the floor anyway. The chaos becomes infectious, a circle pit opening up at one point with the crowd not even realising that the duo have nipped off stage for the encore which of course brings ‘FORCE OF HABIT’ and that final, frantic release of joyous energy. Paris Texas? London’s in love now, the whole world will be soon enough. P

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THE BEST PHOTOS FROM THE FRONT.

↑ MÅNESKIN O2 Academy Islington, London. 20th October 2021 This doesn’t happen with most Eurovision winners. Not that we’re casting some kind of shadow over Lordi or Dana International, but Måneskin seem different. The Italian sensations played a secret London show, announced to fans just the morning before. Smashing through not only their own ‘stuff’, but also covers of The Killers and Franz Ferdinand, it’s impossible to deny they know how to bring a fun time, all the time. Photos: Frances Beach.

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↙ ARLO PARKS O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, 4th November 2021 Arlo Parks has had a very good year. Not only was her debut album, ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’, bloody brilliant – it also saw Arlo scoop up armfuls of awards, including a BRIT and the Mercury Prize. Not bad going, eh? So it should be no shock to any of us that she was in winning form for her twin headline dates at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire the other week. What a legend. Photos: Patrick Gunning.

↑ GRIFF O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London. 27th October 2021 Griff is brilliant. Honestly, we cannot state this enough. Let’s try it in capitals. GRIFF IS BRILLIANT. The other month, she took to the stage at London’s iconic O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire to play a sold-out show, and she was – yep, you’ve guessed it – brilliant. We’ll get more adjectives, promise. Already more than confirmed as a top tier popster, even our most discerning eyes on the ground were forced to admit to the Dork group chat “Griff is good”. Accurate description. Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett

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Any Other Questions? This month...

Orla Gartland. Yes, Dear Reader. We enjoy those ‘in depth’ interviews as much as anyone else. But - BUT - we also enjoy the lighter side of music, too. We simply cannot go on any longer without knowing that Orla Gartland has a crush on Harry Potter. Each to their own, Orla. What’s your favourite thing about being a musician? Putting feelings into songs and putting the songs out into the world. What was the first record you bought? Busted - ‘A Present For Everyone’. I was obsessed with Charlie Simpson and scribbled out the other guys’ faces. Are any of your lyrics secretly rude? A couple. In my song ‘Do You Mind?’ I sing about seeing an ex after time has passed, and the lyric is “when I close my eyes I think of you beside her” - but originally, it was “when I close my eyes I think of you inside her”. Still works. If you had a pet whale, what would you call it? Alro. What’s the furthest you’ve travelled to attend someone else’s gig? I flew to New York to watch my best friend Lauren Aquilina play a show with Sasha Sloan. It was so worth it. If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? Dinosaurs. What did you last dream about? I dreamt about drowning and woke up in a coughing fit. It was bad. What is your favourite time of day? I’m a sucker for 5-7pm - I do my best work around then! If you won the lottery, what would you spend the cash on?

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A big old massive house for me and another for my parents. I would decorate it just perfectly - I am drooling at the thought. If you were on Mastermind, what would your specialist subject be? Merch. I’m talking t-shirt blanks and their thread count, the real nitty-gritty. Being an independent artist leaves you with pockets of truly boring knowledge. What’s your biggest fear? Not trying. Who’s your favourite new band? Right now, I am loving MUNA. I’ve loved them for years but seeing them join forces with Phoebe Bridgers for ‘Silk Chiffon’ has awakened my obsession once again. What is your earliest memory? I remember being in my garden a lot. It’s not quite the earliest memory, but I remember we had a big tree, and I was obsessed with Avril Lavigne, so at age 7, I made my dad come out and take pictures of me in the big tree with my school tie on over a t-shirt. What is your most treasured possession? My pink telecaster. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Harry Potter. Fight me. What did you want to be when you were growing up? A postman. What is the best present you’ve ever been given? A small nylon string guitar. It’s the least intimidating instrument

ever, so nice to just pick up and noodle on. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done? Moving to London to try to be a pop star. Who’s your favourite member of One Direction? As an Irish person, I legally have to say Niall. Do you believe in aliens? Can’t say I do. If you had to be on a TV gameshow, which would you choose?

Deal or No Deal.

somewhere else right away.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? At a big Dublin show, I once fell backwards over an amp, with my two legs up in the air facing the crowd. I was wearing a skirt.

What’s your favourite sandwich filling? Cheese.

What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to try? Skydiving! If you could have a superpower of your choosing, what would it be? Instant travel. Not like time travel - just to click my fingers and be

How punk are you out of ten? 6. What’s the silliest thing you own? A Soda Stream. Tell us a secret about yourself? I hate ukuleles. P Orla Gartland’s debut album ‘Woman On The Internet’ is out now.

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