m k.co do r read 19 July 20
Doom Days
Bastille are back to watch the world burn.
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Aurora
The Rhythm Method Marika Hackman Sea Girls Bloxx
L O V E
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F E A R
T O U R
P A R T
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2 8 / O C T ___________________________________ E D I N B U R G H U S H E R H A L L 2 9 / O C T ___________________________________ M A N C H E S T E R 0 2 A P O L L O 0 1 / N O V ________________________ C A R D I F F M O T O R P O I N T A R E N A 0 4 / N O V _______________________________ L O N D O N E V E N T I M A P O L L O 0 5 / N O V _______________________________________________ B R I G H T O N C E N T R E L I V E N AT I O N . C O . U K / T I C K E T M A S T E R . C O . U K / M YT I C K E T. C O . U K
A L I V E N AT I O N & K I L I M A N J A RO L I V E P R E S E N TAT I O N B Y A R RA N G E M E N T W I T H W M E
INDEX
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July 2019 | readdork.com | Down With Boring
24
Ø4 Intro 20 Hype 4
ED’S LETTER BASTILLE
They’re back! With a third album that’s embracing the doom, Bastille can find joy in anything.
32
THE RHYTHM METHOD
London’s premiere pop underdogs finally have that debut album to share.
34
AURORA
She’s a different kind of human, apparently. Or maybe that’s just the album name.
Good things come to those who wait. That’s how the saying goes, right? Well, Bastille fans. Your expectations should be sky high right now. Yep, this month Dan and co. finally drop ‘Doom Days’, the third album we expected to arrive last year, when they returned with the shiny-as-allhell ‘Quarter Past Midnight’. Inbetween now and then, they’ve scored another worldwide mega-hit alongside a bloke with a KFC bargain bucket on his head, and the world around them has continued to go to absolute shit. They’re not letting the last part get them down, though. As they hit the cover of this issue, there’s a spark of nihilistic defiance that runs through their latest record. The world may be burning, but it’s giving off some awesome lighting, right? So, as the summer festival extravaganza explodes, and our faves start to poke their heads out ready for the Q3/Q4 silly season (Hiya Swim Deep! How have you been doing, Muna!), maybe we should all take a lesson from Bastille’s book. Disco balls lit by the embers of civilised society is an aesthetic, after all.
S tephen
24 Features 4Ø Incoming
WHAT WENT DOWN AT THE GREAT ESCAPE
Warning: contains megastars!
8
HALFNOISE
Zac’s back in the UK.
12
LIVE IN LEEDS AT LIVE AT LEEDS We crown some new kings in the north.
15
SEA GIRLS
Ahoy there, mateys! There’s an album this way brewing!
16
MARIKA HACKMAN
It’s album three time, featuring songs about a) wanking and b) bonking. Standard.
38 Thank heavens for ‘Small Mercies’.
SLAYYYTER Everytime If you want to make your way into Dork’s dark pop heart, cover Britney. We will love you forever.
KAISER CHIEFS Record Collection We’re not saying this is the best thing Kaiser
22 Mealtime
Alfie Templeman
08 Metz
Another Sky
42 Mini Mansions
Chiefs have done in basically a decade, but this is the best thing Kaiser Chiefs have done in basically a decade.
YUNGBLUD Parents When we first saw Yungblud cross our musical ‘desks’, we
didn’t know what to make of him. Now, with his latest single, we’re not sure if he might be... brilliant? How did that happen?
LANA DEL REY Doin’ Time Seriously though, how is this so brilliant?!?
11 06
34, 40 MUNA
Aurora
14
42 Pip Blom
Bad Books
06
23 Pixx
Barny Fletcher
38, 40
24, 42 Sam Fender
Bastille
12
Beabadoobee
17
Black Keys
45
Blossom Calderone
08 Stef Chura
Bloxx
40
Surfbort
04, 20, 46
Dinosaur Pile-Up
41
Do Nothing
08
Easy Life
14 22
Ezra Furman
19
Feet
08
Girl in Red
14 06, 08 14
Halsey
Swim Deep
18
Talk Show
22
Ten Tonnes
11
The 1975
18
The Murder Capital
06
The National
14
The Raconteurs
45
Hatchie Hot Chip
44 The S.L.P
IDER
19 Tropical Fuck Storm 05 TWEN 14 Two Door 22 Cinema Club
Jimothy Joesef Just Mustard
32, 44
08, 23 Tyler, The Creator 08
Lana Del Rey
17
Lewis Capaldi
06, 46 05
LUCIA
12, 14
Swimming Girls
The Rhythm 44 Method
James Bay
12
Sports Team
10
22
Halfnoise
04
Self Esteem
11, 12 Stormzy
Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard
Egyptian Blue
12 12, 15
Sea Girls
Biffy Clyro
Marika Hackman
ON THE DORK STEREO THIS MONTH...
22
Alex Lahey
Lacuna Common
PIXX
EDITOR @STEPHENACKROYD
** BAND INDEX ** BAND INDEX **
18 06 22 44 17 12
VANT Walt Disco Weyes Blood Whenyoung
04, 16 Wooze
04 11 12 06
DORK
NEW MUSIC. NO ALGORITHMS.
RADIO TUNE IN 24/7/365
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READDORK.COM
INTRO
DORK HAD ITS OWN SHOWCASE AT TGE. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED. (YES, WE TALK IN THE THIRD PERSON NOW)
IF IT’S NOT IN HERE, IT’S NOT HAPPENING. OR WE FORGOT. ONE OR THE OTHER.
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HERE'S WHAT WENT DOWN AT THE GREAT ESCAPE HUNDREDS OF BANDS, LOADS OF VENUES, AND A FEW SEAGULLS. HERE’S SOME OF OUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S TGE EXTRAVAGANZA.
WORDS: ALI SHUTLER, DILLON EASTOE, JAMIE MUIR PHOTOS: JAMIE MACMILLAN, SARAH LOUISE BENNETT
MARIKA HACKMAN
FENDER NEXT STAGE, THURSDAY
Marika Hackman’s ‘i’m not where you are’ is a big, gnashing comeback from an artist who lives for those big strides forward. Tonight, it’s the only new song played but its wild sense of freedom charges through her back catalogue. ‘Blahblahblah’ is large and violent, making promises then sticking to them while ‘Deep Green’ flirts with menace. ‘Time’s Been Reckless’ explodes with a wild grin, leaning into the pop snarl before ‘Boyfriend’ shines in moments of quiet and loud. Once upon a time Marika hid within her music, but tonight, she’s front, centre and leading the charge. Maybe she’s always been a rock star. There are wailing guitar solos, thunderous confidence and, dare we say it, a touch of swagger to how she takes to the stage. Well, if you were as good as Marika, you’d probably have a spring in your step as well. JULY 2019
DORK
SURFBORT
JUBILEE SQUARE, THURSDAY
Playing what is essentially a pub’s outside smoking area, Surfbort come tumbling into The Great Escape with all the wit, wisdom and wild sense of fun that’s followed their every move. Anything can happen in the next half hour. Championing friendship and love, their show is an explosion of warmth. From the grinning opener of ‘Pretty Little Fucker’ through the beating heart of ‘Les Be In Love’, the band balance chaos and control. Dani dances through the crowd, making introductions, mates and a ruckus, before the visceral close of ‘Slushy’ and the snap crackle of ‘Burn’ bring things to an all-tosoon close.
WALT DISCO
ONE CHURCH, THURSDAY
A shot of flamboyant stagepresence and thriving post-punk
SELF ESTEEM
glam isn’t the sort of thing you’d usually expect knocking around a church ten minutes from the seafront, but it’s what makes Walt Disco’s slot a prime example of what makes The Great Escape tick so well. Trading in new romantic devotion and an unmistakable knack for swooping sharp cuts, it’s frontman James Potter who grabs the eye standing in front of a pulpit and stained glass windows purring ‘you make me feel so strange’. From then on in there’s no question who’s in charge, as they race through a set that manages to feel both gritty and dazzling in equal measure. Smashing away on cymbals and ending the set in an escalating blaze of glory,
COALITION, FRIDAY When Self Esteem takes the stage just after 9pm on Friday night, it feels like a primetime slot at the perfect time for Rebecca Lucy Taylor. Her debut album ‘Compliments Please’ is an unstoppable statement that on the live stage, fully embraces that sense of fun and joy which has The Great Escape bouncing and moving in a matter of moments. With choreographed dance moves to boot, it’s sophisticated pop done right with a wink of cracking mischief that has you at ease from the very first note. To see the transformation and ease Rebecca has on stage makes it undeniably clear that this right here has been her calling all along, and as things get pulled away with just her voice and finger clicks, there’s only one word to sum up Self Esteem at The Great Escape: wow.
INTRO
LUCIA
COALITION, FRIDAY Down from Glasgow to remind us all how it’s done, LUCIA haven’t come to mess around. Mixing fuzzy slacker pop with insistent melodies, smashing out tunes from the dark bowels of Coalition, singer Lucia Fairfull is in her element. The band conjure a wonderful racket, and amongst the curious newcomers there are a few diehards down the front matching the four-piece for mayhem on staple ‘Melted Ice Cream’. New single ‘Blueheart’ sees Fairfull marry grunge guitars and earworm vocals in a perfect storm. A final foray into the crowd (sans guitar) demonstrates the intent that makes her such a compelling frontwoman; watch this space.
BAY ON THE BAY
OBVIOUSLY INTERNATIONAL MEGASTAR JAMES BAY ROCKED UP TO PLAY AN SURPRISE SET ON DORK’S GREAT ESCAPE STAGE. WHY WOULDN’T HE? WE GRABBED HIM FOR A QUICK ‘Q’ AND ‘A’.
Hello James. Happy release day for ‘Oh My Messy Mind’. How are you finding it all?
Thank you! I’m finding it great. It’s a unique feeling. Spending whatever amount of time you might spend making music, making art, it’s an intense time. It’s exciting and fun, but then the main purpose at the end of it all is to release it to the world and give it to everybody else. It almost has its own therapy about it. It’s a wonderful feeling. You only released ‘Electric Light’ last year. Did that record do what you wanted it to do?
Why surprise release it?
JAMES BAY
COALITION, FRIDAY James Bay rocking up to open Coalition has that sense of a ‘moment’. Strolling on with a guitar, it’s an intimate and raw gathering that finds James chatting about his time living in Brighton, playing every venue that would give him a microphone and even busking on the streets. A proper pop star, tonight sees James cover the full bases - from the likes of ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Pink Lemonade’, to tracks from latest EP ‘Oh My Messy Mind’, and a rousing closing call of ‘Hold Back The River’. It’s a warm and charming look at an artist who refuses to forget his roots.
It was a bit of a last minute decision. There’s this serious appetite for more and seeing as I’ve been writing since September, why not? I had the material, so let’s do it. There’s more that I have that
What inspired the EP?
The answer to that stems from the title ‘Oh My Messy Mind’. That came before any of the songs were written at the end of last year. They all fit nicely under this umbrella of the EP title. We’ve all got lots of things going on in our heads all the time, and one of my little therapies is to write. It’s to fill a few pages of a notebook with absolutely anything. There was a sentence that started ‘Oh My Messy Mind’ and that resonated with me. I held onto it. All the songs, in one way or another, they’re born out of down moments. After the two albums and now this EP, musically it feels like you could go anywhere next.
It’s hard to say. I’m just following my instincts. ‘Electric Light’ was about the music I was into at the time, coming away from the sounds of ‘Chaos and The Calm’. I was listening to all this stuff that didn’t sound like that record and didn’t sound like the music that inspired it. It sounded different. And I’ll keep exploring new music, and going back to old music I never got into in the past. Like all artists, you keep following your creative instincts and curiosities. P
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Absolutely. So much of that was about evolving as an artist and saying to myself and everyone else, ‘Chaos and The Calm’ is one part of what I am, but I want to express more. I wanted to show different and more and other. I did all that. It’s still such a fresh thing, but the hunger for more new stuff is bigger than ever. Despite that album not being a year old, it felt ok and right to put this EP out.
isn’t out yet, and I’m still writing between everything else.
CONT. >>
READDORK.COM
INTRO
LEWIS CAPALDI
PIP BLOM
COALITION, FRIDAY
Continuing to grow and shine at every turn, Pip Blom have emerged as true gems - as a live force that take feverish joy and kick it to the max. It’s why Coalition is absolutely rammed before they take the stage, and once they kick into action, there’s no stopping them. Jumping and rolling with every note, it’s as if their songs are already your bonafide favourite even though it may be the first time you’ve ever heard them. Pip Blom are here to let the good times roll.
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TROPICAL FUCK STORM
COALITION, FRIDAY
Want something unlike anything else that Brighton has packed in over The Great Escape’s many venues and homes? Try Tropical Fuck Storm, the sort of psychedelic expression that takes over your mind and spirit as soon as they step on the stage. Full of mind-altering spirals and deep grooves that pours with self-assured intensity, their hypnotic wall of sound just gets bigger and bigger as the night goes on. When a band can make you feel in that way, you
know they’re onto something special - and Tropical Fuck Storm hits the shores with a sludge-ripping power that nobody packed into Coalition will ever forget.
WOOZE
COALITION, FRIDAY One of the busier sets on Dork’s Coalition stage are Londoners Wooze. Arriving in dramatic fashion, kitted out in their trademark yellow aesthetic (Theo’s hair, however, is currently scarlet red). Having grabbed everyone’s attention, they launch into thirty minutes of shape-shifting indie-rock. Theo’s guitar squalls and screams through pitch bending riffs, with songs turning on a sixpence around Jamie She’s tempo shifting beats and inventive sticksmanship. Recent single ‘Ladies Who Lunch with Me’ lurches from rock to dance in a heartbeat, and the duo take the chance to show off songs from their new EP. They put on a show too, Theo playfully hoisting his guitar up behind his head one moment, then shredding it with his teeth the next. Instantly recognisable in their aesthetic and restlessly inventive in their sound, Wooze are a band on the up.
just like that they’re off. There are plenty more stages to conquer, and Walt Disco aren’t waiting about anymore.
THE MURDER CAPITAL
PRINCE ALBERT, THURSDAY
Every year at The Great Escape, there’s a band who rises above the rest and truly claims the festival as their own. That moment where things well and truly take off and without question, the talk of Brighton-town is The Murder Capital. Queues pour out of the Prince Albert, fans being told while previous bands are playing that there’s no way in as the upstairs of the pub rocks with anticipation. With two songs out, it’s live where they’ve become giants - a tense and gripping blend of punk ferocity and vulnerability that comes together as the sharp-suited toughest band in town, going into the crowd and wrapping you in. Ripping with swagger, their 30-minute set is nothing short of jaw-dropping, emotionally powerful when unleashed in full force and when stripped back to delicate pauses. At 4pm in the middle of day one, they already have The Great Escape in the palm of their hand. The world is destined to follow soon.
HALFNOISE
THE DIVE BAR, FRIDAY
It’s hard to think of a band more suited to a set on the beach at Great Escape than HalfNoise. Zac Farro’s outfit treat a busy Dive Bar tent to surf-rocking, maraca-shaking good-time jams, getting the crowd moving to the groovy ‘Sudden Feeling’. Stepping out from behind the kit Farro is a natural frontman, shimmying about the stage letting
BRIGHTON DOME, THURSDAY It’s crazy to think that tonight is Lewis Capaldi’s first live show in the UK since, y’know, he became a blooming superstar. Let’s just put it down to the schedule being pretty mad, but with dates lined up till early next year and sold out arenas already prime and on the horizon - tonight is a special one under The Dome’s intimate walls. While his portfolio rings with earnest and raw tales to serenade low moments, Lewis strolls out to ‘Here Comes The Money’ as confetti bursts right away. That sense of joy and laughter melds effortlessly with a set full of confidence and charm, tracks like ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ and ‘Hollywood’ already bursting at the seams for bigger stages. With a deafening reaction following every song, bras thrown on stage (“I can’t wait to wear it later,” he cracks) and a singalong to ‘Someone You Loved’ that can definitely be heard along the entire seafront - Lewis Capaldi at The Great Escape is a set that stops the dashing about between tiny venues and stages and captures a phenomenon live and in the flesh.
his bandmates do the musical heavy lifting. The psychedelia of ‘Flowerss’ gives the guitars a chance to shine, and Farro even finds time to accommodate a request from the front row to the delight of a fan. Freed of their day-job pressure, HalfNoise are here for a good time, appropriately boogying out to their live favourite ‘Scooby’s In the Back’.
MINI MANSIONS
COALITION, SATURDAY
Over from sunny LA, Mini Mansions ooze California cool as they take the stage at Coalition’s Fiction Records party. Decked out in complementary pastel suits, tourmates Royal Blood are among those packed into a sweaty Coalition for half an hour of fuzzed up, strutting rock jams. As you’d expect from a supergroup comprised of QOTSA and Last Shadow Puppets luminaries, the band benefit from a swagger in their step, guitarist Michael Shuman leading ‘Freakout!’ with a cheeky falsetto. Over a weekend of new faces and taking chances, this is a safe bet of seasoned musicians with ample riffs up their tailored sleeves. P
READDORK.COM
INTRO
THE NOISE NEXT DOOR
ZAC FARRO’S HALFNOISE HAVE A NEW RECORD IN THE BAG. WE GRABBED HIM AT THE GREAT ESCAPE TO FIND OUT WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT
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Hey Zac, that show was a whole lot of fun.
Thanks so much. As tiring as it is balancing two bands, there’s nothing like it when you step on the stage, and there are people there to see it. It’s tough though, HalfNoise hasn’t ever really done festivals before. These shows are very new for us because we normally play headline shows where you have two hours to soundcheck. Here, you’ve got five minutes. You’ve just got to wing it, and there’s something so beautiful about that. It’s not only how it Zac Farro sounds, but the energy, it’s so magnificent. It’s why I was so stoked to play these festivals because the new record is so much like that. I always have everything figured out. I’ve overthought so many things and the new record, it is very put together, but it just needed to sound immediate. It needed to sound like we didn’t think about it too much.
"I need to put a mirror in front of myself. Without giving too much away, this record is a demasking"
There’s a new record?
Yup. Thirteen songs. We played a new song today called ‘Boogie Juice’. It’s about being a bad apple, feeling like you’re the black sheep of your friend group or feeling like you’re an outcast. I was thinking about how
people are fake and realised; I need to put the mirror in front of myself. Without giving too much away, this record is a demasking. Talk to us about your new single, ‘Who Could You Be’.
That song was a turning point for me for this record. I had all these ideas scattered about, but our guitarist and keyboardist Daniel [Kadawatha] was in town, trying to get his visa to tour with us. We decided to write a song, and four hours later we had it written and recorded. It was like a lightning bolt hit the studio. That gave me the blueprints for the record. The next song we wrote was ‘Guess’, which is probably the best song HalfNoise has ever made. After
that, the record unfolded. A lot of HalfNoise songs have this feeling of you hanging out with friends. ‘Who Could You Be’ feels like you’re all headed off on an adventure; urgent, and energetic.
Listen to us! Pay attention! The whole record is like that. There’s immediacy to it. It’s part of growing up and growing as an artist, having things to say. That’s why it’s important and urgent for artists to experience things. It’s why I put myself in situations that are unusual, uncomfortable and a little weird. I moved to New Zealand for three years, I lived by the ocean, in a van and I surfed around. I never surfed before because I lived in landlocked Nashville, which is eight hours from any beach. There’s a lot of experience and a lot of stuff to say on this record. There’s a lot to share. I’m not good at bullshitting, if I didn’t have anything to say, I couldn’t just make something up. I’ve been in so many situations where I’ve learned a lot, but also ‘I’ve had to prove more things to people, so I’ve started doing more things, so I’ve got things to talk about. P
THE BEST OF THE REST BLOSSOM CALDERONE The harsh rain spitting down on Brighton would usually do any act right in, but Blossom Calderone is a breath of fresh air bringing sunny skies of her own. With a voice that harks right back to Lily Allen, Blossom’s set is doo-wop bliss personified with tales of modern life, romance and tongue-in-cheek laughs that win you over right away. DO NOTHING For the sea of punk and guitar bands emerging right now, it’s the ones doing things differently that really shine. Do Nothing channel 00s indie and those punk sensibilities into a mix that roars and spits while also throwing shapes that erupt into something special. LACUNA COMMON Lacuna Common offer up a fizzing blend of roaring styles. Tight and kicking in every direction with unstoppable energy, there’s a sound there that should be turning heads and grabbing eyes in a matter of no time. JUST MUSTARD Throbbing Screamadelica vibes and the sort of genreblending style that leaves the door open for absolutely anything, Just Mustard are revelling in doing things differently. With a debut album already out, expect what comes next to be as bold and instant as their set down in Brighton was unforgettable. FEET Sounding bolder and with an absolute crackerjack collection of tracks in the kitty, Feet fill one of TGE’s biggest stages with ease. Bringing back the ludicrously fun times, one step at a time. ALFIE TEMPLEMAN Alfie may be young, but already he feels like a master of what he’s doing. Live, it’s rich and warm - transforming a packed Patterns into a whole world of vibes. With shows like this, Alfie’s going to be massive.
JULY 2019
DORK
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
FUTURE DUST THE NEW ALBUM OUT NOW
BIRMINGHAM • O2 ACADEMY 1 • NOV 08 LEEDS • O2 ACADEMY • NOV 09 NOTTINGHAM • ROCK CITY • NOV 11 NEWCASTLE • O2 ACADEMY • NOV 12 GLASGOW • THE BARROWLAND BALLROOM • NOV 13 MANCHESTER • ACADEMY 1 • NOV 15
NOV 16 • UNIVERSITY • CARDIFF NOV 17 • O2 ACADEMY • BRISTOL NOV 19 • O2 ACADEMY • BOURNEMOUTH NOV 20 • UEA • NORWICH NOV 22 • O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON • LONDON
livenation.co.uk • ticketmaster.co.uk • theamazons.co.uk a live nation & friends presentation by arrangement with 13 artists
INTRO
THE NEW KING OFGLASTO
“OH GLASTONBURY SHOULD ONLY BE FOR INDIE BANDS, PREFERABLY RADIOHEAD OR OASIS, AND NOBODY ELSE. WHAT ARE ARCTIC MONKEYS DOING?” - THAT’S WHAT YOUR BORING DA RECKONS, ISN’T IT? WHAT A LOAD OF OLD BOLLOCKS, DEAR READER. OF 2019’S BILL TOPPING BUNCH, STORMZY IS CLEARLY THE MOST ‘WOO’. WITH A NUMBER ONE SINGLE NAILED, IT’S THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA. SOMEONE POLISH THAT CROWN. WORDS: JAKE HAWKES
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SO GLASTONBURY IS HERE
again, Dear Reader, and with it comes the inevitable arguments over who ‘deserves’ to headline and who doesn’t. The consensus from boring people seems to be that The Cure and The Killers have ‘earned’ their headline status by having existed forever and featuring at least one guitar each, while Stormzy shouldn’t be headlining because he’s only one album in and has the sheer audacity to not be a collection of white men. But here at Dork, we don’t believe in boring. One of the most vital and exciting acts in the UK headlining its biggest festival is undeniably a good thing; the fact that he hasn’t been around for 6 million years or written a song your dad used to listen to in the car on the way to school is a vote in his favour as far as we’re concerned. And anybody claiming he isn’t a big enough deal? Don’t be daft. His debut album ‘Gang Signs and Prayer’ was grime’s first ever Number 1 album and got more UK streams in a week than Drake’s ‘Views’, which is mind-boggling for a bloke in his early twenties from Croydon. Even before the debut Stormzy had marked himself out as something special, he broke the Top Ten with ‘Shut Up’, and that was just a freestyle he recorded in a car park. It isn’t just musical success that makes Stormzy special, though. #Merky Books, his imprint with Penguin, has already released Rise Up, a part-biography, part
business guide and part self-help book. But his next aim is to make #Merky Books the home for “a new generation of readers, and a new generation of writers.” To do this, he’s set up a New Writers’ Prize which will give one writer a publishing contract and representation, giving a voice to someone starting out. This spirit of giving doesn’t stop there, he’s also announced plans to fund two scholarships for black British students to go to Cambridge University, paying their tuition fees and living costs. Initiatives like these, coupled with coming across as a normal bloke on chat shows like Jonathan Ross mean the man isn’t just at the top of the game musically, he’s become an established figure in the mainstream UK media in a way that most massive acts never manage. If all of this hasn’t convinced you, we’re probably wasting our time, but consider this: Stormzy isn’t just one of the headliners at Glasto, he was the first act announced for the entire festival. That kind of thing doesn’t happen by accident; it happens when the organisers know they’ve got one of the most exciting, culturally relevant and explosive performers in the UK music scene and want to shout about it. Sure, The Cure and The Killers have been around longer, but they haven’t truly strayed into the mainstream in years. So he’s big enough to headline, we’ve got that sorted. But what we haven’t talked about yet is that his set will be the best headline performance of the whole weekend. Tracks like ‘Shut Up’ and ‘Cold’ will get the crowd going, sure, but it’s going to be when he breaks out his softer side that it’ll really feel special. Glastonbury is all about moments, and while ‘Mr. Brightside’ will probably be the biggest singalong of the festival, tracks like ‘Blinded by Your Grace Pt. 2’ will be
One of the most exciting acts in the UK headlining its biggest festival is undeniably a good thing.
JULY 2019
DORK
responsible for the most hugs, tears and lighters in the air. When Boy Better Know headlined the Other Stage in 2017, it was the most talked about set of the weekend – grime had come of age. Now Stormzy’s been passed the torch and is headlining the whole bloody festival. It’s been 17 years since the first grime tracks started poking their heads out of London’s estates, which is almost as long as The Killers have been bashing out arena-rock bangers. It isn’t just a triumph for Stormzy; it’s a triumph for a whole genre. The Killers will be great,
and the Cure will undeniably put on a good show (when they finally get through the 300 B-sides and deep cuts and decide to play ‘Boys Don’t Cry’), but neither of them are new or exciting. Anyone who has wanted to see them headline a festival could have done so in 2009, whereas this is Stormzy’s first time in the spotlight. He headlined Wireless last year and smashed it out of the park; he turned the Brit Awards into a political statement that people were talking about for weeks – you think he won’t win Glastonbury over? P
'FYI' Weyes Blood has announced a new UK and Ireland tour for October. Playing in support of her recent album ‘Titanic Rising’, the dates are part of a wider world tour, arriving in Dublin on 26th October, and taking in Glasgow, Manchester and London. You can find the full deets on readdork.com now.
Metz have announced a new rarities collection, ‘Automat’. A collection of non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, it’ll be released on 12th July via Sub Pop. The band’s Alex Edkins shares: “The idea to release Automat came after realising our early 7” singles were being sold online for upwards of $60 bucks a pop. We wanted to make those songs available and affordable to anyone who might want them in the physical format. What started as reissuing a couple of 45s, quickly morphed into an entire LP, compiling rarities, demos and alternate takes from over the years.”
Hello Fee from Bloxx. You’ve literally just come offstage. How are you doing?
Very, very hot after that show. It was a good one, though. You’ve been a busy bunch recently. You released your ‘Headspace’ EP earlier this year. What was the reaction like?
Insane. The EP has racked up over 2.5 million streams, and we’re mindblown. How has that happened so quickly? The response has been incredible.
to put anything that’s already out on it. We’re working our hardest to create good songs, but step it up because we’ve progressed so much. We want a piece of work: twelve tracks, all new, all bangers. Have you got a vision for it?
We’ve got a very good idea from the demos. It’s very close to the EP. That sound we’ve curated over the past year, it’s definitely heading in that direction. All of the stuff we’ve got done for it already, we’re incredibly proud of. Some of it is the best stuff we’ve ever done.
"We want a piece of work: twelve tracks, all new, all bangers"
You’ve played some very big shows to a lot of Fee Booth people, most of whom probably had no idea who you were. How was that?
It’s been weird. The big shows with The Wombats, they were great for us early in our careers because those people now follow us. That’s the fanbase we’ve built up. The people that saw us then still come to our shows now. It is scary and daunting when you play with a big artist because you know no one knows you and you’re trying to please the crowd. And sometimes it works, sometimes they’re not into it but whatever. Has playing those big arena shows changed how you approach the band?
We’ve got more confident, 100%. We’ve grown up a lot, and that experience has helped us learn who we are as a band. You mentioned your debut album on stage. How’s it coming along?
We’re working on it. We’ve been in the studio this week recording some bangers, so it’s in the works. I don’t really know where it’s at, but there’s definitely going to be new stuff this year, towards the tail end of summer. In terms of the album, it’s a work in progress. We’re trying to make it as good as it can be, and also, we want to do a fresh piece of work. We don’t want
Is that the main focus for the rest of the year then?
There’ll be loads of writing and loads of recording, but there are also so many festivals. We’re playing Reading & Leeds, we’re also going to America next month. A year ago, America was one of those dreams that we thought was maybe five, ten years down the line. When we got the email a month ago, we didn’t believe it. ‘This can’t be real?’ We’re so stoked. We’re just so happy. What inspires you?
My biggest inspiration is Jack Steadman [from Bombay
WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ‘BEST NEW BANDS’ SPREADSHEET (YES, THAT’S A THING - ED), BLOXX ARE TIER A MATERIAL. THAT’S WHY WE’RE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF A DEBUT ALBUM TO COME FROM THE QUARTET. ALREADY DROPPING A CACHE OF GRADE A BANGERS VIA THEIR ‘HEADSPACE’ EP, WE GRABBED A FEW MINUTES WITH FEE TO GET A HANDLE ON WHAT THE REST OF 2019 HAS IN STORE.
WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.
Bicycle Club and, more recently, Mr Jukes] because I love him to pieces. But being around loads of bands all the time, it drives you to be as successful as they are. Touring with big bands, going to festivals like this, seeing how hard people work for it, it makes you want to work just as hard, if not harder. That’s the most inspirational thing. P
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Ten Tonnes has announced a bunch of new tour dates for October. Hitting the road in support of his justreleased self-titled debut album, the run will arrive in the UK on 10th October, when he’ll play Electric Brixton in London. You can also catch Ten Tonnes at Reading & Leeds, Truck, Barn On The Farm and more this summer. Find all the details on readdork.com.
BUILDING BLOXX
UPDATE INTRO
INTRO
SWIM DEEP
THE WARDROBE It’s been three years since Swim Deep last made the trip to Leeds, but they seem intent on making up for the lost time. Dosed up on honey and lemon to fight a summer cold, Austin Williams is a more sedate frontman than most today, but his bucket-hatted bliss is greeted like an old friend, the whole room chanting along to ‘Honey’ and ‘Francisco’ while flinging arms around necks and planting kisses on cheeks. Maybe everyone’s drunk, maybe they’re knackered after a full festival day, or maybe they’re just happy. Tonight doesn’t mark any huge steps forward, but sometimes a room full of love is quite enough.
FESTIVAL SEASON 2019 IS GO WITH LIVE AT LEEDS.
NORTHERN
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WORDS: ALI SHUTLER, CHRIS TAYLOR, JENESSA WILLIAMS PHOTOS: FRANCES BEACH, SARAH LOUISE BENNETT
Festival season 2019 is go! Live At Leeds marks the starting pistol on months of inner city fun and hazy fields
packed with our favourite bands. We decamped to the mighty northern powerhouse to watch some of the
brightest new and established talent on the planet kick off their campaigns in style, including a Dork stage packed with some of our biggest crushes. Here’s our run down of just some of what happened.
VANT
THE WARDROBE
When Vant announced their indefinite hiatus at the end of 2017, it was a sudden shock from a group who seemed like they had a lot more to say, see and do. Their return is a welcome one and we’re not the only ones who say so. They’re the first band on at The Wardrobe today, coming onstage as morning gives way to afternoon, and the room is
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already at capacity. A slow-burning, acoustic rendition of ‘Time & Money’ starts things off, wistful and spacious before a new track opens things up even further. ‘Exoskeleton’ is a twitching plea for help, desperate for a change of scenery and something new while the stained glass of ‘Propaganda Machine’ stomps with a communal heart. Elsewhere ‘Thank Lucifer’ slow dances with abandon, as Vant stray further from what came before. More deliberate, more measured
finishes things off with the band at their volatile best. It’s good to have ‘em back.
BLOXX
THE WARDROBE
and packing a synth, that rebellious spirit is in full effect as the band refuse to play by anyone else’s rules - including their own. And that energy has been threaded through their back catalogue. The wailing intro of ‘The Answer’ is like a lit-match on petrol-soaked rags, ‘Parking Lot’ has been stewing in its own frustration while ‘Birth Certificate’, anxious and angry, is spat rather than sung before an explosive ‘Karma Seeker’
Bloxx have been busy. With mega tours with Sundara Karma, The Wombats, Pale Waves and Circa Waves under their belts, the band who return to Live At Leeds today are not the band you once knew. Sounding massive and uniting as one, the gang deliver a set of their greatest with new-found confidence. From ‘Monday’, grungey and snarling, while also channelling the sunshine abandon of hazy summer days, through the haunting shake of ‘Coke’ and ‘Headspace’’s direct burst of uneasy joy, the band are fearless and totally in control of the heaving room. ‘You’ inspires grinning dance pits around the room, while onstage the band
INTRO twirl with chaos as they see how far they can push things without it all falling apart. Turns out, very far. Bloxx sound better than ever, and they spend the entirety of their set having the most fun. Guitar solos are played behind heads before Fee leaves the stage at the end of their set, only to return and watch the rest of the band burn bright for a few more moments. Bloxx have come a long way to be here today, and every mile can be felt in how much they’ve grown. With the promise of a debut album on the horizon, the band aren’t slowing down for anything.
SEA GIRLS
LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION REFECTORY
It’s hard to make out the opening lyrics of Sea Girls set amongst the screams, not least from the woman next to me who
bellows ‘last year there was like twenty people here!” This time? Try nearer 2000. With heartfelt melodies that race towards arms-aloft choruses, it’s not difficult to see why. Bassist Andrew and guitarist Rory bounce around with an energy that would unlock some serious fitness tracker points, while Henry’s strong voice (imagine Luke Kook without the inflexions) rouses kids onto shoulders for even the previously-unheard new tracks such as ‘Damage Done’ and ‘Closer’. This debut album is going to be mega.
WHENYOUNG
LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION REFECTORY
Last festival season,
Whenyoung flew along with the most hype-inducing of buzz, a smattering of bangers and with everything to gain. Today’s set is their last stop before they make good on all that promise with debut album ‘Reason To Dream’, and they’re full throttle to the last. As the circling taunt of ‘Pretty Pure’ chimes out, the band emerge battleready and shining in the light. Their wide-eyed vision now their everyday, the band throw themselves into every song with whole bodies, full hearts and devilish glee. ‘Future’ coils and strikes, blending urgency with the twisting unknown while a revamped ‘The Others’ trembles with fierce purpose, a fear of being let down and
furious at the lack of empathy. With the band unafraid to show their teeth, it’s a vicious counterpoint to the dreamy promise of ‘Never Let Go’ that swells under rainbow lights. ‘Given Up’ might be dazed and confused, but Whenyoung have never sounded more sure of the band they’ve become.
BEABADOOBEE
THE SOCIAL
Putting a gig on in a space as small as The Social (while remaining open for normal Saturday business) sounds like a recipe for disaster. Luckily, Beabadoobee’s set is anything but. Playing acoustically to an intimate gathering of doppelganger teens clad in her trademark oversized tees, scrunchies and chunky trainers, she delivers an effortlessly endearing set, giggling to herself every time she makes eye contact with somebody who knows the words or doing
SPORTS TEAM
THE WARDROBE When ‘Let Me Entertain You’ is your walk-on music, you best be ready to put on a serious show. Sports Team are more than up for the task, frontman Alex channelling the spirit of Mr Rudebox himself with every gesture, mic thrust and messiah pose, never breaking character. ‘Kutcher’ is nothing but joyous, while their promise to buy you “a flip screen Motorola” is delivered with a determination that is almost menacing, an air of danger that causes mass movement in the crowd but still manages to do so with a jovial wink and ‘all in this together’ attitude. An easy play for the highlight of the day, their live show is not to be missed.
enthusiastic impressions of her drumfills to mimic her new full-band set up. If a good gig is one where you leave wanting to be the person’s friend, then we best get ordering our matching BFF necklaces.
SAM FENDER
O2 ACADEMY
With queues coiling around the venue like a Stone-Islandclad snake, we sneak our way into Sam Fender’s show at the O2 along with one the largest, but most respectful crowds of the day. A static audience is usually a bad sign, but here, it’s something akin to worship, with care given to hang on his every politically-charged lyric. The shows are only getting bigger, and the leaps and bounds he’s made in his performance in the past year are already notable. Next stop, headlining?
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N UPROAR
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BANGERS THE BEST NEW TRACKS
‘FYI’
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A new concert series called Gunnersville will take place in Gunnersbury Park, London this September. The event will be headlined by Doves (6th), The Specials (7th), and You Me At Six (8th), who will be joined by Jimmy Eat World, Sundara Karma, Deaf Havana, The Maine and more. “We wanted to celebrate a pretty mad 18 months for us as a band so when Gunnersville approached us to headline one of the days we knew straight away what we wanted to do,” says Josh Franceschi. “To celebrate the new era of YMA6 we are going to play all our singles in order. From ‘Take Off Your Colours’ to ‘VI’! It’s gonna be a hell of a night and the line-up is amazing. We can’t wait!”
MUNA
Number One Fan Oh, and indeed BLIMEY. Muna are ‘back’, and they’ve brought the toppest of bops with them. A squelching synth-pop sherbert dip, ‘Number One Fan’ is all sorts of fun. They’ve got a new album ‘on the way’ later this year, too, which is really very exciting indeed. You can add your own ‘big fan of this’ wordplay here.
Jimothy
Getting Talkative He’s no longer ‘Lacoste’, but our Jimothy is still in great form. Co-produced by Jimothy, Toddla T, and Harley & Ferg, it’s described by the press release as focussing on “his frustrations with modern life and his desire to focus on love and passion without being driven by money.” We describe it as ‘a bop’. Catch him at Glastonbury, Strawberries & Creem, Longitude, Dour, TRNSMT, Dockville and Outlook this summer.
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Easy Life
Swim Deep
This isn’t a Squid cover. Yes, two of the hottest new bands in the country have both decided to write songs about indoor shrubbery, but they’ve gone in entirely different directions with it. Rather than yelling the title like mad buggers, Easy Life are taking a more relaxed route, including a 14/10 bit with a silly voice. Good job singing along to that on the bus, everyone!
It’s no news to anyone that Swim Deep have had to commit to making their third album a reality - and yet, with a refreshed line-up and sense of ambition - they’ve decided not to take the easy route with it. ‘To Feel Good’ is a positively religious experience - spoken word verses muse over choral arrangements and loose beats before hitting a chorus that’s nothing short of euphoric.
To Feel Good
Houseplants
Girl In Red
Dead Girl In The Pool
Who knew that singing along to ‘there’s a dead girl in the pool’ would be one of the most enjoyable group experiences of 2019? Girl In Red is quickly building up a catalogue of significantly more than moderately exciting tracks, but this could well be the best yet. “What the fuck is going on?” she sings. Don’t ask us, mate. This one is all on you to sort.
S
Get the latest bangers at readdork.com or follow our Brand New Bangers playlist on Spotify. Check out all these tracks and more on Dork Radio now at readdork.com/ radio
Halsey
Nightmare If there was one co-sign we could slap on ‘Nightmare’ - besides the bit it has a bit that sounds a bit like t.A.T.u’s ‘All The Things She Said’, is that it’s successfully got us to stop listening to Halsey’s BTS ‘collab’ ‘Boy With Luv’ for at least three minutes and fifty one seconds. Gloriously vampy, it’s further proof that our H is a genuine top-drawer talent.
London’s Borderline venue is set to close later this summer. Long a mainstay of the capital’s live music scene, it underwent a full refit two years ago, but will close its doors at the end of August due to spiralling rents and business rates.
The National have announced a new fourdate UK tour for winter. The band will play headline shows in Brighton, Leeds, Cardiff and Nottingham from 7th-10th December, in support of their upcoming album ‘I Am Easy To Find’, out now. You can find all the details you’ll need on readdork.com, if you like.
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"SHIT, THIS IS MY JOB!" THERE ARE BIG THINGS AFOOT FOR SEA GIRLS. HAVING PACKED OUT MANY A FESTIVAL SET OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO, THEY’RE NEWLY SIGNED TO POLYDOR RECORDS, HAVE JUST DROPPED A NEW SINGLE (‘DAMAGE DONE’, ABOUT “YOUNG LOVE AND MOVING ON”), AND ANNOUNCED A HEADLINE TOUR PLANNED FOR THE END OF THE YEAR). WE CAUGHT UP WITH VOCALIST HENRY CAMAMILE AND DRUMMER OLI KHAN TO SEE HOW THEY’RE DOING. WORDS: JENESSA WILLIAMS
Let’s talk about your new single, what’s the track about?
Was it a whirlwind romance?
Henry: It was a beautiful occasion!
That was the top and bottom of it. They’re just the best people; we were looking through their roster and what impressed us was just the calibre of the people they work with and the ones they have killing it at the moment – Sam Fender who we absolutely love, Billie Eilish, Grace Carter… and then like The Who and The Rolling Stones, I mean, it’s wild. We knew it was the right fit because everyone we met with, they share our vision – they don’t want to mess with who we are, they just want to enhance it.
So we can expect full-scale vengeance on the record?
Has music always been the only career for you?
Oli: I’d hope not! It’d be nice to have that full spectrum on the record, but we’re very much still in the working stages. I’d say we’re about three quarters written, but only one quarter recorded. Henry: It could very easily be three times written by this point, but we’re in the middle of a big set of recording now which is great. It’s been a bit of a challenge staying calm about it and thinking rationally about what songs complement each other and not running away with yourself. You must be over the moon about signing with Polydor. How did this all come about?
Oli: They basically just came to lots of gigs, said ‘do you want a record deal’ and we said ‘fuck yes’!
managed to come through with some songs we liked quite fast. The faith was always there. Oli: There have been a few years of struggle to get to this point, but then you find yourself lying in the bath replying to people’s tweets, and you have to think to yourself, shit, this is my job. It’s definitely a cool feeling. And it’s very important that you do take those baths because you’ve got a long summer of festival ahead. Which shows are you most excited about?
Oli: It’s mad, we’re doing at least 25. We’ve never played Europe before, and we’re going to Russia with Foals which is just crazy. It’s great returning to festivals too and seeing yourself climbing slowly up the bill – it’s something you can measure and makes for a milestone moment. Henry: Reading & Leeds, Neighbourhood, Truck, Community… they’re all up there for me. I’m so excited to see Foals, Wolf Alice, Billie Eilish, her show looks insane. And bumping into all our festival pals as well is a bit like summer camp – Whenyoung and Anteros, we saw them like every week last summer, so it’ll be fun to hang out again. P
"I’d say we’re about three quarters written, but only one quarter recorded"
Oli: Until a week ago I worked in a restaurant and did that for like five years, so I Oli Khan guess I already had another career, but it felt amazing to leave. Henry: It’s the only thing I’ve ever actually wanted to do. At school, I never really took anything careerswise seriously, but you feel a bit embarrassed saying that you want to write songs and be in a band. But what else is there to do except give it a go? People seem to like it, and we
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Henry: It’s called ‘Damage Done’, and I guess it’s about a certain set of circumstances. Some of my favourite things to write about are reminiscences of something I used to really care about. These little thoughts will just pop up, and I just started thinking about my first love and what that was like, and at the same time, how it ended. The song is kind of about leaving that young love below.
First break ups are always bad ones, but the song is about being optimistic about the future and deciding not to get stuck in the past. You don’t want to get stuck anywhere in life. So it’s just nostalgic about that, remembering that summer. When you’re young you feel things so strongly, and everything feels so important, but this song is about going c’mon Henry, stop getting all hung up on the past’. It’s lovingly approached, and I enjoyed looking at the rose-tinted parts of it, it’s not a diss track. Save that for the album!
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TOP TEN TEN THINGS WE DON’T HATE ABOUT JUNE
"It’s quite sexual; there are songs about masturbation and fucking. It’s a really funny record" Marika Hackman
IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT MARIKA
Hackman’s recent first offering from her third album, ‘i’m not where you are’ (all lower case, thankyouverymuch - Ed) is a solid gold banger, so much so when we found out the former Dork cover star had an engagement at this year’s Great Escape, we made a buzzy bee-line to find out more about what we should expect from that much anticipated third album, due to arrive on 9th August. It must be nice to come back and do festivals?
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HACK! HACK!! HACKMAN!!! MARIKA HAS ANNOUNCED HER THIRD ALBUM. IT’S ABOUT WANKING AND BONKING, OBV.
WORDS: ALI SHUTLER
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Yeah, it’s throwing me in at the deep end, but I quite like that. It’s a good challenge, and they’re always fun. There’s always something that happens that’s a bit awry, but y’know - it’s a bit of a test, and you go back into it knowing that later on, you’ll be touring with a much slicker operation. The last record was about getting people involved; festivals are a perfect space to test that out?
Yeah, and everyone’s up for a good time, so it’s nice. Where have you been?
I’ve basically been in my bedroom for like a year, writing, arranging, sorting out a record, and then in the studio making said record, for the last year or so. Now it’s all ready, and I’m just waiting for it to land. Last time we saw you, you were like, ‘I’m going punk’?
Yeah, I was into that, we’d just tracked the first three songs on the record. It’s slicker, it’s more poppy, but I think it’s heavier at the same time. It also feels really raw. The lyrics are super upfront. They’re quite abrasive, it’s a hard listen for my parents, but they love it. In terms of the recording process, it was really immediate. I spent so much time creating all
INTRO these different parts, with all these instruments that lock in together, so it’s got a rawness, but it’s smooth. What inspired that? The last one was quite urgent.
The urgency that came with the last record was the fact that it was not a live record. That’s the natural thing, so everything that we’re doing on top of that is to make it sound smooth and nice and great. This time around I was layering it all up again from the bottom, so the urgency came from working fast and knowing what we’re doing, getting stuff down and tweaking it up as we went along. It gives it a real directness.
LANA DEL REY HAS COVERED... SUBLIME?
Did you know what you wanted from this record going in?
How shocking is this record?
It’s quite sexual. I think that’s where the shock for my parents comes from; there are songs about masturbation and fucking, lots of stuff like that. It’s a really funny record, I always approach everything with a sense of humour, so it’s natural that my songwriting when I’m dealing with themes and concepts that are slightly darker or more intense I generally approach them with a sense of humour. I find it quite a funny listen. Are you excited?
I’m really excited. Sitting alone working on something, it’s a very lonely process, and it’s not a dialogue. When you release it, the dialogue begins. That’s what you’re looking for - the whole point of being direct with your lyrics is because you want people to respond, you want to know how that makes people feel, and then discuss it. That’s what’s exciting; I can’t wait for that to begin. P Marika Hackman’s album ‘Any Human Friend’ is out 9th August.
AND IT’S... BRILLIANT?!?
TYLER, THE CREATOR
PERSON WHO CANCELS SURPRISE LONDON SHOWS BUT IT’S OKAY BECAUSE ACTUALLY IT’S REALLY VERY EXCITING TOO.
On 18th May, as the world awoke with the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair, Tyler, The Creator was planning something. Having released his latest album the day before, he was back with a brand new persona, the wig-wearing, dad dancing IGOR. At the same time, his infamous UK ban had expired, and he was ready to celebrate. First, it was a video outside Buckingham Palace; then it was a time and location: Bussey Building, Peckham, 3pm. As the perpetual buzz chasers we are, we sent Our Man On The Street (OMOTS) down to check it out, and maybe get a free concert out of the deal too. By 2.15pm the queue had devolved into a mass of people, and by 3pm it was an unmanageable stampede. Said stampede was diverted into a courtyard, where people downed bottles of wine, climbed fences and OMOTS got far more familiar than he would have liked with a very tall man’s armpit. To nobody’s surprise, the gig got cancelled, and hundreds of teenagers were left to moodily block Peckham High Street. But wait! What was that sign above Brixton Academy proudly proclaiming ‘IGOR’? Could it be – had the venue been upgraded? Once again, OMOTS headed down to see what was happening, drank exactly one can of supermarket lager and realised that actually, nothing was happening at all. It turned out to be a teaser for Tyler’s three Brixton dates in September. So no gig and a wasted afternoon, not to mention the £1.10 spent on a solitary tinny. The bright side? Tyler’s back baby, and this time, there’s nothing Theresa May can do about it. P
Lana Del Rey has ‘done’ a cover of Sublime’s ‘Doin’ Time’. The original is taken from Sublime’s self-titled 1997 record, but has been firmly Del Rey-ed. The track will feature in the upcoming documentary “Sublime” that outlines the history of the California band. “Not a day goes by that I don’t listen to at least one Sublime song,” Lana explains. “They epitomised the SoCal vibe and made a genre and sound totally their own.” Okay! Sure!
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‘THE BIFF’ HAVE SORT OF DONE A NEW ALBUM. KIND OF ‘BALANCE, NOT SYMMETRY’ SOUNDS AWFULLY LIKE A PROPER BIFFY CLYRO RECORD TO US. Biffy Clyro have ‘done’ a brand new soundtrack album, ‘Balance, Not Symmetry’. Out now, it’s accompanied by a film of the same name, which saw frontman Simon Neil collaborate with director Jamie Adams and will arrive on 26th July. Simon from ‘the band’ explains: “On meeting Jamie, we realised early on that we’d both had to deal with grief at a relatively young age. It was interesting to talk about how we’d both dealt with it and the effect it had on us – and this is the main crux of the film, delving into the lonely world of grief and loss and coming out the other side.”
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I knew exactly what I wanted, and I think I’ve achieved it with [producer] David Wrench, which is great. I knew that he would be the guy who worked with me to get that sound; he’s a mixing genius as well as being great at production. He can make shit sound as clear and fucking great as you can get it, and I knew that I wanted that to happen. Also within my writing process, I write everything, so we basically went in and re-recorded my demos. There was no real finding my way in the studio, which I did with my first record; this was like, this is what we’ve got, let’s make it sound fucking good.
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S.L.PEEZ-EH! SERGE FROM KASABIAN HAS A NEW SOLO ‘THING’, AND IT’S SORTA AS BRILLIANTLY BONKERS AS YOU’D EXPECT.
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The S.L.P. is Serge ‘#Legend’ Pizzorno - though the Kasabian guitarist is most likely claiming the name is because his middle name is Lorenzo. Likely story. Teaming up with the so-hot-right-now Little Simz for his first solo offering, ‘Favourites’ is sort of mad and definitely brilliant. Exactly what we’d expect, then.
WE’RE GETTING NEW MATERIAL FROM THE 1975 “STARTING IN AUGUST” SO THERE. Earlier this year, Matty Healy claimed we’d have the first track from The 1975’s next album ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’, by the start of June. We know that didn’t happen now, but we’ve had an update too. “One of the reasons that I wanted to do two records is because we’re in this real-time expression culture phase,” he told BBC Radio 1. “The way that people are talking to their audience and people are consuming music is so different, so I wasn’t afraid to be like, ‘I’ve changed my mind’, or ‘I think it’s coming out in May’, ‘Actually I haven’t even finished it yet’. The main decision I’ve made is that I couldn’t decide whether to put music out first, or just drop a record. I’ve now decided that I do want to put music out first, so starting in August we’re going to start putting songs out.”
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Swimming Girls have an ace new EP, ‘FYI’ IT’S CALLED ‘EXISTENTIAL FEARS’, AND IT’S OUT NOW. “WE LOOKED OUT, AND THERE WERE people crying in the front rows,” remembers Vanessa. For Swimming Girls, the past year has been a particularly important one, connecting to vast crowds across the UK and emerging as one of the true purveyors of glorious anthemic pop. It’s a time captured perfectly from that view from the stage on that fateful night. “I turned to Roo and was like, is this alright? It was a real moment.” Sometimes you just need to fall into a world and turn that volume up as high as it can go. It’s that exact moment that Swimming Girls were born for, pure blissful escapism that redefines how towering pop can be with the sort of effortless bangerratio that makes us wonder why bother with anything else. Across several releases, they’ve flexed and shaped that style and presence, growing in confidence, and now with debut EP ‘Existential Fears’ out in the world, they’re ready to step on even more. “It was the first opportunity that we’ve had to work on and release something that isn’t just a standalone single,” details Vanessa. “We’ve different dynamics that we haven’t been able to showcase before.” From the moment ‘Tastes Like Money’ was released, that promise of more has been at the forefront of everything Swimming Girls do. Each track drop has seen them head to another level. ‘Tastes Like Honey’ a warm Lorde-infused dazzler, ‘2 Kids’ a striding mountain-top cry, ‘Asking For It’ a bubblegum-80s swing, live driver ‘Back Of Your Car’ and the towering ‘Beneath You’ all setting them apart from the rest. It’s an insatiable combination of pop bliss and sharp neon vibes. “It feels good,” reflects Vanessa, looking back over the ride so far and the reactions they’ve had. “When a lot of little things happen, you don’t really take a step backwards and see what’s happening. You just kinda get on with it, you know what I mean? You don’t realise how far you’ve come; you can only realise that retrospectively.” It’s a long way from those early days, Vanessa never even thinking about fronting a band but instead focusing on the acoustic tales and tracks forming in her mind. “I never thought I was going to be in an actual band,” she confesses. “I used to be into Paramore when I was younger, but I didn’t think I’d ever be in that place or position fronting a band.” Meeting in Bath, Vanessa, Roo, Jay and Max came together at a music course at University. “When I was doing the acoustic
"I didn’t think I’d ever be fronting a band" Vanessa Giménez
things I was just like, I dunno, I felt like it wasn’t something new and that a lot of people already do it. That’s when I was like right, let’s try something completely different and try and have an actual band.” Their bond and love of 70s/80s pop melodies and insatiable hooks provided results from the get-go. “You don’t recognise that reaction you get from people right away,” Vanessa continues. “The more we put out, the more people are going to catch on to what we’re doing.” Buoyed from it, ‘Existential Fears’ sits as a statement of the different shades and styles Swimming Girls have in their back pocket. From ‘1,2 Many’ and its up-in-lights panoramic shine to the delicately raw pulls of ‘Pray In Silence’ - this is Swimming Girls no longer focusing on knocking on the door, but instead bashing it down and demanding you click play. It’s a combination that proves why they’re one of the most exciting new pop bands of 2019. “I feel like with this EP, it’s nice to write together four songs that feel like they’re part of the same era and body of work,” elaborates Roo. “Like, ‘Pray In Silence’ is the sort of song that Vanessa wrote for the EP which is closer to those early days when you were playing acoustically. That song is going to connect with quite a lot of people, and being able to connect with more with this EP is definitely something I’m looking forward to.” As they gaze ahead, Swimming Girls are shaping up for a busy year bound to show off more of their euphoric triumphant pop credentials. It’s a long way from the days of Vanessa wondering if she even wanted to be in a band. “Being able to collaborate constantly is so fun, and completely different each time,” she expands. “Whatever we do, it’s within that world of Swimming Girls. It’s really exciting.” Swimming Girls are here to stay. Best to turn that volume up sky high, we’ll all be singing along in no time. P
INTRO EZRA’S SENDING NUDES (BUT NOT LIKE THAT) Ezra Furman has announced his new album, ’Twelve Nudes’. “This is our punk record,” says Ezra. “We made it in Oakland. We drank and smoked. Then we made the loud parts louder. I hurt my voice screaming. This was back in 2018, when things were bad in the world. The songs are naked with nothing to hide.” The eleven-track record will arrive on 30th August via Bella Union, preceded by lead single ‘Calm Down’. “Desperate times make for desperate songs,” he explains of the track. “I wrote this in the summer of 2018, a terrible time. It’s the sound of me struggling to admit that I’m not okay with the current state of human civilization, in which bad men crush us into submission. Once you admit how bad it feels to live in a broken society, you can start to resist it, and imagine a better one.”
IDER HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, ‘FYI’ IT’S COMING THIS JULY.
IDER’s debut full-length is low key one of our most anticipated of 2019, so we’re obviously made up to find out it’s gonna be with us on 19th July. Titled ‘Emotional Education’, the news comes alongside a new track, ‘Wu Baby’, which is Really Very Bloody Brilliant H-Actually. Following festival sets at Latitude, Way Out West and more, the duo will play a handful of European shows, before arriving back to support on Sigrid’s November and December dates. P
10 BARN-LIFE!
ONE OF OUR FAVE FESTS TAKES PLACE THIS JULY - BARN ON THE FARM
The idea that, in its tenth year, Barn On The Farm is some kind of hidden gem of the festival circuit would be going ‘a bit far’, but compared to some of the big events with dodgy sound and corporate installations aplenty, it’s certainly a refreshingly considered high bar for quality. With a line-up that packs Sam Fender, Maggie Rogers and previous Dork cover-star and chart monster Lewis Capaldi, there’s loads to get excited about when the latest instalment kicks off on 4th July. You can find out more at barnonthefarm.co.uk now.
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WU-HOO!
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FIND MORE FRESH SOUNDS ONLINE NOW AT READDORK.COM/HYPE
ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC
Surfbort
BROOKLYN BUNCH SURFBORT TACKLE LIFE’S HIGHS AND LOWS VIA FUZZY AND EXHILARATING PUNK ROCK.
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WORDS: JAMIE MUIR, PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT
guitarist Alex Kilgore. “Playing “OH, IT’S ONLY ONE HOUR OUT places like Paris and Berlin and of your life - fuck it; go for it.” shows were fucking insane. We It’s the sort of advice that didn’t expect it to be like that, just sticks with you, that bolsters that places going totally off with people longing to get out in the world and knowing the record and just going throw yourself into every nook fucking nuts.” and cranny. When those words are Drummer Sean Powell picks up: coming from Blondie’s own Debbie “When we played the Shacklewell Harry, it’s something to live by Arms in London, that was one of especially when she’s already a big the craziest shows we’ve done fan of your band. in a while! That’s a million times “She’s an icon,” points better than playing in front of Surfbort’s Dani Miller, gathered a crowded room of people who with her bandmates around are just standing there staring at an outside pub table as the city you, going ‘what the fuck are you of Brighton weens its way into doing’.” a packed evening. “She’s so Alex smiles, “what’s cool is inspirational and so strong. No when you have that and then other words are needed - it’s halfway through you get them, and Debbie Harry! She’s been a fan of then you turn them!” Surfbort for a while now.” It summarises exactly For a band making waves out of what Surfbort are all about, a Brooklyn’s scratchy punk scene, no-nonsense kick to a world Surfbort are becoming quite the struggling to find its way - both movement and in turn, an emblem protest and party in equal of rebellion that’s set to change the measure. Self-described as ‘Dani mainstream for the better. And The Dads’, it’s a journey that “I feel like a lot of people get shows how across generations shocked,” delves Dani when and backgrounds, music can find a thinking of people’s first reactions home. It’s a home plenty are going when Surfbort’s quickfire scuzzto be knocking on the door of punk rips into view. “The best pretty soon. thing is when everyone in a crowd “It comes from a super solid turns to smiling and having fun. background of the guys being in That’s what it’s all about!” Texas and playing Recent shows punk in the 80s and have seen a knowing about life rapturous THE FACTS in music for so many response, touring + From years. Then meeting across Europe Brooklyn, US with me, and I’m like for the first time + For fans of what the fuck is going and witnessing Amyl and the on in life, I have a lot first-hand the Sniffers of spirit but ahhhh,” unforgettable + Check out explains Dani. “We power and change ‘Hi Anxiety’ all wrangled together, they’re already + Social and it’s been great.” causing. @Surfbortion A Surfbort show is “We did our + See them live: unlike anything else. first headline They’re back in the A free place to rally tour of Europe UK this November against the world and not too long for dates with Black Lips a carefree explosion of ago,” remembers
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fun and love - it’s a recipe needed for the here and now. “We’re all about having the audience be the centre of attention - it’s not really about us, it’s about ‘hell yeah, people are coming together’,” notes Dani. “Out there, there’s angst and frustrations. Shitty things happen to you during the week, and it’s cool to get together with your friends, have a blast, dance about. We’re just the clowns erupting the riot.” “We want people to feel included, not to feel alone.” It’s a feeling that rings true with the band’s debut album. Released through Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records, ‘Friendship Music’ is a blistering whip through potent punk force in all its glorious Dani Miller brightspots and fury. Rallying against the US government, championing equality and more - it’s a record that delves into darkness and comes out swinging and dancing. As Dani notes, “super fucked up things are happening with the government and all this shit, but we still should be able to enjoy life and come together and not be suffering because of some dickhead trying to rule over us. We have a lot of privilege, and I want to be able to stand up for people who are being put down by shitty, weird
laws. Trump and shit just want to point out differences, which is so wrong to us. We love having fun and enjoying the pleasure of life - so we do a mix, I want to be able to stand up for people at the same time - there’s no room to be silent.” The world is definitely taking notice. Not just backed by Blondie and Julian Casablancas, you’ll find the likes of Wolf Alice (“Who popped our UK cherry,” smiles Dani), Karen O and Gucci all waving the Surfbort flag. Yep, you read the last one right, Gucci - with the band fronting their first ever beauty range. “It’s surreal,” continues Dani. “It’s a huge luxury brand, but the cool thing about it is the fact they stand for the same shit we do. Being inclusive and supporting artists - letting freaks and outcasts feel beautiful and be involved, that’s so sick that you can do that in the fashion world. “I just want to stand up for people who feel like they don’t fit into the fold of fashion. You can rock it on the streets and feel good about yourself. Be eccentric, be a clown; do whatever you want.” Continually learning, evolving and growing - Surfbort are the welcome revolution bringing a brighter day to the skies. With a second album already brimming on the cards, it’s only just the beginning. P
"I want to be able to stand up for people who are being put down by shitty, weird laws"
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IN THE KN OW
...
First on
Alex Lahey
CHECK OUT THESE NEW ACTS IMMEDIATELY
fave new Aussies
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EGYPTIAN BLUE Brighton-based quartet Egyptian Blue are starting to kick up a bit of a fuss ‘at the moment’, Signing to former Maccabee Felix White’s Yala! label, they’re dropping a debut EP, ‘Collateral Damage’, on 21st June. Featuring four tracks “inspired by snapshots of conversations heard during a night out”, one of the band’s dual frontmen, Leith Ambrose explains: “The bitter end of the evening where people say something interesting. Or when someone says something that triggers negative thoughts in your head.” Check out: 'To Be Felt'
BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD Beginning as a bedroom studio project for the Barry-born, Cardiffbased Tom Rees at the end of 2016, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard soon grew to include bassist brother Eddie, guitarist Zac White and drummer Ethan Hurst. Fast forward to last year, and the quartet were dropping debut single ‘Double Denim Hop’ to general
THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE BANDS - THE BIGGEST QUESTION IS WHO DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN IT COMES TO RECOMMENDATIONS? OBVIOUSLY DORK SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST PORT OF CALL, BUT THERE ARE OTHERS TOO. THIS MONTH ALEX LAHEY PICKS HER FAVE NEW ACTS FROM DOWN UNDER.
TWEN
‘acclaim’. Now, with Live At Leeds and Great Escape under their belts, at Glastonbury and Latitude to come, they’re stepping it up another gear with a brand new single, ‘Late Night City’. “This tune fully explores the deeply rooted constitutional issues with work and play,” Rees explains. “I also wanted to write a song that expressed my love for the Eagles and I think I may have finally done it!” Check out: ‘Late Night City’
TWEN Formed out of Boston and touring non-stop for two years without releasing more than a live EP from their first-ever performance, it’s fair to say Twen aren’t afraid of building up to something. Signing to Frenchkiss
EGYPTIAN BLUE
JOESEF
Records, though, they’re finally ready to make some noise. There’s a debut album on the way, and a brand new track streaming now. Check out: ‘Holy River’
JOESEF With love from the big boys and girls at Apple and a few Annie Mac plays under his belt, Scottish upstart Joesef is doing rather well with his second single, ‘Loverboy’. Badged as ‘pop-soul’ and hailing from the East End of Glasgow, it seems like this is only the start. Check out: ‘Loverboy’
MEALTIME TALK SHOW
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‘s
Manchester’s Mealtime are described as a band that “subvert the typical expectations of young
Northern musicians”, which presumably means none of them own any flat caps, or keep pigeons. They do, though, have a birrova banger in the form of ‘Demin’, which is pretty damn addictive fare. With support slots alongside Dream Wife and The Ninth Wave under their belt, they’re worth keeping a beady eye on. Check out: ‘Denim’
TALK SHOW Talk Show have a bit of a rep brewing on the London ‘scene’, drawing comparisons with the likes of Shame and The Cure - which are obviously really very similar bands, right? The Peckham-based lot, like Egyptian Blue, are inked with the influential Yala! Records and have ‘influencers’ like Grandfather Indie Steve ‘Lammo’ Lamacq championing them. Top-pop fact, they were signed after label boss Felix White was given a tip-off by his barber, who also cuts frontman Harrison’s hair. The music industry - it’s all about who you know, eh? Check out: ‘Fast & Loud’
Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange I started and never finished a jazz degree which kind of killed my love for improvisationbased music. I’ve only just recently listened to the Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange record, and it has completely blown me away. I reckon this band is going to inspire a whole new generation of improvisers to explore the boundaries of jazz and the sonics within the genre. Stand Atlantic I love this band. They make the kind of music that could’ve come to me at any time in my life, and I would’ve loved it. It’s pop punk at its best with awesome songwriting, playing and energy. They’re the kind of band that I wish I was in and make me want to make music. Rya Park I’ve only met and come across Rya’s music in the last couple of months, but I’m super excited for what she’s going to do next. Rya is a bold artist who has a lot to say. She also delivers some of the phattest vocal takes in the game. Bec Goring Bec is a renaissance woman she is a professional footballer, a fuck off guitar player and one of the best songwriters I’ve heard in a long time. I remember checking out her latest EP after some mutual friends posted about it on Instagram and being totally taken aback by her rich vocals, tight playing and captivating lyrics. Bec is capable of doing whatever the hell she wants in life but I hope that it involves making music forever. P
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Just Mustard
WITH IRELAND THROWING OUT GREAT BAND AFTER GREAT BAND RIGHT NOW, THIS LATEST LOT ARE JUST... WELL... MUSTARD!
Barny Fletcher BEING A POP STAR IS A SERIOUS JOB. YOU CAN’T JUST WALK THROUGH THE DOOR AND GET STARTED. YOU NEED TO HAVE A PROPER INTERVIEW FIRST. THIS MONTH’S APPLICANT - BARNY FLETCHER. THE BOARD WILL SEE YOU NOW. What can you tell us about yourself? I’m 21 years old. Born in London. Grew up in Somerset. I rap good and I sing too. I’ve adopted a Slow Loris in Tahiti. His name’s Clarence. Why do you want to be a pop star? I wouldn’t say pop star. I just want to take the music as far as it can possibly go and enjoy the journey. There’s no right way of doing this. No formula. The more people who hear my music, the better. What are your best and worst qualities? Best: Good taste in clothes, food and people; Worst: I always turn up late to shit. What is your biggest failure? Probably a clothing brand I started and finished when I was like 12. It was called Replica. I sold one hoodie. I don’t want to go into it. What accomplishment are you most proud of? Not going to uni but still making a career for myself, this early on, feels good. Let’s hope it continues. I was the first human to set foot on Mars, so that’s tight. Performing with a live band, playing songs that I wrote in my bedroom, is also pretty surreal. Where do you see yourself in five years? It’d be nice to know I can sell-out a show anywhere in the world. I see myself dropping my third, perhaps fourth album, and performing in front of way more people. What is your salary expectation? I’m good with money. Musicians are one of the few professions who just get given lump sums when it comes to getting paid. I’ll do something clever with it. Probably buy a property somewhere. Not sure yet. I eventually want to make money while I’m sleeping. But doesn’t everybody? P
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JUST MUSTARD ARE ON STAGE
in ten minutes, but that doesn’t stop them grabbing a quick pint and looking over the seafront around them. After all, the past few months have been gamechanging - taking in shows across Europe for the very first time and absorbing the world around them. You’d warrant them a quick glance across the seas before things well and truly take off. “It’s definitely been busier than usual,” cracks guitarist Mete Kalyon, taking a sip from his pint with a wide smile. That’s probably got something to do with their recent crosscountry run with Fontaines D.C - taking to stages with their own unmistakable sound and blend as the furious ‘Boys In The Better Land’ breakthroughs spanned across a string of nights. Eyeopening, it’s sat as a trigger for wanting more. “They had all the venues sold out before we were even announced, so we just got to turn up and play, which was nice,”
“We all have common music tastes,” explains David, “but everyone very much has their own thing that they’re mad into. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR Like our drummer Mags [Shane Maguire] is really into death metal and techno, along with some ambient stuff too.” At times Primal Scream, at times ripping with the same drive as Wolf Alice, at times spinning into an almost Four Tet-esque flurry - Just Mustard refuse to play it easy. Diversity and eclectic sounds have been at the core of the band since the early days, a product of the surroundings they found themselves in. “Because Ireland’s quite a small country, you end up meeting everyone and playing with bands with completely different styles,” explains David. “You don’t get gig line-ups that are just punk band, punk band, punk band, punk band - you get an electronic act, a folk guy and then whatever! That kinda inspired us.” “There are a lot of Irish bands we love that are getting a lot of attention,” he continues. “There’s a folk artist we love called Junior Brother and so much different stuff out there. It doesn’t feel like there’s only one particular scene in Ireland at the moment; it feels like there’s a lot of different things. A lot of bands doing different things into this one mix.” “There really is only one of each of us band-wise,” adds Rob, “and the scene is quite communal. Junior Brother isn’t anything like us, but we listen to his music just as frequently as we do to bands like us. It’s kinda all for one: a variety details guitarist/vocalist David pack, if you will.” Noonan. “We’re not very different Just Mustard get the nod. to them, but we’re not very similar They’re on in a couple of minutes, either, so people were reacting well playing to another large room as to what we were doing.” more fall under their spell. A mesmerising world of “There’s nothing like playing electronica, shoegaze, gritty punk to large rooms of people to make sensibilities and soaring hypnotic you sort your life out,” cracks Rob. flourishes - Just Mustard are the “It’s cathartic in a good way, like sound of the dancefloor in the jumping in the water and straight depths of winter-nights. Front and into the deep end.” centre is Katie Ball, who weaves “Even with doing the Fontaines vocals across tour as we were soundscapes saying,” picks up for truly special THE FACTS David, finishing his moments. With + From pint as he eyes up the every move, it’s Dundalk, Ireland stage next door. “It’s a wrapping that + For fans of got us really excited comes together to Girl Band to just go and write. form a distinctly + Check out Excited to refine what palpable wall of ‘Frank’, ‘October’ we’re doing and how sound that could that translates in + Social erupt at any @justmustard different rooms.” moment. Grabbing With that, Just + See them live: comparisons with They’ll play Green Mustard step on stage, Warpaint over Man (16th August), click play and are off Future Sounds the past couple of on a whole ‘nother (17th) and Mirrors years, it’s easy to level. P (2nd November) see why.
So you wanna be a pop star?
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Doom Days
They’re back! With a third album that’s embracing the doom, Bastille can find the joy in anything. Words: Abigail Firth, Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett
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DORK’S SITTING IN A ‘TRENDY’
pizzeria in Hackney, looking for something other than craft beer to drink, with Dan Smith and Kyle Simmons ‘out of’ Bastille. It’s the first time all day that they’ve been able to put their phones down, after spending even the seconds between photo shoot takes typing up content for their single, ‘Joy’, and new album announcements. It might seem ironic then, that the title-track from their upcoming third album, ‘Doom Days’, released just a week prior, details phone addiction, with Dan singing: “I think I’m addicted to my phone, my scrolling horror show.” In just over two minutes, the track rattles through topics – fake news, social media, ignorance – and instrumentals, acting as a blurb for the rest of the album. It’s been three years since Bastille last put out a full-length (2016’s ‘Wild World’), and while writing for ‘Doom Days’ began back at the start of last year, the title-track was written and recorded in three days before their album deadline. The first proper introduction to this new era is a side of Bastille that might have been missed by casual listeners on previous records. Though dealing with serious topics through the magic of pop songwriting is nothing new when it comes to Bastille’s bangers – just look at ‘The Currents’, ‘Warmth’, ‘Snakes’ or basically anything else from ‘Wild World’, if you’re in need of a good example – it hasn’t been nearly as direct as on ‘Doom Days’. “It’s quite different,” says Dan. “I think perhaps the singles we’ve released before don’t show the breadth of what we do on our albums and mixtapes, so it was exciting for us to be able to put it out. It’s also a song that starts on the acoustic guitar and ends up as a full rave. It sort of shows in one song, it takes you through the sonics of a tune like ‘4AM’ to ‘Million Pieces’ via quite a lot of song topics.”
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They’ve always been a band who want to do pop differently. When they scored their first proper hit in 2013, it was about “ashy corpses years and years after the aftermath of a volcano, two dead people frozen in one position saying ‘fuck me I’m bored’.” Their songwriting is offbeat, and it’s something that resonates with their diehard fans, now maybe they hope listeners outside of their tight-knit fan community will take note. “That’s maybe something that’s been overlooked,” Dan states. “We thought it’d be
interesting to be direct and say stuff not a lot of other people are saying. People on the internet talk about it all the time but it’s not necessarily in pop music, and it felt important to us to get to say all that stuff in a song that we love. Structurally it’s really weird, and thematically, it’s pretty odd.” Releasing ‘Doom Days’ brings us back to the universe Bastille started setting up over a year ago, when they released ‘Quarter Past Midnight’. The first single, and first track of this album came with a music video where Dan shaves his head, obvs a clear indicator
that a pop star is about to begin a new era. But a lot happened in that time that set back the release of ‘Doom Days’. “We always try and make it quick, but it always just ends up being about three years,” notes Kyle. “As much as we try and change it, it just seems that that’s how long it takes to get it all together properly.” The recording of ‘Doom Days’ was the longest they’d all been in one place in over five years. It was made in One Eyed Jack’s, a studio they’d built in South London that’s also home to Dan’s record
“It’s harder to release albums these days and have people give a fuck or even notice” Dan Smith
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label, which lent a hand when they wanted other voices on certain songs too. “We wanted it to feel like a night out with a cast of characters and to use different sounds and feels and different voices to bring that to life,” Dan says. “And to bring the same voices in at different points of the album,” Kyle adds, “so on different songs, it’s still kind of ‘oh yeah her from earlier on’, that sort of stuff.” The album recording began in the first few months of 2018, but it wasn’t long before the boys were on tour with a full orchestra and choir, which changed their perspective on what a third Bastille album would sound like. “It was amazing and inspiring getting to be on a couple of tour buses with a bunch of musicians who come from a different place, musically, than we do,” says Dan. “It made us want to bring some of that into the record, and having the tour to sort of step back from the album made us reassess things a bit. “Our intentions initially were to do something quite quick - have a short album that would represent a short period in our lives and move onto the next thing. In the whole process taking a lot longer, we wanted to stop and make sure we said exactly what we wanted with the record. If it was gonna be something that’s taken technically three years, it needed to feel relevant to us now, and that’s why it was important for us to add ‘Doom Days’ onto the album.” So those choirs made their way onto the record, along with some new songs. Some tracks were taken off, and Dan took time out to write
songs for other people, one of those being the global smash ‘Happier’ with producer Marshmello. ‘Doom Days’ also ended up being held behind so it got its own moment to shine, away from worldwide hits (they’ve got it hard these pop stars, you know), off-cycle tours and mixtape releases. “’Happier’ came along because it was a song for somebody else, that turned into a song for us, and
it’s the first time we’ve ever really done that. That was an interesting experience,” says Dan. “We’re always working on new stuff; you just have to be adaptable and try to enjoy it. It’s harder to release albums these days and have people give a fuck or even notice. We wanted to make sure if we put this much time and effort and love into something, that we’re really excited about and proud of, that
it would come out at a time where it wasn’t overshadowed by other stuff that we were doing.” In taking a little longer with the album process, ‘Doom Days’ has a little more creative meat on its bones. They’ve got a whole host of visual stuff based around the world of the album coming up, and of course, there’s already been the tour. “The album was supposed to
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be out last year. That makes sense, right?” Dan mentions. Yep, makes sense. The ‘Still Avoiding Tomorrow’ tour at the start of this year introduced fans to this new universe and the central concept of ‘Doom Days’ – a house party amidst the apocalypse – but also gave room for both the band and the fans to celebrate the mixtapes too. “We wanted to represent ‘Doom Days’ in spirit and visually, and via dropping a new song, ‘4AM’, and a kind of alternative version of ‘Million Pieces’ and to play a bunch of songs off the mixtape that we’ll probably never play again.” “It’s also nice to give the mixtape its own space,” Kyle adds, “because they’re normally just for fun and a bit throwaway in the spectrum of things, but it was nice to let it have its space, while also setting up for the new album.” Dan continues: “I guess as we have been lucky enough to continue doing this, we realised more and more that we wanted to treat each tour as its own separate, self-contained thing both for people that come to the shows and for us. For it to feel fresh and exciting and for it to feel like its own self-contained, artistic thing.” Of course, a lot has changed in the world outside of pop since the release of ‘Wild World’ too, and Bastille know that. They’re conscious of it, and it’s the reason ‘Doom Days’ exists. “’Happier’ is an example of us writing a relationship song very directly,” Dan says. “That was us saying, ‘Let’s write a fucking massive pop song’, and luckily it did well. And I can say this in retrospect, but it was almost like an exercise in writing a big pop song to show to ourselves that we can, and show to other people that we can do that, we’re choosing not to. That’s why it’s important to us to write an album like ‘Doom Days’ that’s quite conceptual and strange in places.” The way music and politics integrate has changed, especially following the aftermath of events like the Manchester attacks in 2017. It’s something Bastille had their own experience with when they performed at Germany’s Rock AM Ring festival the day after it was evacuated for a bomb threat, during their ‘Wild World’ tour, where the show was built around panic and paranoia – so ‘Doom Days’ takes on a different perspective, pushing for hope and escapism.
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“It’s interesting for us. When we released ‘Wild World’, on the eve of Brexit and Trump being elected, the second track on our album was a fuck you to Nigel Farage and Donald Trump. I remember at the time people were saying, ‘Oh no one’s really talking about politics’, and we were there on the side lines like, ummm, we are. “It’s always complicated with politics and music,” Dan ponders. “Politics is a bit too specific of a term because it’s more just y’know, things outside of your own life. I think when people are trying to make money out of music they don’t wanna offend anybody and that’s always really tricky, but also music itself is
a form of escapism. It should be cathartic, so not everyone wants to have a political opinion rammed down their throat. We’re really aware of that.” “With this album, part of our desire to make something about escapism was, having toured ‘Wild World’ for a few years, we wanted to step away from those serious topics for a minute, but I guess we’ve tripped back into them. It’s been really interesting over the last few years as things have gotten more bizarre and more turbulent to see that people want to talk more openly and clearly about what they think, and hopefully, that’s not isolating for people. “It’s interesting, with the
mainstreaming of grime, which is fucking incredible, it’s a space where people are much more open to being really honest and really direct and a bit more political, and that’s amazing. In pop music, maybe just cos there’s less space for as many lyrics, it’s harder to sing some of those things. That’s why we wanted to treat ‘Doom Days’ as kind of a rap tune with loads of verses that just rolled on so we could say as much as we possibly could.” Having a concept to convey all of these ideas made it possible for the band to squash this many different themes and styles of music into eleven tracks. The first half of the record deals with escapism and running away
“‘Happier’ was us
gritty album. Because ultimately, being completely honest, we’re in a band, but that’s not our life. Even when we’re on tour, we’re hanging out with each other.” The release of ‘Doom Days’ is nowhere near where the story of it ends, though. There are more songs to come after the album (“hopefully”). There are five videos ready to go, with the promise of more visuals. “Because of the concept of the album and how all of the songs are connected, it’s a lot easier to grasp the sort of imagery for each of the songs,” Kyle explains. “It’s all roughly from the same palette, the same area, so it’s easier to get that unification of them visually and sonically.” “On ‘Doom Days’,” Dan adds, “it’s the first time I’ve ever sung to camera, which felt really weird. Obviously, that’s not a big deal to anyone apart from us, but that felt quite weird. ‘Those Nights’, we wanted it to feel like a slightly more artistic statement; one of the videos we made was like a violent comedy. We just wanted to fuck around and try new things and push ourselves. And the video
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saying, let’s write a
song flips between looking outwards and inwards. ‘Divide’ tells the story of stopping someone getting in an Uber because you don’t want them to leave, while, as Dan says, gestures towards his own feelings about Britain leaving the EU. ‘Million Pieces’ is a euphoric anthem that details wanting to stop discussing the news at a party. ‘Those Nights’ is as much about a one-night stand as it about needing human connection in times of crisis. ‘Joy’ is the celebratory closer about receiving a phone call that brings back a little hope. And the party that’s going on throughout the record isn’t the boys out on the town; it’s a grubby British house party that ends on the kitchen floor. “You wanna feel like the conversations are happening with three people sitting in an empty bathtub at three in the morning,” Dan says. “I’ve been banging on about it being this apocalyptic party record for a while, and I just wanted to make very clear that it’s not a hip-hop, EDM, US, popping bottles kinda party, it’s very much a British house party, rave, 90s,
fucking massive pop song” Dan Smith from reality, which can also be read as the start of the night out. ‘Doom Days’ signals the turning point, the darkest hours, both metaphorically and literally within the story, and everything after that feels euphoric and hopeful. “We wanted the album to feel really diverse but incredibly cohesive in terms of what it’s about, and have little inward looking Easter eggs. That really sums it up,” Dan says of the concept. “Initially, we started out wanting to make a completely escapist, euphoric, like almost like retro rave record, and you can hear some of that in some of the breaks in a bunch of the tracks, but inevitably it deviated from
that and became a much more wide-reaching record.” And that story of partying through the apocalypse isn’t limited to a literal apocalypse. It can mean what you want it to mean. Those themes of social crises are grounded by personal stories. “The intention was to make something that was kind of naïve in its desire to escape reality, but ultimately, like in life, the realities of relationship breakdowns and things happening in the news, they seep in. That desire to be completely naïve and escapist is ultimately borderline impossible, and we wanted to reflect that in the album as well.” As the record goes on, each
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“It’s very much a British house party, rave, 90s, gritty album” Dan Smith
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for ‘Joy’ is unlike anything we’ve ever done and will hopefully be really funny and effective.” There’s another tour coming, a club nights tour that’s already sold out, where Bastille will play tiny venues in towns outside of the usual touring circuit, complete with old school rave flyers as the tour posters. There’s an experiential theatre piece that’ll launch the album and culminate with them playing the album live in full. “We’ve worked with a writer on an experiential launch event for our album, where it’s basically a binaural sound 25-minute play that’s an interpretation of the night out of the album, told from the perspective of three different characters,” Dan explains. “So you’ll go into a room, there’ll be props and actors and performers and projections, and you’ll be wearing a pair of headphones, and you have three options. It’s kind of like a silent disco, but with a narrative. You can choose whose version of events you want to hear and flick between them or choose one and go with it. We just wanted it to be this collective but individual experience, to sort of riff off the
record, and expand on the world of it a bit, and try something new that we’ve never done before.” They’ve had a lot of fun with this album cycle so far, and as it all unravels, it’s clear how thankful Bastille are to be able to create such immersive albums and experiences that are lapped up by legions of fans. “We wanted to do something special and unique and a bit weird. We’re so lucky that we get to make albums, but we’re also really lucky that we get to make music videos and we want the worlds of the records we make to be as detailed as possible. “I guess you’ve got to just assume that most people aren’t ever gonna hear about those things but hopefully our fans will. The 800-1000 people that get to go into those shows will hopefully have an amazing time, and it’ll be a one-off experience that will never be replicated. We just wanna make it as interesting and special as possible. At a time where music is coming in waves every week, it’s important to, for us and our fans, commemorate this album because it could come and go in a flash.” P Bastille’s album ‘Doom Days’ is out 14th June.
“ONE OF THE MOST ATTENTION GRABBING ALBUMS OF 2019.” UPSET 4/5
THE NEW ALBUM OUT NOW CD – LIMITED CLEAR VINYL LP – DIGITAL INCLUDES THRASH METAL CASSETTE & BACK FOOT DINOSAURPILEUP.COM
L E T TH E London’s premier pop masterminds have finally arrived with their debut album. WORDS: MARTYN YOUNG
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“THERE IS NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW
this is very important to us,” explains Rowan of them, but there’s a refreshing their songwriting process. lack of earnestness that “The way we make it is like makes them so engaging. authentic fake. We believe “Self-deprecation is a in it, and we’re trying to very British thing,” says make it good, but by virtue Joey. “We don’t have much of the way we make it it self-confidence, and we don’t will never be a perfect particularly like ourselves. replication, and we don’t Music is mostly populated want it to be.” by kids who grew up rich and “It’s like in Spanish a lot of those kids are taught markets where you have self-confidence. They’re those fake football tops taught how to speak publicly that actually still look quite and told that everything they cool,” laughs Joey. do is good. Where we come The defining thing from it’s self-criticising all about The Rhythm Method the time.” is Joey’s lyricism. His In a way, the band now considered and, at times, cherish their outsider status deeply hilarious vignettes whereas previously they used about the ridiculous and to yearn for massive success sometimes heartbreaking and instant acceptance. reality of everyday life in “Being the outsider is the UK give The Rhythm Joey Bradbury our most potent weapon,” Method’s songs their states Rowan. “We’re personality. You can hear it living in a very uncertain time for music, how instantly from the first introductory monologue people consume it, how people talk about it. No banger ‘Ode 2 Joey’ before culminating one’s sure how it’s happening anymore. We’re in his closing tender ode to his home city relishing the role of starting a word of mouth ‘Wandsworth Plain’ written with his lyrical revolution. In our eyes, we’re taking it back to hero Chris Difford of Squeeze. the stone age. We like the idea of taking it back “I guess over the last five years I’ve done to basics.” some growing up in a way,” reflects Joey. “I relish being the outsider more now,” “Not too much, obviously. I’m a lot less angry admits Joey. “I’ve made no secret in the past nowadays. I used to be a very angry young man. that I wanted to be an insider. I wanted to be a Not outwardly but very insular and angry with pop star. I wanted to make money and buy my myself and the world. Just bitter about other parents a house. Now, it does feel like because things or other bands. I still get that sometimes, we’ve been rejected and ignored quite a lot, the but that’s just down to jealousy I suppose. I’m fans we do have feels like a cult and it only ever always going to be envious of people doing grows. It feels good now, and we feel confident in better than us. My lyrics get funnier now, and what we’re doing. We know exactly who we are.” they’re also getting a little weirder as I’m trying “We know there’s an audience now, so we to write our second album. They’re a bit more want to grow that as organically as possible,” poetic and going down a strange path.” adds Rowan. “We don’t want to get hung up on Already halfway along that strange path is getting on Radio 1. We want to be the captains of an album track like ‘Salad Cream’, on the face our own destiny and create a new way of doing of it a bizarre advertising jingle, Rowan instead things.” describes it as a key song in illuminating The The spread of The Rhythm Method’s Rhythm Method and what they are. influences goes from Rod Stewart and 80s synth “It’s everything the Rhythm Method is pop to 90s dance, UK garage, pub rock and about,” he says confidently. “It goes beyond stand up comedy. They see their roles as musical music. It’s like stand up. Joey plays a character magpie’s unconstrained by any boundaries. like Ronnie Barker. It goes beyond the narrow “We’re like songwriting Wombles,” laughs confines of indie music which I’ve always Joey. “We’re walking along Wimbledon thought we’re much better than. Someone common picking up ideas from elsewhere and described it as Stock, Aitken and Waterman putting them together to make our own thing. doing a music hall song. The soul of the band is It’s a mishmash of all our influences that we in ‘Salad Cream’.” P The Rhythm Method’s debut album ‘How Would You Know I Was grew up with.” Lonely?’ is out 21st June. “Every genre we do we always sounds like
"We’re like songwriting Wombles, walking along Wimbledon common picking up ideas"
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business!” laughs Joey Bradbury as he reflects on The Rhythm Method’s constant desire to entertain and bring some old school razzmatazz back to the music scene with their long-awaited debut album, ‘How Would You Know I Was Lonely?’. “We want to entertain people,” elaborates his musical partner Rowan Martin. “We want to create an album that people will want to sing along and dance to; it’s really that simple. It’s the same philosophy we have with our live show and every song we write. We’re bringing back entertainment.” The Rhythm Method have always been as much a philosophy as a band. The past five years have seen them cultivate a real following, their own singular brand of Methodism picking up a wide range of supporters from The 1975’s Matty Healy and his mum Denise Welch, to Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell and rocket man Elton John. Now their debut album is here, it feels like a culmination of the past five years of The Rhythm Method’s journey. “The album tells the story of all of our lives,” explains Rowan. “It’s that cliché of the first album being the story so far. There’s a lot to pack into it. From an emotional point of view, it’s a difficult thing to pull together. So much material goes into it, not just musical material but all your life experiences.” “We’re both very emotional men, so it’s difficult,” adds Joey as he describes the years of hardship and struggles to get to this point. “We have to work; we’re not a full-time band, and life gets in the way.” The album is a perfect snapshot of the band in all their idiosyncratic glory. No one else sounds quite like The Rhythm Method in 2019 - maybe no one else wants to sound like The Rhythm Method in 2019 - but their unique blend of instantly relatable suburban ennui, pop hooks from the cool and hip to the weird and chintzy, coupled with a tender heart marks them out as one of our finest new pop bands. “The album represents the philosophy the same way we always do,” says Rowan. “Through brutally honest lyrics and the relatable subjects we talk about. That’s how this philosophy has become so broad because the songs are so obvious. We don’t beat around the bush.” You can hear all of that in previous singles like ‘Something For The Weekend’s’ bright bank holiday hedonism and ‘Cruel’s’ careworn ode to the futility of addiction, to newer tracks like ‘Sex and The Suburbs’ and the plaintive, poignant beauty of piano ballad ‘Magic Hour’. The thing that perhaps stands out the most about The Rhythm Method is that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Make no mistake
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human
all Aurora is a different kind of pop star. And she’s bloody brilliant, too. WORDS: STEVEN LOFTIN
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after NORWEGIAN POP STAR AURORA
Hi Aurora, how are you?
I’m good. I was in Australia, but now I’m in Belo Horizonte, in Brazil! Having a lovely time, then. So, how have things been since the release of ‘Infections Of A Different Kind (Step 1)’ last year?
It’s been very good. It’s an incredible feeling working on something so fast after you finished it. ‘Infections...’ was made only a few months before, it’s been a really fun release for me. It was supposed to be this gift for my fans, and myself, because I wanted to make an
album where I just really followed my instinct. Was ‘Step 2’ planned at the same time, or did you wait for ‘Step 1’ to land and then go from there?
It was first supposed to be one album, but then I realised it’s quite easy to divide from song to song and I had too many songs, so we all thought it would be a good idea to split the album into two parts. It became more and more clear as I made ‘Step One’, I realised this is an entire album of its own, but I had all these songs that are a continuation to the story. The overarching story is the human emotion and connection; how did that develop between ‘Step 1’ and ‘2’?
It’s been very interesting because ‘Step 1’ was made in a really grand place in the south of France, and the emotional process of part one is the most individual and the ‘inner’ part of the emotional life to human beings. It was nice to make this inner part of this process in this grand place; it seemed like we were on a different planet. ‘Step 2’ was made in a tiny purple room because it’s not about where I am, it’s about looking out to the rest of the world. ‘Step 2’ is much bigger - the perspective is much bigger. Our small actions can make huge differences all around the world. [It’s also] much more political because it’s up to us to save what’s left of humankind; and animals, politics, and the planet.
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doesn’t see the world through plain eyes; she’s adept at finding those elements in life that feel ethereal while remaining firmly on the ground, amongst nature, thriving in the wild growth. If you need proof, just check out the second part of her dual album release. On last year’s ‘Infection Of A Different Kind (Step 1)’ she delved into the delicate nature of humanity, and on its followup, ‘A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)’ she contends with the consequences of our behaviour, and the world we humans have created. “People say ‘live like you don’t care’ or ‘party like you don’t care’, but I like to care,” she explains. “I think people do, too, now more than ever, for example when Trump was elected people became more involved politically because they were frustrated. It’s a time of open ears and open eyes.”
future, but ‘The Seed’ I felt it was a good way to tie things together. It’s representing my personal fire inside of me, because I’m very passionate about saving the planet. It’s about human history, about how we’ve co-existed in the world and how we’ve forgotten how to live with nature and the power we have. It’s a very sad story. It was a good way to end the album, to fuel the fire in people and to speak louder, about how we have to learn to exist with everything again. That’s why I figured out it’s a good way to end it all. Or this chapter, at least. The next one is already in the making! Will that be a continuation of the idea surrounding ‘Infections’ and ‘A Different Kind’, or will it focus on another aspect of life?
With every album I’ve made it has the perspective getting bigger. On ‘Step 2’, it can encompass many things, but I think the most important aspect is that you choose to be a different kind of human. How do you feel now both albums are done and the concept has, almost, concluded?
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With touring, you can see first hand how different people, humans, build communities. How has that been?
It’s been lovely because you see how we people have the same needs. At the shows, I see people cry at the same songs - people have the same pain in their eyes, and the same love, and the same happiness in every single city. [But I also] see people express their emotions differently and that’s been a very important part for me to learn; how we all have the same emotions and needs, but we have been given so many different tools to attack our emotions from country to country. It’s very different to how we deal with things in Norway, to how they deal with things in Brazil or North America, and I think that’s why it’s very obvious to me why we need music to help because it’s a common language that we all understand. Why did you decide to make this one more politically charged, and more thunderous and loud?
I always make the music I feel is the most satisfying for me. After I made ‘Step 1’, I felt like I’d covered for now that sensitive part of myself, of my heart, that needed to be translated to the world through music. Then I felt that from now on I want to shout and scream because the passion in music is getting more intimate and quiet, which I think is cool and wonderful, but I felt myself having more of a need to scream and shout and be loud. To get the point out there. What are you channelling in the explosive moments?
Oh, a lot of things! It’s quite weird because a lot of things I never thought I would do. I can sing and jump and dance and be way more explosive than I thought I ever could
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be. It’s like it comes from a different place and you can keep on going for much more than you ever could. You don’t have any physical pain in your muscles, or you’re tired - you just keep on going. You get energy from this other place, which is fascinating. It only happens when I’m on stage, or when I go to rave parties! ‘The Seed’ is the final track which rounds up the two albums - why was that one chosen?
There is one more song afterwards, which is a hint for way, way, way more forward in the
"I’m very passionate about saving the planet" Aurora
I don’t feel that special emotion is big enough for me to think of a word for it because I don’t feel like I’ve ended a chapter. I know the minute I finish a project, I’m just hungry for the next. I don’t spend much time dwelling on what I’ve done. Maybe I take one moment in the studio on the day I’m done to be proud, but I spend most of my time and energy just being excited for what I want to do next. I already know, and hope, that I can release a new album early next year because I’m hungry to show more music to the world. If there’s no reason to stop, you shouldn’t.
I’m too hungry now to stop and to look at things. I just need to keep going because that’s what makes me feel the most happy right now. P Aurora’s album ‘A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)’ is out now.
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As she drops her second album, Pixx is stepping up big time.
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WORDS: JAMIE MACMILLAN
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HANNAH RODGERS IS SCARED AND
it was not an easy time for her. Describing the process of writing ‘Disgrace’ as the release of untold pent-up anger, it was something that needed to be addressed. “Seeing stuff that happened to old school friends, it’s properly affected them all too. For years I was putting myself in powerless positions, and I don’t know whether that’s that the way the Catholic upbringing influenced me, but that moment of realising that we are all in control of ourselves after years believing that you’re not was a really important realisation to have.” Exploring other religious tangents in a similarly unique fashion, ‘Funsize’ is from the perspective of a Jesus figurine suffering an emotional crisis, watching the world go by without it. “I wanted to get into a different headspace for it, to almost make it more human if you know what I mean? The idea that this character could have a crisis when he’s supposed to be worshipped and so important.” Meanwhile, completing the set, ‘Eruption 24’, a message to humanity from God in which only taunts and dismissals are offered rather than love and warmth. “It was always terrifying rather than spiritual to me. It always felt like God was on some big power trip, evil almost”. Hannah’s ability to craft pure pop bangers around the heaviest of subject matters like a trojan horse reaches its peak with ‘Hysterical’. With lines like “We all know by now you weren’t invited into her bed… You gave what you wanted and enjoyed the blow,” it is a painfully raw and brutally honest song relating to situations that are becoming increasingly familiar over the last couple of years. Slowly, Hannah reveals more. “It comes from my own experiences, and many conversations that I’ve had with other women. It’s quite Pixx scary to talk about and put on a record, but I’ve felt more bold about it over the last few years because women are finally speaking out.” Seemingly arriving out of the blue on ‘Small Mercies’, it is a breathtaking moment. “I think allowing yourself to be vulnerable is an important thing. If you’re going to be an artist who helps people get through their own lives, then you’ve got to be ready to be vulnerable too.” Her anger may be an energy, but Hannah sees the record as a welcome release. “It’s healthy for me to get that stuff out, and it kind of helps me understand myself a bit more too. Because a lot of the themes between the songs, it’s more about that longing that we seem to have for something to accept us. Unconditional love or whatever, be it for the planet, or for God, or for another person.” A self-confessed hopeless romantic, (“I fall in love quite easily,” she laughs), love runs through every aspect of ‘Small Mercies’. The
title-track itself was inspired by Blondie’s ‘Hanging On The Telephone’, a song that has long influenced Hannah. “I always loved that song, and how Debbie Harry is a lot of the time. When she’s singing about love, it’s very obsessive and almost demented, and that’s what ‘Small Mercies’ is supposed to be like.” As well as Blondie, there is a strong retro feel to many of the synth-sounds running through the record. Joking that she only worked with Carey so that she could be let loose on all of his synths, there is an open admiration for both him and Byrt (the producer of her EP and debut), two producers who restored her faith after a testing start in music. “I was quite often working with these older men in the studio, and then I was also quite introverted and nervous at the same time.” Things improved when she met Byrt, however. “He was the first guy I ever actually loved being in the studio with, we are so comfortable around each other we can delve into really intense sessions, and it’s a really similar thing with Dan too.” With the addition of a permanent band being added to the mix too, it has all allowed Hannah to fall back in love again with her guitar. “With the first album, I fell out of touch with my guitar. I was feeling quite pre-occupied, and in a bit of a whirlwind, and out of my depth too, I guess. But writing songs on guitar is basically all that I do with my spare time; it’s the best thing I can think of.” That rekindled passion brings with it some of the album highlights. ‘Bitch’ and ‘Mary Magdalene’ bristle with attitude, alive with a new grungy, heavier sound. Markedly different from anything we have heard from Pixx before, they seem to herald another potential new direction, the band adding a whole new texture to what was already there waiting to be let loose. “I’m definitely going to take that direction at some point in the future. I find it too boring to get bogged down in one sound or one style.” With work already beginning on album number three, it seems that the eclectic nature of Pixx’ output to date will not be changing any time soon. But with thoughts returning to the shortterm, it seems that Hannah has found some resolution through this entire process. “The energy that I feel on stage when I’m performing this record is like nothing other that I’ve ever felt. I guess that writing these songs also helped me to get out of myself in a way,” she reflects. There is a confidence and assurance about this record that shows a supremely talented artist finding her voice in the world. Modernity may seem to be failing us, but Pixx is exactly the sort of small mercy that will keep us all going in the meantime. P Pixx’s album ‘Small
"Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is an important thing"
Mercies’ is out now.
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suffering. “I’ve got a wisdom tooth coming through, and I’m scared the dentist is gonna have to pull it out tomorrow!” she explains. Freshly dosed up on co-codamol, there’s nothing quite like an in-depth interview with Dork about her stupendous upcoming new record to make her forget all about the pain. Well, that’s what we tell her anyway. Known better as Pixx, Hannah first appeared on the folktronica-tinged ‘Fall In’ EP back in 2015 before her debut proper ‘The Age Of Anxiety’. As the title suggests, it was a dive into the debilitating anxiety that she suffered from for many years and highlighted her as one of the most interesting members of the new generation of pop. And then, it went quiet. No live performances for nearly a year, Hannah rooted herself back in the studio with her newly-formed band and co-producers Simon Byrt and Dan Carey. The outcome is sensational. Built around a series of explorations of love, relationships and everything in between, ‘Small Mercies’ is a sprawling, adventurous and powerful statement. Anyone mistaking this for a concept album about hearts and romance can forget it though. This is much darker, and much less obvious, than that. Veering between the sun-drenched Anderson.Paak-esque ‘Andean Condor’, through the savage grunge of ‘Bitch’ into the soaring synthpop of ‘Disgrace’, this is a record that knows no bounds. And that’s just the opening three songs... Thank God for small mercies. A common enough saying, but when Hannah’s mum said it in conversation, it sparked something. “I’d never heard anyone say it before, but it just stayed in my head, and I loved it. It just fitted with these thoughts that I’d been exploring of looking for the little things that make life worthwhile,” explains Hannah. “Small mercies are just quite beautiful, and it’s what keeps me going.” As her writing progressed into themes of challenging her religious education, it all clicked into place. Having already written ‘Duck Out’, a tale of how the world would rather bury its head in the sand rather than face up to the really important stuff like, y’know, the planet becoming an uninhabitable wasteland, everything began to slide into place. But if anything is absolute, then it is the fact that Hannah will do anything but duck out when it comes to tackling the biggest of topics. Even for the non-religious, God and the church is still a weighty and daunting subject matter to explore. But working through a trilogy of songs, ‘Disgrace’, ‘Funsize’ and ‘Eruption 24’, Hannah took it all apart to shine a magnifying glass on its inner workings. It is the perfect example of how she can ask the most profound of questions on what is, on the surface of things, a bright and frothy indie pop banger-fest. “When I was younger, I never even questioned the existence of God. But then I came back to it and started thinking about it more.” Raised in a Catholic all-girls convent school,
INCOMING THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO YOUR NEW MUSIC FRIDAYS
Pixx
Small Mercies
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WITH ‘THE AGE OF ANXIETY’,
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Pixx introduced herself in a sea of electronic flourishes and tales of modern life and the complexities it throws. ‘Small Mercies’ is born from a rawer place - twitching electronics blending with ramshackle hooks that make it a record perfect for the here and now. Shining through is Pixx’s ability to punch straight to the heart of matters; ‘Bitch’ a potent stab built across spiralling punk foundations, there’s a Joy Division measure to the title-track, while ‘Disgrace’ drives through with an almost hypnotic ease. ‘Small Mercies’ takes Pixx’s journey to date and thrives with a fresh intensity. When ‘Funsize’ reaches its almost menacing chorus, when ‘Mary Magdalene’ fully hooks in or when ‘Hysterical’ spins against itself into an unstoppable ending those moments mark Pixx out in a league of her own. Jamie Muir
Stef Chura Midnight
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THERE’S A LOT TO LOVE ON
Aurora eeeee IF WE’VE SAID IT ONCE,
we’ve said it a million times - there’s something special in that northern European water. Like so many of her peers, Aurora’s brand of glistening, ice clear pop is so fresh it’s positively glacial. It’s an apt description, too. Following up on last year’s somewhat surprise drop for ‘Infection Of A Different Kind (Step 1)’, ‘A Different JULY 2019
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A Different Kind Of Human (Step 2) Kind Of Human (Step 2)’, it’s a record steeped in the consequences of our actions, and how they impact the world around us. Operating on such vast scales usually results in a bit of bloat, but even the pillars of politics, social structure and environmental meltdown can lessen Aurora’s shimmer. Opener ‘The River’, in particular, feels like A
Moment. A pulsing slice of pop perfection, it also has a definite edge, while the slow burn of ‘The Seed’ is run through with a primal rhythm - a full stop on a second chapter of something much bigger. With a suggestion that there’ll be another album early next year, expect that noise to grow louder still. Dan Harrison
Detroit rocker Stef Chura’s second album ‘Midnight’. Over twelve tracks of fire and fury, Stef explores all her primal desires and defiant exhilaration on an accomplished and developed follow up to her 2017 debut ‘Messes’. Everything feels a bit bolder and more assured as Stef wraps her irresistible vocals around some heavier rock sounds that emphasise a thrilling sense of urgency. See for example the power pop rush of tracks like ‘Jumpin’ Jack’ or the propulsive attack of ‘They’ll Never’. There’s a strong sense of ambition as well, best represented by the rousing epic release of ‘Sincerely Yours’. ‘Midnight’ is born from community, both from the spirit of the people in her home city of Detroit and trusted collaborators like Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo who helped produce the record. It all results in an impressive collection that marks Stef Chura out as a new rock songwriter of renown. Martyn
Young
INCOMING
Q+A
Heyyyyyy there, it’s going great thank you! I’m drinking a coffee that’s hotter than the sun, and that’s fixing me up pretty good.
years of grinding in a band like we have begins to feel ‘not so good’. I remember those conversations with Mike and Jim in the middle of nowhere on some tour somewhere, exhausted and totally broke. We were just like, you know what? Fuck what everybody else is doing, we’re doing this one for us, and if it’s the last thing we ever fucking do - well then, cool. Let’s just make sure we fucking love it. So we wrote a bunch of songs, and recorded ‘Celebrity Mansions’. And it turns out it fucking rules!
It sounds like you guys have been through the mill a bit since ‘Eleven Eleven’?
Is it weird being on a major now? You’re signed to the same label as Lily Allen!
We called up Matt Bigland from DPU to find out more about ‘Celebrity Mansions’. Words: Sam Taylor Hey Matt, how’s it going?
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Celebrity Mansions
WE’LL BE HONEST, DEAR
Readers. When we put together the list of albums we were most excited to hear in 2019, we forgot about Dinosaur Pile-Up. That’s no slight on the three-piece - they’ve been consistently in credit for years now - but when gathering those potential glittering delights for the year ahead, they didn’t cross our collective minds. And yet here we are, as summer comes along, and they’re dropping one of the most riotously fun full-lengths you could possibly imagine. ‘Celebrity Mansions’ is an album that leaves everything on the field.
From the Foo Fighters But Way Less Boring opening salvo of ‘Thrash Metal Cassette’ through the strutting swagger of ‘Back Foot’, lesser peers would dial the attitude back in favour of the safety of the pack. There’s none of that here, though. Maximum attitude, it turns out, is the catalyst to DPU’s infernal engine. Across ten tracks, they never once slow their pace or wind off into introspective pondering. For a band who called their last album ‘Eleven Eleven’, there’s no prizes for guessing the volume requirements here. Loud and proud. Dan Harrison
Also ‘out’ this week... allusinlove It’s OK To Talk Boots Electric Eagles Of Death Metal Presents Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote Cave In Final Transmission Dylan LeBlanc Renegade Emeli Sande Real Life
Froth Duress Ida Mae Chasing Lights Jonas Brothers Happiness Begins Silversun Pickups Widow’s Weeds Yeasayer Erotic Reruns Younghusband Swimmers
Was there ever a point where you thought, this is it, I’ve had enough?
Haha, yeah. For sure. Probably like 100 times. But not “I’ve had enough” because I or we hated what we were doing, or each other, or touring or playing in a band none of that. We love all of those things. It’s always been more of, “Fuck, I don’t know if we can keep on doing this...” It’s hard to keep putting everything you’ve got into something when it feels like nobody cares. Mentally and physically. And for as long as we have. And when that’s not making enough money to keep it going sometimes, that can show you some pretty tough realities. We’ve kept this band going from strength to strength through pure determination and grit. Some of the shit we’ve been through you couldn’t even write, but we never quit. And you know what? That feels pretty fucking great. What was the turning point for you? It’s hard to imagine ‘Celebrity Mansions’ coming from a dark place.
I guess the turning point for us was when we just kind of said, “Fuck it if this doesn’t happen, and this all ends in six months - then fuck it. Let’s just enjoy it and see what happens.” Not that we weren’t enjoying it anyway, but holding yourself to an impossible standard of ‘success’ or ‘failure’ after 12
YES. It is, haha. It’s a real trip for us. There’s a point I guess where you just accept that maybe you’re never gonna level up like that, that you’ll never ‘sign a major record deal’ and that stuff like that only happens to other bands. To be honest, when I did kind of accept that, everything felt a little easier. And then boom, Parlophone rang us up. And we were like… “Wait… what??” Walking into the lobby of Parlophone for a meeting or whatever and being faced with a 20-foot picture of Ed Sheeran is still a bit of a trip. We’re just happy to be here, you know? How do you keep evolving after so many years in the biz, do you actively try to find new sources of inspiration?
I don’t know really - I don’t like to be too contrived about songwriting. I think if you’re overthinking how you’re writing it, or what you’re writing or whatever - then it probably sucks. I just try to be excited by what I’m doing. And if I’m not excited then fuck it, leave it till I am. Music has to be real. It shouldn’t be forced. I want to FEEL that energy from a song. This time I ended up just listening to a bunch of thrash metal and Beastie Boys, that got me pumped, and that gave me a lot of energy to write. Also, circumstances really inspire me. So the chaos and excitement of touring really shaped this record. What else have you got coming up? Lots of shows?
Exactly! Loads of shows! We’ll be doing our usual thing of basically living in a van or a bus for like, I dunno, three years?! We’re kicking stuff off with some small UK shows around the release of the record, which are gonna be so fun. Then straight into Download which we’re pumped for. We’re gonna destroy that place! And then we’re back out to the States for a couple of months. And that’s just for starters. It’s gonna get busy! P
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Dinosaur Pile-Up
I mean, I guess? We’ve just been sloggin’ it out on the road in the US pretty much solidly for like three years. Is that a complaint? HELL. NO. We love touring, especially in the States and feel very lucky to be granted that opportunity, and we love being on the road with each other. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a hard grind though, damn! We’ve been pretty much killing ourselves out there on the road that whole time. But you know what? Fuck it. It was awesome.
14TH JUNE 2019
INCOMING
Bastille eeeee
Doom Days
Another Sky
Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds EP
eeee
THERE’S SOMETHING
different about Another Sky. While, by a second EP, most bands have found their identity, generally it’s one that’s easy to pin down in relation to their peers. Another Sky, though, feel to be aiming for different horizons. Opening track ‘The Cracks’ echoes with the kind of depth that suggests there’s much, much more going on beneath the surface. Organic and textured, there’s a range that instantly sets it apart from the field. Title cut ‘Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds’ achieves similar results - razor sharp and delightfully obtuse, it’s run through with genuine quality. Far from by the numbers guitar pop, Another Sky seem to be aiming much, much higher. Dan
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Harrison
Bad Books III
eeee
THEIR FIRST NEW ALBUM IN
IT MIGHT FEEL LIKE
Bastille’s third album has been ‘on the cards’ for more than a while. Debuting the first track from it, opener ‘Quarter Past Midnight’, a year ago, the suggestion was the full release would be with us before Santa started running telly ads. In truth, though, Dan Smith and his band of merry men have been anything but tardy. In the space in-between now and then there’s been festivals, tours and fully-realised mixtapes, all expanding the universe around a record which pulls back the curtain on what we’ve long seen as Bastille’s final, complete form. This isn’t simply ‘the band with the Pompeii’ song. In his own quiet, fuss-free way, Smith has proven himself as one of the more interesting, JULY 2019
DORK
creative forces of the last five years. From his own label to off the reservation collaborations, there’s always been the hint that, should he bring that full high definition vision to the day job, Bastille had new gears to reach. On ‘Doom Days’, they’re hitting top speed. Sure, this isn’t a band who are about living on the ragged edge, but in their own way they’ve created an album seeped in urban nihilism. A nighttime record bathed in neon glow and the blurry buzz of reduced inhibition, it finds its own place amongst the polarised hellscapes, refusing to let the modern world drag it down. Threaded with characters and recurring themes, ‘Doom Days’ is far closer to the band’s ‘Other People’s Heartache’ series of winding,
instinctive, genre-fluid mixtapes than either of their previous full-lengths. A tale of hazy recollection, from the acceptance of ‘Bad Decisions’ to the echoing musings of ‘Divide’, there’s an effective mixture of emotion and energy. ‘Million Pieces’, ‘Nocturnal Creatures’ and closer ‘Joy’ all drip with euphoria, while ‘Another Place’ already feels like a future hit. It’s the lyrical play of title track ‘Doom Days’ that really hits home, though - showing the same talent of subtle but effective observation that first showed through on 2016’s ‘Wild World’, it’s the context to a wider story that draws everything around it into focus. A treat that’s more than worth the wait. Stephen Ackroyd
seven years, ‘III’ sees scene kings Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine joining forces once more. Not that a pause on new full-lengths is much of an issue for the trio, with a collection easily described as timeless, and Hull and Devine trading songs back and forth like a pseudo competition. The warmth of smouldering organs, there’s something gloriously organic about ‘III’. From opener ‘Wheel Well’, it’s an enveloping embrace of a record, each song able to hold attention without the need for any gimmicks or tricks. Three might be a magic number, but seven seems pretty lucky, too. Dan Harrison
Also ‘out’ this week... Baroness Gold & Grey The Dangerous Summer Mother Nature Julia Shapiro Perfect Version The LaFontaines Junior Madonna Madame X Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Black Star Dancing EP
SADDLE CREEK COMING SOON ADA LEA
STEF CHURA
what we say in private - July 19th
Mindnight - June 7th
Debut album from Montreal’s Ada Lea.
Produced by Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest
“A fearless artist on the rise.” – She Shreds
“A pared-down, scratchy, borderline chaotic single — "Method Man" is a look back at a superior-feeling, over-caffeinated, nicotineaddled man from Chura's past, by way of Wu-Tang Clan.” – FADER
“At once delicate, fuzzy, unsettled and formidable, with a voice steeped in lo-- sweetness.” – Freq Magazine
OUT NOW 43
THE FAINT
HAND HABITS
Egowerk
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“It’s nothing short of epic, with labyrinthine, busy-bee synths and quirky melodies made for maximum sweatwerk. And though the song will put you in a trance, one can’t help but feel wide awake when “Child Asleep” is on.” – PAPER Magazine “synth-punk legends” – Stereogum
“Duffy pays scrupulous attention to detail in songs that function like intricate dioramas... On ‘placeholder’, the singer contemplates the fragility of human relationships and the hard-to-stomach reality that many of the people, experiences and places we've loved are only stepping stones on a journey of self-discovery.” – NPR
ADRIANNE LENKER
TOMBERLIN
abysskiss
At Weddings
“Lenker has proved herself to be one of the most captivating songwriters, not just in indie-folk, but of the present day.” – Paste
“Delicate and melodic, but there’s a noisy atmosphere to the recordings, kind of somewhere between Grouper and the Microphones.” – Brooklyn Vegan
“Adrianne Lenker has shown an incredible gift for pairing tender empathy with raw power.” – NPR
“At Weddings is one of the starkest, most striking debuts I’ve heard this year.” – Stereogum
Also available: new 7”s from Black Belt Eagle Scout, Disq, Sam Evian, Outer Spaces and Treadles.
O M A H A , N E / LO S A N G E L E S , C A / S A D D L E C R E E K . CO M
21ST JUNE 2019
INCOMING
Hot Chip
A Bath Full of Ecstasy
eee
‘A BATH FULL OF ECSTASY’ IS
Two Door Cinema Club eeee
False Alarm
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IT’S EASY TO
distinguish Two Door Cinema Club’s career into two eras. The blistering indie-kicking bursts that shined across their first two albums were built on four to the floor euphoric moments, blossoming into greater heights with second album ‘Beacon’. Yet the time they spent apart between that and followup ‘Gameshow’ and the resulting album process without a doubt changed things. That freedom to explore genre and styles in a manner not seen before was a refreshing jolt, and it’s in that second phase that ‘False Alarm’ stands as their most together and jubilant record to date. A sizzling punch of suavepop done right, it finds Two Door Cinema Club throwing off any shackles left and dancing in the freedom they’ve carved for themselves. As soon as ‘Once’ kicks in, it’s clear the sun is shining bright - and that knack to push every track to the boldest degree is a spirit that rings true from start to finish. The bubblegum pop of ‘Talk’, the outrageous guitar lines and euphoric handclaps
JULY 2019
DORK
nothing short of an absolute delight. Long-time indie favourites Hot Chip have come out with a record showcasing their penchant for wonderful moments and massive bangers. ‘Melody of Love’ is the perfect introduction to the record with its dance vibes, once the beat hits and with the vocal samples it’s just wonderful, whereas the album’s finest point comes with ‘Why Does My Mind?’ with its almost ethereal vibe. There’s no filler either and while songs such as ‘Echo’ and ‘No God’ may not immediately come to mind as standouts, nonetheless they contribute to what is an album ready made for a summer full of cans, fields, and overpriced festival food. Josh Williams
of ‘So Many People’ and the almost Gorillaz-esque hip-hop bounces of ‘Break’ fully dive into every note, daring to go bigger and brighter whenever possible. ‘Gameshow’ and its more electronic flourishes are a clear-cut influence, inspiration breathing into technicolour with the scattering raw rip of ‘Dirty Air’ and ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’ jumping between Daft Punk, Depeche Mode and CHIC in equal measure. What’s astounding is how assured it all sounds together, roaring with confidence. Even when ‘Nice To See You’ pops with ideas and builds to a guest verse from rapper Open Mike Eagle and ‘Satellite’ spins to another orbit, the results are jaw-dropping. If ‘Gameshow’ was the comeback, ‘False Alarm’ is the knockout crowning of a new champion. An album packed with more ideas than many bands manage in an entire career; it’s the sound of Two Door Cinema Club at a whole new level of freedom. In turn, it’s the party of the year - and everyone’s invited. Jamie Muir
Q+A
Calling Hatchie! Your debut album is brilliant - let’s ‘do’ some questions, eh? Words: Martyn Young
Hey Harriette, how are you feeling now you’re about to release ‘Keepsake’, does it feel like the culmination of a journey?
It does! I’m feeling excited. I’m so ready for it to be out. It’s great to have someone who appreciates alternative and experimental music, but also pop bangers like Carly Rae Jepsen and Charli XCX - do you feel it’s important as an artist in 2019 to embrace pop music?
Thanks! I wouldn’t say it’s important for every artist, but it’s important to me. I love pop! There’s a bit of darkness, and harder edge creeping into the sound as well isn’t there?
The Rhythm Method
How Would You Know I Was Lonely?
eeee
THE RHYTHM METHOD’S DEBUT
has been a long time coming but it’s worth the wait as Joey and Rowan finally bring their own unique brand of Methodism to the masses. The Rhythm Method are many things and they all come together on a record that packs in their melting pot of influences, from Rod Stewart and 80s electro pop to UK garage and pub singalongs. Unafraid to poke fun at themselves and with a refreshing lack of pretension, The Rhythm Method are exploring the dark underbelly of suburban ennui with wit, tenderness and great tunes. Their debut is very much not for everyone, but if you’ve previously bought in to their idiosyncratic charms you’ll find everything you want here. Martyn Young
Also ‘out’ this week... black midi Schlagenheim Black Pumas Black Pumas Holy Ghost! Work Idris Elba Idris Elba Presents: The YARDIE Mixtape Mannequin Pussy Patience Mark Ronson Late Night Feelings Titus Andronicus An Obelisk
I was definitely intending to have a bit of edge to even out the tone of the record. My EP was so bright and constantly moving forward with no time to breathe, so I really wanted to slow things down with this album and open the Hatchie world up to some darker tones. Did the songs change as you were writing and recording?
Some songs are exactly the same as the demo, right down to including most of the original tracks I did myself at home; others are really different from the original idea after months of playing around with different structures, chords, keys, instrumentation, tempos etc. Tell us about the album then, are there any distinct themes to ‘Keepsake’ and how do they come out in the songs?
There aren’t any distinct, planned themes. These are just songs I wrote over the last few years, mainly about love, friendship and personal frustrations. Your lyrics are rich in emotion and longing; what’s your lyrical approach like?
I don’t really have one, but I guess the one thing most of my songs have in common is that they start with something personal and then grow to be about something
completely separate from me and my experience. My songs are hardly personal anymore; I just want to write what’s best for the songs.
The Raconteurs Help Us Stranger
eee
Is there one track on the album that encapsulates the record and everything you wanted to achieve with it?
IN THE PAST TEN YEARS, JACK
White has not always had the most carefree vibe, with a surly public persona, a few decent if indulgent solo albums and a certain aloofness. Thank god for The Raconteurs, then. Two singles earlier this year marked a welcome return: ‘Sunday Driver’ was a classic bottle rocket of riffs and squeals, ‘Now That You’re Gone’ in turn shows off Brendan Benson’s brilliant ear for a simplistic tune. Opener ‘Bored and Razed’ is a glam-metal rollercoaster, neartitle track ‘Help Me, Stranger’ an earworm boogie and ‘Only Child’ has Benson winding White into a Beatles-esque melody. They’re not back to reinvent the wheel, but they do remind us that old school rock and roll is at its best when it doesn’t try and take itself dead serious. Dillon Eastoe
I think each track has such a different meaning to me there isn’t one that encapsulates them all! ‘Unwanted Guest’ is what I initially wanted the whole album to sound like before I decided it was important to cover much more ground than any one sound. What’s the best thing about being Hatchie right now?
Travelling to parts of the world, I wouldn’t have the chance to otherwise. What’s been the most exciting thing to happen to you since Hatchie started getting attention?
Probably playing with and meeting Kylie Minogue! P
28TH JUNE 2019
INCOMING
Black Keys eee
Let’s Rock
IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE
to their chest: it’s by no means a bad song - albeit little more than filler. The album starts well, too, with some ‘hot-riffs’ and stomping drums a la classic Black Keys on the soulful ‘Shine A Little Light’. While ‘Let’s Rock’ is far from a victorious affair, it does feel as though The Black Keys may have reignited that fire inside - no longer are they content phoning it in and churning out ad-ready rock. Instead, their new effort gives a breath of life into a band that felt to have succumbed to the nature of success. Steven Loftin
Also ‘out’ this week... Chase Atlantic Phases Chris Staples Holy Moly Foy Vance From Muscle Shoals Horse Jumper of Love So Divine
Kylie Minogue Step Back In Time The Parlotones China Peggy Gou DJ-Kicks Woes Awful Truth
Hatchie eeeee
These albums are coming soon, ‘FYI’
Keepsake
HARRIETTE PILBEAM HAS ALWAYS
loved the twin delights of the purest, sweetest pop as well as the swooning dreampop haze of prime shoegaze. On her debut album with her band Hatchie, the Australian star has combined both those loves into a glorious mix. ‘Keepsake’ is full of a pop sensibility that allows her songs of love and longing to soar with cloudbusting joy. Opening track ‘Not That Kind’ is Carly Rae Jepsen by way of the Cocteau Twins while cuts like ‘Her Own Heart’ are full of the
kind of wide eyed wonder that makes Hatchie so ecstatic. A subtle darker edge is brought in via the crunching guitars of ‘Unwanted Guest’ but it’s immediately followed by the blissful reverie of the fluttering ‘Secret’. Darkness can’t shadow Hatchie’s world for long. ‘Keepsake’ is an album that sounds instantly familiar, and it succeeds in providing a fresh impetus and vibrancy. There are at least five golden singles on here, and it doesn’t get much better than that. Martyn Young
12TH JULY Bleached Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? Ed Sheeran No.6 Collaborations Project METZ Automat Palace Life After Penelope Isles Until the Tide Creeps In 19TH JULY IDER Emotional Education Sum 41 Order in Decline 26TH JULY Mini Mansions Guy Walks Into A Bar
Of Monsters and Men Fever Dream 2ND AUGUST Clairo Immunity Mabel High Expectations 9TH AUGUST Broken Hands Split In Two Marika Hackman Any Human Friend Sam Fender Hypersonic Missiles Slaughter Beach, Dog Safe And Also No Fear Slipknot We Are Not Your Kind
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The Black Keys have been around - five years, in fact. When they were last in town with 2014’s ‘Turn Blue’, the tide had turned against them for their brashly corporate pop sound, almost completely doing away with their fingers-in-the-dirt lo-fi blues of old. Well, it would seem they’ve rediscovered a bit of what first kick-started them, since ‘Let’s Rock’ stands with its feet firmly in both camps. Returning with ‘Lo/Hi’, The Black Keys were definitely keeping their cards close
ANY OTHER DORK QUESTIONS?
Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Events Liam James Ward
ASKING THE USUAL STUFF IS SO BORING
Sensations. I also like Worcester sauce and prawn cocktail Walkers. What have you got in your pockets right now?
A wallet and a receipt for petrol, which I also enjoy smelling. What would you do if you were Prime Minister for a day?
I’d make it compulsory and make it law that you had to buy my single on that day, and I’d just be loaded. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
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This month it’s only everyone’s fave #1 superstar...
LEWIS CAPALDI What’s your favourite smell?
Petrol. (Smellin’ petro0o0ol - Ed.) What was the last thing your broke?
A pair of glasses, with my fat arse. Tell us a secret about yourself?
I have a birthmark on my arse, and at the moment I have an anal fissure. What’s your favourite flavour of ice cream?
Vanilla. Just like my music. What’s the best present you’ve ever been given?
JULY 2019
DORK
My first guitar: the guitar that started me out on the path to self-discovery. I don’t have it; I lost it. I threw it in the bin, unfortunately. I don’t think you’ll get millions for it though. Maybe a couple of hundred pounds if you’re lucky. When was the last time you said, “Do you know who I am?”?
Never. Unless I was visiting an elderly relative. If you could win a lifetime supply of anything, what would you choose?
Crisps. I like the sweet chilli
I was in secondary school, in secondyear physics class sitting next to my good friend Connor who I’m still friends with to this day. I farted and shit my pants and had to go to the toilet to take them off. Only he knows about that until I’ve told you right now. Also, when I was 16, I went out to a club. My mum knew where I was but she said to be home by 1 and I said, “Fuck off mum, I’m not going to be home then”. I’m joking; she would kill me. She text me at 1, saying, “Where the fuck are ye?” Then at 2, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and it was my mum inside the club. She barged in and pulled me out by the scruff of my neck in front of all my friends and shouted to the bouncer, “Don’t ever let him in here again, he’s 16 years old!” Who’s your most impressive showbiz friend?
I’m friends with Niall Horan. He’s a cool guy. Who’s your favourite pop star?
I really like Ariana Grande. She’s very
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good. She has one of the best voices ever. She dances really well, and she seems lovely. Do you believe in aliens?
Yeah, I guess. I don’t know in what capacity. Aliens could be a fungus on another planet for me. Have you ever had any spooky encounters?
Nah, I think the aliens have heard about my anal fissure and don’t want to probe me. How punk are you out of ten?
Zero. Wasn’t it Avril Lavigne who said it’s not punk to say you’re punk? So I’m saying zero cos of Avril Lavigne. A real punk. P Lewis Capaldi’s debut album ‘Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent’ is out now.